Weekly Review and Power Rankings
Coke Zero 400
| Photo: John Raoux /AP |
By Richard Tix
Has the age of the NASCAR Night race passed us by? After every race Jeff Gluck (NASCAR writer for USA Today) runs a poll on twitter on "was it a good race?" The poll is taken after the race and it is always interesting to see the results.
Dover, Sonoma, and Auto Club all received 90% or better in approval, while the ASR, Coca-Cola 600 (both Charlotte), Kansas, and Texas were all 50% or below (all night races).
This weekend the Coke Zero 500 rounded out the night races so far of 2016 with only a 52% approval rate. So, what was interesting is when Jeff tweeted out the list with a far right column on if it was a day or night race. The five night races all go 52% or worse by the fans on Twitter, while the worst day race was Michigan with a 68% approval rating.
Has NASCAR lost it's touch on Saturday night racing? I for one enjoy the occasional night race, but I'll be honest many of them are hard to catch live. Summer evenings on the weekend are valuable time with friends and family. Look, I love NASCAR, but when it comes to making memories with my friends and family, they come first, always.
Sunday's are normally a much quieter time where many folks are happy to sit back and relax to watch a race (and maybe get some yard work in). In the USA we have been groomed to sit in front of a TV on Sundays (Sunday morning cartoons, NFL, NASCAR, etc). So, asking fans to take 3 hours out of a Sunday isn't as much to ask as a Saturday is. Heck, I bet people would have rated Daytona better if it was on a Wed. night (just ask Brad Keselowski and Dale Earnhardt Jr how they feel about a schedule mix up).
Maybe it's time to start looking into reviewing a few night races and moving them to new times (Sunday afternoon? Week night?). I have been in favor for a few years now of at least trying a weeknight race. During the NFL season it gives viewers something to watch during the week, a stand alone sporting event not competing with the NFL Sunday.
Maybe it works, maybe not, but it's worth trying once at the rate Saturday night races are going.
Oh, and Brad Keselowski won on Saturday.. Right now he is one of the best plate racers driving and it was a nice site to see him enjoy a win with his daughter in VL.
Dover, Sonoma, and Auto Club all received 90% or better in approval, while the ASR, Coca-Cola 600 (both Charlotte), Kansas, and Texas were all 50% or below (all night races).
This weekend the Coke Zero 500 rounded out the night races so far of 2016 with only a 52% approval rate. So, what was interesting is when Jeff tweeted out the list with a far right column on if it was a day or night race. The five night races all go 52% or worse by the fans on Twitter, while the worst day race was Michigan with a 68% approval rating.
Has NASCAR lost it's touch on Saturday night racing? I for one enjoy the occasional night race, but I'll be honest many of them are hard to catch live. Summer evenings on the weekend are valuable time with friends and family. Look, I love NASCAR, but when it comes to making memories with my friends and family, they come first, always.
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| Photo: Chris Trotman |
Maybe it's time to start looking into reviewing a few night races and moving them to new times (Sunday afternoon? Week night?). I have been in favor for a few years now of at least trying a weeknight race. During the NFL season it gives viewers something to watch during the week, a stand alone sporting event not competing with the NFL Sunday.
Maybe it works, maybe not, but it's worth trying once at the rate Saturday night races are going.
Oh, and Brad Keselowski won on Saturday.. Right now he is one of the best plate racers driving and it was a nice site to see him enjoy a win with his daughter in VL.
- Joey Logano (LW-3)- Oh, how I hate power rankings after plate tracks. Wrecks ruin days but it's tough to count too much against a guy for getting in a wreck at Daytona. Just ask Kurt Busch... Well, JoLo pushed his teammate and Kurt to finish out the race and take a weak week 17 No. 1 spot. Finish: 4th
- Kurt Busch (LW-2)- Just ask Kurt how he feels about the guy ahead of him in the rankings this week... If it wasn't for Joey moving him Kurt would have had a nice finish and most likely the top spot this week. Finish: 23rd
- Kevin Harvick (LW-1)- Another guy done in by a wreck. Not a ton to say about many of these guys. They have been the best drivers all year and wrecks happen all too often at these tracks. Finish: 39th
- Brad Keselowski (LW-7)- BK finally got the Daytona bug off of his back. Some of us (me included) have noticed how well BK normally runs at resrictor plate tracks, but it is in full focus after his Firecracker 400 win on Saturday. Finish: 1st
- Carl Edwards (LW-4)- Add Carl to the list involved in some sort of wreck on Saturday night. Interestingly Jeff Gluck's poll of the weekly races all have night races rated the worst...Finish: 25th
- Kyle Larson (LW-8)- Larson was actually a guy to keep it mostly clean on Saturday and it paid off with another nice finish. He is putting it together, but its looking more and more like he will still need a win to get in. Finish: 6th
- Kyle Busch (LW-10)- Kyle was a legit challenger to BK's win on Saturday. He hung out front with him a ton and even lead a few laps. Rowdy has started to turn it back around in his last two races. Finish: 2nd
- Chase Elliott (LW-5)- This is the first time in a few weeks that Chase actually fell outside the top 5 on the NBTW rankings. However, a road course and plate track back to back is nothing to freak out about. Lets see how he bounces back this weekend. Finish: 32nd
- Martin Truex Jr (LW-6)- Truex spent some time up front early but ended up being a part of the biggest wreck of the night like many others. Finish: 29th
- Austin Dillon (LW-NR)- Austin started the race in the top 10 (6th) and ended it right about where he starter. Dillon has been a pretty good plate racer so it isn't a hug surprise to see a top 10 at Daytona. Finish: 7th
- Matt Kenseth (LW-9)- Once again, another victum of the biggest wreck of the night, Kenseth just tried to salvage the race. It's dissapointing too, because he normally ends up being a factor at the front towards the end of plate races some way or another. Finish: 28th
- Tony Stewart (LW-12)- For old times, Smoke is keeping his last spot in the rankings. To be honest, not a lot of guys are worthy of the 12th spot after a wreck filled Daytona, so Tony gets to keep the spot dispite a poor run. However, his finish still left him in the top 30 so he is in the Chase as of this race. Finish: 26th
Dropped Out: Jimmie Johnson (LW-11)
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