2016 NASCAR Pit Road Week 18: Kentucky

Weekly Review and Power Rankings

Quaker State 400

AP Photo/Timothy D. Easley

By Richard Tix

Fuel mileage. It's such a common phrase when it comes to everyday life. Maybe you don't talk about it everyday but it is always around you. Truck commercials talking about Mile Per Gallon. Car's trying to be the most efficient at saving fuel. Heck, many people buy their car's just for the MPG it gets.

Yet, when it comes up in our favorite sport it becomes an outrage. NASCAR Sprint Cup cars run on Sunoco Race Fuel, yet if a finish comes down to fuel mileage the racing community comes to a frenzy.

Did you know that in any given moment during a NASCAR Sprint Cup race a member of the team might be calculating fuel? From lap 1- 300 (or however many are in a specific race), guys on the crew are asked to check out the fuel situation. Whether it be for a specific run, or just to change a pit window for the end of the race, fuel is a key aspect of racing.

I mean, why wouldn't it always be a fuel mileage race? Don't they run on fuel the whole race? 

I have been saying this forever but fuel mileage, tire management, pit stop times, caution timing, etc are all part of racing. So are 8 sec leads, wins on green flag runs, photo finishes, last lap passes, green white checkers, all racing.

You see, not every week can be a perfect photo finish with three lead changes in the last two laps. We can't always have door banging down the front stretch across the finish line. You know why? Because racing is just that, racing. No one can tell you how a given race will play out because racing has so many factors and strategies going on at once. 40 teams all with a different idea of how the race will play out down the stretch, yet no one really knows until those checkers fly if they made the right call.

That's what makes racing so great. Every strategy is what makes racing and is exciting in it's own way. The fact that people were upset about a "fuel mileage" race in one of the more exciting fuel mileage ending's is shocking to me. Then again, NASCAR can never please all it's diverse fans even if it is just common place to have cars with fuel in them have a fuel strategy.

Oh and hey by the way, Brad Keselwoski won on Saturday night. That is back to back for the 2012 Cup Champion. 

Pit Road Power Rankings Week 18 (Week 17)

1. Brad Keselowski (LW-4)- Brad, Paul, and team are one of the best in NASCAR when it comes to fuel strategy late in a race. I mean, really, why not chance it with three wins and the lead? They gambled and just by an ounce it paid off. That's win number four on the season which gives BK the top Chase spot at the moment. Finish: 1st
2. Kurt Busch (LW-2)- He may have been jumped in the standings, but make no mistake Kurt is still one of the most consistent drivers of 2016. He has the most top 10's (15) through 18 races on the season. Finish: 4th
3. Kevin Harvick (LW-3)- Harvick was one of the best cars of the night, but fuel strategy ruined his chance at a win. A late yellow would have changed everything and Happy might have been the one in victory lane. Finish: 9th
4. Carl Edwards (LW-5)- The slightest difference in Saturdays race for BK would have resulted in a win for Carl. Edwards was next in line if Keselowski actually ran out and it stayed green. Finish: 2nd
5. Joey Logano (LW-1)- One of many victims of early wrecks, JoLo didn't have the longest night (52 laps). Finish: 39th
6. Kyle Busch (LW-7)- An ok night resulted in an ok finish. However, all of these finishes are putting that bad four race stretch behind the 2015 Sprint Cup Champion. Finish: 12th
7. Martin Truex Jr (LW-9)- What a weird and frustrating night for Truex. I will not go into the situation in full as I missed the call, but he still came storming back in impressive fashion. Finish: 10th
8. Matt Kenseth (LW-11)- It's been a few weeks since we talked about Kenseth in a good light. Saturday night at Kentucky was a better overall run as of late and was one of his best in awhile. He ran on average in the top 5 and had a nice finish. Finish: 8th
9. Chase Elliott (LW-8)- Kentucky is a spot I thought Chase could bounce back at and then he got into an inccident with the 3 and 21. He still has plenty of cushion on the first non win Chase spot. Finish: 31st
10. Tony Stewart (LW-12)- Not sure if you have been paying attention (joke), but Smoke now has three top 10's, two top 5's, and a win in his last four races. His finish was better then his overall race Saturday, but it's the finish that counts. Finish: 5th
11. Greg Biffle (LW-NR)- It's a miracle! Biffle's name in the NBTW Power Rankings again. It's been awhile for the Biff so its nice to see him have a few good runs. He now has back to back top 10's (which are his only two of 2016). Finish: 6th
12. Kyle Larson (LW-6)- Larson ran better then he finished, but in racing that is going to happen. I gave him a break from dropping out because he has earned it with better runs and because not a ton of guys deserve a top 12 right now. Finish: 19th

Dropper Out: Austin Dillon (LW-10)

Just Missed: Ryan Newman and Trevor Bayne

2016 NASCAR Week 18 Preview: Kentucky

Quaker State 400

Kentucky Speedway

By Richard Tix

Who want's to place a bet that according to Jeff Gluck's twitter pole after this race, that it places as one of the lowest six rated all season (don't get this line, check out the last power rankings)? Another week and another night race. I do enjoy seeing car's under the lights, but prime time races are hard to catch live and seem to have lost their luster.

However, maybe Kentucky can change that trend? Again, my money is on it might not be remembered as one of the better races of 2016. Why? Because Kentucky just repaved it's surface and we know how those first new races typically go, poorly.

I will leave the judgement up to you as I will be in Northern Minnesota this weekend and will have to catch the race via twitter. Hopefully I am wrong and the race out produces expectations!

**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

• Kyle Busch- In five Kentucky races only four drivers posted a top 10 every race and Kyle is one of those guys. Actually, he has two wins and four top 5's in all five Kentucky races. He has been the best driver here since Cup started making a yearly stop.
• Brad Keselowski- BK is actually not one of those four drivers with top 10's in every stop here, but he does have two wins and four top 10's in those five races.
• Matt Kenseth- Kenseth has five top 10's in the first five stops here and a win to go with those. He has the second best average finish behind Kyle Busch (4.6).

The Middle

• Kasey Kahne- Kahne seems like a driver stuck in the middle a lot latetly. Actually, some of his fans would welcome him averaging finishing around 13th right now. Kahne has two top 10's and four top 10's in five races.

The Bad

• Austin Dillon- Everyone has limited data here at Kentucky, so Dillons three career starts here actually falls in line with many other guys (only five Cup races at Kentucky). In those three two of them have been outside the top 20 and none of them were top 15's.
• Tony Stewart- Kentucky's five races just happen to coincide with Smokes poor seasons, so he finds himself down here. Smoke only has two top 15's and three top 20's in five career Kentucky races.
• Greg Biffle- Biffle only has one top 15 and two top 20's in his five career starts here at Kentucky.

About the Track: Kentucky

Track Stats

• Brad Keselowksi (2), Kyle Busch (2), and Matt Kenseth are the only three drivers to win a Cup race at Kentucky.
• Kyle Busch, Matt Kenseth, Jimmie Johnson, and Jeff Gordon have all finished top 10 in each of the four races.
• Ky Busch has lead the most career laps at Kentucky (437) followed by BK (408), and Jimmie Johnson (203).
• Kyle Busch is the only driver to have 4 top 5's in the first five races at Kentucky (four drivers have two). 
• Only 7 drivers have run every lap at Kentucky in the four Cup races.

Track Info

• Surface
• Asphalt
• Length
• 1.5 miels
• Banking
• Turns: 14 degrees
• Tri-Oval: 8-10 degrees
• Straight: 4 degrees

2016 NASCAR Kentucky Entry List

Quaker State 400

Photo: Tommy Grassmann/CIA

By Richard Tix

The official entry list for the Quaker State 400 at Kentucky Speedway (From: Jayski.com)

2016 Kentucky NASCAR Schedule: Quaker State 400

Quaker State 400

By Richard Tix

**All Times are Eastern Time Zone (ET)**

Wednesday July 6, 2016

• 1-2:55 p.m.: NASCAR Camping World Truck Series first practice (Follow live)
• 5-5:55 p.m.: NASCAR Camping World Truck Series second practice (Follow live)
• 7-7:55 p.m.: NASCAR Camping World Truck Series final practice (Follow live)

Thursday July 7, 2016

• 10-11:25 p.m.: NASCAR XFINITY Series first practice
• 1-1:55 p.m.: NASCAR XFINITY Series second practice- NBCSN
• 2:30-3:55 p.m.: NASCAR Sprint Cup Series first practice- NBCSN
• 4-4:55 p.m.: NASCAR XFINITY Series third practice- NBCSN
• 5 p.m.: NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Keystone Light Pole Qualifying- FS2
• 7-7:50 p.m.: NASCAR XFINITY Series final practice- NBCSN
• 8:30 p.m.: NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Buckle Up in Your Truck 225 (150 laps)- FS1

Friday July 8, 2016

• 11 a.m.-12:25 p.m.: NASCAR Sprint Cup Series second practice- (will air taped starting at noon at NBCSN)
• 1:30-2:50 p.m.: NASCAR Sprint Cup Series final practice- NBCSN
• 4:45 p.m.: NASCAR XFINITY Series Coors Light Pole Qualifying- NBCSN
• 6:45 p.m.: NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Coors Light Pole Qualifying- (watch live on the NBCSports.com
• 8:30 p.m.: NASCAR XFINITY Series Alsco 300 (200 laps)- NBCSN

Saturday July 9, 2016

• 7:30 p.m.: NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Quaker State 400 Presented by Advance Auto Parts (267 laps)- NBCSN

2015 Pit Road Week 18: Kentucky

Weekly Review and Power Rankings

Week 18: Quaker State 400

By Richard Tix

NASCAR headed into Kentucky with a ton of spotlight on the track, drivers, and cars. That's because a few weeks earlier NASCAR announced they would run a new aero package at Kentucky that might help facilitate passing.

The focus of this package was less down force so that car's actually had to be "driven" through the corners and not just play follow the leader.

So, when mother nature kept playing with NASCAR fan's emotions NASCAR had to call qualifying and instead added a Cup practice to the schedule. This came after the Cup teams didn't have any practice time Wed or Thur so NASCAR decided it was best to let them have some seat time.

Now, I disagreed and wanted everyone to get to qualify (or even just let all 46 race), NASCAR made the call and they had to live with it. I thought that if they didn't practice at least it was unfair to every team (because no one got to practice), unlike what happened when NASCAR didn't qualify. By calling qualifying, it was unfair to just a select few (the guys who had to go home). It was especially bad news for Ryan Blaney who has now gone home back to back weeks because of rain. Both weekends there is no doubt that the #21 Wood Brothers/Penske Ford would have made the race.

So, after practice we still were left to see how the package ran during a race. In my opinion, the new package hit the mark. Kentucky (even though I enjoy the 1.5) had it's most exciting race in just five Cup stops. Many times the race comes with a boring outcome, but Saturday night gave us racing throughout the field and plenty of passing. All of that was capped off by a late surging Kyle Busch. With less than 40 laps left Joey Logano lead and Kyle Busch caught him (Kyle lead most of the night and had one of the cars to beat). The two of them exchanged jabs back in forth with what lead to some of the best 1.5 racing of the year (I would argue it was the best 1.5 all season). 

Eventually Kyle pulled away and the last 10 laps were just too easy for him, but that happens when one guy is better all night. The battle between the two seemed to be very telling on the night. Cars seemed to be able to catch others, and then once they did, drivers said they didn't stall out. That was pretty apparent when Kyle caught JoLo. He caught up, picked his spot, and then took a different line to pass Joey. It wasn't just there, but it seemed like it was a positive through most of the field. 

Now, I am of the opinion that the package was a step int he right direction. It was either that it was better, or that my eyes wanted it to be better. In the end I try and think back to some Kentucky races of the past and this one seemed to be hands down the best racing at this track. It was the best racing of the year. So, I don't think it was just a coincidence.

The problem is that we do not get to see this package on another 1.5 until the Chase. We also have to wait to see any new packages until Indy and Michigan later this year. I want to stress that I believe this was a step in the right direction, but NASCAR can continue to improve.

I think much of the improvement will lie in the tires (Darlington is said to have new tires with the package) and the fact that every track might need a track specific package. What works one place may need to be slightly adjusted at another. That is being show in the Indy and Michigan packages (which are new, but different than the one at Kentucky). 

All in all, NASCAR heading in the right direction this weekend, but hopefully they don't stop short. Keep asking the drivers for input because the drives hit the nail this past weekend.

Full Quaker State 400 Race Results

1. Jimmie Johnson (LW-1)- I'll be honest, this week the #1 finally isn't clear. Neither Harvick nor JJ were dominate like they have been on 1.5's. They still are a cut above, but this package might bring them back down to the pack. Finish: 9th
2. Kevin Harvick (LW-2)- Want Harvick to have the top spot? Well, it was a tough call. With neither standing out I gave it to the guy who held the top spot last week. Finish: 8th
3. Joey Logano (LW-7)- It's a big jump from 7th to 3rd in the rankings, but this new packaged gave us some much different results. On top of his strong finish Saturday, he also has 4 top 5's in his last 5 races. Finish: 2nd
4. Kurt Busch (LW-4)- Not much of a factor Saturday night, Kurt fought through some adversity and still managed a top 10. It was a good quality finish that you need to win a Championship. Finish: 10th
5. Dale Earnhardt Jr (LW-3)- What a bad night for Dale Jr. That's really all you can say about his Kentucky experience. Let's chalk this up to a bad night and not worry too much yet, after all he still got close to a top 20 during one of his worst races of the season. Finish: 21st
6. Kyle Busch (LW-NR)- If Kyle would have ran all year he would easily be in the Chase after this weeks win. He now has to work his way in, but his second win of the season will go a long way in helping that. He is now 87 points out of 30th and just showed when he is on how dominate he can be. Finish: 1st
7. Denny Hamlin (LW-NR)- How many of you realize Hamlin has two straight 3rd place finishes? He also lead laps in the last two races in a pretty quiet manor. All of the JGR cars looked much better at Kentucky then they did earlier this year at most 1.5's. Finish: 3rd
8. Brad Keselowksi (LW-12)- That's racing. BK easily had the best car for 2/3 of the race (Kyle a close second). But, he kept getting shuffled back because of poor pit stops. It was great for fans because his runs to the front were impressive, but the team was frustrated. Lets see how they bounce back after this? Finish: 6th
9. Matt Kenseth (LW-11)- Kenseth finally bounced back after two rough races. He had a pretty strong night on a 1.5 where JGR has been searching for speed. Finish: 5th
10. Martin Truex Jr (LW-8)- Will this package put Furniture Row back a bit? Truex did run decent most the night, but did not find his way to the top 10 when the night was done. Finish: 17th
11. Jamie McMurray (LW-5)- After three straight 7th place finished JMac now had his third straight finish outside the top 10. However, he is hanging on by posting top 15's and not having a complete melt down. Finish: 14th
12. Jeff Gordon (LW-NR)- Back to back top 10's for Gordon after a few rough outings. Gordon looked strong during points late on Saturday but didn't have enough for Kyle. It was still an encouraging run for the #24 team. Finish: 7th

Dropped Out: Kasey Kahne (LW-6), Clint Bowyer (LW-9), and Ryan Newman (LW-10)

Just Missed: Paul Menard

Jeff got the benefit of the doubt this week after leaving out Busch's first name. 

That's all for this weekends review and Power Rankings. Next week NASCAR Heads to New Hampshire Motor Speedway for the first time in 2015. Back to some short track racing where some guys like Ryan Newman could factor in and change the Chase outlook. Check back in for a race preview, TV Schedule, and Driver Entry List.

2015 Kentucky Entry List: Quaker State 400

Quaker State 400

Kentucky Speedway

By Richard Tix

NASCAR Driver Entry List from Jayski.com

Week 18 Preview: Kentucky

Kentucky Speedway

Quaker State 400

By Richard Tix

Last weekend at Daytona was, well, memorable to say the least. We have rain delay's, we have Austin Dillon winning the XFINITY race, we had a race start just before midnight on the East Coast, we had Dale Earnhardt Jr winning another race at Daytona, and we had Dillon and his car tearing into the catch fence.

I would say this week will have a heck of a lot less story lines, but heading into it we do have one big one: how will this new car package do? This question became even bigger when NASCAR announced a few more tracks that would also be running this package.

So, will this slow some of the drivers down who have been on fire at 1.5 mile tracks this year (figuratively as we know it literally will slow the cars speed down)? If so, it could be a huge key for some other guys looking to get momentum for the Chase.

The Good

• Brad Keselowski- BK is the only multi time winner here at Kentucky (4 Cup races). Last year he won the pole and the race for his second of five 2014 wins. He actually lead 199 of 267 total laps which is the most anyone has lead in one race here. He has lead 68+ laps in 3 of his 4 starts here.
• Kyle Busch- Kyle has lead the second most total laps here since Cup first started running at Kentucky (274 behind BK with 346). He was the pole and race winner in Kentucky's inaugural race in 2011. All of that to go along with 3 top 5's and 4 top 10's.
• Matt Kenseth- Kenseth is the only other driver to have won here (BK and KB) in four races. He has four total top 10's and since joining JGR (2 races) he has back to back top 5's. However, after that being said he has only lead laps in the race he won in 2013 (38 laps). 
• Extra Credit- Jimmie Johnson

The Middle

• Kasey Kahne- With such little data a lot of drivers could make a case for a middle spot just outside of the "Good." Kahne gets the spot because he tends to find himself in the middle a lot on 1.5's. He only has 1 top 5 and 2 top 10's in 4 starts, but has yet to finish outside the top 13.

The Bad

• Aric Almirola- Aric only has three starts here but he only has one top 20 in that time (15th in 2013). I normally judge Aric on finishing top 15 or top 20 and better because he is with RPM and not someone like HMS. But, he has to step up to make it off this list.
• Greg Biffle- For a guy like Biffle, it is unacceptable to have only 1 top 20 in four starts on a 1.5 like this. It's as simple as that. Hard to see it getting much better while RFR struggles.
• Paul Menard- Kentucky Speedway is not one of Menards better 1.5 tracks, and for that he finds the "Bad" list. Two top 20's in four starts (both top 15's) will not be good enough to leave this list.

Track Stats

• Brad Keselowksi (2), Kyle Busch, and Matt Kenseth are th eonly three drivers to win a Cup race at Kentucky.
• Kyle Busch, Matt Kenseth, Jimmie Johnson, and Jeff Gordon have all finished top 10 in each of the four races.
• BK has lead the most career laps at Kentucky (336) followed by Kyle Busch (274), and Jimmie Johnson (203).
• Kyle Busch is the only driver to have 3 top 5's in the first four races at Kentucky (four drivers have two). 
• Only 9 drivers have run every lap at Kentucky in the four Cup races.

Track Info

• Surface
• Asphalt
• Length
• 1.5 mils
• Banking
• Turns: 14 degrees
• Tri-Oval: 8-10 degrees
• Straight: 4 degrees

Kentucky Speedway
Race	Date	Cars	Winner(s)	St	Make / Model
2011-18	7/9/2011	43	Kyle Busch	1	Toyota
2012-17	6/30/2012	43	Brad Keselowski	8	Dodge
2013-17	6/30/2013	43	Matt Kenseth	16	Toyota
2014-17	6/28/2014	42	Brad Keselowski	1	Ford

2014 Quaker State 400 Photos

Weekend winner Brad Keselowski

Weekend Articles

• Power Rankings
• TV Schedule

2015 Kentucky Schedule

Quaker State 400

By Richard Tix

Kentucky Speedway Schedule for this weekends NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, XFINITY Series, and Camping World Truck Series.

Wednesday July 8, 2015

• 3-5 p.m.: NASCAR Sprint Cup Series practice
• 6-8 p.m.: NASCAR Sprint Cup Series practice

Thursday July 9, 2015

• 8 a.m.-12 p.m: NASCAR Camping World Truck Series final practice- FOX Sports 1
• 2-3:25 p.m.: NASCAR XFINITY Series practice- NBC Sports Network
• 4-4:55 p.m.: NASCAR XFINITY Series final practice- NBC Sports Network
• 5:15 p.m.: NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Keystone Light Pole Qualifying- FOX Sports 2
• 7:30 p.m.: NASCAR Camping World Truck Series UNOH 225 (150 laps)- FOX Sports 1

Friday July 10, 2015

• 10:30-11:55 a.m.: NASCAR Sprint Cup Series practice- NBC Sports Network
• 1-2:25 p.m.: NASCAR Sprint Cup Series final practice- NBC Sports Network
• 3:45 p.m.: NASCAR XFINITY Series Coors Light Pole Qualiyfing- NBC Sports Network
• 5:45 p.m.: NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Coors Light Pole Qualifying- NBC Sports Network
• 7:30 p.m.: NASCAR XFINITY Series Kentucky race (200 laps)- NBC Sports Network 

Saturday July 11, 2015

• 7:30 p.m.: NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Quaker State 400 Presented by Advance Auto Parts (267 laps)- NBC Sports Network

This Week in NASCAR: 6/30

News and Notes from the World of NASCAR

By Richard Tix

This Week in NASCAR is a weekly article sharing quick links and other random notes from around the web and Twitter

Articles:

• Short field a sign that NASCAR faces bumpy road- Sporting News. Bob Pockrass
• NASCAR evaluating souvenir row
• NASCAR Kentucky 2014 results: Brad Keselowski cruises to Quaker State 400 victory

Random:

Danica Video bombing Clint

David Ragan had a rough day.

Make that another driver not pleased with the bumps.

Harvick is one of the best follows on Twitter. Very honored he lets us all into his personal life.

Clint weighs in with an opinion that I also have.

Thanks for checking out NASCAR Behind the Wall. Check back for more updates throughout the week!

Pit Road Week 17: Kentucky

Weekly Review and Power Rankings

Week 17

By Richard Tix

Many drivers had a Roller Coaster race on Saturday night. Some reach a season high (Brad Keselowski), others a low when bad luck struck (Denny Hamlin), and all the rest were just riding the bumps of Kentucky Speedways front stretch. 

Dale Earnhardt Jr wasn't the only one to make comments after the race. David Ragan and Rodney Childers also chimed in (which I will cover in This Week in NASCAR). As far as the racing goes the Quaker State 400 wasn't terrible (but it wasn't edge of your seat either). The lack of entertainment most likely came from

the fact that Brad Keselowski lead early and often. In fact, he lead 199 of 267 laps on his way to a dominant win. One things fans get bored with is these types of wins (See Jimmie Johnson at Dover). But when a driver is on he is on. Back in Richard Petty's hey day these things happened even more often, heck back in the day a winning driver would lap most of the field.

If you missed the race check out the full Quaker State 400 results here.

Pit Road Power Rankins Week 17 (Week 16)

1. Dale Earnhardt Jr (LW-1)- Well since I went with Jr last week he kept himself in position this week. Jr did that by finishing 5th on Saturday which makes 9 top 5's in 17 races (leads all drivers in top 5's).
2. Jimmie Johnson (LW-2)- A lot of rankings have JJ #1, which I will not argue. JJ finished 10th on Saturday night which gives him 12 top 10's in 2014, tied with Jr and 1 less the Gordon (13). 
3. Brad Keselowski (LW-7)- With the win at Kentucky, BK just clinched his spot in the Chase with 2 wins so far in 2014. BK also is second to only Jr in top 5's (8). His last 5 finishes have been very impressive, minus Sonoma (2nd, 2nd, 3rd, 22nd, and 1st).
4. Jeff Gordon (LW-3)- If you take Talladega out of the question, Jeff Gordon has a low finish of 15th. Even counting Dega Gordon has finished in the top 10 13 of 17 races and the top 15 16 of 17. He has been the model of consistency this season and showed that again at Kentucky with a 6th place finish.
5. Kevin Harvick (LW-4)- In Harvick's last 10 races he has 1 win, 4 top 5's and 6 top 10's. In fact, in his last 10 he has been runner up (2nd) three times. He also has 3 poles in that same time, so to say he has been fast might be an under statement.
6. Kasey Kahne (LW-11)- Kahne had a rough start to the 2014 season, but currently he is on a three race top 10 streak. He could be turning things around just in time. He has had a history of winning at a some of the tracks coming up.
7. Paul Menard (LW-8)- Things start to get dicey in the rankings starting here. All of the remaining guys have had there chance to shine but also have struggled. So, with that being said I have a handful of guys that could go from 7-15 in any order. Menard is first up. He finished 15th just a week after notching back to back top 5's. Menard is officially having one of his best seasons yet.
8. Joey Logano (LW-NR)- Joey Logano has had a very good season so far. He has almost always been fast in practice and in qualifying, but sometimes he falls off just a bit during the race. Most of the time he climbs back and finds a way to finish top 10, but lately he hasn't had the cars to compete for the win. However his teammate has been getting it together so I would say JoLo will be figuring it out again soon.
9. Matt Kenseth (LW-12)- Matt Kenseth is still looking for his first win of 2014, but I think he was happy to break his bad 3 race run with a 4th place finish Saturday at Kentucky. Kenseth has been slipping up (plus some bad luck) in the previous three but I would bet that this 4th place finish could turn things right back around.
10. Clint Bowyer (LW-5)- Bowyer hasn't had a very great season so far, but before his 23rd finish at Kentucky he was on a nice little roll (10th, 10th, 11th, and 4th). Because that run got him up to 5th in my rankings he hangs on for one more week.
11. Ryan Newman (LW-NR)- It has been hard to rank Newman all season. Not because Ryan has been bad, but because he has been good but not great. He sits 8th in the standings yet he doesn't have a win, is behind 20 drivers in top 5's (1), and behind 12 drivers in top 10's (6). See how it is hard to rank him? This week Newman finished 3rd so he squeak's in. NASCAR heads to Daytona and the Loudon so he has a chance to hang around for a bit.
12. Kyle Busch (LW-NR)- Last spot goes to Kyle Busch for a pretty good second place run at Kentucky. Most of the time when a driver has a stretch as bad as Kyle just had, one good finish isn't enough to get back into the top 12, but Kyle was the only one to test BK and Penske teammate Joey Logano on Saturday (led 31 laps). Maybe he can turn things around in 2014, but will it be enough to finally contend for a Championship?

Dropped Out: Jamie McMurray, Kyle Larson, and Carl Edwards

Just Missed: Kurt Busch, Tony Stewart, and Marcus Ambrose

Honorable Mention: Marcus Ambrose (13th) and Michael Annett (18th)

Here are this weeks winners (Follower and other NASCAR fans who correctly picked Brad Keselowski to win at Kentucky and let me know. @NASCARBTW)

Always down for BK unless I am told otherwise!

Nice call by Garry! He overachieved and called BK leading the most laps.

Yes, I also got it right. I am now 2/17!!

As always, thank you for reading! I do appreciate it. Check back for a new This Week in NASCAR, Driver Entry List, and a Daytona Firecracker 400 preview!