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Fantasy Pick’Em: 2011 Matthew & Daniel Hansen 400

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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.

April 27, 2011 4:10 pm CDT No Comments

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Hello, Richmond. One of the most fun tracks on the Sprint Cup schedule, the track will end racing for the month of April with a 400-lap tilt under the bright lights on Saturday night.

Richmond is also the home track of Denny Hamlin, who will host his Short Track Showdown at the track for the first time on Thursday night. After a few years at the since-closed Southside Speedway, Hamlin will bring his own late model charity event to a much bigger stage, even attracting a SPEED Channel broadcast. Maybe it’ll be some good karma for the struggling Hamlin, who currently sits 17th in points after nearly winning it all last year.

I don’t have Hamlin on my short list of fantasy picks this week, though - not as my favorite, my alternate, or my dark horse. So, who am I picking over the guy who’s won two of the last three at Richmond?

Kyle Busch: The two-time race defending champion, of course. Last year, Rowdy dominated by leading 226 of 400 laps, including the first 140, and getting by Jeff Gordon for the final five circuits to cement his first victory of the season. Through two short track races this year, he’s been the top driver as well, scoring a series-best 90 points and leading 304 of 1000 laps. If he’s not your guy, he should be.

Dale Earnhardt Jr.: The momentum’s there. The will to win, if it was ever gone, is back. The last time Junior saw a short track (at Martinsville) he led as late as lap 496 of 500 and finished second. The turnaround within the No. 88 shop (or, technically, the consistently high level of performance in the former No. 24 shop) has the sport’s most popular driver contending for wins every weekend now, but he still has to break through. This could be the weekend.

Marcos Ambrose: Don’t ask me why, I just have a hunch. Well, a hunch influenced by a solid average finish of 11.8 in four Richmond starts, including runs of ninth (spring) and fifth (fall) last year. Richard Petty Motorsports has an issue with inconsistency, as it seems Ambrose will only run well when A.J. Allmendinger doesn’t, and vice versa. If you buy into that coincidence as theory, then Allmendinger’s 11th-place run two weeks ago at Talladega, combined with Ambrose’s crash-influenced 32nd-place finish, should mean Ambrose will run well on Saturday.

Filed under: Dale Earnhardt Jr., Kyle Busch, Marcos Ambrose, NASCAR Fantasy Gaming, Richmond International Raceway 

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Two Many Cup Drivers at NASCAR Event in Nashville

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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.

April 26, 2011 8:17 am CDT 1 Comment

There were two too many Cup drivers at Nashville SuperSpeedway this weekend.

The Nationwide Series has become a mockery of itself and it was no more evident than what we saw this past weekend at Nashville.  Again two high profile Sprint Cup drivers stole the show from those drivers looking to win a championship.

There have been a ton of excuses as to the reasons that Cup drivers are tolerated and encouraged in the lesser series.

The arguments are well documented with t he most prolific being; if Cup drivers don’t participate then no one will show up/watch on TV.  That mindset seems to be held by track promoters and television rights holders and does not seem to hold water.  Look at the empty stands at Nashville and look at the pathetic ratings on ESPN for the NNS and you’ll see that nothing was gained by having Carl Edwards and Kyle Busch in the field.

If you believe that the NNS needs Cup drivers to succeed then the next logical step would be to assume that the more Cup drivers present the more attended the race will be and the higher the TV ratings.  But the TV ratings for the feeder series don’t waver much from race to race and those showing up to the race tracks have more to do with the proximity to and bundling of tickets to the Cup event.

The two man show that ESPN presented to the viewers did a dis-service to those who are in the Nationwide Series on a week to week basis and especially to those who are running for the championship.  ESPN did ittle more than mention the championship drivers as an aside throughout the race, instead concentrating on Edwards and Busch.

Banning Cup drivers from the NNS isn’t the answer.  Finding a better way to integrate those drivers into the series is.  If Jimmie Johnson’s five consecutive championships in Cup is bad for the sport then, Kyle and Carl are just as bad for the sport of second-fiddle NASCAR.

Limit the number of races that full-time cup drivers can participate in.  If Cup teams want to operate in the minor leagues let them do so with a group of drivers from their Cup stables.  This gives the promoters and TV execs the star power they are looking for with some intrigue as to whether this weeks Cup driver can figure out the ride.

There was a time when it was as fun to watch a Nationwide race as it was to watch a Cup race.  Those days are long gone.  The mix of up-and-coming drivers and never-quite-made-its was a series to hold fan interest; not so much any more.

photo credit: BethAnne Heisler/ON PIT ROW

Filed under: Carl Edwards, Kyle Busch, NASCAR, NASCAR & the Media, NASCAR Bidness, jimmie johnson 

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Talkin’ Talladega with the Best

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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

April 16, 2011 6:31 am CDT No Comments

Ricky Stenhouse Jr leads the NASCAR Nationwide Series championship points. Veteran Kenny Wallace is ninth. We wouldn’t be saying that, and in my opinion that championship chase would not be as interesting if not for a new points system and philosophy in NASCAR.

I have been skeptical of the new points’ significance. But now I’m not. We talked to both Stenhouse and Wallace On Pit Row this week. We have before. They are interesting and entertaining guys. Ricky is serious and rigidly polite. Kenny is a blast. But the tone of the talk changes a little when drivers are contending.

Next week, we have The King, Richard Petty on the show. Don’t miss it. It’s a good show. You can watch this week’s show with Kenny, Ricky, Ryan McGee and Eric McClung right here.

Photo credit: BethAnne Heisler - OnPitRow.com

Filed under: NASCAR, Nationwide Series, On Pit Row The Fastest Two Hours on Radio 

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Fantasy Pick’Em: 2011 Aaron’s 499

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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.

April 13, 2011 11:23 am CDT No Comments

Before you even read another word of this column, keep the following in mind. We’re trying to predict fantasy NASCAR at a restrictor-plate superspeedway. There is literally no rhyme or reason to this whatsoever. There will almost undoubtedly be a giant accident or three that will eliminate 20 cars from contention, and more likely than not the following three drivers will all be involved.

That being said, let’s start the guesswork.

Look, nobody predicted that Trevor Bayne would win the Daytona 500 (except, well, for me… and way to drop the timestamp, Twitter). Nobody predicted Brad Keselowski to win at Talladega in a Phoenix Racing car two years ago, either. That’s how much of a crapshoot restrictor-plate events are. They’re the great equalizer - 36 races on these tracks would likely produce 36 different winners.

It’s not about speed, it’s about survival. But these three are generally good at it. You know how it goes - my pick first, then an alternate, then my dark horse. Don’t be totally shocked.

Carl Edwards: Edwards has been the strongest, most consistent driver in the sport thus far this year. That’s probably going to be more of a curse than a blessing this weekend, as you think that bad luck is going to have to get to him eventually. You also wonder, after the wreck in 2009 that saw his car go flying, if Edwards has that nagging conservatism in him on restrictor plate tracks. But that conservatism might help him if it causes him to stay way back of the wrecks and make it to the final few laps.

Brad Keselowski: Keselowski’s actually got three top-10s in four Talladega starts, including the win in his track debut, giving him a 13.2 average finish that tops all active drivers. Consistency is a difficult concept at Talladega, but Keselowski’s as good as any.

Trevor Bayne: Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice… well, the point is NOT to fool me twice. Even if you think Bayne’s got more Michael Waltrip in him than Jeff Gordon - and I think you’re wrong if you do - some drivers are just incredible on the restrictor plate tracks, and for all we know, Bayne will be one of them throughout his career.

Filed under: Brad Kesolowski, Carl Edwards, NASCAR Fantasy Gaming, Talladega Superspeedway, Trevor Bayne 

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Matt Kenseth Can Still Get The Job Done

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

I'm the former blogger of The Catfish Show NASCAR Blog and a contributor to On Pit Row. Follow me on Twitter: @mattmercer

April 11, 2011 8:30 am CDT 1 Comment

#17 Matt Kenseth garage Michigan International Speedway spr heisler 10

#17 Matt Kenseth garage Michigan International Speedway spr heisler 10

Matt Kenseth put on a dominating performance at Texas Motor Speedway Saturday night.

Much has been made of recent winless streaks by Jeff Gordon, Dale Earnhardt Jr, to name a few. Yet little has been made of Kenseth’s winless streak, because the 2003 Champ stays under the radar and doesn’t get written about by the media. After winning Daytona and Fontana to start the 2009 season, Kenseth has gone through a couple crew chiefs before pairing up with old hand Jimmy Fennig and the results are starting to show. Kenseth is tied for third in points at the moment and even won a pole this season, a feat for him.

Matt Kenseth came into the sport under the mentorship of Mark Martin and the two seem more and more similar every year. Kenseth is now a 10-year veteran and one of the most-respected drivers in the garage. He’s had disagreements with drivers in his younger days but those rough edges have long been polished. Kenseth is still competing and it wouldn’t be a surprise to see his son, Ross Kenseth, join the Roush stable when he turns 18 to bring us the latest father-son pairing in NASCAR.

What Kenseth lacks in flash he makes up for in tenacity. Before Kevin Harvick took the label Kenseth was often NASCAR’s best closer. How many people remember Kenseth finished 5th in the final points standings last year? Exactly. We haven’t seen the last of the fast Crown Royal #17 in victory lane this year.

Filed under: Mark Martin, Matt Kenseth, NASCAR, Roush Racing, Texas Motor Speedway 

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NASCAR’s Pit Road Speeding–Don’t Ask–Don’t Tell

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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.

April 7, 2011 2:43 pm CDT 3 Comments

Jimmie Johnson was absolutely livid with NASCAR over a pit road speeding penalty last week in Martinsville.

He retracted his statements on Tuesday after reviewing NASCAR’s evidence against him.  The timing loop that he sped through was not the loop he thought  he was being accused of violating.  Regardless of whether NASCAR or Johnson were right or wrong; questions about the sanctioning bodies transparency arose.

Johnson; along with some media and fans have called for real time posting of pit row speeds for all teams at every trip for service.  Cries of conspiracy have again permeated the NASCAR world.  “They are hiding information from us,” was the lament from the grandstands.  NASCAR has stated they don’t feel this is information that needs to be disseminated to the fan base.

I have to agree with NASCAR on this one.  As I stated on this week’s ON PIT ROW show on ustream.tv; there still needs to be some intrigue within the races and maybe just a little bit of trust from the fans that NASCAR really is a fair and benevolent organization.  NASCAR has nothing to gain by issuing false speeding penalties especially to the guy that has dominated their sport for the past five years.

There is enough information available to the fans and teams on a real time basis that there doesn’t need to be more graphics on my TV screen or video boards at the track.  NASCAR’s radio communication with the teams, which is available on all scanners, is sufficient to notify them of a penalty when one has occured. 

No other sport has the transparency of NASCAR and quite frankly I think fans have come to expect too much from the sport.  Being able to not only listen to team strategy, driver and crew chief thoughts but also the sanctioning bodies communication should be enough.

Johnson’s complaint was not the first in regard to speeding penalties and it most likely won’t be the last, but I’m okay with not having to see every teams pit road speed displayed in front of me.  There comes a time that it’s better to just watch the racing.

photo credit: BethAnne Heisler/ON PIT ROW

Filed under: NASCAR, NASCAR Bidness, NASCAR Conspiracies, jimmie johnson 

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