2018 NASCAR Pit Road Week 1: Daytona

Weekly Review and Power Rankings

Daytona 500

By Richard Tix

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

Bubba Wallace is an emotional dude

• I mean, most of us paying attention already knew this. When he won at Eldora he absolutely showed us fans what we all clamor for: "more emotion out of drivers!!!" Well, the man finished second and broke down with his family around him during post race. It was fantastic. Bubba literally always wear's his feelings on his sleeve which is exactly what I love seeing in this sport. It's great for him, it's great for RPM, and it's great for NASCAR. Yet, this kid has had trouble finding sponsorship for too long....

The young guns are going to go all out for the win

• AD wasn't lifting, not on the last lap of the Daytona 500. You know, when I type that all I can think of is "who would?" Yet, I saw so many people complaining about AD's move. IMO, Aric's block had as much impact on that incident ad AD's not lifting... Aric seemed to understand and it was a risk he was willing to take because it was the freaking Daytona 500! AD had a run before Aric came up and he just didn't lift. It isn't like he spun him when he had a nose in front of him. No, he bumped that crap out of him, got him loose, then tried moving a bit down which hooked Aric. It's no where near the worst dump I have seen and most drivers seemed to understand the move and didn't blame AD one bit. 

The 3 team got Daytona 500 tattoo's

• The question of, "where" is the best part. Rumor has it (not a rumor, AD confirmed), the tattoo is right on the posterior of everyone who partook. Yup, it's the freaking Daytona 500 and these kids are crazy. Oh, and how great was it to see the No. 3 in victory lane at DIS and the No. 43 in second!?!?

The Ford's were fast

• Ok, we saw the Ford's fast all weekend but that doesn't really mean we learned anything because Daytona is way different then the 1.5 mile tracks we will be heading to. However, it should still be mentioned because BK, JoLo, Blaney, McDowell, Menard, Harvick, etc all had their moments (especially the Team Penske crew). It may not translate going forward, but lock it into your memory for the second trip to Daytona and the two trips to Talladega. If Ford does struggle with the 1.5 mile program, those superspeedways will be key tracks.

Pit Road Power Rankings: Preseason

1. Martin Truex Jr (LW-1)- Superspeedways are always a mess. Starting the season off at a superspeedway is a bigger mess when it comes to power rankings. So, without overacting to too much, Truex stays on top. The 78 was involved in a late wreck, but still came out 10th in points.
2. Denny Hamlin (LW-4)- Hamlin was my favorite going in and spent most of his day up front (after his early penalty on pit road), including leading 22 laps. He was in position late in the race, but luck didn't fall his way when the 3 turned the 10.
3. Ryan Blaney (LW-10)- Blaney led 118 laps on Sunday which was the most of anyone. He also won a stage and finished 7th. Not a bad day in his first official start with Team Penske.
4. Joey Logano (LW-9)- Basically if you looked up at any time mid race you would have noticed the 22 in second trailing the 21. JoLo was one of the strongest Ford's all day/weekend and it showed with a 4th place finish.
5. Chase Elliott (LW-6)- What a crazy up and down speedweek's for Chase. He and BK were towards the front when Chase went spinning, but he was a contender most of the race.
6. Austin Dillon (LW-NR)- What a start for AD and RCR. He is practically locked into the Playoffs and in dramatic fashion by winning the Daytona 500, in the No. 3, with a last lap fiasco. Hats off to Austin.
7. Kyle Larson (LW-3)- Larson got caught up early and salvaged his day for 19th. 
8. Brad Keselowski (LW-7)- BK had plenty of fast Ford Fusions all speedweek, but luck didn't fall his way. 
9. Kevin Harvick (LW-5)- Ditto for Harvick on what I said about BK. Kind of a quiet week for Harvick, but ATL should provide a bounce back to the spotlight.
10. Kyle Busch (LW-2)- What. A. Day. Early tire trouble and then a early spin left the No. 18 with a day to forget. Expect him to show up fast next week.
11. Bubba Wallace (LW-NR)- How cool was that? The No. 3 winning the race and the No. 43 coming in second. I really hope RPM has a bounce back season in 2018.
12. Paul Menard (LW-NR)- Menard quietly had a really good speedweeks and Menard and team had that No. 21 up front a bunch in each event. Nice way to start off his first start with Wood Brothers (currently third in points).

Dropped Out: Jimmie Johnson (LW-8), Erik Jones (LW-11), and Jamie McMurray (LW-12)

Just Missed: Michael McDowell, Aric Almirola, Ryan Newman, and Chris Buescher

The Next Team Power Rankings will likely be next week. I want to get at least a race or two in before I refocus on them. I mean, it's not like Daytona gives us a good grasp on where teams are anyway. However, if you want to see the preseason rankings, scroll down here: 2018 NASCAR Pit Road Preseason

2018 NASCAR Week 1: Daytona

Daytona 500

Daytona International Speedway

By Richard Tix

What to Watch For?

New Faces in New Places (or Numbers)

• Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Matt Kenseth are out and new fresh faces are in. It's just another step in the changing NASCAR scene the last few years (Stewart, Gordon, Biffle, etc all out of full time rides). So, who will step into the spotlight and take over as NASCAR's next star? A Daytona 500 win for Kyle Larson, Chase Elliott, or Ryan Blaney would take them to the next level. Speaking of, Elliott changed to the number nine, Blaney moved to an official Team Penske car (No. 12), and a bunch of other changes were had. The 500 will give us as fans a chance to fully catch up on the moves and start adjusting to the new places drivers landed.

The New Chevy Camaro

• Sure, Daytona won't be much of an early season test for the new Camaro as that test will come when we head to Atlanta in week two. However, that doesn't mean we can't keep an eye on them and how nice they look on the banks of Daytona! Can a Team Chevy driver bring home a win in the first race for the brand new Camaro? Keep and eye on Jimmie Johnson, Kyle Larson, and the underdogs Austin Dillon and Jamie McMurray.

**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

• Joey Logano - JoLo has thre straight top tens in the Daytona 500 including a win (2015). He has been a strong starter so expect a bounce back early in 2018.
• Denny Hamlin - Hamlin won the 2016 Daytona 500 and has five top tens in the last eight races at DIS. 
• Kevin Harvick - Harvick has had three straight rough finishes at DIS, but the three before that were finishes of 4th, 4th, and 2nd. He hasn't won at DIS since 2010, and his only Daytona 500 win was in 2007, but he should be a favorite heading into 2018.

The Middle

• Clint Bowyer - Bowyer has an average finish of 15.6 (which is the third best of current full time 2018 drivers), yet only has two top tens in his last four and has never won at DIS. But, he plays it safe and could find himself with a shot at it late.

The Bad

• Martin Truex Jr - Truex really hasn't fared will here at DIS in his career. In his last 15 starts at DIS he only has two top tens and five top 15's.
• Jamie McMurray - JMac does have two DIS wins but he also doesn't have a top ten since 2013 (eight races).
• Kyle Larson - Lot of bad luck included in Larson's stats, but only two top tens in his eight career DIS starts. Five times Larson finished 29th or worse in those eight races.

2018 NASCAR Pit Road Preseason

Weekly Review and Power Rankings

Preseason

By Richard Tix

The 2018 season is almost upon us. Not only will changes be made in NASCAR (new Camaro, no Dale Earnhardt Jr, drives changing places, etc), but changes will be had around the blog. As time goes on and priorities in life change, sometimes things take a back seat. My love for NASCAR hasn't changed, but my free time for running Behind the Wall and producing content is running more and more dry by the season.

Now, I just do this as a hobby and never really saw it going somewhere too serious. I loved the aspect of my own power rankings and keeping a better tab on the sport and because of creating content it made me accountable to myself to stay in the know. I also loved that getting out my opinion also let me engage with many other fans and even make some online friendships through it. Now, if this was a serious ambition towards a career in NASCAR it would end up much higher on my priority list, but as of right now it is not that. So, this season I maybe cutting back on some content (which follows a trend from the end of last season).

However, I will still be here and on Twitter to interact as much as possible. The plan is to still do as many race previews and reviews (with power rankings taking the spotlight) as possible. I will more then likely link the TV schedules and entry lists instead of posting them myself. I am going to add to my weekly power rankings by doing a Team Power Rankings every 3-5 weeks (because week by week team power rankings may not change enough). 

So, no fear, NBTW will still be around... However, I do apologize that the up to date news will not be added to the content near as much and the Paint Schemes pages may take longer to get updated. Hit me up on Twitter (@NASCARBTW) as I will be active on there all season longer (whether it be races or personal content).

As always, lets get ready for a fun 2018! Below are some preseason driver and team power rankings for your enjoyment!

Pit Road Power Rankings: Preseason

1. Martin Truex Jr - Who else would be on top? Truex is still riding high after winning the 2017 Championship.
2. Kyle Busch - Toyota should still be fast, Chevy has to adjust to a new model, Ford hasn't made a change, and none of it matters to Kyle because all he cares about is winning. 
3. Kyle Larson - Larson started his rise into true NASCAR stardom last year and with a new Chevy Camaro it should only continue this season.
4. Denny Hamlin - I'm expecting a quick start to the year for the top Toyota drivers including Hamlin who should be one of the favorites to win the Daytona 500 to start 2018.
5. Kevin Harvick - Childers mentioned that last year they tried to actually reign it in so NASCAR wouldn't put the spotlight on them for being so fast. Rodney also mentioned that he hates that and has zero intention of doing that in 2018.
6. Chase Elliott - Chase has one heck of a season last year and will look to get the win less monkey off of his back. Once he does get a win, I still expect a bunch to pile up.
7. Brad Keselowski - BK made the final four in 2017, but really wasn't in the running at Homestead (except for a brief moment mid race where they gambled on strategy). He remained very vocal all season about the lack of gains Ford has made lately, will he be right? Will it help push Ford to make a move? Or is it a lost cause? NASCAR politics....
8. Jimmie Johnson - This might be the lowest I have ever started JJ out in my preseason rankings. He still put up three wins last season and should still be a threat in 2018 especially if the Camaro is a hit.
9. Joey Logano - Is anyone happier to get a fresh start in 2018? JoLo is ready for a full redemption tour and never has to hear "encumbered" again, well at least in an "official" way...
10. Ryan Blaney - Blaney is switching from the Penske affiliated No. 21 Wood Brothers ride to a new third Penske ride (No. 12). It should be a smooth transition for one of the bright young stars of NASCAR.
11. Erik Jones - Another young gun part of the youth movement, Jones should make a big jump in year two in Cup. 
12. Jamie McMurray - JMac once again pointed his way to the Playoffs in 2017 and will be back with Ganassi in 2018. He and teammate Kyle Larson have a good shot to both make the 2018 playoffs again. 

Team Power Rankings

1. Furniture Row Racing - 2017 Champions, check. Returning the combo of Cole Pearn and Martin Truex Jr, check. Until further notice, the defending Champion team stays on top even with the loss of a second car (No. 77).
2. Joe Gibbs Racing - Kyle Busch and Denny Hamlin are in their prime years, meanwhile Daniel Suarez and Erik Jones gain another year of experience. Toyota coming off a dominating 2017 finish so JGR will be towards the top to start 2018.
3. Team Penske - Penske had a final four driver (BK), a win that was encumbered (JoLo), and an affiliated young gun who won his first race and made the playoffs (Blaney) in 2017. Now all of them are part of one team. The only question is will Ford be a step behind the other two manufacturers?
4. Hendrick Motorsports - HMS is now JJ and the young kids. Junior has retired from full time Cup driving and the team and Kasey Kahne separated ways. To put a cherry on top of all the moving parts, Chevy is bringing the new Camaro to Cup this season. Chevy seemed to be at a disadvantage in 2017, so the Camaro move could push them up this list quickly, but it will be a learning curve as will having so many new young names (Elliott, Bowman, and Byron).
5. Chip Ganassi Racing - Ganassi has arguably been the better Chevy team as of late, compared to HMS. They put Larson and McMurray in the Playoffs two years in a row and it looks like Larson is becoming a star in the sport. Can they take the next step and get to Homestead?
6. Stewart Haas Racing - The top end of SHR has been good, actually, great. Harvick has been holding up SHR for years now and Kurt Busch has held his own, but the questions continue to be the other two cars. Same can be said about SHR entering 2018 with Clint Bowyer back and Aric Almirola joining for his first year.
7. Richard Childress Racing - Last season RCR got two cars into the playoffs, but that really skews how well they ran (hint, not very well). Still, we can't look past RCR's two wins (Newman and Dillon) and the fact that they might get new life with the new Camaro.
8. Wood Brothers Racing - Wood Brothers will go from Ryan Blaney to Paul Menard in 2018. Menard should provide them some week to week stability compared to last season, but likely won't be front runners as often either. 
9. Roush Fenway Racing - RFR had a great season for them when comparing to the previous couple years, but work still needs to be done. Superspeedways and short tracks were surprisingly a strength, but the schedule is made up of a ton of 1.5 mile tracks and RFR isn't even close with their 1.5 mile program.
10. Germain Racing - I was surprised when RCR parted ways with Paul Menard and they didn't bring in Ty Dillon from Germain. However, that is a good thing for Germain as Ty gives them stability coming into 2018 with a chance to advance up the standings. 
11. Leavine Family Racing - Leavine made big strides over the years with Michael McDowell and took the plunge to make a larger splash by bringing in Kasey Kahne. If the Kahne signing works out they could be the next Furniture Row (bold statement alert). I am not saying they will, but they're following some of the footsteps FRR made.
12. Richard Petty Motorsports - Rounding out the top 12 is RPM. RPM will once again be a one car team in 2018 but made the big move from Ford to Chevy. They also moved on from Aric Almirola and brought in Darrell Wallace Jr. to take over the legendary No. 43.