Month: May 2017

Congratulations to Austin Dillon on winning his first ever Monster Energy Cup race this past weekend at Charlotte when he passed Jimmie Johnson, who ran out of gas with three laps to go, and held off Kyle Busch for the remainder of the race to claim the victory. Martin Truex Jr. lead the most laps in the Coca-Cola 600 for the third consecutive year and finished third.

Chase Elliott and Brad Keselowski both were knocked out of the race early when Jeffrey Earnhardt lost an engine and a part went through the front of Chase’s car and broke an oil line or oil cooler. Chase’s car slowed down as it caught fire and Brad got in the oil that was leaking from Chase’s car and couldn’t stop as he slid through that oil and demolished his car as he ran into the back of the #24.

AAA 400 DRIVE FOR AUTISM

This week the series heads to Dover, Delaware and the Dover International Speedway for the running of the AAA 400 Drive for Autism. This is one of my favorite tracks to watch a race at. ‘The Monster Mile’ is exactly that, a one-mile high banked concrete oval which has multiple racing grooves in it. The action here is fast and seldom boring because the track is shorter than the typical intermediate track, which means the cars are always close to one another and not spread out.

Jimmie Johnson: I am picking Jimmie to shake off losing the Coca-Cola 600 on gas mileage and come away with his eleventh victory at this track. That’s right, Jimmie has ten career wins here already to go along with fifteen top five and twenty-one top ten finishes in his thirty starts at this track. Jimmie always seems to come back more determined than ever after dealing with some adversity in a race the previous week and this is the track he knows well.

Matt Kenseth: Matt won this race last year for his third victory at Dover to go along with seventeen top five and twenty-four top ten finishes in his thirty-six career starts. This team ran well at Charlotte last week and seems to be getting better every week and avoiding the bad luck that has plagued them for much of the season so far. I think Matt will give Jimmie a run for his money at the end of this race and could possibly win this race for the second year in a row.

Kyle Busch: Kyle came oh so close once again to picking up his first victory of the season when he finished second at Charlotte last weekend. This team is very hungry and this is one of the tracks where they have won multiple races in the past. Two victories, eleven top five and fifteen top ten finishes in twenty-four starts tells you all you need to know about how Kyle can get around this place and his attitude tells you that he will do whatever it takes to get back to victory lane.

Kyle Larson: Kyle finished second in this race last year and has run well every weekend for the most part this entire season. He slipped out of first place in the standings after brushing the wall at Charlotte last weekend, which knocked him out of contention after starting towards the back of the field and making his way into the top five during the second stage of the race. He only has six starts at Dover, but he has come away with two top five and four top ten finishes in those races.

Chase Elliott: Chase is another driver with out a lot of Cup experience here. In fact, he has only run two races in this series at this track and he has finished third in both of those races. I’m sure he is eager to get back to racing after getting knocked out of the Coca-Cola 600 last weekend and is even more eager to get his first win in a Cup car. I believe that will come sometime this season and it might even be this weekend.

Joey Logano: Joey is another driver who will be looking forward to getting back on the track after finishing a disappointing twenty-first last weekend. Joey is still looking for his first win at Dover, but he has finished in the top ten here in ten of his sixteen starts. This track suits his style of racing as he will be able to run either the high or low lines and might even run one line at one end of the track and the other line at the other end of the track if it improves his overall speed.

Martin Truex Jr.: Martin won the fall race here last year for his second career victory at this track. Right now this team is doing everything right, so the momentum is on his side. He could easily win this race this weekend because this team is hitting on all cylinders right now. The pit crew has been fast and nearly flawless lately which gives any driver a lot of confidence when they are pitting and makes them try even harder on the track.

Kevin Harvick: Kevin won his only race here in the fall of 2015, so it wasn’t that long ago. He is another driver looking for his first win of the season and is getting awful hungry for it right now. Even though he has only finished in the top five here five time in his thirty-two starts, two of those have come in the last four races he has run here. With the speed this team has shown over the past two plus years you can’t count them out at any track.

Brad Keselowski: Brad has one win at this track and has finished in the top six in four of his last six starts at this track. He is another driver chomping at the bit to get back to racing after his early exit last weekend. With multiple victories already this year and the speed the Ford’s have shown all year, Brad is going to be a contender this weekend once again.

Ryan Blaney: Another driver with only two starts at this track, he came away with an eighth place finish in his first race here. This team has been fast all season and this is the type of track where he should do well. He won’t need to use as much patience here in a 400-mile race on a track where you need to go so the leaders don’t pass you early in the race. I look for this team to post another top ten finish here this weekend.

YAHOO! FANTASY NASCAR PICKS FOR DOVER INTERNATIONAL SPEEDWAY

Yahoo Driver Group A

• Jimmie Johnson
• Matt Kenseth

Yahoo Driver Group B

• Kyle Larson
• Chase Elliott
• Ryan Blaney
• Clint Bowyer

Yahoo Driver Group C

• Erik Jones
• Regan Smith/Driver of the #43

MY TOP-5 OVERALL AT DOVER INTERNATIONAL SPEEDWAY

1. Jimmie Johnson
2. Matt Kenseth
3. Kyle Busch
4. Kyle Larson
5. Chase Elliott

Dark Horse: Ryan Blaney

Stay Away From: Denny Hamlin

Big 18: Jimmie Johnson

After taking a week off from the regular season’s racing to run the All-Star race at Charlotte Motor Speedway the series will be back for the longest race of the season. If Saturday night’s race is any indication of what the fans can expect to see this weekend, it won’t be pretty.

Passing was difficult to say the least and whoever got out front stayed there and extended their lead on the field. That means that this weekend you will see teams trying to win on pit strategy to get themselves out at the front of the field and take advantage of the track position they can make up on pit road. Watching a 600-mile race like this will be like watching paint dry so be prepared for a long night if you plan on watching this race.

COCA-COLA 600

Hopefully I am wrong about what will happen this weekend, but I don’t know what NASCAR can do in the next week to change the way the the track races. So, I believe qualifying will be very important along with flawless pit stops all through the race. You will probably see teams trying to win on gas mileage and two-tire stops just to try and get their cars to the front of the pack. I can only hope I am wrong because I plan on watching the race and hope I can come away entertained at the end of the night.

Martin Truex Jr.: After the dominating performance he put on in this race last year and having just won the race in Kansas two-weeks ago, I am going to go with Martin to win this race once again this year. The team has really fast cars on the intermediate tracks and once they are in front they are going to be tough to pass. I think the pit crew on this team is good enough to consistently get the job done and keep Martin out front once he is there.

Kyle Larson: Kyle was by far the class of the field in the All-Star race this past weekend and will be the favorite in many peoples minds heading into this weekend’s race. I’m just not sure his pit crew is consistent enough to make it through an entire 600-mile race without making any mistakes right now. I think he will qualify well and run in the top ten most of the race, but he might have a slow pit stop somewhere along the line which will cost him too much track position to get the win.

Jimmie Johnson: Jimmie picked up his eighth win at this track last fall which leads all active drivers at this track. He got his car into position late in the All-Star race last week where he had a shot at getting that win and Chad Knaus is no slouch when it comes to making the right call on top of the pit box to give Jimmie a chance at the end of races. He could be the difference maker this weekend.

Denny Hamlin: Denny probably has the most consistent pit crew of all of the teams. If he can stay away from speeding penalties they might be able to pass enough cars in the pits this weekend to put him in position to win this race. He is on a roll at this track finishing in the top ten in eleven of his last thirteen starts here. I look for him to be a contender late in this race.

Brad Keselowski: Brad is another driver with a great crew-chief who always seems to make the right call at the right time for Brad. Paul Wolfe really works well with Brad and understands what abilities his driver has, so he knows exactly what he needs to do with a car to give Brad a chance late in the race. With the speed the Ford’s have shown this year a little pit strategy and some speed might be all it takes to get this car out fast on a late race restart and claim the victory.

Kyle Busch: When we talk about restarts, Kyle is the master. He always passes a handful of cars on each and every restart in a race and this is how he claimed his first All-Star race win this past weekend. If he can stay close to the front of the pack throughout this long race and gets the cautions to fall at the right time he can steal away his first points win at this track.

Kevin Harvick: Talking about being consistent and on a roll at this track lately we need to talk about Kevin Harvick. Kevin has finished in the top two in five of his last eight starts at this track and also has Ford power under his hood this year. He is patient which really helps in this long race that starts when the sun is shining and ends under the lights, which means big changes in the track from the start of the race to the end. Kevin will be a contender at the end of this race once again.

Kurt Busch: A teammate of Kevin’s with more Ford power under his hood, Kurt is looking for his second career win at this track. He has finished in the top ten in his last four start here so we know he can get the job done here. He came away with a top five finish in the All-Star race which will give them some confidence heading into this weekend’s race. Could be a small surprise winner if he can maintain his composure early in the race when his car isn’t at it’s best yet.

Matt Kenseth: Matt has always run consistently well at this track himself and is one of the most patient drivers on the circuit today. Patience is at a premium in a race this long and Matt just needs to keep relaying information to his crew so they can make the correct adjustments for him as the race progresses and the track conditions change. If they can stay away from bad luck on the track they will have a shot at the end of this race.

Joey Logano: I think Joey is on the other end of the spectrum when it comes to patience on the track. He has run well here and won the fall race in 2015 here. He has some very good finishes in this race, but I think he takes too many chances early in this long race which puts him in peril or doesn’t sit well with other drivers on the track who might do something about it later in this race. Yet, with the speed the Ford’s have shown this year and how hard it could be to pass other cars this weekend, Joey has a great shot at getting out front and staying there.

YAHOO! FANTASY NASCAR PICKS FOR CHARLOTTE MOTOR SPEEDWAY

Yahoo Driver Group A

• Martin Truex Jr.
• Kevin Harvick

Yahoo Driver Group B

• Kyle Larson
• Kurt Busch
• Ryan Newman
• Jamie McMurray

Yahoo Driver Group C

• Erik Jones
• Regan Smith or whoever is entered in the #43 car this week in place of Aric Almirola

MY TOP-5 OVERALL AT CHARLOTTE MOTOR SPEEDWAY

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

Dark Horse: Kurt Busch

Stay Away From: Ryan Blaney

Big 18: Martin Truex Jr.

Congratulations to Ricky Stenhouse Jr. who picked up his first career win at Talladega last weekend. Once again the ‘Big One’ took sixteen drivers out of contention late in the race, but that’s restrictor plate racing. That is why it is so hard to predict who will finish where in those races and why I recommend saving the higher funded and more consistent drivers to use at other tracks if you are playing the Yahoo game.

GO BOWLING 400

This week the series heads to the Kansas Speedway for the running of the Go Bowling 400. This is another of the mile-and-a-half tri-oval tracks that are so predominant in the series. This is a Saturday night race, weather permitting, as it is Mother’s Day weekend. Then the series will head to Charlotte for the All-Star week.

Jimmie Johnson: Jimmie leads all active drivers with three wins at Kansas and has been on a roll lately. He also won the last race on a similar track at Texas and should have a good car for the whole weekend. It is hard to not have him on your team this week as he has finished in the top ten at Kansas seventeen times in his twenty-one starts there. I will have him on my roster this weekend.

Kevin Harvick: We have seen how fast the Ford’s are this year and Kevin knows how to get around Kansas. Kevin finished second in this race last season and followed that up with a win in the fall race. This team is too good to be kept our of victory lane much longer and with the speed they should have this weekend odds are pretty good that he will give Jimmie a run for his money. Five top two finishes in his last seven starts here bodes well for him.

Joey Logano: With six top five finishes in his last seven starts at this track, Joey will be another driver who will have a great shot at picking up another win here. Another Ford driver, this could be a good week for this team who won the race at Richmond two weeks ago. I think he comes away with another top five finish this weekend and will be a contender for the win late in the race.

Kyle Busch: Kyle won this race last year and has been so close to winning races this season that he is bound to have everything go right for himself and his team one of these weeks. He was leading at Talladega on the last restart only to be passed by Stenhouse and then he fell to third when Jamie McMurray made a bold three wide move to get past Kyle and Jimmie on the last lap. Kyle has four straight top five finishes here which tells us they have a good setup under their car to start with.

Matt Kenseth: Matt has two career wins at this track and has finished in the top ten in every spring race that has ever been run here. This is another team that always seems to be in the wrong place at the wrong time this season, but once again they are too good to keep them down for long. I think the Gibbs teams are getting a little better every week and the field is starting to even out across all three manufacturers.

Brad Keselowski: Brad has one win and seven top ten finishes in his fourteen career starts here. This team has two wins on the season already and seems to have a fast, good handling car each and every week. This team is going to be one of the top contenders for the championship when the Chase starts this fall and I think Brad will pick up a few more wins before it starts.

Kyle Larson: Kyle has been the cream of the crop the entire season and will be glad to get away from the restrictor plate track this week where he should be able to do what he has been doing all season. That is running up front and contending for wins. Although he has only led three laps at this track in his six starts and only finished in the top ten once, he is running better everywhere he goes this year, so we can throw those stats out the window.

Chase Elliott: I keep saying that Chase is going to get his first Cup win very soon and this week should give him another good shot at doing just that. He has only run at this track twice and finished in the top ten in this race last season. He has been consistently good all year and looks very good on this type of track. I think this is going to be one of the most competitive races so far this season with a lot of drivers who will be in contention at the end.

Martin Truex Jr.: Martin has failed to finish in the top twenty only once in his last ten starts here and we have seen how he can dominate on the intermediate tracks. Look for him to qualify well and run up front most of the race. If he hits his setup right he could make this a long night for all of his competition and they would like nothing better as they head to Charlotte for the next two weeks where he dominated the Coca-Cola 600 last year.

Kasey Kahne: Kasey has been running pretty well most every week this year and he has always run well here even those years that he has struggled a bit. He has finished in the top ten in seven of his last eleven starts at this track and it seems that they are making the right adjustments to their car as races progress this season. He might not be fast at the beginning of races, but he seems to get better as the race goes on and gets himself into the top ten late.

YAHOO! FANTASY NASCAR PICKS FOR KANSAS SPEEDWAY

Yahoo Driver Group A

• Jimmie Johnson
• Kevin Harvick

Yahoo Driver Group B

• Chase Elliott
• Kasey Kahne
• Kurt Busch
• Ryan Blaney

Yahoo Driver Group C

• Erik Jones
• Ty Dillon

MY TOP-5 OVERALL AT KANSAS SPEEDWAY

1. Jimmie Johnson
2. Kevin Harvick
3. Chase Elliott
4. Joey Logano
5. Kyle Busch

Dark Horse: Ryan Blaney

Stay Away From: Aric Almirola

Big 18: Joey Logano