Tires, tires, tires.
Last Sunday’s race wasn’t about being necessarily the fastest, but rather the last one standing.
Soon after the green flag dropped it became apparent that tire conservation was going to be key throughout the race as tires, mostly on the left-side, were either blowing out or going flat around 20 laps into a green-flag run. With the excessive tire wear, NASCAR’s best drivers and teams had to endure a grueling 400 miles, where staying off the gas pedal was more important than passing the leader.
Despite the tire issues which affected drivers like Carl Edwards, Greg Biffle, Dale Earnhardt, Jr., Brad Keselowski and Kevin Harvick, the race presented plenty of side-by-side action and a show of dominance by two champions.
Without question, the best two cars on Sunday were Hendrick Motorsports teammates, Jeff Gordon and Jimmie Johnson. The two drivers combined to lead 127 of the race’s first 198 laps and they ran in 1st and 2nd for most of the race’s second half.
As the laps wound down it appeared that Hendrick Motorsports was going to have a 1-2 finish for the third time at Auto Club Speedway as Johnson was leading Gordon with less than 10 laps to go.
That all changed when Johnson suffered a flat left front tire with seven laps to go.
With Johnson out of contention, Gordon inherited the lead and appeared to be on the way to victory lane when Clint Bowyer lost a left rear tire and slid in turn 4 with two laps to go, thus bringing out the caution flag.
The caution brought almost everyone to pit road, but Gordon wound up leaving in 6th after several cars beat him out, some on two tires and others with four.
On the Green-White-Checkered restart, Kyle Busch broke out from 5th place to pass brother, Kurt, off turn 2 on the final lap. Busch would fend off rookie Kyle Larson — who made a valiant effort for his first career victory in turns 3 and 4 — to score his second consecutive victory at the track.
Meanwhile, Gordon and Johnson were relegated to finishes of 13th and 24th, respectively.
Busch became the fifth different winner in five races this season and became a near-lock for a Chase birth.
But where will he stand in this week’s Power Rankings?
Let’s take a look:
1. Dale Earnhardt, Jr. — +2
Earnhardt, Jr. moves to the top of the rankings this weekend after a solid rebound last race. After losing the left front tire and hitting the turn 1 wall early in last Sunday’s race, Earnhardt rallied from tail-end of the pack to the top 5 in the mid stages. Unfortunately, Earnhardt, Jr. lost another tire in the second half and had to pit under green and lost a lap after the yellow flag waived a few laps later. Earnhardt, Jr. was able to make up that lap in the final quarter of the race and came back to 12th at the finish.
At Martinsville: Earnhardt, Jr. has had a great record at the famous short track. In 28 starts, Earnhardt, Jr. has no wins but has 10 top 5s and 15 top 10s with an average finish of 13.2. Expect him at the front in the final laps on Sunday.
2. Jeff Gordon — +/- 0
The heart-break driver last Sunday was Gordon. Without a doubt, the best car on the long run was Gordon who had also the only car that could run with Johnson in the race’s second half. Gordon’s race was all about speed and no results to show. After coming back from the tail-end of the field and into the top 10, twice, in less than 60 laps, Gordon challenged and passed Johnson for the lead in the middle portions of the race. He trailed Johnson for the majority of the final 30 laps after feeling a vibration, but was able to inherit the lead with seven laps remaining when Johnson had his left front go down. Gordon was two laps away from victory until Clint Bowyer’s spin in turn 4 took those chances away. A tough loss for Gordon in what had been a impressive performance by him and the team all race long.
At Martinsville: They call him “The Master” at Martinsville and for good reason. Gordon has simply owned Martinsville throughout his career. In 42 starts, Gordon has eight wins, 27 top 5s and 34 top 10s with an average finish of 6.8 — simply mind-blowing. He has also led 3,590 laps — more than 17 percent of his total laps run on the track. With anger and motivation over last week’s tough loss, expect “The Master” to be a handful come Sunday.
3. Carl Edwards — +1
Edwards was one of many comeback stories from last Sunday. After losing a tire and spinning out in turn 1 during the second half of the race, Edwards was able to rally back to a solid 10th place finish at the end of the day. With four straight top 10s including a win at Bristol, Edwards is off to strong start this season as he left California the points leader.
At Martinsville: Edwards has not fared too well at the half mile. In 19 starts, Edwards has no wins, one top 5 and five top 10s with an average finish of 15.8. Let’s see if he can improve on that.
4. Brad Keselowski — -3
Keselowski was another to have trouble late in the day. After leading 38 laps in the first half, Keselowski had a left rear tire go down with less than 10 laps to go while he was running in the top 5. The flat tire caused Keselowski to pit under the green flag and he lost a lap in the process. He went on to finish 26th. Not good at all.
At Martinsville: Keselowski has been surprisingly good at Martinsville. In eight starts, he has no wins, one top 5 and five top 10s with an average finish of 10.4. He also has a streak of four-straight top 10s at the track. Will Keselowski get a fifth on Sunday?
5. Jimmie Johnson — +/- 0
Like his teammate, Johnson had to have felt heart broken last Sunday. Johnson led 104 laps and appeared to be the second best car on the long run. But with Gordon playing it safe because of vibration, Johnson seemed poised to get his sixth win at his home track. That all changed when he blew his left front with seven laps remaining. Tough end to a strong race.
At Martinsville: Perhaps, the only driver that could match Gordon’s résumé at Martinsville is Johnson. In 24 starts, Johnson has eight wins, 17 top 5s and 21 top 10s with an average finish of 5.3 — remarkably strong. Johnson has also led 2,451 laps — that’s about 20 percent of all the laps he’s run there. Like Gordon, expect Johnson to be very tough on Sunday.
6. Matt Kenseth — +1
After struggling with the handling in the early parts of Sunday’s race, Kenseth and crew got the car better which allowed Kenseth to contend for a top 5 in the second half of the race. And after leading 19 laps, Kenseth survived the carnage and finish in 4th place. Strong showing for the No.20 team.
At Martinsville: Kenseth has had moderate success at Martinsville. In 28 starts, Kenseth has no wins, four top 5s and nine top 10s with an average finish of 15.3. But his last time there, Kenseth led 202 laps and finished 2nd behind Gordon. That should give the No.20 team some confidence this weekend.
7. Kyle Busch — +4
While he didn’t have anything for Johnson or Gordon during the race, Busch ran in the top 5 for the majority of the day and was close enough to steal the win when opportunity knocked. With the victory, Busch is now a “virtual” lock for the Chase. And with that pressure off, Busch might just real off three or four more wins before the playoffs arrive.
At Martinsville: Busch has been feast or famine at Martinsville. In 18 starts, Busch has no wins, eight top 5s and nine top 10s but he has an average finish of 16th. Will the momentum of last Sunday’s win carry over this weekend? We’ll have to wait and see.
8. Joey Logano — -2
Logano had a fast car, just terrible luck on Sunday. After running in the top 5 in the early portions of the race, Logano went behind the wall with mechanical issues before half way. He eventually returned but finished 11 laps down in 39th. Ouch.
At Martinsville: Martinsville has not been too kind to Logano. In 10 starts, Logano has no wins, one top 5 and two top 10s with an average finish of 15.9. Don’t expect too much from Logano this weekend.
9. Brian Vickers — +5
The momentum keeps building for Vickers and crew. After finishing in the top 10 at Bristol, Vickers ran with the leaders all day on Sunday and came home with a solid 7th place finish. The top 10 moved Vickers to 13th in points, a solid rally after a slow start to the season.
At Martinsville: Like Logano, Martinsville has not been to kind to Vickers. In 16 starts, Vickers has no wins or top 5s and only three top 10s with an average finish of 19th. But with the momentum the team has, this misfortune could turn around on Sunday.
10. Denny Hamlin — -2
Nice to hear that Hamlin is cleared to race this weekend after missing last Sunday with a Sinus infection. California has not been kind to Hamlin the last two trips there.
At Martinsville: While Gordon and Johnson have been the best two at Martinsville, Hamlin has not been far behind. In 17 starts, Hamlin has four wins, nine top 5s and 13 top 10s with an average finish of 7.3 — quite impressive. This weekend has already been interesting for Hamlin. Hamlin qualified in 2nd for the race and also promised that he would win. Time will tell if he can back it up.
11. Jamie McMurray — +5
After the disappointing finish at Bristol, McMurray rebounded with a solid outing at California. He ran in the top 15 all race and came home in 6th place. Nice showing.
At Martinsville: Martinsville has been a decent track for McMurray. In 22 starts, McMurray has no wins and one top 5, but he has 12 top 10s with an average finish of 16.2. Expect more of the same this weekend.
12. Kasey Kahne — -3
Like Logano, Kahne had a decent run going before mechanical troubles sent him to the garage just passed halfway. Kahne later returned but finished 26 laps down in 41st place. Not good at all.
At Martinsville: Historically, Martinsville has been a terrible track for Kahne. In 20 starts, Kahne has no wins, three top 5s and four top 10s with an average finish of 20.2. Let’s see if that can turn around this weekend for Kahne.
13. Austin Dillon — +2
For the second week in a row, Dillon came home 11th. The rookie ran in the top 20 almost all day and kept his nose and tires clean. It paid off with another solid finish.
At Martinsville: N/A
14. Kyle Larson — NEW
What a weekend for Larson. After winning his first career Nationwide Series race last Saturday, Larson came within a bumper of possibly winning his first career Sprint Cup Series race. The rookie was impressive all race. He ran in the top 10 for the balance and raced like a veteran at the end. The finish was Larson’s second straight top 10 of the season. This rookie is learning fast.
At Martinsville: Larson has run only one race at Martinsville which was last year in the fall. He finished 42nd after suffering mechanical trouble.
15. Tony Stewart — +4
“Smoke” is slowing rising. After spinning out by himself mid race, Stewart rallied from a lap down and used good pit strategy to take home a solid 5th place finish. This makes it two consecutive top 5s for Stewart, who looks better and better after every week.
At Martinsville: Martinsville has been a solid track for Stewart in the past. In 29 starts, Stewart has three wins, nine top 5s and 15 top 10s with an average finish of 13.8. With momentum on his side, don’t be surprised if Stewart gets another solid finish on Sunday.
16. Kevin Harvick — -6
Another week with a fast racecar, another race with nothing to show for it. After starting 4th last Sunday, Harvick suffered a flat left rear tire in the opening 20 laps of the race. He rallied from 43rd to 3rd in the next 100 laps only to have the same tire go down once again. Harvick lost two laps under the green flag and finished 36th, which dropped him to 25th in the standings.
At Martinsville: Harvick has had moderate success at the half-mile track. In 25 starts, Harvick has one win, three top 5s and 11 top 10s with an average finish of 16.2. Let’s see if Harvick can stop the bleeding this weekend.
17. Paul Menard — +/- 0
Menard had himself a nice day on Sunday. After starting 30th, Menard ran in the top 15 most of the day, avoided trouble and got himself a 9th place finish at the end. Good day for the No.27 team.
At Martinsville: Martinsville hasn’t been good to Menard. In 14 starts, Menard has only one top 5 and an average finish of 20.2. Don’t expect anything big from him this weekend.
18. Ryan Newman — -5
Despite a brief time in the lead, which was on pit strategy, Newman could barely be found on Sunday. Newman struggled with the handling of the car most of the race and finished in 20th. Not a terrible day, but not impressive either.
At Martinsville: Newman has been decent at Martinsville. In 24 starts, Newman has one win, seven top 5s and 11 top 10s with an average finish of 15.3.
19. Kurt Busch — NEW
After struggling to even get a top 20 in the first four races, Busch broke out last Sunday. After qualifying in 17th, Busch ran in the top 10 and moved into the top 5 several times during the race. He took the lead late by making a two-tire call for the Green-white-checkered restart and maintained it until brother Kyle got by off turn 2 on the final lap. Busch crossed the line in 3rd, which was still an impressive and needed run by him and the team.
At Martinsville: Martinsville has been feast or famine for Busch. In 27 starts, Busch has one win, two top 5s and four top 10s, but has an average finish of 21.5. Will it be checkers or wreckers this week for Busch? We will soon find out.
20. Ricky Stenhouse, Jr. — -8
“Proof that what you did last week means absolutely nothing.” – Allen Bestwick. This described the last two weeks for Stenhouse, Jr. After running in the top 5 and finishing a career-best 2nd at Bristol, Stenhouse, Jr. wasn’t even running in the top 30 last weekend. Stenhouse, Jr. struggled with the handling all race and spun in the second half of the event after suffering a flat tire. Stenhouse, Jr. went on to finish in 34th, two laps down. Miserable performance.
At Martinsville: Stenhouse, Jr. has only two starts at Martinsville which came last year. He finished in 25th and 31st, respectively. Let’s see if he can improve on that.
Notables: Dropped Out — Greg Biffle and Aric Almirola.
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