Every NASCAR March Race Ranked Worst to Best

5. Cook Out 400 – This was like any other Next-Gen Spring Martinsville race – little passing happening up front with track position meaning more than it should at a track like Martinsville. In Stage 1, drivers like Berry and Logano stayed out to get Stage points, and Berry was able to pull away from the field to lead before pitting on a late caution in Stage 1, which gave Logano the Stage win. That being said, this was one of the better Next-Gen Martinsville races. There were some good passes in the back of the field, and tires mattered as Hamlin was able to conserve his tires the best to win the race.

  4. Shriners Children’s 500 – This race featured the return of the option tires that ran last summer at Richmond. The tires made a big difference in the Richmond race and they did so again at Phoenix. This race featured several comers-and-goers with Byron, Preece, Logano, and Bell all taking turns leading the race. The drivers on the option tires would drive their way into the Top 10, 5, or even the lead. It made the race unpredictable because it was unclear who would play the best strategy with tires and possibly take the win as a result. Topped off with a side-by-side finish between Bell and Hamlin, Phoenix finally produced a rock-solid race in the Gen 7 era.

  3. Straight Talk Wireless 400 – While Phoenix needed a different set of tires to be exciting, Homestead was a natural and exciting old-school race. We saw some good racing going on before drivers would make their scheduled pit stop under green, and after pit stops were done, we saw more passing with drivers on different strategies. For example, Stage 2 went caution-free the whole way, and it ended with Hamlin and Larson side-by-side for the Stage victory after pitting near the halfway mark of the Stage, many laps later than most of the field on the lead lap. The race also ended on a 50+ green-flag run that saw Bowman take the lead from Wallace and Larson take the lead from Bowman with under ten to go.

2. EchoPark Automotive Grand Prix – COTA, which is a track longer than three miles, was cut shorter to allow for more passing opportunities. This little experiment worked, as there was a lot more passing in this race than the year prior at COTA. We saw a few passes for the lead between Van Gisbergen and Busch as well, and best of all, the race came down to another long green-flag run that ended in a three-way battle for the win. Busch dominated most of the race, but after a late-race restart, Busch lost the lead to Bell in the final ten laps due to Bell being on a few laps fresher tires. Byron and Reddick put forth a charge at Bell towards the end, but Bell would barely hang on to win at COTA dramatically.

  1. Pennzoil 400 – As is typical with this car at mile-and-a-half tracks, we saw much passing with comers and goers all day. There were also a lot of twists and turns with drivers getting penalties on pit road or losing wheels. The number of drivers that had issues made the race unpredictable and up in the air for anyone to win. However, the race did not come down to who survived the best; instead, it came down to strategy. Berry, Suarez, and others stayed out on a yellow with more than 60 to go. This strategy worked out successfully, as another caution with 24 to go made everyone come down pit road with the drivers that stayed out earlier. Suarez led on the last restart, but Berry was able to drive his way around Suarez to cruise to victory and get the Wood Brothers their 101st victory in NASCAR.