2015 Pit Road Week 33: Martinsville

Weekly Review and Power Rankings

Goody's Headache Relief Shot 500

By Richard Tix

I don't think a single person who watched Sunday's race can say, "well, that wasn't interesting." The race had just about everything. Short track bumping and racing. Lead changes. A few dominate cars. Drama. Plenty more drama. A intentional wreck. Angry drivers. And a happy driver in VL with his family in what could be his last win, which just so happened to lock him into the Chase Finale in Miami.

Lets dig right into the good stuff. The Matt Kenseth vs Joey Logano battle. Going back to Kansas, where Kenseth was in a win or go home situation, he was out front trying to keep JoLo behind him. He was doing all he could (including blocking). Then Kenseth was attempting one last block and maybe at the same time Joey didn't like it. They touched and Kenseth spun out and JoLo took the win.

All of that situation can also be called hard racing. It's what fans want (until it is there driver spinning out). But, in my opinion none of it was dirty. Both guys wanted a win, one guy needed a win, and the other guy had the better car. They both raced hard.

Sunday at Martinsville, after Kenseth was in the middle of a restart wreck (and out of the Chase after last round) he intentionally took out Joey Logano who had the best car on the day. This while Kenseth was riding around pretty much waiting for the opportunity to do what he did.

Kenseth intentionally took out JoLo, which was no longer "hard racing" as I stated above. It was "pay back," even though it was no where near what happened at Kansas which was a racing thing. This was dirty manipulation. 

The worst part was, Kenseth didn't even admit to it. For a guy who wants a guy to "not have daddy fight his battles," it sure was cowardly to skate around the truth. Own up to being the guy who took him out, don't say "oh, a right front or something must have gone down." 

And no, that was not how racing was done in the past. When driver's "dumped" someone, it was for the lead. It was not a driver riding around looking to dump the leader because he was upset he was spun out a few weeks prior while trying to block. Sr. would intimidate you, race you hard, and dump you late in the race if that was the only way to get the win, not dump you because he has a trash car and was still pouting.

I know Kenesth fans and many others were happy with the Kenseth move, I for one am happy it gets more people talking about NASCAR. But, it wasn't the right thing to do and it wasn't payback for anything Joey did. Everyone will have there sides, but when you look at it from a fan of neither side and from a perspective of wanting good hard racing, it was a disappointing day for NASCAR.

Remember, only Chase drivers are eligible for the top 8 spots. The next 4 spots are up for anyone else in NASCAR (whether they were once in the Chase or not). It is a different variation on the Power Rankings, but it is only far to top the remaining 8 first. 

1. Jeff Gordon (LW-6)- Gordon gets this spot because after all the story lines with Kenseth and JoLo, he was the one in VL and will be one of four at Miami competing for a Championship.
2. Joey Logano (LW-1)- Yes, its an uphill battle, but Joey most likely was going to win a fourth straight on Sunday. It is possible he gets to Miami with a W still. Then what does Kenseth do?
3. Martin Truex Jr (LW-8)- He quietly ran pretty well all day. He will need two more runs like that to have a chance, though.
4. Kyle Busch (LW-7)- Spins in water, still comes out with a great finish. Is this the year I stop saying it will finally happen? A Rowdy Championship? I have been wrong twice already and I am not a Kyle fan...
5. Kevin Harvick (LW-5)- I keep saying don't count him out, but he really hasn't been as dominate during the Chase as many thought. But, he is getting by and he is good at Miami.
6. Brad Keselowski (LW-3)- Until a wreck on a late restart, BK was a guy who could give Joey a run for his money. He and JoLo both really need wins.
7. Carl Edwards (LW-2)- He got caught up in a check up situation and wrecked his front end and whole day. It will be interesting as he might be in a win or die situation as well, but he kept fighting so he still has an outside shot on points.
8. Kurt Busch (LW-4)- Kurt, BK, and JoLo are all already looking at win or go home spots. A rough day for Kurt put him in this spot, can he get out?
9. Denny Hamlin (LW-9)- Too bad for Hamlin Harvick's move at Dega knocked him out. Hamlin finished third when it was all said and done Sunday.
10. Dale Earnhardt Jr (LW-11)- Jr would have also started off this round well if he moved on, after finishing 4th. Back to back top 5's for Junior.
11. Ryan Nemwan (LW-10)- Newman hasn't run bad all Chase, but also not great. 7th on Sunday was his best finish since he finished 4th to start the Chase at Chicagoland.
12. Kasey Kahne (LW-NR)- Has anyone noticed, since Loudon Kahne has four top 10's in six races? He notched another one this past Sunday at Martinsville.

2015 Week 6 Pit Road: Martinsville

Weekly Review and Power Rankings

Week 6 STP 500

By Richard Tix

NASCAR headed to Martinsville this week and put the West Coast swing in the past. NASCAR also started to gear up for some short track racing and the first step on that path was the "paper clip." After mostly 1.5 mile tracks to start the year it was a great breather to get NASCAR back on track.

I could go on and on about my opinion about short tracks in NASCAR and how we should have more of them, but I will save that for the bye week "hot laps" article.

Joey Logano started the race on the pole and lead a ton early on while looking like the one to beat. But, we have seen that race to race with Joey and eventually like normal it rubbed off and he faded a bit. He did hang on loner than normal at Martinsville, however. The beginning of the race was mashed together with yellow flags for many different reasons (spins and debris). 

After a caution for Kennedy a few drivers stayed out and Martin Truex Jr took the lead over. Danica Patrick and Landon Cassill also stayed out and on the restart helped slow down the pack while Truex pulled away.

Eventually the fast pack got around those two and hunted down Truex. Truex gave way to Joey Logano once again and a few laps later Kevin Harvick took the lead from JoLo for the first time on Sunday. Denny Hamlin eventually took the lead on the same green flag run and then another caution came out for Ricky Stenhouse Jr (which seemed to be a trend Sunday). 

Denny Hamlin struggled on pit road and his pit selection most of the day. It looked like the pit selection might be his downfall on the day. The big issue on this pit stop was that he once again had a loose tire penalty and it put him in the back with arguably the strongest car on the track. 

Through the middle of the race Harvick, Kurt Busch, and Kasey Kahne all held the lead for a bit of time. We finally started to settle in and get a few green flag runs in, but eventually they gave way to more cautions. 

Lap 302 Brad Keselowski took the lead from Harvick meanwhile JGR holds the 3rd, 4th, and 5th place spots. Joe Gibbs Racing showed strong all day and really showed something for JoLo and SHR. On lap 316 BK and DH caught lapped traffic and DH got the low side for the lead. 

DH held the lead until they caught up to a lapped Ryan Newman who eventually held up DH, and DH gave way back to Kevin Harvick. At this point every NASCAR fan started thinking will anyone stop Harvick and can this keep going all year?

A few cautions in the middle, but DH finally caught Harvick on lap 399 when he put the bump and run on him for the pass. 

After a long day of up and down's Jeff Gordon finally had his day in the spotlight when he got the lead on lap 442. He held the lead for a bit but with 41 laps to go a debris caution was thrown and Jeff Gordon was caught speeding during his pit stop. 

With 19 Denny Hamlin lead Brad Keselowski and Joey Logano. BK followed for laps and just didn't have enough to get around DH. In the closing laps BK tried to set up DH but on turn four of the lasp lap DH didn't bite and covered the inside. BK could have taken him out but only gave him a tap and DH went on to hold for the win.

It was Hamlins first win of 2015 and pretty much locked him into the Chase. The 11 had the strongest car on the day that we got to see and it paid off with a win. Following his win was a pretty epic burnout that I am sure you can find on youtube, it is worth the time.

Pit Road Power Rankings Week 6 (Week 5)

1. Kevin Harvick (LW-1)- Harvick still spent a good portion of the day up front even though he didn't finish his usual second or better. Yes, he is human but leading 154 laps and finishing 8th isnt anything to be too upset about, especially when you have two wins. Finish: 8th
2. Brad Keselowski (LW-3)- Quite for much of the day, Brad and Paul Wolfe got the #2 in a spot late in the race to contend. They said it before the race and after, Martinsville is a Chase race and they needed to improve here. Finish: 2nd
3. Martin Truex Jr (LW-4)- Another top ten? Check. Thats all 6 races so far this year. This team looks like it is ready to get a win in 2015, but when? Even without a win, if they keep this up they may make the Chase om points. Finish: 6th
4. Joey Logano (LW-6)- Week after week Joey runs up front at some point (almost always early). Joey could be one of Harvicks biggest threats if they figure out some mid race adjustments to put him in a good spot in the end more often like Sunday. Finish: 3rd
5. Kurt Busch (LW-2)- Kurt spent some time up front again and it looked like maybe it would be another SHR day. This ended up not being the case but he fought through it and still had an alright finish. Finish: 14th
6. Matt Kenseth (LW-10)- Kenseth was strong on Sunday (many JGR were). He looked like he had a car to win, but came up just short on the day. It was promising to see him run well here, as it used to be a track he hated, now he loves. Finish: 4th
7. Jeff Gordon (LW-12)- It was not a fun day for Gordon and his fans, he was up and down all day. He finally got out front late and it looked like he might just win the thing, that was until a caution and a speeding penalty. Finish: 9th
8. Denny Hamlin (LW-NR)- Denny Hamlin dominated much of the day but the stats wont show it. He lead, had to fight through the field, and lead again. Eventually he held of a charging BK for the win and gave us a fantastic burn out. Finish: 1st
9. Dale Earnhardt Jr (LW-5)- Hendrick Motorsports had a pretty rough day and Jr was at the forefront. His shifter broke (how many times will this happen?) and he was stuck in a bad spot that lead to a wreck. Finish: 36th
10. Kasey Kahne (LW-11)- Kahne is running better, thats no doubt, but he still seems to be searching for a bit more. It wasn't a great day, but he brought it home in a decent spot just outside the top 10. Finish: 11th
11. Ryan Newman (LW-7)- He gets a break and stays in the top 12, but what the heck happened? He was so strong to start the race and that #31 just fell off. Finish: 27th
12. Jimmie Johnson (LW-8)- Man, everything that could have gone wrong for JJ and the #48 team seemed to have happened. So many issues that it would be tough to list here. It's early so I still expect this team to turn it around. Finish: 35th

Dropped Out: Paul Menard

Just Missed: Aric Almirola and David Ragan

Great Run Honorable Mention: Danica Patrick, Casey Mears, and Regan Smith

Only one correct this week. Jeff gets on the board for the second time in 2015

Well that's it for this weeks review. Remember NASCAR has an off week this weekend for Easter. NASCAR Behind the Wall will still get up the normal TV schedule, Entry List, Hot Laps, and Texas Preview but they may get delayed compared to normal release times. Thanks for checking out NBTW!

Pit Road Week 33: Martinsville

Weekly Review and Power Rankings

Week 33

By Richard Tix

After the Contender round NASCAR fans started to fire up. What do you expect when in the same week Jimmie Johnson and Dale Earnhardt Jr drop out of Championship contention and Brad Keselowski moves on? 

But what I didn't expect was for some race fans to try and say they would not watch the remaining four races just because Jr didn't move on. To me, that's a crazy reason to not watch NASCAR. You could stop watching for many reason's other then because your driver isn't moving on.

Now, I get it, if your driver is left out of the final four races and you would rather watch the NFL most of Sunday, and maybe flip back to the race here and there, more power to ya, but to say it's all because Jr didn't move on? It isn't like he didn't have a fair shot. This year, or last years points format, wouldn't mean a difference, either way he wasn't winning the Championship. Heck, if you go to the old, old points system Gordon I believe has a firm grip over Joey Logano and then Dale.

What happened Sunday was the reason I thought it was crazy not to watch just because your driver dropped out. That's because yes, Dale Jr won his first race at Martinsville and win #4 on the 2014 season. On top of that reason, I think Dale Earnhardt Jr would call you crazy to just stop watching him race because he couldn't win a Championship. He still has 3 more races he can win in 2014! Its not like other sporting events where when your team is out of the playoffs they are no longer playing, no in racing everyone can still go out there and win that trophy. So, to all you fans of non Chasers, enjoy this time as it is a non pressure situation where your driver can shine.

The rest of us will just continue to grow grey hairs and yell at the people on TV who can't hear us, or am I the only one?

Pit Road Power Rankings Week 33 (Week 32)

1. Joey Logano (LW-2)- JoLo had a good car on Sunday in which he held some laps, but down the stretch he just didn't have it. Again he had a fast car and finished 5th, he still looks to be a favorite to move on to Miami.
2. Jeff Gordon (LW-6)- Gordon had one of the cars to beat on Sunday. He lead early and often, but a late caution came out that switched a lot of drivers strategies up. In the end Jr pulled away and Gordon couldn't lock down his spot to automatically move on.
3. Ryan Newman (LW-3)- Newman has turned it on when he needed it. All season I raved about his consistency, but heck, I didn't actually expect him to have a shot at the last four. Well, after a third at Martinsville a few quality finishes might give him the shot he needs.
4. Matt Kenseth (LW-5)- Kenseth got into it with Harvick early in the race and it ended up ruining the #4 teams day. However, Matt fought back and finished 6th (even though Happy wasn't too happy with him). 
5. Denny Hamlin (LW-8)- Denny just keeps hanging around in this Chase. He has yet to post at op 5, but hasn't had any crippling finishes either. His 8th place finish on Sunday was the same way. He has left himself with a window of opportunity the next two races.
6. Kevin Harvick (LW-1)- Harvick finishes 33rd and is a head of Carl? Yeah, and so is BK. A slow start by these too who have shown they can win (especially Harvick at Phoenix) is enough to edge Carl. Harvick and Kenseth tangled and Harvick got the short end on Sunday.
7. Brad Keselowski (LW-4)- BK was running top 10 most of the day when something gave out in his rear axle. That ended his day for the most part and puts pressure back on him to find a win.
8. Carl Edwards (LW-7)- Carl could get away with a 20th place finish in the first two rounds, but this round will be harder to get out of that hole. Texas will be a huge test and he will need a quality finish.
9. Clint Bowyer (LW-NR)- Back to back top 10's for Bowyer and he gets the new Top Spot for Non Chaser's. 
10. Kyle Busch (LW-10)- Kyle Busch still leads drivers in points who are not in the last 8. One bad luck wreck at Talladega is the only thing that separates him from a Ryan Newman or Denny Hamlin right now.
11. Austin Dillon (LW-12)- Nothing amazing, but in Dillon's last 6 he has only finished outside the top 13 once. He also only has one top 10 in that span as well.
12. Dale Earnhardt Jr (LW-NR)- Well the winner has to get a spot this week. Its tough taking all the drivers left out of the Chase and giving them 4 spots. 

That's it for this week on Pit Road. No one picked Dale Jr this week amazingly, but I also was a bit behind in sending out Tweets since I was at a buddies Wedding. As always, thanks for checking out NASCAR Behind the Wall.