Kyle Busch and the Joe Gibbs No. 18 team had a great weekend in Michigan. Their fourth win of the year locks them in the Chase and gives them a shot at the Sprint Summer Showdown.  Brad Keselowski deserves a shout out after finishing third for the third week in a row after his hard practice crash at Road Atlanta earlier this month.

VICTORY LANE
Kyle Busch- He has hit a stride he has yet to reach this late in the season.
Brad Keselowski – with 3 straight Top 3 finishes, I think his injury has made him more of a concentrated driver.
Joey Logano – He has been a consistent finishing driver over the last 10 races just had a rough start. Hopefully this will be a building block for next season.

THE GARAGE
Carl Edwards – Looking like the guy to take the title from Jimmie Johnson, Has not finished great in a while and needs to change momentum soon.

Power Rankings
(Rankings will be based off of who is running the best, with an emphasis on the last several races but having respect for the duration of the 36 race schedule. Last Week’s Rankings can be found in parenthesis.)
1. (1) Jeff Gordon – Has collected seven of his 12 Top 10’s since Charlotte.
2. (2) Kyle Busch – Has four wins this season and looks to lead the points going into the Chase.
3. (4) Jimmie Johnson – Is now second in the points.
4. (3) Matt Kenseth – Two points away from third in the Race to the Chase.
5. (6) Ryan Newman – Hottest driver in the Cup Series with 187 points scored the last five races.
6. (9) Brad Keselowski –Fourth in points over the last 5 races with 176 points scored.
7. (5) Kevin Harvick – Not a good day in Michigan but is tied for third in points.
8. (10) Tony Stewart – Hating his cars but has scored the sixth most points over the last five races.
9. (7) Kurt Busch – Hit the wall late that puts him down to eighth in the points.
10. (8) Carl Edwards – Has averaged only 28 points over the last five races.
11. (11) Joey Logano – It’s not that he is racing great, it’s just no one is racing better.
12. (NR) Clint Bowyer– Is now sitting 11th in points, needs a win or 25 points on Tony Stewart.

Driver of Week: Kyle Busch – Fourth win on the season.

Stat of the Week: 18 points – the difference between Denny Hamlin and Paul Menard for the last spot in the Chase.

Last Week’s Prediction Results: Carl Edwards- a 36th place finish that started at the beginning of the race.

This Week’s Prediction for Bristol: Ryan Newman

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