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Fantasy Pick’Em: 2010 Autism Speaks 400

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 12, 2010 11:04 pm UTC No Comments

The Monster Mile, Dover International Speedway, will play host to this weekend’s Sprint Cup Series race, the Autism Speaks 400. Taken last year by Jimmie Johnson after an impressive pass of Tony Stewart with three laps to go, this is the last points-paying event before the All-Star festivities at Charlotte.

One of this week’s biggest headlines has been Rick Hendrick’s claim that Joe Gibbs Racing has “lapped” his Hendrick Motorsports team. This isn’t the case at Dover, however; three Hendrick drivers have an average finish at least four points better than that of Kyle Busch, Gibbs’ top Dover driver, whose average is a middling 16.9. Team leader Denny Hamlin has taken the fight to Johnson elsewhere this season, but horrible luck at Dover has given him four finishes outside of the top 35 in eight starts.

So if not the Gibbs drivers, who do you pick at Dover?

I’m going with Carl Edwards. Assuming that he won’t visit victory lane ever again is kind of a stretch, even if he hasn’t been a serious threat since that wild ride at Talladega last year. Edwards is exceptional at Dover, his average finish of 7.9 in 11 starts buoyed by seven top-10s and a win. Those other four races? No worse than 18th. He hasn’t failed to complete a lap in his last nine starts.

Martin Truex Jr. is my dark horse, though he’s certainly a middling driver at the track, with the lone exception of his dominant spring 2007 win. Three top-10s are offset by three finishes outside of the top 20, for an average finish of 15.2. It’s decent, but you can find better; then again, Truex’s team has used their “NAPA Know How” to put together a string of solid runs recently, putting them a mere 16 points out of the Chase. A Dover win could propel Truex into the playoffs just as it did three years ago.

Three more concrete warriors to consider:

Johnson has five wins in 16 Dover starts. That’s equal to the amount of sub-10th place finishes he has, and even then, three of those were top-15s. He also swept the track last year, leading 298 and 271 laps respectively on the way to his two victories. I’m not picking him for the sake of remaining interesting.

Jeff Gordon is long overdue for a win, and everybody knows it – the DuPont team should not be 40 races between trips to victory lane right now, especially given how strong they’ve been the past two weeks. Gordon’s accrued four wins and 21 top-10s in 34 Dover starts, though three of the wins came in 1995 and 1996, and only one came in a 400-mile event. The past four years have seen Gordon finish 12th or better in seven out of eight starts, with a total of 114 laps led.

Finally, four-time Dover winner Mark “The Kid” Martin gets a look for the consistency he’s shown at Dover since 2004. He doesn’t lead many laps, and hasn’t led in triple digits since last millennium, but going to Dover both times every year (even in his limited schedules) has kept him sharp at the oval. In 10 of his last 12 starts, he’s been in the top ten when the checkered flag fell; the other finishes were 14th and 23rd, not too shabby. Martin was the runner-up in the fall race, something he’s done seven times at the track.

Filed under: Carl Edwards, Dover International Speedway, Jeff Gordon, jimmie johnson, Mark Martin, Martin Truex Jr., One and Done NASCAR Fantasy Racing, Sprint Cup Series

Tagged with: Autism Speaks 400, Carl Edwards, Dover International Speedway, Jeff Gordon, jimmie johnson, Mark Martin, Martin Truex Jr., One and Done NASCAR Fantasy Racing

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Double J and The Luck of A Golden Horseshoe

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

Tagged with: American Idol, Andy Garcia, Auto Club Speedway, Cirque du Soleil, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Daytona 500, diversity, Golden Horseshoe stuck up his, Jamie McMurray, Jeff Gordon, jimmie johnson, jimmie Johnson Golden Horseshoe, Juan Pablo Montoya, Kasey Kahne, Katharine McPhee, Kevin Harvick, Las Vegas, Las Vegas Motor Speedway, Martin Truex Jr., NASCAR, Ryan Newman

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Fast Laps: Chicagoland

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

July 8, 2009 6:26 pm UTC 5 Comments

This may be for Chicagoland, but I’m still hung up on the finish of the Coke Zero 400. If you’re reading this you know the deal. Kyle Busch comes out of turn 4, blocks Tony Stewart, Stewart moves to the outside, Busch tries to block, gets spun, get’s clobbered. Twice. The finishes of these plate races has officially jumped the shark. We now know that the leader at the end of the race will end up in the wall just before the start/finish line. It’s not anyone’s fault, per se. The drivers have voiced frustration at NASCAR for the situation they’re put in. I began thinking, is there anything that can change? I started looking at some plate races from the late 90s when the fad was diving below the line on the front and backstretch. Perhaps the most famous example was Jeff Gordon diving below race leader Rusty Wallace with 11 laps to go heading into turn 1 with a slowed Ricky Rudd on the apron. Gordon was just a few feet from Rudd when Wallace moved up, gave Gordon the room on the inside, and watched him win his 2nd Daytona 500. Today, Rusty says he wouldn’t have given Gordon the room. If the yellow-line rule is lifted, would we see a situation like that again? Who knows. I just know that something’s got to be done to change the finishes of these races, because I’ll take the money in my pockets and bet someone all the money in theirs that the finish at the fall race at Talladega will look very similar to those that saw Brad Keselowski and Tony Stewart end up in victory lane instead of Carl Edwards and Kyle Busch.

Now it’s your turn to do battle with Steve and Charlie, along with who else might show up. 100 words, 100% attitude. Let’s roll:

1. Will someone get killed during one these plate race finishes, as suggested by Carl Edwards?

2. Has the yellow-line rule outlived its usefulness?

3. What will Martin Truex Jr. do in his first year at MWR?

4. Does Chicagoland deserve a second race ahead of Kansas?

Photo credit: Icon Sports Media

Filed under: Brad Kesolowski, Carl Edwards, Chicagoland Speedway, Daytona 500, Daytona International Speedway, Jeff Gordon, NASCAR, Rusty Wallace, Sprint Cup Series, Talladega Superspeedway

Tagged with: Brad Keselowski, Chicagoland Speedway, Coke Zero 400, Daytona 500, Jeff Gordon, Kyle Busch, Martin Truex Jr., Michael Waltrip Racing, NASCAR, Rusty Wallace, Sprint Cup Series, Tony Stewart

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A Much Different Race At New Hampshire This Time Around

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

June 28, 2009 7:59 pm UTC 2 Comments

It’s difficult to knock your home racetrack for usually putting on a boring show, but I frequently find myself complaining about the New Hampshire Motor Speedway. Sprint Cup’s answer to the Milwaukee Mile, the 1-mile flat track has put on plenty of snoozefests or rain-shortened tilts over the past few years. As a fan who attends both Sprint Cup races at the track every year, and having been a ticket holder at the track for more than ten years, I often find myself wondering on the drive home whether or not the race I just saw was worth the price of admission.

Today’s event, however, might have finally sold me on Loudon.

Remember that when I wrote about “fixing” NASCAR, I wanted a shorter schedule for the Sprint Cup boys, and that NHMS was one of the first tracks I wanted to go. Despite the fact that it almost always sells out (owing to its status as the only Cup track in New England), there’s always been a negative aura over the track ever since Adam Petty and Kenny Irwin Jr.‘s accidents. Remember the 2001 race run on Thanksgiving weekend? Do you have any idea how frigid that was?

Today’s race, though – there was something different about it, compared to the past few years. It didn’t feel like a chore to sit through this race the way it has in some years past. For one, with the starting lineup set by owners’ points, it was fun to watch the guys who were fast in happy hour work their way through the field. In particular, Martin Truex Jr. was showing his stuff early on, working his way into the top 10.

Even the commercialism seemed to be toned down this weekend. The $ouvenir price$ were $till the $ame (if you were enough of a $ucker to $pend $25 on a t-$hirt), but there were far fewer trailers on track grounds selling new gear. Aside from the Aaron’s Lucky Dog and ServiceMaster Cautions, there weren’t too many ads on the three big screens placed around the track.

That made it a lot easier to focus on the racing at hand – and boy, were there some highlights. I’m a little peeved at Kyle Busch for taking out Truex, my One and Done pick this weekend, and causing one of the biggest wrecks at the track in recent memory. The double-file restarts (I refuse to call them that cheesy name that Brian France gave them) completely changed the race, and produced some pretty good battles between Jeff Gordon and Kurt Busch.

And how about Joey Logano winning his first career Sprint Cup race? In a way, this is Sliced Bread’s home track – although he relocated to Georgia to further his career around the turn of the decade, he’s originally from Connecticut. Same goes for crew chief Greg Zipadelli, a Berlin, CT native. It’s always a great feeling to get your first win, and it’s great, too, to win at your home track. Combining both must be a dream come true for the No. 20 team.

Sure, the win’s a little controversial due to the race ending early, but either way, it etches Logano into the record books as the youngest Sprint Cup winner ever. And even as driver development contracts are starting earlier and earlier in drivers’ lives and careers, it’s unlikely that anyone is going to win another Sprint Cup race at 19 years old anytime soon.

Today’s Lenox Industrial Tools 301, although rain-shortened (do you think they’ll ever go “the extra mile”?), was the best Sprint Cup race at New Hampshire Motor Speedway in a long time. More than ever, I can say that I’m looking forward to the start of the Chase ten weeks from now. Hopefully that race will deliver as much entertainment as this one did.

Filed under: New Hampshire International Speedway

Tagged with: Greg Zipadelli, Jeff Gordon, Joey Logano, Kurt Busch, Kyle Busch, Lenox 301, Martin Truex Jr., New Hampshire Motor Speedway

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NASCAR’s Business Model Changing

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.

December 9, 2008 9:10 am UTC 4 Comments

Not since the early 1980′s could NASCAR have so many unsponsored cars at its Cup races.

Most reports have only two-thirds of the full time prospective Cup teams with sponsorship deals for 2009. Yates Racing still only has full time sponsorship for their new team member Paul Menard. That deal is with his fathers owned home improvement business. Menard will drive the number 98 this year; joining the unsponsored #38 and #28 of David Gilliland and Travis Kvapil respectively.

Dale Earnhardt, Inc and Chip Ganassi Racing have had to merge in an effort to keep the BassPro sponsorship for 2009. BassPro could leave the number 1 car if there were not two full time team mates for 2009. By merging with Ganassi, Martin Truex, Jr. will have those two full time team mates in Juan Pablo Montoya and possibly Bobby Labonte who could move over from Petty Enterprises to drive the number 41 Target car.

If Labonte leaves Petty Enterprises and the iconic number 43 ride; that could open that seat for Reed Sorenson as he would move over from his proposed seat in the GEM number 10. The merger of GEM and Boston Ventures owned Petty Enterprises could leave NASCAR without a Petty in an ownership role for the first time in years. Don’t forget that Mike Curb owned the 43 for some years in the late 1970s.

Which leads us to this weeks BUZZ ON PIT ROW:

Where did Petty Enterprises go wrong?

Let us know what you think about this question or anything else going on in NASCAR’s off season. Have a comment about the banquet–let us know and we could use your comment on this week ON PIT ROW radio show. Or call the show live starting at 5pm ET on Tuesdays at 1-877-502-8255. Listen live at www.onpitrow.com

photo credit: BethAnne Heisler/ ON PIT ROW

Filed under: Bobby Labonte, Dale Earnhardt, Inc., Earnhardt Ganassi Racing, How to fix NASCAR, Martin Truex Jr., NASCAR Bidness, NASCAR Rumors, On Pit Row The Fastest Two Hours on Radio, The King, The Pettys

Tagged with: Chip Ganassi Racing, Dale Earnhardt, david gilliland, Inc., Juan Pablo Montoya, Martin Truex Jr., Mike Curb, Paul Menard, Petty Enterprises, Travis Kvapil, Yates Racing

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Martin Truex Jr – Should He Stay Or Should He Go?

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

July 18, 2008 7:43 pm UTC 6 Comments

Ever since Dale Earnhardt Inc. announced its intention to pick up Martin Truex Jr.‘s contract option for the 2009 season, speculation of the driver’s future has increased exponentially.

Over the past ten races, the New Jersey driver has finished in the top 20 nine times, with a 34th at Lowe’s Motor Speedway the lone exception. While Truex currently finds himself 17th in points, he has attracted interest from such teams as Richard Childress Racing and Team Penske for next season. Truex has also been rumored to join the new Stewart-Haas Racing team for 2009, alongside Tony Stewart.

Certainly, Truex ought to feel like the subject of the Clash’s 1981 hit single, “Should I Stay Or Should I Go?” After the incident at Daytona that left the No. 1 team $100,000 lighter in the wallet and 150 points in the hole, Truex was said to be furious and looking to abandon the only Sprint Cup team he’s ever known for 2009.

However, given the other opportunities available, Truex might be wise to bide his time at DEI. Every available ride that he’s been considering has some sort of major flaw that could seriously damage his championship prospects for 2009 and beyond. So, without further ado, here’s why Martin Truex Jr. should remain with Dale Earnhardt Inc. for the 2009 season:

1. Lack of owners’ points on the No. 33 car

The fourth Childress team has competed in one Sprint Cup Race this season, the Coca-Cola 600 with Ken Schrader behind the wheel. The car will be nowhere near within the top 35 in owners’ points, so Truex would have to qualify for the first five races of the season on speed. With the Daytona 500 qualifying race rules getting more complex by the year, it’s likely that Truex would miss the opening event of the season, if not more events early on. While Truex has a career average start of 18.8 in Sprint Cup, he’s only scored one pole in his career. The insecurity of trying to qualify for races on speed early on in the season with a start-up team is something Truex shouldn’t risk.

2. Team Penske’s consistent underperforming teams

Team Penske in NASCAR is not Team Penske in the Indy Racing League: Since 2004, when the Chase format was first implemented, the NASCAR branch of Penske’s race team has only won nine races. Compare that to 16 IRL wins and one championship in about half as many combined starts. Not only that, since their 1-2 finish at the Daytona 500 this year, the departing Ryan Newman and Kurt Busch have sunk to 16th and 18th in points, respectively, with Truex sandwiched in the middle. Former IRL champion Sam Hornish Jr. 33rd in the team’s third car. Even its status as one of Dodge’s top teams and consistent financial backing have not put Penske in position to win championships. A move to Penske would be a step sideways for Truex.

3. The inevitable trying first season of Stewart-Haas

At this point, both cars that will become S-H vehicles next season are teetering around the 35th place mark in owners’ points, presenting Truex with the same problem he would have at RCR. However, at least RCR won’t have an entire team overhaul next season. As owner, Stewart expects to clear house, making his new team a hodge-podge of collected crewmen and mechanics that may take a while to build chemistry. Even heavy Chevrolet factory support may be unreliable in the wake of the company’s massive forthcoming budget cuts.

4. Everything fits at DEI

Only by staying where he is will Truex be a team’s number one driver – figuratively and literally. He will rank above Aric Almirola and Paul Menard, and Regan Smith if the No. 01 team does not fold. With Mark Martin‘s departure for Hendrick Motorsports, the company has an extra $8 million to work with in bringing back Truex for his contract option year. He would remain with longtime crew chief Kevin “Bono” Manion and crew members that saw him to the 2004 and 2005 Nationwide Series championships.

5. Many other, better rides will be open in 2009

The contracts of Kurt Busch, David Ragan, Matt Kenseth, Jamie McMurray, Kevin Harvick, David Gilliland, Juan Pablo Montoya, Brian Vickers, and A.J. Allmendinger are known to expire after the 2009 season. Six of those drivers’ teams are currently in the top 20 in points, with McMurray’s a close 22nd and Gilliland not much further back in 25th. It’s also likely that some other drivers will lose their rides between now and the end of next season. If, say, Harvick decides to follow Stewart’s path into Sprint Cup ownership, Truex could find himself a much better ride just by waiting ’til next year.

By allowing DEI to pick up their option on him for the 2009 season, Truex sets him up for what could potentially be a larger windfall in 2010, with better teams and bigger money. All he needs to do is sit through one more season with the team that gave him his first opportunity in the big leagues before moving on.

Photo Credit: IconSportsMedia.com

Filed under: Dale Earnhardt, Inc., Martin Truex Jr., Penske Racing, Richard Childress Racing, Stewart Haas Racing

Tagged with: Dale Earnhardt, Inc., Martin Truex Jr., Penske Racing, Richard Childress Racing, Ryan Newman, Stewart Haas Racing, Tony Stewart

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