I LOVE Talledega! The only track I've been to, though I haven't been to a race since '05. I'm psyched for today, and how nice of the NFL to schedule the Saints for Monday night this week!
Lowes Motor Speedway This segment of the week brings change. In that change we have an event which coincides with a much more important event and that being the game Saturday night in the swamp. So with a little nudging and the apparent need by one of our moderators to gain any respect with his OR her weekly NASCAR picks, I offer the following by the numbers for the chase drivers leading into Saturday’s total lack for proper planning. With this little C&P job, this week shall conclude as a breeze. 1. Jimmie Johnson With five wins, eight top-fives and 11 top-10s in 14 races, Johnson is clearly the favorite heading into Lowe's. Surprisingly though, his 9.1 average finish is only second-highest among active drivers. The last two races at Charlotte, Johnson has not posted a top-10 with a 14th-place finish in this race last year and a 39th-place finish in the spring race this season. 2. Carl Edwards Edwards has never won at Lowe's but he holds the best average finish among active drivers at 7.6. Edwards has finished outside the top-10 just once in seven starts and has finished on the lead lap in six of them. 3. Greg Biffle The Biff has just two top-fives in 11 starts at Lowe's with five finishes of 20th or worse. Things look up for the No. 16 team though, in the spring race this season Biffle came home second, his best finish at the track. 4. Jeff Burton Burton has two wins at Lowe's but they came in 1999 and 2001 with Roush Racing. Since then it's been up and down for Burton with seven top-10s and seven finishes 14th or worse. Burton's average finish in the last five races at Lowe's is 8.6 with four finishes of sixth or better. 5. Clint Bowyer Lowe's hasn't been a great track for Bowyer in his short Cup Series career. In five races he's finished on the lead lap once, a second in the fall race last season. Other than that it's been mid-pack finishes with an average finish of 19.6. 6. Kevin Harvick After finishing second in his Cup debut at Lowe's, it's been downhill ever since. Harvick has just two top-10s in 14 starts following his second-place finish and while he has just one DNF at the track, Harvick has just five lead-lap finishes. 7. Tony Stewart The last time Stewart won a Cup points race at Charlotte came in 2003 and that is also his last top-five finish at the track. Since that win, Smoke has an average finish of 17.1 with four finishes outside the top 15. 8. Jeff Gordon Gordon won this race last season with a strong performance that saw him lead 72 of the 337 laps. He followed that up with a fourth here in the spring race this season. But before that Gordon was horrible at Lowe's with five consecutive DNFs, four the result of crashes. 9. Matt Kenseth It's been feast or famine for Kenseth in Charlotte. He has eight top-10 finishes including a win, two seconds, a third and a fifth. He also has four DNFs and five finishes of 25th or worse. His average finish of 15.3 puts him fifth among Chase drivers at the track. 10. Dale Earnhardt Jr. Junior is stronger at Lowe's in the fall race compared to the spring race. In 10 spring races he has an average finish of 18.4 with four top-10s and four finishes below 25th. In the fall he has just one finish outside the top 20 and an average finish of 13.6. One constant between both events -- no wins. 11. Kyle Busch Busch has the worst average finish among Chase drivers at Lowe's with an average finish of 23.3 due to five finishes of 30th or worse in his first seven races at the track. The last two events though, he's put up back-to-back third-place finishes. 12. Denny Hamlin In six races at Lowe's, Denny Hamlin has yet to post a top-five finish. In Hamlin's first four races he had three top-10 finishes with an eighth and two ninths. In the last two, though, he's finished 20th and 24th leading only one lap.
News: Harvick ain't happy with Edwards after Dega http://www.nascar.com/2008/news/headlines/cup/10/09/preview.cup.kharvick.cedwards/index.html Stewart Hass sign the ARMY for Ryan Newmans 39 car http://www.nascar.com/2008/news/headlines/cup/10/09/army.sponsorship.rnewman.stewarthaas/index.html OT concedes multiple wagers resulting from too much smack at the beginning of the season. $cott $peed gots to wait till Martinsville for debut. I paitently wait as well. This dude is huge on my fresh list and I expect he will run sliced bread down for the rookie of the year honors next year. Dudes like an honorary Beastie Boy! http://www.nascar.com/2008/news/headlines/cup/10/09/preview.cup.sspeed.charlotte/index.html
MARTINSVILLE TUMS QuikPak 500! What will they not pimp? They say the hot dogs in Martinsville are the best ever but to me unless they are Hebrews, fugetaboutit. If you are even the casual fan to NASCAR you just gotta watch this vulgar display of I want it more. The track is small and the tempers are smaller. It is VERY HARD to pass with barely two grooves to choose from, get outside the second groove and you are in the marbles. What sucks here is if you have an awesome day but then a lame pit stop losing 10 positions, you may never make up those positions. Pit selection is critical and no doubt Jimmy Johnson will have first pick. What is interesting about this race is all of the chasers are up front, bunched up together so the fists fights begin at the top. There is A LOT of pushing and taking because there is really not enough real estate to be nice. BRAKES are the dominant factor in this race and they either wear down to nothing or they melt the bead in the tire and it blows. Just another great short track kind of day. Enjoy. [MEDIA]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DjOAHIovk90[/MEDIA]
ATLANTA FAST, real fast is Atlanta Motor Speedway. Was not all that long ago this was the last race of the year however, that is no longer the case. You all gotta suck up this thread for three more weeks! :wave: Moving on... Last trip to this beloved track there was a major issue with tires popping after 10 to 20 laps, well Goodyear brought a new tire which, they will use on right side only which, in turn gives an extra 10 to 12 laps. Not near as bad as the spring race but somebody is gonna end up in the wall because of a tire blowing up, but that's racing. Points are pointing to Jimmy Johnson having a three-peat but that all depends on the two behind him. Jimmy, IMO will have to have a problem in the next 4 events and between Greg Biffle and Jeff Burton I gotta give the hand to Burton. Between the two Burton just knows how to bring a car home. Biffle is hot but has that nagging luck with finding himself in someones else's mess. Burton is solid at the cookie cutters, Biffle too but the wild card between the two is Phoenix and Texas where Burton is stellar on the both. Miami is Biffle's house so if there is a problem somewhere with the 48, it will be a three car shoot out and a lot of excitement to boot. As for the Fantasy league points, it is a slug fest and my guess it will geaux until the last race to determine a champion. 135 points spread between 1st and 3rd and really, this is a number that can be made up in 1.5 races. It is no longer easy just to pick 8 and then 4 drivers, research and what little research is available has to be done. This is a tough league that runs from February through November and kudos to those that stuck it out. I have never had so much fun with NASCAR ever and my thanks geaux's to those who put it out and the TFers that play and keep it interesting.
Texas Motor Speedway It has been asked to try it up front so here geaux's. TMS is a hard place to figure out. When it opened in 97 drivers hated it. So they tore it down and did a do over. Not bad they said. Then it cured and got ran on good a couple of years and now drivers foam at the mouth to get there. Fans pack this joint hard because of all the 1.5's this is certainly one of the very best in terms of racing and finishing. It now has lights and sports a night race in the spring, making this track a highlight twice a year on the schedule. Finishes are totally unpredictable which is cool because you never really know who is going to run strong. Until recently have there been repeat winners and only Jeff Burton has two wins in two different makes. Ford has 8 wins, Chevy has 5 wins and Dodge has its only with Kasey Kahne which, BTW is the only driver to win here from the pole. Chase; Jimmy Johnson just wont die! No one more pleased then I when he got a speeding ticket but with this dude, sorrow can be short lived. Came back from down a lap in 31st to finishing 2nd. Nobody adjust better then the 48 crew and things are looking pretty much in the bag for these guys to 3-peat. You literally have to put him in the wall and sometimes twice. That's just life. Carl Edwards gets better every race and with the rides the cat gives him and Mr. Vanilla Bob Osborne they are prolly the second best duo in the garage next to the 48. Cousin Carl has 2 wins in the last 3 years at Texas! Greg Biffle and Matt Kenseth have a win a piece with Kenseth being the driver to win from the lowest starting position of 31st. Jeff Burton, prolly just another year of just not quite enough. Biffle could pull some eyes back open but he needs to be stellar and much better then yesterday and he needs to consistently finish better then the 48 throughout. Junior in the 88, well all I can say is he has had about the best year any driver can have with a new team sporting new equipment. Once he and his cousin get some good notes on this new car, they can compete with the 48 all day long, but not today! Smoke got himself a Texas win too but this year has been the year many others and, to say the very least, he and this new car don't get along. Let’s see what a difference a bow tie can do for his adjustments. His natural born racer blood will be tested as I am sure his natural abilities are going to be in high demand for next season. Non-Chasers with wins in Texas are Kasey Kahne, Mark Martin, Ryan Newman and Elliott Sadler. Well, that is a week up front, tell me if you dig it-
Phoenix This week comes with a lump in the throat. I got my ass handed to me last week by two drivers with less then 10 to go. Things are about evened up and the race for the TF NASCAR Fantasy League is in anyones hands which, is the way it should be. This week is Phoenix and this place has its own set of rules. It is almost short, wide, and FLAT. Tire wear is a premium and it shows in the lap times as the race goes on. Oh, and the walls are blue.:shock: This is the runner up to the final race of the season and if things go right, it will take a last race to decide a champion. JJ is in his usual position but he has cousin Carl breaking all the rules to take it away. I hope today he does the same and makes it for an interesting last race in Homestead. My pick race winner for today is a Childress car and although I did not pick one of them myself, practice times have shown they have gotten nothing but better as the Fords are starting to back up. A couple of surprises are emerging with Kasey Kahne having some great practice times. Harvick has been stellar as has been Burton but the signature surprise is Mark Martin driving it like he stole it. This is Mark Martins last race with DEI and I am sure he wants to leave with a W for that team. He will be full time next year in the 5 which will make for a very interesting next year. That 5 car has been a revolving door for some time and since Texas Terry Labonte, there has not been a championship contender. Very exciting time for the old man who wants nothing more then to size up his career with a championship trophy. I will be pulling for him all the way. Here is hoping Carl will break all the rules today by not letting this season end a week early. I will be pulling for him. If he can't do that then please let JJ explode early. He will need to explode cause a simple lap down has never been a concern for this team, ever. Good luck today, even you mctiger. :grin:
HOMESTEAD And so today it all comes to a close. The last of three champions will be crowned and so with that the season comes to an end. JJ only having to finish 36th and Carl needing to win with leading the most laps, this thing is all but done. 2008 was a pretty exciting season but with the winds of change comes a much different season. NASCAR has banned all testing on NASCAR sanctioned facilities. The attempt to assist teams with cost in a troubling economy. 3rd quarter statements by all but one manufacturer show dying on the vine as the senate seeks to bail out the auto industry. IMO the bail out is required for American survival. The sport will survive and in many ways, bring back it's grass roots. Homestead is owned by the Fords but others are showing some muscle in this one. Practices had cars all up and down the charts with only few looking consistent. With that this should prove to be a very good race. Starts in the sun and finishes under the fire works. Track changes should be the biggest problem and I believe those who adjust well consistently will prevail. I fully expect JJ to finish in the top ten and as much as I can believe Biffel can win, he has to charge from mid pack without any problems. This one is hard to pick but I feel Carl Edwards or Jamie McMurray will compete for this win. I will be exciting to be wrong and that is the finish I would like to see!
