Author Archives: Owen Stewart

Post Pocono Power Ranking

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Post Pocono Power Ranking for the NASCAR Cup Series as they get ready for racing at Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Sunday.
LONG POND, PENNSYLVANIA – JUNE 28: Kevin Harvick, driver of the #4 Busch Head for the Mountains Ford, leads a pack of cars during the NASCAR Cup Series Pocono 350 at Pocono Raceway on June 28, 2020, in Long Pond, Pennsylvania. Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images

Post Pocono Power Ranking for the NASCAR Cup Series as they get ready for racing at Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Sunday.

Last weekend’s Pocono doubleheader was supposed to be the first of its kind. Unfortunately, due to the coronavirus pandemic, it wasn’t the first time this season that two races were run in the same week. However, with NASCAR Cup Series races run on Saturday and Sunday, it was the first time in NASCAR history that two races for points were held at the same track on consecutive days. With the races shorter than usual at 325 and 350 miles respectively, fuel strategy reigned supreme, allowing Kevin Harvick and Denny Hamlin to get another victory to add to their already impressive seasons. 

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Post Talladega Power Ranking

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Post Talladega Power Ranking for the NASCAR Cup Series takes a look at the drivers as they head into a doubleheader weekend at Pocono Raceway.
TALLADEGA, ALABAMA – JUNE 22: Ryan Blaney, driver of the #12 Menards/Sylvania Ford, Brad Keselowski, driver of the #2 Dent Wizard Ford, and Bubba Wallace, driver of the #43 Victory Junction Chevrolet, lead a pack of cars during the NASCAR Cup Series GEICO 500 at Talladega Superspeedway on June 22, 2020 in Talladega, Alabama. (Photo by Chris Graythen/Getty Images)

Post Talladega Power Ranking for the NASCAR Cup Series takes a look at the drivers as they head into a doubleheader weekend at Pocono Raceway.

The past few weeks have brought a very diverse group of race tracks. NASCAR went from Bristol, one of the shortest tracks in the sport, to Homestead, a 1.5-mile oval, to Talladega, the sport’s longest and fastest superspeedway. This Talladega race was a bit different from most. Not a ton of wrecks, but still suspense, as most cars were low on fuel coming down to the wire. It ended with another margin of victory smaller than one-hundredth of a second, with Ryan Blaney edging out Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Aric Almirola crossing the line backward in third place, as Erik Jones and John Hunter Nemechek get sandwiched into the wall. A crazy weekend led to some shake-ups in the power ranking leading into the Pocono double-header.

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NASCAR Cup Series Expectations Check

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NASCAR Cup Series Expectations Check: One-third of the way into the 2020 season is time to do a check on the drivers and whether they're meeting expectations to this point of a unique year.
HOMESTEAD, FLORIDA – JUNE 14: Denny Hamlin, driver of the #11 Toyota, leads a pack of cars during the NASCAR Cup Series Dixie Vodka 400 at Homestead-Miami Speedway on June 14, 2020 in Homestead, Florida. (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images)

NASCAR Cup Series Expectations Check: One-third of the way into the 2020 season is time to do a check on the drivers and whether they’re meeting expectations to this point of a unique year.

As crazy as the 2020 season has been, normalcy is gradually returning to NASCAR. Eight races have been run since the ten-week-long hiatus due to the coronavirus pandemic, bringing the season to its one-third completion mark. Drivers needed an adjustment period to the post-pandemic era of the sport; no practice, no qualifying, no fans, two races in one weekend, the list goes on and on. As the races continue to roll on by, these adjustments have allowed some drivers to surprise, and caused others to disappoint. With the season at a bit of a junction heading into Talladega, here’s a quick look at which drivers are exceeding expectations, and which drivers are flopping. 

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Homestead Power Ranking

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Homestead Power Ranking this week as the NASCAR Cup Series now heads to the Superspeedway of Talladega for the upcoming weekend.
HOMESTEAD, FLORIDA – JUNE 14: Kevin Harvick, driver of the #4 Busch Light Ford, and Kyle Busch, driver of the #18 M&M’s Messages Toyota, lead the field during the NASCAR Cup Series Dixie Vodka 400 at Homestead-Miami Speedway on June 14, 2020, in Homestead, Florida. Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images

Homestead Power Ranking this week as the NASCAR Cup Series now heads to the Superspeedway of Talladega for the upcoming weekend.

Homestead-Miami Speedway is no longer the site of the NASCAR Cup Series championship race, The 1.5-mile oval track, however, still provides some drama and exciting racing. Kyle Busch came into the weekend as the defending winner at the track, but instead, his teammate Denny Hamlin dominated the race by winning both stages and eventually the race. It was his third victory of the season. Hamlin’s win, as well as disappointing performances from other drivers near the top of the standings, caused some shake-ups in this week’s rankings.

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Martinsville Power Ranking

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The Martinsville Power Ranking is for both Atlanta and Martinsville NASCAR Cup Series races over the past week. Kevin Harvick continues his dominating season.
MARTINSVILLE, VIRGINIA – JUNE 10: Chris Buescher, driver of the #17 Fastenal Ford, during the NASCAR Cup Series Blue-Emu Maximum Pain Relief 500 at Martinsville Speedway on June 10, 2020, in Martinsville, Virginia. Photo by Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images

The Martinsville Power Ranking is for both Atlanta and Martinsville NASCAR Cup Series races over the past week. Kevin Harvick continues his dominating season.

Nineteen years ago, Kevin Harvick picked up his first career victory at Atlanta Motor Speedway. Present-day, not much has changed. Harvick picked up his second win of the season by dominating the field over the last hundred or so laps, leaving just ten cars on the lead lap by the end of the race. The race also brought a strong performance from Joe Gibbs Racing, with Kyle Busch finishing second, and Martin Truex Jr. finishing third with two stage wins. 

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