This week I am going with Denny Hamlin. Watch out for Tony, Kevin and Kyle. JR alos has a good chance.
Well GL you did a lot better then I did. You man at least lead most of the race. Could believe the end. It be a wonder that Kyle Busch gets out of Richmond alive.
What a race. Denny was walking away with it until his tire went down. The race was really behind him. The restarts were unreal. No one could hang with the man.
JR and Kyle what a mess. They were racing to win and did not give each other enough room. Just a racing thing. Bet Kyle had to sneak out of there. Liked the interviews after. They both had good ones.
I understand what your saying GL but if you can't make a clean pass then you you can't make the pass. Kyle is just like Jimmy Spencer the original mister excitement if Jimmy couldn't win he would take you down with him. I don't know if you remember but Jimmy Spencer and Kyle's brother Kurt use to really get into it. In saying that I don't think this thing with Dale and Kyle is over by any means. And another thing don't you like the sounds of Dale vs Kyle and with that Toyota vs Chevy.
Didn't have time to think about a pick this week with the last child graduating from Michigan State(Go Green!),but WOW, what a finish and Clint Boyer hung in and came away with the prize! Watching Dale run the highline and makin' it work, then come down and get tangled with Kyle;the house filled with a resounding...OOOOOOOOOHHHHHHHHHHHHHH. Had Hamlin pitted like he shoulda'............
Oh yes! I remember the Jimmy and Kurt deal. Kinda thought this would happen with Steve Wallace and Kyle in the Nation Wide. lol
Jr will get him. It may take a few races but it will be coming.
There is always somthing to keep the excitment up. Driver/Driver or car/car. Don't ya love it.
One of the most anticipated races of season is this weeks race at Darlington. Why you may ask? It's simple because one the toughest race tracks in NASCAR just got tougher. It all about new asphalt. The track with the nickname The Track to Tough to Tame has been repaved and the track that has been around since 1949 is faster then ever. The new pavement has given Darlington a ton of grip and grip means speed. How much speed? The old track record was set in qualifying in 1996 by Ward Burton at 173.797 Greg Biffle the man on the pole for Saturday nights Cup race at Darlington set a new record at 179.442. Last year Clint Bowyer sat on the pole at a speed of 164.987. That means that this years pole setter is almost a whopping 15 mph faster. Buckle up for this egg shaped track is going to put on a race that could be one the most exciting races in years.
Darlington has changed and so has Sprint Cup racing in the COT. You can see it happening every week as the Cup drivers are getting more and more comfortable with the new car. As the comfort zone gets better so does the racing. Look at Richmond last week drivers were pushing there cars to the limit which put cars fender to fender with no-fear. It is only going to get better as the comfort zone grows. NASCAR fans you may see some of the best racing in NASCAR history coming as the seson moves on as drivers and teams get the COT figured out. With teams and drivers getting comfortable and Darlington being new and improved the most anticipated race of the season could live up to its billing just one awesome race.
My Pick of the Week. After last weeks race with Kyle Busch running Dale Earnhardt Jr into the wall I do have some thoughts on how Saturday nights race should end. I'm hoping the Earnhardt will come out of Dale Jr. Do you think for one second Dale Sr. would let that move of Kyle Busch's go untouched? Yeah Right not a chance. Wouldn't it be great to see Dale and Kyle one and two at the end with Dale taking out Kyle on the last lap to win. Do you think NASCAR would do anything to the prince of NASCAR no matter how he took out Rowdy Busch? I don't think so. Regardless if Dale takes out Busch on the last lap or not Dale Earnhardt Jr. is my pick of the week. Dale is in the second spot at the start next to pole setter Greg Biffle and with a great starting spot and a fever to win Earnhardt will own Saturday night at Darlington. Dale Jr. become an Earnhardt on Saturday night with his first win with Hendrick. 
Mike, I am with you on this one. Tony will be a factor but I think JR can get it done.
Memorial Day weekend has arrived and if your auto racing nut like myself it means this Sunday is like dying and going to haven.
First it’s the Grand Daddy of them all the Indianapolis 500, the auto race that started it all. This will be the 92nd running of the Memorial Day classic. There will be a field of thirty-three drivers which three will be woman. For the first time in the 92 year history of the 500 a woman is one of the favorites to win. That is no other then Danica Patrick. She won her first Indy car race in Japan in April as she outlasted everybody else in a fuel millage game. Danica is the first woman driver ever to win in Indy Car Series.
Others to watch at the Indy 500 on Sunday is Roger Penske’s driver Helio Castroneves which is a two time winner of the 500 will be starts in 4th . Chip Ganassi has two drivers Dan Wheldon which starts second and Scott Dixon that sits on the pole. The Indy 500 will be broadcast live on ABC with pre-race coverage starting at noon and the 500 scheduled to start at 1 pm EST.
Then at 5pm pre-race coverage where NASCAR takes center stage with the 49th running of the Coca-Cola 600 from Concord, NC. 600 grueling miles where the world’s best stock car drivers are put to the test. Pole setter Kyle Busch will be taking the field of 43 to green in the world’s longest auto race held on an oval.
In the news this week long time GM of Lowe’s Motor Speedway Humpy Wheeler announced his retirement effective Monday morning. The reports have been conflicting on the sudden retirement of one of NASCAR best marketing men. Humpy is known for his great promotions to bring people to the track. Humpy’s promotions range from motorcycle jumping to a giant car eating monster called Robosaurus. Not all of Humpy’s ideas have been good ones as example last weekend’s burnout competition. But one thing is for sure Humpy is one that can take responsibility for bringing NASCAR to be the second largest sports in the U.S.A. He will be missed as Lowe’s Motor Speedways pitch man but he will not be gone. Reports are that Humpy will be working with NASCAR on promoting the sport in his own unique way. 
The Coca-Cola 600. Last year the Coke 600 proved to be a tough race as the top five were not what you would call regular top five finishers. 1. Casey Mears, 2. J.J. Yeley, 3. Kyle Petty, 4. Reed Sorenson, 5. Brian Vickers. What does that tell you about this race? Anything can happen! It’s a long day 600 miles and trying to keep your car together and running good at the end is a big challenge. Engine builders work overtime in race shops to put together an engine that can last 600 miles. Only 12 drivers ended up on the lead lap at the end with 26 drivers more than a lap down. A total of 4 engine failed as the long race took its toll. Who will win Sunday’s Coca-Cola 600? A driver with a great engine and with a lot of patience.
My Pick of the Week. Jimmie Johnson has to be on everybody’s list as one of the favorites to win this 600 mile marathon. Jimmie has won the Coke 600 3 times in 03, 04 and 05. Jimmie also has a total of 5 wins, 8 top fives and 11 top tens at this track with the same sponsor as his 48 car. But Jimmie and his 48 team have not had a typical year so far. Yes Johnson does have a win under his belt but when push comes to shove I just don’t see this team pulling off a win here. I do like one of Jimmie’s team-mates though and that is Dale Earnhardt Jr. Junior looked strong in the All Star race and has the mind set to keep his cool to be there at the end of this long race. Junior nation has been waiting all season for him to pull one off and this is setting up to be the one they have been waiting for. Dale will be starting in the sixth spot which proves to me he got a fast car. But that is nothing new Junior has had a fast car at almost every race this year. I guess that is why the 88 car is in third place in the points. This is the third time this year I’ve picked Junior and you know the history of the 3 when it come to an Earnhardt, yep you got it a Big Win. So get them AMP 88 hats on for this is Dale Jr. weekend. No Coke for Dale at the end just one cold Dew will do the trick.
The Monster Mile
Race fans Dover, Delaware is the place to be as all top three series in NASCAR takes on The Monster-Mile this weekend.
The action started on Friday afternoon with the AAA Insurance 200. Kyle Busch led the field of 36 trucks to the green flag as he was on the pole. Kyle dominated the race until his transmission failed. That opened the door and former F-1 driver Scott Speed. Rookie truck driver Scott Speed stepped through that door with his first win in NASCAR by winning the 200 mile truck race on Friday. In Daytona back in February Scott made his first start in the trucks and you could tell then he was something special. Scott led the first part of the race but was taken out after a pit stop put him back in traffic. Speed will be in a Cup car by the end of the year just you wait and see.
In the Nationwide series race today another rookie takes center stage. Joey Logana will make his first appearance in NASCAR’s second biggest series with race fans eyes wide open. Joey has been called NASCAR’s next Jeff Gordon. Now that is some big shoe to fill if I must say so my self. Logana will be driving the number 20 car for Joe Gibbs. With all the stuff about Tony Stewart leaving Gibbs we could be looking at the driver that takes Tony’s spot. It will be fun in any case to see how good his 18 year kid really is. The Nationwide race starts at 2:30 pm est. on ESPN 2.
Greg Biffle driver of the number 16 for Roush Fennway Racing is on the pole for Sunday’s Best Buy 400. Greg edged out both the Busch brother to get the pole for Sunday’s Cup race. Jack Roush cars have been looking good all year and with the Biff on the pole that is just another indicator what Jack got going.
This will be the third race at Dover with the new COT so I’m thinking this could be a great race. This being the third look at Dover in the new car teams should have things dialed in to this one mile concrete track. If that is the case racing should be close and fast.
One thing about Dover there is no room for error. If you go into a spin and miss the outside wall the inside wall will get you. In most cases drivers that get in trouble get both inside and outside. So if the racing is close like I’m predicting there could be a lot of action.
Who will conquer The Monster-Mile? My pick this week is Jimmie Johnson. Jimmie qualified well starting in the forth spot and this team is about to catch on fire. That fire will be caught on Sunday afternoon by the 48 team. Chad Knaus is one of the best crew chiefs in the business and he will be on top of his game Sunday. Chad knows this track like the back of his hand for the 48 team has won here three different times. After Sunday make it four. Jimmie wins at the Monster.
Just on a side note I do have a dark horse on the race on Sunday and that is Elliott Saddle. Kasey Kahne won last week at Charlotte which proves to me Gillett Evernham is back. One driver for Gillett Evernham has been in a slump for some time and it is now time for one of NASCAR’s better drivers to crawl out that slump. Look for Saddle to make his move out of that slump on Sunday.
See you all next week. Enjoy the race.
Well Elliot Sadler took out a lot of good drivers. Jr made a nice come back. Kevin Harvick and Tony Stewert made it back to get more laps in and no DNF. Denny??? What was up with that. Didn't his spotter tell him to put the brakes on. Seems everyone else had slowed but him.
Kyle took another one. Will he ever let anyone else win. LOL
Elliott Sadler getting out of his slump. Boy did I pick that one! What was I thinking? Side note to self: DON'T PICK ELLIOTT SADLER IN ANY FANTASY LEAGUES.
This week NASCAR Cup teams and drivers put there focus on Pocono. This is the first race over the half way point to the Chase, race #14. Matt Kenseth is one those drivers that is well aware that time is running out to get in the top 12. Matt is currently in the 16th spot in the Cup standings and is 95 point out of 12th. Three races a go Matt was in 22nd spot 204 points out of 12th. Will Matt make the Chase? I would bet all the tea in China that Matt Kenseth will make the Chase.
One thing Matt Kenseth has going for him is drives for Roush Fenway Racing. The two best teams in NASCAR right now are Joe Gibbs Racing and Roush Fenway Racing. Gibbs has looked great all year and RFR with Carl Edwards three wins is really starting to pick up momentum. RFR has two drivers in the top twelve in Gregg Biffle and Carl Edwards. David Ragan sets just outside the top twelve in thirteen. The last few races looks like the Roush of 2005 wear the cat in the hat put 5 his teams in the top ten. Jack is got his Fords purring like a kittens and look for that to continue. It Roush vs. Gibbs or Ford vs. Toyota may the battle continue.
My Pick of the Week. After saying all this stuff about Roush Fenway it would be hard not to pick a driver that drives for Jack Roush. In saying that David Ragan is my pick of the week. David is one of most surprising drivers of this 08 season. He had his struggles last year and at times looked like his stay in the Cup series was going to be short lived. David Ragan has proven that thought wrong. David more than belongs in fact is just 9 points from being in the top twelve. You can see the guy get better every week and with that being the case David Ragan should make this years Chase. David reminds me a little of his team-mate Matt Kenseth for he flies under the radar. Like Kenseth Ragan there at the end of the race and your not really sure how he got there. When David starts developing a little edge to his racing look out. I think that edge might start coming out this weekend at Pocono. David is in great equipment and the kid can flat out drive. That why David Ragan is my pick of the week. 
Ford, Chevy and Dodge teams come home to take on Toyota.
Michigan, the birth place of the big three Ford, General Motors and Chrysler is where this Sunday’s Sprint Cup race takes place. Jack Roush loves this track as he always tries to showoff for the brass at Ford. In fact 5 of the last 8 races at MIS have been won by a Jack Roush Ford. Carl Edward won the June race here last year and should a good pick to win it again this year.
It’s been a struggle for the Big Three as car sales are down. Those struggles are not only on showroom floor but on the race track. Toyota has grabbed the bull by the horns in just its second season in the Sprint Cup Series. With Joe Gibbs now being Toyota’s team at the point Toyota has won 5 out of 13 races this year make them the dominate manufacture in NASCAR. This is more pie in Detroit’s face. Toyota took over as the number one auto company in the world in mid-winter and now on American soil has taken NASCAR by storm. I have to say even though I’m a Joe Gibbs fan I’m rooting for one of the Big Three from Detroit to win big this weekend.
Kyle Busch grab the pole for Sunday’s race for qualifying was rained out. This means drivers starting positions will be determined by where they sit in the point’s standings. So right from the get go Detroit fines its self chase Kyle in his Toyota.
Beside Kyle Busch the two drivers that have the best chance at winning this thing on Sunday are Carl Edward and Kasey Kahne. Why Carl? First, Carl in his Ford won here last year driving for Jack Roush. As I stated earlier Roush and MIS make beautiful music together. Second, Carl dominated the race in California in February which is the sister track to Michigan. Both MIS and California were built by Roger Penske and are 2 mile ovals. Edwards will be starting in the 4th spot.
Why Kasey? Kasey Kahne in his Dodge is the hottest driver in the Cup series today. Kasey has 2 wins in the last 3 races and if you want to count the All-Star race 3 wins in the last 4. One more factor, Kasey won here at MIS IN June of 06. MIS fits his driving style for Kasey loves to take the high line. MIS has a lot of racing grooves and one of them is high against the wall. The high line works just right for Kasey. The number 9 will be starting in the 9th spot.
My Pick of the Week, Carl Edwards. Edwards is aweful strong on tracks like MIS. Carl doesn't only like to drive high but he will drive low or in the middle. Carl has the talent to drive his car on any line to put his 99 up front. With 9 being the key number in picking a winner why not take two. That why I'm picking the 99 driven by Carl Edwards to win at MIS on Sunday.
One more thing on this 9 business. Erik Darnell in his 99 Ford won today at MIS in the Craftsman Truck Series race. It was the closest finish in truck series history. 
Mike you were way off this time. I wasn't even going to plan on who was going to win. MIS is a hard place to figure out who will win. GO ! JR. Glad his losing streak is gone. Now to get Tony a win.
The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series faces its first road course race of the year this weekend at Sonoma, California.
Road course races always have there unique twists in Cup racing for there are always drivers you normally don’t see every weekend. These drivers are called road course ringers. Guys like Boris Said and Ron Fellows are filling seats that are low in the point’s standings. This weekend is no exception for including Said and Follows there are four others in the field of 43.
With the popularity of NASCAR on the rise in the last few years the Cup series has a few regulars from open wheel that can hold there own on a road course. The most popular of that group is Juan Montoya. Montoya won this race at Infineon Raceway last year and could make it two for two.
Juan was sixth fastest in the last practice on Saturday and will start 21st in Sunday’s race. Montoya former F-1 driver was petty impressive here last year as he started back in 31st spot and worked his way to the front to a win. As I see it, this race on Sunday will be more of the same with just one thing different; Montoya will be starting 10 spots close to the top spot. So there you have it Juan Montoya is my pick of the week. 
Kevin Harvick needs to go back to the Call Of The Wild and learn how to drive. What an idiot!!
I agree. What a stupid move. Nocked out two guyes that could have tried to get to Kyle. Stewert has no luck this year.
Last week at Infineon it was bowling for dollars. Kevin Harvick’s 29 car was the bowling ball as he took out 3 cars in one spin. Tony Stewart, Jamie McMurray and Ron Fellows were all victims of Harvick’s bone head more. Harvick came into turn 5 at Infineon way to hot and slid into McMurray which in turn then hit Tony Stewart. Ron Fellows was behind Harvick and when cars started spinning Fellows tried to drive around the mess and ran into McMurray. All 4 cars were in the top ten. The move of the year by Harvick was made on lap 105 in the 112 lap race. Just 7 laps left. Stewart went from 2nd and finished 10th. McMurray was in 3rd and finished 18th. Fellows went from 5th to a 29th place finish. The culprit of all this Kevin Harvick, fall from 4th to finish 30th.
Even though Harvick was in the dog house last week, I’m going to pick him to be in the penthouse this week. The race on Sunday is at New Hampshire Motor Speedway and this is like Kevin car owner Richard Childress home track. All three of Childress’s drivers have wins here. In the last two years a Childress car has visited victory 2 times in 4 races. Make it 3 out of 5 has Kevin Harvick makes up for no good with a win at the Miracle Mile. Kevin’s last win at New Hampshire was in September of 06 the first race to start the Chase. One year later team-mate Clint Bowyer did the same thing. Kevin is out of the top twelve for the first time since Daytona back in February. Look for Kevin to turn it up a notch as he gets it done in New Hampshire. One more thing why Kevin is going to win he starts 3rd. You know history of the number 3 and Kevin right? Kevin Harvick is my pick of the week. 
Happy 4th everybody. Talk about fireworks or should I say lack there of was the end of the race last weekend in New Hampshire. The fireworks were put out by rain as the race was shorten by Mother Nature. If you listened to Michael Waltrip go on about the race you would think he got stiffed by the rain. I don’t think so! That was Waltrip’s first top five finish in decades, at least it seem that long to me.
Waltrip in an interview after the race said he had the race in the bag if the water would have just stayed in the sky. If you saw the race you know what I’m talking about. As far Waltrip winning he was wetter then the track. There is no way! The next time he wins a race is the time he can qualify with out wracking and then everybody else goes home before the race starts. Waltrip maybe a great pitch man but sure ain’t a great driver. If his cars could run as fast as his month he would win everything, it wouldn’t even be close. But he can’t! I think a good race would be Michael Waltrip and Kyle Petty now we are talking close. I know there are some Waltrip fans out there that probably don’t like what I’m saying but you have to look at the facts and the facts say the guy can’t drive. He does some funny ads that is for sure but sometimes his driving is funnier. If you think I’m wrong watch him at the next race then get back to me.
Saturday night racing is next on the schedule at the most famous track in NASCAR the Daytona International Speedway. This race at Daytona is a lot different then the 500 held in February. Why? It is a lot warmer in July at Daytona that it is in February. All that heat makes the track a little on the greasy side. This is Greg Biffle or Carl Edwards kind of track where the car gets wicked sideway loose. It’s like running on a dirt track at 200 plus. The drivers with great car control will be the one that gets up front. Tony Stewart is a driver with great car control and he won this race twice in 05 and then again in 06. With that in mind look for Tony to be right there at end that is if his team-mate doesn’t take him out. It should be a good race and a lot of action on this slippery track. If you’re near a TV on Saturday night it should be tuned in to this race for it will be good.
My Pick of the Week. After saying all this stuff about driving a loose race car the number one name that pops into my head is Kyle Busch. I love it when Darrell Wiltrip, Michael’s brother, would say, Kyle Busch the only driver in NASCAR that can go down the race track three wide by himself. That pretty much describes Kyle driving style which is anywhere that works. And it is working for he has 5 win already this season looking for number 6.
Kyle did well at Daytona back in February at 500 in fact when him and team-mate Denny Hamlin would hook-up there was no one that could run close. On Saturday night it could be more of the same but this time around Kyle Busch takes the checked. 
