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Monster Mile NASCAR Shark Fin Soup

by Charlie Turner

Thanks for stopping by OnPitRow.com and the Bench Racing with Steve and Charlie blog. The best NASCAR and IndyCar news and opinion, exclusive pictures and video. I'm Charlie Turner. Follow me on Twitter @onpitrow

September 30, 2010 4:53 pm CDT No Comments

Is there anything left to write about the second NASCAR Chase Race of 2010?

The lead up to the AAA 400 at Dover Downs was a hoot. Drivers wrecking each other on the warm-up lap of first practice!

Crew chiefs dissing other crew chiefs’ drivers.

Richard Childress giving us the best quote of 2010 (so far), reffering to Denny Hamlin’s comments…

“You can’t win a pissing contest with a skunk,”

And that was only Chase round two!

I love this country.

And everything is all better now. The boys are all buddy-buddy. The crew chiefs are back to being stressed out zombies. Richard Childress is cool.

On to Kansas. Clint Bowyer’s home track.

Phot credit: Round girl Jen by BethAnne Heisler - OnPitRow.com

Filed under: Chase for the Cup, Clint Boyer, Denny Hamlin, Dover International Speedway, NASCAR, Richard Childress Racing, Sprint Cup Series, jimmie johnson

Tagged with: AAA 400, Dover Downs, Monster Mile, Richard Childress, Round girl Jen

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Fantasy Pick’Em: 2010 Price Chopper 400

by Chris Leone, Special To NASCAR commentary and driver pictures, 2011 NASCAR schedule, video, Bench Racing With Steve and Charlie

I do weekly Fantasy Pick'Em columns here at OPR, as well as the occasional opinion and analysis piece. I also provide the IZOD IndyCar Series coverage. For more on that, head to my site, OpenWheelAmerica.com. My Twitter handle is @christopherlion.

September 30, 2010 11:05 am CDT No Comments

Greg Biffle-pit-stop New Hampshire

Get ready for an uncomfortable amount of Wizard of Oz puns – the Sprint Cup Series heads to the Kansas Speedway this weekend for the Price Chopper 400.

We are now two races into this year’s Chase for the Sprint Cup, and already the contenders and pretenders are beginning to separate themselves. Denny Hamlin will be in the running. Jimmie Johnson, obviously, will too. Carl Edwards could steal the title with a couple of well-timed victories, while Kyle Busch may quietly (believe it or not!) be there at the end as well.

But Hamlin now holds the largest lead in Chase history after two races, 35 points over Johnson, meaning that this weekend’s results will be intensely critical for all Chasers. Can Hamlin extend that lead by beating Johnson and the field, or will a bad day for the No. 11 team, combined with a great day for a mid-Chase car, shake up the points?

My personal pick for the weekend lies within the Roush Fenway camp. I know I’ve gone on the record multiple times saying that Greg Biffle has been anonymous within the Chase, and I still believe he has been. But Juan Pablo Montoya was anonymous all season, and he still managed to dominate at Watkins Glen and Indianapolis. Likewise, Biffle is a Kansas star, with five podium finishes in eight starts and no finishes with Roush worse than 12th. His average finish is a flat 9.0. Safe bet? I think so.

My dark horse pick for the weekend is one A.J. Allmendinger. The ‘Dinger has only made two starts at Kansas, finishing ninth in 2008 and 17th last year, but this pick comes from examining the No. 43 team’s momentum. At Dover last weekend, the Richard Petty Motorsports team was one of the best in the field, qualifying second and battling back from getting caught off the lead lap. They’re beginning to show that the King’s race team is once again respectable and setting some high goals for 2011.

Three more, because we can:

The only driver to outpace Biffle at Kansas is Jeff Gordon, one of those mid-Chase drivers who desperately needs to make a statement with a victory. There’s no better place for him to do it; winner of the track’s first two races, his average finish is a fantastic 8.9, making Kansas his second-best Chase track. You try not to count a guy out of the Chase this early, but judging by the rest of the Chase schedule, this weekend may be now or never for him.

Clint Bowyer, too, has a solid track record at Kansas. He’s got a second place finish, which came during his improbable 2007 run to third in the championship, and an average finish of a respectable 11.0. But most of Bowyer’s mojo will come from an even greater desire to win the championship with NASCAR’s sanctions upon the team. He and RCR aren’t too happy with the perceived dog and pony show in appeals, and will be looking to show everybody that they don’t need to cheat to win.

Finally, Brad Keselowski only has one Cup start at Kansas, but he managed to qualify third and finish 13th in it. Not a bad run for the Kez, who’s been getting a whole lot of love from me since his pole run at Loudon. He gives an excellent press conference. Hate him or love him, he’s the sport’s next big thing.

Filed under: Kansas Speedway, One and Done NASCAR Fantasy Racing

Tagged with: A.J. Allmendinger, Brad Keselowski, Clint Bowyer, Greg Biffle, Jeff Gordon, Kansas Speedway, One and Done NASCAR Fantasy Racing, Price Chopper 400

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NASCAR Pit Stop Pictures from Dover

by Charlie Turner

September 28, 2010 10:54 am CDT No Comments

We couldn’t let the AAA 400 weekend go without sharing these exclusive photos of NASCAR action in the pits from Dover International Speedway. The first six pics are by Jessica Bure, who had a great angle from across the track, shooting at the pits. The others are by Glenn Bure. Really great shots, I think.

: ryan newman pit stop dover

: martin truex jr pit stop dover

: jimmie johnson burnout i dover

: jimmie johnson burnout ii dover

: jimmie johnson crew celebrating victory dover

: jimmie johnson crew celebrating victory ii dover

: carl edwards dover

: chad knaus jimmie johnson chandra and baby on pit road

: dale earnhardt jr and rick hendrick dover

: matt kenseth and baby dover

: denny hamlin and crew chief dover

: Juan Pablo Montoya and Chip Ganassi dover

: kasey kahne and greg biffle dover

: mark martin and bobby labonte dover

: Elliott Sadler Dover

: kevin havick dover

: kurt busch dover

: tony stewart dover

: david ragan dover

: jeff gordon dover

: kasey kahne and crew chief dover

Photo credit: Jessica Bure and Glenn Bure - OnPitRow.com

Filed under: A J Allmendinger, Chase for the Cup, Clint Boyer, Danica Patrick, Dover International Speedway, Jeff Gordon, NASCAR, NASCAR photos, jimmie johnson

Tagged with: AAA 400, Monster Mile, NASCAR pictures

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To Beat the 48 You May Need a Bigger Boat

by Charlie Turner

September 27, 2010 9:51 pm CDT No Comments

Hey NASCAR Chasers, you can hear it right - the “Theme from Jaws” ?

dum..dum…….dum..dum….dum…dum…dum…dumdumdumdumdumdumdum……

Jimmie “Jaws’ Johnson took a big bite of the Sprint Cup Chase Sunday at Dover. Your driver will need more than the usual tools from here on out if he plans to land that Cup.

New Hampshire wasn’t a great result for the Lowes team. A 25th place finish hinted at weakness. But after Dover there is just no reason to believe that Johnson, Chad Knaus and the Hendrick Motorsport team will be anything less than awesome the rest of the way.

Tell me. Who is going to beat them?

Denny Hamlin came into the Chase with the lead, finished 2nd at Lowes (a bad track for him) and was quoted as saying he hopes to be “even” with Johnson after Kansas (next week). Denny says the last seven tracks are good for him.

Compared to what? Certainly not Johnson. Jimmie owns those Chase venues. look at the numbers!

Kevin Harvick’s head is all wrapped around his anger at Hamlin. Jeff Gordon is OK, but not OK enough to challenge. Clint Bowyer got boned. Tony Stewart, Greg Biffle and Kenseth are done. Carl Edwards can’t win races. Neither can Jeff Burton.

They are all a bunch of chum for the #48.

The Busch brothers are - in my opinion -the only hope of the Johnson haters.

Not sure that either has a big enough boat though.

Filed under: Carl Edwards, Chase for the Cup, Clint Boyer, Denny Hamlin, Dover International Speedway, Greg Biffle, Jeff Burton, Jeff Gordon, Kurt Busch, Kyle Busch, Matt Kenseth, NASCAR, Sprint Cup Series, Tony Stewart, jimmie johnson

Tagged with: #48, Hendrick Motorsports

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NASCAR Pictures Action at Dover International Speedway

by Charlie Turner

September 27, 2010 7:31 am CDT No Comments

More Photos of NASCAR Drivers at the AAA 400 Weekend

OnPitRow.com photographer Glenn Bure is at the Monster Mile and took these exclusive photos of Sprint Cup Series drivers from qualifying and practice for the AAA 400. Included are Joey Logano’s and Jimmie Johnson’s poles and some driver awards presentations. There are a few photos of Danica Patrick’s Q & A with fans too.

: jimmie johnson i pole winner

: jimmie johnson and sprint cup girl pole winner

: joey logano nationwide pole winner dover

: kenny wallace nationwide dover

: danica patrick nationwide dover monster mile

: kevin harvick big check nationwide dover

: trevor bayne big check nationwide dover

: danica patrick monster dover v

: danica patrick monster dover vi

: danica patrick monster dover iv

: danica patrick monster dover ii

Photo credit: Glenn Bure - OnPitRow.com

Filed under: Brad Kesolowski, Chase for the Cup, Danica Patrick, Dover International Speedway, Kevin Harvick, Kyle Busch, NASCAR, NASCAR photos, jimmie johnson

Tagged with: AAA 400, Dover Downs, Monster Mile, NASCAR pictures, Trevor Bayne

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Jimmie Johnson’s Win at Dover in Pictures

by Charlie Turner

September 26, 2010 10:04 pm CDT No Comments

NASCAR Victory Lane Photos from the AAA 400 at Dover Downs

Jimmie Johnson, Chad Knaus and Rick Hendrick all celebrated the resumption of their drive for a fifth straight Sprint Cup Championship with the #48 car’s win at Dover International Speedway. We have pictures from victory lane.