Month: October 2016

Jimmie Johnson punched his ticket to the championship race by virtue of his win at Martinsville last weekend. Carl Edwards, Kurt Busch, and Kevin Harvick had troubles and find themselves in a hole once again at the beginning of this round of the Chase. These drivers probably need to win one of the next two races if they want to move on to the championship race at Homestead.

AAA TEXAS 500

The series heads to Texas Motor Speedway for the second race in this round of the Chase. This track is another of the mile-and-a-half tracks that make up the Chase. We will look at all of the drivers left in the Chase and decide which ones have a legitimate chance to win this race. We will also look at the drivers who have been eliminated or never made the Chase and see if any of these drivers can win this race.

Jimmie Johnson: I think Jimmie will win the race once again this weekend. Jimmie has won five of the last eight races he has started at this track and by winning more races he can eliminate some of the drivers who need a win to continue on and make sure he doesn’t have to race them at Homestead. We have seen this team win multiple races in a row in the past and they very well could do that again.

Kyle Busch: Kyle won the race here this spring and has finished in the top five in six of his last seven starts here including two wins. Kyle is the defending champion in this series and wants to win a race to guarantee himself a chance to defend his title when the series goes to Homestead in a few weeks. He also showed me his maturity in the past two years by racing smarter instead of harder and that can go a long way to winning a championship.

Kevin Harvick: Kevin almost needs to win one of the next two races to make it to the championship race once again. There is still a chance he can make it on points if someone ahead of him has some major problems on the track in the next two races and he is also the favorite at Phoenix next weekend. However, even though he hasn’t won a race at Texas yet, he has finished in the top three in three of his last four starts here.

Joey Logano: Joey currently sits in fifth place and is only four points out of the fourth position. He has run very well at Texas the past few years coming away with one win and five top five finishes in his last seven starts. This team always seems to have a good car and qualifies well every week and if they can keep up with the changing track conditions during the race they have a chance to win every race they start.

Carl Edwards: Carl is another driver who really needs to win one of the next two races if he wants to have a shot at winning the championship and with three wins at Texas in his career he has shown that he knows how to get the job done here. He has also finished in the top ten in his last four starts here. I think this team might take some chances this weekend if they need to because they really need to win this race.

Kurt Busch: Kurt is another driver that needs to win a race if he wants to make the championship race. He has one career win at Texas, but he has struggled a bit this year on this type of track. I don’t see this team flipping a switch and winning one of the next two races or making it into the championship race with a chance at the championship. They have some work to do.

Matt Kenseth: Matt always runs well at Texas and has two wins and thirteen top five finishes in twenty-seven starts. Any time a driver can finish in the top five in half of the races he starts at any track you have to consider having him on your team. I keep saying that Matt is great at staying calm during races and that is what could get him into the championship round.

Denny Hamlin: Denny won back to back races here back in 2010. Since that time he has only finished in the top ten twice in ten races. I think Denny just needs to come away with a top ten this week and I think he will be able to make it on points because he always runs well at Phoenix. He needs to look at the big picture this week and try not to put himself in a position where he finishes a lap down. He had another speeding penalty on pit road last week that he battled back from, but he can’t continue to do that.

Martin Truex Jr.: Even though he has been eliminated from the Chase, Martin came back and sat on the pole once again last weekend at Martinsville and we know how good he has been on the intermediate tracks this season. HE is still looking for his first win at this track, but he has finished in the top ten in his last three starts here and with the way he has run all year he might be able to pick up that first win this week.

Brad Keselowski: Another driver who was eliminated from contention, Brad is still looking for his first win at this track also. He has finished in the top ten here in six of his last eight starts and has the same speed as his teammate, Joey Logano, and could easily find himself winning another race this weekend and spoiling the party for another championship hopeful.

YAHOO! FANTASY NASCAR PICKS FOR TEXAS MOTOR SPEEDWAY

Yahoo Driver Group A

• Jimmie Johnson
• Kyle Busch

Yahoo Driver Group B

• Martin Truex Jr.
• Carl Edwards
• Kasey Kahne
• Jamie McMurray

Yahoo Driver Group C

• Chase Elliott
• Alex Bowman

MY TOP-5 OVERALL AT TEXAS MOTOR SPEEDWAY

1. Jimmie Johnson
2. Kyle Busch
3. Kevin Harvick
4. Matt Kenseth
5. Martin Truex Jr.

Dark Horse: Chase Elliott

Stay Away From: Kurt Busch

Big 18: Kasey Kahne

We are now down to the last four races of the season and eight drivers who have a chance to win the Sprint Cup Championship this year. Just to show how nerve wracking this can be for the drivers, Denny Hamlin and Austin Dillon were tied in points at the end of the second round and Hamlin advanced on a tie breaker. At the same time, Martin Truex Jr. got knocked out because of a blown engine along with Brad Keselowski who had the dominant car in the race until he lost his engine and both were eliminated from the Chase.

GOODY’S FAST RELIEF 500

The first race of the third round will be held at Martinsville Speedway. This is the shortest track on the Chase schedule and the shortest track on the entire Sprint Cup schedule. This .526 mile oval also is the only track with asphalt on the straightaways and concrete through the turns. The concrete can be tough on tires and because the track is very flat it can be tough on brakes. If your car isn’t handling well you will find yourself getting lapped in a hurry here.

Another big concern is qualifying for this race. You need to qualify well here or you will find yourself almost a half of a lap down at the start of the race. Add to that, drivers and teams get to pick their pit stalls based on where they qualify and that makes a huge difference at this small track. Pit road is tight and you want to be able to select a pit that has an opening in front of it so you can get your car out quickly once service is completed.

Jimmie Johnson: With eight wins here and this team running much better during the Chase, I am going to pick Jimmie to win here once again and be the first driver to be qualified for the Championship race. He also has eighteen top five and twenty-three top ten finishes in his twenty-nine starts at this track which tells you he knows how to get around this track and how to deal with traffic here.

Denny Hamlin: Not to be outdone by much, Denny has five wins, eleven top five, and sixteen top ten finishes here in twenty-one races himself. Once again this team had a speeding penalty on pit road last weekend that could have cost him a chance at winning the championship this year. A speeding penalty under green at Martinsville means almost certain doom for any team, so they are going to have to be clean in the pits this weekend.

Jeff Gordon: Jeff is back subbing for Dale Earnhardt Jr. for the last time this season. Jeff leads all drivers with nine wins at this track. He also has twenty-nine top five and thirty-seven top ten finishes in forty-six starts at Martinsville. Even though he hasn’t run the best while he was subbing for Dale this year, Jeff is way to good at this track to leave off of your team this weekend.

Joey Logano: Joey won the race last week at Talladega to take any chance that he might get knocked out on points out of the equation. He has finished in the top five in three of his last five starts at Martinsville and has a little momentum on his side. Another top five finish this week will go a long way towards getting him qualified for the Championship race at Homestead.

Kevin Harvick: Kevin has one win at this track and has finished in the top ten here in four of his last six starts. This team looks like they are at the top of their game once again and seems to be getting better in the pits. Just before the Chase started their biggest concern was mistakes on pit road by the crew. If they have those things all straightened out they are going to be in contention for getting their title back.

Matt Kenseth: Matt is another driver that runs pretty well here on a consistent basis. He has finished in the top six in four of his last six starts here. He is one of the drivers who doesn’t need to win a race to advance most of the time because he is so calm during races and does what he needs to do to move on to the next round. I look for Matt to have another good run this weekend.

Kyle Busch: Kyle also has won a race at this track during his career and has ten top five finishes in only twenty-two starts. He has also led 374 laps here in his last four races which tells me he qualifies well and knows how to get to the front. He needs to be a bit patient here and not get on anyone’s bad side early in the race so they don’t give him payback towards the end when he is in contention to win the race.

Brad Keselowski: After being disappointed by getting knocked out of the Chase when he blew his engine at Talladega last week after being the dominant car in the race, Brad will look to win a few more races before the end of the season. He is still looking for his first win at this track where his best finish is second. He has finished in the top ten in seven of his thirteen starts here and should run well once again this weekend.

Carl Edwards: Carl is another driver looking for his first win at this track. However, Carl rarely has a car capable of winning at this track. With only one top five and six top ten finishes in his twenty-four starts, Carl needs to figure out how to run better here. He has led laps in only three of those twenty-four starts also. This is a race he needs to run well at or he will find himself in a hole as this round progresses.

Kurt Busch: Despite having won two races at this track, Kurt normally struggles here. He has only three top five and five top ten finishes in thirty-two starts here and that won’t win you a championship in the current format. He along with Carl need to figure something out in a hurry if they don’t want to find themselves in a hole points wise after the race at Martinsville.

YAHOO! FANTASY NASCAR PICKS FOR MARTINSVILLE SPEEDWAY

Yahoo Driver Group A

• Jimmie Johnson
• Denny Hamlin

Yahoo Driver Group B

• Ryan Newman
• Jamie McMurray
• Tony Stewart
• A.J. Allmendinger

Yahoo Driver Group C

• Jeff Gordon
• Chase Elliott

MY TOP-5 OVERALL AT MARTINSVILLE SPEEDWAY

1. Jimmie Johnson
2. Denny Hamlin
3. Jeff Gordon
4. Matt Kenseth
5. Kyle Busch

Dark Horse: Jamie McMurray

Stay Away From: Kurt Busch

Big 18: Denny Hamlin

Congratulations to Kevin Harvick, who once again won a race when he really needed to and qualified himself for the third round of the Chase. Chase Elliott finds himself in the unenviable position of virtually having to win the race this coming weekend to move on to the third round of the Chase as he currently sits in twelfth place so he needs to overtake four other drivers by enough places to move into the eighth position.

ALABAMA 500

This week the series heads to the Talladega Superspeedway for the second round elimination race. Talladega is a restrictor plate race which means that anything can happen this weekend. So, the only two drivers who are really safe this week are Jimmie Johnson and Kevin Harvick who won the first two races of this round. All other drivers need to worry about getting caught up in the big one this weekend that can ruin their whole season.

Brad Keselowski: I am going to pick Brad to win this week’s race. He already has four wins here in only fifteen starts and has won two of the last four races here. He either needs to win this race or finish in the top five and hope it is enough to get him back into the top eight in points so he can move on. Brad seems to be a little like Harvick in the fact that when he needs to win a race he usually gets it done.
Jimmie Johnson: Jimmie has led more laps in the last five races here than any other driver who is entered in this race. However, his finishes don’t reflect that in those five races. Then another thing is, this team has looked much better the past couple of weeks and they might be hitting their stride at the right time this year.
Kurt Busch: Kurt has always run well at this track even though he is still looking for his first win here. Kurt also needs to win this race or hope other drivers have some type of problem so he can move into the top eight in points and continue his quest for another championship.

Matt Kenseth: Matt is always calm and patient on the track and that can really pay off on a restrictor plate track. Matt seems to stay out of trouble early in these races by either running up front or falling into a pack behind the lead pack where you have time to slow down if a wreck occurs in front of you. I think Matt will stay out of trouble once again this week and move on to the third round.

Chase Elliott: Chase finished fifth in his only start at this track earlier this year. As I said before, I don’t think anything short of a win will be enough for him to move to the next round. However, this is a restrictor plate track and anything can happen. It is still very unlikely he will move on by points after this race.

Kevin Harvick: Look for Kevin to run at the back of the pack unless he qualifies up front and then make his move during the last twenty-thirty laps of this race. With nothing to lose, this team will do what they need to just to pick up another trophy and gear up for the third round of the Chase. You might not hear much about him early in the race, but you will hear his name late.

Martin Truex Jr.: Martin needs to stay out of trouble in this race and then he should move on. After winning two races in the first round, Martin has struggled a little bit in the last two races. They need to get back on track and they are still a legitimate contender for this season’s championship.

Joey Logano: Joey currently sits in the final spot to make the third round. He and teammate, Brad Keselowski, work well together on the restrictor plate tracks. I think if he stays out of trouble early he will finish in the top ten this weekend and that should be enough for him to advance.
Kyle Busch: This is going to be the toughest race of the season for Kyle. He wants to race hard all the time and this week he needs to focus on the big picture. Stay out of trouble and just come away with a top ten finish and keep the chance to continue to defend his championship in the third round.

Denny Hamlin: Denny is always good on the restrictor plate tracks and he might need to win this race to move on to the next round. Remember, Denny won the Daytona 500 this year which just goes to show, he knows how to get the job done on this type of track. The Joe Gibbs teams have shown speed all season and that will come in big this weekend.

YAHOO! FANTASY NASCAR PICKS FOR TALLADEGA SUPERSPEEDWAY

Yahoo Driver Group A

• Brad Keselowski
• Denny Hamlin

Yahoo Driver Group B

• Austin Dillon
• Jamie McMurray
• Paul Menard
• Trevor Bayne

Yahoo Driver Group C

• Ryan Blaney
• Alex Bowman

MY TOP-5 OVERALL AT TALLADEGA SUPERSPEEDWAY

1. Brad Keselowski
2. Denny Hamlin
3. Joey Logano
4. Matt Kenseth
5. Kevin Harvick

Dark Horse: Austin Dillon

Stay Away From: Greg Biffle

Big 18: Austin Dillon

Congratulations to Jimmie Johnson who is the first driver to secure his spot in the third round of the Chase by winning the race at Charlotte this past weekend. There were five Chase drivers who finished thirtieth or worse in this first leg of the second round of the Chase. The good news for them is they are all close to each other in points. The bad news is one of the remaining two races is at Talladega. The best thing for these drives to do would be to win the race this weekend at Kansas Speedway.

HOLLYWOOD CASINO 400

Kevin Harvick: Kevin was fast last weekend at Charlotte until engine trouble took him out of the race where he finished thirtieth. We have seen Kevin in a similar position during the Chase before and I think he is going to come back with a vengeance this weekend and win this race to take Talladega out of the picture. At the very least he comes away with a top three finish and gives himself a chance to make it in on points.

Joey Logano: Joey won the last two Chase races at this track and could make it three in a row this weekend. I think he will come to the track with a car that is fast off of the truck and he will qualify well here. If they can keep up with the changing track conditions and avoid making mistakes on pit road they will be a contender at the end of the race and might punch their ticket for the third round.

Martin Truex Jr.: Martin didn’t perform the way I thought he would at Charlotte last weekend after dominating at that track in May. I am going to say they were ready for a night race and didn’t figure the day race into their setup and just couldn’t get the handling where they wanted it to be this past weekend. I think he bounces back and contends for the win at Kansas once again this weekend.

Kyle Busch: Kyle won the race here in May of this year and has looked much better lately after struggling a little bit before the start of the Chase. I think Kyle is capable of winning each and every week no matter what type of track he races on and he is going to do everything he can to continue to defend the championship he won last season. Look for him to be towards the front all day this week.

Jimmie Johnson: Jimmie is already qualified for the next round, but that doesn’t matter to this team. They have found the speed they were lacking earlier in the year and eliminated the mistakes they have been making lately. He and Jeff Gordon each have three wins at this track, which is more than any other drivers. I have also seen this team win more than one race in a row multiple times, especially on the intermediate tracks.

Chase Elliott: We are going to see how cool and collected Chase is this weekend at Kansas after getting caught up in a wreck and finishing thirty-third at Charlotte last week. He was fast in the early part of the race and led 103 laps. I think he will be just fine and could come away with his first win of the season that will move him into the third round of the Chase. No one wants to have to win at Talladega to move on.

Brad Keselowski: Brad had more mistakes made by his team this past weekend at Charlotte, but he overcame them and came away with a seventh place finish. This team needs to eliminate all mistakes if they want to have a chance to win their second championship. Brad has finished in the top ten in seven of his thirteen starts at Kansas, including one win. He has also led laps in each of his last six starts here.

Matt Kenseth: Matt has won twice at this track and hasn’t finished outside of the top fifteen in his last twelve starts here. After finishing second last week at Charlotte all he needs to do is come away with another top ten finish this week and then if he can stay out of a major catastrophe at Talladega he will make it into the third round of the Chase. Matt runs very well on these intermediate tracks.

Denny Hamlin: Denny has won one race at this track, but he has only finished in the top ten in five of his sixteen starts here. Right now Denny holds the eighth and final spot to make it to the next round, but he is only from three to eight points ahead of the other four drivers who are behind him in the standings right now. This team can’t afford to make any mistakes or finish outside of the top twenty this weekend.

Carl Edwards: Carl is still looking for his first win here, but he has finished in the top ten in twelve of his eighteen starts here. Carl hasn’t been real consistent on this type of track this season and needs to come away with another top ten finish to ease his worries as he heads to Talladega for an elimination race. If he fails to keep up with the changing track conditions and finds himself going a lap down, he will have to fight his way back on to the lead lap like he has had to do all season.

YAHOO! FANTASY NASCAR PICKS FOR KANSAS SPEEDWAY

Yahoo Driver Group A

• Kevin Harvick
• Joey Logano

Yahoo Driver Group B

• Martin Truex Jr.
• Kasey Kahne
• Carl Edwards
• Ryan Newman

Yahoo Driver Group C

• Chase Elliott
• Ryan Blaney

MY TOP-5 OVERALL AT KANSAS SPEEDWAY

1. Kevin Harvick
2. Martin Truex Jr.
3. Joey Logano
4. Jimmie Johnson
5. Chase Elliott

Dark Horse: Carl Edwards

Stay Away From: Kurt Busch

Big 18: Martin Truex Jr.

The first round of the Chase is in the books and twelve drivers have moved on to the second round. Martin Truex Jr. won his second race in the round and looks like he will continue to run well each and every week. Still, it is anybody’s championship to win and one mistake can cost a driver his shot at this year’s title. Chris Buescher, Tony Stewart, Kyle Larson, and Jamie McMurray were the drivers eliminated from the Chase after the race at Dover this past weekend.

BANK OF AMERICA 500

Charlotte Motor Speedway is another of the mile-and-a-half quad oval tracks that make up the majority of the Chase. This will be one of the few night races on the Chase schedule as this race is scheduled to be run on Saturday night. That means you might have to have your lineup set a little earlier this week.

Martin Truex Jr.: Martin dominated the Coca-Cola 600 at this track back in May as he led 392 0f the 400 laps run that night. He is bringing that same chassis back and he also won the race at Chicago with this car a few weeks ago. He is definitely my pick to win the race this week and punch his ticket for the third round. This team is making all the right moves and avoiding the costly mistakes that will take a driver out of contention and I see them as being one of the drivers to make it to the final round.

Kevin Harvick: Kevin has been the most consistent driver at Charlotte the past few seasons and he is going to give Truex a run for his money once again this weekend. Kevin has finished first or second in five of his last seven starts here which tells me this team really knows what adjustments they need to make as the track changes and the race progresses. I think this race could come down to the wire once again.

Matt Kenseth: Matt has always run well at this track winning twice here and finishing in the top ten in over half of his starts here. This team is steady and always has a shot at winning a race. They also don’t make the mistakes that take them out of contention in a race and if they can avoid bad luck they are a team you will have to deal with on the track each and every week.

Jimmie Johnson: Jimmie leads all active drivers with seven wins at Charlotte. Add to that the fact that he has finished in the top five in almost half of his starts at this track and you can see that they love to race here. However they haven’t run well here on a consistent basis lately. Jimmie only has four top ten finishes in his last eleven starts at this track and this team hasn’t been at their best in the second half of this season.

Joey Logano: Joey won this race last year and looks to repeat that feat this weekend and propel himself to the third round of the Chase. He led 227 laps in last years race, has led laps in each of his last three starts here and started in the top three in those three races also. If they can keep up with the changing track conditions they will be another team that can contend for the win this weekend.

Carl Edwards: Carl has eight top ten finishes in his last ten starts at Charlotte including his lone win here last spring. This is another team that needs to run consistently better if they want to remain in contention for the championship this season. It seems that they qualify fairly well, but then they can’t seem to make the correct adjustments to their car as the race progresses and they often find themselves a lap or more down and spend most fo the race trying to get back on the lead lap.

Denny Hamlin: Denny is another driver who has run consistently well here over the past bunch of years. He has eleven top ten finishes in his last twelve starts here and finished second in two of those races. He would like nothing better than to pick up his first points race win at this track and qualify for the next round of the Chase and take all of the pressure off of his team for the rest of this round.

Brad Keselowski: Brad is another driver who has run well here lately finishing in the top ten in five of his last six starts here. He has won one race here in his career and really brings his best when the chips are on the line. Paul Wolff does a superb job on top of the pit box making the right calls and taking chances when he sees no other option that gets Brad back into contention to win races.

Chase Elliott: Chase has really been running well each and every week this season and he has really excelled on this type of track. It would be no surprise to see him win this week’s race. He has come close to picking up that elusive first victory in this series and one of these weeks all of the cards will fall in place and it couldn’t come at a better time than during the Chase to keep him moving forward in his rookie season.

Kyle Busch: Kyle is still looking for his first win at this track also, although he has finished in the top five ten times in his twenty-five starts here. This team has also run more consistently lately, and are now avoiding the bad luck that had plagued them for quite a stretch of time during the second half of the season. I have a feeling this team is going to find a way to qualify for the final race at Homestead and try to defend their title from last year.

YAHOO! FANTASY NASCAR PICKS FOR CHARLOTTE MOTOR SPEEDWAY

Yahoo Driver Group A

• Kevin Harvick
• Denny Hamlin

Yahoo Driver Group B

• Martin Truex Jr.
• Austin Dillon
• Kasey Kahne
• Jamie McMurray

Yahoo Driver Group C

• Chase Elliott
• Ryan Blaney

MY TOP-5 OVERALL AT CHARLOTTE MOTOR SPEEDWAY

1. Martin Truex Jr.
2. Kevin Harvick
3. Denny Hamlin
4. Matt Kenseth
5. Chase Elliott

Dark Horse: Chase Elliott

Stay Away From: Greg Biffle

Big 18: Martin Truex Jr.