After another wreck fest at Daytona, will NASCAR try to change some rules to make it safer for the drivers? Did you as fans enjoy watching the race? I myself don’t have a favorite driver, but I want to watch the top tier drivers race for wins. Saturday night was almost like watching an ARCA race after about the halfway point with most of the top drivers either out of the race or damaged quite badly.
Don’t get me wrong. I am all for the smaller teams competing and having every team capable of winning a race, but does it really matter in the long run to the sport? We’ve seen some of these drivers win before, but with the way the playoffs are set now, can they really compete for a championship? I hate to say it, but no, they can’t. I would not have been very happy if I had paid a lot of money to do to Daytona for a weekend and have to watch that race.
By the way, congratulations to Erik Jones on fighting through all of the chaos and getting his first ever Cup win!
QUAKER STATE 400
This week the series heads to the Kentucky Speedway for the running of the Quaker State 400. Kentucky Speedway is another mile and a half tri-oval speedway that is so predominant on the circuit. The first Cup race was held here in the 2011 season and there have been four drivers who have driven to victory in the seven races held here since that time. This is another Saturday night race, so make sure to get your picks in before your deadline once again this week.
Kyle Busch: I am going to pick Kyle to win this week for the sixth time this season. He has two wins, five top five and six top ten finishes in his seven starts here which is the best of the big three drivers this year. I think he rebounds nicely from Daytona and continues to keep the top three drivers on the circuit this year rolling through this weekend.
Brad Keselowski: Brad was very frustrated after getting wrecked early in the race at Daytona last week and I think he is feeling a little pressure by not having a win yet this season. The good news for him is that he has won three of the seven races run at Kentucky, has finished in the top ten five times and only Kyle Busch has led more laps than him at this track. This could be his week to pick up his first win and make sure he is qualified for the playoffs.
Joey Logano: Joey is still looking for his first win at this track in the Cup series, but he did win three straight races in the Xfinity series here. He has also finished in the top ten in four of the seven Cup races. This team hasn’t kept up with the changing track conditions when making adjustments to their car for most of the year, but this is a night race and that might help them a little bit.
Martin Truex Jr.: Martin won this race last year and we all saw how fast his car was even by itself last weekend at Daytona. This team might have found a little extra speed which will make them even more competitive with Kyle and Kevin. I think Martin comes in with a lot of confidence and is the driver that gives Kyle a run for his money this weekend even if we can’t count out Harvick.
Kevin Harvick: Kevin’s best finish here so far in his career is a seventh place finish which is not the best for him. On the plus side is that he has finished in the top ten here in his last five starts and his worst finish here was a sixteenth place finish which came in his first race here. He has won two Xfinity series races here in his career, so we know he can get around this track and compete with the other two for the win once again this weekend.
Kurt Busch: Kurt is another driver still looking for his first win of the season. He has finished in the top ten in four of his six starts at Kentucky with his best finish being a fourth two years ago. Last year he had an engine problem, but we haven’t seen those types of problems with any of the teams this year. We know Kurt will have the speed this week and if everything falls into place he could find himself in victory lane.
Clint Bowyer: Clint has really struggled at this track throughout his career. Besides finishing third here back in 2013, Clint hasn’t done much here. In fact, he hasn’t finished on the lead lap in four of his seven starts. He could come away with another of those top five finishes or even a win this week as he is the only driver other than the top three who has won at a non-restrictor plate track this year.
Denny Hamlin: It seems we talk about Denny almost every week as a potential winner of a race and something always happens to him to take him out of contention. Most of those things are self-inflicted on pit road, either by him or his team or they don’t make the right adjustment at the end of the races. In his seven starts here he has finished in the top five three times, but has been caught up in accidents twice. Not he most consistent driver here.
Jimmie Johnson: Jimmie has been looking a little better every week. He had some speed at Daytona last weekend and if we take away his last two starts at Kentucky when he was involved in accidents in those races, he has finished in the top ten in his other five starts here. I’m not sure if this team is quite ready to compete for a win yet, but they are getting better and could be inline for a top ten or possibly even a top five finish.
Chase Elliott: Chase must really be getting frustrated while looking for his first ever win in the Cup series. After sitting on the pole at Daytona last week, then getting taken out in an early wreck and watching fellow young gun Erik Jones win his first ever Cup race the pressure has to be building. The good news is that he finished third in this race last year and we have seen the improvements in the Hendrick cars lately. Could be a surprise winner this weekend.
DRIVER GROUP GAME FANTASY NASCAR PICKS FOR KENTUCKY SPEEDWAY
Driver Group Game Group A
- Kyle Busch
- Martin Truex Jr.
Driver Group Game Group B
- Kurt Busch
- Chase Elliott
- Jamie McMurray
- Daniel Suarez
Driver Group Game Group C
- William Byron
- David Ragan
MY TOP-5 OVERALL AT KENTUCKY SPEEDWAY
- Kyle Busch
- Martin Truex Jr.
- Kevin Harvick
- Brad Keselowski
- Kyle Larson
Dark Horse: Erik Jones
Stay Away From: Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
Big 18: Erik Jones