Heating Up

After the All-Star Race the Nascar Sprint cup "Chase" to the Chase has been heating up. The two races after the ASR (Charlotte and Dover) has left some guys who looked to be ok in the standings needing more and some guys outside looking in drooling at the thought of sneaking in.

The season story lines are heating up and I will take a look at a few after Dover that may come into play down the stretch run to the Chase.

Tony Stewart

• Smoke was on the way outside looking in before Dover and then Matt Kenseth's engine blew and Jimmie Johnson had a restart penalty. Smoke snuck up on everyone and stole the win and also put himself in a WC spot as of now.  The biggest thing isn't that he has the WC spot but the fact that he got it with a win, and that he may have started his comeback. The way the field has been up and down this year it is not too late for him to make a move. Will Smoke come from no where to compete in the Chase?

Jeff Gordon

• If the season ended today Gordon would grab the other WC spot, but I have a feeling someone with a win should nab it by seasons end. The real story on Gordon is when is he going to get win number one in 2013? He has a good shot this weekend because Pocono is a strong track of his historically. Can he gain some steam and make the Chase or will he fall off?

Brad Keselowski

• He is the first of two Penske story lines in this "heating up" section. BK has been everywhere on the map this season. He started the year looking like a defending Champ, and then Nascar came around when the Penske teams tried working in the grey area of the rules. After the first violation this team went through everything imaginable and had a pretty rough stretch. This past week at Dover they managed a top 5 but then failed post race inspection because of a broken shock (same as Martin Truex Jr at Texas). Is he heating up or will he be a defending Champ that misses the Chase?

TRD

• Toyota Racing Development. This is a tough one to figure out. Toyota has had very strong cars but finishing races has started to become more apparent after Dover. Are they just running the car engines just so close to the edge that they blow? Luckily they have time to figure it out, but it will need to be figured out if Kenseth or even Kyle Busch wants to have a shot in the Chase where consistency is key.

Joey Logano

• The second Penske driver in the article, JoLo has been all over the place too. But he hasn't had as much bad luck as BK. He also has been a big time factor for a few wins during races unlike BK. That's why he makes these story lines, I think he could be a contender for a WC spot because of the possibility of him finding a win or two. Including the ASR his past 3 finishes are 3rd, 5th, 7th.

Dale Earnhardt Jr

• Oh Jr, where have you gone? Ever since his hot start at the beginning of 2013 he has been, well just in the middle. He gets top 10's and quality finishes but he isn't that hot driver that started the 2013 season. Does it matter? Well If he is fine tuning and believes he is set for the Chase his coasting is fine, but when Nascar's season comes close to Chase time Jr better get it going or he will just be, well in the middle. It will be interesting to see how it pans out for him.

Ryan Newman and Stewart-Haas

• Kevin Harvick is on his way in next year, and Newman is most likely on his way out unless they have enough sponsorship for him to field a forth car. At Dover everything fell apart for Newman. He not only lost his power steering but he got impatient and bumped Gilliland which in turn knocked both out for the remainder of the race. Newman not only needs to figure it out if he wants to make the Chase (which will probably take a win or two) but also to fins a decent ride in 2014.

Pit Road Week 13

Dover International Speedway: Autism Speaks 400

We entered the week heading to Dover and every Tony Stewart fan wondering what it was going to take to get his name back in the Chase talks. Well Nascar is now on it's way out of Dover for the first time this year and that question has been answered, a Win at the Monster Mile.  Mid way through the race I tweeted a notice saying that Smoke was in 12th but I didn't think that by the end of the race he would sneak up on everyone and steal the win.

Stewart did get some help along the way on Sunday by ways of Toyota engines blowing up. Matt Kenseth's JGR #20 blew up while he was a front runner and favorite to win. Martin Truex Jr also had the same fate when he looked to have a top 5 car all day. Jimmie Johnson started the day struggling but in normal fashion figured it out for the end of the race and then fell off again (17th place finish). Anyways most fans coming here watched the race but if you didn't check the race results out here. Let's get onto the Rising, Coasting, and Falling drivers after Dover International Speedway.


Rising, Coasting, and Falling Drivers

Rising:

• Tony Stewart- There is no one else better to start this list off with than Smoke. On the pre race "Grid Walk" Smoke was asked if he liked being a driver or owner better? He replied, "Driver." I think maybe that question sparked something and he just went out and drove. For once he stayed on the lead lap, didn't fade at the end of the race, and was a quiet contender. He now has a shot at the Chase and a fresh start.
• Jeff Gordon- Gordon has had an up and down season but he is still in the mix. He sits in 11th spot right now but that is a WC spot that will most likely be taken by a guy who has a win or two (like Stewart). Its hard to think Gordon won find a win this year but he has yet to be a front runner in many races. 3rd place finish gives him a breath of fresh air for one week.
• Juan Pablo Montoya- Not every week the top 3 finishers are the top 3 risers but this week at Dover each of these drivers needed there finish. JPM's 2 top 5 this season and his 3rd top 10 but he sits outside the top 20 in points (22nd).
• Brad Keselowski- Well he has had bad luck following him around a lot this season after becoming a Sprint Cup Champ last year. A 5th place finish at Dover will help him get back but he is in desperate need of a win in 2013.

Coasting:

• Kevin Harvick- Harvick has been one of the hottest drivers as of late. He has yet to get a win at Dover but does seem to find a way to get a quality finish out of it. This Sunday he posted another top 10 (8th) which is the kind of finishes that look good and help entering the Chase.

Falling:

• Ryan Newman- He was making strides to be a threat at the Chase but after becoming impatient with David Gilliland and wreaking both of them he slipped all the way back to 20th in the points (38th place finish). Newman now looks to be where Smoke was before this week and in need of a win to save his season and Chase hopes. Not only that but he needs to run well to either get sponsors or a new ride somewhere.
• Denny Hamlin- Making this list because he had a car to contend on Sunday. He is also in need of good finished and most importantly wins.
• Martin Truex Jr- You hate to see this out of the guy, he was having such a good day running up front and then blew and engine. Not only that but he was the big mover of the week, moving down 5 spots out of a Chase spot into 14th. I was pulling for him to find his second career victory at Dover and snap his win less streak.

Pit Road (Week 13 Power Rankings)

1. Matt Kenseth (LW-1)- Honestly, I am not sure what to do at the top. Both #1 and #2 from last week had poor finishes, while they both had flashes of still being dominate during the race. So I went with no change. Kenseth had the car to beat until his engine blew up while he was up front.
2. Jimmie Johnson (LW-2)- Same goes here. JJ started poorly, then found his grove and looked to be the guy to beat. He finished up in 17th but is still the guy to beat on the season.
3. Kevin Harvick (LW-4)- Harvick was the only guy I could see taking one of the top 2 spots. He has been on a roll and finished 8th on Sunday. He has still never won at Dover so I am sure he will settle with another top 10 and move onto Pocono
4. Clint Bowyer (LW-5)- He wasn't a Toyota driver to succumb to an engine failure. He also was quiet but 6th on the day and still looks good for the Chase this year. He could be a guy to make a move when the Chase starts.
5. Carl Edwards (LW-3)- Carl has been the guy sitting behind Kenseth and JJ for weeks now but never made his move. Unfortunately he has now made a move and it was down. A 14th place finish wasn't terrible but it isn't enough to keep Harvick away.
6. Kyle Busch (LW-9)- Along with Bowyer, Kyle was a Toyota that ran through the gauntlet and won. Unfortunately for him he has a winning car to start the race and fell off towards the end. Typical story as of late but he did manage a 4th place finish which is what he needs when it comes Chase time.
7. Dale Earnhardt Jr (LW-7)- Did anyone even talk about him all day? How about for the past month? Jr is still 6th in points but hasn't been making too much noise, maybe he likes it that way and he is putting it together for the Chase? Lets just hope he has it in him because it is always more entertaining when he has a fighting chance. 10th place finish isn't too shabby at a place he has struggled with as of late.
8. Kasey Kahne (LW-6)- Well Kahne seems to be the big faller this week even though he had a good car for most of the race. He eventually just got too loose and spun up into the wall leaving him scrambling to salvage the day. He did finish 23 (or one place better then Danica) on the day.
9. Kurt Busch (LW-10)- Moving up one spot this week, Kurt had an ok car that he was running the wheels off of all day. He was sliding all over the place and putting JPM back in his place from time to time and eventually wound up 12th.
10. Joey Logano (LW-NR)- JoLo fins his way back into the Power rankings with back to back top 10's. Last week he finished 5th and this week 7th, and if you include the ASR (which I have not) he has 2 top 5's and 3 top 10's in the last 3. He is 18th right now but he has been a factor in a few races for the win so he could be a contender and fight with Smoke for a WC spot/
11. Martin Truex Jr (LW-11)- I just couldn't move Truex out of the 11th spot or out of the rankings completely. I gave him a pass this week for having his engine go out which was out of his control. I really thought he had a top 5 car and it was very unfortunate that he had to take it behind the wall. Tough way to go down this week at Dover.
12. Brad Keselowski (LW-NR)- BK dropped out of the rankings for the first time last week and answered with a top 5. He didn't seem to have a car to contend for the win but he did what he had to do to get past some of the bad luck and bad finishes he had been having. Is he back? I'm not sure but he better post another good finish because Smoke and Gordon are waiting.

Dropping Out: Denny Hamlin and Ryan Newman
Just Missed: Tony Stewart and Jeff Gordon

Well that's it for this weekend! Back to another week of the daily grind so we can enjoy our Nascar race on Sunday! Check back in for the race preview for next week at Pocono. Also check up on some Driver Spotlight articles that will have current updates on the drivers and how they have done since they were posted.

Week 13 Preview

Dover International Speedway

Well Nascar is heading to Dover, the Monster Mile, where many drivers are coming to a cross road. How will they handle the pressure as we get closer every week to the 10 race Chase? Is Tony Stewart going to make a push and find a win or two to get a Wild Card spot? Can Brad Keselowski end his bad luck string that has taken him from defending Champ to a driver on the verge of missing the Chase? Can Denny Hamlin miss part of the season, fall out of the top 20, and then come back and get a Chase berth? Well Dover will start to answer these question's and most likely bring up even more stories to follow in 2013.

As for last week, Kevin Harvick kept his hot streak going and notched his second win of the 2013 season. At the same time Kasey Kahne finished 2nd for the 3rd time on a 1.5 mile track this season. Last season Dover brought us winners of Jimmie Johnson (Fall) and Brad Keselowski (Spring). BK could definitely use the win and a shot of confidence that they can get through a race without something happening to them. Meanwhile Johnson has been unstoppable at Dover in the last 10 races and most of his career. Check out last years Fall results here.

Good, Middle, and Bad Drivers at Dover

The Good:

• Jimmie Johnson- Surprise, Surprise JJ made the good list once again. But really, of current drivers, he has 7 Monster Mile Wins, the next closest is 4 (Gordon and Martin). Best Chance Forecast: He has been good here in the past. He did qualify poorly so there is a chance someone can steal one from him. Top 10 should still be easy.
• Matt Kenseth- If it wasn't for Johnson Kenseth would be one of the most dominant drivers at Dover in the last 10 races. In the last 10 he has 8 top 10's and all of them were to 5's! He also has 1 win in the last 10 here. Best Chance Forecast: The way the last 10 have gone here and how good he has been this year it is hard to not say top 5.
• Carl Edwards- Carl also has 8 top 10's in the last 10 starts at Dover but only 5 of those are top 10's. Pretty good numbers at the Monster Mile but in the last 10 he doesn't have a win, will he get his second of the season? Best Chance Forecast: I think he has a great shot at the top 5 and maybe he can contend for a win.
• Notables: Kyle Busch and Mark Martin

The Middle:

• Kevin Harvick- Lots of drivers to choose from in the middle at the Monster Mile in the last 10 races, but I'm highlighting Harvick. 5 top 10's, 1 top 5, and an average finish of 13th puts him towards the top drivers in the last 10 races in finishing position. So what's missing? Well he doesn't have a win, not only in the last 10 races, but in his career. So with his season on the uphill swing could he get his first at Dover?

The Bad:

• Dale Earnhardt Jr- While his career at Dover hasn't been too bad, the last 10 starts here have been a different story. A fourth place finish is his only top 10 finish in the last 10 at Dover. Add that with the fact that in those 10 he has an average finish of 19.5 and it equals a lot of work to do on the Monster Mile.
• Juan Pablo Montoya- Good news for Jr, he isn't JPM. Juan's loan top 10 in the last 10 races was also a fourth place finish but his average finish is even worse then Jr's (24.2). At least Jr has had a good season, Juan will need a lot of help to turn his around this weekend.

Laying Low:

• Denny Hamlin- It is tough to say DH is ever laying low, but if you just looked at his last 10 at Dover he only has 3 top 10's and a top 5. His average finish is a dismal 21.2 in those 10 races. But he has been hot since returning to the track and if you look past those numbers you will see potential to break out. His last 6 here go like this (8, 18, 18, 16, 9, and 4).
• Jeff Burton- Last year didn't go so well here for Burton, but in the last 10 he has 4 top 10's, 2 top 5's, and an average finish of 12.4. So was last year the start of his old age slump or can he find it one last time at Dover? I think the former may be the case, but either way keep an eye on him for one last run at glory.
• Greg Biffle- This season has been so tough for the Biff he found his way on this list. In his last 10 he has 4 top 10's, 3 top 5's, 1 win, and the 4th best average finish among current drivers (11.8).

More on Dover?

• Dover Qualifying results.
• Pit Stall Selections
• Dover Schedule and Stats

Well late is better then never! Check out the review and some older Driver Spotlights while you are at it! Enjoy the race this Sunday and check back for a review sometime early next week!!

Pit Road Week 12

Charlotte Motor Speedway: Coca-Cola 600

This is not only a late Pit Road article for Nascar Behind the Wall but also will be a short one. I am going to skip right to the updated Power Rankings. Reason behind that is I was out of town with friends and family for Memorial weekend and only caught about 50 laps of the Coca-Cola 600. Instead of writing up some BS about the Rising, Coasting, and Falling drivers I am going to just update the Rankings bye the articles I have read and how the drivers final results were. So on to the rankings and on to the Monster Mile this week! Check out the Coca-Cola 600 Results here.

**Keep in mind these Rankings only include points races so their is no consideration from the All-Star Race**


Pit Road (Week 12 Power Rankings)

1. Matt Kenseth (LW-1)- He did finish the night in 15th, but he also led 112 laps on the night. Between him or Jimmie Johnson I will stay with last weeks number one.
2. Jimmie Johnson (LW-2)- Late race wreak that had him spinning off the track sent him back to a 22nd place finish. He was having a solid night before that happened. He has been unstoppable at the Monster Mile so he may climb back to number 1 soon.
3. Carl Edwards (LW-3)- Carl has been a mainstay at the top of the Power rankings. He didn't do enough to move past the bad finishes of Kenseth or JJ but his 11th place finish also didn't move him down. The top 3 guys in the Power Rankings all have a good track record at Dover in the last 10 races.
4. Kevin Harvick (LW-7)- Harvick has been hot as of late and is having a pretty solid season. He is now up to 7th in the Points Standings with 2 wins in 2013
5. Clint Bowyer (LW-5)- Clint stays put after notching another top 10 finish (8th). He sits 4th in the points and has 6 top 10's this year.
6. Kasey Kahn (LW-8)- Kahne comes up as the Brides Maid again at a 1.5 mile track. He has been good but just not good enough to squeak out the wins at those tracks this year. He has 5 top 5's which ties him with Kyle Busch for the second most on the season.
7. Dale Earnhardt Jr (LW-4)- Well Jr makes a fall this week due to trouble at Charlotte, but mostly because other drivers around him got hot. Its just a tough 3 through 7 but he may stay down this way with Dover not being kind to him in the last 10 races there.
8. Denny Hamlin (LW-NR)- After being out with his injury, Denny has made a strong run back with 3 straight top 10's (2 of the top 5's). He also makes his way back on the Power Rankings with slumping drivers all around.
9. Kyle Busch (LW-8)- Caught up with a camera hitting his car and then having engine problems (nothing to do with the camera problem) Kyle had another weekend where he can not wait to leave.
10. Kurt Busch (LW-NR)- Well Kurt has found himself back on the Power Rankings in 2013 with a 3rd place finish at Charlotte. That would be two top 5's in a row and three top 10's in his last 5 races. Every race that goes bye the Furniture Row team gets better and looks more and more like they will find a win (which could mean a Wild Card spot).
11. Martin Truex Jr (LW-12)- Who hung on with all the newcomers taking up spots? Truex did with his 9th place finish. He actually has made a case to be higher on this list but its tough going. Another solid finish at the Monster Mile and he will make a dramatic jump. He is still 9th in points and has 5 top 5's in 2013
12. Ryan Newman (LW-NR)- Well Newman marks the 3rd driver who wasn't ranked after out last race that made this weeks Rankings. That is how bad the slumping (and crashes) seemed to have affected the guys down here on the bubble. Newman the only halfway bright spot this season at Stewart-Hass finished 6th at Charlotte.

Dropped Out: Brad Keselowski (6th), Jeff Gordon (10th), and Aric Almirola (11th).
Just Missed: Joey Logano

Well onto the Monster Mile where many drivers will be looking to get back on track while getting pushed all around the track.