2017 NASCAR Pit Road Week 8: Bristol

Weekly Review and Power Rankings

Food City 500

By Richard Tix

In a week I will be relaxing on a beach somewhere and not here... So, take these power rankings in this week with all their glory as I will miss the post race power rankings after Richmond. Yes, the driver this week at number one will get the benefit to stay number one for two weeks no matter how they run this weekend.

Pit Road Power Rankings: Week 8 (Week 7)

1. Kyle Larson (LW-2)- Larson lead 202 total laps on Monday and came off pretty happy with how much fun Bristol was to race after a 6th place finish.
2. Jimmie Johnson (LW-11)- To think, people were starting to hit the panic button on JJ just a few weeks ago. Oh, how two straight wins will make people forget all about that.
3. Chase Elliott (LW-3)- Same ole story here: Chase is showing amazing consistency but just needs to close out a race. Once a win comes, more will quickly follow.
4. Joey Logano (LW-4)- JoLo lead 72 laps, has a Cup leading seven top ten's, and yet it seems like he has had a slow start. A win should be coming his way soon.
5. Martin Truex Jr (LW-5)- Hands down the fastest Toyota of 2017, Truex notched another top ten on Monday which was his fifth (Kyle Busch and Denny Hamlin have six combined).
6. Brad Keselowski (LW-1)- Rough way to run around Bristol. BK had a mix of problems sending him to the garage on Monday, but the plus side is they have been fast all year.
7. Clint Bowyer (LW-7)- Overlooked is that Bowyer is eight in the current standings thanks to three top tens in the last four and four staright finishes of 11th or better.
8. Kevin Harvick (LW-8)- It's weird to see Harvick down here after so many races, but things are looking up, he has two straight top fives to his name.
9. Jamie McMurray (LW-6)- It wasn't a great race and it wasn't a bad race for JMac. He may point his way in the Playoffs again this year.
10. Ricky Stenhouse Jr (LW-12)- Once again Ricky fought through adversity and notched a top ten at one of his best tracks on the schedule.
11. Trevor Bayne (LW-NR)- Mark it down, RFR is two for two this week! Bayne doesn't have the top tens (one), but he does have six finishes of 13th or better including three straight.
12. Matt Kenseth (LW-NR)- Kenseth isn't tearing things up by any means, but he has been trying to turn the corner. He took an otherwise average day at Bristol and turned it into a fourth place finish, maybe more positive signs will come at RIR?

Dropped Out: Kyle Busch (LW-9) and Ryan Blaney (LW-10)

Just Missed: Denny Hamlin

2017 NASCAR Week 9: Richmond

Toyota Owners 400

Richmond International Raceway

By Richard Tix

This week we are heading right into the normal weekly contend of Good, Middle, Bad. It's been a busy stretch and next week I am off to Mexico for a full weeks vacation so in order to get it all in some things will be short and sweet,

On top of that Dale Earnhardt Junior broke his retirement news which has taken some of my free time to soak that all in. So, let's move along with the rest of the weekly content below.

**This section is just a quick look at some of Cup drivers latest finishes. This is not a tool for fantasy purposes and NBTW only is looking at end results. No deep statistic's are involved, but rather it is just a quick way to get ready for the race and get caught up on who has finished well at each track**

The Good

• Kyle Busch- Rowdy hasn't won here since 2012, but he still has the most wins at RIR of current drivers (four). He does have three straight top tens which include two runner up finishes.
• Denny Hamlin- DH won here last fall and also has three straight top ten finishes at RIR, the other two being a pair of 6th place finishes.
• Kevin Harvick- Harvick has four top fives in his last five starts here at RIR. He has three wins, 20 top tens, and an average finish of 10.5 in 32 career starts here.

The Middle

• Kyle Larson- 16th, 11th, 12th, 12th, 15th, and 2nd almost say it all for his "middle" spot this week. I'd expect him to be closer to that 2nd spot then the 16th this weekend.

The Bad

• Ryan Blaney- Really small sample size (two races), but those two races resulted in a 28th and 39th place finish.
• Paul Menard- 20 career starts and only one top ten (a top five) says it all for Paul.
• Ricky Stenhouse Jr- Ricky has one top ten in eight career RIR starts. What's bad is that that tenth place finish is also his only top 15 as well.

About the Track: Richmond

Track Stats

• Richard Petty once won 7 RIR races in a row, 9 of 10, and 12 of 17. All were from 1967 to 1975
• In 2013 Kevin Harvick and Carl Edwards won from the 17th and 26th positions. Joey Logano won in 2014 (Spring) from the 17th position as well. 
• In 2009 and 2010 Kyle Busch won both early season races and Denny Hamlin won both late season. Kyle also won the early season RIR race in 2011 and 2012 making it 5 straight Toyota wins and 6 in 7 (actually 7 of 8 because Bowyer won late in 2012).
• Richard Petty has the most career RIR wins with 13.
• Of current drivers Kyle Busch has the most total wins with 4.
• Richard Petty also has the most career top 5's (34), top 10's (41), and Poles (tied with Bobby Allison with 8).
• Toyota has won three straight

Track Info

• Surface - Asphalt
• Length - 0.75 miles
• Banking
• Turns: 14 degrees
• Frontstretch: 8 degrees
• Backstretch: 2 degrees

2017 NASCAR Schedule: Richmond

Toyota Owners 400

By Richard Tix

All Times are Eastern Timezone (ET)

Friday April 28th, 2017

• 11:30 a.m.-12:55 p.m.: Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series practice- FS1
• 1-1:55 p.m.: NASCAR XFINITY Series practice- FS1
• 3-3:55 p.m.: NASCAR XFINITY Series final practice- FS1
• 4:45 p.m.: Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Coors Light Pole Qualifying- FS1

Saturday April 29th, 2017

• 9-9:55 a.m.: Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series practice- FS1
• 10:05 a.m.: NASCAR XFINITY Series Coors Light Pole Qualifying- FS1
• 11:30 a.m.-12:20 p.m.: Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series final practice- FS1
• 1 p.m.: NASCAR XFINITY Series ToyotaCare 250 (250 laps)- FS1

Sunday April 30th, 2017

• 2 p.m.: Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Toyota Owners 400 (400 laps)- FOX

2017 March Madness NASCAR Style: Championship

Behind the Wall Championship

By Richard Tix

One last race... March has long been over, but the March Madness Bracket wraps up this weekend at Bristol. What a better place to finish out the five race tournament then going to a NASCAR short track classic. We started with 32 drivers and we are down to two, check out the matchup below.

Rules and Bracket Breakdown

• Brackets were decided by current standings after the race at Las Vegas. Four Divisions, top 4 in the standings got the #1 seeds, 5-8 in the standings got the #2 seeds, 9-12 #3 seeds and so on. We are going by regular points standings (meaning a win doesn't put you ahead of someone without a win). Straight points.
• From the standings the rankings were given out serpentine style. Meaning: The driver ranked 5th (first #2 seed) started in the lowest #1 seed's bracket. That continues until the three seeds where it then goes from top back down.
• Here is how the rounds break down by race.
• Phoenix: Round 32 
• Auto Club: Sweet 16
• Martinsville: Elite 8
• Texas: Final Four
• Bristol: Championship
• This year the winner will be decided by which driver ends the race with the most points under the current NASCAR points system. So, stage points will count towards the finish of head to head matchups.

2017: 5th Annual NBTW NASCAR March Madness
1	Keselowski		1	Keselowski		1	Larson
3	Bowyer		1	Larson		1	Elliott

Bracket Notes: 

Last week at Texas our Final Four gave us some great runs. All four drivers finished in the top 11 and they all finished top 12 in race points (including the stage points). So, no one had an easy run to the Championship at Bristol this week. In the end, the cream of the crop (or cream of 2017) rose to the top and will face off at BMS. Larson and Keselowski have arguably the best drivers early on this season which might give us our most competitive Championship ever.

Previous NASCAR Behind the Wall March Madness Champions

• 2017
• Final Four: Brad Keselowski, Kyle Larson, Chase Elliott, and Clint Bowyer
• 2016 Champion: Joey Logano
• 2nd: Kyle Busch
• Final Four: Carl Edwards, Kyle Busch, Kurt Busch, and Joey Logano
• 2015 Champion: Brad Keselowski
• 2nd: Joey Logano
• Final Four: Brad Keselowski, Kyle Larson, Joey Logano, and Aric Almirola
• 2014 Champion: Tony Stewart
• 2nd: Carl Edwards
• Final Four: Ricky Stenhouse Jr, Brian Vickers, Carl Edwards, and Tony Stewart
• 2013 Champion: Brad Keselowski
• 2nd: Kasey Kahne
• Final Four: Brad Keselowski, Kasey Kahne, Kyle Busch, and Kurt Busch

2017 NASCAR Week 8: Bristol

Food City 500

Bristol Motor Speedway

By Richard Tix

This week the Behind the Wall preview will be short and sweet. On one hand you don't have to hear me babble about something that has been bugging me all week, on the other hand you don't get to hear me babble about something that has been bugging me all week.

You know what, I don't have anything anyways because we were on a bye week! This past weekend was filled with friends and family on a nice Easter weekend. This week will be full of double duty at my actual job so this preview will cover the weekly basics and we will move on.

With that said, lets take a peak at the "Good, Middle, and Bad" portion of this preview.

**This section is just a quick look at some of Cup drivers latest finishes. This is not a tool for fantasy purposes and NBTW only is looking at end results. No deep statistic's are involved, but rather it is just a quick way to get ready for the race and get caught up on who has finished well at each track**

The Good

• Ricky Stenhouse Jr- Yes, that is the same Ricky that is dating Danica Patrick and runs the No. 17 for RFR. Seriously though, he has four top ten's in his last six starts here and has never finished worse then 21st. In fact, seven of his eight career starts ended in 18th or better and last year he competed for the win.
• Joey Logano- Three straight top ten's which includes a win and four of five with two wins isn't too shabby here. The lone poor finish was when the 2 and 22 got together early after a rain delay was "possibly" started too early. 
• Kevin Harvick- The last Bristol winner, Harvick has three straight top ten's. Before that he was on a cold streak, so which one do we get?

The Middle

• Jamie McMurray- Five straight top 15's which includes two top ten's for JMac at Bristol. He probably won't compete for a win, but he has been pretty good at staying clean here.

The Bad

• Kyle Busch- Don't put money down against Kyle, please don't.. He has been on a tough streak here -- four finishes of 29th or worse in his last five -- but he also knows how to win here -- five career wins.
• Kasey Kahne- Kahne does have a win here at Bristol (2013), but his last five starts haven't included a top ten and only includes one top 15. Maybe it's just a bad stretch and he shakes it off this weekend?
• AJ Allmendinger- Ironically his best finish here was just last fall, 9th. However, the rest of his career hasn't gone as well here -- 16 other starts and zero top ten's. 

About the Track: Bristol

Track Stats

• Cup has run 112 total races at Bristol since 1961.
• Richard Petty ran the most career races at Bristol: 60.
• Darrell Waltrip has the most career Bristol wins: 12. Rusty Wallace, Dale Earnhardt, and Cale Yarborough follow with 9 each.
• Richard Petty and Darrell Waltrip are tied for the most career top 5's with 26.
• Richard Petty has the most career top 10's with 37.
• Mark Martin and Cale Yarborough are tied for the most career Poles with 9.
• Of current drivers. The Busch Brothers, Kyle Busch, and Kurt Busch have the most wins with 5 each.

Track Info

• Surface - Concrete
• Length
• 0.533 miles
• Banking
• Turns: 26-30 degrees
• Straights: 6-10 degrees

2017 NASCAR Schedule: Bristol

Food City 500

By Richard Tix

All Times are Eastern Timezone (ET)

Friday April 21, 2017

• 11:30 a.m.-12:55 p.m.: Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series practice- FS1 
• 1-1:55 p.m.: NASCAR XFINITY Series practice- FS1 
• 3:30-4:25 p.m.: NASCAR XFINITY Series final practice- FS1 
• 4:45 p.m.: Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Coors Light Pole Qualifying- FS1

Saturday April 22, 2017

• 8:30-9:25 a.m.: Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series practice- FS1 
• 9:35 a.m.: NASCAR XFINITY Series Coors Light Pole Qualifying- FS1 
• 11-11:55 a.m.: Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series final practice- FS1 
• 1 p.m.: NASCAR XFINITY Series Fitzgerald Glider Kits 300 (200 laps)- FOX

Sunday April 23, 2017

• 2 p.m.: Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Food City 500 (500 laps)- FOX 

2017 NASCAR Week 10: Talladega

GEICO 500

Talladega Superspeedway

By Richard Tix

No full preview this week while I'm on vacation, but here's the weekly "good, middle, and bad" to skim through. 

**This section is just a quick look at some of Cup drivers latest finishes. This is not a tool for fantasy purposes and NBTW only is looking at end results. No deep statistic's are involved, but rather it is just a quick way to get ready for the race and get caught up on who has finished well at each track**

The Good

• Chase Elliott- Small sample size, but Elliott has shown early in his career that he is one of the best at manuvering around at the superspeedways of Daytona and Dega. Both of his starts at Dega included an average running position of 10th or better.
• Brad Keselowski- BK's first career Cup win came here at Dega and he has three more since including this race last year.
• Joey Logano- Team Penske has won three straight here at Talladega and JoLo won two of the three. They both know how to run here and both of them work well together to stay up front.

The Middle

• Dale Earnhardt Jr- Six career wins here, but only one in the last 23 races. Jr has been up and down here, but when he is running well he is a threat to win.

The Bad

• Kasey Kahne- Last time Kahne had a top ten finish here was early 2014. That top ten his his only one in the last nine starts here at Dega.
• Kyle Busch- Dega strangely is a track Rowdy has had mixed results at. 23 career starts and only six top ten's aren't stats Busch fans are used to.
• Jamie McMurray- He could win here at any moment, but he could also finish outside the top 25 (12 times in 29 races). Take the good with the bad, he could be a contender Sunday.

2017 NASCAR Pit Road Week 7: Texas

Weekly Review and Power Rankings

O'Reilly Auto Parts 500

By Richard Tix

A Texas Motor Speedway track that has given us a bunch of meh races, a new repave, and a move from Saturday night to Sunday head to head with the Masters, that's what NASCAR was up against this past weekend. I will be completely honest, my expectations for Sunday were pretty low for said reason's already stated.

However, for the most part I was pleasantly surprised with the racing outcome. I will still hold by my opinion stated in the race preview about wanting this TMS race to go from 500 to 400 miles, but that didn't change my opinion of the race in general.

Compared to other races on the season, I would give this race a D+ or C-, but when I take into consideration how much I haven't enjoyed most of the most recent Texas races and the fact that we just had a repave here I would move it to a B and vote "yes" on Jeff Gluck's pole.

The crew at TMS did one heck of a job trying to get the track as ready as they could for the race Sunday. They literally were out there dragging it whenever they could (seriously, 6 AM to 1 AM). By the end of the day Sunday a second groove was coming in and at least giving drivers a chance to step out and try it.

Sure, we always want more, but I was satisfied given the circumstances with the action on Sunday. Sometimes you have to look at the big picture before fully giving a thought out opinion. Now, about those 500 laps.... :)

Pit Road Power Rankings: Week 7 (Week 6)

1. Brad Keselowski (LW-1)- The Penske duo are the only two drivers to have six top ten's in the first seven races. BK also is tied for the most top fives (five) and has the most wins (two).
2. Kyle Larson (LW-2)- Late surge by the No. 42 gave Larson another second place finish on Sunday. A little too late, but CGR has it going on early in 2017.
3. Chase Elliott (LW-3)- The top three has been solid for a few weeks now and Chase has solidified his spot by being consistent. Next up, closing races.
4. Joey Logano (LW-5)- See BK above, JoLo has six top tens in seven races to start 2017.
5. Martin Truex Jr (LW-6)- Truex is a bit like Elliott, the No. 78 just needs to close these races after running so fast all race long.
6. Jamie McMurray (LW-10)- These CGR Chevy's are fast every week. At this point you have to wonder, will JMac get a win in 2017? His odds are increasing weekly.
7. Clint Bowyer (LW-7)- What seemed like a slow day for the 14 was actually a race in which Bowyer was running an average 6th place all day. They struggled late and finished 11th, but they have been decent all year.
8. Kevin Harvick (LW-9)- Some bad luck has come Harvicks way, but Bowyer actually leads him in the points standings at the moment. Sunday was a promising run for this No. 4 team.
9. Kyle Busch (LW-4)- That was a poor week for everyone at JGR, something was missing this weekend. A week off and Bristol up next could help turn it around.
10. Ryan Blaney (LW-NR)- Stage win, or long term look at positioning for the race win? The No. 21 still had the longest stage to fight back, but couldn't work through traffic after leading the way in stage one and two.
11. Jimmie Johnson (LW-NR)- An exhausting win, literally, JJ leaves zero doubt that you don't count him out, ever.
12. Ricky Stenhouse Jr (LW-NR)- 10th at Martinsville and 14th at Texas heading into Bristol is good news for Ricky. Good to see both RFR cars gaining some speed in 2017.

Dropped Out: Ryan Newman (LW-8), Denny Hamlin (LW-11), and Erik Jones (LW-12)

Just Missed: Dale Earnhardt Jr and Trevor Bayne

2017 March Madness NASCAR Style: Final Four

Behind the Wall Final Four

By Richard Tix

The NCAA Basketball season maybe over (Heck yeah North Carolina!), but the March Madness NASCAR Style continues to roll on for two more races. After fighting for every spot at Martinsville last week, the Final Four will head to Texas this weekend. Check out who advanced below.

Rules and Bracket Breakdown

• Brackets were decided by current standings after the race at Las Vegas. Four Divisions, top 4 in the standings got the #1 seeds, 5-8 in the standings got the #2 seeds, 9-12 #3 seeds and so on. We are going by regular points standings (meaning a win doesn't put you ahead of someone without a win). Straight points.
• From the standings the rankings were given out serpentine style. Meaning: The driver ranked 5th (first #2 seed) started in the lowest #1 seed's bracket. That continues until the three seeds where it then goes from top back down.
• Here is how the rounds break down by race.
• Phoenix: Round 32 
• Auto Club: Sweet 16
• Martinsville: Elite 8
• Texas: Final Four
• Bristol: Championship
• This year the winner will be decided by which driver ends the race with the most points under the current NASCAR points system. So, stage points will count towards the finish of head to head matchups.

2017: 5th Annual NBTW NASCAR March Madness
1	Keselowski								1	Larson
6	Dillon								3	McMurray
			1	Keselowski		1	Larson
			3	Bowyer		1	Elliott
5	Jones								1	Elliott
3	Bowyer								2	Blaney

Bracket Notes:

Larson lucked out on a poor run when his teammate gambled early with a tire rub. Larson will get a chance to bounce back at Texas. Two other No. 1 seeds will join No. 1 seed Larson in the Final Four so hopefully you picked "chalk" in your bracket. On the flip side of Larson getting lucky, Dillon was unlucky in a great run spoiled by Keselowski winning Martinsville.

Previous NASCAR Behind the Wall March Madness Champions

• 2016 Champion: Joey Logano
• 2nd: Kyle Busch
• Final Four: Carl Edwards, Kyle Busch, Kurt Busch, and Joey Logano
• 2015 Champion: Brad Keselowski
• 2nd: Joey Logano
• Final Four: Brad Keselowski, Kyle Larson, Joey Logano, and Aric Almirola
• 2014 Champion: Tony Stewart
• 2nd: Carl Edwards
• Final Four: Ricky Stenhouse Jr, Brian Vickers, Carl Edwards, and Tony Stewart
• 2013 Champion: Brad Keselowski
• 2nd: Kasey Kahne
• Final Four: Brad Keselowski, Kasey Kahne, Kyle Busch, and Kurt Busch

2017 NASCAR Week 7: Texas

O'Reilly Auto Parts 500

Texas Motor Speedway

By Richard Tix

This weekend will be a dramatic change from last week. Last week NASCAR ran Martinsville, a short track with concrete corners and got back to it's short track roots. This week we head to Texas Motor Speedway with a brand new asphalt laid down.

The story of the weekend most likely will be the new surface and if I were looking for a drinking work for race day, I would not use "repave" because I like living....

The story to me this weekend may once again be the 500 miles. TMS is one of those tracks that I think could stand to loose 100 miles on it's race and benefit (been saying it for a few years here). However, the stages could help out the fact that we still run 500 miles here.

Now, I do enjoy long races, long green flag runs, and the strategy that goes with it. However, I wouldn't feel cheated if this race was cut down to 400 miles. 500 miles used to be a test on the equipment running the race, but today most cars just don't wear down. In my opinion Texas is one of our stops that could lose those laps no longer needed.

But, BUT, if you try and change some of the traditional races and cut the miles I will not be on the same page (so don't take my statement above as a one size fits all opinion). For example, even Martinsville I don't want to take 100 miles away from. Sure, engine failures won't hurt you, but Martinsville is still a grind to keep your car clean for 500 miles. Because of that Martinsville still has it's old school feel of having to take car of your equipment for a grueling 500 miles.

So, Ill be keeping an eye on how stages effect the feel of 500 mile at a track where I in the past could stand losing 100 of those miles. What will you be watching for?

**This section is just a quick look at some of Cup drivers latest finishes. This is not a tool for fantasy purposes and NBTW only is looking at end results. No deep statistic's are involved, but rather it is just a quick way to get ready for the race and get caught up on who has finished well at each track**

The Good

• Jimmie Johnson - If six career Texas wins says it all, then what does five wins since 2012 say? JJ has been very good here in the recent past with very few slip ups.
• Kyle Busch - Kyle and Johnson have won seven of the last nine races here at Texas (Busch has won two of those). On top of that Kyle has five straight top 10's and seven in his last eight.
• Chase Elliott - Chase only has two races under his belt here, but he already has two top fives to his name. 

The Middle

• Kevin Harvick - Can "Happy" get over the hump? He has 28 starts, 16 top tens, six top fives, and five straight top tens all without a single win here at Texas.

The Bad

• Trevor Bayne - On one hand, Bayne has to feel good being relevant enough on my radar to get considered for this list, on the other hand, he is still part of the list. Thirteen tries and zero top tens, worst yet is Bayne only has one top 15 in that time.
• Austin Dillon - AD has eight tries at Texas with zero top tens and only one top 15... But, he does have a pole here and likes to hover around 20th, take that how you will.
• Paul Menard - Hey, a guy on this list with a top ten at Texas! Three of them actually. Three top ten's in 23 races, so let's not get too excited here folks.

About the Track: Texas

Track Stats

• Jimmie Johnson has won five of the last nine TMS races
• Only three drivers have won back to back times here (Jimmie Johnson 2014/15, Hamlin-Both 2010 and Edwards- Both 2008). JJ won three straight from 2014-2015 (two in 2015).
• Manufacturer wins- Ford: 12, Chevy: 12, Toyota: 5, and Dodge: 3. 32 total races.
• Race has been won from the pole 3 times in 32 races. Twice in the last nine races.
• Jeff Burton won the first Texas Motor Speedway race in 1997. He led 60 of 334 laps.
• Dale Jarrett won the first Texas Motor Speedway pole in 1997. He led 42 laps.

Track Info

• Surface - Asphalt
• Length - 1.5 miles
• Banking
• Turns- 24 degrees

2017 NASCAR Schedule: Texas

Auto Parts 500

By Richard Tix

All Times are Eastern Timezone (ET)

Friday April 7th, 2017

• 12-2:25 p.m.: Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series practice- FS1
• 2:30-3:55 p.m.: NASCAR XFINITY Series practice- FS1
• 5-5:55 p.m.: NASCAR XFINITY Series final practice- FS1
• 6:15 p.m.: Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Coors Light Pole Qualifying- FS1

Saturday April 8th, 2017

• 9:30-10:25 a.m.: Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series practice- FS1
• 10:35 a.m.: NASCAR XFINITY Series Coors Light Pole Qualifying- FS1
• 12-12:50 p.m.: Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series final practice- FS2
• 1:30 p.m.: NASCAR XFINITY Series My Bariatric Solutions 300 (200 laps)- FOX 

Sunday April 9th, 2017

• 1:30 p.m.: Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series O'Reilly Auto Parts 500 (334 laps)- FOX

2017 NASCAR Pit Road Week 6: Martinsville

Weekly Review and Power Rankings

STP 500

By Richard Tix

This week's intro will be short and simple. It's been one heck of a week here on the NBTW side of things and the rest of the week isn't looking much better so to get things out this week everything might be a little shorter and a little sweeter.

Martinsville was one heck of a race. If you didn't enjoy the race on Sunday you may never enjoy a race, ever (or you only enjoy races where your driver does well). It had bumping, passing, and a fight for the lead late. I can only imagine one way that Sunday could have been better and that is if the late BK vs Rowdy battle happened with 10 to go instead of 50-60 to go. That's it...

NASCAR now heads to Texas, but don't work folks, we get back to short track racing right after that!

Pit Road Power Rankings: Week 6 (Week 5)

1. Brad Keselowski (LW-2)- What a day for the No. 2. Fast early, speeding penalty, and then a fight for the win. This team has taken to stage racing very well.
2. Kyle Larson (LW-1)- Alright, a hiccup is bound to happen. Larson had some short speed but once that was done he was stuck in traffic.
3. Chase Elliott (LW-3)- Another solid day and a big step at a Martinsville track that has eaten him up before. They're the class of HMS right now.
4. Kyle Busch (LW-5)- Strong car, but BK was better on this Sunday. Fun battle for the lead, though.
5. Joey Logano (LW-6)- Same as his teammate, strong car, fought through adversity, quality finish.
6. Martin Truex Jr (LW-4)- The 78 was strong once again. The finish wasn't what they wanted, but they have been fast.
7. Clint Bowyer (LW-12)- A top ten after his first top five in a long time. How about this: throw out Daytona and he hasn't finished worse than 13th yet.
8. Ryan Newman (LW-NR)- Decent top ten run on a forgettable day.
9. Kevin Harvick (LW-7)- The early season struggles are weird, but I fully expect a bounce back soon.
10. Jamie McMurray (LW-8)- What a strange call to not come in. It's a shame because this team was fast early.
11. Denny Hamlin (LW-11)- Another Martinsville wheel hop.. That is all.
12. Erik Jones (LW-NR)- Nice run for a rookie here at Martinsville. He has five top fives in six races including 8th and back to back 12th place finishes in his last three.

Dropped Out: Daniel Suarez (LW-10) and Ryan Blaney (LW-9)

Just Missed: Austin Dillon, Jimmie Johnson, A.J. Allmendinger, and Matt Kenseth