Author: Jeff Gutowski

Congratulations to Kurt Busch who is the seventh driver to win a race this season after he went to victory lane at Richmond this past weekend. We are now over a third of the way to the start of the Chase and we have seven drivers who are virtually locked in. So, we have seventeen more races to find nine more drivers to complete the Chase field. If your favorite driver isn’t in yet, don’t worry, there is still plenty of time left to qualify and we have two more restrictor plate races and two road-course races in that stretch.

GEICO 500

This week is going to be one of those restrictor plate races as the teams head to Talladega Superspeedway for the running of the Geico 500. Talladega is the longest track on the circuit at 2.66-miles. This is also one of those races where any of the 43 drivers starting have a shot to win. These restrictor plate races are great for those teams that don’t have the same funding as the big boys.

Dale Earnhardt Jr.: Dale dominated this track for seven straight races from 2001-2004 when he won five of those races and finished second in the other two. He knows how to use the draft to his advantage and he had one of the fastest cars at Daytona earlier this year. I think Dale gets back to his winning ways at Talladega and grabs a spot in the Chase this weekend.

Jeff Gordon: Jeff has won six races at Talladega during his career and would love to get number seven this weekend and get himself qualified for the Chase in his last full-time season. He has also finished in the top five here in a third of the races he has run. That tells me he always has a car capable of making its way to the front of the field and all he needs to do is stay out of trouble early in the race.

Kurt Busch: Although Kurt has never won a race at Talladega, he has finished in the top ten in half of his twenty-eight starts. As well as he has been running this season, this might be the time that he breaks into the win column here. Momentum is on his side with the win last week and this team will arrive at Talladega with high expectations.

Kevin Harvick: Kevin has one win at Talladega and he has come looking for a win every week this year. I still think that Kevin is definitely the favorite to win his second championship because of how consistent he has been all year. If he can pick up a win at Talladega this weekend that will just be a bonus on his season.

Clint Bowyer: Clint has been getting better and better every week and has already won two races at Talladega in his career. He finished third in both races here last year and has also finished in the top ten in over half of the races he has run at this track. It wouldn’t be a surprise if he wins once again this weekend and qualifies himself for the Chase.

Brad Keselowski: Brad already has three wins in twelve starts at this track. I think he is going to have a car capable of winning this week’s race if they don’t have any mechanical problems that seem to be creeping up on them the last couple of races. 500-miles of racing at almost 200 mph could take a toll on engines, so they better hope they have all of their issues figured out.

Denny Hamlin: Denny won this race last season to qualify for the Chase. He also had one of the fastest cars at Daytona this year, so he should have a lot of confidence this weekend that he will have a car that is capable of winning this race. I think he will be in contention for the win late in the race this week.

Joey Logano: Joey won the Daytona 500 this year and that means that the car he won with is on display at Daytona U.S.A. I don’t think that will matter too much for Joey. I think he will have another fast car once again this weekend and his biggest concern should be mechanical problems much the same as his teammate, Brad Keselowski.

Michael Waltrip: Michael will be piloting the #55 Aaron’s Dream Machine once again this weekend. Michael is always good at restrictor plate tracks and he is subbing for Brian Vickers this week. That means he has a crew that has been practicing all season and a crew-chief that know what he is doing. Look for Michael to run at the back of the pack for a major portion of the race to try and stay out of trouble and then take a shot at winning because he isn’t racing for the points.

Jamie McMurray: Jamie has won twice at Talladega and this team has been contenders in quite a few races this season. They would love to get a win and qualify themselves for the Chase and a shot at winning a championship. I think Jamie will do well once again this weekend and could very well win this race.

YAHOO! FANTASY NASCAR PICKS FOR TALLADEGA SUPERSPEEDWAY

Yahoo Driver Group A

• Dale Earnhardt Jr.
• Jeff Gordon

Yahoo Driver Group B

• Aric Almirola
• Paul Menard
• AJ Allmendinger
• Casey Mears

Yahoo Driver Group C

• Michael Waltrip
• Danica Patrick

MY TOP-5 OVERALL AT TALLADEGA SUPERSPEEDWAY

1. Dale Earnhardt Jr.
2. Jeff Gordon
3. Brad Keselowski
4. Kevin Harvick
5. Matt Kenseth

Dark Horse: Michael Waltrip

Stay Away From: Tony Stewart

Congratulations to Matt Kenseth, who broke a fifty-one race winless streak by winning the rain delayed Food City 500 in Support of Steve Byrnes on Sunday. I’m sure Matt is happy to qualify for the Chase early in the season this year and not have to worry about getting in on points. I also want to applaud NASCAR for completing the race in its entirety. they could very easily have called the race at the 500-lap mark when it started to rain once again, but they made sure they got to the checkered flag under green.

TOYOTA OWNERS 400

This week we go under the lights once again on a Saturday night in Richmond, VA. Richmond International Raceway is a three-quarter-mile D-shaped oval without a lot of banking in the corners. Once again drivers are going to have to qualify well so they can start up front and not have to worry about the leaders catching them in the first twenty laps of the race. At least with the race scheduled for Saturday night, if it rains they can run on Sunday and we won’t have to keep checking back to see if and when the race will be run.

Brad Keselowski: I am going to pick Brad to win this week. I picked him to win at Bristol and that didn’t pan out so well, but he did qualify well there and was fast in all of the practice sessions. Brad won the fall race here last year and finished fourth in the spring race. If he can stay out of trouble early in this week’s race, I think he can take the checkered flag.

Joey Logano: Joey won this race last year, finished third the previous year in the spring race, and finished sixth here last fall. That just tells me that the Penske teams have a good handle on this track and they should be the drivers to beat. Besides, both of these drivers want to make up for their disappointing showing at Bristol last weekend.

Kevin Harvick: Once again Kevin showed that he can be good every week on any type of track. If he doesn’t get caught up in a wreck with lapped traffic at Bristol he has a chance to win that race too. Kevin has won two of the past seven races at Richmond and I’m sure that he will come with another fast car capable of winning this week also. It is hard to stop this team right now.

Jeff Gordon: Jeff hasn’t won a race at Richmond since 2000, but he finished second in both of the races here last season. He has also qualified in the top ten in five of his last six races here and was close to winning at Bristol last week. This team needs to avoid costly mistakes in the pits so they don’t have to keep fighting their way back to the front during races.

Carl Edwards: Carl won the fall race here in 2013 and has finished in the top ten in eight of his last ten starts here. Carl was another driver looking for his first win of the season that came very close last weekend. These teams that are consistently coming to close to winning races are going to break through sooner rather than later.

Kurt Busch: Kurt is another driver who has been running consistently towards the front of the pack over the past month and is getting closer and closer to that elusive first win of the season. Kurt has finished in the top ten at Richmond in three of his last four starts, finishing second in the fall race of 2013.

Ryan Newman: Ryan hasn’t won a race here since 2003, but he has finished in the top ten in four of his last five starts here. This team has fallen off a little bit over the past couple of races, but I think Ryan is capable of winning races almost every week. He said he didn’t have the best car at Bristol, but that the best car doesn’t always win at Bristol either.

Matt Kenseth: Matt is another driver who has finished in the top ten in four of his last five starts at Richmond and has momentum on his side. With the monkey off his back now, Matt might go on a roll like he did two years ago when he lead the series in wins and almost won his second championship. I look for more wins from this team this year before the Chase starts.

Clint Bowyer: Clint hasn’t had the best cars in practice or qualifying this year. but he sure seems to figure it out during the race. Especially on these short flat tracks. Clint has finished in the top five in three of his last five starts here including a win back in the fall of 2012. This team wants to get a win really badly and make the Chase once again.

Jamie McMurray: Jamie has never won a race at Richmond, but he has finished fourth here in two of his past three starts. This team seems to be very good early in races and makes most of the right adjustments to their car during the race. It seems that something always happens to him on the track to take him out of contention. Those kinds of things have a way of ruining your confidence, but I don’t think that is the case with Jamie.

YAHOO! FANTASY NASCAR PICKS FOR RICHMOND INTERNATIONAL RACEWAY

Yahoo Driver Group A

• Brad Keselowski
• Jeff Gordon

Yahoo Driver Group B

• Kurt Busch
• Carl Edwards
• Clint Bowyer
• Jamie McMurray

Yahoo Driver Group C

• David Ragan
• Danica Patrick

MY TOP-5 OVERALL AT RICHMOND INTERNATIONAL RACEWAY

1. Brad Keselowski
2. Jeff Gordon
3. Kevin Harvick
4. Kurt Busch
5. Joey Logano

Dark Horse: AJ Allmendinger

Stay Away From: Paul Menard

Congratulations to Jimmie Johnson, who picked up his second win of the season at Texas Motor Speedway on Saturday night. Jimmie passed Kevin Harvick after the final restart and then held him off to tie Kevin for the most wins on the season so far. It was well worth watching Kevin do everything he could to try and catch Johnson while holding off Dale Earnhardt Jr. for second place.

FOOD CITY 500 IN SUPPORT OF STEVE BYRNES AND STAND UP TO CANCER

This week the series heads to Bristol Motor Speedway for the running of the Food City 500 in Support of Steve Byrnes and Stand Up To Cancer. Steve is a FOX Sports broadcaster that is battling head-and-neck cancer and I wish him the best of luck in his fight and hope to see him back on the broadcast team in the future. Get well Steve!

Bristol Motor Speedway is one of the shortest tracks on the circuit. The track is similar in length to Martinsville, but that is where the similarities end. Where Martinsville is quite flat, Bristol has high banking. Actually it has 26 to 30 degree banking in the corners and the drivers will turn a lap in less than 15-seconds. Qualifying is very important here, because if you qualify in towards the back, you will find yourself about half of a lap behind the leader when you start.

With that in mind, penalties will kill a drivers chances at this track. With the new technology NASCAR is using this year there have been more penalties called in the first seven races of the year than during the entire season last year, and they aren’t even looking at missed or loosed lug nuts! Most of the penalties are do to uncontrolled tires, too many men over the wall, and driving through too many pit stalls. Oh yeah, don’t forget too fast entering or exiting pit road. Teams will have to avoid all penalties to stay in contention this weekend.

Brad Keselowski: I am going to pick Brad as my driver to win this week’s race. Brad has two wins here in ten starts and has finished in the top 5 in four of those ten races. This is the type of racing Brad loves. He can mix it up with other drivers and do a little beating and banging as he works his way through traffic. You can’t let it bother you if you are constantly getting hit by the car behind you at Bristol if you want to win this race.

Kurt Busch: Kurt has five wins at this track and has really run well so far this season. He would like to get a win as he has already worked his way into the top thirty in the standings after being suspended for the first three races of the season. A win would qualify this team for the Chase and I think this is one of the tracks where Kurt will be better than Kevin Harvick with the same setup under their cars.

Jeff Gordon: Jeff also has five wins here in his career. He has also finished in the top ten in more than half of his forty-four starts at this track. Those are impressive numbers when you consider how small the track is and that there are forty-three other cars on the track with you. That means there is always other cars in your general vicinity at all times during the race.

Matt Kenseth: Matt is still looking for his first points race win since the 2013 season. He has won three races at Bristol during his career and has also finished in the top ten here in nineteen of his thirty starts. It seems like the Gibbs cars don’t have quite the speed as the Hendrick cars at this point of the season, but that shouldn’t really matter at this short track.

Carl Edwards: Carl has won three races at this track during his career including winning this race last season. This team seems to be getting a little better every week and they knew there would be growing pains when the season started. As a new team it isn’t surprising that Carl has struggled during parts of races and his finishing position is not where he would like it to be. They will be in victory lane very soon.

Jimmie Johnson: Jimmie has only won one race here during his career, but he seems to finish quite well most of the time. He has finished in the top ten in fourteen of his twenty-six starts at Bristol and we all know that this team can win multiple weeks in a row. With the momentum from last week’s win on their side, they might pull off another victory.

Dale Earnhardt Jr.: Dale has been close to winning races this season, but he wants to get that win and guarantee himself a spot in the Chase. He has won one race at Bristol before and has finished in the top ten there in fourteen of his thirty career starts. The main thing is to stay out of trouble on pit road this weekend and you will be in contention at the end of the race.

Ryan Newman: Ryan has quietly put together another great season so far. He has slipped a little the last two races, but this week as he heads to Bristol he should be optimistic that he can get his first win of the season. He has won three times at this track and this team has equipment that is very capable of winning races at any track. This weekend will be no different and Ryan could very well find himself in victory lane at the end of the race.

Kasey Kahne: Kasey won this race two years ago for his first victory at Bristol. He has also finished in the top ten in four of his last five starts here and has been running better and better every week. This team needs to have better pit stops, as it seems they are constantly losing positions on the track when they pit. You can’t afford to keep giving up spots in the pits, especially at a place like Bristol.

Paul Menard: Paul has finished in the top ten at Bristol in five of his last six starts. This team has been performing well all season and was having a great run at Texas last week until something happened to their ignition system as Paul was running in the top five more than halfway through the race. If this team keeps making improvements and can find themselves in the Chase, they could surprise people like Ryan Newman did last season.

YAHOO! FANTASY NASCAR PICKS FOR BRISTOL MOTOR SPEEDWAY

Yahoo Driver Group A

• Brad Keselowski
• Matt Kenseth

Yahoo Driver Group B

• Kurt Busch
• Carl Edwards
• Kasey Kahne
• Paul Menard

Yahoo Driver Group C

• David Ragan
• Brett Moffitt

MY TOP-5 OVERALL AT BRISTOL MOTOR SPEEDWAY

1. Brad Keselowski
2. Matt Kenseth
3. Jeff Gordon
4. Kurt Busch
5. Kasey Kahne

Dark Horse: Paul Menard

Stay Away From: Martin Truex Jr.

Congratulations to Denny Hamlin who won his first race of the season at Martinsville and is now virtually qualified for the Chase. Denny had to overcome an early pit road penalty for an uncontrolled tire and fight his way back to the front of the field. Even late in the race he had to pass quite a few cars on a restart and then hold off Brad Keselowski to pick up the win. Great job Denny!

DUCK COMMANDER 500

The series will take a week off to celebrate the Easter holiday weekend and then they will return the following Saturday night to Texas Motor Speedway for the running of the Duck Commander 500. Texas Motor Speedway is very similar to Atlanta Motor Speedway in its configuration, but the temperature should be a bit warmer here than it was in Atlanta earlier this season. The 500-mile race will test engines most of all once again during this race.

Matt Kenseth: I’m going to pick Matt to win his first race of the season at Texas on a Saturday night. Matt has two career wins here and has finished in the top five in thirteen of his twenty-five starts. This team has been getting better and better each week this year and I think this is the type of track that Matt will capitalize on that improvement.

Kevin Harvick: Let’s not rule out Kevin anywhere on the circuit. Even though he didn’t finish in the top two at Martinsville, he managed to lead a bunch of laps there and he will be even better on this fast track. He will probably qualify in the top five once again and lead more laps in this race. He will also be in contention at the end if he can stay out of trouble early in the race.

Jimmie Johnson: Jimmie had a terrible time at Martinsville last weekend and this team wants to forget all about those problems. Jimmie won the race this year at Atlanta, so he should arrive at the track with a great setup under his car. This team is already qualified for the Chase because of the Atlanta win and just needs to keep improving over the weeks so they are ready to go once the Chase starts.

Joey Logano: Joey has been fast all season and should be fast once again at Texas. He sat on the pole at Atlanta and lead a bunch of laps there before settling for a fourth place finish. This team has been very fast early in races this year, but they just haven’t quite made the right adjustments late in the race to stay at the front. Even then, top five and ten finishes are still very good and winning the Daytona 500 is awesome.

Dale Earhardt Jr.: Dale had a rough time at Martinsville, but this team has still been very stout the rest of the year. I think this is the type of track this team really excels at as Dale loves to run the high line on these tracks. He might not qualify in the top ten, but he will be able to make his way to the front and they seem to know how to adjust their car to keep up with the track as the race progresses.

Carl Edwards: Carl looked good at Martinsville until very late in the race and he has three wins under his belt at Texas. Like I said with Matt Kenseth, the Gibbs teams are all looking better and better every week and Carl is still settling in with his new team. It won’t be long before they start winning races.

Martin Truex Jr.: Martin has been very good all season and this team has shown a lot of speed. This weekend should be no different. Evan though Martin has only finished in the top five twice in nineteen starts, I think this team is on top of their game right now. Will they be able to improve as the year progresses and keep up with the big budget teams? That question can only be answered by watching them every week, but for right now they are competitive every week.

Denny Hamlin: Denny has won twice at Texas and has momentum on his side after picking up the win at Martinsville last weekend. Another of the Gibbs drivers who are all getting better every week. This team doesn’t have any pressure on themselves anymore as they have qualified for the Chase. Now they just need to concentrate on staying consistent and getting faster so they feel good about themselves when the Chase starts.

Jeff Gordon: Another late race mistake on pit road cost Jeff a shot at the win at Martinsville. This team has been good all year, but seem to have something happen late in races that takes them out of contention. Jeff only has one career win at this track, but he did finish second in this race last season. Jeff wants to get qualified for the Chase as soon as possible in his last full-time season driving the #24 car.

Kurt Busch: Kurt has always been good at Texas no matter what team he has been driving for. He has also been good in all of the races he has run this season and is still looking for his first win so he can qualify for the Chase. He started out good at Martinsville before losing the handle on his car and fading. Texas should be more to his liking.

YAHOO! FANTASY NASCAR PICKS FOR TEXAS MOTOR SPEEDWAY

Yahoo Driver Group A

• Matt Kenseth
• Kevin Harvick

Yahoo Driver Group B

• Martin Truex Jr.
• Carl Edwards
• Kurt Busch
• Kasey Kahne

Yahoo Driver Group C

• David Ragan
• Justin Allgaier

MY TOP-5 OVERALL AT INSERT TRACK NAME

1. Matt Kenseth
2. Kevin Harvick
3. Jimmie Johnson
4. Joey Logano
5. Dale Earnhardt Jr.

Dark Horse: Martin Truex Jr.

Stay Away From: Greg Biffle

Congratulations to Brad Keselowski on getting his first win of the season at Auto Club Speedway last weekend. The win virtually guarantees Brad a spot in the Chase, so both of the Penske drivers are in. Getting a win this early in the season takes a lot of pressure off of those teams, and they can concentrate on getting even better before the start of the Chase.

STP 500

The series heads back east this week for the running of the STP 500 at Martinsville Speedway. Martinsville is one of the shortest tracks on the circuit at .526-miles. It is also relatively flat with only twelve degrees of banking in the corners. You really need to qualify well here so you get a good pit stall. Plus, you need to have a really good handling car so that you don’t get lapped early in the race.

Jimmie Johnson: Jimmie has won eight races at Martinsville and has finished in the top five in eighteen of his twenty-six starts there. He is my pick to win his second race of the season and he is a must to have on your team this weekend. He has also finished in the top five in four of his last five races at this track.

Jeff Gordon: Not to be outdone by Jimmie, Jeff also has eight wins at this track and he should be one of the drivers to give Jimmie a run for his money this week. Jeff has finished in the top three in three of his last four starts here and he has twenty-eight top five finishes in his forty-four career starts at this track.

Denny Hamlin: Denny has four wins at this track and has finished in the top five in half of his eighteen starts here. Denny has been running well lately and should have another good run once again this weekend. I think handling is worth more than power at this track and so far this season, the Toyota’s seem to be a little bit behind the Chevrolet’s in that department. Like I said, that shouldn’t make that much of a difference here.

Dale Earnhardt Jr.: Dale won the race at Martinsville last fall and has seven top ten finishes in his last nine starts here. This team has been good all season and he should have confidence coming back here after that win last season. It is too bad that most of the drivers that run well at this track are all in the same group in the Yahoo league.

Clint Bowyer: Clint has yet to win a race at this track, but he has finished in the top ten in his last five starts at Martinsville. Clint needs a good finish to give himself and his team some confidence as the season progresses. Clint has finished in the top ten here in twelve of his eighteen career starts which is very good for anyone on this track.

Tony Stewart: This could be the track that Tony breaks out of his funk at. Tony finished fourth here last fall and has finished in the top ten in more than half of his starts here. With the way Kevin Harvick and Kurt Busch have looked this season, Tony should have the equipment to get the job done here.

Ryan Newman: Ryan has run well all year once again and is getting closer to winning a race all the time. He has one win at Martinsville and finished third here last fall. This is the type of track that he likes to run at and this weekend should be no different. I won’t be surprised when he comes away with a win sometime this season.

Brad Keselowski: Brad has finished in the top ten here in half of his ten career starts. With momentum on their side this team could reel off some consecutive wins. However, he has only led laps in two of his ten races here and his best finish so far is fourth. I think there are better choices to pick for your team this week.

Kevin Harvick: With eight straight top two finishes it’s hard to pick against Kevin any week. He has one win at this track and has finished in the top ten in twelve of his twenty-seven starts at this track. Once again there are better tracks to use Kevin at even with the streak he is on right now. I will save him for some other time.

Joey Logano: Joey finished in the top five in both of the Martinsville races last year and he also led a bunch of laps in both of those races. This team needs to figure out how to finish a race because they seem to start out fast every week and then fade away towards the end of the race.

YAHOO! FANTASY NASCAR PICKS FOR MARTINSVILLE SPEEDWAY

Yahoo Driver Group A

• Jimmie Johnson
• Jeff Gordon

Yahoo Driver Group B

• Clint Bowyer
• Tony Stewart
• Greg Biffle
• AJ Allmendinger

Yahoo Driver Group C

• David Ragan
• Brett Moffitt

MY TOP-5 OVERALL AT MARTINSVILLE SPEEDWAY

1. Jimmie Johnson
2. Jeff Gordon
3. Denny Hamlin
4. Dale Earnhardt Jr.
5. Ryan Newman

Dark Horse: AJ Allmendinger

Stay Away From: Martin Truex Jr.