Testing SpeedwayMedia.com

Tag: Power Rankings-Michigan

  • NASCAR Top-10 Power Rankings: Michigan

    NASCAR Top-10 Power Rankings: Michigan

    Note: The quotes in this article are fictional.

    1. Kyle Larson: Larson finished third at Michigan and heads to Daytona looking to clinch the regular-season title.

    “I lead all drivers in wins,” Larson said. “I’m the leader in the points standings. And I’m the favorite to win the Cup championship. Need I say more? No. Which in my case is good.”

    2. Chase Elliott: Elliott won Stage 1 and finished eighth in the FireKeepers Casino 400 at Michigan.

    “Being out front was the key at Michigan,” Elliott said. “You can’t underestimate the importance of clean air. ‘Dirty air’ is what you get when you’re behind the leader, or when you listen to Kyle Busch on his team radio.”

    3. Denny Hamlin: Hamlin came home fifth at Michigan.

    “I’m still winless,” Hamlin said, “but I still have a shot at the regular-season championship. Even if I don’t win it, I can still take comfort in knowing that, with zero wins this season after seven last season, it has, indeed, been a regular season.”

    4. Martin Truex Jr.: Truex suffered early damage to the left rear of his car, which caused major handling issues.

    “That contact was caused by Kyle Busch,” Truex said. “Like most drivers, I try to avoid contact with Kyle under all circumstances. That means on the track, in team functions, and in public. Aside from that, we have a great working relationship.”

    5. William Byron: Byron just missed taking his second win this year, losing to Ryan Blaney by just .077.

    “It sucks to lose by such a slim margin,” Byron said. “Heck, I’d just as soon finish last than lose by so tiny a margin. So, this may very well be the first time someone actually wished they were Joey Gase.”

    6. Kevin Harvick: Harvick struggled with handling issues early and was never a threat to win at Michigan. He finished 14th and remains winless on the year.

    “I won nine times last year,” Harvick said. “And I swept both races at MIS last year. So, I was highly optimistic I could win on Sunday. But I didn’t and I’m very disappointed. On the bright side, I wasn’t obligated to take a sip of Busch Light Apple in Victory Circle.”

    7. Kyle Busch: Busch overshot his pit stall on the final pit sequence, ruining his chances for victory at Michigan. He finished seventh, one of three Joe Gibbs Racing drivers in the top 10.

    “That was totally my fault,” Busch said, “and I can’t tell you how angry I am at myself. I came in a little hot; I came out a little hotter.”

    8. Alex Bowman: Bowman finished 16th at Michigan while Hendrick Motorsports teammates William Byron, Kyle Larson, and Chase Elliott finished 2, 3, and 8, respectively.

    “Daytona is up next on the schedule,” Bowman said. “It’s the last race before the playoffs, and with one playoff spot left, you can imagine how wild it could be at Daytona. As you would expect in Florida, fans refuse to mask their excitement.”

    9. Ryan Blaney: Blaney took the lead on the final restart at Michigan and held on for the win, edging William Byron by .077.

    “It’s always a big deal when a Ford wins at Michigan,” Blaney said. “And that happens a lot. It’s a bigger deal when Ford wins something of consequence. That doesn’t happen a lot.”

    10. Joey Logano: Logano was caught up in a crash on a late restart, leaving his No. 22 Ford with right-front suspension damage. His day was done, and Logano finished 33rd.

    “Congratulations to my Penske Racing teammate Ryan Blaney on his win,” Logano said. “He won by a nose over William Byron. Austin Dillon lost by a nose over Brad Keselowski.”

  • NASCAR Gander RV and Outdoors Truck Series Power Rankings – Michigan

    NASCAR Gander RV and Outdoors Truck Series Power Rankings – Michigan

    Friday night’s race at Michigan International Speedway marked the 11th race of the 2020 Truck Series season. It wasn’t all that long ago that race fans didn’t know when the next Truck Series race would take place. But the season continues to roll on at a decent pace as NASCAR gives their best effort with the goal of completing the entire season.

    The same can be said for rookie Zane Smith, who kept the ball rolling Friday night. He was never really a factor throughout the first two stages, especially after he received a pit penalty, but Smith never lost confidence and continued to work his way back to the front. His winning moment came on the second overtime restart when the leaders collided with each other and Smith broke through the smoke and fended off friend/competitor Christian Eckes for his first career NASCAR victory. The victory was a long time coming for the Californian who has had a strong rookie year and now can focus on the Playoffs and potentially a bid for the championship in his first year.

    While Smith enjoyed the ending of Friday’s race, many drivers probably wish they could have another shot at the race, including Stewart Friesen who wrecked out and was credited with a last-place finish. At this point, the Canadian will need to find a way to win if he has any hopes of repeating his 2019 playoff run.

    With up and down days across the board for everyone, we’ll take a look where everyone lands on this week’s Power Rankings following the Henry Food Health System 200.

    1. Zane Smith – The short break following the Kansas Truck race did not seem to hurt the No. 21 GMS Racing momentum, as Smith piloted the Bay Mountain Air Chevrolet to victory lane. His stage finishes weren’t too kind, placing ninth in the first stage and 15th for the second stage. While the stage finishes and stage points are important, they didn’t matter too much at the end of the day as Smith got the checkered flag in 12 Truck Series starts. As a matter of fact, the victory was his first victory since two-years ago in ARCA competition at Pocono Raceway. It will be interesting to see if Smith and the team can keep the train rolling through the rest of the season.

      Previous Week Ranking – Third
    2. Christian Eckes – Eckes might be frustrated and tired of finishing second the last few weeks, but the Kyle Busch Motorsports No. 18 team earned another top-five finish Friday night, Eckes fourth of the year. Early on, however, it looked liked Eckes was going to have a bad day. He brought out the second caution of the day on Lap 14 when his No. 18 Safelite Tundra spun around on the backstretch. Eckes would spend most of the race trying to get back into contention and what appeared to be no light at the end of the tunnel. However, the late cautions and wrecks put Eckes’ team back upfront and he even tried running down Smith for the win. Ultimately, he fell .318 seconds short of what could have been his first victory. Considering the day Eckes had, the second-place finish was a great rebound from the early spin. Eckes for sure will get a victory one of these days.

      Previous Week Ranking – Second
    3. Derek Kraus – A wild day for Kraus and the No. 19 Bill McAnally team, who ended up finishing eighth in the running order. Friday’s race may have been the wildest ever in his career, as his No. 19 NAPA machine went sliding across the finish line when the checkered flag flew. Kraus, at that point, had no other option but to hang on, hope for the best and that he would not lose any more positions. Fortunately, he didn’t and earned his seventh top 10 of the year. Kraus also earned stage finishes of fifth and 10th.

      Previous Week Ranking – Fifth
    4. Ben Rhodes – It was a rough and forgettable Michigan outing for Rhodes who came home 11th. The ThorSport driver was caught up in retaliation against Chandler Smith, as Rhodes intentionally wrecked him going into Turn 1 on lap 60. Before the incident, Rhodes was having a respectable day where he finished third in Stage 1. But the day would go south after Stage 2, when Rhodes, among others, played track position and hoped the strategy would play in their favor. But, the Kentucky native would have to settle for a finish outside the top 10.

      Previous Week Ranking – Fourth
    5. Grant Enfinger – Enfinger had one of his best races going since his Atlanta win earlier in the season, but was taken out on the second green-white-checkered start while leading. Before that, the Alabaman was having a solid day with stage finishes of seventh and fourth. Depending on how the meeting goes, the postseason could get rocky for Enfinger, as his teammate Johnny Sauter was caught up in a wreck after battling for the lead with 18 to go. Sauter noted on the radio, ‘he would make sure the 98 would not win a championship this year.’ Sure, this comment was likely out of frustration, but here’s hoping cooler heads will prevail and drivers can focus on the bigger picture.

      Previous Week Ranking – Not Ranked

    Fell Out

    1. Matt Crafton – A tale of two races for the veteran who won at Kansas and then got caught up in someone else’s mess at Michigan, resulting in a 23rd place finish. While the finish was disappointing Crafton was able to score stage points by finishing fourth in Stage 1.

      Previous Week Ranking – Fifth
  • NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Power Rankings-Michigan

    NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Power Rankings-Michigan

    With just two races remaining entering this past weekends Corrigan Oil 200 at Michigan International Speedway, the race to the Playoffs action picked up with more intensity.

    Here’s who topped this week’s power ranking.

    1. Brett Moffitt – After starting 21st, Moffitt showed he had a fast truck early in the going. Although, despite not finishing in the top 10 at all during the first stage, he found himself inside the top-10 in the second stage, finishing third. His average running position was eighth, but he led early as well. Moffitt led from laps 23-26. With a late race caution coming out on Lap 80, this bunched most of the leaders back up again. Eight laps later, Moffitt started to charge to the front and caught Sauter for the lead, racing each other for the final remaining laps. When those two started racing against each other, two other drivers (John Hunter Nemechek and Noah Gragson) worked with each other to catch the leaders and to have a shot at the win. Moffitt used this to his advantage as he laid back to Nemechek’s front bumper going into Turn 3 and was able to use the bottom to get a run on Sauter. With that being said, Moffitt wound up beating Sauter to the line by .025 of a second. If Moffitt continues this hot streak and finds sponsorship for the rest of the year, he’ll be right along with Sauter for the Championship 4 in Homestead-Miami.Previous Week Ranking: Not Ranked
    2. Johnny Sauter – Sauter was so close to earning his fifth win of the 2018 season on Saturday afternoon at Michigan. He led 16 laps and was the truck to beat. In the first stage, he finished in the eighth position and found himself outside the top-10 at the end of Stage 2 on Lap 42. However, Sauter was already back in the top-10 on Lap 54 and continued to start making his move toward the front. With 30 to go, the race leaders started to make their final pit stops for the day. GMS Racing ally, Stewart Friesen, was leading and was trying to fend off Sauter for the lead. Friesen had to pit, which saw Sauter assume the lead during that cycle until a caution came out a few laps later. After pitting, he restarted in the fifth position. He took the lead again with 12 laps to go. Sauter was in a position to win for the fifth time this year until eventual race winner Brett Moffitt, passed him at the finish line by .025 seconds. It would’ve been his first win since Texas. However, he continues to be the guy to beat for the championship this year.  It’s hard to imagine the championship race without Sauter. Although, stranger things have happened in this sport.Previous Week Ranking: Not Ranked
    3. Todd Gilliland – For not having raced at Michigan before, Gilliland looked like a pro at the two-mile track by finishing fifth. In what would set the tone for the day early in qualifying, he missed the pole by 0.01 seconds which gave him a second-place starting spot. With a track well known for track position, Gilliland showed he had a strong truck early on by finishing third in the first stage. When Stage 2 began, he restarted in the second position but slipped back to the eighth position. Gilliland remained in that position for the rest of the stage and finished there. As the final stage began, he stayed out to get track position. He pit on Lap 74, but a caution came out six laps later. With this final caution and pitting early, Gilliland saw himself in the second position for the final restart. Ultimately, the No. 4 Sherrills Ford, North Carolina driver finished fifth for his second top five of the year. Gilliland led eight times.Previous Week Ranking: Fifth
    4. Ben Rhodes – Rhodes had a decent outing at Michigan this past weekend by finishing sixth. It was his first top-10 since he won at Kentucky two weeks back. He was close at Pocono last weekend but finished 11th. Rhodes finished sixth in the first stage, but fell outside the second stage due to strategy late in the stage and wound up 17th for Stage 2. At the end of the day, the No. 41 Carolina Nut driver finished sixth for his eighth top-10 of the season. Rhodes is in a good position and will make the Playoffs by virtue of his Kentucky win.Previous Week Ranking: Not Ranked
    5. Noah Gragson – After missing the Pocono race due to sickness, Gragson came back in full force finishing fourth after starting third. He led two laps early on after battling with John Hunter Nemechek and Todd Gilliland for the lead. Gragson finished fourth in both Stage 1 and 2. In the final stage, the No. 18 Safelite driver was right behind race leader Matt Crafton on Lap 64 but went in 10 laps later for a scheduled pit stop. After the caution on Lap 80, Gragson was up front for the race lead and potential race win. Five laps after the restart, Gragson fell back to fourth. In the final laps, he tried working with Nemechek in hopes of catching the leaders and a possible race win. However, Gragson finished fourth for his fourth top-10 of the year after leading 18 laps. He currently sits second, 56 points behind Sauter in the regular season point standings.Previous Week Ranking: Not RankedFell Out
      1. Stewart Friesen – Friesen had a solid day at Michigan. He won the first stage and finished ninth in the second stage after pitting. Friesen couldn’t really rebound and was stuck in traffic, ultimately finishing in the eighth position after leading 12 laps and earning one stage point. He should be able to breathe easy when the Playoffs standings are set at Bristol this Thursday night.
      2. Dalton Sargeant – Sargeant placed the No. 25 machine 12th after a strong outing at Pocono the week before. He was only able to finish 10th in the second stage. He’ll have to win at Bristol in order to make the Playoffs this year.
      3. Grant Enfinger – Enfinger, another bubble Playoff driver, had a good day and all was not lost. He started sixth, finished fifth and won the second stage. Despite sitting on the bubble heading to Bristol, he should be okay on making the Playoffs, barring any new winners and no incidents for the No. 98 team Thursday night.