2016 Week 26 Pit Road: Richmond

Weekly Review and Power Rankings

Richmond International Raceway

By Richard Tix

It's time to reset. 26 races down and 10 to go to crown the 2016 Sprint Cup Champion. The first 26 races were a blast but I guarantee the next ten will be even better as the heat ramps up. It may not always be the best "clean" racing, but it is sure to provide some enjoyment. 

As always, Behind the Wall will go into the Chase with a clean slate in the Power Rankings. It is time to reset them completely. This week the rankings will start as a mix between how hot they're coming into the Chase and how much of a chance I think they have at winning. Remember, it is a mix of the two aspect's (cough cough, Rowdy fans). I think Kyle is higher then a top seven contender, but he isn't coming into the Chase setting the world on fire.

For the first three races we will have 16 drivers ranked and they will all come from the Chase field. Once NASCAR cuts the field to 12 so will Behind the Wall (again, all Chase drivers). Once we cut to 8 drivers I will still rank the top 12, but the top 8 will be only drivers left in the Chase and the remaining four can be anyone (previous Chase drivers OR someone who was never in the Chase). This type format will continue all the way down to the final (so in the end the Champion will be number one and the other eleven can be anyone in the Sprint Cup. 

Let the fun begin!

Pit Road Power Rankings Week 26 (Week 25)

1. Kevin Harvick (LW-1)- Four straight top fives from a guy who has navigated this Chase format before, yup I'm all in with Harvick as a safe No. 1. Some pit crew worries have held up the excitement of a second title in three years. 
2. Denny Hamlin (LW-2)- He had seven straight top 10's BEFORE RIR's win. Two wins, five top 5's, and eight top 10's in his last eight means Hamlin has turned it on at the right time. 
3. Brad Keselowsi (LW-4)- The No. 2 team qualified poorly for RIR, but managed to salvage the night. That is what BK and Paul Wolfe have done all year; use strategy to compete week in and week out. Those saving strategies could be the difference in a Champion or an exit.
4. Martin Truex Jr (LW-8)- MTJ and the No. 78 love 1.5 mile tracks and the Chase has a bunch of them. Truex followed up his Darlington win with a 3rd place run at RIR after leading 193 laps.
5. Joey Logano (LW-3)- For a guy who has ten top 5's and 18 top 10's in 26 races, JoLo's season has been quiet. I think most of that has to do with his one win, but don't count out his consistency to get him to Miami.
6. Kyle Larson (LW-6)- Ask me two months ago where Larson would be in the rankings at this time and I would have said something like "either 15th or missing the Chase." He has turned his youth promise into reality. A win at MIS got him in, but his last three races have all been top 3 finishes. 
7. Kyle Busch (LW-11)- I like this Kyle's odds of winning a Championship more then the one above, but the Chase is a funny thing now. You have to get hot at the right time and avoid the bad luck. Rowdy has been fast all year and if he is during the next ten races he has a shot to go back to back.
8. Carl Edwards (LW-5)- Carl started 2016 on fire, but it hasn't gone very smooth as of late. JGR isn't what it was in the first half so maybe other teams have a shot to take them down.
9. Jimmie Johnson (LW-12)- This is not typical Johnson, but this is also not typical Hendrick. It's been awhile since Team Hendrick has lost this much on the track, so it will be interesting to see JJ and Chase fight through it.
10. Chase Elliott (LW-7)- Speaking of Chase, Elliott has had one heck of a rookie season. I'm not sure he can make a legit push at a Championship this year, but at the very least he has shown it should be in his future.
11. Matt Kenseth (LW-9)- I'm not sure what to think of Kenseth. He sure hasn't run well as of late, but they have the speed. Plus, he is a veteran that you can't count out of it. Anything is possible, but inconsistency could be the No. 20's downfall this year.
12. Kurt Busch (LW-NR)- Where has Kurt gone? He finishes 8th on Saturday, but it is a lone bright spot as of late. He started the season as a title contender with a great start, but now he might be bounced by the round of eight.
13. Jamie McMurray (LW-11)- It's been fun watching CGR get a win at MIS (Larson) and JMac pointing his way in with four top 10's in the last five races. 
14. Tony Stewart (LW-NR)- Rules are rules so Smoke is in the Chase, but his last four races have been terrible. He did turn it on for awhile this season, but can he get that back and have one final run at another Championship?
15. Austin Dillon (LW-NR)- AD took a step this year and it paid off by making the Chase. A career high in top 10's (10), he has already doubled his previous high (5). 
16. Chris Buescher (LW-NR)- I think more people are mad Beuscher got in then Smoke, yet Chris won a race and ran all of the races... You can't fault a guy for playing by the rules and using strategy to get here. Plus, who in the final four spots really has a legit shot to win anyways? If you want to argue, argue that we have too many Chase spots. Congrats Chris!