The Pit Stall

Some more short track bumpin’ and bangin’ is on tap for this weekend as the Cup Series makes the short trip east (from Bristol) to Martinsville.  This track may be close to the same length as Bristol, but it’s a whole different race.  Martinsville has long straights and tight corners, without alot of banking.  This puts good brakes at a premium for this race, and you’ll see alot of glowing rotors throughout.  A good qualifying effort is pretty important here, as there aren’t multiple grooves to run on this track and it’s alot tougher to move through the field, plus if you start at the back, the lead cars will be on your tail in no time.

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

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

Jeff Gordon has won at ‘the paperclip’ 7 times in his career, and also has 7 poles to go with them.  He hasn’t won on the track since 2005, but he’s run consistantly well so far this season, and should be in the top 5 when all is said and done.  This is one of the tracks Kyle Busch hasn’t won at yet (at least not in the Cup Series), but in my opinion he’s flat out the best driver on the track, and could get one this weekend.  Jimmie Johnson is another solid option here, but I like saving quite a few Johnson starts for the end of the season where he rips off great finishes like it’s nothing.  He’s won 4 of the last 5 here and 5 overall.  He’ll most likely get the start in the fall race at Martinsville.

Group 2 - Kurt Busch(7), Denny Hamlin(8), Ryan Newman(9), Juan Montoya(9)

Look for Hamlin to follow up a second place finish last week with another good finish this week.  He’s a short track guy, and won last season’s spring race at this, his home track.  Kurt has a Martinsville victory under his belt, and is the only driver to win that’s started beyond 21st position.  He’s been running consistently well this season, and should be in the mix in the final laps.  Ryan Newman finally put together a solid run, and picked his first top 10 with the new team.  That said, he’s mainly here on his qualifying prowess this week.  Road course guys tend to excel on flatter tracks, so Montoya is definitely worth a look, even though there aren’t any right turns this weekend.

Group 3 – Marcos Ambrose(9), AJ Allmendinger(5)

As I mentioned with Montoya, road course guys tend to run better on the flat tracks than they do on the banked ovals.  By that logic, Ambrose should be better than he was last week, and improve on a 10th place finish.  That’d be ideal, but I’ll take something in the top 20 and barring a disaster, Ambrose should end up there.  I think Allmendinger could put down a solid finish in this race as well, but I like the experience of Ambrose a little more.  We’ll have to see what happens in qualifying to nail down who gets the start.  Also keep in mind the ‘Dinger is comfortably in the top 35 and has secured sponsorship for an additional 4 races beyond the original 9 he was supposed to run.

Good luck with your picks and have a great weekend!

Filed under: Pit Picks, Short Tracks by Site Admin - Friday, March 27th, 2009
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It’s a good time to be a Busch.  Kyle, the younger of the 2 brothers extended the family winning streak to 3 races with a dominant victory in the Food City 500 at Bristol.  Don’t be surprised to see one or both of the Vegas natives up front this coming weekend at Martinsville, trying to make it 4.

One of the bigger stories of the race would have to be Mark Martin and Ryan Newman.  Both were in danger of being a go or go homer at Martinsville, thanks to some bad luck to start the season.  They both nailed down top 10s to give them a little bit of breathing room from the 36th position.

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

I gave Gordon the start as I expected him to get his first win in this one.  He managed a 4th place finish, yet didn’t lead a single lap.  Definitely a finish that doesn’t hurt in the grand scheme of things.  Kyle on the other hand dominated the race leading almost 80% of the laps, and finishing 1st.

Group 2 – Denny Hamlin(8), Kasey Kahne(7), Kurt Busch(7), Tony Stewart(7)

I went with Hamlin and Kahne for this one, and was rewarded with a pair of top 5 finishes.  Hamlin finished 2nd and led for 7 laps, and Kahne finished 5th.  Busch and Stewart weren’t terrible options either with 11th and 17th place finishes respectively.

Group 3 – Aric Almirola(8), Bobby Labonte(9)

Almirola had a decent qualifying effort, rolling off in 18th, but finished a lackluster 35th.  Labonte on the other hand put in a decent Group 3 performance, with a 22nd place finish. 

Recap

• Points for this race: 286 (Gordon, Hamlin, Kahne, Almirola)
• Most Possible Points: 393 (Ky. Busch(Martin qual), Hamlin, Newman, Ambrose)
• Season Points : 1450
• Current Place : 1st
• Lead over 2nd : 73
• Overall Percentile : 99th (2059 overall) 

Photo Credit: Rusty Jarrett/Getty Images for NASCAR

Filed under: Pit Picks, Short Tracks by Site Admin - Wednesday, March 25th, 2009
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Is it just me, or does a weekend off make it seem like there is about a month between races?  Plus it seems like a pretty silly time to take a weekend off.  I could understand if Easter fell on this weekend, but to throw a break in before the top 35 rule begins to go by this season’s owner points seems somewhat counter productive to keeping a captive audience.  But what do I know?  I’m just a fan. 

The series is off to Bristol for some short track madness this weekend.  Bristol Motor Speedway is just over a half mile in length and features some relatively high banking, and until the resurfacing a couple years ago, used to promote lots of bumpin and banging all over the track.  The resurfacing allowed more side by side racing and now you don’t have to push someone out of the way, you can actually pass without a ‘friendly’ nudge.

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

Group 1 – Jeff Gordon(9) & Kyle Busch(8)

Jeff Gordon has won the Bristol spring race 4 times in his career, taking the checkers 4 straight years (’95 – ’98), and the fall race once.  He has 5 pole awards to go with those 5 wins as well, and I’ll take all of the bonus points I can get.  Plus he leads the series heading into the race, so you know he’s performing.  I won’t be overly surprised if he wins either here or next weekend at Martinsville.   Kyle Busch has one victory at the track, but is third overall in average short track finish over the past 3 seasons to Gordon, and another solid choice in this spot, Kevin Harvick.

Group 2 - Kurt Busch(7), Denny Hamlin(9), Kasey Kahne(8), Tony Stewart(7)

Like Gordon, the elder Busch has 4 spring race victories at Bristol, and one in the fall.  He hasn’t been quite as successful in qualifying though, but does have one pole to show for his efforts.  Denny Hamlin’s background is short tracks, and I usually like to use him for most of the races under a mile.  He’s better on the flatter tracks at Martinsville and Richmond, but still a solid performer here.  Tony is having a terrific start to his ownership endeavor.  He sits 6th in points and has 3 top 10′s so far.  I’ve already burned 2 of his starts, so I’m more apt to save him to when he traditionally gets hot, the summer.  Kasey has had a solid start to the season.  He has only one top 10 finish (7th last race at Atlanta), but sits inside the top 10 in the driver standings.  That usually means consistancy, and that’s exactly what you want out of your drivers in a fantasy set up like this.

Group 3 – Aric Almirola(9), Bobby Labonte(9)

I’m giving Allmendinger a one week hiatus, as he has not been very good at short tracks in his short career.  Almirola on the other hand has been decent for a guy that’s been given limited seat time.  He has an average finish of 19th at the track and was inside the top 15 for both races last season.  That’d be gold for a group 3 driver.  Labonte is the class of this group no matter how you look at it, and should get a long look each week.  Personally I’d like to save him for a little later in the season, once most of my competitors have burned his starts and are stuck with guys outside the top 35 and spot starters.  Having an advantage like that down the stretch can be huge, and easily the difference between winning and losing.

Good luck with your picks and have a great weekend!

Filed under: Pit Picks, Short Tracks by Site Admin - Friday, March 20th, 2009
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Another eventful race is in the books of this 2008 Nascar Sprint Cup series season.  Jimmie Johnson did all he could to put this Chase for the Championship away, with his 3rd straight win at Phoenix, but Carl Edwards patiently worked his way through the field to finish 4th, keeping his slim chances at a title alive.  Johnson needs only a 36th place finish at Homestead-Miami to clinch the title, regardless of what Edwards does.  Everyone else have now been eliminated from contention.

This week pretty much clinched the title in my fantasy league.  A solid 300+ point race boosted my lead to over 200 points, which is near impossible to pick up in one week.  It’ll be nice to wrap up my first ever championship in a Nascar pool, after placing 2nd in two leagues in 2007.  I’ll comment more on results in other leagues once the season is complete.

Group 1 – Jimmie Johnson(0) & Carl Edwards(2)

I used my 9th and last start for Johnson in the desert, and was rewarded with max points for the win, pole and most laps lead.  A much needed, almost perfect performance by the #48 team was key in my team boosting it’s lead over my competition, who had started Edwards, and earned top 5 finish.  Jimmie is now my only option not available for the season finale.

Group 2 – Kyle Busch(0), Ryan Newman(2), Mark Martin(0), Martin Truex Jr(7)

This group was the key to victory in this race.  It was set up for disaster as I had Truex Jr and Newman set to start up until the morning of the race, and switched them out for the experience and consistency of Martin, in his last race at DEI, and Kyle Busch.  Truex Jr’s engine went very early in the race and he finished 43rd, while Newman finished 11 laps down in 34th, after having an early tire problem, serving a pit road penalty and eventually having to spend some time in the garage area fixing a sway bar problem.  Kyle Busch finished 8th and Mark Martin 14th, neither were ever really in contention for the lead, but still came away with respectible finishes.

Group 3 – Travis Kvapil(3), David Reutimann(1)

Reutimann ended up getting yet another start this week, and although he began the race up front, he ended up coming across the line in 25th position.  Not terrible from this group of drivers, but not great either.  Kvapil would have been the better option as he ended up finishing 21st.  This group was a wash for the week as the challenging team also started the #44.  Of course after not putting Allmendinger on the roster for the week, he was the top Group 3 finisher.

Recap

• Points for this race: 303 (Johnson, Truex Jr, Ky Busch, Reutimann)
• Most Possible Points: 365 (Johnson, McMurray, Biffle or Earnhardt Jr (Ku Busch qual), Allmendinger (Reutimann qual))
• Season Points : 9555
• Current Place : 1st
• Lead over 2nd : 203
• Overall Percentile : 97th

Filed under: Pit Picks, Short Tracks by Site Admin - Sunday, November 9th, 2008
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 This week the Cup series is off to Arizona for the penultimate race of the season, and of course the Chase.  Jimmie Johnson still holds a 106 point lead over Carl Edwards, and has been consistantly great at the 1 mile tri-oval, with finishes of 1st, 1st, 2nd and 4th over his last four races.  Jimmie could end the championship race this weekend for all intents and purposes by picking up 90 points on Carl.  If he feels like showing up next weekend at Miami, the margin over Edwards he needs to clinch is 56.  That’s the 90, minus the worst possible 34 points he would get for being in the field in the Ford 400.

My 110 point lead should hold up over the final 2 races, unless something drastic happens.  Looking at who I have for this week, and who my opponent has this week, the probability for common drivers again is high.  The past 2 or 3 races, we’ve shared at least 2 drivers, which makes it tougher for big swings in the standings, which benefits the team in the lead.  I’ve been able to come out on top by small margins to pad my modest lead.  On to the picks!

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

Group 1 – Jimmie Johnson(1) & Carl Edwards(2)

Quite a few solid options in group A this week as 7 of the 10 drivers in this group have won at the track.  Jimmie Johnson has finished no worse than 15th at Phoenix, and has 4 consecutive Top 5 finishes, including back to back wins last fall and this spring.  He’s pretty much the go-to this weekend, since I have no interest in saving him for Homestead-Miami.  Despite never winning here, I tabbed Carl as my back up, since he’s on a roll.  He said 3 weeks ago, his only shot would be to win the final 4 races, and after taking the first 2, it is tough to doubt him. 

Group 2 – Kyle Busch(1), Mark Martin(1), Ryan Newman(2), Martin Truex(7)

This is Mark Martin’s final race for DEI before heading off to greener pastures.  No he’s not finally retiring…just jumping over to Hendricks.  Although he has only one win at Phoenix (’93), he does average a finish inside the top 10 over the past 10 years, with a worst finish of 19th.  That’s the kind of consistancy you need down the stretch to close out a pool.  Kyle Busch has won here, and has turned his performance back around in recent weeks and should get the nod as the second starter in this group.  Newman is on the roster for his qualifying efforts, and Truex Jr is second only to Mark Martin in this group for average finish at the track.  He’s never finished higher than 7th in 5 tries, but he’s also finished no worse than 22nd.

Group 3 – Travis Kvapil(3), David Reutimann(2)

As much as I’ve been pimping AJ Allmendinger the past couple weeks, he’s never actually run a race at the track (at least in the Cup series), and has to earn his spot on time.  I’d prefer to go with two guys locked into the race so I’ll definitely have options come Sunday.  While I don’t think either of these drivers have top 10 potential this week, avoiding a disaster and finishing mid-pack is pretty much all I need over the last two weeks out of this category.  Both drivers finished around the 20th place spot in the spring.

Filed under: Pit Picks, Short Tracks by Site Admin - Friday, November 7th, 2008
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What a surprise, Jimmie Johnson wins at Martinsville.  Not only did he win, he dominated leading close to two-thirds of the race.  There was a little scare towards the end of the race when Bill Elliot came down on the front of his car, but luckily there was no tire rub and they managed to hold on for the victory in a green white checkers finish.  The entire Hendrick team finished in the top 6 with Earnhardt Jr in 2nd, Jeff Gordon in 4th and Casey Mears in 6th.  The win gave Jimmie a boost in the Chase standings, increasing his lead over second to 149 points.  If he can pick up another 20 points or so on the competition over the next 3 weeks, this thing could be wrapped up before Miami.

It was a solid week in the pool for my squad, picking up the points we dropped last week at Charlotte and getting the lead back to 64 points with 4 races to go, and still having quality options left to start.  These qualifying rainouts are killing me, since I tend to pick my subs according to who qualifies well at a track, and I’m missing out on points there.

Group 1 – Jimmie Johnson(2) & Jeff Gordon(2)

This race was the reason I saved that Jimmie start a couple weeks ago in Talladega.  It paid off with a Jimmie win here, but in the long run it was pretty much a wash, with Gordon’s brutal finish that week, and solid run this week.  Johnson picked up the max 110 points and Gordon finished with a top 5 as well.

Group 2 – David Ragan(3), Kyle Busch(1), Ryan Newman(2), Bobby Labonte(9)

Ragan was the best of the bunch in this group, with a 13th place finish thanks to a late spin when he was running inside the top 10, and Busch’s Chase woes continued.  It’s crazy to see how a season so promising can go straight into the crapper in no time.  You almost feel bad for the guy.  It’s definitely going to be interesting to see how he rebounds in 09.  Newman and Labonte both finished multiple laps off the pace. I originally had Earnhardt and Mears as my other 2 drivers, since Hendrick runs well here…definitely kicking myself for not leaving them on the roster.

Group 3 – Aric Almirola(7), Paul Menard(8)

Almirola finished with a 20th place finish, three laps off the pace, but at least was a factor at one point in the race, leading 53 laps and earning a 10 point bonus, giving him 15th place points.  Menard finished where he started, back in 27th position.  One driver to look at over the next 4 races in this group is AJ Allmendinger.  Throw out his early accident last weekend for MWR, and he’s posted some solid finishes of late.  With any luck he’ll finish strong and get a long look from some other teams in the garage.

Recap

• Points for this race: 272 (Johnson, Ragan, Ky. Busch, Almirola)
• Most Possible Points: 348 (Johnson, Earnhardt Jr, Mears, Vickers)
• Season Points : 8659
• Current Place : 1st
• Lead over 2nd : 64
• Overall Percentile : 96th

Filed under: Pit Picks, Short Tracks by Site Admin - Monday, October 20th, 2008
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We’ve reached the mid point of the Chase for the Championship in the Sprint Cup series, and prepare for the shortest track of the 10 race playoff.  The relatively flat track, which is just over a half mile in length, features long straightaways with a short turn around at each end, earning it the ‘paperclip’ moniker.  Breaking in and smooth acceleration out of the corners is key here, but that’s easier said than done with 43 cars crammed over the half mile.  Experience seems to be key at Martinsville, considering so many drivers have multiple wins here.  Look for a few of the veterans of the series to be up front when all is said and done.

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

Group 1 – Jimmie Johnson(3) & Jeff Gordon(2)

When it comes to the paperclip at Martinsville, these two drivers are hands down your best choices.  In the past 6 seasons, they’ve each won 4 races, with the field winning 3.  Either driver should be a good bet this week, but with qualifying rained out and Johnson having the pick of pit stalls and the pole, he gets the edge.  If Jimmie runs anything like he has in recent weeks, he should pick up his 4th win in the past 5 races at the Virginia track.  If you’re out of starts of the Hendrick stars, Denny Hamlin was the spring race winner on his ‘home’ track, and traditionally excels on the short tracks.

Group 2 – Kyle Busch(2), David Ragan(4), Bobby Labonte(9), Ryan Newman(2)

Kyle Busch was the easy pick for this group, having scored a pair of top 5s at Martinsville last season.  He didn’t finish well in the spring race this season, but Gibbs cars are traditionally strong here.  I took Newman mostly for qualifying purposes, but for the 9th time this season, quals were rained out and he was useless to me.  David Ragan will most likely get the other start in this group on the strength of his recent results, being the best of the non-Chase competitors.  Bobby Labonte is pretty consistent, and had a decent run at Charlotte last week.  I put him on the roster as a ‘safe’ pick, as I’m holding on to a lead of less than 50 points over 2nd. 

Group 3 – Aric Almirola(8), Paul Menard(8)

I’m still undecided who to run in this group come Sunday, but I’m currently leaning towards Almirola.  Sharing a car/team with someone with Mark Martin’s experience has to accelerate the learning curve.  Martin has been running good races with solid finishes, which proves the equipment is there for Aric to do the same, plus the field is set on owner points, which puts him towards the front of the non-Chasers.  At the short tracks position is everything.  I went with Menard to both save starts for a couple other drivers, and over the past 5 races, he’s garnered the most points of any driver in the group.

There’s this week’s roster for my squad.  With any luck, they’ll run well and provide me with a little breathing room on the 2nd place team.  Let me know your thoughts on who I’m planning to start.  I need all the help I can get wrapping up this title, and the prize that goes with it, after finishing just shy of the championship last season.

Filed under: Pit Picks, Short Tracks by Site Admin - Friday, October 17th, 2008
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