2017 NASCAR Pit Road Week 35: Phoenix

Weekly Review and Power Rankings

Can-Am 500

By Richard Tix

Man, was that a fun ride on Sunday. With the elimination format in place Phoenix has been a must watch race filled with drama AND good racing. This past Sunday was no different. We had a dominate car early that needed a win to advance (Hamlin), a mix up with Championship implications during Stage Three (Hamlin and Elliott), some late restarts to jumble everything up (including Elliott to the lead), and lastly a NASCAR Cup Champion who might be on his last couple races pull off the trip to Victory Lane (Kenseth).

Without the cut line storylines we still had some late drama, but most of it dwindled down to the move Hamlin made at Martinsville which again was caused mostly by this format. However, at the end of the day no format can ever script a finish like Kenseth had when he charged to the back bumper of Elliott late in the race and took the lead from him winning his first race of 2017 and his 39th of his career.

The way this season has progressed for Kenseth it really has left us scrambling to think of a final goodbye. All season long it was rumored he wouldn't be back with JGR, but many of us thought he would still find some kind of halfway competitive ride (I thought he would swap with Jones and get into the 77 for a year). So, Sundays win is bittersweet for NASCAR fans and I am sure Matt Kenseth as well.

Kenseth is a guy who might not fully get appreciated until he has retired from the sport. His dry humor and personality has always been welcomed by myself as a fan because it is a shake up from the norm. He was a Midwestern kid thriving in a southern sport. His 39 wins ties him with Tim Flock for 19th overall (third most of active drivers). In his 18 years of full time Cup driving he only had four season's in which he failed to notch a win and ten of those season's he won multiple races. His career spanned from the Winston Cup all the way through a playoff structure that was actually developed because of his own dominance of the system while only winning one race. Matt Kensseth will go down as a NASCAR Hall of Famer who was as consistent a driver as any.

If this truly is his last ride, I hope everyone lets it sink and and soaks it up during a season that has been dominated by the goodbyes to Dale Earnhardt Jr. 

Thanks for the memories Dale and Matt!

Pit Road Power Rankings: Week 35 (Week 34)

1. Martin Truex Jr (LW-1)- Everything is heads up for Homestead, but with how Truex has run on 1.5's this year he has to still be the favorite. It will be a disappointment leaving with anything other than a Championship.
2. Kevin Harvick (LW-3)- Can you count Harvick out of it now that it's straight up at Homestead? He's coming into the final race with three straight top fives and running as well as he has all year long.
3. Kyle Busch (LW-2)- Rowdy took care of business early at Martinsville and cruised into Homestead. The No. 18 team had a nice run at PIR so they should be heading into the final race with some confidence.
4. Brad Keselowski (LW-5)- What a roller coaster ride Sunday must have been. Watching Denny lead a ton of laps early while barely being a top 15 car must have been horrible behind the wheel. Then, a late mix up between the 24 and 11 opened the door before a late restart almost put BK in the wall. The No. 2 creeped in, but it doesn't matter now that it's all even.
5. Matt Kenseth (LW-9)- What a way to go out, if in fact Kenseth is done forever. I changed so many times how I wanted Sunday to end, but when the No. 20 got to the back bumper of the 24 I knew I wanted to see one last Kenseth win. What a cool moment!
6. Chase Elliott (LW-7)- How heartbreaking. First the 24 pulls a bump and run on the 11 that essentially left the 11 no room but the wall (or backing way out of the throttle). Then, the crowd went wild as Chase took the lead and looked to hold his Championship fate. All of it ended with a charging Matt Kenseth stealing the glory many were hoping went to Elliott.
7. Denny Hamlin (LW-4)- Denny had to know it was coming eventually after Martinsville and it did when Chase and Hamlin were battling late in Stage Three. It had to be a disappointing day especially given how well they ran all day.
8. Ryan Blaney (LW-6)- The No. 21 made it farther along then most probably anticipated and it was a fun run while it lasted for Wood Brother. I actually wish Blaney was staying in the No. 21 next year, but we all knew a move to Penske was eventually coming.
9. Erik Jones (LW-NR)- Erik's late wheel spin on a restart sure did cause some drama to end the race, but he still managed to finish off strong with a top five.
10. Dale Earnhardt Jr (LW-NR)- One more race. It is crazy to think Junior's last Cup race as a full time driver is coming up in less then a week. He has had a strong finish since Dover, racking up four top tens in seven races (just eight top tens all season). 
11. Ricky Stenhouse Jr (LW-NR)- It's been overlooked, but Ricky is actually finishing 2017 on a good note. He now has two top tens in his last three and three straight of 12th or better.
12. Austin Dillon (LW-12)- Another top 15, that makes it four straight. He isn't getting it done, but he is at least finding some kind of consistency, even if it is only top 15 consistency.

Dropped Out: Jimmie Johnson (LW-8), Kasey Kahne (LW-10), and Kurt Busch (LW-11)