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Fantasy Pick’Em: 2010 Lenox 301

by Chris Leone, Special To NASCAR commentary and pictures,2010 NASCAR schedule,NASCAR 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.

June 24, 2010 11:20 am CDT 1 Comment

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Jeff Gordon Pitstop at Michigan Speedway

This weekend’s Lenox 301 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway marks the first race of the Sprint Cup Series’ Race to the Chase, a ten-race dash to set the field for the Chase for the Sprint Cup at the end of the year. Right now, eight drivers are within 161 points (the maximum swing between first and last in a race) of 12th-place Carl Edwards, making the next ten races crucially important for those bubble drivers.

Loudon is a unique track to Sprint Cup, in that it is reminiscent of Martinsville on steroids. It’s a mile long, completely flat, and few drivers can maintain top ten average finishes at the track. Even the best Loudon drivers only crack the top ten about half the time.

So which drivers are good bets at the sport’s most northern track?

My pick for the weekend is Jeff Gordon. In 30 starts, he has an average finish of 11.4, with 13 top five results. Though he hasn’t won at the track since 1998, he has four finishes of third or better in the last seven Loudon races and led 64 laps in this event last year. He’ll be looking for a long overdue first win of the season.

My dark horse for the weekend is Martin Truex Jr., racing once again at his home track, per se. The New Jersey native finished in the top ten each time he ran at Loudon in 2007 and 2008, with last year’s poor finishes an aberration. It was his big wins at Loudon in the K&N East Series that actually put him in position to step up to the big time in the first place. Truex will also be looking to make up for a race ruined by Gordon last weekend.

Three more, as per usual:

Denny Hamlin has the best average finish of a driver with a significant amount of starts at Loudon. In eight races, he’s put up a 7.5 average, with one win and six top fives. More impressive, Hamlin has never failed to complete a lap at the track, nor has he ever finished worse than 15th.

Any longtime fan of the sport, or of this track, knows that Jeff Burton once owned Loudon like no other driver could ever imagine. From 1997 to 2000, Burton won a race every year, with his 300-out-of-300 laps led in the fall of 2000 his masterpiece at the track. Sure, Burton hasn’t won there since, but he’s continued to put up solid runs.

Finally, let’s go way out in left field and give Bobby Labonte a little name recognition. He’s just left TRG Motorsports and will attempt to run the full race in Robby Gordon’s unsponsored No. 7 car. He actually led in both Loudon races last year, and although his finishes haven’t shown it as of late, he was once a shoo-in for top finishes every race. His feedback on the car will help Gordon’s team move forward as they attempt to gain sponsorship for the rest of the season.

Filed under: Bobby Labonte, Denny Hamlin, Jeff Burton, Jeff Gordon, Martin Truex Jr., New Hampshire International Speedway, One and Done NASCAR Fantasy Racing

Tagged with: Bobby Labonte, Denny Hamlin, Jeff Burton, Jeff Gordon, Lenox 301, Martin Truex Jr., New Hampshire Motor Speedway, One and Done NASCAR Fantasy Racing

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Fantasy Pick’Em: 2010 Shelby American

by Chris Leone, Special To NASCAR commentary and pictures,2010 NASCAR schedule,NASCAR video, Bench Racing With Steve and Charlie

February 25, 2010 1:55 am CST 2 Comments

Two races down, 34 to go as the Sprint Cup Series heads to Las Vegas Motor Speedway for this year’s Shelby American. Kyle Busch will attempt to defend his 2009 race win after two consecutive 14th place finishes to start the year.

Jimmie Johnson won three consecutive Vegas races from 2005-07, and won last week in California. He was the best of my five suggestions last week. My lead pick, Matt Kenseth, had a seventh-place run, while my dark horse, David Ragan, was 23rd. Of my other picks, Busch was 14th, and polesitter Jamie McMurray wound up 17th. All in all, it was a much better day than Daytona, and everybody was in the top 25, so the day wasn’t a disaster.

I know it’s an easy pick, but can you fault me for taking Johnson this weekend? It somehow feels okay to me because of his off and on nature at Vegas. In eight starts at the track, he has three wins, but only one other top-10. The past two years he hasn’t finished in the top 20, although he led the most laps in last year’s event before a pit road mistake took him off the lead lap.

It’s hard to come up with a true dark horse for Vegas. The top drivers in the series usually do well, and the lesser teams don’t, according to the record books. But Bobby Labonte may be as close as it gets. He was fifth last year for the Hall of Fame Racing team that no longer runs, and he may be able to pull some similar magic for TRG Motorsports this weekend. He’s got a decent Vegas record, with an average finish of 15.7 in 12 starts, two poles, and five top-10s, with four of those finishes fifth or better.

The other three drivers I’m picking, as per tradition:

Jeff Burton has the best average finish of anybody at Vegas, and even the fact that he’s started every race at the track hasn’t weighed that down. He’s the only driver with an average finish in the single digits (9.8), and he won this race in 1999 and 2000. Save a disaster in 2001, he’s never finished worse than 17th.

Kyle Busch runs at a torrid pace at his home track. His average start of 7.7 is only second to brother Kurt, at least for drivers with multiple Vegas starts, but Rowdy is significantly better than his big brother in average finish, by more than nine places. As I’ve already mentioned, he won this race last year. Since joining Sprint Cup full-time, his worst Vegas finish is 11th. Talk about stepping up for the home crowd.

Finally, Denny Hamlin completes my horrible cop-out of picking the drivers with the top four average finishes at Vegas. I know, I know. But Hamlin is outside the top 20 in points – I feel like I should get some leeway there. He also hasn’t led any laps at Vegas in his career, which would make a victory somewhat of an upset, right? He qualifies mid-pack (average start 23.5), but has an average finish of 11.0, the biggest positive difference for any active driver, meaning if he wins, he’ll have earned it by passing a lot of cars and maintaining the lead.

Filed under: Bobby Labonte, Denny Hamlin, Jeff Burton, Kyle Busch, Las Vegas Motor Speedway, jimmie johnson

Tagged with: Bobby Labonte, Denny Hamlin, Jeff Burton, jimmie johnson, Kyle Busch, Las Vegas Motor Speedway, Shelby American

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Last Sprint Cup Off Weekend Leads to Decisions for Kevin Harvick and Yates Racing

by Steve Wronkowicz

I am co-host of the syndicated radio show: ON PIT ROW. Charlie likes to call me an "idiot". I'm not an "idiot"; I just prefer not to let the facts get in the way of my opinions.

September 1, 2009 7:06 am CDT No Comments

NASCAR puts the final Cup SeriErikes off weekend behind themselves as the final push to make the playoffs begins.

This is usually the height of NASCAR’s “silly season”; a time for teams to put together their deals for the next season. This is the time for speculation to run rampant.

But what have we seen this week? Kevin Harvick will remain at Richard Childress Racing for 2010 and Bobby Labonte will be out of the #96 Hall of Fame Racingride for seven of the final twelve races. Labonte was a guest ON PIT ROW last week and made no mention of the move. The sad state of the sport is that if there is no money to race; you don’t go racing. In the case of HOF Racing, their sponsor had only committed to the final five of twelve events and were not willing to fund the other seven races.

In steps Erik Darnell of Roush-Fenway Racing, who fields the cars for Yates Racing who partners with HOF, and brings sponsorship money with him. So while the number may be the same for those seven races, the car will not be a HOF Racing entry at all. In essence HOF Racing is loaning its number to Roush-Fenway to give one of its rookies and one of Ford Racing’s prospects some seat time.

This week’s ON PIT ROW will include an interview with Harvick, who had been rumored to be looking for a new ride. Harvick has made no excuses for the poor performance of his race team and the entire RCR effort. With the way things are in NASCAR today, Harvick may well have decided that knowing what he was dealing with was far less scary than entering a new and possibly worse situation.

This leads us to this week’s BUZZ ON PIT ROW:

If a driver is out of the Chase and moving to a new team the following year; should he be allowed to move in the current season?

Let us know what you think and we could use your response on this week’s radio show. Listen live to ON PIT ROW every Tuesday from 5-7pm ET. Call the show with your opinion and you could win a Kevin Harvick bobblehead if your call is deemed The Shell Nitrogen Enriched Call of the Day.

photo credit: Icon Sports Media

Filed under: Ask.com Racing, Bobby Labonte, Hall of Fame Racing, Kevin Harvick, NASCAR, On Pit Row The Fastest Two Hours on Radio, Richard Childress Racing, Roush Racing, Yates Racing

Tagged with: Bobby Labonte, erik darnell, Hall of Fame Racing, Kevin Harvick, Roush-Fenway Racing, Yates Racing

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Winning the Brad Keselowski Sweepstakes Could Save a NASCAR Franchise

by Steve Wronkowicz

I am co-host of the syndicated radio show: ON PIT ROW. Charlie likes to call me an "idiot". I'm not an "idiot"; I just prefer not to let the facts get in the way of my opinions.

July 11, 2009 11:27 am CDT 1 Comment

The 2009 NASCAR Sprint Cup season is barely half over and the speculation of what 2010 brings is in high gear.

Silly Season has started in earnest. Fox Sports’ Lee Spencer is reporting that Robert Yates Racing may be looking to blow up their lineup in 2010 because of lack of performance from Bobby Labonte and cash cow Paul Menard.

Roger Penske may be looking to shop the seat in the #12 for the second year. David Stremme has not taken to the new car as quickly as hoped after sitting out the 2008 Cup season. The hottest property in the 2010 free agent market is Brad Keselowski and he is being looked at to fill that seat.

The Kez has been included in talk of pretty much every open seat for next year; the anticipated fourth cars at Joe Gibbs Racing or third at Stewart-Haas, a move to cup by Junior Motorsports or Keven Harvick, Inc or even replacing Junior at Hendrick.

While no one knows for sure where he will end up yet, I may as well throw my personal hope into the mix. After years of struggling to make assorted drivers work on a limited budget with 1970’s thought processes one team has taken a step back to try and re-capture it’s former glory days. While some teams have resorted to start and park strategies to get their teams trough these tough times, The Wood Brothers took to a limited schedule to try and make things work.

Bill Elliott has held down the seat on again and off again until the right deal can happen. 2010 is the year that the once proud team that saw David Pearson, Cale Yarborough and others win races in droves, needs to grab the next hot, can’t miss driver since Sliced Bread. Keselowski is young, hungry and has proven himself a winner. Eddie Wood has made hard decisions over the past year. Adding Keselowski for the entire season could be the piece to the puzzle that brings the Wood Brothers back to the front.

Sponsorship is the key; getting it and getting enough of it to be competitive. The other hard decision to be made may not be so easy and that would be to give up the teams autonomy. An alliance with Roush-Fenway/Yates as a satellite team could help solve technical and financial challenges.

One car from Roush-Fenway will be spun off to Yates because of NASCAR’s four team rule. Common speculation has had either Jamie McMurrey or David Ragan moving to Yates as a third team. But, instead of sending a lower performing team, send Greg Biffle to become the cornerstone of that operation. Proven winner Travis Kvapil is available to take over the #96 ride if Ask.com can be convinced to stay on board or other sponsorship can be found.

The Wood Brothers with help from R-F/Y and Keselowski at the wheel could be a combination that returns the once proud team back to respectability and beyond.

photo credit: BethAnne Heisler/ON PIT ROW

Filed under: Ask.com Racing, Bill Elliott, Bobby Labonte, Brad Kesolowski, David Ragan, How to fix NASCAR, Jamie McMurray, NASCAR, NASCAR Rumors, Nascar Legends, Paul Menard, Sprint Cup Series, Stewart Haas Racing, The Wood Brothers, Yates Racing

Tagged with: Bobby Labonte, Brad Keselowski, Roush-Fenway, The Wood Brothers Racing, Yates Racing

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Will Bobby Labonte Replace Ticketmaster

by Steve Wronkowicz

I am co-host of the syndicated radio show: ON PIT ROW. Charlie likes to call me an "idiot". I'm not an "idiot"; I just prefer not to let the facts get in the way of my opinions.

February 3, 2009 8:17 am CST No Comments

During the NASCAR Media Tour, Speedway Motorsports, Inc. president Bruton Smith and most of his companies promoters have called on drivers to help sell tickets.

Whether Smith is looking for Tony Stewart, Jeff Gordon or Junior to spend some time in the ticket booth or just to present a more “fan-friendly” face to the fans; NASCAR is scrambling to fill seats. It has been a long time since many tracks have had to hustle to get its tickets sold. For over a decade the line from Field of Dreams held true; “Build it and they will come.”

Well this isn’t a corn field in Iowa and tracks are struggling to have their races look full to the television cameras. But if you were a former ticket owner at a particular track who had not purchased tickets this year; would you change your mind if you recieved a phone call from Kasey Kahne asking you to re-up? Would you venture off to Darlington if you thought Bobby Labonte might be at the ticket window?

Do fans feel slighted by NASCAR’s elite drivers? The truth is that most fans believe that the majority of NASCAR personalities are quite accessable and give their time as much as possible. Fans line the walkways to and from the garage area at all tracks hoping to get a look at and maybe an autograph from, their favorite driver. Those drivers more times than not will take time to sign something or otherwise interact with the fans.

Rarely are those fans critical of the driver for not doing more. And that leads us to this weeks BUZZ ON PIT ROW:

Should NASCAR drivers be expected to do more to help track owners and promoters sell tickets?

Let us know what you think and we may use your response on this weeks radio show. Tune in to ON PIT ROW, Tuesdays from 5-7pm ET at www.onpitrow.com Give us a call and let us know what you think about THE BUZZ or anything NASCAR at 1-877-502-8255 during the show.

photo credit: Icon Sports Media

Filed under: Bobby Labonte, Brian France, Bruton Smith, Dale Earnhardt Jr., How to fix NASCAR, Jeff Gordon, Kasey Kahne, NASCAR, NASCAR & the Media, NASCAR Bidness, On Pit Row The Fastest Two Hours on Radio

Tagged with: Bobby Labonte, Bruton Smith, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Kasey Kahne, NASCAR, SMI, Tony Stewart

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Bobby Labonte Searches for Wins with Ask.com

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

January 22, 2009 7:11 pm CST No Comments

Bobby Labonte driving a Ford ? OK. I’m a Labonte fan. At least he’s driving something in the Sprint Cup Series.

Driving a Fusion for Hall of Fame Racing? That doesn’t inspire me much. I am, after all, a J J Yeley fan too and Hall of Shame didn’t do anything for J J ’s career.

But the car will be supported through a hybrid, satellite deal where Hall of Fame’s No 96 will be powered and pitted by Doug Yates’ Racing team, which also seems to mean support from Jack Roush and Roush-Fenway’s Ford factory team.

So given some of the scenarios I’d heard and read about concerning Texas Bobby, driving a car with solid support from one of the best organizations in the sport, is about as good as it could get I guess.

And that car will have full season sponsorship from NASCAR’s new “official seach engine“. Ask.com. Spiffy paint scheme too - flames and everything. He’ll get to debut the Ask.com no 96 Fusion in the Budweiser Shootout at Daytona International Speedway next month.

Maybe Labonte will relax a bit too, now that he isn’t “the Great Petty Blue Hope”.

Filed under: Bobby Labonte, Daytona International Speedway, Hall of Fame Racing, NASCAR, NASCAR Bidness, NASCAR Rumors, Roush Racing, Sprint Cup Series, Yates Racing

Tagged with: Ask.com, Bobby Labonte, Doug Yates, J J Yeley, Jack Roush, NASCAR paint schemes, Yates Racing

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