The Pit Stall

I think I can get used to these Monday races.  I tend to be busy on most Sundays, so I miss alot of races, but thanks to the interwebs and a couple handy sites that post feeds to the races, I can listen and sometimes watch most events that are postponed to Mondays.  Yesterday I listened to most of the race, brought up the feed on my monitor to catch the replays of the Hornish, Gordon etc wreck and then the final few laps of the race.  My productivity level may not have been at an all time high though.

Tony Stewart runs a Heluva Good race to win at Watkins Glen.

I think Watkins Glen has to be my favourite race fantasy wise.  In the 3 years I’ve participated in the Yahoo! fantasy nascar game, I’m pretty sure this road course has been my top score each season.  On to the picks… 

Group 2 – Tony Stewart(2), Juan Montoya(2), Denny Hamlin(6), Kasey Kahne(4)

It was impossible for me not to start JPM and Tony considering they were both easily in the top 5 favourites going into the race.  I have built a big enough lead thus far to not have to worry about saving them, and just riding out the season with Logano, and a few others.  Tony and Juan did not disappoint, finishing 1st and 6th, contributing to a monster points day.  Tony also led the most for a solid bonus.  Hamlin and Kahne had decent finishes, with Denny 10th and Kahne 17th, after causing the wreck that sent Sam Hornish Jr spinning across the track, and damaging 5 cars.

Group 3 – Marcos Ambrose(2), Sam Hornish Jr(5)

Marcos Ambrose is in the same situation as Stewart and Montoya from the second group.  Clearly the class of the group at this track and not worth saving down the stretch.  He had a car capable of winning but had a few more laps on his tires then those around him down the stretch, and wound up finishing second to Stewart.  Still, it was Ambrose’s best finish in the Sprint Cup series, and completed a decent weekend, after winning the Nationwide event.  I have a feeling the Aussie might be in contention for a Chase spot next season, if he continues to improve at the rate he has in ’09.  Hornish was involved in a nasty wreck, and thankfully came out ok.  He ended up 36th.

Recap

• Points for this race: 383 (Ky Busch, Stewart, Montoya (Hamlin qual), Ambrose)
• Most Possible Points: 409 (Ky Busch (Johnson qual), Stewart, Ku Busch (Hamlin qual), Ambrose)
• Season Points : 6265
• Current Place : 1st
• Lead over 2nd : 635
• Overall Percentile : 98th (3328 overall) 

Photo Credit: AP Photo/ David Duprey

Filed under: Pit Picks, Road Courses by Site Admin - Tuesday, August 11th, 2009
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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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We’re just over a handful of races into the season for the 4ever3/NPO Nascar Pool, and since we have a week off and I have no picks to make for my Yahoo league, I figured now would be a good time to introduce some of the “Expert” or “Celebrity” teams that are participating.  I don’t know if all of the participants listed should be considered experts or not (especially when you look to see where I am in the standings), but they all run, or at least contribute to, NASCAR themed blogs/websites.

You can keep up with the full standings online (if not a member of the site) or join the league to view all teams, including picks.  Full details are on the NPO/4ever3 Pool page.

Teams are in order of current standing (as of the Southern 500 at Darlington).  With the scoring system we use, less is more!

1. NASCAR Ranting and Raving (Bob Ellis) – The brains behind the 4ever3 Blog and partner in crime for this pool.  Currently sitting in a tie for 8th place overall with 647 points.
2. Foothills Racing (James Jones) – One of the crew over at On Pit Row, which is part of the Fantasy Players Network.  He’s also leading the Expert Picks over there as well.  Tied for top spot among the experts with 647 points.
3. Shrute’s Beets (Mike Maruska) – Mike has joined the 4ever3 fold recently after a stint at One Bad Wheel.  Definitely has the best name of the bunch, even if it isn’t Nascar related.  He too has 647 points, and is tied for 8th overall.
4. On Pit Row (Charlie Turner) – Also from On Pit Row, Charlie is one of the voice’s of the radio show over there.  Tune in and give them a listen sometime.  Charlie sits a few spots back of the leaders in 20th overall, with 685 points. 
5. NASCAR Geek (Darren Fauth) – Darren ran One Bad Wheel up until recently…unfortunately the site is no longer being updated.  It was a quality resource for those who rely on statistics to make picks week to week.  Darren sits in 38th with 728 points.
6. Fast & Fabulous (Valli Hilaire) – Head on over to The Fast and The Fabulous blog to get Valli’s take on everything Nascar.  One of two women on our panel of “expert’s”, Valli just just behind Darren in 39th with 730 points.
7. RacerDogs (Lori Munro) – A very talented cartoon artist (which you can check out for yourself at Lori’s War Wagon) and radio personality (Race Talk Radio) etc etc etc.  Lori is currently in the middle of the pack in 55th with 762 points.
8. NascarPoolsOnline (Rick Scott) – That would be me.  I’m not doing so hot in this one, mired back in 77th with 813 points.  I take solace knowing that 1) it’s still early and 2) I’m rocking all of my other pools.
9. Gord The Talking Polar Bear (Jerry Wilson) – AKA The Diecast Dude of The Diecast Dude’s (Mostly) NASCAR Blah Blah Blog.  The Dude is in 82nd position with 835 points at this stage of the game.
10. Nascar Comix (David Heddle) – David is the creative force behind Nascar Comix.  David is just behind Jerry in 85th with 846 points.

So there you have it.  These are your so called “experts”.  We’ll check in from time to time throughout the season, to see where these 10 teams stand.  If I missed someone, I apologize.  Enjoy the All Star Race on Saturday night, and I’ll see you next week with my pics for the Coca-Cola 600.

Filed under: Site by Site Admin - Wednesday, May 13th, 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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