Kurt Busch is red hot and his brother Kyle is not.
With an interim crew chief and a Chevrolet running on fumes, Kurt Busch held off Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Brad Keselowski at Pocono, taking the checkered flag and earning his first victory of the 2016 NASCAR Sprint Cup season.
As shared by ESPN Stats and Info (via Twitter), Busch’s win featured a few mini-milestones, one from this season and the other covering his NASCAR career.
Kurt Busch wins NSCS at Pocono; now tied for 25th all-time in wins
He is only driver to complete every lap this season, but this is 1st win
— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) June 6, 2016
Meanwhile, Kyle Busch continues to struggle, finishing a third consecutive race in 30th place or worse.
Kevin Harvick, last week’s ratings leader, had another solid showing, finishing 9th at Pocono.
As a result, Harvick remains the leader in the latest NASCAR Power Rankings at The Wife Hates Sports. Harvick’s lead over Kurt Busch is just 13 ratings points, while Kyle Busch remains in third place, but has faded back a bit.
With his third place finish at Pocono, Brad Keselowski returns to this week’s top five and sits in fourth place. Matt Kenseth (7th over the weekend) is in fifth.
Matt Kenseth is also the biggest mover of the week, jumping three spots in the latest poll. Brad Keselowski and Ryan Blaney also had solid showings, moving up two spots.
On the flip side, Austin Dillon is the biggest loser of the week, falling four spots to 17th place. Last week’s record breaking winner Martin Truex Jr. also had a rough go, dropping three spots to 7th, while Jimmie Johnson fell three slots to 8th.
Next week, the NASCAR field blazes to Michigan for the FireKeepers Casino 400.
Kurt Busch celebrates his first NASCAR win of the season with a burnout
Next Up: FireKeepers Casino 400 at Michigan International Speedway on Sunday June 12th at 1:00pm ET
2016 NASCAR Power Rankings: Week 14
The Wife Hates Sports | Write-up by Kevin Paul | Rankings by Bill Schneider
Bill Schneider has pieced together a unique ratings system that differs from all the mainstream rankings. Along with the data he uses, Bill includes and incorporates recent finishes. He also ties in the big picture for the entire NASCAR season.
