2017 NASCAR Pit Road Week 12: Charlotte

Weekly Review and Power Rankings

Coca-Cola 600

By Richard Tix

"We want more driver personalities and opinions." Kyle Busch say's something, questions stop, he finishes his interview once the questions stop. "Well, we don't want that!" People.....Make. Up. Your. Mind.

You don't get to pick and choose which personalities you get or who it is. Sure, you can not like Kyle Busch for whatever reason you want, but just realize it could be hypocritical if you want o get more raw emotion from NASCAR drivers. 

Guys, this is Kyle Busch the driver. He is brash and he wears his emotion on his sleeve. Maybe he does it in a way you don't like (I for one am not his biggest fan), but you need to start to realize we need guys like him around in the sport... I for one have spent more time defending some of his actions then I would like as a non Rowdy fan, but it has to be done because the hate has gotten out of hand.

Comments of "he needs to be fined" or "someone needs to put him in his place" are over the line. I for one wouldn't think I would handle the situations he is quiet like he does, but at the same time I am not in his shoes so I can't tell you if I would or wouldn't. 

On top of that, everyone is different and that is what makes life, well, life. It's what makes everyday original because you never know who you might run into and their personality. It's why you don't know what you will get after a race with high emotion and it's what most fans ask for (more emotion). Sure, Kyle may go about it different then you may think you would, but that doesn't mean we don't need his personality around and NASCAR should fine him until he shuts up. 

Kyle, I may not always agree with the way you go about things but keep being you. 

Oh, and Austin Dillon won his first career race which was pretty cool. Sure, it may have been on a fuel mileage strategy, but that is still a strategy that will always be around no matter how many "stages" we get a race.

With AD winning it brings the "cut" line up one spot when we start thinking about the playoffs. AD was a guy who we knew could win, but wasn't running that well that we thought it would happen before the playoffs (I actually predicted RCR would continue to trend up this year and win a race or two). He also beat Chase Elliott and Ryan Blaney to VL after both drivers were all the talk of the early season. So, congrats Austin and RCR on a well thought out win and a good shot at the 2017 Playoffs.

Pit Road Power Rankings: Week 12 (Week 11)

1. Martin Truex Jr (LW-2)- Truex had one of the best cars of the evening just one week after winning his second race of 2017.
2. Kevin Harvick (LW-4)- Another top ten and another week without a win. It's still strange they haven't found VL yet, but it should happen eventually.
3. Kyle Busch (LW-9)- Three straight top fives for Rowdy. Don't look now but Toyota is starting to turn it around.
4. Brad Keselowski (LW-1)- Some bad luck in front of him cost him his evening at Charlotte, but BK is still a multi winner and third in points.
5. Jamie McMurray (LW-6)- Sixth in points without a win. The last time he finished worse than 12th was race six at Martinsville.
6. Kyle Larson (LW-3)- After wrecking on Sunday Larson now finally has a finish higher then 17th on the season, his first non top 20 in 2017.
7. Jimmie Johnson (LW-5)- JJ had a good car for the 600 but in the end didn't seal the deal. 
8. Ricky Stenhouse Jr (LW-7)- Ricky still finished in the top 15 (15th) and will look to get back to the top ten next week.
9. Denny Hamlin (LW-NR)- Every few races it looks like Denny is going to get back on track and Charlotte's top five was one of those races.
10. Joey Logano (LW-8)- It's been a rough few races for JoLo, but he should bounce back soon.
11. Clint Bowyer (LW-11)- Bowyer has swapped out top tens earlier in the year for top 15's lately but he is still keeping some consistency going while sticking in the top ten of the points.
12. Matt Kenseth (LW-NR)- Toyota's are making a comeback and Kenseth bounced back at Charlotte with a top five.

Dropped Out: Chase Elliott (LW-10) and Ryan Blaney (LW-12)

Just Missed: Kurt Busch, Daniel Suraez, and Austin Dillon

2017 NASCAR Week 12: Charlotte

Coca-Cola 600

Charlotte Motor Speedway

By Richard Tix

NASCAR returns to racing for real wins and real points this weekend at the very same track that gave us a mixed bag last weekend in the All Star Race. Sure, the final stage in the "open" was tons of fun with Chase Elliott, Danial Suarez, and Erik Jones, but past that the memories of the weekend have already faded. Why is that? Well, because the ASR once again gave us more memories for the changes (softer tire option that didn't have much effect) than the actual on track racing.

People tend to remember changes that didn't go as planned and good quality racing over most thing's in this sport and unfortunately lately they changes have outweighed the racing at Charlotte Motor Speedway.

Some changes once again are needed for the ASR, but maybe CMS shouldn't be included in them? One thing we know is that in 2018 we will still be at CMS for the "All Star" event.

But, onto the 600 this holiday weekend. This is one of those races I either catch 50% of, or almost none. Every Memorial and Labor Day weekend my immediate family, about three sets of Aunts and Uncles, about four/five sets of cousins plus kids, and a handful of friends go camping together (typically around 25-30 close family and friends). Now, I am talking more about "glamping," which is otherwise known as camping in a nice camper (fifth-wheel), at a place with water, electric, and a pool. However, we spend most of our time around the fire, playing cards or yard games, taking the kids fishing, golfing, or taking the kids to play mini golf (all including cold refreshments).

Which brings us to actually catching the race at CMS. Most years we get a large group of us on a bike ride into the small nearby town and we find a local "refreshment" establishment. The years we do make it there on race day we find the time to enjoy a few extra refreshments while watching the race. However, anyone who knows kids (I don't have any but plenty in this group do) knows that you aren't going to entertain them forever with quarters and popcorn. So, eventually we pack it in and leave.

As much as I love NASCAR, I wouldn't trade a single one of these moments with them to see any end of a 600 if I had to choose between the two.

So there you have it, I may or may not see the 600 but I should be around the ole twitter machine from time to time this weekend sharing my "whatcha drankin" or anything else we might be up to. Hopefully we get a better product for the 600 with an extra stage and hopefully everyone has a great holiday weekend. Remember to think about those who have lost their lives serving this country to allow us to watch the race, go camping, or so anything this weekend in peace and thank a veteran whenever you find a chance.

**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- Most of his career stats here were racked up between 2002 - 2005 (five wins), but JJ won last fall here and has back to back top fives.
• Brad Keselowski- Four straight top tens, a win and five top tens in his last six, and a fast start to the season are all reason's BK could run well here this weekend.
• Kevin Harvick- This wasn't always his track, but lately it has been. In the last thirteen races he has eleven top tens, six top fives, and three wins.

The Middle

• Matt Kenseth- Kenseth may have a car to beat (five top tens in his last seven) or a middle of the pack car (three 14th or 15th place finishes in the five races before that). 

The Bad

• Paul Menard- One top ten since 2011, only two in his career, and worse yet only six top 15's in 20 races at CMS.
• Dale Earnhardt Jr- Only three top 10's in his last ten starts at CMS which includes finishing in the top 15 only 50% of that time as well. Will his last 600 go any better?
• Clint Bowyer- Bowyer has seven straight starts here without a top ten. In the last 13 races he has only two top tens (but one was a win).

About the Track: Charlotte

Track Stats

• Martin Truex Jr was the first driver not named Jimmie Johnson to win from the pole early in 2016. The last time someone won a Charlotte race from the Pole not named Jimmie Johnson was 1998, Jeff Gordon. JJ has won 2 from the Pole since then (2004 and 2009)
• JJ won 4 straight from 2004 to 2005, sweeping both times. Four straight is also a track Cup record
• In that same stretch he (JJ) won 5 of 6 from 2003-2005 dropping the only race to Tony Stewart
• The most cautions was 22 during the 2005 May Charlotte race, which JJ ended up winning.
• In Jimmie Johnson's 8 wins, he (JJ) won 3 from the Pole, including this race in 2014.
• Those 8 wins are the most by any driver in a career.
• Bobby Allison has the second most wins with 6 total in 43 attempts
• Of current drivers Ryan Newman has the most poles (9). 
• David Pearson has the most career poles at Charlotte with 14.
• Jimmie Johnson has led 1,895 of 10,689 career laps he has run at Charlotte. That is enough for second most behind Bobby Allison (2,338 total).
• Richard Petty has the most top 10's in a career with 31 in 64 attempts. He is also tied with Bobby Allison for the most top 5's (23 total).

Track Info

• Surface: Asphalt
• Length: 1.5 mile
• Banking
• Turns: 24 degrees
• Straights: 5 degrees 

2016 NASCAR Pit Road Week 13: Charlotte

Weekly Review and Power Rankings

Coca-Cola 600

Jim Dedmon-USA TODAY Sports

By Richard Tix

This week the Behind the Wall review will be short and sweet. Sometimes life gets in the way and bigger things become priority (yes, even over NASCAR/Racing). Every Memorial weekend and Labor Day weekend I go camping with family. Parents, Siblings, Aunts, Uncles, Cousins, Cousin's kids, etc all getting together and enjoying each other's company. 

Lot's of camp fires, fishing, bike rides, and a few cold refreshments take precedence over catching the race. Some years we make a bike ride into town and hit up a small local bar to watch the race, but this year the kids were focused on fishing so the bike ride got lost in the shuffle. 

Not much beats the time spent with family even if it means skipping the annual trip to watch the race. Instead we caught a good handful of sunnies and crappies and taught the kids how to clean their catch. Then, we had a fish fry over the open camp fire so to say I missed out on the race would be a reach as I was still living life.

With that introduction, lets skip right to the part where Martin Truex Jr dominated the race and Behind the Wall went over the week 13 Power Rankings!

Pit Road Power Rankings Week 13 (Week 12)

1. Kevin Harvick (LW-1)- Great car, great night, just finished one spot too low. Harvick on average ran in the top 5 all night. He has two second place finishes in the last three races. Finish: 2nd
2. Kurt Busch (LW-3)- Barring a total let down, Kurt is already in the Chase without a win. That's because he has been so consistent so far through 13 races. Kurt owns a seven race top 10 streak going back to Texas. Finish: 6th
3. Kyle Busch (LW-2)- Back to back races in a wreck, Kyle's hot start will give him a pass for now. Eventually bad luck will catch up to him in the rankings, but for now he is too fast to drop too far on the list. Finish: 33rd
4. Martin Truex Jr (LW-7)- Dominating almost doesn't do Martin's Coca-Cola 600 run justice. Truex has led 611 laps in the last three races (Charlotte, Dover, and Kansas). 611 laps would be a career best alone, not even mentioning that he actually has 809 laps led this season. Finish: 1st
5. Chase Elliott (LW-4)- Four straight top 10's, six in his last seven, and nine on the season. Chase has put together s very, very solid rookie campaign and is the second highest driver in points without a win (only behind Kurt Busch). Finish: 8th
6. Brad Keselowski (LW-5)- The No. 2 has started to find a rythym as of late with four straight top 10's including his win at Talladega. He ran well both weekends at CMS but wasn't a threat to win while JoLo and Truex ran away with both. Finish: 5th
7. Matt Kenseth (LW-9)- Kenseth's bad luck seems to be turning finally after his win at Dover. He now has a win, two top 5's, and four top 10's in his last five races. Finish: 7th
8. Jimmie Johnson (LW-10)- JJ's inconsistencies hurt him in the rankings the past month or so, but his run at Charlotte will help to right that ship. He ran an astounding 2nd place on average Sunday and finished close to that as well. Finish: 3rd
9. Carl Edwards (LW-6)- Similar to JJ, Carl has been on a cold streak lately after winning back to back and rattling off six straight top 10's earlier this season. Maybe the team is testing new stuff? Either way, they haven't been on near the streak they were. Finish: 18th
10. Joey Logano (LW-12)- Things might be looking up for JoLo in 2016 after his All Star Race win. He followed that up with a nice run in the Coca-Cola 600, but he still isn't at the level he was in 2015, yet. Finish: 9th
11. Denny Hamlin (LW-NR)- Back to back top 10's are enough to get the 2016 Daytona 500 winner back in the Behind the Wall rankings. It's been awhile, but he looked better at Dover and Charlotte. Finish: 4th
12. Kyle Larson (LW-NR)- One lone top 10 in his last handful of races (Dover), but he has been showing a ton of his talent lately. After the battle with Kenseth and Elliott at Dover, his runs at the All Star Race with Elliott and then JoLo were a blast from his rookie season. Finish: 13th

Dropped Out: Ryan Blaney (LW-8) and Dale Earnhardt Jr (LW-11)

Just Missed: Ryan Newman and Austin Dillon

2016 NASCAR Week 13 Stats: Charlotte

Current NASCAR Driver Averages for Charlotte

By Richard Tix

Active NASCAR Cup Driver Statistics at Charlotte Motor Speedway
#	Driver	Avg FN	Avg ST	Races	W	T5	T10	T20	Lap Led	Pole
1	Joey Logano	9.57	13.20	14	1	5	8	13	247	0
2	Carl Edwards	10.55	16.50	22	1	7	15	20	137	0
3	Denny Hamlin	12.76	11.90	21	0	5	13	17	240	1
4	Kasey Kahne	12.79	11.50	24	4	9	13	17	1,106	0
5	Austin Dillon	13.00	19.30	4	0	0	1	4	7	0
6	Jimmie Johnson	13.31	7.80	29	7	13	17	21	1,735	4
7	Matt Kenseth	14.21	16.30	33	2	10	17	26	699	1
8	Brad Keselowski	14.54	17.50	13	1	2	5	11	217	1
9	Tony Stewart	14.55	16.20	33	1	6	13	24	701	1
10	Kevin Harvick	15.10	16.90	30	3	6	13	21	322	0
11	Kyle Busch	15.13	13.10	24	0	10	14	16	907	2
12	Bobby Labonte	16.00	16.30	42	2	12	17	27	806	3
13	Jamie McMurray	16.52	22.80	27	2	7	10	16	279	0
14	Greg Biffle	16.92	16.20	26	0	6	9	17	437	1
15	Clint Bowyer	16.95	16.60	20	1	2	5	14	117	0
16	Martin Truex Jr.	17.10	18.60	21	0	2	6	12	140	0
17	Ryan Newman	18.00	8.60	30	0	4	12	19	277	9
18	Aric Almirola	18.00	13.10	8	0	0	1	5	4	1
19	Chase Elliott	18.00	28.00	1	0	0	0	1	0	0
20	David Reutimann	18.08	23.70	13	1	2	5	6	9	0
21	Kurt Busch	18.61	19.80	31	1	7	9	18	623	0
22	Dale Earnhardt Jr.	19.19	15.20	32	0	6	12	20	360	1
23	Michael Waltrip	19.57	21.10	49	0	4	12	26	72	0
24	Regan Smith	19.89	27.00	9	0	0	1	6	0	0
25	Kyle Larson	21.40	22.00	5	0	0	1	2	8	0
26	Ricky Stenhouse Jr.	21.63	23.60	8	0	0	0	4	0	0
27	A.J. Allmendinger	22.00	22.30	16	0	1	2	7	11	0
28	Sam Hornish Jr.	22.67	21.70	9	0	0	0	5	22	0
29	Brian Vickers	22.82	18.10	17	0	2	4	9	332	0
30	Paul Menard	23.11	20.70	18	0	0	2	7	1	0
31	Trevor Bayne	23.14	20.30	7	0	0	0	2	0	0
32	Casey Mears	23.36	22.80	25	1	1	4	7	20	0
33	David Ragan	25.39	23.30	18	0	1	3	6	13	0
34	Reed Sorenson	25.85	29.30	13	0	1	2	4	7	0
35	Mike Wallace	26.00	34.80	13	0	0	0	4	4	0
36	Danica Patrick	26.43	23.00	7	0	0	0	2	0	0
37	Dave Blaney	27.52	27.90	27	0	0	2	7	7	0
38	Brendan Gaughan	28.00	11.50	2	0	0	0	0	0	0
39	Ryan Blaney	28.00	16.00	2	0	0	0	1	0	0
40	David Stremme	28.08	29.20	12	0	0	1	4	0	0
41	Travis Kvapil	29.43	35.00	14	0	0	0	2	25	0
42	Michael Annett	29.50	37.00	4	0	0	0	0	1	0
43	Brian Scott	29.50	19.00	2	0	0	0	0	0	0
44	David Gilliland	29.79	30.40	19	0	0	0	1	4	0
45	Johnny Sauter	30.00	30.20	9	0	0	0	1	0	0
46	Alex Bowman	30.25	30.00	4	0	0	0	0	0	0
47	Landon Cassill	30.91	33.20	11	0	0	0	1	1	0
48	J.J. Yeley	31.00	33.50	15	0	1	1	3	5	0
49	T.J. Bell	31.00	41.00	1	0	0	0	0	0	0
50	Matt DiBenedetto	31.50	41.00	2	0	0	0	0	0	0
51	Cole Whitt	32.83	33.50	6	0	0	0	0	0	0
52	Mike Bliss	33.30	23.90	10	0	0	0	1	0	0
53	Brett Moffitt	33.67	38.70	3	0	0	0	0	0	0
54	Justin Allgaier	33.75	24.00	4	0	0	0	1	2	0
55	Timmy Hill	33.75	40.00	4	0	0	0	0	0	0
56	Alex Kennedy	35.00	43.00	2	0	0	0	0	0	0
57	Corey LaJoie	35.00	42.00	1	0	0	0	0	0	0
58	Michael McDowell	35.38	32.70	13	0	0	0	0	2	0
59	Blake Koch	37.33	43.00	3	0	0	0	0	0	0
60	Josh Wise	37.83	37.00	6	0	0	0	0	0	0
61	Ryan Truex	38.00	36.00	1	0	0	0	0	0	0
62	Jeb Burton	41.00	41.00	1	0	0	0	0	0	0