Author: Jeff Gutowski

Categories
Fantasy NASCAR

2014 Watkins Glen, Cheez-It 355 at The Glen

Congratulations to Dale Earnhardt Jr. on picking up his third victory of the season and sweeping the races at Pocono this year. The win gives Dale the same amount of bonus points when the Chase starts as Jimmie Johnson and Brad Keselowkski with three wins each so far this season. Now there are only five races left until the Chase and there are still spots up for grabs.

CHEEZ-IT 355 AT THE GLEN

With only five races left until the Chase the series heads to Watkins Glen, NY for the second road-course race of the season. I think that the series will fill another Chase spot with a different winner this week, which means someone else won’t make it on points.

Right now Greg Biffle holds the final spot for the Chase in the point standings, one point ahead of Kasey Kahne, two points ahead of Austin Dillon, and five points behind Kyle Larson. I believe this last spot will be taken by Marcos Ambrose this week when he wins the race at Watkins Glen and qualifies for the Chase and then the next four weeks will be a real battle to secure the final spot in the Chase. The fireworks are going to fly.

Marcos Ambrose: Marcos has had a terrible year after improving over the last few years since he joined the series. I thought he would win the race at Sonoma earlier this season, but that didn’t happen and now the only way he makes the Chase is to win a race. That race will happen this weekend on the road course or it won’t happen at all. Marcos has nothing to lose by letting it all hang out and that is exactly what he will do this weekend.

Tony Stewart: Tony has won five times at Watkins Glen and he needs a win to make the Chase also. I picked Marcos to win because he is at home at a road course, but Tony is no slouch here and anyone that knows Tony’s passion for racing knows that he will not go down quietly. You will see a man on a mission doing everything he can to win this race and qualify his team for the Chase, and he can do it.

Jeff Gordon: Jeff won three races in a row and four out of five here early in his career. The way this team has been performing this season, they are in that same form right now as they were years ago when Jeff was winning a lot of races and championships and this team has that same mentality right now.

Brad Keselowski: Brad already has three wins this season and is solidly in the Chase. That doesn’t matter to him right now. He enjoys the competition so much that he isn’t afraid to mix it up with anyone on a road course. I think one of the best finishes I ever saw in NASCAR was the last lap battle between Brad, Marcos, and Kyle Busch that Marcos won and all Brad said after the race was something to the effect of, that is the way racing is supposed to be.

Kyle Busch: Now we talk about Kyle. Oil on the track on the last lap of the race I am talking about above, is what cost him that race. Kyle has won two races here and without the oil probably would have three wins here already. Kyle finished thirty-third in the first race he ran here, but hasn’t finished outside of the top ten since then, nine races ago. He is also the defending champion at this track.

Carl Edwards: Carl has six top ten finishes in nine career starts at this track. The big question with this team right now is will they give Carl what he needs to win a race or will this team use him for experimentation for the rest of the season now that he won’t be driving for Roush/Fenway next season. I don’t think it will be bad as long as Carl is in contention to win the championship, but one never really knows.

Kevin Harvick: Kevin has won a race here before, and the way he has been driving this season, one never knows when he will win again. He has had a car capable of winning every week this year and this week will be no different. Kevin has been racing long enough to know that seasons like this don’t come along all the time and you had better take advantage of them while you can.

Jimmie Johnson: I think it is time for this team to address the right rear tire problem that has been plaguing them for the past month or more. With three wins under their belt, I think they had the right idea to experiment with lower tire pressures, but now that we are getting closer to the Chase, I think they need to get back in the trend of just trying to win races on their talent.

These are your top picks for this week’s race. There will be some road course specialists enter into this week’s race, and if you are in a league like the Yahoo league where you can only start drivers so often during the season you will need to take a chance on one of these drivers this weekend. I am pretty sure that Boris Said will be entered in a car and we will need to watch the entry list that comes out on Tuesday to see if drivers like Juan Pablo Montoya are in the field. This type of pick can put you over the top in your individual league where the rest of the competition doesn’t know who is entered into the race. Check back Wednesday or Thursday after the entry list is out to see any changes I have made to the C group for the Yahoo league.

YAHOO! FANTASY NASCAR PICKS FOR WATKINS GLEN INTERNATIONAL

Yahoo Driver Group A

  • Jeff Gordon
  • Kyle Busch

Yahoo Driver Group B

  • Marcos Ambrose
  • Tony Stewart
  • Jamie McMurray
  • Brad Keselowski

Yahoo Driver Group C

  • Boris Said
  • Nelson Piquet Jr.

MY TOP-5 OVERALL AT WATKINS GLEN INTERNATIONAL

  1. Marcos Ambrose
  2. Tony Stewart
  3. Kyle Busch
  4. Jeff Gordon
  5. Brad Keselowski

Dark Horse: Jamie McMurray

Stay Away From: Dale Earnhardt Jr.

Categories
Fantasy NASCAR

2014 Pocono Raceway, GoBowling.com 400

Congratulations to Jeff Gordon who picked up his fifth career win at Indianapolis Motor Speedway this past weekend during the running of the Crown Royal Presents the John Wayne Walding 400. With the win, Jeff extended his points lead and picked up bonus points that will be applied when the Chase starts. Now there are only six races left until the start of the Chase and eleven drivers are virtually locked into the field with five more spots up for grabs.

GOBOWLING.COM 400

This week the series heads back to Long Pond, PA for the running of the GoBowling.com 400 at Pocono Raceway. It was late June when Dale Earnhardt Jr. picked up his second win of the season at Pocono and now we head back to the scene of the crime. I think the teams that ran well this past week at Indy will do very well once again this weekend at Pocono because of the flatter track configuration. There is still some work to be done though with the tunnel turn making things a little more difficult when setting up the race cars.

Jeff Gordon: With six career victories at this track and a win last weekend at Indy I have to pick Jeff to win once again this week. Jeff also has thirty top ten finishes in forty-three starts at this track and those are unbelievable numbers. Six victories here, two wins this season, and leading the point standings make me have to start Jeff once again this weekend.

Denny Hamlin: Denny has four wins at this track and looked good last week at the Brickyard. I think this team has a chance to pick up it’s second victory of the season this weekend if they can make the right adjustments on the car as the race progresses. One other thing about Pocono is that it rains there a lot and teams have to be prepared to run in all types of conditions throughout the weekend and that makes it a tough weekend for everyone involved.

Kasey Kahne: Kasey has two career wins at this track, looked very good last week at Indianapolis, and needs a win to guarantee himself a spot in the Chase. Picking up a win is critical to this teams chances of making the Chase as they are the first team currently on the outside looking in if the Chase started now. They can still move up in the standings and make the Chase without a win, but that is leaving your future in the competitions hands.

Tony Stewart: I thought Tony would run a little better last week at Pocono, but I think they learned some things that they can apply to their setup this weekend and come away with a better result. Tony has two victories at this track and always seems to run well on this type of track. If they can win a race and make the Chase I think they will be very happy after struggling early in the season and finding themselves in this position anyway.

Jimmie Johnson: Jimmie has three career wins here and has finished in the top ten in seventeen of his twenty-five starts here. This team would like to get more consistent as we near the start of the Chase so they can concentrate on winning another championship. With the new Chase rules, consistency is going to be a major factor in the early Chase rounds.

Kevin Harvick: Once again, Kevin sat on the pole and had a car capable of visiting victory lane again this year. This team would like to finish what they start at the end of the weekend. Every victory means more points heading into the Chase and those bonus points could be the difference of making it to the next round, or being eliminated from the Chase before the next round begins.

Dale Earnhardt Jr.: Dale won the race here in June and has looked very good on this type of track all season long. Jeff Gordon and Kevin Harvick are the only drivers in my opinion to be more consistent than Dale this year and like I said, consistency is what is going to win a championship this year. I look for Dale to have another great car again this weekend and having a shot to visit victory lane again.

Kurt Busch: Kurt always run better at Pocono than he does at Indy. He has won two races at this track and has finished in the top ten in seven of his last nine starts here. I think the reason for this is that Kurt can figure out how to get his car setup to run all of the different turns at Pocono. I think they would like to have some better finishes and move up a little in the standings as we near the Chase to make sure that their win this year is good enough for them to make the Chase.

Ryan Newman: Ryan had a great run at Indy last week and has finished in the top ten at Pocono in six of his last seven starts there. I think this team will make the Chase without a win, but I am sure they would rather win a race and get some momentum built up as we get ready to start the Chase in another month and a half. I think Ryan is another good starter this week in Yahoo.

YAHOO! FANTASY NASCAR PICKS FOR POCONO RACEWAY

Yahoo Driver Group A

  • Jeff Gordon
  • Kevin Harvick

Yahoo Driver Group B

  • Denny Hamlin
  • Ryan Newman
  • Tony Stewart
  • Carl Edwards

Yahoo Driver Group C

  • Kyle Larson
  • Austin Dillon

MY TOP-5 OVERALL AT POCONO RACEWAY

  1. Jeff Gordon
  2. Denny Hamlin
  3. Kevin Harvick
  4. Kasey Kahne
  5. Ryan Newman

Dark Horse: Kyle Larson

Stay Away From: Matt Kenseth

Categories
Fantasy NASCAR

2014 Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Crown Royal Presents the John Wayne Walding 400

After taking a much needed week off, NASCAR returns to action this week at the Brickyard. This is the second most coveted trophy right behind winning the Daytona 500 in all of NASCAR and that means you won’t be seeing teams taking chances with their setups heading into this race. Every driver wants to win this weekend in the worst way and that will show on the track.

CROWN ROYAL PRESENTS THE JOHN WAYNE WALDING 400

Jeff Gordon: Jeff has won four races at this track and more importantly he has finished in the top ten in sixteen of his twenty starts here. Those are pretty good odds for him to score a lot of points this week. I am taking him to win this race because he has been very consistent all season and he really excels on this type of track.

Tony Stewart: Tony got into a Sprint car race for the first time since breaking his leg last year in one of the very same races and he went right to victory lane. That tells me that he is 100% healthy and he is heading to his home state this week. Tony has won a race at the Brickyard and wants to get his first win of the season and get qualified for the Chase. He won’t hold anything back this week.

Jimmie Johnson: After two terrible races in a row, I think this team goes back to what won them six championships and just make the correct adjustments to a good car this week. Jimmie has won four races here and would like to get his fourth win of the season and get back on track as we get closer to the start of the Chase. The Hendrick cars are always very good and there is no reason to try anything special this weekend.

Brad Keselowski: Brad would love to keep his momentum going and pick up his first win at Indy this week. The way the Penske cars have looked all season, Brad should have a great car and he is very good on the long flat tracks. I think he will be towards the front for most of the race and be in position to win at the end. I also look for him to qualify in the top five once again this week.

Kyle Busch: Kyle has yet to win at the Brickyard himself, but he has finished in the top ten in seven of the nine races he has run here. That makes him almost as good of a choice as Jeff Gordon to come away with another top ten finish and maybe a visit to victory lane for the first time in his career at this track. He is definitely on my team this week.

Kevin Harvick: Kevin won a race here back in 2003 and has finished in the top ten in seven of his thirteen starts at Indianapolis. This team has had fast cars all season and that could be enough to get Kevin another win here. I wish I could start all of the top tier drivers this week because that is just how good they are at this track, and like I said before, every driver wants to win this race.

Jamie McMurray: Jamie has won a race here in his career and has looked very good over the past month plus. This is the type of track that he runs very well at and is a good pick in the B group in Yahoo. This team has flown under the radar much of this season, but Jamie could pick up a win this week and qualify himself for the Chase. Once your in, you have a chance to be a champion.

Matt Kenseth: Matt would love to get his first career victory at this track this week. That would also guarantee him a spot in the Chase, although I don’t think he has to worry about that too much. He would however love to pick up some bonus points for winning a race when the Chase does start. This team is due for a win and I think they will get one before the Chase starts.

Kasey Kahne: Kasey is another driver who is looking for his first win of the season and at this track. He has finished in the top ten in half of the races he has run here and needs a win to make the Chase. This team doesn’t seem to be improving much as the season progresses and I’m not sure that they have what it takes to put an entire race together right now. They have a great driver and great equipment, but they don’t seem to be on the same page communication wise right now.

Denny Hamlin: Denny is always good at this type of track and should have the equipment he needs to get the job done this weekend. This is another team that hasn’t really stepped up their program throughout the season and they are hit and miss each week. However, this race means a lot to all of the drivers and I think this team comes with their A game this week.

YAHOO! FANTASY NASCAR PICKS FOR INDIANAPOLIS MOTOR SPEEDWAY

Yahoo Driver Group A

  • Jeff Gordon
  • Kyle Busch

Yahoo Driver Group B

  • Tony Stewart
  • Brad Keselowski
  • Jamie McMurray
  • Greg Biffle

Yahoo Driver Group C

  • Kyle Larson
  • Juan Pablo Montoya

MY TOP-5 OVERALL AT INDIANAPOLIS MOTOR SPEEDWAY

  1. Jeff Gordon
  2. Brad Keselowski
  3. Kyle Busch
  4. Tony Stewart
  5. Jimmie Johnson

Dark Horse: Paul Menard

Stay Away From: Kurt Busch

Categories
Fantasy NASCAR

2014 New Hampshire Motor Speedway, Camping World RV Sales 301

We are now half-way through the season and there are only eight more races left to run before the start of the Chase. Aric Almirola most likely ensured himself a spot in the Chase with his win at Daytona last weekend. Now there are only five spots left for drivers without a win and that number could get even smaller if we can get a few more first time winners this year in the next eight races.

CAMPING WORLD RV SALES 301

This week the series heads to New Hampshire Motor Speedway for the running of the Camping World RV Sales 301. NHMS is slightly longer than a mile and this is one of the shortest races of the season. This short flat track will be a huge difference for the drivers as compared to racing at Daytona last weekend. The closer we get to the Chase, the more desperate some drivers are becoming and we could see a lot of fireworks over the next couple of months.

Tony Stewart: I am giving the nod to Tony this week after a disappointing weekend at Daytona for this team. Tony has won three races at this track during his career and has finished in the top five in almost half of all the races he has run here. Tony is going to let it all hang out to get a win and get his team into the Chase and he isn’t going to wait for the last few races to do that. He makes the Chase this week.

Denny Hamlin: Denny has won a couple of races at this track and has also finished in the top five in just under half of the races he has run at this track. Denny would like to get another win before the Chase starts and build some momentum for his team as they get ready to compete for a championship. Denny is good on all of the short, flat tracks and this weekend should be no different.

Kurt Busch: Kurt has won three races at Loudon and this team has looked very good over the past month. I think they will be very good once again this weekend and will probably trade a lot of information with Tony Stewart to get both of those cars set up for a shot at visiting victory lane this weekend. Kurt is a good pick for someone who wants to make a move in their leagues this week.

Jimmie Johnson: Jimmie has three wins at this track and has also finished in the top ten in seventeen of his twenty-four starts here. This team would like nothing better than to eliminate drivers they think would be a threat to them winning another championship and they will take chances to get another win and take that spot away from someone who really needs it.

Jeff Gordon: Jeff is another driver with multiple wins at this track and has looked very good on all of the short tracks this season. They would love to get another win and start building more confidence that they not only can compete every week, but win races which is what it is going to take to win the championship this season.

Matt Kenseth: Matt won the race here last September and although he is sitting in a good spot points wise, he would really like to get a win or two before the Chase starts to guarantee the spot and get some bonus points. He has finished in the top ten in half of the races he has run here. I think the only way he gets knocked out of the Chase is if he takes too many wild chances and starts finishing races in the garage instead of on the track.

Kevin Harvick: Kevin won his only race here back in 2006, but he has also finished in the top ten in half of the races he has run here. The way this team has looked all year you can’t bet against them at anytime. I think Kevin will be very fast right off the hauler this week and will probably qualify in the top five. That gets you a great spot on pit road and that can make all the difference between winning and losing here.

Ryan Newman: Ryan has three wins here during his career and has finished in the top ten in almost two-thirds of the races he has run here. This team has been average for the last couple of months, but this could be the place they break out of that funk and could easily get their first win of the season this week and get that coveted spot in the Chase. Even though he is the second driver in points without a win and will probably make the Chase anyway, a few poor weeks could drop him out of that spot.

Brad Keselowski: Brad has yet to win a race at this track, but he has only run here nine times. In those nine races he has come away with five top ten finishes and this is the type of track that he really loves to compete on. With the speeds they have put up in qualifying this season and the importance of pit selections at New Hampshire, this team could find themselves starting up front once again with the best pit stall too.

Kyle Busch: Kyle finished second in both of the races run at Loudon last season and wants to improve on those spots this weekend. He has eight top ten finishes in eighteen starts here and won a race here back in 2006. This team is still looking for more consistency as we near the Chase.

YAHOO! FANTASY NASCAR PICKS FOR NEW HAMPSHIRE MOTOR SPEEDWAY

Yahoo Driver Group A

  • Kurt Busch
  • Kyle Busch

Yahoo Driver Group B

  • Tony Stewart
  • Denny Hamlin
  • Brad Keselowski
  • Ryan Newman

Yahoo Driver Group C

  • Jeff Burton
  • Austin Dillon

MY TOP-5 OVERALL AT NEW HAMPSHIRE MOTOR SPEEDWAY

  1. Tony Stewart
  2. Denny Hamlin
  3. Kurt Busch
  4. Kyle Busch
  5. Brad Keselowski

Dark Horse: Ryan Newman

Stay Away From: Jamie McMurray

Categories
Fantasy NASCAR

2014 Daytona International Speedway, Coke Zero 400

I think things are going to start heating up in the Sprint Cup Series as we are now only nine races away from the start of the Chase. Right now we have ten different winners, so that leaves six spots up to the point standings. As of right now Tony Stewart and Kasey Kahne would be on the outside looking in, so they have some work to do. If we get a couple of new winners over the next nine races there will only be four spots available for those trying to qualify on points. That is why wins are so important at this stage of the game.

This week the series heads back to Daytona International Speedway for another Saturday night race and the third restrictor plate race of the season. Like always, these races can be one by any driver that starts from any position and stays out of trouble early in the race. That means another Chase spot can go to anyone this week. I caution those of you in the Yahoo league to pick your drivers carefully this week as this race is just a crap shoot.

COKE ZERO 400

Dale Earnhardt Jr.: I am picking Dale to come away with his third victory of the season this week at Daytona. He won the Daytona 500 this year and has finished first or second in three of his last five point races at this track. This team is hitting on all cylinders right now and has proven they know how to get the job done at the restrictor plate tracks as well as all other tracks on the circuit.

Matt Kenseth: Matt has always run well at the restrictor plate tracks and will be in contention once again this weekend if he can avoid trouble early in the race. That includes on the track, pit road, and mechanically. I think most of his poor finishes are the result of mechanical issues and there isn’t anything the driver can do about that. However, he proved how in tune with his car is last week when he realized he had a tire going down and made it to pit road before it could blow out on him and that saved him a top five finish.

Kevin Harvick: Kevin is another driver that always seems to be in contention at the end in these races. He usually rides around at the back of the pack early in the race to avoid trouble and then comes from the back to the front in the last twenty laps or so. The way he has performed this year, and all of the fast cars he has had makes me believe that he will have a shot at another win this weekend.

Jeff Gordon: Jeff has put together a very nice season so far and has won six points races at Daytona during his career. Jeff seems to know who he drafts well with before the race starts and finds those drivers when he really needs them late in these races. Watch some of the practice sessions next week and see who Jeff picks to run with in the drafting session. He will find that same driver during the race and move to the front of the field with them.

Jimmie Johnson: Let’s not forget about Jimmie Johnson. With three victories already this season we know that this team has nothing to lose by going for the win this weekend. he is guaranteed a spot in the Chase and would like to get a few more wins to pad his points once the Chase starts. He has won three points races at Daytona, and Jeff Gordon and Tony Stewart are the only active drivers with more career victories at Daytona than Jimmie who is tied with Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Michael Waltrip with those three wins.

Tony Stewart: As I just mentioned, Tony has won four points races at Daytona during his career and will be going all out to secure his spot in the Chase this weekend. This team has had an up and down year so far, but I think they have turned the corner and are now on the upswing. This is the type of race that Tony can win if he stays clean early on during the race and I believe he will be another driver that runs at the back of the pack for the majority of the race before making his move at the end.

Michael Waltrip: I believe Michael will be coming out of semi-retirement once again this week to give Daytona another shot. Michael runs all of the restrictor plate races during the season, and why not? He has three wins in point races at Daytona and has shown that he knows how to draft to get his car to the front of the pack. He will also ride around at the back of the pack until late in the race when he will joint the rest of the drivers at the back and make the move to the front and go for the win.

Jamie McMurray: Jamie has won two points races at Daytona during his career and always seems to have a great car here. However, something disastrous seems to happen to him during the race. Whether it be a mechanical problem or getting caught up in the big one, Jamie would like a little more luck on his side as he tries to get a win in a points race so he can qualify for the Chase.

Kurt Busch: Kurt has never won a points race at Daytona or Talladega, but he has been very good at both tracks amassing twenty-six top ten finishes in fifty-four starts. Eventually he will break into the win column at both of these tracks because he runs at the front of the pack more often than not.

YAHOO! FANTASY NASCAR PICKS FOR DAYTONA INTERNATIONAL SPEEDWAY

Yahoo Driver Group A

  • Dale Earnhardt Jr.
  • Matt Kenseth

Yahoo Driver Group B

  • Aric Almirola
  • David Ragan
  • Jamie McMurray
  • Brian Vickers

Yahoo Driver Group C

  • Michael Waltrip
  • Trevor Bayne

MY TOP-5 OVERALL AT DAYTONA INTERNATIONAL SPEEDWAY

  1. Dale Earnhardt Jr.
  2. Matt Kenseth
  3. Jeff Gordon
  4. Kurt Busch
  5. Tony Stewart

Dark Horse: Jamie McMurray

Stay Away From: Clint Bowyer