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Fantasy Pick’Em: 2010 Amp Energy Juice 500

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.

October 27, 2010 11:32 pm CDT No Comments

Kurt Busch heading out to practice at Indianapolis

Talladega Superspeedway hosts the Amp Energy Juice 500, the seventh race of this year’s Chase for the Sprint Cup. Three drivers – Denny Hamlin, Kevin Harvick, and Kyle Busch – enter the race within a weekend’s points haul of leader Jimmie Johnson, with Hamlin the closest at six markers back.

Talladega is widely understood to be the most unpredictable track in the Chase, with its restrictor-plate-engineered pack racing perpetuating the threat of a 20-car accident at any corner. Any driver can encounter bad luck at Talladega. Most have. The points leader coming out of this weekend will not necessarily be the guy to win the race, it will be the guy who survives the big one – if it happens.

With that in mind, recognize that the following picks are a crapshoot.

As far as the luckiest driver at Talladega goes, it’s Kurt Busch, with only three DNFs in 19 career Talladega starts. His resultant 12.8 average finish is the sport’s best. From the end of 2004 through 2007, he had a seven-race streak at the track of single-digit finishes, though he has never actually won at the track.

Looking at a dark horse, Jamie McMurray is your best bet. This race’s defending winner, he’s doubled his career win total this year alone, as the Earnhardt Ganassi team re-establishes itself as a weekly contender. McMurray’s won half of his career races at Daytona and Talladega, the sport’s two biggest tracks and the only two to require the use of restrictor plates.

Three more for the sake of three more:

Hey, remember that time Dale Earnhardt Jr. won four Talladega races in a row? He’s still a track favorite, even if that streak ended in 2003. He’s led in his past nine Talladega starts and in 19 out of 21 career races run, which has to count for something, even as lead changes seem to become more frequent every time Sprint Cup comes to the speedway.

Tony Stewart’s only Talladega win came at this race in 2008, but it was not without controversy. Most fans believed that, despite passing Stewart below the yellow line on the final lap, Regan Smith deserved the win for passing cleanly and not wrecking his competitor. Regardless, it finally validated a solid Talladega record that includes a half-dozen runner-up finishes.

Finally, let’s look out in left field for our final pick, since it more often than not seems like at least somebody in the top ten at Talladega gets there on sheer luck. Scott Speed was that lucky gentleman in the spring of 2009, placing fifth in his debut at the track. He’s only got three starts at the track, one of which ended in a wreck, but the other result, a 15th place run this spring, wasn’t too bad either. I mean, Talladega’s a crapshoot anyway; you could really do worse than to tape a bunch of driver headshots to a dartboard and pick whomever you hit. (Not that I recommend doing that. Not that I did that for this week’s column, either… I swear.)

Filed under: One and Done NASCAR Fantasy Racing, Talladega Superspeedway

Tagged with: Amp Energy Juice 500, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Jamie McMurray, Kurt Busch, One and Done NASCAR Fantasy Racing, Scott Speed, Talladega Superspeedway, Tony Stewart

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NASCAR Don’t Need No Stinkin’ Car Makers

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

November 15, 2008 12:59 pm CST No Comments

Let’s hear your best Brian France impersonation. We think Mindy’s is pretty damn good.

The newest Monday Morning Crew Chief gets into the King of France’s latest brilliance and Jimmy Johnson’s mortal lock of the 2009 Sprint Cup.

You can watch Monday Morning Crew Chief right here and see Mindy’s take on how NASCAR could save dough for the teams and how fond she is of numbers.

She even sings in this one. But watch it anyway!

Filed under: Bench Racing TV, Brian France, Brian Vickers, Chase for the Cup, Jimmy Johnson, Monday Morning Crew Chief, NASCAR Rumors, NASCAR video, On Pit Row The Fastest Two Hours on Radio, Red Bull Racing, Scott Speed, Testing news, The Pettys, The Wood Brothers, Top 35 Rule

Tagged with: Brian France, Eddie DeHondt, Jimmy Johnson, Monday Morning Crew Chief, NASCAR video, Red Bull Racing, Scott Speed

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Truck Series Gang Mentality

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

November 13, 2008 2:10 am CST 3 Comments

Sometimes, I can’t tell if the Ford 200 is a race or a fight. An active tradition for the last several years in the Trucks has been for championship teams to double their efforts. The trend has had some high points and very low points, and it looks to continue Friday night as the razor-thin margin between Ron Hornaday and Johnny Benson will make for some intense racing.

Three years really set the trend for this action: 2002, 2003, and 2007.

In 2002, Mike Bliss ended up winning the championship over Rick Crawford and Ted Musgrave by 46 and 51 points respectively. In that race, it was Ron Hornaday driving a second IWX truck and taking the win, thus taking possible points away from Crawford and Musgrave. Bliss finished a comfortable 5th and won the title.

2003 set the bar from gang mentality, as each championship team (with the exception of Dennis Setzer and Morgan-Dollar) entered at least 1 extra truck in the race, with Jim Smith and Ultra Motorsports throwing 5 – count ‘em, 5 – trucks in the race, and sure enough one of them played a huge part in the outcome of the championship battle. Smith had entered his 2 full-time trucks with Ted Musgrave and Andy Houston behind the wheel, along with hired guns Marty Houston (Andy’s brother), Tracy Hines, and P.J. Jones. Marty took out championship leader Brendan Gaughan in the race, creating championship chaos that allowed Travis Kvapil to win the 2003 title over Setzer and Musgrave.

Last year, Bill Davis and Kevin Harvick participated in the fight, and what Harvick lacked in trucks he made up for by piloting the second truck himself. Davis entered his championship contender Skinner, Johnny Benson, Jacques Villeneuve, and Cup driver Dave Blaney in the field. Skinner of course finished 35th and allowed Hornaday to secure the title.

Adding the trucks in the finale could prove to be a smart decision, like it was in 2002. It could take out a championship contender by hiring a crappy driver, like 2003. Or, it could be a non-factor, like it was last season. Harvick is driving the #2 truck again this weekend and Davis has entered ’09 driver Taylor Malsam in an extra truck to go along Skinner, Brian Scott, and Scott Speed to flank Benson. Will it be a factor? We’ll find out Friday. Let’s just say I wouldn’t be surprised if the Phoenix race turned out to be the PG version of the battle.

Photo credit: Icon Sports Media

Filed under: Craftsman Truck Series, Dave Blaney, Jacques Villeneuve, Kevin Harvick, NASCAR, Scott Speed

Tagged with: andy houston, Bill Davis Racing, brendan gaughan, brian scott, Craftsman Truck Series, dennis setzer, Ford 200, Homestead, Homestead-Miami Speedway, jim smith, Johnny Benson, marty houston, Mike Bliss, p.j. jones, Phoenix International Raceway, rick crawford, ron hornaday, Scott Speed, taylor malsam, ted musgrave, tracy hines, trucks, ultra motorsports

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Too Much Testosterone and Not Enough Brains

by Charlie Turner

October 17, 2008 3:22 pm CDT 4 Comments

That’s Mindy Monday’s diagnosis for what happened in the ARCA RE/MAX Series finale at Toledo Speedway. She has opinions on Felix Sabates’ theories and Ray Everham’s dreams too.

Watch the newest Monday Morning Crew Chief right here, right now.

Filed under: ARCA Remax Series, Bench Racing TV, Evernham Motorsports, Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates, Gillett Evernham Motorsports, Justin Allgaier, Monday Morning Crew Chief, NASCAR video, Scott Speed, Toledo Speedway

Tagged with: ARCA Remax Series, Felix Sabates, Justin Allgaier, Mike Bliss, Mindy Monday, Monday Morning Crew Chief, NASCAR video, Ray Evernham, ricky stenhouse jr., Scott Speed, Toledo Speedway

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ARCA Video: Championship Weekend Fast Lap Show

by Charlie Turner

October 15, 2008 3:03 pm CDT No Comments

It was a wild weekend. ARCA brought off one of the best Championship Weekends in the organization’s history thanks to perfect weather, a convincing ARCA Lincoln Welders Truck Series finale and Justin Allgaier’s come-from-behind ARCA RE/MAX Series Championship.

Oh, and there was that little thing with Scott Speed and Ricky Stenhouse Jr, taking each other out of the race and championship. There was that.

Steve and I wrapped up the weekend with an ON PIT ROW on the Road version of The Fast Lap Show. Watch it here.

Filed under: ARCA Remax Series, Bench Racing TV, Eddie Sharp Racing, Inside ARCA, Justin Allgaier, On Pit Row The Fastest Two Hours on Radio, Scott Speed, Toledo Speedway

Tagged with: ARCA, ARCA Championship Weekend, ARCA Remax Series, Fast Lap, Justin Allgaier, Lincon Welders Truck Series, racing video, ricky stenhouse jr., Scott Speed, Toledo Speedway

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Quick Hits: Talladega Superspeedway

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

October 1, 2008 5:56 pm CDT 2 Comments

As the Sprint Cup Series heads to Talladega for the fourth race of this year’s Chase for the Cup, many teams have already shifted their focus from running well this year to preparing for 2009. Most teams have already set their driver lineups for the future and are already trying to add their new drivers to the mix this year. It seems that to everybody but the 12 Chase drivers, the 2008 season no longer really matters.

Already, Team Red Bull has pulled A.J. Allmendinger from the No. 84 Red Bull Toyota for this weekend. Allmendinger had the best finish of his career at Kansas last week, a 9th place run, but was removed from the car for Talladega and Charlotte in favor of Mike Skinner. Red Bull’s driver of the future, former Formula 1 driver Scott Speed, will take over the car at Martinsville and beyond, in preparation for a Raybestos Rookie of the Year run in 2009.

This leaves Allmendinger unemployed for the last month and a half of the season, meaning that his future employer has a shot at acquainting him with his 2009 team right now. Rumors point to Allmendinger moving to a Dodge team, either the No. 41 at Chip Ganassi Racing or the No. 45 at Petty Enterprises, next year.

As Reed Sorenson is leaving the No. 41, there’s the slight possibility that Allmendinger could replace Sorenson there by next week at Charlotte, or even the week after at Martinsville. Sorenson would then be free to join Gillett Evernham Motorsports, where he will replace Patrick Carpentier in the No. 10 Dodge next year.

In the past, drivers have finished out the season with their lame-duck teams before moving on. However, more and more owners have moved towards ousting lame-duck drivers towards the end of the schedule in recent years, and more and more departing drivers are asking for an early release.

Kurt Busch was forced out of the No. 97 Ford for the last two races of 2005 by owner Jack Roush after being detained for reckless driving before a race at Phoenix. As 2006 replacement Jamie McMurray was unavailable, as he was still under contract to Ganassi, Kenny Wallace drove the car that weekend, finishing 16th. Wallace’s solid performance, despite his lack of practice time in the car, contributed to Furniture Row Racing’s decision to enter him in a full Cup schedule in 2006.

Elliott Sadler was granted an early release by Robert Yates Racing in August 2006. Sadler moved to Evernham Motorsports, which had just booted Jeremy Mayfield from its No. 19 Dodge. Granted, Mayfield had made some acrimonious statements about owner Ray Evernham, but the team wasn’t planning on retaining him anyway after a major dropoff in performance.

While it’s not positive to think that drivers and owners are now more inclined to abandon contracts towards the end of the season, it’s starting to become a trend in Sprint Cup. When next season becomes the focus, teams will do whatever they can to build momentum that they can carry into Daytona.

If cutting a lame-duck driver is the solution, owners won’t hesitate as much anymore. If asking for an early release is the solution, the driver will go ahead and do it. The driver doesn’t have as much to lose because he’s already guaranteed employment for the future, but with a recent emphasis on driver development (and a lot of other talented drivers, such as Mayfield, currently unemployed), owners don’t need to scramble for solutions as much anymore.

Prepare for more driver musical chairs – here are this week’s five Quick Hits, all dealing with other rumors around the garage area:

5. Despite a 12-race sponsorship commitment from Wells Fargo, Kyle Petty is no longer wanted at Petty Enterprises in the No. 45 car, according to wife Pattie. She says that the team’s new management told Petty before the race at Watkins Glen that they didn’t want him in the car anymore.

She hopes that Chip Ganassi will consider taking Petty on for a part-time schedule next season, perhaps in the No. 40 Dodge that currently sits dormant. Petty drove for the former incarnation of the Ganassi team, Sabco, from 1989 to 1996, posting six wins and a pair of 5th place finishes in points.

4. Michael Waltrip Racing is entering a partnership with JTG Daugherty Racing for 2009, which will switch to Toyota power from Ford. Marcos Ambrose will drive the No. 47 Little Debbie/Clorox Toyota for JTG, which will be run out of Waltrip’s sprawling RaceWorld garage.

Waltrip is also looking to sign Dow Chemicals to co-sponsor David Reutimann’s No. 00 Toyota with Aaron’s Rent for next season. Granted that both deals go through, and that Waltrip puts together a sponsorship program for Michael McDowell, four cars in-house at MWR for 2009 is a realistic possibility.

3. If Allmendinger doesn’t join Ganassi, Mayfield is a candidate for the No. 41 ride. Mayfield tested the No. 41 at Lowe’s last week and ran one race for Ganassi this year as a substitute for the injured Dario Franchitti. The car’s Target sponsorship is secure, as the company has been a Ganassi partner for over a decade.

2. Paul Menard will abandon the sinking ship that is Dale Earnhardt Inc. after this season, bringing his Menards family sponsorship over to Yates Racing. Menard will likely drive a third car as a teammate to Travis Kvapil and David Gilliland. Currently, Menard ranks 28th in points, with Kvapil 24th and Gilliland 26th. The car will likely carry No. 32, No. 90, or No. 98: the first relates to Yates’ current numbers, 28 and 38, and the second and third are other numbers Yates has used in Cup before.

1. Here’s a wild one: 1989 Cup Series champion Rusty Wallace is reportedly considering joining DEI to replace Menard, according to his brother Kenny. After watching Mark Martin announce a comeback to full-time Sprint Cup racing with Hendrick Motorsports next season, Kenny Wallace said to the Speed Channel that it’s “really tugged on Rusty’s heartstrings.” Rusty has denied the rumor, citing a long-term contract with ABC and ESPN, but the possibility is still there.

Finally, congratulations to last week’s winners at Kansas: Denny Hamlin in Nationwide, and Jimmie Johnson in Sprint Cup.

Filed under: A J Allmendinger, Chip Ganassi Racing, Dale Earnhardt, Inc., Gillett Evernham Motorsports, Jeremy Mayfield, Kenny Wallace, Kurt Busch, Marcos Ambrose, NASCAR, Red Bull Racing, Reed Sorenson, Robert Yates Racing, Rusty Wallace, Scott Speed, Sprint Cup Series