Fern Moves Six Spots, Schildhouse Takes Over Monday Night Racing Power Rankings
Kyle Busch put the Rowdy Energy Toyota Camry in victory lane Monday night in the Ashleigh Kirsch Mortgages 150 at the virtual Michigan International Speedway. After an early incident, Busch was able to maneuver his way to the front en route to his first win of the Monday Night Racing Pro Series season.
The field is heating up as the season continues. Here is your Week Three Power Rankings:
- David Schildhouse/ +3
Kligerman Sport’s David Schildhouse scored another top-five in Monday night’s feature event at Michigan. The driver of the No. 20 ran mid-pack throughout the majority of the race but was able to navigate his way through late incidents to rebound from last week’s 24th place effort. With his spot in the playoffs already solidified, Schildhouse is trophy chasing the rest of the season.
- Collin Fern/ +6
Not many people knew what to expect from Fern this season, but after his early win last week at Las Vegas, his name was put on the radar. Fern held his own at Michigan, leading seven laps as he scored a 13th place finish after getting caught in a wreck with eight laps to go.
- Gary Sexton/ +2
Gary Sexton came two corners short from capturing his third top-ten in as many races. Prior to him running out of gas on the last lap, Sexton was side-by-side with race leader, Busch, looking to make the pass in turn three. Sexton’s poor finishing position does not represent the night he had and he is so close to scoring his first win.
- Rajah Caruth/ -2
As mentioned last week, the upcoming schedule could hurt Caruth more than it would help. Caruth has been exceptional on asphalt ovals but has struggled on road courses and dirt tracks. Where are the next two races? A road course and a dirt track. Needless to say, Caruth needs to find speed the next two weeks to stay above that playoff cut line.
- Adam Cabot/ -4
Cabot held the top spot in the first three weeks of the MNR Power Rankings but with a field so competitive, every spot matters. His uncharacteristic fifteenth place finish pushed Cabot to sixth in the championship standings. The top-five are so close and each driver is deserving of the top-spot. Cabot will need to perform really well the next two weeks at the Daytona Road Course and Knoxville as they are the non-traditional races Cabot has struggled at in the past.
- Kyle Busch/ +4
NASCAR’s winningest driver of all-time is looking to add a Monday Night Racing Pro Series championship to his resumé. After a second place finish a week ago, Busch was able to finish one spot better this week to score the victory. He currently sits atop the points standings with a two point lead over Will Rodgers in second.
- DJ Cummings/ +4
DJ Cummings is quietly having one of his best seasons yet. The Crypto Autosport driver finished ninth in the Super Late Models at Michigan. Cummings is a driver who tends to make some noise in the postseason, but first he must get there. He tends to get better as the year goes on and we will see if the trend continues as the year continues.
- Gabe Wood/ -2
Gabe Wood found himself in trouble multiple times Monday night. He was involved in the first yellow of the race on lap eight as well as the lap 29 incident. Although he finished 31st, Wood showed lots of speed and proved what he is capable of.
- Garrett Smithley/ -6
With five laps to go, Smithley was collected in a wreck with Cummings, James Bickford and many of the other leaders. Smithley went on to finish 23rd in the double-points event. He was able to battle for the lead early in the race, but once he fell back, he couldn’t get back to the front.
- Preston Pardus/ +2
“P-Money” has shown up this season as he has two top-three finishes in the first three races of the regular season. He struggled when MNR visited Las Vegas Motor Speedway but a solid rebound allowed him to enter the top-ten in this week’s Power Rankings.
- Will Rodgers/ -2
After a third place finish last night, Rodgers entered second in the point standings, just two points behind the leader. He was involved in two wrecks with the last incident coming with five laps to go. Next week, MNR will race on the Daytona Road Course with the Mazda MX-5 Cup cars and Rodgers has a great opportunity to jump a lot of spots.
- James Bickford/ +1
Bickford spends more time on iRacing practicing than most people in the Monday Night Racing Pro Series. But, his practice didn’t pay off in the feature event. He finished 33rd, but ran towards the front of the field most of the race and is still someone to keep an eye out on.
- Robby Lyons/ -5
Last year’s champion continues to fall down the MNR Pro Series Power Rankings after a not-so-great run last night. He fell to ninth in points after Michigan and the diversity of the upcoming schedule will give Lyons a huge opportunity to close the gap to points leader, Kyle Busch.
- Anthony Alfredo/ N/A
Currently sitting 24th in the MNR Pro Series standings, Alfredo is not off to the hot start many thought he would have. He struggled Monday night, finishing 19th in the 80 lap event. Sitting 28 points below the Playoff cut line, Alfredo needs to start stringing together good finishes if he plans on chasing a championship.
- Max Kennon/ N/A
After starting the season in the top-15 Power Rankings, Kennon dropped after just one week. Kennon is a quiet but very talented driver and that was able to show Monday. He finished fourth in the Ashleigh Kirsch Mortgages 150 and he will need more finishes like this to earn him a spot in this season’s playoffs.
Dropped Out:
Devon Henry and TJ Majors