2017 NASCAR Pit Road Week 29: Dover

Weekly Review and Power Rankings

Apache Warrior 400

By Richard Tix

NASCAR leaves Dover as four drivers drop out of the 2017 Playoffs. We say goodbye to Kurt Busch, Kasey Kahne, Austin Dillon, and Ryan Newman (not really, they will still be around...). However, Behind the Wall is also dropping back down to it's usual 12 drivers in the power rankings and for the next three races the 12 drivers will only consist of the playoff drivers. It won't be until the next round where the last four spots are up for grabs to anyone (top eight will still be playoff drivers). So, "Happy Trails to You" for now... Let's get one with it below!

Pit Road Power Rankings: Week 29 (Week 28)

1. Kyle Busch (LW-2)- Even though Truex will have a 19 point cushion on Kyle, Rowdy gets the nudge here for winning back to back races while also collecting two poles this first round. These two are the head of the class right now.
2. Martin Truex Jr (LW-1)- 1st, 5th, and 4th, not bad considering during that 5th place finish he was involved in a wreck. Barring a meltdown, or terrible luck, the No. 78 should be locked into Homestead.
3. Kyle Larson (LW-3)- Larson led 137 laps (one less than Chase Elliott) on Sunday.Larson hands down has been the biggest threat to the Toyota duo above all season.
4. Brad Keselowski (LW-5)- Overlooked? Probably. Still starting 39 points behind Truex in the first round? Yup. It truly is a fight to just get to the last race where it's 1 v 1 v 1 v 1 straight up.
5. Matt Kenseth (LW-6)- Kenseth may reset 11th after the first round, but he had a nice first round to get him here (9th, 3rd, and 11th). 
6. Denny Hamlin (LW-4)- Sunday was bad luck, but Hamlin has seemed to have been fading a bit while Busch and Truex are surging. Luckily, all it takes is one race if you can get to Homestead.
7. Jimmie Johnson (LW-7)- JJ is just laying in the weeds once again. Since Richmond he has finishes of 8th, 8th, 14th, and 3rd. He isn't setting the world on fire, but he has done what it takes to move on.
8. Chase Elliott (LW-10)- What a run Sunday by Chase. It was another strong run that came up short of a win, but it was still good to see a finish like that from the No. 24.
9. Jamie McMurray (LW-11)- McMurray did what he had to in round one, finishing 10th, 16th, and then 9th at Dover while on the cut line. This round does have Talladega, so could JMac surprise?
10. Kevin Harvick (LW-8)- A forgettable round other than race one for Harvick. He can bounce back and resets 6th in the standings 12 points above 12th (McMurray).
11. Ryan Blaney (LW-9)- Consistency has evaded Blaney and the No. 21 all year and it might be what does them in during the playoffs. For now, they made it to the second round. It's always nice to see a team like the Wood Brothers still fighting.
12. Ricky Stenhouse Jr (LW-12)- That was not a good round (25th, 15th, and 19th) for Ricky, but he squeaked by and gets a fresh start. Thanks to his playoff points he is eight in the standings, but its only a ten point lead on 12th at the moment.