2017 NASCAR Pit Road Week 13: Dover

Weekly Review and Power Rankings

AAA 400 Drive For Autism

By Richard Tix

Elko Speedway Recap:

Stand. Alone. Racing. 

Short tracks. Grassroots. 

These are the things many NASCAR fans have been beating the drum for lately (heck, for awhile).

If you were paying attention Saturday then you know that ARCA and Elko Speedway put on one heck of a show Saturday night. If you weren't, well it's ok because before getting into the racing on Sunday I am going to put a little focus on Elko Speedway to catch you up (my home track in Minnesota).

Let's start out by being fair, ARCA produces a ton of good shows as do other levels of racing that tend to hit more "local" trackssuch as the Super Late Model's that have featured Ty Majeski and Harrison Burton as of late. However, Saturday was a showcase of why NASCAR needs to get back to spotlighting these series AND the Xfinity and Truck series in there own stand alone events.

Saturday night at Elko was a finish that will be remembered for awhile for race fans who were lucky enough to catch it on MAVTV, watched some of my periscope (some short videos here), or were physically there at the track. During the closing laps of the Shore Lunch 250 Austin Theriault (#52 for Ken Schrader) gave a bump and run on Christian Eckes (#15 Venturini Motorsports) and took the lead, but the battle wasn't over just yet. On the final lap in turn's three and four with a four way battle for the win Eckes (second) tried the same move on Austin (first) which brought them side by side down the front stretch of the short 3/8th mile Elko Speedway and gave race fans a finish where both cars crossed within inches of each other. Austin nudged Christian for the win and a trip to VL (well, a VL created on the front stretch for fans to see and listen to the post race interview).

Right behind them Riley Herbst (#18 Joe Gibbs Racing) and Zane Smith (#55 Venturini Motorsports) got into each other and caused a huge puff of smoke to cover the track behind them. A few others were caught up in the last lap carnage as you might expect on such a short track. Zane was taken to a local hospital but was released later when Venturini Motorsports gave an official release via twitter. 

The race gave us a look back at what good hard short track racing has and always will be. Both Austin and Christian walked away knowing they gave it all they had but didn't take each other out in the process. These types of track's and event's are what many fans think are missing in today's truck (and Xfinity) series. If NASCAR could bring back some stand alone races at short tracks around the country it could really help booster the lack of shine they tend to get on a given weekend plus help these local tracks create a destination event.

If anything, Saturday night showed that Minnesota has a gem that many people had no idea existed which ARCA helped bring to light. Elko isn't the only gem around either, these track's are all over and if ARCA, Xfinity, or the truck series branched out and had more stand alone event's I could only see it helping racing as a whole. If each series down the line is stronger because of it, so will Cup down the line.

Dover Recap:

As always, Saturday wasn't the only racing of the weekend. Cup was back at Dover International Speedway on Sunday which was the cherry on top of my own personal weekend that included the trip to Elko Speedway and a local Mopar car show (Mopars in the Park). Dover is a track I have towards the top of my list and in my opinion it produced this weekend.

Early on Miles the Monster took over and caused a ton of action which continued on for the whole race. As the day went on the track opened up and even without a substance to help grip seemed to have two lanes (maybe small lanes, but two none the less). The day's story lines were dominated for the most part by Martin Truex Jr, Kyle Larson, and Jimmie Johnson (mis in Ty Dillon for a late call which lead to him leading the race for 27 laps). Larson (241 led) and Truex (102 led) dominated most of the day, but not in full run away fashion like some of JJ's old wins. JJ started the day in back and made quick work of the field to get up front and remind Larson and Truex who the king of Dover still is.

Though he only led 7 laps on the day, JJ still had one of the top cars on the day. The 48 team was helped by a late caution that bunched the group up and ran Larson thru some speedy dry, but he may have got to him anyways on a "clean" track. Sundays win by Johnson was his 83rd of his career which includes 11 at Dover (which is the most by any driver current or retired). We truly are watching one of the sports best so just realize you're watching history before it is history..

Overall, Dover gave us fun hard racing with plenty of strategy calls and late drama to pass as a good race no matter what the detractors might say. However, once again a good race won't be the front page news as things like the "overtime line" are bound to top the headlines.

Sure, the overtime line is something many fans can't get behind, but lets look at this race for the competitiveness on the track and how well the product seemed to have produced and not another rule that fan's love to cling on and bash. I mean, sure it's nice to finish at something called the start/finish line, but we would have wrecked most likely anyways and torn up half the field no matter where the official line was on Sunday. Don't yell at NASCAR for something that the driver's thought was a good idea after Harvick created a hot mess at Talladega a few years back, its not just one person or entities fault for the rule being in place but rather a lot of forces at play that created a drama filled finish at Dover on Sunday.

Pit Road Power Rankings: Week 13 (Week 12)

1. Martin Truex Jr (LW-1)- Truex is the head of the class right now. Your points leader, your playoff points leader, your led laps leader, and your top ten leader. 
2. Kevin Harvick (LW-2)- Quiet day for Harvick that still led to a third straight top. However, after leading laps in seven straight races, he didn't find the front all day at Dover.
3. Jimmie Johnson (LW-7)- 83 wins, 11 at Dover, 7 Championships. Not much else has to be said about JJ. He now has a season leading 3 wins that gives him 15 playoff points (second only to Truex).
4. Kyle Larson (LW-6)- Larson was really, really good on Sunday and had the car to beat. Unfortunately for him, the best car for a whole race doesn't always win late in the race given the situations.
5. Kyle Busch (LW-3)- Kyle went through it all on Sunday but climbed out of the hole by mid race. He fell off late, but still had a productive day worth of info they will use in the playoffs.
6. Jamie McMurray (LW-5)- Seventh on Sunday, the last time JMac finished worse then 12th was Martinsville (the sixth race of 2017).
7. Denny Hamlin (LW-9)- Back to back top tens for Denny, maybe he is starting to turn the corner?
8. Brad Keselowski (LW-4)- How far do you keep dropping back luck? Last week he was taken out early and I dropped him four spots, this week I am doing the same. If he goes three for three bad luck may take him out of the top 12 even though he has been fast when he is on track.
9. Matt Kesneth (LW-12)- Kenseth has just been average this year, it's about time he breaks out. I really thought it would be Dover, but he had to settle for a 13th place finish even after a small tussle with Blaney.
10. Daniel Suarez (LW-NR)- Suarez is really starting to come around and I am not sure how many fans are noticing. a solid 6th place finish on Sunday now gives him four top 15's in the last five races.
11. Ryan Newman (LW-NR)- Newman spent some time up front late in the race holding back traffic from catching Ty Dillon. Ryan now has back to back top tens to go with his win earlier this season.
12. Austin Dillon (LW-NR)- Another RCR car on the list and getting mentioned after Dover. Dillon didn't run an amazing race, but he put up a 12th place finish one week after winning CMS.

Dropped Out: Ricky Stenhouse Jr (LW-8), Joey Logano (LW-10), and Clint Bowyer (LW-11)

Just Missed: Chase Elliott and Dale Earnhardt Jr

2017 NASCAR Pit Road Week 8: Bristol

Weekly Review and Power Rankings

Food City 500

By Richard Tix

In a week I will be relaxing on a beach somewhere and not here... So, take these power rankings in this week with all their glory as I will miss the post race power rankings after Richmond. Yes, the driver this week at number one will get the benefit to stay number one for two weeks no matter how they run this weekend.

Pit Road Power Rankings: Week 8 (Week 7)

1. Kyle Larson (LW-2)- Larson lead 202 total laps on Monday and came off pretty happy with how much fun Bristol was to race after a 6th place finish.
2. Jimmie Johnson (LW-11)- To think, people were starting to hit the panic button on JJ just a few weeks ago. Oh, how two straight wins will make people forget all about that.
3. Chase Elliott (LW-3)- Same ole story here: Chase is showing amazing consistency but just needs to close out a race. Once a win comes, more will quickly follow.
4. Joey Logano (LW-4)- JoLo lead 72 laps, has a Cup leading seven top ten's, and yet it seems like he has had a slow start. A win should be coming his way soon.
5. Martin Truex Jr (LW-5)- Hands down the fastest Toyota of 2017, Truex notched another top ten on Monday which was his fifth (Kyle Busch and Denny Hamlin have six combined).
6. Brad Keselowski (LW-1)- Rough way to run around Bristol. BK had a mix of problems sending him to the garage on Monday, but the plus side is they have been fast all year.
7. Clint Bowyer (LW-7)- Overlooked is that Bowyer is eight in the current standings thanks to three top tens in the last four and four staright finishes of 11th or better.
8. Kevin Harvick (LW-8)- It's weird to see Harvick down here after so many races, but things are looking up, he has two straight top fives to his name.
9. Jamie McMurray (LW-6)- It wasn't a great race and it wasn't a bad race for JMac. He may point his way in the Playoffs again this year.
10. Ricky Stenhouse Jr (LW-12)- Once again Ricky fought through adversity and notched a top ten at one of his best tracks on the schedule.
11. Trevor Bayne (LW-NR)- Mark it down, RFR is two for two this week! Bayne doesn't have the top tens (one), but he does have six finishes of 13th or better including three straight.
12. Matt Kenseth (LW-NR)- Kenseth isn't tearing things up by any means, but he has been trying to turn the corner. He took an otherwise average day at Bristol and turned it into a fourth place finish, maybe more positive signs will come at RIR?

Dropped Out: Kyle Busch (LW-9) and Ryan Blaney (LW-10)

Just Missed: Denny Hamlin

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

2016 Pit Road Week 30: Charlotte

Weekly Review and Power Rankings

Charlotte Motor Speedway

Photo: Mike McCarn — The Associated Press

By Richard Tix

Five, count them, five drivers from the Chase field of twelve finished 30th or worse on Sunday. This is not the round you want to start out like that and all five now have a hole to get out of. Lucky for them one of them can advance on points alone and all five will have a shot to win the wild card race at Talladega.

Now that I think about it, why doesn't NASCAR move Talladega to the first round? I know how NASCAR is with the schedule (and how tracks are), but Dega as a wild card race makes more sense as in a wild card round like the first round. It gives a team like Chirs Buescher some legitimate hope in making the next round. I would love to keep a superspeedway in the Chase, because like the road course argument, a track of every type should make the schedule. However, in the second round where all 12 guys are legit title contenders it seems a bit too fluky to me.

Anyways, they heat will get turned up another notch this weekend especially with five drivers already on the hot seat.

A review of the Chase Power Ranking Rules:

For the first three races we will have 16 drivers ranked and they will all come from the Chase field. Once NASCAR cuts the field to 12 so will Behind the Wall (again, all Chase drivers). Once we cut to 8 drivers I will still rank the top 12, but the top 8 will be only drivers left in the Chase and the remaining four can be anyone (previous Chase drivers OR someone who was never in the Chase). This type format will continue all the way down to the final (so in the end the Champion will be number one and the other eleven can be anyone in the Sprint Cup.

We're down to 12 Chase drivers so only those 12 are in the rankings this week.

Pit Road Power Rankings Week 30 (Week 29)

1. Martin Truex Jr (LW-1)- Not the finish they were looking for, especially on a 1.5 mile track. They still have tons of momentum and until they post two poor finishes in a row this spot is his.
2. Brad Keselowski (LW-2)- BK's consistency just keeps coming. If the No 2 stays away from bad luck it should be enough to advance him to the round of eight.
3. Matt Kenseth (LW-6)- Great run after starting 17th, but it just wasn't enough. That is four straight top 10 finishes this Chase and his second runner up.
4. Jimmie Johnson (LW-7)- JJ is locked in as one of the final eight drivers in the 2016 Chase after winning at Charlotte. That has to be a great feeling during an up and down season.
5. Kyle Busch (LW-3)- Quietly finishing well, Rowdy has a string of five straight top 10's going right now. He has also led at least one lap in every Chase race so far.
6. Kurt Busch (LW-10)- This round has started out much better then how last round went (one top 10), but will the No 41 team keep it going?
7. Carl Edwards (LW-12)- It was only a twelfth place finish, but after Edwards the Chase drivers fell off. He is safe for now, but still needs to run better.
8. Chase Elliott (LW-9)- What a run for Chase on Sunday until being involved in a wreck on lap 260. He led 103 laps which was second only to JJ.
9. Denny Hamlin (LW-8)- 52 laps led and engine issues, rough way to start the second round. But, Hamlin has been fast so he can work his way out of it.
10. Kevin Harvick (LW-5)- This just isn't Harvick's Chase right now is it? Head up No. 4 fans, he can win at anytime.
11. Joey Logano (LW-4)- Speaking of needing a win, JoLo had issues all day staying on the track and finished poorly as a result. It's early, but he may also need a win to advance.
12. Austin Dillon (LW-11)- Another car caught up in a wreck. Expect the same at Dega which means all five of these guys still have a shot if they stay clean.

2016 NASCAR Pit Road Week 5: Auto Club

Weekly Review and Power Rankings

Auto Club 400

Robert Laberge/Getty Images

By Richard Tix

March 20, 2016. What an interesting, fantastic, and exciting day. NASCAR wrapped up it's West Coast swing at Auto Club Speedway and it went out with a bang. The Auto Club finish also marked our first NASCAR Cup racing break of 2016 as we head into Easter weekend.

Where to start? The race itself was just about perfect. Auto Club Speedway has produced some of the best racing on the schedule for the past 4-5 years without a doubt. I won't even let anyone argue that fact with me, it has just been that good. Auto Club makes the case to why NASCAR's tracks should never repave the track surface unless it is absolutely needed. The aging surfaces help give the track character, help develop more running lines, and make teams pay more attention to tire strategy.

Between a perfect track and an improved aero package that is giving early season life to NASCAR at every track the race was almost perfect from start to finish.

To start the race teams had some early tire issues more often then not. It seemed like a case of teams not listening to Goodyear's recommendations on air pressure. Teams will continually do this to test the limits and sometimes it doesn't work. It is just my hunch, but I think they were testing it out early and it failed.

The issues happened less and less as the race moved along, but the action on the track continued to heat up. Passing upon passing every lap. This packaged had already proved to help the passing on other tracks, but at a track like Fontana where many times groves can be found 3, 4 or even 5 wide it makes the action that much better. 

It wasn't just passing in the pack, but up front where leaders spared back and forth to take the front spot. By the end of the day we had 26 lead changes, 26!

The second to the last restart was by far some of the best racing of the season. Six different drivers were under a "blanket" going four wide. Guys like Jimmie Johnson and Chase Elliott getting run's on the high side shooting from high to low to make a pass. I seriously think if you didn't enjoy it you might want to head to the doctor and check your pulse. 

PHOTO: AP / JOSE HUERTA

After about 5-7 laps of 4 wide battling the restart was finally settled. By the time the run was coming to a finish everyone could feel a tire problem coming. Guys were scrapping the wall and Ryan Blaney even had a tire go down (he made it to the pits without a caution). Then Kyle Busch had a tire go down and before he got to pit lane NASCAR threw a yellow.

It was the second time in the same amount of days that Kyle Busch had a tire issue in the closing laps that ruined his day.

At the time Kevin Harvick held the lead and was now in position to once again lead the most laps of the day but lose the trip to victory lane. Harvick and crew have had this happen more time's then are worth counting and sometimes it makes you think about how many more wins he should have had in the past two seasons with SHR.

Well, add another one to that list as he lost the lead on that last "overtime" restart. The restart battle wasn't near as good as the previous one, but it still made for a fun finish. In the end Jimmie "Superman" Johnson flew to the front on the restart and took his 6th Auto Club win and 77th career win to victory lane.

If the race wasn't enough, the after race should have put you in a evening overload. Drivers, team members, parodies, and wives took to twitter and set it on fire. It was exciting and entertaining to say the least. I won't get into detail, but you can go looking around at Cole Pearn, Dale Earnhardt Jr, Kyle Busch (if you're not blocked), Amy Reiman, The Orange Cone, and Kevin Harvick to name a few. Not to mention if you're a basketball fan how amazing the tourney was.

In the end, we had short runs, long runs, pit stop troubles, tire problems, guys conserving tires, strategy, passing, falling, three lanes, five lanes, and heated battles for the lead and all throughout the field. We had just about everything fans have been asking for and want in a race.

NASCAR will carry the most momentum it has had through five races in a long time into Easter Break before heading to Martinsville after. One thing is for sure, no one will forget about NASCAR during the break.

*Auto Club 400 Results

Pit Road Power Rankings Week 5 (Week 4)

1. Jimmie Johnson (LW-3)- Leading at least 18 laps in four of five races so far and winning two of them, JJ has a hot start with this new aero package. Not good for other drivers, but at least they still have the Chase to be hopeful of. Finish: 1st
2. Kevin Harvick (LW-1)- How much tough luck can he have? Once again leading the most laps of the race and once again coming up short. He held himself very well after the race in adversity. Finish: 2nd
3. Kyle Busch (LW-2)- How unlucky can you be to have two tire issues in two days during the closing laps? Even if he was over driving (not saying he was or wasn't, I'm not in his car) its still crazy to think it happened about the same time. He gets the benefit this week (plus no one else stepped up enough to take his spot). Finish: 25th
4. Carl Edwards (LW-5)- Strong car all day. Edwards fought off a late tire issue and salvaged a nice finish anyways. Finish: 7th
5. Dale Earnhardt Jr (LW-4)- What a long day for Junior and Jr Nation. Most of his air time while struggling was for Batman v Superman, yet he salvaged the day and almost finished top 10. Finish: 11th
6. Denny Hamlin (LW-10)- Did anyone have a more up and down day then Denny? Struggling, penalties, and a comeback all sum up his day. What a way to fight through adversity when many (including myself) thought his day was about over. Finish: 3rd
7. Brad Keselowski (LW-10)- Another strong car like the 11 and 19, but another case of fighting through adversity. This one was a pit penalty. BK didn't seem to have a winning car anyways, but he made the best he could of the day and was in that front group under a "blanket" to finish the race. Finish: 9th
8. Joey Logano (LW-11)- Joey was strong all day but not quite winning strong. Then their is the Truex issue. Look, he didn't touch Martin. Martin was already rapidly falling. Yet, Joey still extended an apology over the radio and after the race. What else does he have to do? It was an aero thing and he got too close, it happens. Finish: 4th
9. Kurt Busch (LW-6)- Speaking of Joey, the same thing happened with Dale Junior and Kurt very early except Junior actually made contact with Busch. Yet, no twitter uproar? Oh, yeah because it was Dale. Move along. Anyways, tough break for Kurt as he got lose and slow and Junior had no where to go when he couldn't check up fast enough. Finish: 30th
10. Martin Truex Jr (LW- 7)- I really do like Truex, and I understand in the moment him being upset, but what Cole Pearn's says on Twitter after he should have seen the replay and noticed the #78 wasn't physically touched was a bit uncalled for, funny, but uncalled for. Martin was still very strong before the fall off that helped lead to the JoLo situation. Finish: 32nd
11. Austin Dillon (LW-8)- Austin took his hot run into Auto Club and then took the pole. But as many predicted, Kevin Harvick took it over by the middle of turns one and two and never looked back. It was a disappointing finish, but his quality start gives him a week of cushion in the rankings. Finish: 24th
12. Chase Elliott (LW-NR)- The back and forth for the 12th spot on the rankings keeps happening with the two best rookies of 2016. Chase already has three top 10's in five races and has really stood out. He spent most of the day in the top 10 on Sunday. All three races he has run in the top 15 92% or better of the time. He has an average running position of 9th, 13th, 8th, and 7th in his last four. If not for the last caution he would have had his first top 5. Finish: 6th

Dropped Out: Ryan Blaney (12th)

Just Missed: Jamie McMurray

2016 NASCAR Pit Road Week 2: Atlanta

Weekly Review and Power Rankings

Folds of Honor QuikTrip 500

Photo Credit: Getty Images/ Kevin C. Cox

By Richard Tix

After kicking off the season with a bang at the Daytona 500 and a 0.01 sec difference between race winner Denny Hamlin and runner up Martin Truex Jr, NASCAR moved onto Atlanta Motor Speedway and the new Low Downforce package this week. Atlanta had some big shoes to fill after such a great finish and beginning to the season.

The low downforce package (learn more about it here) also had big shoes to fill after two great showings in it's test phase last season at Kentucky and Darlington. Atlanta would be the first test for a packaged that drivers and fans alike were very excited for in 2016.

The race opened with one Busch Brother (Kurt) taking the pole position from another Busch Brother (Kyle) after Kyle failed post qualifying tech inspection. From there we had around 210 laps of green flag action. Yes, action. If you were just following my twitter feed I was seeing some fans would lead you to believe we had 210 laps of boring racing. However, there was tons of on track action dispite any cautions.

Passing was happening from first all the way back and drivers were working hard to keep there spots. Early on it was all Kurt Busch's race, but then it was taken over by Matt Kenseth. That was until a green flag stop where NASCAR caught the No. 20 team's gas man with a penalty that was to be served in a pass through penalty. 

Even though everyone knew (except Matt Kesneth himself) that the team needed to come in, he was black flagged and eventually ran two laps that never counted, which effectively ruined his day. I complete oversight by CC and team, Kenseth was obviously not happy and never made up the ground.

John Amis/Associated Press

Kevin Harvick seemed to take over from there on out (with brief laps led by Jimmie Johnson) and it looked like his to loose even after our first caution for debris. Coming down to the last stops Jimmie Johnson and Chad Knaus made the bold call to pit a bit early and gamble that the race went green for awhile so his grab for track position worked, well it did. A caution didn't come until we were in the overtime portion of the race, which opened the race back up for Harvick (who was trying to run down JJ), Kyle Busch, and Carl Edwards.

JJ got a nice restart and got out front again and once they hit turn three and four the field fell apart behind them, causing a caution and the race to end. Either way it looked like JJ was going onto his 76 career win which ties him with the late Dale Earnhardt on the NASCAR Cup All Time List.

Overall the race was great. It was an awesome showing of the new low downforce package. As Dale Earnhardt Jr stated, "if we had a bunch of cautions and restarts it wouldn't have effectively shown everyone how great of a package we have."

The race truly had everything most fans have been asking for whether they realize it or not. It had great green flag runs. It had tons of passing up front and in the pack. Aero push up front seemed to be less of a factor. Drivers definitely had to work at controlling their car which was my favorite part. These guys are the best in the world at Stock Car Racing, make them work! The cars were loose and fast and all over the place. Crew Chiefs had a time to shine (Chad Knaus) and falter (Jason Ratcliff). Different strategies could be played out (pitting early or not), and lastly the tire wear was almost perfect. The tires fell off and drivers had to either push it to gain track position quickly with a risk of falling off, or take care of their equipment for the long run speed. 

Whether you realize it or not, the race had everything that the majority of fans I interact with have been asking for the past few years. It was a huge step in making 1.5 mile tracks more entertaining. I have to say, if your one complaint was the long green flag run, you have to realize that this is racing and these things happen. Tune back in the next few weeks and check out how much fun this package is going to be!

*2016 Folds of Honor QuikTrip 500 Results

Pit Road Power Rankings Week 2 (Week 1)

1. Kevin Harvick (LW-3)- 131 laps led, which was the most on the day, and still no trip to victory lane. He has had two in a row stolen from him late by JJ, but he has been strong early on in 2016. Finish: 6th
2. Kyle Busch (LW-2)- Two strong showing's and a points lead (which doesn't mean much anymore). He started in the back and found his way to the front with a chance to win it late. Finish: 3rd
3. Jimmie Johnson (LW-8)- Two year in a row he found himself up front late. He and Chad worked that race to perfection and this time the gamble paid off. That is what Champions do. Finish: 1st
4. Martin Truex Jr (LW-5)- Truex hasn't missed a beat since moving from Chevy to Toyota. He lead 34 laps but was more of a top 5 guy in my opinion. He should win another race at the very least this season if he keeps this up. Finish: 7th
5. Carl Edwards (LW-6)- Winning car? Probably not, but he put himself in a spot to where a late restart at least gave him a slim shot. He was good most of the day and it showed. Finish: 5th 
6. Kurt Busch (LW-7)- He looked like the guy to beat early on, but Atlanta is a long day. After leading 62 laps he still was up front at the end of the day. Finish: 4th
7. Brad Keselowski (LW-11)- After Team Penske had a rough go round in qualifying that is weird since the Gen 6 has been run, BK made his way to the top 10 pretty quick. He had a top ten car but not much more on Sunday. Finish: 9th
8. Joey Logano (LW-4)- It was not Joey's day, yet he spent a lot of time near the top 10 all day after starting towards the back. Even after having to pit early with a loose tire, he still fought back to an ok finish. Finish: 12th
9. Denny Hamlin (LW-1)- What happened to Denny? Most of JGR was fantastic on the day, and the Daytona 500 winner was no where to be seen all day. Finish: 16th
10. Matt Kenseth (LW-9)- I almost feel bad ranking Kenseth lower then Hamlin. Kenseth had a fast car worth a top 5, but some team and CC mistakes left him in a spot where he couldn't overcome. Finish: 19th
11. Dale Earnhardt Jr (LW- NR)- What a fun day for Jr. He expressed his pleasure with this new package and it showed on the track. The 88, 18, and 2 run that FOX caught on TV was a fantastic fight for position. Finish: 2nd
12. Chase Elliott (LW-NR)- What a run by young Chase. After a quick Daytona 500 Chase spent most of his day in the top 10 without anyone barely knowing. He finished there too. Finish: 8th

Dropped Out: Ryan Newman (LW-10) and Kyle Larson (LW-12)

Just Missed: Ricky Stenhouse Jr, Austin Dillon, and Greg Biffle