2016 Pit Road Week 31: Kansas

Weekly Review and Power Rankings

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Photo: Jason Hanna Getty Images

By Richard Tix

Hard racing and post race interviewing don't always go as well as you think they would in your head. Not wanting to answer a question right after a heated race and answering with "that's racing, I guess." It's a line every NASCAR Cup driver has used almost every season they have raced at least once. Sometimes a driver let's out exactly what they're thinking and gets bashed by social media couch critics. Other time's they use a generic line like above and we all move on and thinking of it as just another boring interview. But, Sunday social media didn't move on.

Why is that? Well because it was Kyle Busch that said that line after his racing run in with teammate Carl Edwards late in the race at Kansas. The one thing we know about Kyle Busch is no move goes without a social media outrage.

Sure, he may have a past where he was looked at as whinny (maybe even some of you still think that), but a whole ton of drivers have said the same things and been applauded for holding back and being a bigger man and not in the shade of "crying."

Kyle gets lambasted from social media because of his past (I guess), but 99.9% of the time if the comment "that's racing, I guess" came out of another drivers mouth we would take it with a grain of salt and move on. Would we know that driver probably didn't fully mean it? Sure, we can see past typical BS lines and know their is more, but for some reason we keep nitpicking Rowdy for every single thing he does.

I get it if you don't like him, almost every fan in the sport has a guy they dislike, but cut him some slack because if your driver said that you would be looking at this 180 degrees the other way. I would say 80% of the time (yes making up numbers here) the social media outrage on Kyle Busch is total fan hypocrisy. Hate on him when it's a valid reason, but answering the question with a generic line is what most drivers do when they don't want to talk about it, just be happy he didn't walk off (one of those times I get being upset with him).

Now, lets get to the Power Rankings since my rant backing a driver I am not even a fan of has gone long enough. 

A review of the Chase Power Ranking Rules:

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.

We're down to 12 Chase drivers so only those 12 are in the rankings this week.

Pit Road Power Rankings Week 31 (Week 30)

1. Jimmie Johnson (LW-4)- This is the best I have seen the No. 48 run in awhile. Sunday he wasn't going to win (and didn't need to), but he worked his way to the front and stayed clean, something he will want to do again at Dega (though he is already in the final eight). 
2. Kyle Busch (LW-5)- I'm not sure Kyle was catching Harvick even if he got around the No. 19, but he was fast to end the race. He has been good all Chase long.
3. Kevin Harvick (LW-10)- Was he too low last week? Probably. But that's how this Chase has gone so far for "Happy." It's been up and down, but this team fights through adversity by bringing speed every week. Oh, and check out last weeks quote on ole No. 4: "Heads up No. 4 fans, he can win at anytime." See, all is good for the moment with Harvick.
4. Matt Kenseth (LW-3)- Five Chase races and five top 10's, Kenseth is staying out of trouble and not mixing it up with anyone, which is a good Chase formula. 
5. Martin Truex Jr (LW-1)- After two wins in the first round, Truex now has two finishes of 11th or worse in the second round.
6. Carl Edwards (LW-7)- 12th and 2nd this round, that doesn't seem great but with Talladega on the schedule if he does it again he should be safe.
7. Joey Logano (LW-11)- He raced his way back to the top 8 (tied with Dillon), but still has to stay clean and run well at Talladega to advance. Weird spot after such a great 2015 season.
8. Kurt Busch (LW-6)- Kurt has flown under the radar all Chase. Mostly because he really hasn't been that good, but he hasn't been bad either. That's how this season may end for him too.
9. Brad Keselowski (LW-2)- "Must win." NBC analysis need to realize we're going to Dega where someone could have trouble like BK did at Kansas. BK has been top 10 fast all year and consistent, he still has a shot without a win.
10. Austin Dillon (LW-12)- What a Chase for AD. Give the man his due, he is sticking in it and is in a nice spot right now. Who would have thought, AD in the round of eight? It's only one great finish away.
11. Chase Elliott (LW-8)- Chase can't catch a break this round. He has been fast and he finished 5th after getting the pole last time out at Dega. He has to be this low in the rankings, but it's not crazy to think he could win..
12. Denny Hamlin (LW-9)- Trouble at Charlotte did DH no favors and his 15th place finish this weekend didn't help. The other guys who were in a hole helped themselves out unlike Hamlin. He needs to stay clean and have a great finish at Dega.