2018 NASCAR Pit Road 3: Las Vegas

Weekly Review and Power Rankings

Las Vegas Motor Speedway

By Richard Tix

What We learned. What We Saw. What We Heard.

What We Learned: NASCAR Didn't Seem to Test Pit Guns Enough

• NASCAR on Fox showed the new connector piece on the pit gun hoses that is supposed to help with the durability of the connection nut on the guns. It was nice to see NASCAR fixing part of the gun issue, but it also pointed out how obvious not enough testing was done prior to the season. I mean, how can something so simple not be tested before the year starts? I know some things are a learning curve, but this seemed so simple that is each team was able to test this system each for a a few days worth of testing it would have come back as an issue and a solution... Then again, I don't know how much they really tested, so maybe I am way off, but it seemed like an issue that would have been caught early in testing.

What We Saw: More Kevin Harvick Dominance

• Just like at Atlanta Motor Speedway, Kevin Harvick spent most of the day up front. It's the second race in a row where Harvick put a beat down on the field. Heck, the dominance was so big that Reddit found photo's of the No. 4 car where it looks like part of the rear window caves in when the car is at speed (and they look legit). Whatever the team is doing, it's working because they have two wins and have led almost half the laps this season.

What We Saw: Not Enough of the Field

• Seriously, I am convinced NASCAR on Fox doesn't know what to do when a driver is dominating a race. One driver dominating happens and there is nothing NASCAR or the broadcast can do to stop it, it happens. However, when it happens the broadcast could use that time to make a race unique. Most of the day they spent time focusing on the lead car (Harvick) or the couple cars unsuccessfully tracking him down. They could have easily used that time to rundown the field, including cars that normally don't get a ton of time on air. 1) it would avoid the fact that a driver is dominating which upsets the fan base thinking its a terrible race. Spend some time on the front, but in the middle of the race work through the crowd. 2) It helps show if the rest of the field is fighting for spots and actually passing. We knew no one was passing Harvick, but how about guys trying to get into the top ten? Were guys moving up the field? Without social media it was tough to tell what else was happening Sunday throughout the field.

Pit Road Power Rankings: Week 3 (Week 2)

1. Kevin Harvick (LW-1)- Harvick has made it clear he is at the top all by himself. He has been so good he has social media complaining of utter dominance and has reddit trying to figure out "how?" He has lead almost 50% of the last this season (395).
2. Joey Logano (LW-3)- JoLo and NASCAR completely forgot about the word "encumbered" entering the season and it's showing. JoLo has three top tens to start 2018 (only driver to do that) and led 25 laps on Sunday.
3. Martin Truex Jr (LW-4)- Truex Jr. has back to back top fives since Daytona yet people aren't talking about him like last season. Remember, he started slow early last year too and then he dominated stages week after week. It might be tougher this year with Fords like Harvick, JoLo, and BK stepping up.
4. Brad Keselowski (LW-5)- BK had another strong car on Sunday, but it wasn't near as good as Harvick's. BK also had a mini meltdown, which was out of the ordinary for him.
5. Ryan Blaney (LW-8)-Blaney racked up more points on Sunday finishing third after starting on the pole. He is continuing his breakout from last season.
6. Kyle Busch (LW-7)- Kyle led 10 laps, finished second, and gathered the 5th most points on Sunday. He is now 5th in season points with a top five and two top tens.
7. Denny Hamlin (LW-2)- Hamlin was having a quiet day inside the top ten (with a top ten car) until he got a speeding penalty and basically ruined his day. Still, the No. 11 team has been a top ten team all year.
8. Kyle Larson (LW-9)- Larson spent some time near the front, finished well, but still didn;t lead a lap.Just like last year, the No. 42 is the head of the Chevy class.
9. Paul Menard (LW-NR)- It's been refreshing to see Menard running near the top ten weekly. It's also nice to see the Wood Brothers have a smooth transition from Blaney to Menard.
10. Austin Dillon (LW-11)- AD hasn't been great but also hasn't been bad since his Daytona 500 win. Finishes of 14th and 13th aren't terrible considering no one in a Camaro has really been running well.
11. Chase Elliott (LW-9)- Chase has been the best running HMS driver this season, but that isn't saying a ton. This past weekend Kurt Busch lost it and took out Chase when Chase was hanging around the top ten. Elliott should be fine, but HMS has to start worrying soon.
12. Erik Jones (LW-NR)- Quietly Erik has put up a respectable 11th place finish (last week) and 8th place this past weekend. Part of that has been due to him qualifying 8th, 10th, and 9th so far this season.

Dropped Out: Clint Bowyer (LW-10) and Kurt Busch (LW-12)

Just Missed: Aric Almirola and Ricky Stenhouse Jr.

Team Power Rankings

1. Stewart Haas Racing (LR-6)- Harvick is the head of the class with two wins meanwhile Kurt Busch, Aric Almirola, and Clint Bowyer all have a top ten and are inside the top 13 in points. Harvick is the main reason SHR tops this list.
2. Team Penske (LR-3)- From top to bottom, the three Penske cars have been fast in 2018 but have yet to win. The win column and losing to Harvick is the only reason the "Captains" team is in second and not first through three races.
3. Furniture Row Racing (LR-1)- Truex Jr. has two straight top five finishes and looks to still be strong heading into 2018.
4. Joe Gibbs Racing (LR-2)- Kyle Busch and Denny Hamlin have been running well and finishing that way, but Jones and Suarez have struggled when it comes to finishing. However, both young drivers have done well in flashes.
5. Wood Brothers Racing (LR-8)- The transition from Young Ryan Blaney to Veteran Paul Menard has been seamless so far this season. Menard is consistently running in or near the top ten and has finishes of 6th and 9th (last year Menard had three top tens).
6. Chip Ganassi Racing (LR-5)- Kyle Larson has been fast, but Jamie McMurray has been a bit hidden. Part of it could be the learning curve of the Camaro, only time will tell.
7. Richard Childress Racing (LR-7)- RCR started out with a win at Daytona, got a front row start at Atlanta, and have both drivers in the top 14. If Chevy gets rolling, RCR might be in place to get both drivers into the Playoffs again in 2018.
8. Team Hendrick Motorsports (LR-4)- RCR only got the nudge over HMS because of the Daytona win, but don't let that diminish how much Hendrick has been struggling. Chase Elliott has been a bright spot but even he has had his struggles. JJ did show a nice fight at LVMS.
9. Roush Fenway Racing (LR-9)- Stenhouse Jr has actually run some decent races, but the finishes haven't been there. Wait until some short tracks come around and RFR might be pulling off more top fives this year.
10. Richard Petty Motorsports (LR-12)- The runner up finish at Daytona was nice and helped bring some spotlight back to RPM, but since then they have struggled just like 2017. 
11. JTG-Daugherty Racing (LR-NR)- Chris Buescher has run pretty well so far in 2018, especially considering how far behind JTG seems to be. AJ has been quiet, but did notch a top ten at Daytona.
12. Front Row Motorsports (LR-NR)- Michael McDowell had his time to shine at Vegas when they used a different strategy and spent time leading the race (11 laps) and then his motor blew... It was still nice to see some spotlight on them.

Dropped Out: Germain Racing (LR-10) and Leavine Family Racing (LR11)