Another race with tire issues, but this time I won’t blame it on tires or NASCAR. I think it was due to the temperatures being so cool in Martinsville this past weekend. One thing for sure, it was an exciting race even it none of my fantasy drivers finished in the top ten. So congratulations to Kurt Busch, who broke a long winless streak and out dueled Jimmie Johnson to be the sixth driver to win a race in six chances this season.
This week the series heads to Texas Motor Speedway for the running of the Duck Commander 500. Texas is a fast mile and a half D-shaped oval with plenty of banking in the corners. Hopefully tires won’t be an issue this weekend, but even if they aren’t and I don’t think they will be, the speed and the distance is going to be hard on engines.
DUCK COMMANDER 500
Matt Kenseth: Matt is my pick to win this week’s race and to be the seventh different driver to win in seven races this year. Matt has two career wins at Texas and has finished in the top five in six of his last seven races here. I believe that Toyota has taken care of their engine issues they experienced last season and their engines will hold up during this grueling race.
Jimmie Johnson: Jimmie will once again give Matt a run for his money. He has won two of the last three races at this track and finished runner-up in another of those races. In the three aforementioned races he has lead 579 laps. That is more than half of all the laps run in those three races also. Hard to bet against a team like that.
Greg Biffle: Greg won this race two years ago for his second victory at Texas. He has also finished in the top ten in ten of his last eleven starts there. This team looks like they are on the edge of breaking out and winning some races soon. He has brought cars to the front of the field the last few weeks and just needs to make the right adjustments late in the race to keep up with changing track conditions.
Kyle Busch: Kyle won this race last year and has lead laps in each of his last three starts here. This team has qualified well the past couple of weeks, but hasn’t found the formula for long runs. Their car seems to be unbeatable on short runs, but after a few laps they fade. If they can figure out how to set up this car for long runs they are going to win more races this year.
Joey Logano: Joey has yet to win a race at Texas, but both of the Penske teams have qualified and run well each and every week this season barring wrecks or mechanical failures. They have the speed you need to win on a fast track and a driver who likes to go fast. Sometimes I think that if Joey would be a little more patient early in the race they would be in the mix more ofter than they are now late in the race.
Kevin Harvick: Kevin always seems to run very well at this track and yet he is still seeking his first win here. The major thing for this team right now is to avoid the mechanical troubles that have been plaguing them for the past month. They always seem to have one of the better cars each week and then something mechanical happens to them. Last week it was a broken chain in the rear of the car, but they rebounded nicely from that failure.
Brad Keselowski: Brad is the other Penske driver that has had a fast car all season and already has a win to prove that he knows how to get the job done. This team is going to contend for the championship this season as they try to win their second for the young driver. Brad has finished in the top ten in his last three starts at Texas and should qualify well here once again.
Dale Earnhardt Jr.: Dale has looked better this year than any other year he has driven at this high level. He has a contending car each and every week and this week should be no different. He has finished in the top ten in five of this last six starts at this track including a second place finish last fall. However, he hasn’t won a race here since 2000.
Carl Edwards: Carl has won three times here during his career and always seems to have a good car when he unloads it from the hauler. Last November he sat on the pole for the race here and lead a bunch of laps before losing an engine half-way through the race. He has finished in the top three in three of his last six races here also.
YAHOO! FANTASY NASCAR PICKS FOR TEXAS MOTOR SPEEDWAY
Yahoo Driver Group A
- Matt Kenseth
- Jimmie Johnson
Yahoo Driver Group B
- Greg Biffle
- Carl Edwards
- Brad Keselowski
- Joey Logano
Yahoo Driver Group C
- Austin Dillon
- Trevor Bayne
MY TOP-5 OVERALL AT TEXAS MOTOR SPEEDWAY
- Matt Kenseth
- Jimmie Johnson
- Greg Biffle
- Kyle Busch
- Dale Earnhardt Jr.
Dark Horse: Aric Almirola
Stay Away From: Tony Stewart