The Pit Stall

Jimmie Johnson trying to out-flex Miles after winning the 2009 Autism Speaks 400

I was unable to catch any of the qualifying or practice results prior to this race (so my picks were what they were when I set them), nor was I able to watch the race, so I really have no clue what happened.  I really need to get in the routine of PVRing this stuff to watch afterwards.  My baseball playing habit is apparently much worse than my Nascar habit, so I have no insight into anything that went down on track from Friday to Sunday.  I think playing in a tournament with all proceeds going to a children’s charity (more specifically, a Neo-Natal Intensive Care unit at a hospital) gives me a decent excuse for this weekend.

The numbers in parentheses are how many starts I have remaining for each driver for the season.

Group 1 – Carl Edwards(8), Mark Martin(8)

It was a toss up between Edwards and Biffle in this spot but I chose Carl based on his recent performance (not necessarily finishes).  He ended up with a solid 7th place finish and led a few laps to pick up the 10 bonus points.  I was expecting a little better, but it definitely could have been worse.  Martin also knocked off another top 10 finish, working his way up from a 28th starting spot.

Group 2 – Ryan Newman(5), Juan Montoya(6), Denny Hamlin(6), Martin Truex Jr(9)

First the bad news…Ryan Newman’s top 5 streak is over.  The good news…he still had a decent day and finished in the top 10.  Montoya was my second pick in this group, getting the nod over the still yet to earn a start Truex.  He qualified well, starting inside the second row, but finished 30th after blowing a right front tire before the halfway point of the race.  Truex would have been a slightly better option with a 21st place finish, and Hamlin also blew a tire and finished several laps down in 36th after competing for the lead at the midpoint.

Group 3 – Sam Hornish Jr(7), Bobby Labonte(7)

Hornish had been decent lately, and I’d only used him once up until this weekend, so he got the start.  Pretty thrilled with a 12th place qual and 13th place finish out of my final group driver.  Labonte didn’t fare quite so well, finishing 28th.  I thought maybe some of that Roush success would brush off on the little brother Yates team…apparently not.

Recap

• Points for this race: 275 (Edwards, Newman, Montoya, Hornish)
• Most Possible Points: 372 (Johnson, Stewart, Ku. Busch (Reutimann, Kahne qual), Hornish (Sorenson qual))
• Season Points : 3764
• Current Place : 1st
• Lead over 2nd : 386
• Overall Percentile : 99th (1318 overall) 

Photo Credit: Jason Smith/Getty Images for NASCAR

Filed under: Pit Picks, Short Tracks by Site Admin - Monday, June 1st, 2009