The Pit Stall

Wow…I’ve been seriously slacking.  Can’t believe it’s been since Dover that I’ve updated.  It’s been a busy start to the summer, so this kinda fell by the wayside.  I’m not sure if it was the fact that I was saving starts, or not putting the effort into my picks I had earlier in the season that has caused the recent run of lousy performance I’ve been on.  Either way, my summer slows down after next weekend and I should get back to regular updates, and with that, get my team back on track. 

The good news is that despite my brutal stretch of suckage, I’m still in first by a decent margin.  I’ve only dropped 58 points from my overall lead, and still have a 330 point cushion.  On to this week’s results…

 

Group 1 – Jimmie Johnson(6), Jeff Gordon(8)

Jimmie Johnson and crew celebrate by smooching the bricks at Indy

Both drivers had won multiple times at the track, with Jimmie taking 2 of the past 3, so he was pretty much a no brainer this week.  Thanks to a speeding penalty by Juan Montoya, Jimmie took the checkers and the trophy, and got to smooch the bricks.  Gordon also had a top 10, coming across the line in 9th.

Group 2 – Tony Stewart(3), Juan Montoya(4), Denny Hamlin(6), Joey Logano(9)

Tony was a co-favourite (along with Johnson) at what is considered his “home track”.  He didn’t disappoint, with a 3rd place finish, keeping him in the overall series lead.  Juan Montoya was my second pick for this race, due to his knowledge of the track and prior success (2nd place in 2007…we’ll just ignore the 2008 debacle for all intents and purposes).  This race was his to win, after he dominated for most of the event, but a pit road speeding penalty derailed that, and he ended up with an 11th place finish.  Hamlin had a dismal performance after running well recently, and finished 34th.  Logano finished just behind Montoya in 12th and continues to impress heading down the stretch.  I think he’ll get used a fair bit in the last 16 races…especially since the Stewart/Newman/JPM starts are dwindling.

Group 3 – AJ Allmendinger(4), Scott Speed(9)

I’ve left AJ on the bench since the announcement was made that he would be running more than just a handful of races.  After a recent rough stretch by my squad, I figured it was time to roll him back out there, since his performance has been better of late.  He ended up a respectable 20th place, which helped an overall solid week.  I had zero intentions of starting Speed, but he has qualified well in recent weeks, and I was hoping for some bonus points out of him.

Recap

• Points for this race: 343 (Johnson, Stewart, Montoya, Allmendinger)
• Most Possible Points: 373 (Johnson, Stewart, Vickers(Montoya, Earnhardt qual), Sorenson (Elliot qual))
• Season Points : 5609
• Current Place : 1st
• Lead over 2nd : 330
• Overall Percentile : 98th (5971 overall) 

Photo Credit: Ezra Shaw/Getty Images

Filed under: Pit Picks, Speedways by Site Admin - Monday, July 27th, 2009
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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
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Mother Nature is not a Kyle Busch fan.  She definitely made that clear this weekend, as Kyle came up empty handed in both the Nationwide and Sprint series races, despite having the dominant car in each event.  Kyle and many of the other race leaders pitting on cautions for rain handed Mike Bliss and David Reutimann victories, when the rains kept coming and the races were called.  I was happy to see Reutimann get to Victory Lane, but it would have been nice if he had ‘earned’ the first one.  Don’t be surprised if he does win a race later in the season, to validate what he accomplished this weekend.

David Reutimann wins the rain shortened 2009 Coca-Cola 600

Does anyone else think the countdown is on until Dale Earnhardt Jr has a new crew chief?  I can’t see Mr. Hendrick waiting around too long, after another dismal performance this weekend.  I’m not sure where they’d pull one from, since the other 3 Hendrick teams are performing quite well as is, but they have to do something, with Junior already 200+ points out of a Chase spot.

Group 1 – Mark Martin(8), Greg Biffle(9)

Mark Martin was tearing up the track yesterday.  He had a great car and I think he could have challenged for a win in a full race.  He was running with the leaders until a penalty for an errant tire on pit road put him to the back.  By the end of the race (which pretty much would have been the halfway point) he had worked himself back up to the top 15 and was still moving.  He ended up with a 17th place finish, which was a huge disappointment, considering how well he ran.  The Biff was towards the front for a bit after a two-tire stop jumped them 15 spots on a caution, but he was never really in contention and finished 20th.

Group 2 – Ryan Newman(6), Kasey Kahne(6), David Reutimann(8), Brian Vickers(8)

Ryan Newman continues his top 5 streak with a 2nd place finish.  He had a great car and was running with the leaders until a pit miscue dropped him down in the field.  He was working himself back through the field, and chose to stay out on the final caution which turned out to be a great move.  Kasey Kahne spent most of the race towards the front, and had the race gone the distance, he very likely would have been better than his 7th place finish.  I’m looking forward to seeing what he can do with the new Dodge engine in the coming weeks.  We’ve already covered Reutimann and his victory.  Vickers, like Kahne was in the mix all day, and ended up with a very positive result at 5th.  Solid picks all around in this group.

Group 3 – Bobby Labonte(7), Reed Sorenson(9)

I was really wanting to start Sorenson here to save Labonte in case I waste away my lead later in the season, but I just couldn’t do it.  I’m definitely glad I went with my gut on this one as Labonte had an solid 12th place finish, and Sorenson managed a 35th, one lap down of the winner.

Recap

• Points for this race: 313 (Martin, Newman, Kahne, Labonte)
• Most Possible Points: 412 (Busch (Gordon qual), Reutimann, Newman, Gordon)
• Season Points : 3489
• Current Place : 1st
• Lead over 2nd : 318
• Overall Percentile : 99th (1335 overall) 

Photo Credit: Rusty Jarrett/Getty Images for NASCAR

Filed under: Intermediates, Pit Picks by Site Admin - Tuesday, May 26th, 2009
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Since about the 5th race of the season, the Hendrick and Stewart Haas teams have been the class of the field.  I’d suspect much of the same this weekend.  I’m sure most teams will tab one of the 3 Hendrick cars in the top group, and at least one of Newman, Stewart, Junior in the second group to carry the torch for this race.  Picking the right combination will be the key.

 **The numbers beside the drivers names are how many races I have them available for (9 starts per driver)

Group 1 – Mark Martin(9) & Greg Biffle(9)

Jeff Gordon and Jimmie Johnson will be on a pile of rosters this weekend, but I’ve used them for 6 of 11 races already.  The next best option is Mark Martin, who excels at putting in laps, staying out of trouble, and being there when it matters.  In a 600 mile race, that strategy could pay big dividends, and if/when it does, I’ll gladly reap the benefits over those that took the top 2 dogs in the Hendrick shop.  Greg Biffle has been quietly putting together a solid stretch of good finishes, and is second only to Tony Stewart in average finish over the last 5 races.  He, like Johnson, excels at the cookie cutter tracks, and could very well put in a top 5 or 10.

Group 2 - Ryan Newman(7), Kasey Kahne(7), David Reutimann(8), Brian Vickers(8)

Newman has been one of the best performers of late, behind only Stewart and Biffle.  He should do well this weekend (and he starts on the pole…yeah, I didn’t realize quals were Thurs this week so I’m a little late getting this off), and I’d expect a solid top 10 run out of the #39.  Normally I’d go with Stewart as well, but I think I’m going to try and balance out my Hendrick Lite starts, and push Tony a little more when he traditionally does well and goes on a tear, in late June and July.  Kahne won the event last year and although I don’t think he’ll challenge for the win, I think he’ll lay down a solid performance in possibly his last race with the old Dodge engine (assuming RPM gives their top dog the new engine at Dover as is suspected).  Reutimann and Vickers were put on the roster, in hopes that Toyota power would earn some qual points…unfortunately neither could make the top 4, although Vickers laid down a run good enough for 8th.  I’m debating using him ahead of Kahne, figuring Kasey’s performance will pick up with the new motor, just like Kurt Busch’s did.

Group 3 – Bobby Labonte(8), Reed Sorenson(9)

I’ve used alot of Allmendinger and Ambrose already, and figured this week is as good as any to start spreading around some starts and prepping for the second half of the season.  Having close to a one race cushion on second place at this point in the season makes life alot easier, since I basically have a full mulligan.  Sorenson hasn’t qualifed well at all lately, but is improving his position an average of 17 spots each race, so I may just give him his first run of the year, despite his 42nd starting position.

Good luck with your picks and to all my American friends…have a great long weekend!

Filed under: Intermediates, Pit Picks by Site Admin - Friday, May 22nd, 2009
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I still have no idea what happened in this race beyond about 10 laps.  Another busy weekend for me between working and playing ball, so I just happened to sleep through most of the race, and was travelling for the last 60 or so laps. 

Mark Martin wins Southern 500 and poses with the trophy that is bigger than he is.

I think after 11 races in the season I’m ready to declare that one of 5 Hendrick (I include Stewart-Haas in this number) cars will be the champ.  This weekend 6 of 7 Hendrick cars finished 7th or better.  I don’t think that 7th car can stay with the status quo any longer…something needs to change.  I’d start with the crew chief. 

It was nice to see Keselowski follow up his ‘Dega win with a top 10.  Should be interesting to see what happens with him between now and the end of the season.  Will he hang around Henrick long enough to get a Cup ride, or will Jr move his Nationwide team up to the big show for him?

In my league, I won the spring segment, which doesn’t mean squat, but apparently I have a pretty little picture of a trophy now.  More importantly I gained another point on second place…working on giving myself a full race cushion in points.

Group 1 – Jeff Gordon(4) & Mark Martin(9)

I picked the winner in this group again this week, unfortunately I left him on the bench.  Another victory for Martin, who looks like he could give Jimmie and Jeff a run for their money in the Chase.  It’s hard to be too upset with leaving the winner on the bench when your other driver still drops a top 5.  Hendrick Motorsports is absolutely ridiculous this year.  I’ll keep burning Gordon starts early as long as he keeps ripping off top 5′s…that back issue could eventually be a problem.

Group 2 – Kurt Busch(5), Ryan Newman(7), Denny Hamlin(6), Brian Vickers(8)

Ryan Newman has really come on after that slow start, and is actually 3rd in points over the past 5 races.  He’s droppin top 5′s like they’re hot.  Kurt Busch had an OK finish, crossing the line in 16th position.  Was expecting a top 10, but this will do.  Hamlin finished 3 spots ahead of Busch, and Vickers was in an accident and finished several laps down in 31st.  I can’t say he was a serious consideration for the start…was pretty much just on the roster in hopes of a good qualifying effort.

Group 3 – Marcos Ambrose (5), Bobby Labonte(8)

This pick prevented me from being happy with my score this week.  Ambrose finished 33rd and Labonte 18th.  I’m still kicking myself for not starting Labonte, since Darlington is a track that tends to favour the experienced driver (then again Keselowski and Logano both had top 10s).  Ah well, I’m sure there will be several more brain-cramps as the season rolls on.

Recap

• Points for this race: 280 (Gordon, Ku. Busch, Newman, Ambrose)
• Most Possible Points: 382 (Martin (Kenseth qual), Stewart, Newman, Keselowski (Hornish qual))
• Season Points : 3176
• Current Place : 1st
• Lead over 2nd : 260
• Overall Percentile : 99th (1342 overall) 

Photo Credit: Rusty Jarrett/Getty Images

Filed under: Intermediates, Pit Picks by Site Admin - Monday, May 11th, 2009
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I was finally able to sit down and watch a race from pretty much start to finish on Saturday night.  Our ball team was playing in a tournament, so we’d played 3 games, out in the sun all day, and a beverage or two…so it was pretty sweet to plop down on the couch and watch a race in it’s entirety.  I’m glad the rain held off and they were able to get the race in.  I’m even happier that I had a solid week (best of the season so far), and expanded my lead in the pool.

Kyle Busch celebrates his birthday in style - winning the Russ Friedman 400 at Richmond

Pretty much all eight drivers I picked this week were running in or around the top 10 at various points of the race, including Denny Hamlin, who had a dominant car for most of the race and looked like he’d get the Richmond monkey off his back, until a lousy stop got him back in traffic and the car went away from him.  When all was said and done, 7 of the 8 had top 14 finishes.

Group 1 – Kyle Busch(7) & Jeff Gordon(5)

Two Kyle Busch starts, two Kyle Busch victories…you have to like that kind of consistancy.  After winning on his home track at Vegas, Kyle has now also added a win on his birthday, Saturday night at Richmond.  Gordon also had a top 10 finish, coming across in 8th position and regaining his lead in the series standings.  He led quite a few laps early and qualified second, making it a good overall scoring weekend for those who picked Jeffy.

Group 2 – Denny Hamlin(6), Tony Stewart(6), Ryan Newman(8), David Reutimann(8)

For most of the race, Hamlin had the car to beat, and led over a third of the laps.  Unfortunately a shot at victory was lost in the pits, thanks to what has become a real trouble spot for alot of teams…lugnut problems.  Hamlin lost several positions on the stop and the car, which was good on long runs, went away from him after a multitude of cautions in the final 100 laps.  Tony Stewart continued his solid first season as an owner/driver, with a second place finish to former teammate Busch.  I don’t think it will be long before we see one of those Stewart-Haas cars in Victory Lane.  Speaking of which, Stewart’s teammate, Ryan Newman dropped another top 5 run down, following up last weekends third at Talladega.  Reutimann dropped out of the top 12 in the standings with a 28th place finish, thanks to a late-race spin following some contact with the #83 Toyota.

Group 3 – Marcos Ambrose (6), Sam Hornish Jr(8)

Both of the bottom group drivers I tabbed this week had awesome finishes.  Hornish picked up his second career top 10 this weekend.  Unfortunately, I left him on the bench in favour of Ambrose, who was no slouch either, with an 11th place.  Definitely thrilled with the production out of this group this weekend.  It looks like I’ll be able to ride out these 2, with what’s left of AJ and spot start some road-course ringers, and an occasional Labonte or Sorenson for the remainder of the season.

Recap

• Points for this race: 350 (Busch (Gordon qual), Stewart, Hamlin, Ambrose)
• Most Possible Points: 390 (Busch (Gordon qual), Stewart, Newman (Vickers, Hamlin qual), Hornish)
• Season Points : 2896
• Current Place : 1st
• Lead over 2nd : 259
• Overall Percentile : 99th (1493 overall) 

Photo Credit: AP Photo/Steve Helber

Filed under: Pit Picks, Short Tracks by Site Admin - Monday, May 4th, 2009
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Anyway, we’re back to short track racing for the 4th time in the last 6 races (I consider anything a mile and under a short track).  The strongest teams on the shorties so far this season have been Hendrick and Hendrick Lite (Stewart-Haas), so loading up on those guys isn’t a bad idea.  I’ve also went with a couple guys who have run well here the past couple seasons, but just haven’t been able to seal the deal for one reason or another.

 **The numbers beside the drivers names are how many races I have them available for (9 starts per driver)

Group 1 – Kyle Busch(8) & Jeff Gordon(5)

Where doesn’t Kyle Busch run well?  You could pencil him in every week and be pretty confident he’ll be in the mix.  His average finish at Richmond is just outside the top 5, but he doesn’t have a win at Richmond…yet.  He was in contention for one last year until he mixed it up with the #88.  I’m expecting a top 5 out of ‘Shrub’ on Saturday night.  Jeff Gordon has fallen off a bit since a torrid start, but should get back on top of the heap this weekend.  He’s won at RIR twice, and has a handful of pole awards.  Even if I don’t start him this weekend, those qualifying bonus points add up.  The other Hendrick cars aren’t a bad start in this spot either…I’ll just keep hanging on to Jimmie for the stretch run.

Group 2 - Tony Stewart(7), Denny Hamlin(7), Ryan Newman(8), David Reutimann(8)

Was just looking through some stats after locking in my picks to back up what my gut told me…and Hamlin has the best average finish in the past 3 seasons at the short tracks, as well as the best average running position at Richmond for the past 4.  You can’t ignore that, especially for a driver outside of the top group.  Stewart and Newman fall into the Hendrick Lite group, and both excelled here prior to joining the organization.  Both have wins at Richmond, and Newman does have a pole award from the track as well.  Dale Jr is a popular pick in this spot, but I’m not entirely sold on him this season.  He lacks the consistancy he needs to be trusted week to week.  He’ll run well and then some mental error by him or his team puts him out of contention.  I’m gonna go with ‘The Franchise’, David Reutimann instead.  He could contend for some qualifying bonuses and I wouldn’t be surprised to see him around the top 10 on lap 400.

Group 3 – Marcos Ambrose(7), Sam Hornish Jr(8)

Marcos Ambrose has been easily the class of this group over the past 5 races with Reed Sorenson the only one that is even close.  In the short tracks so far this season, he’s run 10th, 14th and 14th.  That kind of consistency Group 3 gold!  Hornish has been improving greatly this season, and could be this year’s Reutimann with a strong second half if he can keep it up.  If not for rubbing the wall trying to avoid the 2nd big wreck last week, he’d have a nice little string of decent finishes going.

Good luck with your picks and enjoy some Saturday night racing!

Filed under: Pit Picks, Short Tracks by Site Admin - Friday, May 1st, 2009
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