Weekly Review and Power Rankings
STP 500
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| Photo by Brian Lawdermilk/Getty Images |
By Richard Tix
NASCAR left the West Coast for a more "classic" NASCAR feel. Racing back at its "roots." Short track racing at NASCAR's oldest current track the way we started out. Bumping, banging, and no aero dependency.
All of these reason's are a part of why I wan't big on Martinsville's idea to sell tickets with the Matt Kenseth vs Joey Logano wreck fest of 2015. I think they could easily have marketed the race by taking a look back at older races year by year up until Jeff Gordon's final win. Snap shots of late passes, classic burn outs, and Jeff Gordon celebrating.
It was a miss by Martinsville to not only touch on the "old school" NASCAR fans, but also show the "new" fans the tradition and classic NASCAR before there time. It was a way to mix in both markets and avoid using the black eye that was Kenseth vs Logano.
Now, it is not my job to sell tickets so Martinsville has every right to do what they see as fit, but I thought of all tracks they have the best one to market the old style with new excitement. Call me a hybrid fan (some old school with an understanding of new school), but that's just how I saw it.
As for the race, it was another good one in the 2016 season that has had a ton of them. The racing up front wasn't that exciting, but the fighting and jocking for position through the field was pretty good. The teammate rivalry between Austin Dillon and Paul Menard was an overview of what fan's got to see through the field. Tempers flared and emotions got the best of some guys. That is what short track racing in NASCAR is all about and why many (myself included) wish we had more short track stops on the schedule.
**2016 STP 500 Results**
All of these reason's are a part of why I wan't big on Martinsville's idea to sell tickets with the Matt Kenseth vs Joey Logano wreck fest of 2015. I think they could easily have marketed the race by taking a look back at older races year by year up until Jeff Gordon's final win. Snap shots of late passes, classic burn outs, and Jeff Gordon celebrating.
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| Photo by Sarah Crabill/Getty Images |
Now, it is not my job to sell tickets so Martinsville has every right to do what they see as fit, but I thought of all tracks they have the best one to market the old style with new excitement. Call me a hybrid fan (some old school with an understanding of new school), but that's just how I saw it.
As for the race, it was another good one in the 2016 season that has had a ton of them. The racing up front wasn't that exciting, but the fighting and jocking for position through the field was pretty good. The teammate rivalry between Austin Dillon and Paul Menard was an overview of what fan's got to see through the field. Tempers flared and emotions got the best of some guys. That is what short track racing in NASCAR is all about and why many (myself included) wish we had more short track stops on the schedule.
**2016 STP 500 Results**
Pit Road Power Rankings Week 6 (Week 5)
- Kyle Busch (LW-3)- The top spot keeps changing hands weekly. KB picked up the win at Martinsville and now has five top 5 finishes in the first six races of 2016. Finish: 1st
- Jimmie Johnson (LW-1)- Considering it's Martinsville we just left, Sunday was a bad day for JJ. He wasn't really a big time contender and finished as such. Finish: 9th
- Carl Edwards (LW-4)- Another tough day for Carl that he and the team fought through and finished with a respectable run. This type of run has been happening too often for Carl, but they have made the best of it so far. Finish: 6th
- Kevin Harvick (LW-3)- Good car all day, rough finish. The outside line at Martinsville is hard on anyone, let alone a week in which the Goodyear's weren't laying any rubber down. He fell off but it shouldn't take away from how well he ran most of the day. Finish: 17th
- Brad Keselowski (LW-7)- Strong early. Penalty. Stuck mid pack. Then a run to the front. Just like Carl, Jr, and Denny, BK fought through a lot Sunday. In the end the No. 2 just didn't have short speed to contend with everyone so they gambled with four tires on the last stop. Finish: 5th
- Dale Earnhardt Jr (LW-5)- Speaking of a long day and fighting through, Junior and team had one of the longest. He spun early and was stuck in traffic most of the day. However, he came up with a decent finish to save all the work they put in. Finish: 14th
- Austin Dillon (LW-11)- AD and Paul Menard was some of the best action of the day. Not only was it good because they are teammates, but man were they driving each other hard. In the end both had great days and AD added to his impressive 2016 start. Finish: 4th
- Joey Logano (LW-8)- Pole winner JoLo dropped early and dropped fast. Even later in the race he was still hanging in back to many fan's surprise. The team kept fighting and had a decent finish, but it should have been much better. Finish: 11th
- Kurt Busch (LW-9)- Not a bad car, but not a winning car most of the day. It was Kurt's second non top 10 of the season after starting out with four straight top 10's. Finish: 13th
- Denny Hamlin (LW-6)- Denny Hamlin had a fast car on Sunday but hurt himself first with a pit penalty and then coming in too hot on a corner and "wheel hopping." That corner put him in the wall and ruined fight back to the front. Finish: 39th
- AJ Allmendinger (LW-NR)- It wasn't just the impressive run this past Sunday (though it was fun to watch him push to the front late), but he now has back to back top 10's. He is also 12th in the points and will have a good shot at the road courses again this season. Finish: 2nd
- Martin Truex Jr (LW-10)- What's going on with the No. 78? Is it that the gray area they were trying to get through is catching up? Did they just lose it during that time? They started off like it was still 2015, but have struggled as of late. Finish: 18th
Dropped Out: Chase Elliott (12th)
Just Missed: Paul Menard and Kyle Larson
Just Missed: Paul Menard and Kyle Larson
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