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  • NHRA Power Rankings New Hampshire Nationals – Funny Car

    NHRA Power Rankings New Hampshire Nationals – Funny Car

    The National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) got back on track last weekend for the annual New Hampshire Nationals at the New England Dragway after a three-week hiatus from the rained out Houston Raceway Park on May 23.

    It also marked the New Hampshire Nationals’ two-year return after missing last year due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

    Don Schumacher Racing driver and 2020 Funny Car champion Matt Hagan was looking to continue his New England hot streak after three consecutive victories heading into the 2021 event. He seemed unstoppable, however, at some point in racing, all streaks come to an end. Hagan’s winning streak came to a halt after a second-round elimination by Tim Wilkerson’s team.

    While Hagan hopes for better days ahead, a few other drivers enjoyed success this weekend in the Funny Car class. We’ll take a look at them in this week’s power rankings.

    1. Robert Hight – Hight qualified ninth after three rounds of qualifying and had a first round matchup with Alexis DeJoria. Heading into their round, DeJoria had seven wins and six losses to Hight. However, the first round matchup would be their elusive first round meet. Hight advanced over DeJoria with a 4.336 seconds and 287.78 mph round to move into the second round. In the quarterfinal, he met New England’s favorite Bob Tasca III. Hight was once again successful with a 3.972 ET and 324.36 mph run to set up a matchup in the semis with veteran Tim Wilkerson. Hight eliminated Wilkerson with a run of 4.022 seconds and 322.77 mph to face his competitor and Team Owner John Force in the final round. It was the seventh race in the finals where Hight and Force met once more. The drag race was close and one of the best races of the year but Hight had to settle for the 31st runner-up finish of his career.

      “Really wanted this one for AAA New England,” Hight said. We all really wanted it. This crew, Jimmy Prock and Chris Cunningham, they worked hard. We went some rounds and got better but not the result we wanted. You always want to be the ones winning but I’m glad it stayed in the John Force Racing family. John’s been working hard too; all of our teams have been and we’re dominating and that’s ultimately what you want. Next weekend in Norwalk, it’ll be us.”
    2. John Force – Force seems to have gained momentum and it couldn’t come at a better time heading into the summer stretch and eventually the Countdown to the Championship. In the last three races, Force has two wins (New Hampshire Nationals, Four-Wide Nationals at Charlotte) and a ninth-place finish at Houston. Force qualified third, which set up a first round event with Cory Lee. Force was victorious setting a pace of 4.279 seconds and 211.03 mph after Lee lost traction. In the second round, he faced Kalitta Motorsports entry, J.R. Todd, in what was also another close drag race. This time, however, Force nearly sealed the deal and won by 15 feet over Todd setting up a semi-final appearance with Terry Haddock. Force has lost against Haddock just once but on Sunday, he earned his seventh victory against Haddock to leap him into the final round against Hight. When the two cars left the strip, Force’s reaction time was .054 compared to Hight’s .067. Force got the victory with an ET of 3.972 seconds and 327.51 mph, the 153rd win of his illustrious career.

    “It represents team effort,” he said about the victory. “You have to look at both of these cars and Brittany’s dragster, they all have PEAK on them and AAA and Monster, Flav-R-Pac, Chevy and all the people that take care of me; that’s what it’s all about.” Force is now second in points, only 15 out of first place. “Robert helps me so much, trying to help me back in the driver’s seat where I don’t suck so bad and right now, I’ve got a car and I won today, and I did my job. I want to thank all the people in Epping for coming back and I want to thank Daniel Hood for a great tune-up and Fabrisi for fixing the cockpit in my car.”

    3. Terry Haddock – It’s not all that often you see Haddock advance to the semi-finals. In fact, Sunday marked his first semi-final appearance in 293 career races thanks in part to a bye run in the second round. Haddock was squared up against Force in the semis and got off to a good start, but unfortunately for the fan-favorite, Haddock began laying oil down on the track and lost traction in the process. Haddock lost five points and lost the race to Force in the semis. The run was a good effort, though, by the independent Haddock team.

    4. Matt Hagan – While Hagan’s reign of New England terror ended on Sunday, the Don Schumacher Racing driver didn’t go down without a fight. He was the No. 1 qualifier for the 41st time in his NHRA Funny Car career following Friday night’s run. He had an easy first-round run as he was all by himself, which automatically guaranteed him a spot in the second round against Tim Wilkerson. The two veteran drivers have faced each other 34 times in their careers and Hagan had 24 career victories over Wilkerson with 10 losses. The race was clean and down to the wire, but Hagan was eliminated by Wilkerson in a losing effort of 0.0361 seconds margin of victory. Hagan is still winless in the 2021 season but has hopes as he heads to the Summit Nationals in Norwalk, Ohio in a couple of weeks.

    “It was a pretty good weekend at Epping,” Hagan said. “We qualified No. 1 for the first time this year and got that yellow No. 1 Camping World hat. The car ran really well, and we have a really good race car. We were just on the bad side of a good drag race that second round against Tim Wilkerson. You’re going to have those. You lose more than you win, but when you do win them, it makes them that much more special. Our turn for a win is right around the corner, so I’m really looking forward to Norwalk. We’re doing everything right to turn on the win lights, but sometimes you get on the bad side and that’s just racing. Last year we were on the right side of most of those races. You pay your dues, work hard and it will come around for ya, and that’s what we’re doing right now. We’ll roll into Norwalk and be excited for a great weekend. We’re glad to get DSR Performance and the DSR.parts website some good exposure with getting the No. 1 qualifier this weekend. The car looked good and it ran good, too. There’s so much racing left this season. This is only our sixth race in and there’s so much racing left, but it’s all about the finish and we’re a marathoner, not sprinting.”

    5. Bob Tasca III – Tasca III had a good qualifying effort of fourth facing Jim Campbell in round one. Tasca, the New England favorite, won over Campbell with an ET of 3.960 seconds and 324.90 mph over Campbell’s 4.111 and 312.71 mph and moved into the second round facing John Force Racing driver Robert Hight. Unfortunately for Tasca, the race was over before it started, as his tires started to go up in smoke when Tasca launched off the starting line. Disappointingly, Tasca ended the second round with 10.095 seconds and 86.22 mph to finish seventh in the final results.

  • NASCAR Xfinity Series Power Rankings – Dover

    NASCAR Xfinity Series Power Rankings – Dover

    Dover International Speedway held two NASCAR Xfinity Series races this past weekend for a doubleheader weekend, with both races making up the originally postponed Spring and Fall events.

    Justin Allgaier ended up snapping a winless streak dating back to Phoenix of 2019 and with one of his best races of the season to date. Meanwhile, Chase Briscoe continued his hunt for eight wins that he set out at the beginning of the year, winning the Sunday event for his sixth victory of the year.

    But where did everyone else wind up?

    Here’s a look at this week’s Power Rankings following the Dover doubleheader.

    1. Chase Briscoe – After a forgettable Daytona Road Course race, Briscoe bounced back this weekend by placing 10th in Saturday’s race and leading 107 laps in Sunday’s race en route to victory. The Indiana native also won the second stage in Sunday’s race and gained substantial bonus points. Briscoe is solidly in the Playoffs and could very easily reach eight victories before the season is said and done.

      Previous Week Ranking – Fifth
    2. Justin Allgaier – It’s been a whirlwind of a season for Allgaier, who has been up and down throughout the year with five DNFs. However, Allgaier had a solid weekend at the “Monster Mile” by winning Saturday’s race (finishing third in Stage 1 and winning Stage 2). In addition, he led 120 of 200 laps, the most out of any driver in the race. When Sunday rolled around, Allgaier looked to continue his winning ways. He managed stage finishes of second twice, led 19 laps, and ultimately gained his 12th top-10 finish of the season, finishing seventh. It was a bounce-back weekend for the JR Motorsports driver.

      Previous Week Ranking – Not Ranked
    3. Austin Cindric – A pair of top-five finishes for the No. 22 Penske team, finishing second and third respectively in both races. Cindric led a combined 50 laps, won Stage 1 in Saturday’s race, and managed stage finishes in the top-10 for Sunday. Despite his winning streak being broken this weekend, Cindric is still riding high after a mid-season momentum. After the Dover races, Cindric has earned 15 top-five finishes.

      Previous Week Ranking – First
    4. Noah Gragson – A respectable weekend in the No. 9 JR Motorsports camp, finishing fourth in Saturday’s race and sixth in the Sunday outing. The Las Vegas native was able to lead a combined effort of 38 laps. Gragson sits third in the points standings, 97 points behind championship points leader Cindric. Gragson could easily be a dark horse favorite for the championship if he continues to have consistent finishes. However, once the Playoffs begin consistent finishes won’t be enough to advance into the next rounds. Gragson will have to start winning again if he wants to be in the Championship Round at Phoenix.

      Previous Week Ranking – Second
    5. Riley Herbst – Herbst had an uneventful but consistent weekend with finishes of sixth and ninth. No laps were led but he brought home a clean No. 18 Monster Energy Toyota Camry for his 12th top-10 of the season. It was a much needed finish after a few weeks of bad luck.

      Previous Week Ranking – Fourth

    Fell Out

    1. Brandon Jones – It was a mixed bag of results for Brandon Jones following the Dover weekend. Jones wound up 16th in Saturday’s outing but bounced back to a fourth-place finish in Sunday’s race. Despite quality stage finishes in Saturday’s race, Jones could only place seventh on Sunday.

      Previous Week Ranking – Third
  • NASCAR Xfinity Series Power Rankings – Daytona Road Course

    NASCAR Xfinity Series Power Rankings – Daytona Road Course

    Saturday’s NASCAR Xfinity Series action at the Daytona International Speedway Road Course definitely provided a fascinating race but had the suspected winner.

    At one point, race fans saw nearly the whole field almost pile up in the first turn when most of the cars went off circuit and out of the racing line. Thankfully, the majority of the drivers escaped from further calamity, but some weren’t so lucky. That can be said for Noah Gragson who was leading until he missed one of the turns and went sliding all the way through the grass, causing a caution on Lap 19. Fortunately, the Las Vegas native rebounded to a top-five finish as Gragson placed third in the final outing.

    Meanwhile, Chase Briscoe was looking for a potential sixth win of the year but got collected in a wreck on Lap 47 with five laps to go. The accident was too much for the Stewart-Haas driver to overcome as he would be credited with a 29th place finish.

    With most of the field having their ups and downs, we’ll take a look at how the drivers did following their first Daytona Road Course race.

    1. Austin Cindric – Cindric continues to be on fire in the Xfinity Series as the playoffs loom in the background. It’s his fifth win in the last six races and he is tied with Sam Ard for another record after winning five races in a season. The Team Penske driver showed his dominance early, winning Stage 1, finishing second in Stage 2, and ultimately leading 21 laps en route to the seventh victory of his career. It was noted during a conference call earlier last week that Cindric is searching for a ride for next year. While he could come back to the No. 22 in 2021, should Cindric keep racking up victories and get the championship, that could help his chances of landing a ride. But as we’ve seen time and time again, nothing is guaranteed in the world of NASCAR.

      Previous Week Ranking – First
    2. Noah Gragson – It was a hard-fought third-place finish for Gragson. The Las Vegas native was runner up in Stage 1 by finishing second. After his mishap when Gragson spun from the lead, he had to work all race to get back to the top of the running order. When the checkered flag flew, Gragson earned his ninth top five of the year.

      Previous Week Ranking – Fifth
    3. Brandon Jones – Despite not gaining any stage finishes, Jones found himself with a shot to win the race late in the going with the help of a caution. However, the Joe Gibbs Racing driver had to settle for second when all was said and done. The second-place finish was Jones’s first since Homestead back in June. In addition, Jones gained his sixth top-five of the year. It seems as though the No. 19 team might be turning things around after a few weeks of miserable runs aside from winning the Kansas race.

      Previous Week Ranking – Not Ranked
    4. Riley Herbst – It took four spins, but Herbst rebounded to seventh place in Saturday’s event, his 10th top-10 of the year. Herbst also collected stage finishes of fourth and 10th. The finish was much needed after a disappointing 23rd at Road America, two weeks ago. But he will have to win soon if he wants to be comfortable in the playoffs.

      Previous Week Ranking – Not Ranked
    5. Chase Briscoe – Winning the second stage and finishing seventh in Stage 1 was good enough to keep Briscoe in the rankings but dropped him down a tad. He had the second most dominant car in the race next to competitor Cindric. Overall, Briscoe led the most laps of 26 and was solidly in the top five. But his day would be cut short for the accident in Turn 2. He’ll have to turn to Dover and build on his win total for the season.

      Previous Week Ranking – Fourth

    Fell Out

    1. Ross Chastain – Chastain’s day was up in smoke early on Lap 14 when he came to a stop in Turn 8. The Kaulig Racing driver spent the majority of the race behind the wall as the damage was fixed. Eventually, Chastain would return to the race but finished 36th, 18 laps down.

      Previous Week Ranking – Second
    2. Ryan Sieg – Sieg piloted the No. 39 machine to an 11th place outing, just barely missing out on the top 10. You could very well say the Daytona Road Course could be a forgettable race for Sieg and the team.

      Previous Week Ranking – Third
  • NASCAR Xfinity Series Power Rankings – Road America

    NASCAR Xfinity Series Power Rankings – Road America

    The NASCAR Xfinity Series competed at Road America Saturday afternoon for what may be the only stand-alone Xfinity event of the year while the Cup Series raced at Michigan.

    The Henry 180 took nearly three hours to complete, thanks to a 90-minute delay due to lightning in the area and a slew of late cautions. Once the lightning was gone, NASCAR brought out the rain tires and created an interesting twist to the event as the the Xfinity drivers raced for a short while in the rain. Sunny skies eventually returned by the completion of the 45-lap event and we saw the usual suspect, Austin Cindric, take home his fourth Xfinity Series win of the 2020 season.

    With Cindric enjoying a respectable season, drivers like Justin Allgaier continue to search for wins. On a late-race restart with two to go (not overtime), Allgaier slammed the Turn 3 wall and tore the whole right side off of his No. 7 JR Motorsports machine, so much so, that the blue foam was coming out of the car. It was unfortunate for the Illinois native who remains winless in 2020.

    Here are this week’s Power Rankings following the Henry 180.

    1. Austin Cindric – It was a picture-perfect day for the Team Penske driver who led a race-high of 19 laps. Cindric started second via random draw and finished second in Stage 1. He was unable to record any stage points for the second stage, but at the end of the day, all that mattered was the checkered flag which was in Cindric’s hand when all was said and done. At this point, Cindric is the Championship 4 favorite.

      Previous Week Ranking – First
    2. Ross Chastain – Chastain had a solid day in Wisconsin, placing fourth in Stage 1 and second in Stage 2, before coming home in the seventh position. The Floridian never really contended for the win, but had the opportunity presented itself, he more than likely could have capitalized on the moment. Instead, Chastain had to settle for his 16th top 10 of the year. He also picked up some stage points which will definitely come in handy as the season progresses. It is interesting to note that Chastain tied his best Road America finish of seventh.

      Previous Week Ranking – Fourth
    3. Ryan Sieg – It was a quiet ninth-place finish for Sieg and his family-owned No. 39 RSS Racing team. He finished outside the top 10 in Stages 1 and 2, but the end result marked his seventh top 10 of the season. Sometimes it’s best to have a quiet day than a noisy day.

      Previous Week Ranking – Third
    4. Chase Briscoe – Briscoe scored a third-place finish on Saturday afternoon after a difficult Kansas outing. In addition, the Stewart-Haas driver recorded a stage finish of third in Stage 1, but 14th for Stage 2 after playing pit strategy. Overall, it was a nice rebound for the No. 98 team who trails by 11 in the points standings to Austin Cindric, especially after a close moment where he almost went off track in one of the turns.

      Previous Week Ranking – Not Ranked
    5. Noah Gragson – A much needed sixth place in Noah Gragson’s No. 9 camp, one race succeeding the Kansas event where the Las Vegas native finished 15th. The Road America finish was also needed after Gragson crashed at Texas a few weeks ago. The season sure has been interesting for Gragson but if the team can get back on track and start gaining momentum again, there’s no question that he will be another favorite for the title.

      Previous Week Ranking – Not Ranked

    Fell Out

    1. Justin Allgaier – It was not the day Allgaier needed when he crashed late in the going on a restart. The 2020 season has been a forgettable year for the Xfinity Series veteran, who currently has four top fives and nine top 10 finishes, the least of his career since his first year in 2009, where Allgaier earned three top fives and 12 top 10’s that season.

      Previous Week Ranking – Fifth
  • NASCAR Xfinity Series Power Rankings-Kansas

    NASCAR Xfinity Series Power Rankings-Kansas

    The Xfinity Series drove to the heartland this past weekend in an unexpected trip to Kansas Speedway in the middle of July. The series is normally used to racing there in the fall on a normal schedule. However, due to rising cases in Chicago, Saturday’s race replaced the canceled Chicago race. 

    While it was unexpected for Xfinity Series drivers, the slick track conditions and hot temperatures allowed series regulars to have a great showing. Even though Austin Cindric led the most laps, consistent battles took place behind him, and numerous pit strategies were all over the place. But a late race caution flew that jumbled the field. At one point it looked as though Harrison Burton would come home with the checkered flag, but the win actually went to his teammate Brandon Jones who passed Cindric on a late race restart. 

    With Jones earning his second win of the season, he now has some solid points to push him through at least the first couple of rounds of the Playoffs. As Jones celebrates, we’ll highlight other Xfinity Series regulars in this week’s Power Rankings. 

    1. Austin Cindric – A late race caution ruined his chance of winning for the fourth consecutive time this season but you can’t overlook the effort. The Team Penske driver dominated by leading a race high of 131 laps and sweeping both stages. Had it not been for the late caution or getting passed by Harrison Burton, Cindric could very well have his fourth win of the season. He’ll have another chance to get a checkered flag in his wheelhouse at Road America in a couple of weeks.

      Previous Week Ranking – First
    2. Harrison Burton – Once the final round of green flag pit stops cycled out, Burton chased down Cindric for the lead and more than likely could have taken home the checkered flag if it wasn’t for the late caution. Still, Burton wound up third on the leaderboard at the end of the day after leading eight laps, and a solid outing of third and second in both stages, respectively.

      Previous Week Ranking – Fourth
    3. Ryan Sieg – Sieg played pit strategy by staying out when the caution came late. He was scored as the race leader when the overtime restart occurred. By not having new tires, the cautions saved the team and allowed them to achieve their third top five of the year. In addition, the Georgia team led 25 laps. Not bad for Sieg and the No. 39 team.

      Previous Week Ranking – Not Ranked
    4. Ross Chastain – Chastain came home with his seventh top five of the 2020 Xfinity Series season last Saturday. The Floridian couldn’t win a stage but gained points by finishing second and fourth in both stages. Chastain had a couple of chances to score the victory but was unsuccessful in doing so.

      Previous Week Ranking – Not Ranked
    5. Justin Allgaier – A 10th place finish might be disappointing for Allgaier and the No. 7 JR Motorsports entry but the effort was there throughout the race. He was pretty much quiet and didn’t make much noise, however, Allgaier capitalized on the stages with finishes of fifth and third before winding up with his ninth top 10 of the year.

      Previous Week Ranking – Third

    Fell Out:

    1. Noah Gragson – Gragson had a forgettable 15th place finish following his run at Kansas. He was only able to earn a stage finish of 10th in Stage 2 before pit strategy and late yellows ruined any chances of gaining a respectable finish. The last two weeks have not been kind to the Las Vegas native after crashing at Texas and placing 30th.

      Previous Week Ranking – Fifth
    2. Chase Briscoe – It was a disappointing finish for Briscoe who came home in the 14th position due to slightly brushing the Turn 3 and 4 wall with just a few laps remaining in Saturday’s event. On the upside, the Stewart-Haas driver did gain stage points by placing seventh in Stage 2.

         Previous Week Ranking – Second

  • NASCAR Gander RV and Outdoors Truck Series Power Rankings-Kansas

    NASCAR Gander RV and Outdoors Truck Series Power Rankings-Kansas

    Kansas Speedway was the site of the first doubleheader in NASCAR Truck Series history and the first for the track itself and featured some great racing action across the two races. 

    After three years, Matt Crafton finally got it done and piloted the No. 88 Menards Ford F-150 to his third Kansas win. Crafton punched his ticket into the Playoffs and will be able to chase for his fourth Truck Series title. The Californian led the final 23 laps after an eventful third stage in the E.P.T. 200. 

    Before Crafton picked up the victory in Saturday’s event, Austin Hill and his No. 16 Hattori Racing team grabbed the checkers in Friday night’s outing for his first victory of the 2020 Truck Series season. Hill led a race-high of 65 laps before the Georgian took home the fifth win of his career. 

    With Hill and Crafton picking up victories in the doubleheaders, many Truck Series regulars had solid outings in the first race, while the same ones didn’t have as much luck in race No. 2. 

    Here are this week’s Power Rankings following the Blu-Emu Maximum Pain Relief 200 and the E.P.T 200 at Kansas Speedway. 

    1. Matt Crafton – A no-brainer here. The ThorSport driver notched his first win after a thrilling battle with Christian Eckes late in the going. Crafton managed stage finishes of third and second before getting the victory. In Friday’s race, he came home in the fourth position after randomly drawing 17th via owner points. His stage finishes weren’t quite as strong. Crafton finished fifth in Stage 1 and barely missed out on the top 10 in Stage 2, placing 13th. All in all, not a bad weekend for the No. 88 Menards team who finally snapped a three-year winless streak. Now it will be interesting to see if Crafton and company can be a strong contender for the championship once again.

      Previous Week Ranking – Second
    2. Christian Eckes – Eckes followed through with another top-five finish at Kansas, at least in the second outing, when he fell just .324 seconds short of winning his first NASCAR race. The New York native was somewhat quiet in the second race of the weekend, only leading six laps, and finishing fourth and ninth in the stages. However, the result was a much better finish than Friday’s race, as Eckes would struggle after drawing first and bringing the No. 18 machine home in the 13th position. Regardless, Eckes made up for the disappointing finish on Friday night and earned his third top-five of the season.

      Previous Week Ranking – First
    3. Zane Smith – Smith once again had a great weekend at Kansas, notwithstanding his run-in with his teammate (more on that later). The Californian shined in both events leading 17 laps in Friday’s event (finishing eighth and third in both stages) and sweeping the stages in Saturday’s race. Unfortunately, Smith would be the cause of the accident on Lap 95 when he got loose off Turn 4 and made contact with the two GMS Racing teammates (Brett Moffitt and Tyler Ankrum), thus ending their day early. Smith would also receive slight front end damage to his No. 21 machine. Despite the incident, he was able to bring the truck home to a top 10 (Smith’s sixth of the year), but his teammates might make it tough on him as the season wears on.

      Previous Week Ranking – Third
    4. Ben Rhodes- Rhodes overall had a consistent weekend after finishes of seventh and fifth in the doubleheader. Following the two races, the Kentucky native led just four laps but picked up some much needed points when Rhodes finished ninth and second in the stages of Friday’s race. Unfortunately, he would not pick up any points in either stage for Saturday’s outing but was able to manage track position and get the No. 99 Tenda Heel Ford F-150 to a top-five finish. Though, there is still some work to be done in the No. 99 team as they still do not have a win.

      Previous Week Ranking – Fifth
    5. Derek Kraus – Kraus showed great promise and speed this weekend at Kansas Speedway. In the Blu-Emu 200, he placed sixth and fifth in both stages, respectively, and gained stage finishes again in Saturday’s race. Overall, the Billy McAnally driver earned finishes of fifth and seventh following the two events. Not bad for missing your high school graduation. 

      Previous Week Ranking – Not Ranked

    Fell Out 

    1. Brett Moffitt – The Iowan would have had a good run at the 1.5-mile speedway, but a crash involving three teammates dashed his hopes on Lap 95 in Saturday’s E.P.T. 200. Up until that point, Moffit won Stage 1 in Friday’s showing and placed third in the second stage for Saturday’s efforts. While he did bring home the No. 23 Destiny Homes Ford second in the first race, Moffitt was credited with a 27th place finish in Saturday’s race.

      Previous Week Ranking – Fourth 
  • NASCAR Gander RV And Outdoors Truck Series Power Rankings – Charlotte

    NASCAR Gander RV And Outdoors Truck Series Power Rankings – Charlotte

    The NASCAR Gander RV And Outdoors Truck Series was back in action Tuesday night at Charlotte Motor Speedway for race No. 3 of the 2020 Truck Series season.

    It felt like forever since we had seen the Trucks in action, but once the green flag flew, there was tons of action from start to finish in a race that saw a 40-Truck field for the first time in several years. In fact, you would have to go back to 2004 at Mansfield to see a field of 40 Trucks hit the track.

    We not only saw 40 Trucks in the race, there was also a $100,000 bounty on the line which was set up by Kevin Harvick and Camping World CEO Marcus Lemonis. The rules for the bounty stated, if any full-time Cup driver could beat Kyle Busch “cleanly” in a race, they would win the bounty bonus. However, as conditions of the COVID-19 pandemic arose, the rules of the bounty were changed the day of the race. Now, should the winner beat Busch, they would donate the bounty to a charity COVID-19 relief effort.

    As the bounty was on the line, Cup regulars like Chase Eliott, Brennan Poole and John Hunter Nemechek were all entered to compete. While Poole and Nemechek certainly had the opportunity to beat Busch, it was ultimately Elliott who proved the winner over Busch with coincidentally Elliott finishing first and Busch second in the running order.

    While Elliott was class of the field in a GMS Racing truck, other notable regular Truck Series drivers had some decent runs and finishes as well.

    Here are this week’s Power Rankings following the North Carolina Education Lottery 200.

    1. Sheldon Creed – Creed had a quiet fifth-place showing Tuesday night at Charlotte Motor Speedway. The GMS driver started 21st due to a random draw earlier in the week. The 22-year-old ran as high as third, had 80 green flag passes and spent 92 laps in the top-15. While Creed didn’t get to lead any laps or manage to grab a stage point, he brought the No. 2 Chevy Accessories home to a top-five finish. The finish marked his sixth top-five of his Truck Series career.

      Previous Ranking That Followed Las Vegas – Third

      https://twitter.com/sheldoncreed/status/1265489102381735937?
    2. Brett Moffitt – The GMS train continues with Brett Moffitt, who piloted the No. 23 truck home to fourth. Though his story is different compared to others. Right before the world got shut down due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Moffitt broke both of his legs and it appeared as though he would have missed a few races, had the NASCAR world kept with its original schedule. But, luck came his way and Moffitt was able to rehab and was cleared to compete. He competed in the two Xfinity races at Darlington and Charlotte and had a solid run in the Truck race. Moffitt was able to lead just two-laps, made 60 quality passes and ran the event around eighth. The Iowa native finished 10th in Stage 1 and sixth in Stage 2, before finishing fourth in the race. It was a nice outing at Charlotte for Moffitt.

      Previous Week Ranking That Followed Las Vegas – Not Ranked

      https://twitter.com/Brett_Moffitt/status/1265488020083531777?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%22
    3. Austin Hill – Speaking of solid runs, Hill looked to be the fastest Truck in the field early on. The Georgia native started fifth and took the lead from the get-go, led 19 laps early on and led six-laps right before the stage ended. Unfortunately, he got passed by Ross Chastain for the stage win and was second in the first stage. The second stage wasn’t quite as impressive he would finish 10th. Hill noted that he was fighting a loose handling Truck through the middle of the race. He caught a lucky caution near the end and pitted with Kyle Busch and Tanner Gray. However, Hill got stuck in traffic and could not find the clean air that was needed. Ultimately, the Hattori Racing driver finished ninth for his third top-10 of the season, the 24th of his career.

      Previous Week Ranking Following Las Vegas – First

      https://twitter.com/_AustinHill/status/1265483853629710340?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%22
    4. Matt Crafton – While still on his winless streak dating back to three years now, Matt Crafton was looking for a consistent run after the time off. Like Hill, Crafton was one of the few up front early on. The ThorSport driver finished fourth in both stages. Unfortunately, Crafton’s efforts were cut-short, as he suffered a broken track bar mount on the truck. Due to the issue, he was relegated to a 35th place finish.

      Previous Week Ranking Following Las Vegas – Fifth
    5. Johnny Sauter – Sauter was impressive late in the going, challenging for the lead and perhaps a victory. Throughout the event, the Wisconsin native was unable to finish inside the top-10 for a stage point during both stages, with 68.7% of the laps in the top-15, while having 32 quality passes and 71 green flag passes. At the end of the day, Sauter placed the No. 13 Ford F-150 seventh.

      Previous Week Ranking Following Las Vegas – Second

    Fell Out

    1. Todd Gilliland – Gilliland had a rough Charlotte outing following his return to the track. On Lap 102, the DGR-Crosley driver was caught up in an accident that saw him blow a right-front tire. His night was done early and he was credited with a 37th place finish.

      Previous Week Ranking Following Las Vegas – Fourth

      https://twitter.com/ToddGilliland_/status/1265482682194165764
  • NASCAR Xfinity Series Power Rankings – Charlotte I

    NASCAR Xfinity Series Power Rankings – Charlotte I

    The NASCAR Xfinity Series continued their fluid schedule this week, visiting the historic Charlotte Motor Speedway after last week’s events at Darlington Raceway on Thursday.

    While the theme of no practice and qualifying continued this week, there was most certainly some thrilling race action during the race, especially toward the end of the 300-miler. Thankfully, unlike Sunday night and last Tuesday night, the Xfinity Series did not have to deal with any weather delay.

    There was a familiar face in the field as there was in last week’s race at Darlington. And that name was Kyle Busch, who tops the all-time wins list. Busch was sporting an Appalachian State University scheme to honor the class of 2020.

    Busch started 18th thanks to a random draw but the Las Vegas native did not take long to get to the front, as he won both Stage 1 and Stage 2. He ultimately took home the checkered flag, the 97th of his Xfinity Series career, after leading a race-high of 94 laps.

    Despite the fact that Busch put on another clinic, there were other regular Xfinity Series drivers who flew under the radar in the Alsco 300 at Charlotte.

    Here are this week’s Power Rankings following the sixth event of the 2020 season.

    1. Ross Chastain – Chastain had a great advantage of starting on the pole, due to the random draw that took place earlier in the week. And while random draws can be lucky or unlucky, Chastain managed to use that draw to his advantage. He led the first 31 laps and had an opportunity to win both stages before being passed by Kyle Busch late in the stage, as Chastain would end up one spot short by finishing second in both stages. Troubles would arise late in the race as the Kaulig driver was penalized and caught up in an incident, and slapped the wall. However, Chastain rebounded to a fourth-place finish after leading 68 laps.

      https://twitter.com/NASCAR_Xfinity/status/1265113941778235392

    2. Austin Cindric – Cindric came very close to scoring his first Xfinity Series oval win Tuesday night at Charlotte Motor Speedway. He started sixth, finished fifth in Stage 1 and fourth in Stage 2. A late-race caution ensued with less than five to go that allowed Cindric to have a shot at the win. Unfortunately, the Team Penske driver fell short and finished third for his fourth top-five of the season. Cindric did manage to lead 30-laps in the event.

      https://twitter.com/AustinCindric/status/1265120989807087617
    3. Daniel Hemric – While Hemric is a part-time driver in the Xfinity Series for JR Motorsports, he has certainly made the most of each opportunity in every race he has competed in this season. Previously, Darlington was Hemric’s best finish of the 2020 season, where he finished sixth in the outing. At Charlotte, he started 12th, finished ninth in Stage 1 and seventh in Stage 2. Hemric was never able to get out front to lead any laps, but had a late surge in the end and briefly challenged Busch for the win. He came home second in the running order, the first-time since Kansas two years ago.

      https://twitter.com/XfinityRacing/status/1265118109729304576
    4. Brandon Brown – Speaking of someone who flew under the radar, Team-Owner and driver, Brandon Brown was quiet all night but was there went it counted the most. While he unfortunately did not secure any stage points, Brown had 27 quality passes and spent 111 laps in the top-15. Despite that being down from the previous week at Darlington (120-laps), Brown solidly earned a top-10 finish by finishing eighth, his third top-10 in his Xfinity Series career. Needless to say, Brown was pumped about the finish.

      https://twitter.com/brandonbrown_68/status/1265116691924684800?
    5. Michael Annett – Annett’s 2020 Xfinity Series season has been a mixed bag of results so far, opening Daytona by finishing 11th and seventh at Las Vegas, but had three finishes outside the top-10, including a 25th-place finish last week at Darlington. Coming into Charlotte, the Des Moines, Iowa driver was hoping for a rebound after last week’s dismal outing. The No. 1 Pilot/Flying J Chevrolet rolled off in the ninth position, unable to score any stage finishes, but finished seventh for his second top-10 of the 2020 season, the 65th of his career.


  • NASCAR Top-10 Power Rankings: California

    NASCAR Top-10 Power Rankings: California

    Note: The quotes in this article are fictional.

    1. Ryan Blaney: Blaney won Stage 2 and suffered a cut tire late in the final stage, which forced a pit stop and left him with a 19th-place finish.

    “Alex Bowman whipped the field by almost nine seconds,” Blaney said. “So mine wasn’t even the biggest ‘blowout’ of the race.”

    2. Joey Logano: Logano finished 12th in the Auto Club 400 at Fontana.

    “It was cool to see Jimmie Johnson honored with the ‘5-Wide Salute,’” Logano said. “Maybe one day, I can receive that same appreciation. I kind of do now. However, my ‘5-Wide Salute’ is five people standing side-by-side giving me the ‘One-Finger Salute.’”

    3. Kevin Harvick: Harvick came home ninth in a mostly uneventful Auto Club 400. He is fourth in the points standings, 12 out of first.

    “My ‘Kyle Busch Bounty’ really has people talking about the Gander Truck Series,” Harvick said. “And it has people talking more about Kyle Busch, which is actually what I was trying to avoid.”

    4. Alex Bowman: Bowman led 110 laps at Fontana and held off Kyle and Kurt Busch late to ease to victory in the Auto Club 400.

    “I promised a friend I’d get an ’88’ tattoo if I won,” Bowman said. “I’m sure people will have a lot of questions when they see my tattoo, like, ‘Cool, are you’re a Dale, Jr. fan”‘”

    5. Jimmie Johnson: Johnson started second and finished seventh at Fontana.

    “I was honored with a ‘Five-Wide Salute’ during the warmup laps,” Johnson said. I’m really digging this farewell tour. I mean really digging it. It’s quite a turn-on actually. You could say I now have a ‘fete fetish.’”

    6. Brad Keselowski: Keselowski finished fifth at Fontana, scoring his first top-five result of the season.

    “Good news,” Keselowski said. “NASCAR is transitioning to single lug nut wheels in 2021. In hockey, that would be a ‘one-timer.’ In baseball, it’s a ‘single.’ In basketball, it’s a ‘one-and-done.’”

    7. Denny Hamlin: Hamlin started at the back of the field and forged his way forward to finish sixth at Fontana, posting his second top-10 of the season.

    “We started at the back because we pitted to change a shock absorber on the warmup laps,” Hamlin said. “Little did we know that the real shock ‘absorber’ would be Kyle Larson’s rear bumper.”

    8. Chase Elliott: Elliott finished fourth at California, recording his first top-five of the season. He is sixth in the points standings, 17 out of first.

    “I was just named brand ambassador for Hooters Spirits,” Elliott said. “In case you’re wondering, Hooters Spirits is not a haunted Hooter’s restaurant, where the waitresses might say ‘Boo(b)!’ It’s a line of Hooter’s alcoholic beverages. Look for them on shelves. Or better yet, look for them on racks.”

    9. Matt DiBenedetto: DiBenedetto continued his strong start to the season, posting a 13th at Fontana, and is eighth in the points standings.

    “You could say I’m ‘running with the big dogs,’” DiBenedetto said. “And as they say, ‘If you can’t run with the big dogs, stay off the porch.’ Well, I’m a big dog, and I’m gonna stay on that porch, and probably ‘leave my mark.’”

    10. Kyle Busch: Busch finished second in the Auto Club 400, scoring his first top-five result after two lackluster efforts to begin the season.

    “Alex Bowman beat me by almost nine seconds,” Busch said. “In racing, that’s an eternity. So, if you ask how badly I was beaten, I’ll tell you ‘from there to eternity.’

    “As for bounties on me, I say ‘Bring ’em on.’ I don’t mind being the hunted, just as I don’t mind being the bad guy. I’m not here to be liked. You’ve heard of Formula 1, right? Well, for me, it’s not ‘F1,’ it’s ‘F everyone.’”

  • NASCAR Xfinity Series Power Rankings – Las Vegas I

    NASCAR Xfinity Series Power Rankings – Las Vegas I

    The NASCAR Xfinity Series headed out west for their first stop on the west-coast swing at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. When the Xfinity Series drivers and teams arrived on Thursday, it was sunny skies and the usual Vegas temperatures. However, when race day on Saturday arrived, the Boyd Gaming 300 was in jeopardy due to the threat of rain increasing throughout the day. They always say, if you want rain, bring a NASCAR race to your town and it will rain.

    Just shortly after drivers fired their engines, the skies opened up and created a delay. After the 50-minute track drying effort, cars got on-track for the first time since Friday afternoon as qualifying was canceled. Only 50 laps and the first stage were completed before the rain returned to the track. NASCAR dried the track for what felt like the longest rain delay ever. Then, there looked liked to be some light at the end of the tunnel, as the track was ready at 10:30 p.m. ET. However, Mother Nature had other plans and completely washed out any progress that NASCAR had made. This forced the Xfinity Series officials to postpone the race to Sunday, one-hour after the Cup Series race.

    Once Sunday came, the Xfinity Series drivers were able to get the rest of the 150 laps remaining completed. While there were only five cautions for 28 laps and not much action occurred in this race, there were some drivers that had and needed a great run after a dismal week at Daytona last weekend.

    Here are this week’s Power Rankings following the Boyd Gaming 300 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

    1. Chase Briscoe – Briscoe completely dominated and waxed the field in Sunday night’s race. After starting second, it didn’t take him long to get the lead. In fact, Briscoe led the last 25 laps of the first stage before taking the stage win. One day later, the Indiana native continued to have a great car and consistently remained up front. Briscoe had an intriguing battle with Ford Performance teammate Austin Cindric, while also battling with Justin Allgaier at times for the lead. Though, the No. 98 Stewart Haas Racing team was the team to beat in this race. It seemed like nothing could stop Briscoe. Once the final pit stops cycled out, Briscoe led the final 36 laps to score his third career Xfinity Series victory. A dominant showing by Briscoe and the No. 98 team.

      Previous Week Ranking – Second
    2. Harrison Burton – A quiet race for Harrison Burton and the No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Dex Imaging Toyota. Burton never challenged for the race win or lead, but had a strong car to fight for a top-five finish. He ran as low as 20th, however, that was mainly due to pit stops cycling out. Burton’s mid-race run was a seventh-place car. The JGR driver was able to finish seventh and sixth in both stages, respectively. A late-race caution might’ve helped Burton to challenge for the win, but ultimately, had to settle for a fifth-place finish.

      Previous Week Ranking – Third
    3. Austin Cindric – After a disastrous run last week at Daytona by finishing 25th due to a crash, Cindric had a great run this week at Vegas and almost pulled off the win. He led a couple of times early in the stages and narrowly grabbed a stage win in the second stage. Cindric led 16 laps from laps 149 to 164 but was passed by eventual race winner Briscoe. The Team Penske driver tried all he could to run Briscoe down late in the finish but ran out of time to do so. Cindric finished second at the end of the night after leading 39 laps.

      Previous Week Ranking – Not Ranked
    4. Noah Gragson – Noah Gragson and the No. 9 JR Motorsports team had an interesting night out in Las Vegas. The hometown driver started seventh thanks to qualifying being rained out but had a unique moment on lap 163. Gragson accidentally made contact with the No. 21 of Myatt Snider on the frontstretch, which sent Snider spinning. After this happened, Snider and his team were certainly unhappy with the No. 9 of Gragson. Despite the incident, Gragson finished fourth after finishing eighth in Stage 1. However going forward, Snider will make it a lot tougher for Noah to pass them whenever those two are racing.

      Previous Week Ranking – First
    5. Ryan Seig – As the race concluded, Ryan Seig and the No. 39 team was the story of the night after having a stellar run late in the going. The team finally started to show some progress in the second stage by finishing seventh, but really started to make some noise late. Sieg never got to lead any laps, though he was running inside the top five and as high as second at one point. Even with the reported vibration from Sieg’s car, they still managed to run inside the top five. After the final pit stop of the night for may teams, Sieg needed a late-race caution as he was the only that had a set of unused tires left. Unfortunately, the break never came and Sieg was left with a third-place finish. Still, this was a great run by a small team who are bound to do big things in 2020.

    Fell Out

    1. Myatt Snider- It was a forgettable night for Myatt Snider in Las Vegas. Snider was sent to the rear of the field after going to a back-up car after crashing in practice on Friday afternoon. There was some progress being made as he was able to finish 10th in Stage 2 and was starting to have a good race as the laps wound down. However Snider was caught up in a spin by Noah Gragson on the frontstretch. While this certainly didn’t take him out of the race, Snider was relegated to a 16th place finish.

      Previous Week Ranking- Fourth
    2. Timmy Hill – It was a rough outing for Timmy Hill and the No. 61 HRE team Sunday night. Hill finished 26th, five laps down.

      Previous Week Ranking- Fifth