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The Final Word – Who in their right mind would enter a brand new machine at Martinsville?

Back in 1949, Martinsville was a dirt track. Fifteen cars started the 100 lap event in the opening year of what was to become the Cup series. Red Byron won it in a 1949 Oldsmobile. A brand new car. In those days, there was little modifications done in the strictly stock division. Now tell me, after seeing what became of the car of Daniel Suarez, who in their right mind would put a brand new strictly stock car in a race at Martinsville?

Kind of makes you wonder why you would put a brand new strictly “stock” car in a 500-lap contest on what is now a paved track in 2017? At least the boys back at the shop are guaranteed work. This time out it was a Ford driven by Brad Keselowski who came up with a victory and a grandfather clock. It was his second win of the season and a 55-point bonanza for the driver who was in the Top Five in each of the first two stages before pulling away for all the marbles.

Kyle Busch and Chase Elliott also picked up at least 50 points on the day, finishing second and third. Both contenders were strong throughout but just did not have enough to challenge over the final few laps. While remaining winless, the pair is solidly among the best of the rest, along with Joey Logano.

Logano had an interesting day. He got tagged for his crew leaping over the pit wall too early in the first stage. In the second stage, he had to pit under green when he cut a tire. On a short track usually not that forgiving, he still brought his car home in fourth.

Jamie McMurray had a nice running car. A top-10 car at least. He tried to extend the life of a tire that had already shuffled off this mortal coil just prior to the end of the first stage. The track said no, and after pounding the wall, his day was done after 105 laps, finishing last and earning one lousy point.

Same fate for Kurt Busch. At least he was still out there, extending a less than promising day until he got caught up in a little mishap. Just a handful of laps later, cutting a tire and finding the wall himself on lap 295 allowed him to go visit McMurray in the garage.

Do not speed in the pits. Just a little advice to keep one ahead of the mess, but it comes too late for Dale Earnhardt Jr. After being sent to the rear of the field, a seven car jam up on turn three pushed in his Chevy McChevy face and punctured his radiator. There was no fixing that on pit road, so he joined Jamie and Kurt at the hot dog stand. At least he earned eight big points, but still no Top Tens and remains buried in 25th place in the standings, 40 points out of a playoff spot.

Suarez saw his jalopy reduced to modified hot rod proportions, and Denny Hamlin hit Danica Patrick in the mess that collected Junior while putting his car face first where it should not go. After that, it did not go anywhere. Both drivers finished 30th and beyond.

Chris Buescher, who is not among our “27 relevant drivers” was on Sunday. An 11th place run was just fine for the No. 37 Bush’s Beans boys. Though he remains a couple of spots behind Junior in the rankings, he is tied with Patrick for 27th place overall. That almost makes the lad relevant. If you remember, the 24-year-old was not exactly high on our list last season, yet he made the Chase by winning at Pocono in August. We might have to keep an eye on this gent in Texas and beyond.

Thirty-eight cars were entered at Martinsville. Forty-three once was the maximum, but that was reduced to 40 for last season. They had a full field at Daytona, just 39 in each of the four races after that, and now 38 last Sunday. The last time they had such a short field was 1996, with entry lists of 37 at one race at Bristol as well as both races at North Wilkesboro. Just 36 ran each of two runs that season at Martinsville.

It would seem fewer folks are willing to put their brand new strictly “stock” machines on that track, or any track, these days.

April 3, 2017
Race Recap: Martinsville STP 500

Sunday’s STP 500 at Martinsville Speedway delivered the excitement that we’ve been waiting to see. Brad Keselowski capitalized on that excitement and earned his 23rd Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series (MENCS) career win and his second win of the season. Keselowski gave Ford their first win at ‘The Paperclip’ since 2002, however, it didn’t come easy. He had to overcome a speeding penalty on lap 72, but luck eventually fell onto Keselowski’s shoulders on lap 109 when a caution flag fell. He gambled by staying out under caution and retaining the top spot for the upcoming restart.

Kyle Busch was leading the late stages of Sunday’s race, but soon Keselowski caught Busch with 42 laps remaining.

“I was confident that we could come out in front. We had passed Kyle earlier in the race. We had showcased a lot of speed, and I think it was the second segment where we drove from 20th to third, and we had started to run him down, and I felt like if I just gave it some time that it would come our way, and it did,” Keselowski said about his late-race battle with Kyle Busch.

Busch dominated most of Sunday’s race alongside Keselowski, however after being passed for the lead with 42 laps remaining Busch wasn’t able to get Joe Gibbs Racing (JGR) their first win of the season. Thus far Toyota has only one win to credit for the season, also with only two JGR cars in the top sixteen in points, they’ll have to step up their game in order to score wins and be in contention come September.

“Our car definitely changed there for the last run of the race, and we just didn’t have what we needed in order to have the speed that we had all the rest of the day. We were able to drive away from the field. We led a lot of laps. We really had no contention there from a lot of people, just passed halfway the rest of the way to the end, and then you put a set of tires on and you lose three-tenths. That was pretty shameful, but we come home P2. So that’s all we had,” Kyle Busch said about his race efforts.

Hendrick Motorsports showed some promising signs after a stage two win and a third place finish with Chase Elliott. Elliott, who is NASCAR’s rising star, has shown consistency all season with two stage wins and is second in the points standings.

“Yeah, we started the race, and for whatever reason my car would not turn at all for the first three or four laps, and I about knocked whoever was on the outside of me back to Charlotte a couple times I felt like on accident, and I thought we were going to drop like a rock. Fortunately, I don’t know if it was just being on the splitter or whatever it was, but actually our car kind of came to life and started turning pretty good, and from there it drove pretty similar throughout the entire day. Like I said, I hope it’s a consistent trend, that we can continue to run decent here. Obviously, we’d love to kind of take that next step and try to contend for a win. But from where I’ve been here in the past, night and day, so I was really happy and proud of that,” Elliott said about his contact during the race and his third place finish.

Next Sunday, the Monster Energy Series will head to the newly paved Texas Motor Speedway with coverage starting at 1:30 p.m. ET on FOX.

April 3, 2017
Kyle Busch finishes runner-up after leading most laps

MARTINSVILLE, Va. — Leading more than half of the 500 laps didn’t translate into a second grandfather clock for Kyle Busch in the STP 500 at Martinsville Speedway.

He took the lead for the first time under the first stage caution break and, other than seven laps in which Chase Elliott led, dominated most of the second stage. In the closing laps of the stage, he found trouble with Ricky Stenhouse Jr. He drove to Stenhouse’s outside in Turn 3 with three laps to go in the stage, but Stenhouse made slight contact with him trying to stay on the lead lap. On the final lap of the stage, Stenhouse bumped Busch and sent his car up the track. This allowed Elliott to pass him for the lead and win the stage.

“I actually was rolling into Turn 3 and was kind of going higher out of my way in order to let the 17 back by and give him the lap. That was my intent, and then he just drove through me,” Busch said. “It cost me my spot to the 24, so I was hoping that I could run off the corner side by side with the 17 and keep the 24 at bay and just keep my nose in front of his and be able to score the segment, and I was trying to be a nice guy, but nice guys don’t finish first.”

He regained the lead on the ensuing restart and held it, minus three laps led by teammate Denny Hamlin during a caution period, until Brad Keselowski made it to the front with 94 laps to go.

For the next 60 laps, he and Keselowski swapped the lead back and forth five times. The most intense battle came when Busch took the lead with 56 to go. For the next 14 laps, Keselowski kept within inches of his bumper.

Going into Turn 1 with 42 to go, Keselowski drove to Busch’s inside to take the lead for the final time and scored the victory, while Busch settled for second.

“It’s just frustrating when you come down pit road and you don’t make any changes and you bolt a set of tires on it and it goes to junk,” Busch said. “I hate that that happened. We still haven’t finished where we should have this year. We haven’t gotten any finishes that are indicative of where this team’s been running or where we’re capable of running or finishing and that’s just frustrating. So we’ll continue on.”

April 3, 2017
Martinsville Speedway – Did You Know?

This weekend the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series heads to Martinsville Speedway for the sixth race of the season. It’s the shortest track on the circuit and a favorite of both fans and drivers. But did you know it’s the only track that has hosted Cup races every year since the beginning of the Cup series in 1949?

Red Byron, driving for owner Raymond Parks with crew chief Red Vogt, won the first Strictly Stock race at Martinsville Speedway on September 25, 1949, in his No. 22 Oldsmobile. He took the lead on lap 104 of the 200 lap event, finishing three laps ahead of second-place driver, Lee Petty. Byron went on to become the premier series’ first Cup champion.

But did you know that Martinsville Speedway had a dirt racing surface for the first 12 races held at the track? It was paved with asphalt in 1955 and the first 500-lap event was held the following year. There have been 136 Cup Series races hosted by the track, one in 1949 and two each subsequent year.

The King, Richard Petty, ruled Martinsville during his career, capturing 15 checkered flags to lead the series in victories. On April 10, 1960, he also became the youngest (22 years, 9 months, 8 days) winner at the 0.526-mile track.

Forty-nine different drivers have won at Martinsville but did you know that only seven active drivers have scored wins at the shortest track in the series? Jimmie Johnson leads all active drivers with nine first-place finishes, Denny Hamlin has five of the coveted grandfather clock trophies and Kurt Busch has two. Kyle Busch, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Kevin Harvick and Ryan Newman have visited victory lane at Martinsville once.

Johnson’s ninth win came last October when he won the Goody’s Fast Relief 500 and he’s eager to return to the track where he has experienced tremendous success.

“The last race at Martinsville was an amazing finish,” he said, “a very emotional one for me, so meaningful, and it obviously paved the way to our seventh championship. It’s a special place for us. It suits my driving style and I wish we raced at Martinsville more than twice a year.”

Johnson is not exaggerating when he says that the track fits his style. Did you know that he has the series-best driver rating (117.7) at Martinsville? It’s no surprise when you consider his career to date results; nine wins, 19 top fives, 24 top 10s and three poles. Hamlin is next with the second-best driver rating (108.2) at his home track with five wins, 12 top fives, 17 top 10s and three poles. Defending race winner Kyle Busch (99.9), Dale Earnhardt Jr. (98.7) and Kevin Harvick (94.6) round out the series’ top five drivers at ‘The Paperclip.’

While overall driver ratings are a good indicator of a driver’s performance at a particular track, the advantages of qualifying well should not be underestimated. Did you know that 36 of the 136 (26.4 percent) Cup Series races at Martinsville have been won from a front row starting position? With that in mind, you may want to pay close attention to Hamlin, Johnson, Joey Logano and Ryan Newman. These drivers lead all active drivers for the most poles at Martinsville with three each.

You can tune into FOX Sports 1 (FS1) for the STP 500 Sunday at 2 p.m. ET.

Follow @angiecampbell_ for the latest NASCAR news and feature stories.

March 30, 2017
Hot 20 – Martinsville will boast superb on track talent, but can FOX attract the viewers at home?

The ratings are in. They continue to sink, with anything not being raced at Daytona all down. Daytona was great, the rest were okay. There used to be a time when okay was good enough. That was when, to answer Sheryl Crow’s question, we had it bad. Today, not so much. The passion is gone, at least from a ton of fans. Even the sponsors no longer have the passion, the desire to make those NASCAR-themed spots that were, well, spot on.

What to do, what to do? The stars have been, and remain, pretty accessible to the fans. Hell, even 79-year old Richard Petty remains a fan favorite and an easy target for an autograph. On the other end of the spectrum, we have Kyle Larson, Chase Elliott, Joey Logano, Ryan Blaney, Erik Jones, Trevor Bayne, and Daniel Suarez leading the way for the 20-somethings. That might bode well for the future, but what about today? If you are a gear-head, the strategy, the setups is something of a draw, but for most folks, when their car is not running well it is simply broken.

Wasn’t the racing once a lot closer? I know in the old days it was not, not when the winner was a lap or more ahead of the next guy. So, what made NASCAR the “in thing” 20 years ago? They went from southern to national, where a guy like California’s Jeff Gordon would rival the likes of Dale Earnhardt from North Carolina. That created some sparks. They had open-wheel types like Gordon, Tony Stewart, and Juan Pablo Montoya take a turn at the wheel. That caused interest. Danica Patrick arrived and that was interesting, at least for a while. Pack racing might drive the drivers nuts, but it keeps us watching. Again, Daytona was watched, the rest…not so much.

I love the documentary-styled vignettes on the broadcasts. They always cause me to stop and watch. Is there anything else exciting, such as the broadcasters, the camera angles, the whole television experience to draw us in? Not really. Even the commercials are the same as when you watch NCIS. Seen it already with Gibbs and Ducky, so I’m good. What remains exciting is the talent. It just needs to be showcased a hell of a lot better.

Now, don’t get me started on XFINITY. Thankfully, Ryan Reed and Justin Allgaier at least won two of the five races. Seventeen of the 25 Top Five positions to date have gone to Cup drivers. Nineteen-year-old William Byron has four Top Tens, but I suspect few know that, or him. That is a problem. I do not know what their ratings are. To be honest, I do not really care.

Whatever you do, you cannot blame the guys among our Hot 20. Will Larson continue to dominate? Will Elliott get his first win and move to the front of the pack? What can Keselowski do with a car not beat to crap? Can Truex continue to perform well? Will Johnson and Earnhardt continue their climb back into contention? Those are some pretty good questions. I think most are still interested in the answers.

The trouble is getting them to commit to spending a Sunday afternoon watching it all unfold, rather than to spend just a few minutes in the evening to check the post-race reports. That is like reading the last page of the book to see how the story ends, rather than submerging one’s self into the experience. The Martinsville saga this weekend will be a good one, but the book needs to be spruced up a bit to keep us engaged.

1. KYLE LARSON – 1 WIN – 243 PTS
A win, most points, but Martinsville is a challenge he would love to overcome.

2. BRAD KESELOWSKI – 1 WIN – 214 PTS
Have the living daylights beat out of your car by the fourth lap, and still finish second? Wow.

3. MARTIN TRUEX JR. – 1 WIN – 205 PTS
Tires. He don’t need no fresh stinking tires. On second thought…

4. RYAN NEWMAN – 1 WIN – 123 PTS
After ending a 127 race winless streak, the new one is now up to…well…one.

5. KURT BUSCH – 1 WIN – 118 PTS
That Daytona win allows him to forget about the results of the past three events.

6. CHASE ELLIOTT – 214 PTS
The only thing separating him and the other top guys is the empty win column, and that’s it.

7. JOEY LOGANO – 174 PTS
Beat out Larson, Kyle Busch, and Erik Jones to win XFINITY. Again, what is that series for?

8. JAMIE MCMURRAY – 162 PTS
Three Top Tens in his last four races. Hey, he doesn’t want teammate Larson to feel alone.

9. RYAN BLANEY – 157 PTS
He can say whatever he wants about Junior. Mind you, guess who owns the land he lives on?

10. KEVIN HARVICK – 147 PTS
Harvick better win soon. Heck, Keelan is already wearing Larson gear.

11. CLINT BOWYER – 143 PTS
October 13, 2012. While he is happy for the moment, it has been awhile since that last win.

12. KYLE BUSCH – 136 PTS
Once upon a time, when you mentioned Kyle it meant a guy named Busch.

13. DENNY HAMLIN – 123 PTS
Virginia is for Virginians. That is the slogan going into this weekend for Hamlin.

14. KASEY KAHNE – 122 PTS
Remembering David Steele.

15. ERIK JONES – 116 PTS
Just a win away from a milkshake celebration. Hey, he still is only 20.

16. TREVOR BAYNE – 114 PTS
Anywhere in the Top 15 on Sunday would be moral victory.

17. JIMMIE JOHNSON – 109 PTS
No, Jimmie is not a god. Superman, yes. A god, no.

18. ARIC ALMIROLA – 108 PTS
Andrew Murstein has a drive to win. Richard Petty has 200 as a driver. No pressure, Aric.

19. DANIEL SUAREZ – 102 PTS
We now know why Carl Edwards retired. He just wanted to be a coach.

20. AUSTIN DILLON – 92 PTS
Where is Junior? He is the guy looming large in Dillon’s mirror.

March 29, 2017
NASCAR Top-10 Power Rankings: California

Note: The quotes in this article are fictional.

1. Kyle Larson: Larson survived four late restarts and pulled away for the win at Fontana, finally snatching a win after three consecutive runner-up finishes.

“It’s frustrating building a huge lead,” Larson said, “only to have it wiped out by a caution flag. Restarts are dangerous for a race leader, especially when there are four restarts. It’s times like those when it’s imperative to proceed with caution.”

2. Martin Truex Jr.: Truex finished fourth in the Auto Club 400, posting his second top-five finish of the year.

“I regret not getting fresh tires on the final pit stop,” Truex said. “It’s not like we didn’t have the tires—we start with 11 sets. And I needed fresh tires to have any chance of catching Kyle Larson. So, I urged my crew chief to ‘burn rubber’ so I could ‘burn rubber.’”

3. Brad Keselowski: Keselowski overcame damage in an early spin to finish second at Fontana.

“Kyle Larson was dominant,” Keselowski said. “He could pass cars at will and made it all look so easy. It was like it was ‘Target practice.’”

4. Chase Elliott: Elliott led the Hendrick Motorsports charge at Fontana, finishing 10th. He is second in the points standings, 29 behind Kyle Larson.

“I hear Danica Patrick was critical of NASCAR’s reasoning for fining drivers,” Elliott said. “I tend to agree with her. I would say to NASCAR officials sitting smugly in their rules trailer, ‘You can’t have it both ways.’ But NASCAR’s rulings are so subjective, they need to be told, ‘You can’t have it three ways, or four ways.’ And let’s be honest, the only people having ‘three ways’ and ‘four ways’ in trailers are Dale Earnhardt Jr. fans.”

5. Joey Logano: Logano finished fifth in the Auto Club 400 at Fontana, recording his second top five of the season.

“Kyle Busch and I raced each other cleanly all weekend at Fontana,” Logano said. “Thank goodness, because I don’t want any more of Kyle’s punches coming my way. As these three boring races out West can attest, one ‘West Coast swing’ is enough.”

6. Kevin Harvick: Harvick came home 13th at Fontana and is now ninth in the points standings, 106 out of first.

“Frankly,” Harvick said, “I’ve had enough of the West Coast and its smog. I’m ready to head back East, where we race at classic NASCAR tracks like Martinsville. As you know, aerodynamics don’t play much of a role on a half-mile track. So, those West Coast locations can keep their ‘dirty air.’”

7. Kyle Busch: Busch finished eighth at Fontana, posting his second top-10 finish of the year.

“I didn’t have one single run-in with Joey Logano,” Busch said. “And that’s exactly how I’d like it, because I prefer to have ‘no contact’ with him.”

8. Jamie McMurray: McMurray finished sixth at Fontana.

“That was a big win for Kyle Larson,” McMurray said. “But not as big as the oversized novelty pair of sunglasses he was wearing after the race. Kyle’s already a diminutive little fellow; with those giant shades on, I’d say he’s the second coming of ‘Slim Shady.’”

9. Ryan Blaney: Blaney finished ninth in the Auto Club 400 and is now seventh in the Monster Energy Cup points standings, 86 out of first.

“Kyle Larson was in a minor car accident after leaving Auto Club Speedway after the race,” Blaney said. “Luckily, Kyle walked away without a scratch, which isn’t that big of a surprise, because he was untouchable all day.”

10. Clint Bowyer: Bowyer finished third at Fontana, posting his first top-five result since the Bristol Night Race in 2015.

“I’m driving the No. 14 Stewart-Haas Racing car made famous by Tony Stewart,” Bowyer said. “Tony was known as much for his temper as he was for his driving skill, which led to the coining of the phrase, ‘Where there’s Smoke, there’s ire.’”

March 28, 2017
Auto Club Speedway – Did you Know?

This weekend the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series and the XFINITY Series head to Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, California. It’s the final stop of the three-race westward swing. But did know that it is also the 20th anniversary of NASCAR Cup Series racing at Fontana?

The first Cup Series race was held on June 22, 1997, and was won by Jeff Gordon. He went on to capture two more victories in 1999 and 2004. Jimmie Johnson is the defending race winner and leads all drivers with six wins (2016, 2010 spring, 2009 fall, 2008 fall, 2007 fall and 2002). In 2008 he became the first and only driver to win from the pole at the 2-mile track.

While a front row starting position is generally considered critical, Auto Club Speedway may be an exception. Only two of the 27 races (7.4%) have been won from first and second place. And though 14 of 27 (51.8) races were won from a top-10 start, a closer look at the statistics shows that the most advantageous starting positions are third, ninth and 24th, having produced three winners each. Matt Kenseth holds the distinction of winning from deepest in the field (31st) in the 2006 spring race.

But, did you know that Johnson won at Auto Club Speedway and went on to win the Cup Series championship five times (2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, and 2016)? The only other driver to transition from a win at ACS to a championship in the same year was Jeff Gordon in 1997.

It should come as no surprise that Johnson, who has 13 top fives, 16 top 10s and one pole to go along with his six wins, has the top driver rating (119.7) at Fontana. Kyle Busch comes in at second (109.0) with three wins, eight top fives, 12 top 10s and one pole. Chase Elliott, who has the series-best average finish of 6th, enters the race with the third-best driver rating at 105.1. He’s followed by Kenseth (105.0) and Kevin Harvick (99.4).

A couple of drivers are close to achieving milestones Sunday at Fontana and one will receive a special honor

First up is Kyle Larson who posted his third consecutive second place finish this season at Phoenix. If he finishes second again this weekend, he will become only the fifth driver in Cup Series history to finish in the runner-up position in four consecutive races in a single season, joining Mark Martin (1998), Harry Gant (1985), Darrell Waltrip (1983) and Richard Petty (1964). No driver has ever finished runner-up five consecutive races in the Cup Series.

But, did you know that his three consecutive second-place finishes have already set a record? Larson is the only driver in series history to accomplish this during the first four races of a season.

Also of note, seven-time champ Jimmie Johnson will be honored this weekend as he is inducted into the Auto Club Speedway’s Walk of Fame on Friday. He scored his first of six Cup Series wins at ACS and also has the track record of five runner-up finishes.

Lastly is Dale Earnhardt Jr., who, when the green flag drops for the Auto Club 400, will become the 26th driver in Cup Series history to make 600 or more starts. To acknowledge this milestone, commemorative decals will be placed on his No. 88 Hendrick Motorsports Chevy.

Earnhardt has achieved 26 victories during his career with his first coming at Texas Motor Speedway on April 2, 2000, where he led 106 laps on his way to victory lane. But, did you know it was only his 12th Cup Series career start?

The Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series action continues Sunday with the Auto Club 400 on FOX at 3:30 p.m. ET. Radio coverage will be provided by Motor Racing Network (MRN) and SiriusXM Satellite NASCAR Channel 90.

Follow @angiecampbell_ for the latest NASCAR news and feature stories.

March 22, 2017
Hot 20 – You know all the big names on this list heading to Fontana, and some not among them

Despite placing fourth on Sunday, no Ricky Stenhouse Jr. No Dale Earnhardt Jr. Neither Austin Dillon or Ty Dillon. No Danica Patrick. A.J. Allmendinger was third at Daytona, outside the Top Twenty ever since. One can have the name, the equipment, the marketing, but results are what matters and for some those results just have not been there just yet.

However, each and every one managing to crack our Hot 20 not only are known but they have done well enough. I mean, just by averaging 18 points per race, an average of 19th place per contest without stage bonuses, is all it takes to be in Cup racing’s top tier. Not a high fence to get over, you would think.

Just six points separate Stenhouse, Earnhardt, and the Dillons from leaping up, but it gets a little more serious for Patrick and Allmendinger. Patrick is 20 back, while Allmendinger is a head scratching 33 off the pace. If this was the NFL or MLB instead of NASCAR, somebody would start getting a little anxious. Maybe some are.

California would be the apropos place to have a eureka moment. For some, in the words of U-2, they still haven’t found what they are looking for.

1. BRAD KESELOWSKI – 1 WIN – 178 PTS
After Daytona wreck, a win and a trio of Top Fives. He found it, and never had to look for it.

2. MARTIN TRUEX JR. – 1 WIN – 153 PTS
Six wins in three seasons. Barney Visser’s crew has come a long way since its 2005 debut.

3. KURT BUSCH – 1 WIN – 105 PTS
Does Energizer have a car battery, one that keeps going and going and going?

4. RYAN NEWMAN – 1 WIN – 101 PTS
Joins previous Childress drivers who have won at Phoenix; Dale Earnhardt and Kevin Harvick.

5. KYLE LARSON – 184 PTS
Runner-up in four of the past five races. Striving for Miss Congeniality next?

6. CHASE ELLIOTT – 171 PTS
21-year-old’s worst finish in his last nine races is 14th. Hard to miss him week in and week out.

7. JOEY LOGANO – 135 PTS
No one can claim he wrecked on purpose to ruin Kyle’s day….not this time.

8. RYAN BLANEY – 127 PTS
With only three wins over the past 25 years, the Wood Brothers expect their fortunes to change.

9. KEVIN HARVICK – 123 PTS
Happy Hours begins next Tuesday from 7 to 9 pm ET, on SiriusXM, Channel 90.

10. JAMIE MCMURRAY – 119 PTS
Reserves his wins for Charlotte (2), Daytona (2), Talladega (2), and Indianapolis (1).

11. KASEY KAHNE – 105 PTS
Still holding the fort, along with Chase, as they wait for those other two guys to gain traction.

12. TREVOR BAYNE – 100 PTS
Last Wood Brothers winner (2011) wants to be the first for Roush since Carl Edwards (2014).

13T. KYLE BUSCH – 97 PTS
Dear Joey: I hate you. Most sincerely, Kyle.

13T. DENNY HAMLIN – 97 PTS
Screw the racing. Auctioneering is where his future lies – Sandy Wexler.

13T. CLINT BOWYER – 97 PTS
Other than for Daytona, the results have been fine. Not great, but certainly not bad.

16. JIMMIE JOHNSON – 93 PTS
California should be his to win…but wasn’t that what I said about Harvick at Phoenix?

17. ARIC ALMIROLA – 90 PTS
Another Daytona win for the boss’s 80th birthday would be a nice gift idea.

18. ERIK JONES – 82 PTS
What were you doing at 20 years of age?

19. PAUL MENARD – 78 PTS
There are 30 Menards locations near Fontana. Hey, if I can shill for Harvick, I can for Paul’s dad.

20T. MATT KENSETH – 72 PTS
It might have been only one point at Phoenix, but what a lovely point it was.

20T. DANIEL SUAREZ – 72 PTS
Might this rookie be finding his legs…or maybe just finding his wheels?

Update:

Penalties announced by NASCAR soon after this column was published have little effect on the standings. If not successfully appealed, the loss of 35 points by Keselowski only drops him to second, behind Truex, as wins trump points. Harvick’s loss of 10 points only finds him swapping places with McMurray.

Meanwhile, Allmendinger’s 35 point penalty at Atlanta was upheld on appeal. Still, even if it had not been, he would still have been sitting 20th, a couple of points ahead of Kenseth and Suarez. It is still early in the season, which only means this team has time to catch up…if they can catch up.

March 22, 2017
NASCAR Top-10 Power Rankings: Phoenix

Note: The quotes in this article are fictional.

1. Kyle Larson: Larson took the runner-up spot at Phoenix, finishing second for the third consecutive time this season.

“I’ve had more seconds than Jimmy Spencer at dinner,” Larson said. “But I don’t mind at all. Those finishes have put me atop the Monster Energy Cup points standings. So, if you say constantly finishing in the runner-up spot is a good thing, I’ll second that notion.”

2. Brad Keselowski: Keselowski finished fifth at Phoenix, posting his third consecutive top-five result.

“My car failed the post-race inspection,” Keselowski said. “As a result, punishment is forthcoming. Ultimately, my crew chief Paul Wolfe will have to take the brunt of the fault. That makes him a ‘Wolfe in goat’s clothing.’”

3. Martin Truex Jr.: One week after dominating at Las Vegas, Truex finished 11th at Phoenix as Ryan Newman took the win.

“That was a great call by Newman not to pit,” Truex said. “That’s called ‘rolling the dice,’ and Newman rolled a ‘3’ and a ‘1.’ I’m not sure what game Kyle Busch was playing, but I could have sworn I heard him call ‘craps!’”

4. Joey Logano: Logano blew a tire and slammed the wall with six laps to go, opening the door for Ryan Newman to steal the win at Phoenix.

“I hate that my tire issue cost Kyle Busch the win,” Logano said. “But I can no more control a blown tire than Kyle can a blown gasket.”

5. Kevin Harvick: Harvick finished sixth in the Camping World 500 at Phoenix, bouncing back from a 38th at Las Vegas the previous week.

“Congratulations to Ryan Newman and Richard Childress Racing,” Harvick said. “Interestingly enough, I was the driver who replaced Newman at Stewart-Haas Racing when I left RCR. I guess the moral of the story is ‘Join RCR, win a race. Leave RCR, win a championship.’”

6. Kurt Busch: Busch finished a disappointing 25th at Phoenix.

“My brother Kyle was cruising to an easy victory,” Busch said. “Then Joey Logano wrecked, causing the caution that cost Kyle the win. All that just a week after Logano wrecked Kyle at Las Vegas, leading Kyle to take a swing. It seems NASCAR’s West Swing hasn’t been good for the Kyle-Joey relationship. Now we’re off to Fontana, where those two could take this West Coast feud to another level. I say they settle on the stage, with a microphone. My money’s on Kyle because Logano’s got a ‘bad rap.’”

7. Kyle Busch: Busch was cruising toward the win at Phoenix before Joey Logano blew a tire and smashed the wall, leading to a caution that allowed Ryan Newman to stay out and take the win. Busch eventually finished third,

“That’s two weeks in a row Logano has cost me the victory,” Busch said. “Doing it once was bad enough; doing it twice is egregious. I would say he’s just ‘piling on,’ or maybe that’s just his pit crew.”

8. Chase Elliott: Elliott led 106 laps at Phoenix before posting a 12th-place finish.

“It was a brutally hot day at the track,” Elliott said. “And even hotter if you were looking at the Monster Energy girls. They really know how to shake it. If you ask me how they’re doing, I would say ‘Everything is gyrate.’”

9. Jimmie Johnson: Johnson posted his first top-10 finish of the year with a ninth at Phoenix.

“We’ve struggled so far this season,” Johnson said. “We’ve haven’t been terrible, but we haven’t been good either. While Kyle Busch has made ‘Everything is great’ a popular saying, our catchphrase so far has been ‘Everything is okay.’”

10. Ryan Newman: Newman remained on the track after Joey Logano’s late crash, outsmarting Kyle Busch and other leaders to take the win in the Camping World 500.

“That was my first win in 127 races,” Newman said. “That’s a long time. They call me ‘Rocketman,’ because it takes about 3-4 years for me to ‘take off.’

“Here’s an interesting fact: no driver has won more than one pole this season. And that makes racing much safer for everyone because there’s not a single ‘bi-pole-r’ driver on the track now.”

March 21, 2017
Surprising and Not Surprising: Camping World 500 at Phoenix

Ryan Newman ended his winless drought at Phoenix International Raceway. Newman stayed out while most of the front runners pitted for two tires after Joey Logano blew a right front tire that brought out the final caution flag of the day with six laps remaining. Newman held off Kyle Larson on the two-lap overtime restart to win his first race since 2013 on Sunday in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Camping World 500.

Surprising

Gambling on old tires, Newman and Richard Childress Racing (RCR) end their long winless streaks. Newman ended a 127-race winless streak and the victory is the first for the RCR in 112 events.

“I’ve lost count; that’s how long it’s been,” Newman said. “I’ve got to thank Grainger, Caterpillar, Coca-Cola, Monster Energy for supporting our series, and Chevrolet. The list goes on and on. What a gutsy call by (crew chief) Luke (Lambert). I called for two tires and he called for none. I’ve won more races no tires than I have with four. I’m just proud of these guys. We had a good car all day. We kept it out of trouble and collected in the end.”

Not Surprising

Defending race winner Kevin Harvick finished sixth.

“We just didn’t ever get it exactly how we wanted all weekend,” Harvick said after the race. “Luckily it is a good race track for us and we were able to battle and use all the tricks of the trade we know to get ourselves up in contention. We definitely need to do some work on this style race track with our Jimmy John’s Ford but it was a heck of a battle all day.”

Surprising

Ricky Stenhouse Jr. had a strong run and finished fourth. Despite being on older tires, Stenhouse was able to capture a fourth-place finish, scoring his first top-five of the season.

“That was a great run,” he said. “I think we made a lot of changes overnight that really helped us turn. It was really nice for us. Everything stayed together. This is a big test for Doug (Yates) and Roush Yates Engines. They did their job and did their research from our test here when we had some issues. I am really proud of the whole team.”

Not Surprising

Kyle Larson’s second-place finish for this third consecutive race gives him the series points lead.

Larson was pleased with the finish, saying, “It’s really, really cool to be the point leader right now. That was a goal of mine going into today. So, thanks to everybody at Chip Ganassi Racing for all your hard work. We’ll hopefully continue to have this speed in our race cars and maybe close some of these races out.”

Surprising

Logano did not have to make contact with Kyle Busch this weekend to stop Busch from winning. Busch was in control of the race when Logano blew a tire, bringing out the overtime caution. Busch had to settle for third place while Logano finished 31st.

“The brakes are fine, we just blew a right front. Probably just overheated the bead. I am sure that is what it was. There is not much you can do when the right front blows out,” a disappointed Logano said after the race.

Not Surprising

Brad Keselowski drove another competitive race, claiming points in each stage and scoring his third consecutive top five this season. He is currently second in the points standings, only six points behind Larson.

“We were all real close there. Whoever got the track position was going to run away,” he explained. “The clean air was so important which was a bit frustrating. There was a lot of parity today and of course the crazy finish there at the end with the yellow coming out when it did and all the different strategies.”

March 21, 2017