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Fantasy Pick’Em: 2010 Samsung Mobile 500

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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 15, 2010 3:13 pm UTC No Comments

This weekend’s Samsung Mobile 500 at Texas Motor Speedway will be the eighth race of this year’s Sprint Cup Series season. Last year, Jeff Gordon scored his lone win of the season in this race, leading a race-high 105 laps, including the last 28.

Before anything else, though, I’d like to comment on what a whirlwind of a week this has been as far as the silly season goes. Kasey Kahne to Hendrick in 2012, in a Jamie McMurray-esque situation? Two of the lower-tier teams changing drivers? Kelly Bires and John Wes Townley out of rides? Silly season keeps happening earlier and earlier every year, and I think NASCAR needs to look into implementing some restrictions on signings like Kahne’s. I understand that the drivers and teams are independent contractors, but how would Colts fans feel if Peyton Manning signed with the Titans for the 2012 season before even completing this year or the next?

Without further ado, and before I start ranting uncontrollably about the Kahne signing, let’s just go to the fantasy picks and call it a day.

My headlining pick for the weekend is Tony Stewart. Of active drivers, Smoke is the fourth-best at Texas, with one win and 10 top-10s in 16 starts. The win came in the fall of 2006, when he led 278 of the race’s 339 laps. Smoke also has to be buoyed by teammate Ryan Newman’s win last weekend at Phoenix, a great step towards asserting that Stewart-Haas Racing won’t fall victim to a sophomore slump in 2010.

As for a dark horse, I’m going to pick Kahne. Yes, he has been very mediocre at Texas, with only one win and two top-10s in 11 starts, but something tells me that his Richard Petty Motorsports team is going to go all out this weekend and in the next few weeks to try and prove that they can run up front, not only for Kahne’s potential replacements, but maybe even to keep him in the seat for 2011.

Okay, we’ve got three more picks to go. Is it fair enough for me to invoke Texas hold ‘em and call this the fantasy “flop”? (Heaven knows a lot of my picks tend to do so on raceday.)

The top active driver statistically at Texas is Matt Kenseth, with an average finish of 9.3. No other driver has a single-digit average finish at Texas, not even the great Jimmie Johnson. Kenseth has not won at Texas since 2002, but has led at least one lap in eight of the last ten Texas races. Over that span, his worst finish is 18th, with six top fives (including three runner-up finishes) and lead-lap finishes in all ten starts.

Kurt Busch is somewhat of a risky pick, but he did win the last time the Cup cars went to Texas. Granted, he only has one Texas DNF, but he hasn’t been as consistently up front at the track throughout his career as guys like Kenseth and Johnson. In fact, his only other top five finish came in his Texas debut, in the spring of 2001, when he finished fourth.

Finally, Jeff Burton has only recently asserted himself as a Texas contender, but he’s almost always been towards the front since joining Richard Childress Racing. He only led one lap in the one Texas race he won, but since 2006 he’s finished in the top 10 six out of eight times.

Filed under: One and Done NASCAR Fantasy Racing, Texas Motor Speedway 

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Double J and The Luck of A Golden Horseshoe

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

Clance' McClannahan, famous author behind The Church of The Great Oval and also one of the much appreciated Contributing Authors at Thunder Lounge.

February 27, 2010 12:04 am UTC 1 Comment

How much does luck really have to play in NASCAR? Auto Club Speedway was a perfect example of both good luck, bad luck, skill and strategy.

Race Day at ACS started out cloudy, with the threat of rain looming overhead in in the future. Lovely Katharine McPhee, Season 5 American Idol runner-up, performed the National Anthem, after stating “I’ve never watched a NASCAR game before.” Personally, I am really glad she said that prior to the first inning, or it might have been embarrassing for her later.

Andy Garcia was able to give the command. “ Gentlemen, start your engines!” and still be politically correct.

Pole sitter Jamie Mac led the race for about 5 seconds, and then Juan Pablo Montoya politely said “Excuse me?”, and took the lead. If you would reach far back into your memory…(I mean, it’s a stretch for me),  you will remember that JPM led 60 laps at ACS in October, and in one truly horrendous moment, lost that race. Juan Pablo Montoya meant serious business and opened up a lead of more than 3 seconds by Lap 12. By Lap 29, Jimmie Johnson’s good luck began to show, and the 42 car’s not so good 30th lap, gave him a brush with the wall.  Soon after…it was Good vs. Bad for JPM, Kasey Kahne and a few others. Namely Dale (**NOTE to Jr. Nation: Dale doesn’t want to be called Jr. or June Bug, anymore).

In the meantime, a war was beginning to rage. Kevin Harvick and Jimmie Johnson had begun the battle that would continue throughout the race, which culminated in one of the finest moments in NASCAR History.

Lap 97 began to get a little more interesting. Now we will get into the good luck, bad luck, strategy (?) syndrome that happenedthat day.

Martin Truex Jr. loses power. Later, Martin Truex Jr’s engine blows.
JPM begins to battle with Jeff Gordon for 5th position. Harvick and Johnson continue to dance the Flamenco (to impress Juan Pablo Montoya) for 1st and 2nd, not being able to decide who would lead and who would follow.

In one of the most endearing and heart breaking moments of the race, Kasey Kahne, being conscientious of the bleak economy, decided he would help out some poor souls, who needed to make some money to feed their kids, by making sure they had jobs replacing the sod he tore up.
Ryan Newman’s engine blew up. DNF. Again.  JPM, looking very competitive, was out of contention once again, after a great 140 laps. It also, was due to another kaboom of a large quantity of moving parts, critical to the car continuing to run..

Kevin Harvick discovered that one of Jamie Mac’s pit crew has a part time job with Cirque du Soleil. Scary.

Then there was Dale Earnhardt Jr. It seems like the last few years, if it’s going to happen to someone it will be Dale Jr. Personally, I don’t think he has any better or worse luck than many driver’s. I think his worst luck is the scrutiny he is constantly under. Much more than other driver’s. Broken Axle. Axle Broken. Race over for the 88.

Jimmie Johnson seemed to be going backwards for a small moment in time. Then… From out of the blue…comes JJ again. Jamie Mac, startled, said “”How can he be leading? “He was on pit road, wasn’t he?!!”
Why yes, he was. Double J won. 48/48.
Luck? Strategy? All of the above?

Kevin Harvick , at the end of the race, summed it all up, in one sentence. Possibly one of the finest quotes in NASCAR History. I am honored to have been able to do small tribute to that little quip at The Church.
“They have a golden horseshoe stuck up their ass.”
…And that, Dear Fans, was the finest finish to a race I have seen since the Daytona 500.

*What wondrous events shall LVMS bring us this weekend? Aw…the suspense is killing me!

Filed under: Auto Club Speedway, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Danica Patrick, Diversity and NASCAR, Jamie McMurray, Jeff Gordon, jimmie johnson, Juan Pablo Montoya, Kasey Kahne, Las Vegas Motor Speedway, Martin Truex Jr., NASCAR, NASCAR Conspiracies, Ryan Newman 

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Tony Stewart Gives NASCAR Fans the Show They Crave at Daytona

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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.

July 5, 2009 8:47 am UTC No Comments

Tony Stewart was able to make the last lap pass of his former teammate, Kyle Busch, to win the Coke Zero 400 at Daytona.

However; in the process, Busch went spinning in a last lap wreck that saw him get airborne and land on Kasey Kahne’s car, very reminiscent of the final lap at Talladega where Carl Edwards went into the spectator fence.

The Shrub was able to get out of his mangled race car and walk toward the garage, where he was intercepted by track personnel that escorted him to a safety vehicle for a trip to the infield care center.  Busch was later released with no injuries other than a bruised ego.  Busch was able to get past Stewart on the white flag lap when Tony slowed, trying to make his pursuers lose momentum and avoid the last lap onslaught.

The move backfired on Stewart with Busch taking the lead and then going into full blocking mode.  Stewart was able to get his #14 just up to Busch’s quarter panel when they touched, sending Stewart to a win and Busch to the wall.  Stewart explained:

It’s nobody’s fault, it’s just racing.  I mean, it’s a product of the environment.  It doesn’t mean the environment is bad, it just means that’s the way it is.  Like I said, he did what he had to do, and he defended his spot and we held our(s).    It wasn’t even that we tried to hold our ground, we just got on his quarter panel, and that’s just how you suck up.  As soon as he moved, I didn’t anticipate him moving, and went across the nose.

Stewart had the dominate car all race as he never fell outside the top three.  During the seven pit stops for the Burger King car; each time he came in first and left first.

One other thirteen car melee took out some of the cars battling for the final positions in The Chase.  Most of the cars involved in that incident were able to repair their cars and finish the race.  Twenty-eight cars finished on the lead lap, with Jeff Gordon bringing up the rear of the lead lap cars.  Mark Martin ended his day in 38th and David Reutimann finished 36th, severely hampering their efforts to make it into the Chase.

Therefore; this week’s BUZZ ON PIT ROW is:

Aren’t the finishes at Talladega and now Daytona, exactly what NASCAR fans say they have been missing from the other tracks?

Let us know what you think and we may use your comments on this week’s ON PIT ROW radio show.  Listen live every Tuesday from 5-7pm ET.  Give us a call on the Bench Racing Hotline at 1-800-645-2946 and if we pick your call as the Shell Nitrogen Enriched Call of the Day you will win a Kevin Harvick bobblehead.

photo credits: Jerry Markland (wreck), Rusty Jarrett (Stewart)/Getty Images for NASCAR

Filed under: Carl Edwards, Chase for the Cup, David Reutimann, Daytona International Speedway, How to fix NASCAR, Jeff Gordon, Kasey Kahne, Kyle Busch, Mark Martin, NASCAR, On Pit Row The Fastest Two Hours on Radio, Sprint Cup Series, Tony Stewart 

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Kasey Kahne Delivers a Win for The Kings

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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.

June 22, 2009 8:38 pm UTC No Comments

Kasey Kahne wasn’t much of a road racer until winning the Toyota Save Mart 350 at Infineon Raceway on Sunday; taking the King of Beers and the King of NASCAR to victory lane.

Other than sitting on the pole in 2008, Kahne had done little when faced with going left and right to think that he would be able to take Richard Petty Motorsports back to victory lane.  A journey that lasted ten years since John Andretti last won for The King.  Andretti’s win came during the Petty Enterprises years; before mergers and re-locations made the once dominant team a mere shadow of itself.

There is very little of the old Petty Enterprises remaining in the new team owned by George Gillett.  The win comes within days of Gillett announcing that he has sold his interest in the Montreal Canadians hockey team.  Rumors have been circulating since the race in Michigan that RPM may be within weeks of a huge downsizing.

Could Kasey Kahne soon be the only driver left from the four that started the season?  Elliott Sadler, AJ Allmendinger and Reed Sorenson could all be without a ride and Kahne could be in an un-supported Toyota soon.  Petty let the cat out of the bag before the race at Michigan that Chrysler had not been sending checks and the money to run four teams was running thin.

That brings us to this week’s BUZZ ON PIT ROW:

With all the recent and pending changes at Richard Petty Motorsports again; what does Kasey Kahne’s win do for the team?

Let us know what you think and we could use your comments on this week’s ON PIT ROW radio show.  Listen live every Tuesday from 5-7pm ET here.  Or call the show at 800-645-2946 and if your call is voted the Shell Nitrogen Enriched Call Of the Day you will win a Kevin Harvick bobble head.

photo credit: Robert LaBerge/Getty Images for NASCAR

Filed under: A J Allmendinger, Gillett Evernham Motorsports, Kasey Kahne, NASCAR, Nascar Legends, NASCAR Rumors, Reed Sorenson 

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Will Bobby Labonte Replace Ticketmaster

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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.

February 3, 2009 8:17 am UTC 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 

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Real Men of Genius May Have Missed with Kasey Kahne

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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

December 10, 2008 2:50 pm UTC 1 Comment

The consensus “biggest 2008 story in NASCAR” seems to be Tony Stewart leaving Joe Gibbs Racing to return to Chevrolet with his very own team. I can’t argue much with that. Maybe if Jimmie Johnson wins seven Sprint Cup Championships in a row, Jimmie will get his due.

This time last year, the big story was Dale Earnhardt Jr leaving that Budweiser red,  DEI no. 8 for greener – as in Amp Energy Drink green – garages at Hendrick Motorsports.

That left Budweiser scrambling a bit to find a replacement for the most popular driver in NASCAR, to sell their suds. They picked Kasey Kahne. And it all kind went thud from there.

We Looked for the clever commercials of Kasey fighting off mutants – instead of MILFS. There were none. So when I saw this headline from Foxsports.com yesterday, I was interested in the story.

Earnhardt rewards sponsors; Bud’s exposure plummets

The telling numbers are these…

For the year, Earnhardt generated $26.15 million in value for his three sponsors — Amp Energy, the National Guard and Mountain Dew. That’s five percent more than what he delivered in 2007 for his former primary marketing partner, Budweiser.

With Earnhardt’s move, Budweiser put its support (and dollars) behind Kasey Kahne in 2008. It ended up with $11.75 million in exposure value, less than half of what it received with Earnhardt in 2007.

It isn’t like Junior had that much more success – if any – than Kasey. Junior won the Budweiser Shoot out (oh the irony) a qualifying race at Daytona, a Cup race at Michigan and qualified for the Chase. Kahne won the All Star race at Lowes Motor Speedway- he was voted in by the fans, remember – and two Cup races, but failed to make the Chase. Apparently though, winning isn’t everything. More from the Fox article…

In 12 of the 37 races tracked, the driver who delivered the most value for his sponsors was not the winner of the race.

I don’t know what this all means. It certainly is very important for NASCAR teams in these economic times, to have drivers that are more than just good. Does anyone think that the impending merger of Dale Earnhardt Inc with Ganassi/Sabates would have happened if Junior were still there? Would Petty Enterprises be in the soup if they had somehow signed a Mark Martin, Jeff Gordon or Kurt Busch years ago?

We want to congratulate the Gillette Young Guns for their 2008 NASCAR Marketing Achievement award. The Gillette folks have been helpful to us here at ON PIT ROW. But look at the line up of the Gillette Young Guns. Those are the kind of drivers that you need today just to survive in NASCAR.

Filed under: Clint Boyer, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Dale Earnhardt, Inc., Denny Hamlin, Gillett Evernham Motorsports, Kasey Kahne, Kurt Busch, Kyle Busch, Lowes Motor Speedway, NASCAR, NASCAR & the Media, NASCAR Bidness, Ryan Newman, Sprint Cup Series, The Busch Bros, The Pettys 

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