Last season I released my Pre Season 5 Power Rankings in the Podcast, and came pretty close to the final standings. This season we were able to get some others to do this with me, and will be revisiting this once the standings are final at the end of the season. I also plan to put out my own weekly Power Rankings each week to keep this going through the season. The three who submitted their pre season rankings are Al Andretti (AL), Javier Vasquez (JV), and myself Rhett Sawyer (RS). As a disclaimer these lists aren’t based on this seasons driver builds but rather the History of Teams retaining Veteran Drivers, the previous season performance, and their consistency season to season. Tell Us what you think we got right and what you think we got wrong.
The Scoring used for the Power Rankings is based on the averages of each teams rank from the 3 submissions. The Scores are shown as well as where each person had them ranked. I will also be providing a quick thought on each to explain where I had them ranked.
Starting with the Oval series Rankings, Nascar, Trucks, Super Late Models
1 – NLR – 1.33 – (AL-1, JV-1, RS-2)
- Returning Oval Champions and only multi Oval Championship winning team, Season 3 and Season 5. However will they be able to survive the loss of their strongest series last season with XFinity being cut from the league to make room for other series?
2- Brew Crew – 2 – (AL-3, JV-2, RS-1) - Had the hottest close out of the season, almost closing a massive almost 200 point gap with 3 weeks to go. Another week or 2 and they could have won it all. With Nascar and Trucks being their strongest series they look poised to make a hard charge in Season 6.
3 – Low Fuel – 2.66 – (AL-2, JV-3, RS-3) - EP!C closed shop at the end of last season and LFR was able to absorb some of their talented drivers, including Kyle Storm and Jim Dean. LFR has been a streaky team week to week so if the EP!C merger can bring up their consistency each week, then LFR will be a team to watch.
4 – WCI – 4 – (AL-4, JV-4, RS-4) - I said they had some scary drivers last season and was proven right, their Xfinity Drivers were a threat week in and week out. Chris Armstrong was also one of the top Trucks last season. Now that they have filled out their roster they are ready to see if they can crack into the top tier of Teams!
5 – Apex – 5 – (AL-5, JV-5, RS-5) - Took a step back from Season 4 where they won it all. Unlike their Road series Apex hasn’t been able to find that consistency in the Oval Series. Still plenty of talent on the roster, but they need to find the form that got them the Season 4 Title.
6 – JandK – 6.33 – (AL-6, JV-7, RS-6) - In Season 4 they were the cleanest team throughout, in Season 5 however they weren’t able to recapture that magic even though they took home the 2nd most wins among teams. Teams have only gotten better since, Otis Boudreaux has to figure out how to keep his drivers on the track and out of the wall, easier said than done though.
7 – Desperado – 7 – (AL-8, JV-6, RS-7) - Last season they had an incomplete roster as well as some Ownership changes, Jaedyn Swift was able to get the team to the finish though. Now with a clean slate to start the season, he has added more Drivers to complete the roster for the first time in a couple seasons, will it be enough though to join the Top 6 that have separated themselves?
8 – Can-Am – 7.66 – (AL-7, JV-8, RS-8) - While being a team that has some of the most talented Drivers in the league, they haven’t found the way to make it consistent Top to Bottom. As well as being this seasons only incomplete Roster they will struggle to make up the difference week to week.
Now it’s time for the new Road Series Power Rankings that now includes IndyCar as well as the Multiclass series that adds LMP and Touring Cars to race alongside GT3
1 – Apex – 1 – (AL-1, JV-1, RS-1)
- Is there really much to say here? Back 2 back Team Championships as well as Individual Championships in Seasons 4 and 5, will the new series open a door for someone to threaten them?
2 – NLR – 2 – (AL-2, JV-2, RS-2) - NLR hasn’t been able to find their way back to the top since season 3. Three times last season their drivers were in position to win the race, but they were unable to close them out. Will changing Manufacturers this season to Mercedes help them find that consistency again?
3 – Brew Crew – 3.66 – (AL-5, JV-3, RS-3) - Week in and week out Gunny McGuire and Willam Thompson were among the fastest cars in each race. They struggled to keep the Audi pointed in the right direction at times. If they can figure that out then they are a threat to the Top 2 teams.
4 – Low Fuel – 4 – (AL-3, JV-4, RS-5) - They were able to get Porsche to unseat Ferrari for the first time on Tracks like Daytona and Bathurst, but struggled to keep it up on the tracks that didn’t allow them to open it up. Finding the consistency from Fast tracks to the more technical will be the key.
5 – WCI – 4.66 – (AL-4, JV-6, RS-4) - The only other team to change manufacturers and they chose Mercedes as well. Will this switch in cars be able to help them stay on the track this season? If so they could find themselves fighting for a title again for the first time since Season 3.
6 – J&K – 5.66 – (AL-6, JV-5, RS-6) - JandK has been a team that has struggled to find some form in the Road series since they became a team. Now there are rumors that they are focusing on the Oval series more this season, will that come at the cost of their Road series Drivers?
7 – Desperado – 7.33 – (AL-8, JV-7, RS-7) - They are the only team driving Ferraris this season, will they be able to fill the void left and keep the brand at the top where it has been? Early times in practice have shown them to be very competitive, but they have to prove it before we can move them up.
8 – Can-Am – 7.66 – (AL-7, JV-8, RS-8) - Similar story to their Oval series, coming in with an incomplete roster is hard to over come, even if it is just 1 driver. Axel Raven was their star driver last season, finishing in the points on a consistent basis, he will need other drivers to join him in doing so to make up the gap.
If you would like to join in and be apart of the Power Rankings team then DM Rhett Sawyer. The more voices we get heard the more exciting this will be!
See you guys next week to see how Week 1 effects the Rankings.
Credit: Rhett Sawyer
