Author: Jeff Gutowski

2014 Charlotte Motor Speedway, Coca-Cola 600

Post author By Jeff Gutowski
Post date May 18, 2014

Congratulations to Jamie McMurray on winning the Sprint All-Star race this past weekend at Charlotte Motor Speedway.

This is the track the drivers will take to over the Memorial Day weekend, but first and foremost I would like to take this time to remember all of the men and women who made the ultimate sacrifice to keep our nation free and let us live the lives we live each and every day. Thank you to everyone that has ever served in the armed forces!

NOW COMES THE TRUE TEST

The race this week is going to test man and machine alike.

A 600-mile race will take its toll on engines, tires, and the mental focus of the drivers and crews. The All-Star race was run in segments. The Coca-Cola 600 will be run without any delays if mother nature allows it to, so everyone needs to be ready for a long afternoon and evening. Those who are fast early in the race will need to make adjustments later as the track conditions change, and those not so fast early will need to be patient as they will have plenty of time to get their cars running the way they would like them at the end of the race.

COCA-COLA 600

Kasey Kahne: I am picking Kasey to win the race this weekend. He had an awesomely fast car during the All-Star race, as did all of the Hendrick drivers, which is the first reason I am picking him. He has also finished first or second in each of the last three points races he has run at this track. Kasey needs to be patient early in the race and make sure he is around at the end to claim the victory.

Kevin Harvick: I am not forgetting about Kevin who has had a fast car every week this season. The only question I have is whether the machine will hold up for the 600-mile race. The Stewart-Haas teams have had a multitude of mechanical failures during the season and this will be the longest race they run all year. Kevin will be fast, but will the mechanical side hold up?

Jeff Gordon: Jeff sits on the top of the standings and has been competitive all year. Like I said, all of the Hendrick cars were fast on Saturday night and the engines in these cars seem to be able to handle the grueling task of a 600-mile race. Jeff knows that no matter how his car is handling at the beginning of the race, he will have to get the right adjustments to be able to contend at the end of the race.

Dale Earnhardt Jr.: Another of the Hendrick drivers who has been fast and competitive all season. I think the big thing for Dale in this race is to be patient. He can’t get too upset when his car doesn’t handle the best after making adjustments early in the race. Just do the best you can until the next time you stop and make further adjustments. You will all see comers and goers as the race progresses and the track changes from the start to the finish. The key is to have your best handling car at the end of the race.

Jimmie Johnson: Finally the last of the Hendrick drivers in the field this weekend. Jimmie is still looking for his first win of the season and this is the place that he would love to get that win. Charlotte Motor Speedway aka Lowe’s Motor Speedway is his self-proclaimed home track as it has the same sponsor as is on his car. Jimmie has won more points races here than any other active driver, so he knows how to get the job done in this race.

Matt Kenseth: Matt is always a patient driver and that really helps the longer the races are. He also knows how the track will change and gives excellent feed back to his crew chief during the race. This helps Jason Ratcliff determine what adjustments he wants to make to the car when they pit. I think these two work as well together as Jimmie and Chad do when it comes to communications and making the correct decisions.

Denny Hamlin: Denny has finished in the top ten in seven straight points races at Charlotte and had a fast car during both practice and the race last weekend. This team is still confident after getting the win at Talladega a few weeks ago and this is one of the tracks they always run well at. Denny knows not to get upset early in this race and has the patience to keep his car in good shape for a run late in the race.

Carl Edwards: Carl has yet to win a points race at this track, but he has five straight top ten finished here. He was another driver with a very fast car on Saturday night and the Roush/Fenway engines seem to hold up well over the longer races. This season Carl seems to be one of the drivers you don’t hear much about until late in the race when he gets his car dialed in and starts to make himself known at the front of the pack.

Greg Biffle: Greg had a very fast car last weekend also. He has the mentality to keep his focus over the long haul and can drive with the best of them. He is one of the drivers that can stay on the lead lap with an ill handling car until he can get in the pits and make adjustments to get the handling better. I can’t stress enough how much the track will change this weekend as we go from afternoon to evening. The track temperature will cool down considerably from the start of the race to the end and that really affects the handling.

Kyle Busch: Kyle has finished in the top five in three of his last four starts here. I think the biggest issue with Kyle is his patience in this long race. He always wants to be up front and race everyone hard. You need to take this race like a restrictor plate race. Keep yourself out of trouble, don’t take unnecessary chances early in the race and maintain your equipment so you can make the run late in the race. He just needs to remind himself of this early next week and he will be fine once again.

Check back later this week for possible changes to the Yahoo C group once the entry list is made available.

YAHOO! FANTASY NASCAR PICKS FOR CHARLOTTE MOTOR SPEEDWAY

Yahoo Driver Group A

Kasey Kahne
Kevin Harvick

Yahoo Driver Group B

Denny Hamlin
Carl Edwards
Greg Biffle
Joey Logano

Yahoo Driver Group C

Trevor Bayne
Austin Dillon

MY TOP-5 OVERALL AT CHARLOTTE MOTOR SPEEDWAY

Kasey Kahne
Kevin Harvick
Dale Earnhardt Jr.
Jimmie Johnson
Jeff Gordon

Dark Horse: Aric Almirola

Stay Away From: Tony Stewart

Tags charlotte

Fantasy NASCAR

2014 Kansas Speedway, 5-Hour ENERGY 400

Post author By Jeff Gutowski
Post date May 5, 2014
5 Comments on 2014 Kansas Speedway, 5-Hour ENERGY 400

Congratulations goes out to Denny Hamlin who picked up his first victory of the season by avoiding the big wreck that always seems to happen in the restrictor plate races. Denny ended up in the right lane late in the race and got excellent drafting help in passing Kevin Harvick after a late race restart and he held onto the lead as the caution came out on the last lap for debris on the track. That should be enough to propel him into the Chase.

This week the series heads to Kansas City, KS for the running of the 5-Hour Energy 400. Kansas Speedway is another of the mile and a half tracks on the circuit that make up the majority of schedule. I just hope that there aren’t a lot of tire issues again this weekend.

5-HOUR ENERGY 400

Matt Kenseth: I am picking Matt to get his first win of the season this week at Kansas. Matt has won two of the last three races at Kansas and has finished no worse than eleventh in his last seven starts there. They would like nothing better than to get their first win of the season and get the monkey off their backs and gain a spot in the Chase.

Jimmie Johnson: Jimmie has finished in the top ten in ten straight races at Kansas including two victories during that stretch. This is another team that is still looking for their first win of the season so they can lock up a spot in the Chase themselves. I think this could be an all out battle between two of last seasons best drivers with a spot in the Chase up for grabs.

Greg Biffle: Greg came close to getting his first win of the season last Sunday at Talladega and he has always been very good at Kansas. He has won twice here and has finished in the top five in seven of his fifteen starts. This is the type of track that Greg excels on and this weekend should be no different.

Jeff Gordon: Jeff won the first two races ever run at Kansas Speedway. Even though he hasn’t won here since then he has finished in the top five in nine of his sixteen starts at this track. Jeff currently sits in the top spot in the standings, but he would really like to get his first victory of the season and get his spot in the Chase. There are only sixteen races left until the Chase starts and a lot of drivers who are looking for their first win yet.

Carl Edwards: Carl has already won a race this season, but he would like to get his second win before the Chase starts too. Although he has never won a race here he has finished in the top ten in nine of his thirteen starts at this track. I think that the Roush/Fenway engines are some of the best out there this season and can help these drivers get to victory lane.

Kevin Harvick: Kevin won the race here last fall and has looked very good every week this season. As I have said before, if it weren’t for a lot of mechanical failures early this season, Kevin would probably have more than two wins and be sitting on top of the standings right now. He also has seven top ten finishes in his sixteen starts at this track.

Dale Earnhardt Jr.: Dale has never won at Kansas yet, but he has finished in the top ten in seven of his fifteen career starts here. This team has slipped a little bit lately, but this is the type of track where they can get back into victory lane and get back on track like they were at the beginning of the season. Dale has been very good all year at this type of track.

Brad Keselowski: Brad took the blame for a wreck last weekend at Talladega that took out many of the big name drivers. This weekend he will try to redeem himself and should be able to do just that. Both of the Penske teams have been very fast in qualifying all season long and I look for them to continue qualifying well this week also.

Joey Logano: Joey is the other Penske driver that has started towards the front of the field all season long. He also has two wins to go along with his good starting positions and could very easily get his third win of the season this weekend at Kansas Speedway.

YAHOO! FANTASY NASCAR PICKS FOR KANSAS SPEEDWAY

Yahoo Driver Group A

Matt Kenseth
Jimmie Johnson

Yahoo Driver Group B

Brad Keselowski
Greg Biffle
Joey Logano
Carl Edwards

Yahoo Driver Group C

Kyle Larson
Austin Dillon

MY TOP-5 OVERALL AT KANSAS SPEEDWAY

Matt Kenseth
Jimmie Johnson
Greg Biffle
Kevin Harvick
Brad Keselowski

Dark Horse: Martin Truex Jr.

Stay Away From: Kyle Busch

Tags Kansas, Yahoo! Fantasy Racing

Fantasy NASCAR

2014 Talladega Superspeedway, Aaron’s 499

Post author By Jeff Gutowski
Post date April 28, 2014

Congratulations to Joey Logano who picked up his second victory of the season on Saturday night at Richmond. Now he, along with Kevin Harvick both are definitely in the Chase field and can relax a little bit for now. There are still seventeen more races before the start of the Chase so, those drivers without a victory yet this year still have time to pick up that victory to help them into the Chase field.

AARON’S 499

This week the series heads to Talladega Superspeedway for the running of the Aaron’s 499. This is the second restrictor plate race of the season and is one of the races that any driver that makes the field can take the checkered flag and secure a spot in the Chase. What I mean is that every driver and team is on equal footing when it comes to restrictor plate racing. The individual equipment doesn’t matter as much as who you draft with to get you to the front and hopefully keep you there.

Dale Earnhardt Jr.: Dale is my pick to win his second race of the season at Talladega. This team has been very consistent week in and week out this year and Dale is always very good at Talladega. He seems to know who he can draft with and how to draft with them that he is always in the mix at the end of the race if he can stay out of a wreck early in the day. He has five career victories at this track and finished second here last fall.

Jeff Gordon: Jeff is the only active driver with more career victories than Dale Earnhardt Jr. with a total of six wins here. This team has also been extremely consistent on a weekly basis this year and Jeff knows how to draft with the best of them. The main thing for every team this week is to stay out of trouble until the end of the race and then you have a shot at the win.

Matt Kenseth: Matt is still looking for his first victory of the season and has been very good at Talladega. He has lead a lot of laps during his last eight starts here and won the fall race back in 2012. I look for Matt to have a car capable of moving up in the pack whenever he wants to if he finds a drafting partner that is willing to race early on. If not, he will be content to ride along at the back of the pack until it is go time late in the race.

Kyle Busch: Although he hasn’t lead a lot of laps during the last five races here, Kyle has three top five finishes in the last four races here. This is the type of track where a driver doesn’t care how many laps he leads, but more importantly which lap he leads. Kyle needs to stay patient early in the race and not take any foolish chances that might cause a big wreck. You can’t win if you aren’t running at the end.

David Ragan: David proved that David can beat Goliath here last season as he won this race for a minimally funded team. He has also shown that this wasn’t a fluke as he is the only driver that has finished in the top ten at Talladega in each of the last four races. He has done this by staying out of trouble and then teaming up with somebody late in the race to make a push for the victory. This just goes to show that you need a partner more than money to win this race.

Jimmie Johnson: Jimmie always seems to lead laps at Talladega. As a matter of fact, he has lead laps in twenty-two of his twenty-four career starts at this track including two races where he lead the final lap. Jimmie is also looking for his first victory of the season and will do whatever it takes to push his way to the front at the end of this week’s race also.

Brad Keselowski: Brad and Matt Kenseth had a small difference of opinion last week late in the race at Richmond. Both of these drivers need to put that incident behind them because there is no room for error or letting your emotions get the best of you this weekend at Talladega. You need all of the help you can get to win this race and it can come from your worst enemy if that’s the way it needs to be. Brad will find a drafting partner during this race, but I doubt if it will be Matt.

Greg Biffle: Greg has had good cars at Talladega recently and can usually find his way to the front during the race. It seems like the Roush/Fenway drivers work well together in the draft and if they can find each other late in the race one of them will have a shot at winning the race. Greg works well with both Carl Edwards and Ricky Stenhouse Jr. and doesn’t seem to mind doing the pushing for one of his teammates either.

Kevin Harvick: This will be Kevin’s second restrictor plate race since moving over to Stewart/Haas Racing this season. They have struggled with mechanical issues in quite a few races this year that could be their biggest issue this week. You can’t afford to have the smallest problem during a restrictor plate race or you will find yourself out of the draft and there is no way you can catch back up.

Clint Bowyer: Clint is another driver that always seems to find someone he drafts well together with. I can see him teaming up with someone like Michael Waltrip, who knows how to win at restrictor plate tracks. They might just ride around at the back of the pack early in the race trying to stay out of the big wreck, but look for them to make a run to the front later and have a shot at the victory.

YAHOO! FANTASY NASCAR PICKS FOR TALLADEGA SUPERSPEEDWAY

Yahoo Driver Group A

Dale Earnhardt Jr.
Jeff Gordon

Yahoo Driver Group B

Jamie McMurray
David Ragan
Aric Almirola
Ricky Stenhouse Jr.

Yahoo Driver Group C

Michael Waltrip
Trevor Bayne

MY TOP-5 OVERALL AT TALLADEGA SUPERSPEEDWAY

Dale Earnhardt Jr.
Jeff Gordon
Matt Kenseth
Jimmie Johnson
Kyle Busch

Dark Horse: Michael Waltrip

Stay Away From: Tony Stewart

Tags Talladega, Yahoo! Fantasy Racing

Fantasy NASCAR

2014 Richmond International Raceway, Toyota Owners 400

Post author By Jeff Gutowski
Post date April 13, 2014

It took eight races, but we finally have our first multi-race winner of the season. Congratulations to Kevin Harvick, who dominated most of the night at Darlington and then fought his way back to the lead with just over one lap left, passing Dale Earnhardt Jr. and taking the checkered flag for the second time this season. It seemed like a long time between wins for this team because of all the mechanical issues they have faced so far this season and now they should be really locked into the Chase.

TOYOTA OWNERS 400

The series will take a week off to observe the Easter holiday weekend and then they will be back to short tracking as they head to Richmond, VA for the running of the Toyota Owners 400. Richmond International Raceway is a 3/4-mile D-shaped asphalt race track. Once again there will be a narrow pit road with stalls all the way around the track. Pit stops here can be just as exciting as the racing itself.

Kyle Busch: Kyle has won four of the past five spring races at Richmond and that is why I am picking him to get his second win of the season. He has lead 586 laps during the past five spring races and has finished in the top five in eight of his nine spring starts at this track. Way too consistent to not have him on your team for this race.

Jeff Gordon: Jeff has had a very good season so far, but he is still looking for his first win of the year. He has always been very good at Richmond and has finished in the top ten here in ten of his last fourteen starts. This team is going to break into the win column very soon and this might be the race where they get the job done.

Denny Hamlin: Denny has lead 1,390 laps at Richmond in his fifteen career starts there. He looked very good at the beginning of this season, but lately the team hasn’t made the correct adjustments to the car to keep up with the track and Denny has been caught for speeding on pit road each of the past two races. You can’t make mistakes like these when you are racing against the best drivers in the world.

Dale Earnhardt Jr.: Dale continues to impress this season, having great runs at tracks he never excelled at in the past. This team looks like a championship contender for the first time in many years. Dale has also been very good at Richmond during his career with three wins to his credit. Look for Junior to come away with another great finish from this track.

Tony Stewart: Tony has had his ups and downs this season and Richmond might be the cure for what is ailing this team. Tony has three wins and four runner-up finishes at this track including four top ten finishes in his last five starts here. I think there is a lot of pressure on Tony being a part owner of four Sprint Cup cars and he is still recovering from the broken leg he sustained last season. When all is said and done this team will win more than one race before the Chase.

Kevin Harvick: Kevin won this race last season and has won three races overall at this track during his career. If this team can stay away from the mechanical issues they had early this season, I think they will be contenders on a weekly basis and will win more races before the start of the Chase. Right now I think they are the team to beat this year, but it is early yet.

Ryan Newman: Ryan has been very impressive this year in his own right. He has one win at this track and has finished in the top ten in more than half of his starts here. They are not afraid to take a gamble with two tire stops and it has improved their track position all year and given them chances to win races. I think he is on a team where he can use his engineering degree to help them get better every week.

Carl Edwards: Carl really struggled last weekend at Darlington, but they already have a win under their belt this year and might just be trying some different things with their setups now. He also got his first win at this track last fall and should be a contender once again in this race. Another win on a short track is very possible for this team.

Clint Bowyer: Clint has won at this track twice during his career and always seems to run well on the short, flat tracks. He finished second in this race last season and has lead a bunch of laps in each of his last three starts here. This team is looking for a lot of improvement so they can get back to where they were two years ago when Clint finished second in the standings.

Matt Kenseth: Matt sat on the pole for this race last year and lead 140 laps during the race before settling for a seventh place finish. This team is still looking for their first win of the season and would like it to come soon so they don’t have to worry about making the Chase. After this next race we will be 1/3 of the way to the start of the Chase and teams don’t want to have to worry about getting a win as we close in on race #26 on the season.

YAHOO! FANTASY NASCAR PICKS FOR RICHMOND INTERNATIONAL RACEWAY

Yahoo Driver Group A

Kyle Busch
Jeff Gordon

Yahoo Driver Group B

Denny Hamlin
Ryan Newman
Tony Stewart
Carl Edwards

Yahoo Driver Group C

Austin Dillon
Justin Allgaier

MY TOP-5 OVERALL AT RICHMOND INTERNATIONAL RACEWAY

Kyle Busch
Jeff Gordon
Dale Earnhardt Jr.
Kevin Harvick
Clint Bowyer

Dark Horse: Ricky Stenhouse Jr.

Stay Away From: Brain Vickers

Tags richmond

Fantasy NASCAR

2014 Darlington Raceway, Bojangles’ Southern 500

Post author By Jeff Gutowski
Post date April 7, 2014

Another rain delay, more tire issues, and our seventh winner in seven races. This has been a dismal season as far as the weather goes so far, but the racing has more than made up for it. It looks like the teams are going to have to take some of the camber out of their setups so as not to wear out their tires too quickly this year. The most amazing thing to me however is that we have seven winners in seven races and none of them are named Jimmie Johnson or Matt Kenseth. They were the top two drivers all of last year and neither of them has a victory yet, but I think that will change soon.

BONJANGLES’ SOUTHERN 500

This week the series heads to Darlington Raceway in Darlington, SC for the running of the Bonjangles’ Southern 500. This is a Saturday night race so make sure that you get your picks in before any deadlines you might encounter. Darlington is an egg shaped track with quite a bit of banking in the turns. Known as “The Lady in Black” and “The Track Too Tough To Tame”, Darlington Raceway has a reputation of jumping out and biting unsuspecting drivers. It lulls a driver into being a little lackadaisical and before they know it they have what is known as “The Darlington Stripe” on the side of their cars. This could get real interesting if drivers continue to have tire issues again this weekend.

Jeff Gordon: Jeff is my pick to win the race this weekend and Darlington. Jeff has seven career victories at this track and has finished in the top five in eight of his last ten starts at this track. The way this team has been running the past few weeks, they are due for a win and this could very well be the week they get that win to propel them into the Chase.

Jimmie Johnson: Jimmie has three wins at this track himself with the last win coming two years ago. He has also finished in the top ten in eleven of his fifteen career starts and wants to get his first win of the season sooner rather than later. I think that once this team breaks into the win column they will probably string together multiple wins during the next six to eight weeks.

Matt Kenseth: Matt is another driver that is still looking for his first win of the season and this is the track that he could do it at also. He won this race last year and has finished in the top ten in nine of his twenty starts here. All this team needs is for the pieces to fall in the right place as the race progresses and they will be in contention to win it at the end.

Denny Hamlin: Denny has only started eight races here during his career and has one win to show. However, he also has finished runner-up three other times. Those are impressive stats, finishing in the top two in half of your starts at any one track. Denny looked very good at the beginning of the season only to hit a small lull. This team looked good last week at Texas and might have figured something out that they can build on going forward.

Ryan Newman: Ryan has never won a race at this track, but he has finished in the top ten an astounding ten times in fifteen starts. Those are also very impressive stats that tell me that Ryan has a good understanding of how to get around here in a hurry. This team has surprised me with how good they are early in the season and should only continue to improve as the year carries on.

Tony Stewart: Tony seems to be getting better each and every week in his own right. I think his leg is giving him more trouble than he is letting on, but regardless he is getting the job done. This is one of the few tracks that Tony has yet to win at. His best finish at this track is third place, which he has accomplished twice. The amazing stat for me is that Tony has only lead twenty laps in twenty-one starts here.

Carl Edwards: Carl has only run ten races at this track in his career with his best finish being second which he has done twice. Carl has finished in the top ten in seven of his ten starts and should get a win here sooner rather than later. Carl already has one win this year and should make the Chase based on that win. It seems that some of these teams are just trying to go all out for wins once they get one because they don’t have much to lose.

Kyle Busch: Kyle has one career win and five top ten finishes in only nine starts at Darlington. He also has a win this season to his credit and has been running very well lately. He has also lead a lot of laps in five of his last six starts here and you can’t win a race without leading a lap.

Greg Biffle: Greg always seems to run very well at Darlington and won back to back races here in 2005 and 2006. It seems that if his car is good enough to lead a lap he is going to lead over one-hundred laps. If this team comes with car that is close on its setup coming off the trailer they are going to be contenders at the end of the race.

Kevin Harvick: Kevin has really struggled with mechanical issues for the past month. This team seems to have a car capable of winning a race every week and then something mechanical happens to them. Once they get all of these issues figured out they are going to be contenders each and every week. When that time will come I don’t know, but I think it will be in the not to distant future.

YAHOO! FANTASY NASCAR PICKS FOR INSERT DARLINGTON RACEWAY

Yahoo Driver Group A

Jeff Gordon
Jimmie Johnson

Yahoo Driver Group B

Denny Hamlin
Greg Biffle
Carl Edwards
Ryan Newman

Yahoo Driver Group C

Kyle Larson
Austin Dillon

MY TOP-5 OVERALL AT DARLINGTON RACEWAY

Jeff Gordon
Jimmie Johnson
Denny Hamlin
Kyle Busch
Greg Biffle

Dark Horse: Martin Truex Jr.

Stay Away From: Brian Vickers

Tags Darlington