2017 NASCAR Pit Road Week 34: Texas

Weekly Review and Power Rankings

AAA Texas 500

By Richard Tix

The 2017 season is dwindling down and so are the Power Rankings. Once again this week the top eight are made up of entirely current playoff drivers, but after next week only the top four will be. Meaning? Fresh faces on the Power Rankings as the season ends.

Speaking of the season ending, after Texas NASCAR now has just one spot open for the Championship at Homestead. Kyle Busch, Kevin Harvick, and Martin Truex Jr. are locked into a shot at the 2017 Championship, but who is the fourth that will join them? Will it be Brad Keselowski who currently holds the spot on points? Will it be Denny Hamlin who has been knocking off top tens left and right lately? Will it be Ryan Blaney who has three straight top tens for the first time this year? Or will it be a Hendrick driver (Chase Elliott or Jimmie Johnson) who badly need a win and have fallen off (performance and/or luck) down the stretch?

The final cut line before the final race makes everything seem like a bigger stage heading to Phoenix so be sure to tune in this weekend!

Pit Road Power Rankings: Week 34 (Week 33)

1. Martin Truex Jr (LW-1)- Martin is locked into the Finale at Homestead (which has been known for about three months now...). The No. 78 is the car to beat, but during a winner take all, its anyone's game.
2. Kyle Busch (LW-2)- Rowdy didn't need to press the issue at Texas, but it still wasn't the run they were looking for. Look for a strong run at Phoenix to get momentum back.
3. Kevin Harvick (LW-5)- Harvick locked in a spot at Homestead AND has Phoenix next up on the schedule. He has been consistent all season and is getting hot at the right time.
4. Denny Hamlin (LW-6)- Hamlin has five straight top tens including three top fives. If he makes Homestead and Chase doesn't we can talk payback, until then the TV broadcast has done enough.
5. Brad Keselowski (LW-3)- BK is safe and might be the fourth driver into Homestead, but he has to run well and hope the 11, 21, 24, or 48 don't win at Phoenix. He holds almost all the power to advance, but anything can happen when a win locks you into the next round.
6. Ryan Blaney (LW-7)- This No. 21 team has really made some strides in consistency now that everything is on the line. This is the first time the No. 21 has put up back to back top tens all season, and it happens to be back to back to back...
7. Chase Elliott (LW-4)- Chase put up another quality eight place finish, but the incident at Martinsville leaves him in a must win position.
8. Jimmie Johnson (LW-8)- The No. 2 team pulled a JJ (coming back from laps down to post a good finish), meanwhile the No. 48 team couldn't. Somethings been off and all year we have been waiting for it to click, because that's what this team does.
9. Matt Kenseth (LW-9)- Back to back top tens for Kenseth. It is a shame Matt couldn't find a competitive ride and is stepping away in 2018, I will greatly miss his dry humor and personality.
10. Kasey Kahne (LW-11)- He isn't posting top tens left and right, but these top 15's are encouraging considering the season he has had.
11. Kurt Busch (LW-NR)- Kurt won his first pole of 2017 and followed it up with a nice top ten. However, he still was held without leading a lap even after breaking a track record.
12. Austin Dillon (LW-NR)- I really thought AD and RCR would continue it's momentum from 2016 into a nice 2017. I was wrong, but the team is slowly putting some ok finishes together late in the year (three straight top 15's).

Dropped Out: Dale Earnhardt Jr (LW-10) and Trevor Bayne (LW-12)

2017 NASCAR Week 34: Texas

AAA Texas 500

Texas Motor Speedway 

By Richard Tix

What to Watch For?

Denny Hamlin vs Chase Elliott

• This one is obvious. Just one week after the incident at Martinsville, all eyes will be on Denny and Chase. Both drivers need a strong run at Texas, possibly even a win, so another mix up is doubtful to happen this week. As long as both are still in the hunt all race long I don't see any reason for someone to risk a shot at Homestead just yet. However, if Chase is down and out and just riding around, things could get interesting. If anything happens it is more likely to happen next week, or at Homestead if Hamlin makes it and Chase doesn't. 

The Cut Line

• I mean, this is literally the storyline every weekend in the playoffs, but each round it holds more weight. Right now Kyle Busch is locked in (win last week) and Martin Truex Jr is all but locked in (67 points ahead of 5th). Keselowski has a 29 point lead on Jimmie Johnson (5th in points) and 26 points up on Harvick (4th). BK seems like a safe bet if he doesn't have a poor race in the next two, but that's no where near a sure thing. On top of that Hamlin and Johnson both have wins at Texas (both still in the playoffs) and Chase Elliott has two top fives and three top tens in his three career starts here. 

Jimmie Johnson's Quest for Eight

• As NASCAR head's to Texas JJ's quest for his eighth Championship and eighth win at Texas both loom large. Yup, JJ has seven wins at TMS including winning earlier this year. An eighth win at Texas would go a LONG way towards an eighth Championship putting him in front of Dale Earnhardt and Richard Petty. I personally think it would be a fun headline to look back on if both come true this year... If not, there's always next year. 

Track Repave

• This weekend will be just the second time Cup runs on this new surface at Texas. The first time around many made mention that it was a "different TMS." However, the results were the same: another Jimmie Johnson win but with only 18 laps led. At that time Toyota was not in full force yet. In fact, the first Toyota was Truex Jr. (8th) and the next was Kyle Busch in 15th. The No. 78 has been in stride all year, but the others soon followed after this trip to Texas. So, did they learn enough the first time around or can other teams with other manufacturers take advantage of what they learned here in April?

2017 NASCAR Pit Road Week 7: Texas

Weekly Review and Power Rankings

O'Reilly Auto Parts 500

By Richard Tix

A Texas Motor Speedway track that has given us a bunch of meh races, a new repave, and a move from Saturday night to Sunday head to head with the Masters, that's what NASCAR was up against this past weekend. I will be completely honest, my expectations for Sunday were pretty low for said reason's already stated.

However, for the most part I was pleasantly surprised with the racing outcome. I will still hold by my opinion stated in the race preview about wanting this TMS race to go from 500 to 400 miles, but that didn't change my opinion of the race in general.

Compared to other races on the season, I would give this race a D+ or C-, but when I take into consideration how much I haven't enjoyed most of the most recent Texas races and the fact that we just had a repave here I would move it to a B and vote "yes" on Jeff Gluck's pole.

The crew at TMS did one heck of a job trying to get the track as ready as they could for the race Sunday. They literally were out there dragging it whenever they could (seriously, 6 AM to 1 AM). By the end of the day Sunday a second groove was coming in and at least giving drivers a chance to step out and try it.

Sure, we always want more, but I was satisfied given the circumstances with the action on Sunday. Sometimes you have to look at the big picture before fully giving a thought out opinion. Now, about those 500 laps.... :)

Pit Road Power Rankings: Week 7 (Week 6)

1. Brad Keselowski (LW-1)- The Penske duo are the only two drivers to have six top ten's in the first seven races. BK also is tied for the most top fives (five) and has the most wins (two).
2. Kyle Larson (LW-2)- Late surge by the No. 42 gave Larson another second place finish on Sunday. A little too late, but CGR has it going on early in 2017.
3. Chase Elliott (LW-3)- The top three has been solid for a few weeks now and Chase has solidified his spot by being consistent. Next up, closing races.
4. Joey Logano (LW-5)- See BK above, JoLo has six top tens in seven races to start 2017.
5. Martin Truex Jr (LW-6)- Truex is a bit like Elliott, the No. 78 just needs to close these races after running so fast all race long.
6. Jamie McMurray (LW-10)- These CGR Chevy's are fast every week. At this point you have to wonder, will JMac get a win in 2017? His odds are increasing weekly.
7. Clint Bowyer (LW-7)- What seemed like a slow day for the 14 was actually a race in which Bowyer was running an average 6th place all day. They struggled late and finished 11th, but they have been decent all year.
8. Kevin Harvick (LW-9)- Some bad luck has come Harvicks way, but Bowyer actually leads him in the points standings at the moment. Sunday was a promising run for this No. 4 team.
9. Kyle Busch (LW-4)- That was a poor week for everyone at JGR, something was missing this weekend. A week off and Bristol up next could help turn it around.
10. Ryan Blaney (LW-NR)- Stage win, or long term look at positioning for the race win? The No. 21 still had the longest stage to fight back, but couldn't work through traffic after leading the way in stage one and two.
11. Jimmie Johnson (LW-NR)- An exhausting win, literally, JJ leaves zero doubt that you don't count him out, ever.
12. Ricky Stenhouse Jr (LW-NR)- 10th at Martinsville and 14th at Texas heading into Bristol is good news for Ricky. Good to see both RFR cars gaining some speed in 2017.

Dropped Out: Ryan Newman (LW-8), Denny Hamlin (LW-11), and Erik Jones (LW-12)

Just Missed: Dale Earnhardt Jr and Trevor Bayne

2017 NASCAR Week 7: Texas

O'Reilly Auto Parts 500

Texas Motor Speedway

By Richard Tix

This weekend will be a dramatic change from last week. Last week NASCAR ran Martinsville, a short track with concrete corners and got back to it's short track roots. This week we head to Texas Motor Speedway with a brand new asphalt laid down.

The story of the weekend most likely will be the new surface and if I were looking for a drinking work for race day, I would not use "repave" because I like living....

The story to me this weekend may once again be the 500 miles. TMS is one of those tracks that I think could stand to loose 100 miles on it's race and benefit (been saying it for a few years here). However, the stages could help out the fact that we still run 500 miles here.

Now, I do enjoy long races, long green flag runs, and the strategy that goes with it. However, I wouldn't feel cheated if this race was cut down to 400 miles. 500 miles used to be a test on the equipment running the race, but today most cars just don't wear down. In my opinion Texas is one of our stops that could lose those laps no longer needed.

But, BUT, if you try and change some of the traditional races and cut the miles I will not be on the same page (so don't take my statement above as a one size fits all opinion). For example, even Martinsville I don't want to take 100 miles away from. Sure, engine failures won't hurt you, but Martinsville is still a grind to keep your car clean for 500 miles. Because of that Martinsville still has it's old school feel of having to take car of your equipment for a grueling 500 miles.

So, Ill be keeping an eye on how stages effect the feel of 500 mile at a track where I in the past could stand losing 100 of those miles. What will you be watching for?

**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 - If six career Texas wins says it all, then what does five wins since 2012 say? JJ has been very good here in the recent past with very few slip ups.
• Kyle Busch - Kyle and Johnson have won seven of the last nine races here at Texas (Busch has won two of those). On top of that Kyle has five straight top 10's and seven in his last eight.
• Chase Elliott - Chase only has two races under his belt here, but he already has two top fives to his name. 

The Middle

• Kevin Harvick - Can "Happy" get over the hump? He has 28 starts, 16 top tens, six top fives, and five straight top tens all without a single win here at Texas.

The Bad

• Trevor Bayne - On one hand, Bayne has to feel good being relevant enough on my radar to get considered for this list, on the other hand, he is still part of the list. Thirteen tries and zero top tens, worst yet is Bayne only has one top 15 in that time.
• Austin Dillon - AD has eight tries at Texas with zero top tens and only one top 15... But, he does have a pole here and likes to hover around 20th, take that how you will.
• Paul Menard - Hey, a guy on this list with a top ten at Texas! Three of them actually. Three top ten's in 23 races, so let's not get too excited here folks.

About the Track: Texas

Track Stats

• Jimmie Johnson has won five of the last nine TMS races
• Only three drivers have won back to back times here (Jimmie Johnson 2014/15, Hamlin-Both 2010 and Edwards- Both 2008). JJ won three straight from 2014-2015 (two in 2015).
• Manufacturer wins- Ford: 12, Chevy: 12, Toyota: 5, and Dodge: 3. 32 total races.
• Race has been won from the pole 3 times in 32 races. Twice in the last nine races.
• Jeff Burton won the first Texas Motor Speedway race in 1997. He led 60 of 334 laps.
• Dale Jarrett won the first Texas Motor Speedway pole in 1997. He led 42 laps.

Track Info

• Surface - Asphalt
• Length - 1.5 miles
• Banking
• Turns- 24 degrees

2017 NASCAR Schedule: Texas

Auto Parts 500

By Richard Tix

All Times are Eastern Timezone (ET)

Friday April 7th, 2017

• 12-2:25 p.m.: Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series practice- FS1
• 2:30-3:55 p.m.: NASCAR XFINITY Series practice- FS1
• 5-5:55 p.m.: NASCAR XFINITY Series final practice- FS1
• 6:15 p.m.: Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Coors Light Pole Qualifying- FS1

Saturday April 8th, 2017

• 9:30-10:25 a.m.: Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series practice- FS1
• 10:35 a.m.: NASCAR XFINITY Series Coors Light Pole Qualifying- FS1
• 12-12:50 p.m.: Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series final practice- FS2
• 1:30 p.m.: NASCAR XFINITY Series My Bariatric Solutions 300 (200 laps)- FOX 

Sunday April 9th, 2017

• 1:30 p.m.: Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series O'Reilly Auto Parts 500 (334 laps)- FOX

2016 Pit Road Week 34: Texas

Weekly Review and Power Rankings

AAA 500

PHOTO BY MATT SULLIVAN/NASCAR VIA GETTY IMAGES

By Richard Tix

Death, taxes, and NASCAR fans crying out "conspiracy." These things are a known in life, the rest we just have to take'em as they come. Even in a race where mother nature herself brought a race to a halt, fans still somehow, someway, want to find some underlying theory that NASCAR "rigged" another race.

To that I say, "tinfoil and aliens with black helicopters chasing you."

It's an unfortunate event, but weather plays a role in every sport. In ours, racing, it could end the whole thing on the spot. Before I go too far, yes I believe after NASCAR gives it a shot and checks out the radar, its the rule to call the race. Many things go into this decision and this is the rule for many, many reasons most fans overlook.

Without getting too deep the scheduling alone for drivers, teams, track workers and officials, fans, etc are a nightmare to worry about. The cost of opening a track back up and getting it ready for 40 laps on another day just seem like a crazy idea if you actually could see the raw numbers. Let alone the fact that the rain could come back the next day and then the question of how long you postpone it creeps into everyone's minds. 

The rule the way it is works and should stand pat.

However, before it ever happens I think NASCAR needs to take a look at Homestead and its weather rules. I am fine with a regular season race or even a Chase race ending in rain. In my opinion, it is what it is and its terrible luck. Too much goes into it to keep postponing and restarting the race once the track is lost. On that note, the last race of the season should have to end complete. It decides a Champion and no other sport is going to leave us hanging in the 8th inning and call it during game 7. So, NASCAR needs to make sure Homestead is complete even if it takes three days.

In a dream world, the last race of the season is in whole without interruption, but that can never be guaranteed so we will have to settle for a complete race.

Now that this weeks rant is over, bring on the Power Rankings.

Pit Road Power Rankings Week 34 (Week 32)

1. Jimmie Johnson (LW-2)- Five of his fifteen top 10's have come in eight Chase races. The other three finishes were 12th at Chicagoland, 23rd at Dega when he didn't need it, and 11th this week when he once again didn't need it. He is locked in and ready for winner take all at Homestead.
2. Joey Logano (LW-5)- Four top three finishes in eight Chase races, yet he seems to be getting overlooked because he only has two wins in 2016. People forget he has the second most top 10's all season.
3. Carl Edwards (LW-8)- Look, I haven't been impressed by his Chase at all, but he got it done at Texas and now heads to a couple good tracks. Will Carl be joining Twitter?
4. Kyle Busch (LW-3)- His only non top 10 this Chase? Talladega where he laid back. His only non top 5's other then obviously Dega? Chicagoland 8th and Charlotte 6th. Yet, not many people are talking repeat... Watch out.
5. Kevin Harvick (LW-1)- Only 18 points out, but its practically must win in the round of eight back that many points. Luckily Harvick gets Phoenix, his best track since 2012. Only a wreck or mechanical failure might be able to stop him and the bull.
6. Matt Kenseth (LW-4)- JGR cars have seemed to have lost a step. Is it because other teams like Hendrick or Penske can focus on one car and they're focusing on four? They're fast, but not winning fast lately..
7. Denny Hamlin (LW-6)- DH is two points back from Rowdy and only one back from Kenseth who is in fourth right now. That's a ton of JGR cars going at it for the final two spots, and that's if Harvick doesn't win. If he does they will be going after one spot.
8. Kurt Busch (LW-7)- I have been riding him off all year. I am not sure why, but I haven't been impressed with how he has ran. He can prove me wrong with a clinching win Sunday.
9. Chase Elliott (LW-9)- I feel like some are forgetting this is just Chase's rookie season. The Chase may have ended early, but he is still having a really good season.
10. Martin Truex Jr (LW-NR)- It's going to be interesting to see this late season momentum go into the offseason with two teams in 2017.
11. Brad Keselowski (LW-12)- BK is easily the best driver for 2016 not still in the Chase, but if Harvick doesn't get it done at PIR he could join him on the outside looking in.
12. Austin Dillon (LW-9)- I am giving AD the pass this week. He was running really well before his run in with the "bull," also known as Kevin Harvick. It looked like a racing thing, but either way it was a rough finish to a good night for AD.

2016 NASCAR Pit Road Week 7: Texas

Weekly Review and Power Rankings

Duck Commander 500

Photo: Sean Gardner, Stringer

By Richard Tix

After a really hot start to the 2016 season NASCAR seemed to lose some steam Saturday night. It was the first Saturday Night race of the early season, but it didn't seem to live up to the hype overall. The final 75 laps or so were what was expected of most of the night.

Now, I want to put out there that not every race can be perfect. Not every race can have everything and sometimes these things happen, so Saturday night was no one's fault. But, past the last 75 laps, the strategy calls, and the restarts, Texas Motor Speedway was lacking what most all of the early season races had.

A ton of passing was still taking place throughout the field and guys were sliding around, but the Duck Commander 500 just lacked the "it" factor. That factor is hard to put a finger on, so lets just leave it as TMS was just one of those unlucky races that we get every season.

Oh, and if you missed it Kyle Busch won again. Even after Martins Truex Jr dominated most of the night, Rowdy continued his hot streak that started after missing 11 races in 2015 and became the first back to back winner of 2016. 

**2016 Duck Commander 500 Results**

Pit Road Power Rankings Week 7 (Week 6)

1. Kyle Busch (LW-1)- NASCAR's first back to back winner of 2016, Kyle Busch. It's obvious that he keeps the top spot and if a ranking anywhere on the internet has him elsewhere they're crazy. He is continuing his hot run from 2015 right into this season. If he keeps this up he could flirt with double digit wins. Finish: 1st
2. Jimmie Johnson (LW-2)- It's hard judging the rest of the field after Kyle. He sits by himself at the top right now. But, JJ is no slouch and has two wins himself this season. He hasn't been as dominate week to week, but give the 48 team some time. Finish: 4th
3. Dale Earnhardt Jr (LW-6)- The worst finish of the season for Junior was race one, 36th. Since then he has four top 10's and three top 5's in six races with no finish being higher than 14th. Finish: 2nd
4. Carl Edwards (LW-3)- Six top 10's in seven races yet he has gone through some rough patches during many of those races. If the No. 19 team figures it all out he should be in line for a win or two. Finish: 7th
5. Joey Logano (LW-8)- This season hasn't exactly been the Team Penske of the past few years. However, they haven't exactly been bad either. Saturday Joey had a good but not great car and just couldn't catch the front. Finish: 3rd
6. Kevin Harvick (LW-4)- Feels like a down year to start, doesn't it? Yet, Kevin has six top 10 finishes in the first seven races. He also has a win and three top 5's to go along with those. Rodney Childers said they were testing something out on Saturday and it obviously didn't work out, lucky for everyone else. Finish: 10th
7. Kurt Busch (LW-9)- Kurt has been pretty consistent so far this year, but just not fast enough. He has five top 10's but only one of those resulted in a top 5. Finish: 9th
8. Brad Keselowski (LW-5)- Of all the 2016 winners BK and Hamlin have been struggling the most weekly. A lot of it has been self inflicted penalties or bad luck. Saturday BK has a tire that was loose and it resulted in him being two laps down. Finish: 18th
9. Martin Truex Jr (LW-12)- Truex was the car to beat most of Saturday Night, but just like last fall when BK was so dominate, he couldn't close the deal at the end. Finish: 6th
10. Austin Dillon (LW-7)- AD qualified well again, but the rest of his night didn't go as well. He still sits in the top 10 in points and has really started to show some potential. Finish: 19th
11. Denny Hamlin (LW-11)- Just like BK above, DH has been one of the more inconsistent drivers of 2016 who currently have a win. Pit penalties and bad luck have also plagued him and his team. Finish: 12th
12. Chase Elliott (LW-NR)- What a run for Chase on Saturday. He was sent to the back to start the races and before the competition caution had already made up a ton of ground. When the race came to a close he was still in the fight and notched his first top 5 of his career. Finish: 5th

Dropped Out: A.J. Allmendinger (11th)

Just Missed: Kyle Larson and Matt Kenseth

2016 March Madness NASCAR Style: Final Four

Behind the Wall Final Four

By Richard Tix

It's the last weekend until Championship week at Bristol Motor Speedway. This week Texas Motor Speedway where everything is bigger will decide who advances to the finals. Last week we took a shot at some short track racing to shake up the bracket and see who would come out in the Fourth Final Four in the Behind the Wall bracket.

Below you can check out who advanced and who will match up this week. Take a quick look at how it works below and then take a good look at who will face off during the Duck Commander 500 at TMS.

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: Round of 32
• Sweet 16
• Elite Eight

2016: 4th Annual NBTW NASCAR March Madness
1	Jimmie Johnson								4	Aric Almirola
2	Carl Edwards								2	Kurt Busch
			2	Carl Edwards		2	Kurt Busch
			1	Kyle Busch		2	Joey Logano
1	Kyle Busch								1	Denny Hamlin
2	Kevin Harvick								2	Joey Logano

Well, the NCAA Men's basketball tournament is all over. An exciting final game between UNC and Villanova capped off another fun year (except for the fact that I am a UNC fan so the last game was tough). In the NASCAR world we will head to Texas Motor Speedway to decide who will run Bristol for the fourth annual championship. Kyle Busch was the only #1 seed to advance past the Elight Eight after winning at Martinsville last week. This will be all four drivers second trip to the Final Four on Behind the Wall. JoLo last season and Carl Edwards in 2014 have both made the Championship once (both losing). So, we could have two drivers make their second Championship appearance or have two new guys take a shot at it.

2016 NASCAR Week 7 Stats: Texas

Current Driver Averages at Texas

By Richard Tix

Current driver averages for Cup drivers at Texas Motor Speedway. Statistics sorted by best average finish.

Active NASCAR Cup Driver Statistics at Texas Motor Speedway
#	Driver	Avg FN	Avg ST	Races	W	T5	T10	T20	Lap Led	Pole	DNF
1	Jimmie Johnson	8.44	8.40	25	6	13	19	22	1,023	1	1
2	Matt Kenseth	9.46	15.50	26	2	13	17	23	834	1	0
3	Erik Jones	12.00	6.00	1	0	0	0	1	0	0	0
4	Denny Hamlin	12.15	16.10	20	2	5	10	18	154	0	0
5	Kevin Harvick	12.31	18.30	26	0	6	14	22	115	0	1
6	Kyle Busch	12.45	13.90	20	1	9	10	16	705	0	0
7	Dale Earnhardt Jr.	13.85	12.10	27	1	5	16	21	448	2	3
8	Clint Bowyer	13.85	16.00	20	0	3	10	16	85	0	1
9	Brian Scott	14.00	21.00	1	0	0	0	1	0	0	0
10	Tony Stewart	14.37	16.80	27	2	6	13	18	801	2	4
11	Carl Edwards	14.50	13.00	22	3	7	11	17	531	1	4
12	Martin Truex Jr.	14.71	16.30	21	0	2	10	17	232	2	3
13	Greg Biffle	14.88	12.80	24	2	8	13	18	733	1	4
14	Kurt Busch	15.54	14.70	26	1	3	14	18	295	1	2
15	Brad Keselowski	16.27	19.10	15	0	4	6	10	585	0	0
16	Jamie McMurray	16.92	23.10	24	0	4	9	17	79	0	1
17	Kasey Kahne	18.22	12.70	23	1	5	7	14	224	1	4
18	Joey Logano	18.47	14.50	15	1	5	5	9	159	0	1
19	Ryan Newman	18.76	15.90	25	1	3	5	16	99	2	3
20	Kyle Larson	19.40	16.20	5	0	1	2	2	0	0	1
21	Aric Almirola	19.80	20.60	10	0	0	1	5	0	0	0
22	Paul Menard	20.47	17.90	19	0	1	3	12	3	0	3
23	A.J. Allmendinger	20.79	21.40	14	0	0	2	8	0	0	2
24	Casey Mears	20.91	24.90	23	0	2	4	7	39	0	0
25	Brian Vickers	21.29	22.10	17	0	1	2	9	19	1	2
26	Austin Dillon	21.33	20.30	6	0	0	0	2	0	0	0
27	David Stremme	22.83	25.30	6	0	0	1	2	1	0	1
28	Ricky Stenhouse Jr.	23.50	20.80	6	0	0	0	2	0	0	0
29	David Ragan	23.89	19.60	18	0	0	2	8	15	1	3
30	Trevor Bayne	23.91	20.30	11	0	0	0	6	4	0	1
31	Sam Hornish Jr.	24.00	18.70	9	0	0	0	4	0	0	1
32	Michael Waltrip	24.13	27.60	16	0	0	3	6	14	0	3
33	Danica Patrick	24.57	26.70	7	0	0	0	2	0	0	0
34	Bobby Labonte	25.50	19.70	26	0	3	5	8	59	2	5
35	Mike Wallace	25.50	33.30	4	0	0	0	1	1	0	0
36	David Reutimann	26.15	21.70	13	0	0	1	4	45	1	3
37	Boris Said	27.00	40.00	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
38	Justin Allgaier	27.75	29.80	4	0	0	0	1	0	0	1
39	Johnny Sauter	28.50	37.00	4	0	0	0	0	1	0	1
40	Regan Smith	28.67	22.10	9	0	0	0	0	0	0	1
41	Dave Blaney	29.00	33.10	23	0	0	1	3	1	0	7
42	David Gilliland	29.00	31.80	19	0	0	0	2	3	0	3
43	Parker Kligerman	29.00	29.50	2	0	0	0	1	0	0	1
44	Travis Kvapil	29.07	37.10	14	0	0	0	1	2	0	2
45	Cole Whitt	29.75	38.00	4	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
46	Chris Buescher	30.00	40.00	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
47	Michael Annett	30.50	31.30	4	0	0	0	0	0	0	1
48	Landon Cassill	32.00	34.90	11	0	0	0	0	0	0	2
49	Jeb Burton	32.00	40.00	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
50	Reed Sorenson	32.54	29.80	13	0	0	0	2	3	0	4
51	Brett Moffitt	33.00	37.30	3	0	0	0	0	0	0	1
52	Matt DiBenedetto	34.50	40.00	2	0	0	0	0	1	0	0
53	Mike Bliss	34.83	32.90	12	0	0	0	1	1	0	7
54	J.J. Yeley	35.14	31.10	14	0	0	0	2	6	0	7
55	Ryan Preece	36.00	42.00	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
56	Michael McDowell	36.77	32.10	13	0	0	0	0	2	0	7
57	Alex Bowman	37.00	32.50	4	0	0	0	0	0	0	2
58	Alex Kennedy	37.00	43.00	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
59	Joey Gase	37.00	43.00	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
60	Timmy Hill	37.33	41.70	3	0	0	0	0	0	0	1
61	Josh Wise	37.50	36.00	8	0	0	0	0	0	0	4
62	Brendan Gaughan	38.00	16.00	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	1
63	Ryan Blaney	42.50	19.00	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	2