2015 March Madness NASCAR Style: Final

NASCAR Behind the Wall Championship

By Richard Tix

Well, the third annual March Madness NASCAR bracket is coming to a close in 2015. This is the first year the tournament will end at Bristol as NASCAR changed its schedule and NBTW also extended the bracket by one race. So, after a week off and then NASCAR heading to Texas, we are down to two. Going into Texas we had Brad Keselowski, Kyle Larson, Joey Logano, and Aric Almirola left. So, lets take a look at who moved on, how they moved on, and who is facing off at Bristol.

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.
• 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 (first race we have two eliminations to speed it up).
• Phoenix: Round 32 
• Auto Club: Sweet 16
• Martinsville: Elite 8
• Texas: Final Four
• Bristol: Championship
• The driver that finishes Highest in the race moves on, no bonus points included (Think the last Chase Race)

Round by Round Articles:

• Opening Round
• Sweet 16
• Elite 8
• Final Four

2015 March Madness NASCAR Style Bracket

5	Keselowski								4	Almirola
			5	Keselowski		1	Logano
6	Larson								1	Logano

Well, the Team Penske run in the 2015 March Madness NASCAR Style continues into the Championship. This after Joey Logano finished 4th and Brad Keselowski finished 5th at Texas Motor Speedway. It wasn't really a close two match-ups either as Almirola finished 19th and Larson finished 25th. Both BK and JoLo have been rolling this year and once Harvick was out of the tourney it has really been theirs to lose. 

Championship Match-Up

5) Keselowski v 1) Logano

• Over his career Bristol has not been JoLo's best track, yet we go into this weekend with Joey being the most recent Bristol winner (Fall of 2014). So, did he figure it out? Statistically he has run much better in the Fall race compared to the Spring race, maybe it's the light? 
• Comparatively, BK's career has been pretty good at Bristol Including back to back wins in 2011 (Fall) and 2012 (Spring). He has run into some bad luck in his last 5 finishing 30th twice but I still think he holds a slight edge over JoLo. BK is a one time winner in the NASCAR Behind the Wall March Madness Tournament (2013) in the three years it has been running. 

Previous NASCAR Behind the Wall March Madness Champions

• 2014 Champion: Tony Stewart
• 2nd: Carl Edwards
• Final Four: Ricky Stenhouse Jr and Brian Vickers
• 2013 Champion: Brad Keselowski
• 2nd: Kasey Kahne
• Final Four: Kyle Busch and Kurt Busch

2015 March Madness NASCAR Style: Final Four

NASCAR Behind the Wall Final Four

By Richard Tix

So the craziness of Martinsville Speedway is now past the March Madness bracket and four drivers have fought through to make it to the Final Four. These drivers will get a week off to get ready for the race that could send them to the Championship at Bristol. That race is the Duck Commander 500 at Texas Motor Speedway that will be held Saturday night, April 11th. This will be the drivers last shot at making the Championship. NASCAR Behind the Wall is left with only one #1 seed, but still has a few strong drivers left. Check out the bracket and Final Four match-ups 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.
• 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 (first race we have two eliminations to speed it up).
• Phoenix: Round 32 
• Auto Club: Sweet 16
• Martinsville: Elite 8
• Texas: Final Four
• Bristol: Championship
• The driver that finishes Highest in the race moves on, no bonus points included (Think the last Chase Race)

Round by Round Articles

• Opening Round
• Sweet 16
• Elite Eight

2015 March Madness NASCAR Style Brackett

5	Keselowski								4	Almirola
7	McMurray		5	Keselowski		4	Almirola		2	Johnson
4	Newman		6	Larson		1	Logano		1	Logano
6	Larson (#42)								2	Dillon

So after Martinsville we are down to just four drivers. Regan Smith filled in for Kyle Larson so we adjusted used the #42 car in the match-up with Newman. Fortunately for Larson, Regan Smith did a fine job filling in while Newman struggled. It should make a great match-up at Texas between him and Brad Keselowski. Jimmie Johnson struggled all day so it left the door open for the Cinderella of this year, Aric Almirola.

Final Four Match-Ups

5) Brad Keselowski v 6 Kyle Larson

• Larson- This one could get interesting. Last week Kyle Larson fainted at an autograph session which prompted him to go to the hospital. Like normal, if any driver ever steps out during the March Madness Tourney we just treat it as whoever drives the car that weekend. Regan Smith filled in and kept Larson going in 2015. All sign's lead to Larson back in the #42 after a week break for Easter. Larson only has three career starts at Texas but these kinds of tracks seem to suit him well. After his first finish of 23rd, he has finished 5th and 7th in his last two respectively. He might just pull of a bid to the Championship.
• Keselowski- Kyle may have two straight top 10 finishes, but he still is up against Brad Keselowski. BK's early career here wasn't the best, so it brings down his average finish, but if you take a look at his last five starts at Texas you will see a different story. In his last five BK has finishes of 2, 9, 6, 15, and 3 (2 top 5's and 4 top 10's). Starting during his title year in 2012, BK has run well here but has yet to pull of a win.

1) Joey Logano v 4) Aric Almirola

• Logano- This one seems like an obvious advantage to JoLo, after all he won this race just one year ago. Still, bad luck can happen at anytime which is partially how Aric got here, so could it happen to Joey? JoLo has five straight top 15 finishes here including 1 win and 3 top 5's. 
• Almirola- To advance to the Final at Bristol it will take a quality race by "Double A." Aric doesn't have a ton of tracks with top 10 streaks like a guy of JoLo's calaber, but he hasn't had a lot of crippling finishes here. He has finished in the top 25 6 of 8 starts and has 3 top 15's. If he can safely bring it home maybe JoLo will run into some bad luck?

Previous NASCAR Behind the Wall March Madness Champions

• 2014 Champion: Tony Stewart
• 2nd: Carl Edwards
• Final Four: Ricky Stenhouse Jr and Brian Vickers
• 2013 Champion: Brad Keselowski
• 2nd: Kasey Kahne
• Final Four: Kyle Busch and Kurt Busch

2015 March Madness NASCAR Style: Elite Eight

NASCAR Behind the Wall Elite Eight

By Richard Tix

This years March Madness NASCAR Style Annual Tourney started at Phoenix Int Raceway on the same day the NCAA Selection Sunday took place. Well, this year a #1 went down in round one after Dale Earnhardt Jr lost a right rear tire and ended up DNF. It was a tough break for Jr and his fans, but upsets happen, especially in this tourney.

This last week the tourney went on without Dale Earnhardt Jr at Auto Club Speedway and only a single number one seed will move onto Martinsville which is where the Elite Eight will play out.

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.
• 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 (first race we have two eliminations to speed it up).
• Phoenix: Round 32 
• Auto Club: Sweet 16
• Martinsville: Elite 8
• Texas: Final Four
• Bristol: Championship
• The driver that finishes Highest in the race moves on, no bonus points included (Think the last Chase Race)

Round by Round Articles

• Opening Round
• Sweet 16

2015 March Madness NASCAR Style Bracket

1	Harvick								8	Whitt
5	Keselowski								4	Almirola
			5	Keselowski		4	Almirola
			7	McMurray		2	Johnson
6	Mears								6	Edwards
7	McMurray								2	Johnson
1	Truex								1	Logano
4	Newman								5	Ragan
			4	Newman		1	Logano
			6	Larson		2	Dillon
6	Larson								6	Dillon
2	Allmendinger								2	Kahne

The closest match-ups ended up being for the win. Brad Keselowski stole a real life win and a tourney win from Harvick on the last Green-White-Checker. Dillon finished 16th while Kahne fell to 17th and moved on to face the only remaining #1 seed in Logano. Newman and Johnson's steady finishes have paid off and Larson got lucky while facing a struggling AJ "Dinger."

This week NASCAR Heads to Martinsville which will give these match-ups some added heat. Drivers get to bump and rub there way around this paper clip and it might be a place for an upset to make the Final Four. 

Previous NASCAR Behind the Wall March Madness Champions

• 2014 Champion: Tony Stewart
• 2nd: Carl Edwards
• Final Four: Ricky Stenhouse Jr and Brian Vickers
• 2013 Champion: Brad Keselowski
• 2nd: Kasey Kahne
• Final Four: Kyle Busch and Kurt Busch

2015 March Madness NASCAR Style

NASCAR Behind the Wall Opening Round of 32

By Richard Tix

It's March again in the NASCAR world. That means the sports world is starting to buzz about the NCAA March Madness Basketball tournament. It's time for you to start filling out your brackets just to find out its ruined after the first 5 games. So, for the third straight year NASCAR Behind the Wall is going to bring you the March Madness NASCAR Style Bracket! No, you can not win millions of dollars here if you get the perfect bracket (sorry, NASCAR doesn't pay me), but you can play along and try and predict who you think will advance and win anyways!

So, lets jump into the rules and how the brackets were created.


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.
• 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 (first race we have two eliminations to speed it up).
• Phoenix: Round 32 
• Auto Club: Sweet 16
• Martinsville: Elite 8
• Texas: Final Four
• Bristol: Championship
• The driver that finishes Highest in the race moves on, no bonus points included (Think the last Chase Race)

2015: 3rd Annual NBTW NASCAR March Madness
2014 Champ Division			Juniors Division
1	Kevin Harvick		1	Dale Earnhardt Jr
8	Ricky Stenhouse Jr		8	Cole Whitt
4	David Gilliland		4	Aric Almirola
5	Brad Keselowski		5	Sam Hornish Jr
3	Casey Mears		3	Matt Kenseth
6	Trevor Bayne		6	Carl Edwards
2	Denny Hamlin		2	Jimmie Johnson
7	Jamie McMurray		7	Michael Annett
Comback Division			Sliced Bread Division
1	Martin Truex Jr		1	Joey Logano
8	Brett Moffitt		8	Jeff Gordon
4	Ryan Newman		4	Clint Bowyer
5	Danica Partick		5	David Ragan
3	Paul Menard		3	Greg Biffle
6	Kyle Larson		6	Austin Dillon
2	AJ Allmendinger		2	Kasey Kahne
7	Michael McDowell		7	Justin Allgaier

Match-Ups to Watch

2) Denny Hamlin v 7) Jamie McMurray

• McMurray is easily the best #7 in the field. The Gannasi Chevy's have been pretty strong to start 2015 even though they have lacked some of the finishes that show that. Denny could have his hands full while some of the other #2's get to possibly slide by.

1) Joey Logano v 8) Jeff Gordon

• Rough draw for JoLo getting Gordon in the first round. Gordon sandbagged his way into the tourney (yes, obviously that's why he had all that bad luck, to get a low seed in the NBTW tourney). Joey has been good in 2015, but Gordon has also had very strong cars. So, an 8 has a chance to move on.

3) Matt Kenseth v 6) Carl Edwards

• Carl is three races into his new seat at JGR and Kenseth is on his third season, but new teammates will go head to head this weekend at Phoenix. Anytime two teammates have to face off it is a fun battle to watch.

4) Aric Almirola v 5) Sam Hornish Jr

• Another teammate battle in the opening round. This one in the heated 4 v 5 seed (one of the more interesting ones in this years tourney). Neither guys has been that strong in 2015, so one may get lucky and just squeak by at Phoenix.

4) Clint Bowyer v 5) David Ragan

• Bowyer was no where to be seen at Las Vegas meanwhile Ragan was trying to dig out of a hole that was created when he had to go to the back after qualifying well on Friday. This match-up is even more interesting because Ragan now gets a ride in the #18 until Kyle is back, which gives him a shot to move on.

Looking at the Bracket

• The "Comeback Division" has a lot of underdogs that could make an easy run if they get hot.
• The toughest division might be the "Junior Division" with Jr, Kenseth, Carl, and JJ.
• The final seed in was Ricky Stenhouse Jr who just beat out Brian Vickers who made one start
• No Hendrick teammate could potential face each other until the Elite Eight.
• Penske Seeds: 1 and 5
• Hendrick Seeds: 1, 2, 2, and 8
• JGR Seeds: 2, 3, 5, and 6
• SHR Seeds: 1 and 5 (two not in)
• RCR Seeds: 3, 4, and 6
• RFR Seeds: 3, 6, and 8

Previous NASCAR Behind the Wall March Madness Champions

• 2014 Champion: Tony Stewart
• 2nd: Carl Edwards
• Final Four: Ricky Stenhouse Jr and Brian Vickers
• 2013 Champion: Brad Keselowski
• 2nd: Kasey Kahne
• Final Four: Kyle Busch and Kurt Busch

Last years March Madness Articles

• Opening Round
• Elite Eight
• Final Four
• Finals
• Champion