Tag: Yahoo! Fantasy Racing

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Fantasy NASCAR

2014 Richmond International Raceway, Federated Auto Parts 400

Jeff Gordon and Kurt Busch at Richmond

And then there was one! Congratulation to Kasey Kahne on winning his first race of the season and qualifying for the Chase. Fourteen of the Chase spots have been locked in, but two are still open. Right now Ryan Newman and Greg Biffle sit in those spots with one to go. Clint Bowyer and Kyle Larson are close enough in points to overtake either of those drivers by points, but we could still get another new winner on the season at Richmond which will eliminate another spot unless the driver is Matt Kenseth. Ryan has the best chance of making the Chase on points as of now, with a nineteen point lead on Greg, forty-two over Bowyer, and forty-three over Larson. One of these four drivers will get in on points no matter who wins the race and two of them can make it with a repeat winner or a Kenseth win. It looks like it will be another no holds barred race at Richmond this Saturday night.

FEDERATED AUTO PARTS 400

Richmond International Raceway is a 3/4-mile D-shaped oval asphalt racetrack that is considered quite flat by NASCAR standards. Jeff Gordon set a track record here last year with a qualifying lap of 130.599 mph and I think that record might fall this weekend. This could be one of the most exciting races of the season, so try not to miss it.

Jeff Gordon: I am picking Jeff to win this week at Richmond. He has two career wins here and has finished in the top ten in well over half of his starts at this track. This team has been solid all season and would like to get that extra bonus point for wins heading into the Chase next week. Jeff lead the most laps in the spring race here on his way to a second place finish, which I think he will improve on this weekend.

Brad Keselowski: This is Brad’s type of track to race on. He loves the short, flat tracks and would like to build some momentum heading into the Chase. He has lead a lot of laps in the last two races at this track, so I think he has a good idea on how to make it around here quickly. If he can stay out of trouble early he should be in contention at the end of the race.

Kyle Busch: Kyle has won four races at this track, has finished in the top five in thirteen of his nineteen starts, and finished third this spring here. He is by far the most consistent driver at this track and I would have picked him for the win, but lately he has been way too hot headed on the track. He needs to control his emotions if he really wants to have a chance at winning a championship. He is a great pick if you are trying to make a move in your fantasy league.

Kevin Harvick: Kevin has three career wins at Richmond and dominated the race at Atlanta last weekend until he was involved in a crash on a green/white/checker restart at the end of the race. This team has brought a car capable of winning every week this season and Kevin is my odds on favorite to win the championship this season. He has finished in the top ten in sixteen of his twenty-seven starts here and lead twenty-three laps in the spring race.

Dale Earnhardt Jr.: Dale has also won three races at this track with the last of those coming back in 2006. He hasn’t been real consistent here throughout his career, but the way he has run this season, we can throw out what he was like in the past. This team has a legitimate shot at winning the title this season and another win this weekend would make the other Chase drivers see what this team is capable of.

Denny Hamlin: Denny has two career wins here and looked very good at Atlanta last weekend. We don’t really know if the teams that qualified for the Chase early in the year were doing some experimenting once they were in, or if they just weren’t on the same page. We are going to find out starting this weekend if this team might have been laying in the weeds and are now ready to try and win a championship. Denny has always been good on the flat tracks and we will see if they are going to be a serious contender this weekend.

Clint Bowyer: Clint has won two races at Richmond during his career and a win this weekend is his best shot a making the Chase. This team knows that and is going to come with an all or nothing attitude. They will take every chance they can as the race progresses to put themselves in a position to win this race and take one of the last two spots in the Chase. Don’t count him out yet.

Jimmie Johnson: Jimmie has three career wins at this track and they all came during the 2007 and 2008 seasons. This team is another team that had struggled after winning three races in a short stretch earlier this season. Once again, were they doing some testing after that, or did they just struggle to find handling and speed? They have run much better this past month and I think they will be fine once the Chase starts.

Carl Edwards: Carl won this race last season and this team has looked better lately. They seem to have found some speed on the intermediate tracks and have been good on the short tracks all year. I think they have a good shot at winning the race this weekend and grabbing some momentum as the Chase looms. Even though this is Carl’s last season at Roush/Fenway Racing, I think they will do everything in their power to make Carl a contender.

Matt Kenseth: Matt is locked into the Chase, but is still looking for his first win of the season. He would like nothing better than to get it this weekend just so he can get a bonus point at the start of the Chase. He has never won a race at Richmond, but has finished in the top seven here in each of the last four races. They have looked very good over the past month and just need to make that one last correct adjustment late in the race and have the cautions fall right for them to get their first win on the season.

YAHOO! FANTASY NASCAR PICKS FOR RICHMOND INTERNATIONAL RACEWAY

Yahoo Driver Group A

  • Jeff Gordon
  • Kyle Busch

Yahoo Driver Group B

  • Brad Keselowski
  • Carl Edwards
  • Ryan Newman
  • Denny Hamlin

Yahoo Driver Group C

  • Kyle Larson
  • Austin Dillon

MY TOP-5 OVERALL AT RICHMOND INTERNATIONAL RACEWAY

  1. Jeff Gordon
  2. Kyle Busch
  3. Brad Keselowski
  4. Kevin Harvick
  5. Carl Edwards

Dark Horse: Tony Stewart

Stay Away From: Kurt Busch

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Fantasy NASCAR

2014 Atlanta Motor Speedway, Oral-B USA 500

NASCAR Sprint Cup race at Atlanta Juan Pablo Montoya and Carl Edwards

There are only two races left before the start of the Chase this season and the last two spots still aren’t decided yet. We have twelve spots filled by drivers with wins this season and Matt Kenseth has to basically start the next two races and not finish in last place to secure his spot. We could get two new winners in the next couple of races and that would eliminate two spots on points if it happens. All I know is that it could be two wild weeks at the track.

ORAL-B USA 500

This week the series heads to Atlanta Motor Speedway for the running of the Oral-B USA 500. Atlanta is a 1.54-mile quad-oval track, which makes it similar to most other intermediate tracks on the circuit. I predict that a new qualifying record will be set once again this weekend if the weather cooperates. The race will be held on Sunday evening as it is Labor Day weekend. Tires and engines will be tested to their limits in this 500-mile race.

Kevin Harvick: Kevin won the first race he ever ran in the Sprint Cup series at this track back in 2001, when he took over for the late Dale Earnhardt. That is the only race he has run at this track, but the way he has run every week, I look for him to qualify and run well here once again this weekend. He is my pick to win his third race of the season and move into a tie with five other drivers for most wins on the year.

Jeff Gordon: Jeff is a five-time winner at Atlanta and after his win at Michigan a couple of weeks ago has shown that he is a serious contender at all types of tracks this year. Jeff has finished in the top ten in twenty-six of his forty starts at this track, and that tells me he is very consistent here. You will want him on your fantasy team this week.

Dale Earnhardt Jr.: Dale has had a disappointing finish last week at Bristol after getting caught up in an accident that was no fault of his own. This team has been bringing it every week and on all types of tracks this season and this weekend will be no different. I think that Dale and Steve Latarte are on the same page and Steve makes the right adjustments during the race to fit Dale’s style of driving. They can win the championship this year.

Jimmie Johnson: Jimmie has been improving over the past few weeks and this will be a huge test for this team. This week will let them know if they have their setup correct so they don’t blow tires. That issue needs to be taken care of before the start of the Chase if they want to repeat as champions. Jimmie has three wins here and has finished in the top ten in more than half of his starts here also.

Kasey Kahne: Kasey has two career wins at Atlanta and his best chance of making the Chase is to pick up a win in the next two weeks. Kasey runs well at this track and he always seems to run well at night, so both factors are in his favor this weekend. All of the Hendrick teams run well at this track on a consistent basis so you can’t really go wrong with using as many of them as you can in your league this weekend.

Carl Edwards: Carl has won three races at this track and has finished in the top five in eight of his sixteen starts here. The real problem here is that the Roush/Fenway teams have not had the speed on this type of track for much of the season. Carl wound up two laps down at Michigan a couple of weeks ago partly due to speed and the other part pit road penalties.

Joey Logano: Joey finished second in this race last year and the way the Penske teams have shown speed on this type of track this season, he is another good pick for this weekend. Even though the Penske teams run the same motors as the Roush/Fenway teams they have found something aerodynamically that makes them contenders on these tracks. I look for both of the Penske drivers to qualify towards the front of the field and run there for much of the race.

Brad Keselowski: Brad is the other Penske driver and will have a fast car himself once again this weekend. Brad was a little disappointed at Michigan a couple of weeks ago, because he really wanted to win that race in his home state. He can change that disappointment into another celebration with his fourth win of the season this weekend in Atlanta.

Matt Kenseth: Although Matt has never won a race at Atlanta and hasn’t won a race yet this season, this team will be in the Chase and can go on a roll at any time. Matt has finished in the top ten here in fourteen of his twenty-five starts and would love to pick up his first win of the year before the Chase starts. This team looked good at Bristol last weekend and just needs to make the right adjustments during the races on the intermediate tracks.

Kurt Busch: Kurt has quietly been running very well over the past month at all types of tracks. This team will be dangerous once the Chase starts, because I think they are still experimenting a little bit and will be even better once the Chase starts. They might just pull out all of the stops over the next two weeks to see what they really have and it could be enough to win a couple of more races this season.

YAHOO! FANTASY NASCAR PICKS FOR ATLANTA MOTOR SPEEDWAY

Yahoo Driver Group A

  • Kevin Harvick
  • Jeff Gordon

Yahoo Driver Group B

  • Joey Logano
  • Brad Keselowski
  • AJ Allmendinger
  • Brian Vickers

Yahoo Driver Group C

  • Kyle Larson
  • Austin Dillon

MY TOP-5 OVERALL AT ATLANTA MOTOR SPEEDWAY

  1. Kevin Harvick
  2. Jeff Gordon
  3. Dale Earnhardt Jr.
  4. Jimmie Johnson
  5. Joey Logano

Dark Horse: AJ Allmendinger

Stay Away From: Carl Edwards

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Fantasy NASCAR

2014 Michigan International Speedway, Pure Michigan 400

AJ Allmendinger is a virtual lock to make the Chase by virtue of his win at Watkins Glen this past weekend. This is AJ’s first win in the Sprint Cup series and it couldn’t have come at a better time. Once again the finish at Watkins Glen was exciting, with Allmendinger, Marcos Ambrose, and Kurt Busch racing for the win after a restart with only two laps remaining in the race.

There are now twelve different winners so far this season and it looks like all of them should be in the top thirty in points after the next four races. That leaves only four spots open right now that will go to drivers by points. Right now Matt Kenseth, Ryan Newman, Clint Bowyer, and Kyle Larson hold those final four spots, but that could easily change over the next four weeks with new winners, or even a poor finish in a race that could drop these drivers out of the Chase and put another driver into the final spot.

PURE MICHIGAN 400

This week the series heads back to Michigan International Speedway for the running of the Pure Michigan 400. MIS is a 2-mile D-shaped oval track and it is very fast after being repaved. How much faster is it now? Kevin Harvick set a new track qualifying record in June at over 204.5 m.p.h. which is over 10 m.p.h. faster than the old track record. At these speeds, engines and tires are going to be at a premium this weekend.

Kevin Harvick: I am picking Kevin to win once again this weekend because he has been fast all season and he is due for another win. He has finished second in the last three races here and should be able to pick up that final position this weekend. I see this team coming with a very similar setup to what they had in June and they haven’t been having any mechanical issues lately. I think they have the correct setup to reduce tire wear while still be fast.

Matt Kenseth: Matt has won two races at this track and always seems to have a great car here. However, this season the Joe Gibbs Racing teams haven’t had the best cars and probably need to work on their aerodynamics more to be really competitive with the Hendrick and Penske teams right now. Matt should make the Chase no matter if he has a win or not because of his point standing, but I’m sure he would love to win a race and gain some valuable bonus points heading into the Chase.

Jimmie Johnson: Jimmie won the race here in June, but he has had a lot of issues over the past month or so. This team needs to figure out their tire issues before the Chase starts if they want to repeat as champions once again. With the speeds these cars will be running this weekend, there is going to be a lot of strain on the tires in the corners and a blown tire will end your day quickly.

Jeff Gordon: Jeff has always been good at Michigan finishing in the top ten in well over half of the races he has run here. That includes two wins, but he hasn’t won a race here since 2001. He did lead a bunch of laps here in June and came away with a sixth place finish in that race. This team has been consistent all year and that is why they are in first place in the standings right now.

Dale Earnhardt Jr.: This is the type of track that Dale should run very well at. He knows how to get off the corners and get back into the gas to carry that speed down the straightaways and that is the name of the game at Michigan. The way this team has run all year they have a great shot at winning another race this weekend. They are a legitimate title contender right now.

Joey Logano: Joey has one win at this track and has finished in the top ten in six of his eleven starts here. The Penske cars have been very fast all season at this type of track and this weekend should be no different. I look for Joey to qualify in the top five and have a car that is capable of winning this race. I think if they stay away from mechanical issues and penalties on pit road, they will have a shot at the end of this race.

Kasey Kahne: There are a couple of races before the Chase that this team has a good chance of winning and making it into the Chase. This is one of those races. Kasey has won a race here before and has finished in the top ten in almost half of his starts at this track. They have a chance to make the Chase by points, but I know they would rather win a race and take that chance out of the equation. Win and your in.

Greg Biffle: Greg has won four races at this track, but this season the Roush/Fenway cars have really struggled to find the speed on the intermediate tracks. Until they figure out why they can’t get the speed out of their cars that the competition is getting, I would stay away from these drivers on this type of track. Greg is only five points from the last Chase spot at this time, but would like to get a win and lock himself in.

Carl Edwards: Carl is already locked in the Chase, but they also have a Roush/Fenway car. They will not be able to win a championship this season unless they can find the speed on these tracks. The competition is too much better than they are right now and a poor finish in the Chase can spell doom for any driver with a three race knockout round.

Brad Keselowski: Brad is the other Penske driver that should have a fast car once again this weekend. They are all ready locked into the Chase and would just like to get a few more bonus points heading into the Chase. I look for Brad to qualify in the top five along with Joey Logano and if they can stay clean throughout the race, they should have a great shot at the end to visit victory lane.

YAHOO! FANTASY NASCAR PICKS FOR MICHIGAN INTERNATIONAL SPEEDWAY

Yahoo Driver Group A

  • Kevin Harvick
  • Dale Earnhardt Jr.

Yahoo Driver Group B

  • Joey Logano
  • Brad Keselowski
  • Denny Hamlin
  • Aric Almirola

Yahoo Driver Group C

  • Jeff Burton
  • Kyle Larson

MY TOP-5 OVERALL AT MICHIGAN INTERNATIONAL SPEEDWAY

  1. Kevin Harvick
  2. Joey Logano
  3. Dale Earnhardt Jr.
  4. Brad Keselowski
  5. Jeff Gordon

Dark Horse: Kyle Larson

Stay Away From: Greg Biffle

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