NASCAR Talk

My Yahoo Fantasy Auto Racing Picks:

Jimmie Johnson
Denny Hamlin
Mark Martin
J.J. Yeley

My ESPN Stock Car Challenge Team:

Jimmie Johnson
Denny Hamlin
Mark Martin
Martin Truex Jr.
Casey Mears

My ESPN Driver Pick Em’ Picks:

Matt Kenseth
Jeff Gordon
Denny Hamlin
Mark Martin
Tony Stewart
Ryan Newman
Martin Truex Jr.
Kevin Harvick
Reed Sorenson
David Ragan
Tiebreaker: 4

If you play these games, please post your picks.

NASCAR, Fantasy, ESPN, YAHOO, Jimmie Johnson, Denny Hamlin, Mark Martin, J.J. Yeley, Martin Truex Jr., Casey Mears, Matt Kenseth, Jeff Gordon, Kyle Busch, Ryan Newman, David Ragan, Reed Sorenson, Tony Stewart

The Stats

Max Starting Field: 43
Total Entered: 49
Total Entered Out of Top 35 w/ No Champ. Provs.:13
Total That Will Not Make The Race: 6

Who’s At Risk:

David Reutimann
Ward Burton
Scott Riggs
Paul Menard
Dave Blaney
Jeremy Mayfield
Kevin Lepage
Dale Jarrett
Mike Bliss
Michael Waltrip
Kenny Wallace
Brian Vickers
AJ Allmendinger

Who I Think Will Go Home:

AJ Allmendinger
Michael Waltrip
Mike Bliss
Kevin Lepage
Dave Blaney
Paul Menard

This is one of those tracks that’s easy to lose it out of 4. I think at least one or two of the guys that go home will crash during qualifying.

Please comment on who you think will go home.

Note: Watch for my fantasy picks tomorrow morning, and my Who To Watch post Sunday morning.

AJ Allmendinger, Michael Waltrip, Mike Bliss, Kevin Lepage, Dave Blaney, Paul Menard, NASCAR, Citizens Bank 400, Michigan

I may be making it hard on myself, but I have decided to pick just one winner and one loser each week. So, here they are.

Biggest Winner: Yes, Jeff Gordon lucked out with this one, but I’m not picking him for this. I’m going with Ryan Newman. He came up short of the win but he had a great run. That team is really turning things around.

Biggest Loser: I could go with Jimmie Johnson here, but I’m going with Denny Hamlin. He had the strongest car and the only thing that beat him was the wrong call on pit road, and the rain.

NASCAR, Pocono, Pocono 500, Jeff Gordon, Ryan Newman, Jimmie Johnson, Denny Hamlin

It’s that time of the week again where I pick the top ten finishers in the next NEXTEL Cup Series Race. This week, the Cup boys head to my home state of Pennsylvania for the Pocono 500. This is one of my favorite tracks, and of course I have to work so I will miss most of it. Anyway, here are my picks for the top ten, the winner, and my Dark Horse.

#01 Mark Martin: Although he has never won a Cup race at Pocono, he has an average finish of 10.9. Also, he has run well in all the races he’s been in this season. I look for him to come through the field for a top ten finish.

#1 Martin Truex Jr.: Truex will be the new face of DEI in 2008, but it looks like he is getting an early start. He won at Dover, and I expect him to stay in the top ten most of the day.

#11 Denny Hamlin: Pocono is to Denny Hamlin like Bristol is to Rusty Wallace. You just can’t bet against him at this track.

#12 Ryan Newman: Looks like the Rocket Man is back. Newman scored his third Bud Pole in a row this week at Pocono. I don’t look for him to pull off the win, but we should see him in the top 5 or 6 at the end.

#18 J.J. Yeley: His finish at Lowe’s was the kick in the pants this team needed to really get on track. Yeley starts 11th Sunday, and he’ll find his way to the top ten before the first lap is complete.

#20 Tony Stewart: As long as he can keep away from Kurt Busch this week,
Tony should have a decent race. They call Pocono a “roval” (an oval that drives like a road course). And you know how well Tony does on road courses.

#24 Jeff Gordon: With 3 wins at this track and the way he has been running this year, expect the #24 to be fighting for the win.

#25 Casey Mears: Mears is really on a roll since winning the 600. He starts 12th at Pocono, and will finish in the top 5 or 6.

#31 Jeff Burton: This guy will win a championship in the #31 before he retires, mark my words. Burton runs great week after week. He rolls off 10th on Sunday.

#48 Jimmie Johnson: I’m sure it’s no surprise to see this name on the list. Johnson has 2 wins at Pocono and is always a contender no matter the track.

Who Will Win? You would be an idiot to bet against Denny Hamlin this week. I think he will stop finishing 2nd and pull off the win.

Dark Horse: It was tough to choose between Brian Vickers and Casey Mears on this one, but I have to go with Mears.

NASCAR, Pocono, Pocono 500, Mark Martin, Martin Truex Jr., Denny Hamlin, Ryan Newman, J.J. Yeley, Tony Stewart, Jeff Gordon, Casey Mears, Jeff Burton, Jimmie Johnson

Brad Jennings asked a good question his “What Is NASCAR Probation?” article. The crap at Dover is a perfect example of NASCAR not wanting to mess with the money flowing into their pockets. Tony Stewart should have been penalized, and Kurt Busch should have been suspended for at least one race.

Well, actually Rusty Wallace should be in that #2 car and “Dumbo” should be off flopping his ears somewhere. But I guess that’s just the Wallace fan coming out in me.

NASCAR, Tony Stewart, Kurt Busch, Rusty Wallace, Dover

The Stats

Max Starting Field: 43
Total Entered: 49
Total Entered Out of Top 35 w/ No Champ. Provs.:13
Total That Will Not Make The Race: 6

Who’s At Risk:

David Reutimann
Ward Burton
Scott Riggs
Paul Menard
Dave Blaney
Jeremy Mayfield
Kevin Lepage
Dale Jarrett
Mike Bliss
Michael Waltrip
Kenny Wallace
Brian Vickers
AJ Allmendinger

Who I Think Will Go Home:

AJ Allmendinger
Ward Burton
Mike Bliss
Kevin Lepage
Dave Blaney
Paul Menard

Yes, I have predicted Mikey makes it two in a row.

Please comment on who you think will go home.

AJ Allmendinger, Michael Waltrip, Mike Bliss, Kevin Lepage, Dave Blaney, Paul Menard, NASCAR, Pocono 500, Pocono

This post a bit off topic of the blog, but I wanted give my readers an insight on what I like to do in my spare time. I am a sim racer. I started racing online in 2001 and love every minute of it. It’s the closest I’ll ever get to jumping into a real race car.

The video above is a promo for the league I run in. It was made by FMS driver Dan Kaisinger. You can see me for a brief second in the video. I’m the blue and white Goodyear Chevy. Second to last car in the first clip.

If you are a sim racer in either the NASCAR Racing 2003 Season sim or the rFactor sim, check FMS out HERE.

sim racing, NASCAR, Freedom Motorsports, rFactor, NASCAR Racing 2003 Season, YouTube

This video was aired during the Dover race on Monday.

NASCAR, Bill France Jr., Dover, FOX, YouTube

I play the fantasy racing games at Yahoo and ESPN. Starting this week, I will be posting my picks on each of those sites.

My Yahoo Fantasy Auto Racing Picks:

Jimmie Johnson
Denny Hamlin
Mark Martin
J.J. Yeley

My ESPN Stock Car Challenge Team:

Jimmie Johnson
Denny Hamlin
Mark Martin
Martin Truex Jr.
Casey Mears

My ESPN Driver Pick Em’ Picks:

Denny Hamlin
Kurt Busch (May Change)
Mark Martin
Matt Kenseth
Jeff Gordon
Martin Truex Jr.
Kyle Busch
Ryan Newman
Juan Pablo Montoya
Brian Vickers
Tiebreaker: 0

If you play these games, please post your picks.

NASCAR, Fantasy, ESPN, YAHOO, Jimmie Johnson, Denny Hamlin, Mark Martin, J.J. Yeley, Martin Truex Jr., Casey Mears, Kurt Busch, Matt Kenseth, Jeff Gordon, Kyle Busch, Ryan Newman, Juan Pablo Montoya, Brian Vickers