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Fantasy Pick’Em: 2011 Goody’s Fast Relief 500

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.

March 30, 2011 1:46 pm CDT No Comments

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That’s right - Fantasy Pick’Em is back.

After getting my butt thoroughly kicked by school for the past six weeks - you know, to perfectly coincide with racing season - I’m feeling a bit like Rocky at the end of every Rocky movie - brains turned to mush, black eyes, bruises everywhere, generally in pain. But I like to think I’ve fought through the worst, and after making some savvy picks early in the season (and yes, I did call Trevor Bayne to win the Daytona 500), I’m back to ruin my reputation and good luck for the rest of the year.

So, three picks at Martinsville - but who?

Jeff Gordon: I saw Bob Pockrass make this pick on Twitter earlier today, saying he liked the combination of Gordon and Alan Gustafson at Martinsville. I can’t say I disagree. You only need look at the statistics to realize that Gordon was ripping off wins at Martinsville before Jimmie Johnson and Denny Hamlin started taking over at the track. Martinsville is a track where both driver and crew chief need to effectively manage the car, and I think Gustafson is as trustworthy as any crew chief in that department.

Denny Hamlin: After the engine woes at Joe Gibbs Racing over the past few weeks, you’d think this would be a counter-intuitive pick. I mean, the problem hasn’t been solved yet, and it won’t be considered as much until we stop seeing engine failures across the board. But Hamlin is a Virginia native and a Martinsville standout, and the folks at JGR are too good to stay down for long. This could very easily be the weekend where they begin to solve the problem.

Joey Logano: Wait, two Gibbs cars? Am I crazy? Maybe a little. (Remember. College. No sleep. Bad dieting. So on and so forth.) But consider the following - of active drivers at Martinsville, Logano has the fourth-best average finish, a 13.0, and a driver rating of 81.0, better than the ratings of four of the current top 12 drivers in points. And at 31st in owners points, the No. 20 team can’t afford to spend much more time in the back of the pack.

Filed under: Denny Hamlin, Jeff Gordon, Joey Logano, Martinsville Speedway, NASCAR Fantasy Gaming

Tagged with: Denny Hamlin, Fantasy Pick'Em, Goody's Fast Relief 500, Hendrick Motorsports, Jeff Gordon, Joe Gibbs Racing, Joey Logano, Martinsville Speedway

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Can Kurt and Kyle Busch become NASCAR’s winningest Brothers

by Steve Wronkowicz

I am co-host of the syndicated radio show: ON PIT ROW. Over ten years on the air and three on the net; see what can happen when I don't let the facts get in the way of my opinions.

March 30, 2011 7:38 am CDT No Comments

Kurt Busch Loudon New Hampshire in car bure 10

Don’t expect the most prolific NASCAR brother combo of our time to challange for the most Cup wins ever by siblings.

Kurt and Kyle Busch currently sit in sixth place all-time with a combined forty-two wins in the Sprint Cup Series; Kurt with twenty-two and Kyle twenty. But there is a formidable task ahead as sitting atop the brothers win list are Bobby and Donnie Allison with ninety-four Cup wins.

While Kurt and Kyle have one thing on their side in a quest to move to the top of this category–time; their ability to win Cup races at a fast enough rate isn’t looking plausible. Even if the brothers could average winning a combined five races per year it would take them into the 2021 season to even tie the Allisons. Averaging those five wins per year would be based on Kurt and Kyle continuining to win a combined 15 percent of the races they enter. Currently Kyle is winning at just shy of nine percent of the Cup races he enters and Kurt is at six percent.

With 369 Cup starts Kurt has been starting races at NASCAr’s highest level for ten years and one would wonder if he has ten more in him. Last night Kurt talked ON PIT ROW about his career, racing in his home town of Las Vegas and his new found love for drag racing. You can watch the entire interview with Kurt here. Is Kurt’s foray into the drag racing world a preview of things to come as a veteran looks toward his future?

Younger brother Kyle has only 227 Cup starts under his belt and would seem to be better suited to carry the brothers torch toward knocking off the Allisons. Kyle not only has a better winning percentage than Kurt but most likely has more years left in him winning at that higher percentage.

Most of the brother acts ahead of the Busch brothers show lopsided win totals. The Waltrips have a combined win total of 88; Darrell with 84 and Michael with four. The Flock brothers with 62 wins; Tim with 39 while Fonty has 19 and Bob only four. Donald Thomas has one win to combine with brother Herb’s forty-eight.

Only the next tandem above the Busch’s of Terry and Bobby Labonte show an equal number of wins, with twenty-two and twenty-one respectively.

If Kurt and Kyle are to have any chance of rising to the top in this NASCAR catagory it looks as if brother Kyle needs to concentrate on winning in the Cup series at a much more prodigious rate.

photo credit: Glenn Bure/ON PIT ROW

Filed under: Darrell Waltrip, Joe Gibbs Racing, Kurt Busch, Kyle Busch, Michael Waltrip, NASCAR, NASCAR History, On Pit Row The Fastest Two Hours on Radio, Terry Labonte, The Waltrips

Tagged with: Bobby Allison, Bobby Labonte, Darrell Waltrip, Donnie Allison, Fonty Flock, Kurt Busch, Kyle Busch, Michael Waltrip, NASCAR Brothers, Terry Labonte, Tim Flock

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Stop Bogartin’ That Cup Jimmie Johnson: NASCAR Fantasy Racing Advice

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

March 24, 2011 12:19 pm CDT No Comments

On Pit Row’s Weekly NASCAR Newsletter

Just go ahead and pick him. Jimmie Johnson is not just A stud, but he is THE stud at Auto Club Speedway. Johnson has led more than twice as many laps as his closest competitor - Matt Kenseth - over the last 12 races at Fontana. His Average finish is 4.3 and the the next closest, again Kenseth, is 9.2. He has been passed, under green flag conditions, less than any other driver to race the last 12 at ACS. Just pick him and start worrying about Martinsville.

One and Done players, I feel your frustration. Believe me, I live it. You all know that we have been dealing with a bug in the game. The bug does not affect the registering of picks or scores. Inside the game, all picks are being recorded and scores kept. The issue, as explained to me by the programmer who built the game, is a display issue. Basically, the “scoreboard” is broke, not the game. I hope that by the time you read this, everything will be back and working as it should. We’re working on it. But keep me away from sharp objects.

Discovered a new NASCAR blog written by Branden williams and called The Pace Lap. I like it and I think you might too. Check it out here “Like” him, “Follow” him and leave Branden some comments.

The re-boot of the On Pit Row show - I still want to call it a radio show, but it is’t - continues and this week Jeff Hammond, of Fox Sports and Speed TV joined us for an extended interview. Jeff was one of our first Big Time guests about 10 years ago and has been a semi-regular ever since. He’s always good and this week was really great. Watch the Jeff Hammond interview here. You can watch On Pit Row on Ustream anytime so join our crowd at Ustream TV here.

Ryan Rantz was our fantasy racing expert guest On Pit Row this week. Ryan shared some great fantasy advice for the Auto Club 400. Watch Ryan’s interview here. Good stuff.

Auto Club Speedway Fantasy Racing Advice

Auto Club Speedway

Feedback, feedback, feedback. Whether it’s a comment on a blog post, hitting the “Like” button on our Facebook page or following our writers on Twitter, believe me - it is all appreciated. Nobody does this stuff for money. Let them know what you think - good and bad - please.

Scouting Report for Auto Club Speedway by Ryan Rantz of ifantasyrace.com
NASCAR Fantasy Preview for California by Jordan McAbee
Steve gets all nostalgic - Unfortunately This is Your Grandmother’s NASCAR
Fantasy Racing Darkhorse picks for Auto Club Speedway
Experts picks for the Auto Club 400 at Fontana

Race Weekend Schedule

Auto Club 400 from Auto Club Speedway

3:00 PM ET Friday 3/25 First Practice on Speed
7:00 PM ET Friday 3/25 Qualifying - on Speed
2:30 PM ET Saturday 3/26 Practice on Speed
3:50 PM ET Saturday 3/26 Practice on Speed
3 PM ET Sunday 3/27 Auto Club 400 live on Fox

Recent winners at the Auto Club Speedway Speedway

10/10/2010 Tony Stewart
2/21/2010 Jimmie Johnson
10/11/2009 Jimmie Johnson
2/22/2009 Matt Kenseth
8/31/2008 Jimmie Johnson
View more Fontana winners here

Recent Pole Winners at ACS

10/10/2010 Jamie McMurray
2/21/2010 Jamie McMurray
10/11/2009 Denny Hamlin
2/22/2009 Brian Vickers
8/31/2008 Jimmie Johnson

Best Average Finish Loop Data

Auto Club Speedway last 12 races

Jimmie Johnson 4.3
Matt Kenseth 9.2
Carl Edwards 9.5
Clint Bowyer 11.0
Mark Martin 11.4
Kyle Busch 11.8
Notable - Matt Kenseth’s Ave Start is only 19.8. Maybe qualifying isn’t a big deal. Watch practice times.

Best Average Start Loop Data

Jimmie Johnson                     6.6

Kasey Kahne                                10.9

Greg Biffle         11.1

Jeff Gordon       11.7

Kyle Busch      12.3

Noteable:Dale Earnhardt Jr starts 21.5 on average and finishes 24.3

Laps Led Loop Data

Jimmie Johnson 746 (25.2%)
Matt Kenseth 362 (12.3%)
Greg Biffle 269 (9.1%)
Kyle Busch 243 (8.2%)
Jeff Gordon 209 (7.1%)
Noteable: Neither Marcos Ambrose, Brad Keselowski and Joey Logano have yet to lead a lap at ACS.

We have 40 pages of 2011 Auto Club 400 NASCAR Loop Data for you to download here.

Fontana Fast Facts

The 2011 Auto Club 400 will be the 22nd Sprint Cup race at Auto Club Speedway.
13 different drivers have won Cup races at Fontana and 14 have won the pole.
Jimmie Johnson is the only driver to win race after starting on the pole and he did it on 8/31/2008.
Johnson has five wins to lead all drivers in wins. Kurt Busch is the all-time leader with three poles.
Johnson has 11 Top Fives and 12 Top Tens. Matt Kenseth also has 12 Top Tens.
Johnson has led 846 laps.
Kenseth has never had a DNF at ACS in 18 races.
Kyle Busch is the youngest ACS winner. He was 20 years, 4 months and 2 days old when he won the race in 9/4/2005. Rusty Wallace was 44 years, 8 months and 15 days old when he won on 4/29/2001.
Auto Club Speedway is a 2.0 mile high banked oval and the near twin to Michigan International Speedway. We class ACS as a Speedway Type Track in the On pit Row stats. But look at the drivers who do well at MIS specifically too.

Best Average Finish on Speedway Type Tracks

Jimmie Johnson 10.4
Jeff Gordon 11.5
Carl Edwards 12.0
Tony Stewart 12.3
Mark Martin 12.7

Best Average Start on Speedway Type Tracks

Ryan Newman 10.1
Jimmie Johnson 10.4
Jeff Gordon 11.0
Kasey Kahne 11.4
Mark Martin 13.2

See Previous Race Results at Speedway type tracks

Please do me a favor and “Like” our Facebook page. It’s important for us. And if you read the Bench Racing with Steve and Charlie blog please subscribe today.

Enjoy the racing from California this weekend and good luck with your games. And if you didn’t pick J J this week, I have an “I told you so” in the cooler for you next week.

Thank you as always for your time

Charlie Turner

Filed under: Auto Club Speedway, NASCAR video, On Pit Row The Fastest Two Hours on Radio, One and Done NASCAR Fantasy Racing

Tagged with: NASCAR newsletter, On Pit Row on Ustream TV

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Unfortunately This Is Your Grandmother’s NASCAR

by Steve Wronkowicz

I am co-host of the syndicated radio show: ON PIT ROW. Over ten years on the air and three on the net; see what can happen when I don't let the facts get in the way of my opinions.

March 24, 2011 6:34 am CDT 1 Comment

NASCAR’s Sprint Cup and Nationwide Series teams head back to the west coast for their now once a year trip to Auto Club Speedway in Fontana California.

This race track like no other has mirrored what has become of the sport we love so much. Like the trip to the grandmothers house that is too clean, too organized and too filled with treasures; the trip to many of NASCAR’s venues just isn’t very comfortable.

Places like Fontana, Kansas City, Iowa and Chicago have all the amenities that a fan would seem to want. Everyone expects to have plenty of clean restrooms and lots of concession stands. Those are givens. Race tracks that don’t cater to those two basic needs will eventually fail. But some tracks do a better job of making race fans feel welcome and a part of the action.

Unlike the grandmother’s house that is too clean and organized; race tracks that give the feeling of gramma’s house where the kids are on the floor, the toys are everywhere and the aunts and uncles are hanging around in the back yard, makes you want to stay and come back.

NASCAR has done a good job over the last couple of decades of making their racing seem more like a trip to grandmother’s house than a trip to gramma’s. Going to grandmothers just isn’t as comfortable and fun as the trip to grammas.

Growing pains are always uncomfortable and NASCAR has had their share. Some say they lost sight of their roots and abandoned their core fans for the glitz and glamor of big numbers and questionable venues. What NASCAR lost as it’s fan base exploded was the comfort and intimacy that its long time fans had grown up with; a comfort and intimacy that gramma knew how to cultivate.

NASCAR has so wanted their product to be eaten on the good china with the good silver; but all the fans want is a damn good dog on a fresh bun served on a paper plate with a cold one to wash it down. NASCAR was ment to have some mustard dripped on the deck and hosed off; not worried about gravy on the table cloth.

Many reasons have been given for NASCAR’s decline in attendance and TV viewership over the past half-dozen years; but the most alarming sight was the lack of campers and the empty seats at Bristol this past week and the reason for it is quite simple. NASCAR fans want to feel a part of the racing event. They want to feel a connection to the sport and its participants; but that can’t happen as long as NASCAR continues to serve its product in a sanitized form.

The “good old days” have a short memory. Nobody really wants to go back to the days of two or three lap lead finishes or 2×10 pine plank seats; just like no one would want gramma’s to have an outhouse. What fans want is a connection with their sport and their heros that they feel they lost when NASCAR got rid of the back deck and built the dining room.

Lost somewhere in the growth of our sport was the realization that while the fans like to watch cars race and experience the on track show; what they really love more than anything else is their connection with their driver. Today’s driver has been so marketed by their sponsors and PR companies that they have lost the ability to get down on the floor and play with the kids.

Making sure the sponsors are mentioned in every interview has become more important than sitting on the pit wall signing autographs and having your pictures taken with fans. How did fans know in the seventies and eighties that Richard Petty was sponsored by STP? There are thousands–maybe millions of pictures in fans homes of him in his STP firesuit signing autographs for everyone.

Those pictures, whether they be on paper and displayed, or just in a fans memory was what was right with NASCAR and was what made new fans fall in love with the sport. Those memories of being down on the floor playing with the kids supercede polite conversation, using the proper fork and thanking a dizzying array of sponsors.

Sorry Grandmother–we’d rather hang out at Gramma’s this week.

Filed under: Auto Club Speedway, Chicagoland Speedway, How to fix NASCAR, Iowa Speedway, NASCAR, Nascar Legends, Nationwide Series, Richard Petty Motorsports, The King

Tagged with: Auto Club Speedway, NASCAR, Richard Petty

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NASCAR Sharkfin Soup from Thunder Valley

by Charlie Turner

March 22, 2011 9:29 pm CDT No Comments

The consensus of NASCAR opinion about Bristol Motor Speedway was that things - meaning the racing - could go one of two ways; Assorted coin flips included:

Old School Bristol or crap
Good Bristol - which is the same as Old School Bristol - or crap.
Exciting, wreck-filled, 21 caution Bristol, or crap.

What we got was one hell of a good Sprint Cup race and terrific, sometimes three-wide racing. Kyle Busch won everything in sight, and has owned Thunder Valley since this time last year at Bristol, so I’m thinking The Shrub likes The New Bristol just fine.

The haters are losing the argument.

Fins Stoutly Standing

Kyle Busch has won the last five NASCAR touring series races held at Bristol. The Jeff Byrd 500 was had some epic moments with Kyle, Carl Edwards and Jimmie Johnson.

Carl Edwards had the second best weekend, and not by much.

Paul Menard is in the top ten in NASCAR Sprint Cup points - 5th in the race and 5th in the standings, best of the RCR cars - and it does not look like a fluke.

Kurt Busch leads the Cup standings with another consistent, competitive finish.

Bristol Motor Speedway; the track races great. Get over it.

Fins Down

Jeff Burton. Ugly start

Clint Bowyer finished 35th at BMS. But he was better than Burton

Denny Hamlin. This was not the faster start that he predicted after coming up short in 2010.

Danica Patrick. Come on. You don’t have any business doing a Kurt Busch on the track. Getting laughed at won’t help your credibility.

Bristol attendance.

Photo credit: Round girl Cindi by BethAnne Heisler for OnPitRow.com

Filed under: Bristol Motor Speedway, Carl Edwards, Clint Boyer, Danica Patrick, Denny Hamlin, Kurt Busch, Kyle Busch, NASCAR, Nascar Legends, Nationwide Series, jimmie johnson

Tagged with: Jeff Byrd 500, Round girl Cindi

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NASCAR Driver Pictures: Best of Kurt Busch 2010

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

I am the field producer/photographer of the syndicated radio show/website ON PIT ROW. When Steve and Charlie ask me to 'jump', I say "Yeah right."

March 13, 2011 3:49 pm CDT No Comments

It seems Busch the elder, oft times is overshadowed by his younger sib’s antics. But he, like his bro, has always been very accomodating when it comes to pics. Here are some that Glenn and myself took in 2010.