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  • NASCAR Gander RV and Outdoors Truck Series Power Rankings – Las Vegas I

    NASCAR Gander RV and Outdoors Truck Series Power Rankings – Las Vegas I

    The NASCAR Gander RV and Outdoors Truck Series headed out west this past weekend for their first of two races at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. To no one’s surprise, the all-time series wins leader, Kyle Busch, dominated the race and won his seventh consecutive Truck Series race.

    However, it wasn’t all that easy for Busch as he did have some challengers throughout the race who, if the opportunity presented itself, could beat Busch in the end. But the Las Vegas native was unbeatable Friday night and went to victory lane. For the rest of the field, some flew under the radar and had a great run, while others had a difficult night at the 1.5-mile speedway. 

    Here are this week’s Power Rankings following the Strat 200 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. 

    1. Austin Hill – Hill followed up a strong run at Daytona with another solid finish Friday night at Vegas. The Georgia native started sixth, ran top five for most of the night and ended up passing Matt Crafton for third coming to the checkered flag. He was penalized after a pit stop but still rebounded for his ninth career top-five finish. Hill was able to place fifth in Stage 1.

      Previous Week Ranking – Second

    2. Johnny Sauter – Sauter had one of the best races in his career at Vegas Friday night. The ThorSport driver qualified on the pole and was never really out of contention. Sauter only led seven laps early but that doesn’t show how well his truck ran all night. Despite not leading a lot of laps, the Wisconsin native finished third and 10th in both stages, respectively. It was almost a flawless race for Sauter but he fought handling issues as well. Still, Sauter found himself with a shot to win late as he was trying different lines but ran out of time to catch Busch. All in all, not a bad outing for him as Sauter’s 2020 is off to a good start.

      Previous Week Ranking – Third

    3. Sheldon Creed – You could very well say that Creed also had the truck to challenge Busch for the win. There were a couple of restarts that occurred late in the going where Creed battled side-by-side with Busch for several laps before settling into second. The GMS Racing driver had a close moment with race leader Busch as Creed got loose off Turn 4 but he was able to save it and continued racing. However, it cost him a lot of spots and eventually a great finish. Creed was relegated to a 10th place finish after having a great truck early and qualifying on the outside pole.

      Previous Week Ranking – Not Ranked

    4. Todd Gilliland – It was a quiet night for Gilliland who was in the top three at one point in the race. However, at one point, he almost made contact with Christian Eckes, as Eckes was behind him and got into the wall, which cut his tire down. Gilliland avoided that incident and continued on racing. It wasn’t all that easy for the No. 38 Front Row Motorsports driver as he qualified 25th, but Gilliland made his way up to the front early on. He finished ninth in the second stage before winding up in the seventh position.

      Previous Week Ranking – Not Ranked

    5. Matt Crafton- Like Gilliland, Crafton also flew under the radar but showed his potential by competing in the top five and 10. He wasn’t able to place at all in Stage 1 but finished fifth in the second stage. Crafton had to fight tire management throughout the night which probably prevented him from getting up front to challenge Busch but he still came home with a fourth-place finish. It easily could have been a third-place finish but he was passed by Hill coming to the finish line on the last lap. A nice rebound for Crafton this week after he finished 15th last week at Daytona.

      Fell Out

      1. Grant Enfinger – Enfinger was caught up in a crash on Lap 89 and received significant damage to the left-front. He did have a great truck early, finishing fourth in the second stage. It was a disappointing night for the Alabaman as he finished 31st after winning Daytona the previous week.

      Previous Week Ranking – Second

      2. Jordan Anderson – It was a tough outing for Anderson who finished 20th this past weekend at Vegas after so much attention surrounding him about his Daytona finish. While winning most certainly wasn’t the expectation, a top-10 or top-15 would have been. But Anderson finished two laps down in the final running order.

      Previous Week Ranking – Fourth 

  • NASCAR Xfinity Series Power Rankings- Daytona

    NASCAR Xfinity Series Power Rankings- Daytona

    The NASCAR Xfinity Series kicked off their 2020 season opener at Daytona International Speedway on a bright sunny Saturday afternoon in central Florida. It was the first race of the season and it sure didn’t disappoint. Xfinity Series regular, Noah Gragson was finally able to pick up the first win of his Xfinity Series career, which more than likely will be the biggest of his young career. Though there were some other drivers who also had great runs. 

    Here is the first installment of this week’s Power Rankings for the NASCAR Xfinity Series following the NASCAR Racing Experience 300. 

    1. Noah Gragson – No surprise here as Gragson dominated the last 20 laps after the final pit stops. He lost the lead briefly to Chase Briscoe for five laps, but was able to take the lead back with two to go before a caution ended the race. The JR Motorsports driver started 12th, finished fourth and ninth in both stages respectively, en route to victory. He led just 15 laps but they were the most important 15 laps of his career.

    2. Chase Briscoe – Despite not having a teammate to work with, Briscoe was strong throughout the whole race, finishing 10th in both stages. The Indiana native only led five laps but remained consistent in the top five or 10. Briscoe had no issues and had a flawless race. Sure, he probably wished he could have finished second or won the race as he was in the lead but a top-five finish is still a solid day, especially at a place like Daytona where a big crash can take you out of a good finish late.

    3. Harrison Burton – While it’s not his first rodeo in the Xfinity Series, rookie Harrison Burton had a strong first outing at Daytona finishing second. There was a lot of hype with the Burton name having a presence Saturday afternoon and certainly, high expectations in the No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota. Burton was able to finish eighth in Stage 1 before missing out on some points in the second stage. He also led nine laps before the race ended. Had the race not ended under caution or if he had a teammate to work with, we most likely would have been talking about a different story right now. Still, not a bad finish for Burton in his first race at Daytona. It will be interesting to watch how Burton progresses throughout the year.

    4. Myatt Snider- New year, new ride for Myatt Snider who is racing part-time in the No. 21 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet. Even though Snider is a rookie in the Xfinity Series, this was not his first Daytona race as he has had previous starts in the Truck Series. The Charlotte, North Carolina racer looked like a seasoned veteran in this race. Snider started on the pole, led the first 13 laps and laps 15 to 23 before Jeb Burton took the stage win. Unfortunately, it would be the only laps led of the day as Snider was caught up in a Lap 61 accident which took him out of contention. The Richard Childress Racing driver wound up a disappointing 33rd place finish after a strong run early on.
    5. Timmy Hill – The underdog Timmy Hill came out of nowhere on the last lap, similar to what Jordan Anderson did on Friday night in the Truck Series race. The Maryland native finished third, earning his best career finish with the Carl Long owned No. 66 Toyota. Hill didn’t place in the top-10 in either stage but had the caution not ended and tandem drafting was allowed, Hill could have been the upset winner and a story we could have been talking about for ages.

  • NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series Power Rankings- Bristol

    NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series Power Rankings- Bristol

    The NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series visited Bristol Motor Speedway this past Thursday night for the start of their fourth annual championship Playoffs. The UNOH 200 was full of all kinds of action with twists and turns throughout the evening.

    There were 12 cautions for 73 laps which means 36.5% of the race was run under caution which is what you would expect for a place like Bristol, especially in a Truck Series race.

    The top spots, for the most part, were filled by playoff drivers, but there were some other drivers who had great runs as well. With that said, here’s a look at this power rankings following Thursday night’s UNOH 200 at Bristol Motor Speedway.

    1. Brett Moffitt – Moffitt led the second-most laps in the race. He had a dominant truck as he qualified on the pole, finished second in Stage 1 and won the second stage. Rarely did you see Moffitt in the back of the field as he avoided all of the major accidents. He traded the lead with Ross Chastain and Grant Enfinger, before taking the lead for good on Lap 174. Moffitt led the final 27 laps to pick up his third win of the year and the 10th of his career. With the win, he advances onto the next round of the Playoffs.

      Previous Week Ranking- Fourth

    2. Grant Enfinger – It was a fifth-place finish for Enfinger and his No. 98 ThorSport Racing team. He led once for 57 laps and finished ninth in Stage 2. Despite finishing fifth, he is tied fourth in the playoff standings with his teammate Matt Crafton. The top five finish continues Enfinger’s consistency that he has had throughout the season that ultimately earned him the regular-season championship.

      Previous Week Ranking – First

    3. Stewart Friesen – Friesen started on the right foot in the Playoffs, finishing fourth after starting third. It shouldn’t be surprising at Bristol, as he was runner-up in last year’s race. The Halmar Racing driver was unable to lead any laps but had good stage results, finishing seventh in Stage 1 and fifth in Stage 2. Now, Friesen heads to his home racetrack Canadian Tire Motorsports Park and will look for a popular victory north of the border.

      Previous Week Ranking – Fifth

    4. Ross Chastain – Chastain quite possibly had the second-best truck of the night. He started on the outside pole, led four times for 78 laps and wound up third. He won Stage 1 and finished second in Stage 2. Some may question his aggression, but nonetheless, it was his seventh top-five of the year. The strong season continues for the No. 45 Niece Motorsports team.

      Previous Week Ranking – Not Ranked

    5. Sheldon Creed – Even though he missed the Playoffs, Creed followed Michigan’s strong run with a sixth-place finish at Bristol. He started a disappointing 24th and did not record and top -10 stage finishes. But he was there at the end had things gone Creed’s way. Unfortunately, Creed will have to wait for another race as he finished sixth, his seventh top-10 of 2019.

      Previous Week Ranking – Second

      Fell Out

      1. Tyler Dippel – Dippel was nowhere to be seen, as he had a disastrous night at Bristol getting caught up in a couple of incidents. He was involved in two wrecks, one on Lap 131 and the other on Lap 183. The Youngs Motorsports driver was probably more than ready to leave Bristol after recording a 24th place finish.

      Previous Week Ranking – Third
  • NASCAR Top-10 Power Rankings: Phoenix

    NASCAR Top-10 Power Rankings: Phoenix

    Note: The quotes in this article are fictional.

    1. Kyle Busch: With wins in the Camping World and Nationwide series already logged, Busch fell just short of the triple, finishing second to Jeff Gordon in the Subway Fresh Fit 500. Busch took the lead at Phoenix on lap 291 and held on until lap 304, when Gordon muscled by him for the lead. Busch now leads the Sprint Cup point standings with a 3-point edge over older brother Kurt.

     “Natalie Portman dazzled with her Oscar-winning role in Black Swan,” Busch said. “Next up for Ms. Portman? Playing the lead role in the story of Teresa Earnhardt, in a film entitled White Loon.”

     “There may be room for only one black swan in ‘Swan Lake,’ but in the Busch family, everyone, relatives and competitors alike, will tell you there’sroom for two ‘black sheep.’”

     2. Jeff Gordon: Gordon snapped his 66-race winless streak, capping a dominating day in Phoenix by passing Kyle Busch with 8 laps to go and cruising to the victory. Gordon tied Cale Yarbrough for fifth on the all-time wins list, with 83, and ended a near two-year run of frustration.

     “In the spirit of Aron Ralston, subject of the Oscar-nominated movie 127 Hours,” Gordon said, “I’d like to have my left arm raised in victory as opposed to my right. Ralston showed great courage in the face of a harrowing predicament, just like me, except I did it for nearly two years, as opposed to a measly 127 hours.”

     “I’m just thankful my winless streak has been halted. It was long and grueling. Now, some other famous driver will be known for his winless streak, and I’m thrilled I’ll no longer be known for having the ‘longest skid’ mark.”

     3. Carl Edwards: Edwards set a track record in Saturday’s qualifying in taking the pole, but his opportunity to show off that speed fizzled when he was forced off the track when Kyle Busch’s No. 18 Combo’s Toyota got loose on lap 60. Edwards’ No. 99 Subway Fusion ran over the curb and into the grass, causing serious front-end damage. Repairs cost Edwards 60 laps, and he finished 28th.

    “What did they say after the last award was handed out at the Academy Awards?” Edwards asked. “’We just ran out of talent.’ That’s quite similar to what Kyle Busch said in his apology to me. But seriously, Kyle showed contrition and remorse, so there was no need for a confrontation. I think what we’re seeing this year are kinder, gentler versions of both Kyle and I. We both believe we can win the Sprint Cup, and we both realize rash behavior can quickly derail those hopes.”

    “By no means am I a lover, and I’m definitely not The Fighter, the movie in which Christian Bale earned an Oscar for best supporting actor. On that note, what do you call it when Trevor Bayne goes all the way from winning the Daytona 500 to a 40th in Phoenix? A ‘Christian Bail.’”

    4. Kurt Busch: Busch started second at Phoenix and posted his second top-10 result of the season, finishing 8th in the Subway Fresh Fit 500. Difficulty in the corners prevented the No. 22 Shell/Pennzoil Dodge from challenging for the win, but Busch headed to Las Vegas content with a solid points-paying day and the knowledge that the Busch brothers occupy to top two spots in the point standings.

     “If our parents ever doubted our decisions to race professionally,” Busch said, “I’d just like to say to Mom and Dad, ‘The Kids Are All Right.’ And while we’re on the subject of the Academy Awards, I’d like to congratulate Kyle for winning the ‘best actor’ award at Phoenix, for making his apology to Carl Edwards seem genuine. Now that’s acting!”

    5. Tony Stewart: Stewart led 59 laps at Phoenix, second only to Jeff Gordon’s 138, and finished 7th, joining Stewart-Haas Racing teammate Ryan Newman, who finished 5th, in the top 10. Stewart is 4th in the point standings, 11 out of first.

     “Two races into the season,” Stewart said, “and we’ve had a car capable of winning both times. I’m pleased that we’ve been so competitive early in the season. Usually, I don’t get warmed up until Winter’s Bone gives way to ‘Summer’s Boon.’”

     “As you may know, Winter’s Bone tells the story of a meth-addled family in the Ozark’s. You may know it by its alternate title, Mayfield’s In The Mountains.” 

    6. Jimmie Johnson: Johnson qualified a disappointing 28th on Saturday, but the No. 48 Lowe’s team unlocked the speed in Johnson’s Impala, courtesy of numerous adjustments and quick work in the pits. Johnson moved up to third on lap 294 and held off Kevin Harvick to post his first top-5 of the year.

     “I’ve got to hand it to Chad Knaus for making the right calls,” Johnson said. “It’s been said that everything Chad touches turns to gold. Once upon a time, that meant everything ‘turned to gold’ for NASCAR, assuming they converted fines levied against Knaus into gold.”

     “There’s a lot of drivers claiming they can win the Sprint Cup championship. But, let’s face it, we all know whose name will be called come November. The Academy Awards has one thing NASCAR lacks when the words ‘And the winner is…’ are spoken: suspense.”

     7. Kevin Harvick: Harvick rebounded from engine failure at Daytona to finish a solid 4th at Phoenix, leading one lap and collecting a valuable 41 points. The No. 29 Jimmy John’s Chevrolet found trouble early, with a slow pit stop followed by a spin triggered by contact in front of him.

     “Daytona was hard to swallow,” said Harvick, “but our performance at Phoenix gives me confidence that this team is capable of a championship. Much like the themes in the Oscar-nominated film Inception, a ‘seed has been planted,’ instilling us with the confidence that we can do it. Those who doubt me may very well say ‘in your dreams,’ but just look on the hood of my car, where the words ‘Jimmy John’s’ appear. How can one say we’re not championship material when nearly the entire name of 5-time Cup champion Jimmie Johnson is on my hood?”  

     8. A.J. Allmendinger: Allmendinger validated his 11th in the Daytona 500 with a 9th at Phoenix, sporting Ford’s only top-10 finisher. He’s third in the Sprint Cup point standings, 11 behind Kyle Busch.

     “As the driver of the No. 43 car for Richard Petty Motorsports,” Allmendinger said, “a lot is expected of me. And I wouldn’t have it any other way. Before every race, I get a pep talk from Petty, and I can tell you first-hand that nothing inspires more than The King’s Speech.”

    9. Mark Martin: Martin overcame slight damage after contact with Kevin Harvick’s No. 29 car to pilot the No. 5 GoDaddy.com Chevrolet to a 13th-place finish at Phoenix. It was a banner day for Hendrick Motorsports, as Jeff Gordon won for the first time in 66 races and all four HMS cars placed in the top 13. Martin is now 6th in the point standing, 65 behind Kyle Busch.

     “As I very well know,” Martin said, “there’s no shame in coming in second, or coming in 13th, especially here at Hendrick. As the low man on the totem pole on a team consisting of a 5-time champion, a 4-time champion, and NASCAR’s most popular driver, The Social Network here affords me the chance to rub shoulders with greatness. I’m a popular driver in my own right. Heck, everybody ‘likes’ me. I expect one day, when I update my status to ‘retired’ for good, I’ll be honored with a lifetime achievement award.”

     10. Ryan Newman: Newman led 7 laps and finished fifth in the Subway Fresh Fit 500, joining Stewart-Haas teammate Tony Stewart, who finished 7th, in the top 10. Newman improved 13 places in the point standings to 9th, and trails Kyle Busch by 16.

     “This is a team to be reckoned with,” Newman said. “Tony and I have a great working relationship, unlike the one I had with former teammate Rusty Wallace. That association was abrasive, so abrasive that one could call it True Grit. Rusty and I never saw eye to eye, even when we both were wearing eyepatches.”