2016 NASCAR Pit Road Week 7: Texas

Weekly Review and Power Rankings

Duck Commander 500

Photo: Sean Gardner, Stringer

By Richard Tix

After a really hot start to the 2016 season NASCAR seemed to lose some steam Saturday night. It was the first Saturday Night race of the early season, but it didn't seem to live up to the hype overall. The final 75 laps or so were what was expected of most of the night.

Now, I want to put out there that not every race can be perfect. Not every race can have everything and sometimes these things happen, so Saturday night was no one's fault. But, past the last 75 laps, the strategy calls, and the restarts, Texas Motor Speedway was lacking what most all of the early season races had.

A ton of passing was still taking place throughout the field and guys were sliding around, but the Duck Commander 500 just lacked the "it" factor. That factor is hard to put a finger on, so lets just leave it as TMS was just one of those unlucky races that we get every season.

Oh, and if you missed it Kyle Busch won again. Even after Martins Truex Jr dominated most of the night, Rowdy continued his hot streak that started after missing 11 races in 2015 and became the first back to back winner of 2016. 

**2016 Duck Commander 500 Results**

Pit Road Power Rankings Week 7 (Week 6)

1. Kyle Busch (LW-1)- NASCAR's first back to back winner of 2016, Kyle Busch. It's obvious that he keeps the top spot and if a ranking anywhere on the internet has him elsewhere they're crazy. He is continuing his hot run from 2015 right into this season. If he keeps this up he could flirt with double digit wins. Finish: 1st
2. Jimmie Johnson (LW-2)- It's hard judging the rest of the field after Kyle. He sits by himself at the top right now. But, JJ is no slouch and has two wins himself this season. He hasn't been as dominate week to week, but give the 48 team some time. Finish: 4th
3. Dale Earnhardt Jr (LW-6)- The worst finish of the season for Junior was race one, 36th. Since then he has four top 10's and three top 5's in six races with no finish being higher than 14th. Finish: 2nd
4. Carl Edwards (LW-3)- Six top 10's in seven races yet he has gone through some rough patches during many of those races. If the No. 19 team figures it all out he should be in line for a win or two. Finish: 7th
5. Joey Logano (LW-8)- This season hasn't exactly been the Team Penske of the past few years. However, they haven't exactly been bad either. Saturday Joey had a good but not great car and just couldn't catch the front. Finish: 3rd
6. Kevin Harvick (LW-4)- Feels like a down year to start, doesn't it? Yet, Kevin has six top 10 finishes in the first seven races. He also has a win and three top 5's to go along with those. Rodney Childers said they were testing something out on Saturday and it obviously didn't work out, lucky for everyone else. Finish: 10th
7. Kurt Busch (LW-9)- Kurt has been pretty consistent so far this year, but just not fast enough. He has five top 10's but only one of those resulted in a top 5. Finish: 9th
8. Brad Keselowski (LW-5)- Of all the 2016 winners BK and Hamlin have been struggling the most weekly. A lot of it has been self inflicted penalties or bad luck. Saturday BK has a tire that was loose and it resulted in him being two laps down. Finish: 18th
9. Martin Truex Jr (LW-12)- Truex was the car to beat most of Saturday Night, but just like last fall when BK was so dominate, he couldn't close the deal at the end. Finish: 6th
10. Austin Dillon (LW-7)- AD qualified well again, but the rest of his night didn't go as well. He still sits in the top 10 in points and has really started to show some potential. Finish: 19th
11. Denny Hamlin (LW-11)- Just like BK above, DH has been one of the more inconsistent drivers of 2016 who currently have a win. Pit penalties and bad luck have also plagued him and his team. Finish: 12th
12. Chase Elliott (LW-NR)- What a run for Chase on Saturday. He was sent to the back to start the races and before the competition caution had already made up a ton of ground. When the race came to a close he was still in the fight and notched his first top 5 of his career. Finish: 5th

Dropped Out: A.J. Allmendinger (11th)

Just Missed: Kyle Larson and Matt Kenseth