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Fantasy Pick’Em: 2011 Coca-Cola 600

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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.

May 26, 2011 11:25 am CDT No Comments

Ah, the old World 600. The longest race of the year, and NASCAR’s attempt to steal the spotlight from the Indianapolis 500 on the same day, has seen its share of interesting (i.e. first-time) winners in recent memory. Jeff Gordon took his first career victory in this race back in 1994. Bobby Labonte repeated the feat the very next year. Casey Mears did the same in 2007, while David Reutimann, with the aid of rain, stole a win in 2009 as well.

This is one of the reasons why the 600 is one of the best races in NASCAR - you never know what’s going to happen, or who’s going to win. For that reason - nevermind the first-time winners at Daytona and Darlington this year - don’t expect your typical, run of the mill winner come Sunday night. It’ll either be a first-timer, or somebody who’s had quite the drought.

Joey Logano: Logano’s been the picture of consistency at Charlotte for the past two years. Three top-10s in four starts, including a best finish of fifth, give him the best average finish of any active driver at the track. Logano’s had a rough season, sitting 27th in points, and hasn’t won since taking his maiden victory in a rain-shortened Loudon race in 2009, making him exactly the type of turnaround candidate I’m talking about.

Martin Truex Jr.: I know, Truex has a win in his career too, but it’s been a while. The No. 56 team showed the speed in qualifying for this race third last year, but dropped down the field to finish a disappointing 23rd, second to last on the lead lap. Don’t expect them to let it happen again - these boys are hungry and everyone knows it.

A.J. Allmendinger: So what gives with me doing this write-up about first-time winners, when my first two picks don’t fit that mold? To be honest, I think that A.J. Allmendinger has a shot at this thing. He’s been a consistent top-15 driver all season, and everybody in the garage feels like his first career win isn’t too far out of reach. Same goes for Marcos Ambrose, although Ambrose’s team has been slightly less consistent over the course of the year. Either way, though, it’d be nice to see two-time race winner Richard Petty back in the winner’s circle this weekend as an owner.

Filed under: A J Allmendinger, Joey Logano, Lowes Motor Speedway, Martin Truex Jr., NASCAR Fantasy Gaming 

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NASCAR Lacks Faith in All Star Race

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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

May 22, 2011 8:30 pm CDT No Comments

The NASCAR All Star Race has almost everything going for it. The Charlotte Motor Speedway venue looks - and is - spectacular, particularly under the lights on All-Star Saturday Night.

One way or another, the best of the best of stock car racing are matched up in a winner-takes-all, million dollar cash run. The perfect set up.

My favorite part of the whole thing this weekend was when All Star Pole winner, Carl Edwards was given a microphone and he - Carl - conducted interviews with drivers before the Showdown, race-in race . Really good stuff!

Other Speed TV guys like Dr Dick Bergeren helped show how loose the competitors were, and how racing for the cash seemed to be a nice change from regular race weeks. It was cool.

So why in the world did Speed/NASCAR have to hype it up with Two Waltrips and a Straight Man?

I’m sorry DW and Mikey fans but Saturday night was too much AllWaltrip for me. I counted three different times in segment number two alone when Michael and Darrell Waltrip took turns telling us - IN REALLY REALLY EXCITED VOICES - how all the stars were moving up front and would be there at the end for the most fantastic, exciting, blah, blah blah…..

This could not have been an accident. I think that NASCAR knows that the contrived nature of the All-Star race is lame. I mean, what is the purpose of segment one? Segment two is almost as bad. NASCAR knows it sucks and dropped the Waltrip bomb on us to keep everyone awake.

I have a suggestion. Hold a 100 lap race, give each team two sets of tires, give the winner a million bucks and let Mike Joy pick his own broadcast partners.

Hallelujah!

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

Filed under: Carl Edwards, Darrell Waltrip, Michael Waltrip, NASCAR, NASCAR & the Media, Sprint Cup Series 

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NASCAR All-Star Event Amongst the Best

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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.

May 19, 2011 8:08 pm CDT No Comments

NASCAR’s All-Stars will show their stuff this week at Charlotte Motor Speedway.

As All-Star events go; NASCAR’s ranks a close second to the event put on by Major League Baseball and far outshines those put forth by the NBA, NFL and NHL.  What sets NASCAR and MLB apart from the other sport’s All-Star events is the ability of the performers to showcase their talents and yet the fundamental principles of the game do not change.

Three of the four “stick and ball” sports All-Star events change the game by playing little or no defense therefore changing the very essence of their sport. If anything, NASCAR and it’s drivers heighten their intensity.  The format and winner-take-all format of the NASCAR All-Star event makes it unique and the most watchable of them all.

Teams have to meet one of six criteria to make it to the All-Star event.  Drivers who have won races in 2010 and 2011. If a driver leaves a team with which he has won a race, he remains eligible, the team does NOT.  Also eligible are drivers who are either past Sprint Cup champions or who have won The All-Star Race in the past 10 years.  Finishing first or second in the Sprint Showdown also get them in, or the ubiquitous entry by fan vote.

The pit crew challenge and burn out contest as warm-up events are less than exciting for the fans and may be more for the teams than the spectators. Those events are no more lame than the skills competitions that surround the other sports All-Star weekends.

The main event is what it is all about and NASCAR puts on one of the best events because when all is said and done it comes down to one driver against another, one team versus the others or one bit of strategy outdoing someone else.

Photo Credit:Glenn Bure/ON PIT ROW

Filed under: NASCAR, NASCAR Hall of Fame, Nascar Legends 

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NASCAR Photos: Matt Kenseth Dover Victory Lane Celebration

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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

May 16, 2011 1:58 pm CDT No Comments

Monster Mile Trophy Pictures: FedEx 400 benefiting Autism Speaks

Matt Kenseth’s two tire gamble paid off with a big win at Dover International Speedway Sunday. OnPitRow.com photog Glenn Bure took some great pictures of the Kenseth’s family in victory lane. Awesome job by Matt …and Glenn!





Filed under: Dover International Speedway, Matt Kenseth, NASCAR, NASCAR photos 

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NASCAR Pictures: Dover Nationwide Series Saturday Mayhem

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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

May 15, 2011 9:13 pm CDT No Comments

Photos from Dover’s Monster Mile

The NASCAR Nationwide Series race at Dover Downs featured a vicious last lap crash that took out drivers Joey Logano, Clint Bowyer and others. OnPitRow.com photographer Glenn Bure got some great shots.






Filed under: Clint Boyer, Denny Hamlin, Dover International Speedway, Joey Logano, Kyle Busch, NASCAR photos, Nationwide Series 

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Fantasy Pick’Em: 2011 FedEx 400 benefiting Autism Speaks

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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.

May 13, 2011 10:46 am CDT No Comments

martin truex jr david reutimann qualifying new hampshire

martin truex jr david reutimann qualifying new hampshire

Ah, Dover. The track known colloquially as the “Monster Mile” is always a fun time, and given how much fun we had last week at Darlington, it won’t be a shock if this weekend’s race, the FedEx 400 benefiting Autism Speaks, will be even more exciting.

Kevin Harvick and Kyle Busch are the new power feud in the sport, after last week’s pit road incident. Ryan Newman and Juan Pablo Montoya still hate each other, if it’s been slightly de-emphasized. Dover is the last chance for top drivers without All-Star eligibility - and yes, that includes Dale Earnhardt Jr. - to earn their way into the event without having to either rely on a last-chance victory in the Sprint Showdown or fan vote.

So let’s make this interesting. My lead pick this week is going to be a driver that hasn’t won in a while. Ready?

Martin Truex Jr.: With Regan Smith taking the surprise victory at Darlington, I might as well go out on a limb and say that lightning can indeed strike twice. Dover is kind of a home track for the New Jersey native, and the site of his lone Sprint Cup win, back in 2007 when Dale Earnhardt Inc. was still a power player in the garage. He’s somewhat struggled at the track since, at least in the finishing order, but starts of first and third last year prove that he’s fast.

Carl Edwards: I could just as easily pick Jimmie Johnson as my alternate, with his six wins at Dover (three of the past four, too) to Edwards’ one. In fact, I probably should. But I won’t. Why? Simple - consistency. When you’re faced with two drivers who perform so well at this track, you might as well go with the guy with the slight edge in consistency, and that’s Edwards. Since 2006, Edwards has only finished outside of the top 10 two times, to Johnson’s four. He just edges Johnson in points scored at the track, 1561 to 1539, in that time frame. You can pick either, but I’m going with Edwards.

Joey Logano: Oh hi, dark horse. Logano has underperformed this year, never cracking the top 20 in points or a single-digit finishing position, but maybe Dover will help him turn it around. Last year he scored finishes of 10th and third in the two Dover races, spending 724 out of 800 laps in the top 10. He also won both Nationwide poles and finished second both times that series took on the Monster Mile in 2010. Even if he hasn’t won at the track yet in either series, he clearly knows how to run up front here.

Filed under: Carl Edwards, Dover International Speedway, Joey Logano, Martin Truex Jr., NASCAR Fantasy Gaming 

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