2016 Pit Road Week 36: Homestead

Weekly Review and Power Rankings

Ford EcoBoost 400

By Richard Tix

One last time. One final time to strap in, get focus, and get on getting on. Yes, one last power rankings for the 2016 season after one last time Cup drivers strapped in for the year to wheel it around the track. 

As the 2016 NASCAR Sprint Cup Season comes to an end, so will the Behind the Wall Power Rankings. That is, they will be ending for the offseason and until we get back into the mix of things just a few short months away. 

On Sunday NASCAR crowned a 2016 Champion. This time around it felt like a guy who hadn't won a Championship's in ages who finally won again, yet it was Jimmie Johnson who is now a seven time Cup Champ and not that far removed from his last one (2013).

One would think seven Championships, 80 career wins, 218 career top 5's, and 330 top 10's in 543 races would be enough to be considered in the realm of Richard Petty and Dale Earnhardt, yet I saw a lot floating around social media after Sundays historic win. 

Some fans went from "NASCAR rig's races so Toyota wins" to " NASCAR rig's races so Jimmie Johnson wins." I am not sure how both happen, but I can tell you neither are true and both are laughable.

I also saw a lot of "well, Johnson never won a Championship before the Chase so because I don't like the Chase he can't be as good at the King or Senior who won in points system's."

Yeah, these things have been said by fans of the sport, a sport they claim they love.

Let me tell you, 80 career wins do not come because of the format or by NASCAR scripting the seasons. 80 career wins comes from a lot of hard work, teamwork, overcoming odds, and talent. No matter if you love or hate JJ, he is one of NASCAR history's best and didn't need the win Sunday to prove it. 

When it comes to who is NASCAR's best, it will all come down to perception and opinion (which go hand in hand folks). It's just like in any other sport, different era's produce different legends and comparing the era's is no easy task and most the time shouldn't be done. Life is much easier when you just appreciate greatness for what it is, during the era it is in, with the moments task's in front of it.

The King raced in an era where pushing the rule book was a bit easier then today, but if you weren't pushing it you were't really racing. He drove the butt off his car and had the engineering to do so. Car's were as close to street/stock cars as you could get and were not easy to handle. It was a time where one car and only one car could end up on the lead lap and win by miles (not seconds). 

Senior was the ultimate "Intimidator," and if that didn't work he would physically move you out of the way. However, even if he wasn't moving you he was one of the best at wheeling it around a track. Car's were much closer in competition then in the King's day, but still had clear advantages over others. He was taken too soon from family, friends, and fans which always leaves us wondering, "what if?"

Then we have Jimmie. You can argue that competition is as close at it has ever been in NASCAR's history. Any given week guys from Hendrick, JGR, Penske, Furniture Row, or Stewart Haas could win. Throw in the years where RFR and RCR were factors and you begin to realize that JJ really has fought through a ton of competition over his career. 

In 2002, JJ's first full season at Cup, it was still the Winston Cup Series. Guys like Tony Stewart, Mark Martin, Jeff Gordon, and Kurt Busch were all going strong. Older veterans like Rusty Wallace, Ricky Rudd, and Dale Jarrett were all still around and finishing in the top 10 of points. 

Johnson finished second in the famous 2003 season where Matt Kenseth won the Championship with one win and changed the season scoring forever (to the Chase). 17 different drivers won that year, which is often overlooked because people always focus on a one win Champion. 

Thirteen drivers won a race in 2006 when JJ won his first Championship. Sixteen won a race the following year when he went back to back. Twelve more won in 2008 including Kyle Busch with eight and Carl Edwards with nine.

Look, the list goes on and on when it comes to competition vs Jimmie Johnson. He has never had it easy, yet he has made it look easy at times. Sometimes in those moment's you forget just how great he has been because it looks so easy. Add in having a top notch Crew Chief and teammates and you have a dynasty on your hands.

Seven is the magic number and no matter how you look at it, it's impossible to compare the three. Each are great in their own way. Each paved a spot in NASCAR history. Each should be respected as an all time great in NASCAR history.

Congrats Jimmie Johnson on number seven, it will be fun to follow along and see if number eight is in your future. Now, eight it the magic number.

Pit Road Power Rankings Week 36 (Week 35)

1. Jimmie Johnson (LW-3)- The King. The Intimidator. Jimmie. All seven time Champion's, all NASCAR greats. The numbers will speak for themselves in the future when fan's look back.
2. Joey Logano (LW-1)- That's three straight season's where JoLo has been a legit title contender in the Chase. He now has 12 wins in the last three years, so a Championship seem's like it is right around the corner.
3. Kevin Harvick (LW-5)- Harvick missed out on Homestead, but had another fantastic season from start to finish. Some consistency issues plagued him in the Chase but he almost persevered. The switch to Ford will be interesting.
4. Kyle Busch (LW-2)- After a title that some fans didn't want to except, Kyle came back and proved it was legit by being one of the best cars all year. Rowdy paired with JGR should lead to more Championships in the near future.
5. Brad Keselowski (LW-9)- The standings show 12th, but until he was knocked out of the Chase he was one of the fastest, most consistent drivers all season. However, if you look at his career he has been on an every other year streak where wins come and go. Can he break it in 2017?
6. Carl Edwards (LW-4)- Carl had to do what he had to do. In that pressure filled moment his mind said block. To outsiders it may look like the "wrong" move, but it was his Championship on the line and he obviously thought it was going to work. No fault in that, those are the moments that define people and sport.
7. Matt Kenseth (LW-7)- 2016 was a step back from 2017, but Kenseth still made a push to be a title contender. It's tough when you're the older veteran on a JGR team that is stacked with talent and you can only get two cars into the final out of four.
8. Kyle Larson (LW-10)- We have seen this story before, Kyle Larson finishes the season strong, he gets a bunch of talk all offseason, and the next year comes out flat (hint hint rookie season). He finished this year off with finishes of 3rd and 2nd, can it finally roll over into next year?
9. Chase Elliott (LW-8)- Following up one promising young gun with another. Chase had a heck of a rookie season and looks to having a promising rise ahead. Ten top 5's and 17 top 10's is no easy feat as a rookie. Chase looks to be the future of Hendrick and has plenty of guys around him to help him along the way.
10. Denny Hamlin (LW-6)- Every year JGR is the hardest team to predict. 2016 was another good season for Denny, but in the end it was Carl and Kyle who got into the Finale. Next year it could be Denny and Matt, who knows?
11. Kurt Busch (LW-11)- It was a heck of a run for a guy I thought was too inconsistent to advance as far as he did. I no way do I think he had a bad year, but he just never had a car I thought was a winning car. So, really, I think he probably overcame a lot to put up the stats he did without a winning car.
12. Tony Stewart (LW-NR)- One last time. Smoke had one last ride around Homestead-Miami and he will get one last run on Behind the Wall's power rankings. It was a fun career and we will miss him on the track, but it is comforting to know we will still get him in doses around the track. He did everything on his terms and that is something to respect in 2016. Congrats on a great career Smoke.

Thanks for sticking with Behind the Wall all season long! I appreciate everyone of you that comes by to check out the site. The interaction on Twitter and other social media platforms makes this all worth it as a fan of the sport.

Come back all offseason as we fight through "NOD" as I review all of the drivers and start getting preseason content up and going. It feels like a long offseason, but it is only a few short months away in actuality, so together we can make it to 2017!