September 29, 2009

Yahoo! Kansas Preview

Five of the final eight races will be run on similarly-configured, 1.5- and two-mile tracks, so this week will set the tone for the rest of the Chase Find out who'll be strong in this week's Yahoo! Preview (.pdf).

September 27, 2009

Johnson sweeps Dover

Jimmie Johnson completed the sweep of Dover after leading the most laps and dominating the closing laps of the AAA 400.

Our View If Johnson wasn't your favorite to win a fourth straight championship before today, you have to give it some serious thought now.

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Possible problems for Ku Busch

According to a tweet from @BobPockrass, Kurt Busch had electrical issues this morning, mot likely because of the heavy moisture. The team believes this problem is fixed, however.

Our View Unfortunately, electrical problems are pesky little gremlins. Busch will probably be all right, but you want to be aware of the possible problem.

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Dover pit stall selections

Jayski.com has posted the pit stall selections and as expected, Jimmie Johnson took the final stall leaving pit road.

Our View Juan Montoya and Ryan Newman are the only two other drivers with openings in front of them and this pit is extremely tight, so those are the only truly good stalls.

Greg Biffle, David Reutimann and Kasey Kahne each have an opening at the back.

Pit stall selection can often be the final piece of the puzzle for fantasy owners.

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Competition caution coming at Dover

NASCAR will throw a competition caution on lap 25 at Dover because of heavy rain overnight and this morning that washed the rubber off the track—whenever the AAA 400 starts, that is.

Our View Of course, Mother Nature has her own plans and rain keeps popping up and the race will most likely be delayed. The afternoon forecast is for clear skies, however.

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Hamilton wins Singapore GP

Lewis Hamilton posted his second victory of the season by winning the Singapore Grand Prix after starting from the pole.

Our View Hamilton's first win this season didn't come until race 10 and the Hungarian Grand Prix and previous to that his best result was fourth in the Gulf Air Bahrain Grand Prix. Since Hungary, however, Hamilton has three poles and two wins in five races plus another runner-up result in Spain.

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September 26, 2009

N'Wide: Bowyer wins at Dover

Kyle Busch dominated Dover early but Clint Bowyer had the right handle when it mattered most. He held off late-race charges by Busch, Mike Bliss and Brad Keselowski to win his second career race on the concrete high banks.

Our View In addition, Bowyer now has a seven-race top-10 streak there.

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Johnson wins 1st Sat. Dover practice

Jimmie Johnson had the quickest average speed in Dover's first Saturday practice session with a speed of 148.984 during 29 laps.

Our View Johnson's fastest single lap of 151.989 was fourth best, which makes him just as appealing as Kurt Busch. He's bound to be a little more expensive in salary cap games, however.

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Ku Busch fastest in 1st Sat. Dover practice

Kurt Busch posted both the single fastest lap of 153.035 and the second quickest average speed of 148.943 mph during 33 laps.

Our View Last week, Busch was also fast in practice and at the end of the Sylvania 300 he was battling for the lead. If you were on the fence about him; this might push you over the edge.

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Finch to run fulltime in 2010?

NASCAR has requested that James Finch field a fulltime car in 2010, according to Lee Spencer, which reveals that the economic situation is not expected to be any better next year and full fields will be hard to come by.

Our View From a competitive standpoint the start and park drivers—which has been Finch's role in most of this year's races—have been frustrating, but it limits fantasy owners choices and makes their job just that much easier.

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September 25, 2009

Yahoo! Qualification Story – Dover

Jimmie Johnson, Juan Montoya, Ryan Newman, Greg Biffle, David Reutimann and Kasey Kahne provide you with a diverse list of marquee drivers and sleepers on the first three rows, which makes the game interesting this week. Check out the Dover edition of the Yahoo! qualification story .pdf story.

Danica staying in IndyCar

According to the Indianapolis Star, Danica Patrick will be staying in the Indy Racing League for three more years after signing a three-year deal with Andretti-Green Racing.

Our View One has a sense that this story is not complete yet. Could we still see Patrick in one of the junior NASCAR series during the next three years?

That would allow her to truly decide if she wants to race the heavier stockers and make her a more well-rounded driver.

Johnson wins Dover pole

Jimmie Johnson backed up his fastest time in practice with the fastest time in qualification and will lead the field to the green on Sunday after posting a lap of 157.356 mph.

Our View Johnson was the winner this spring and he is well positioned to earn a second consecutive Hendrick Motorsports victory in the Chase.

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Johnson fastest in Dover practice 1

Jimmie Johnson posted the fastest single lap of practice at Dover International Speedway in practice for the AAA 400. His top lap of 158.026 was more than one mile per hour faster than second-place Ryan Newman with a 157.020.

Our View The top of the board was dominated by Chasers. In addition to Johnson and Newman, Juan Montoya (156.986), Greg Biffle (156.952) and Kurt Busch (156.474) rounded out the top five.

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September 22, 2009

Yahoo! Dover Preview

Last week the Chasers got off to a strong start at New Hampshire. Guess what, the same thing is going to happen again this week at Dover. Find out why in this week's Yahoo! preview (.pdf).

September 19, 2009

Montoya wins NH Happy Hour

Juan Montoya completed his sweep of fast times with another first in Happy Hour. His lap of 130.376 mph was joined by the fastest time on Friday (132.485), the fastest time in Saturday morning (130.131) and the pole for the Sylvania 300 (133.431).
If that were not enough: Montoya also had the quickest average speed of 128.337 during 39 laps in Happy Hour.

Our View This is just too good to overlook, but fantasy owners know all too well that the race is a living organism and trouble can strike at any time.
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Hamlin wins NH Sat. am practice

Races are won during long runs and Denny Hamlin posted the quickest average speed of 128.303 during 43 laps.

Our View Hamlin was our pre-weekend favorite and his fourth-place qualification effort and this practice only confirms our opinion.

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Montoya fastest in NH Sat. am practice

Juan Montoya posted the single fastest lap in the morning practice session for the Sylvania 300 with a speed of 130.131 mph. This proves his pole winning run on Friday was not a fluke.

Our View You are seeing a lot of Montoya's name this weekend. Expect him to keep his strength into the race and record a solid top-10 finish.

His average speed wasn't bad either. With a 128.208 during 33 laps, he landed third on the grid.

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September 18, 2009

Yahoo! Qualification Story – New Hampshire

The Chasers are getting off to a strong start by qualifying in the top five positions. Can they keep up the pace? Our opinion is available in this week's Yahoo! qualification story (.pdf).

Cope, Bean going home from New Hampshire

Derrike Cope and Dexter Bean had the two slowest cars in New Hampshire qualification and will be the ones heading to the house early.

Our View No surprises here. Those two drivers were also the slowest in practice.

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Montoya wins New Hampshire pole

Juan Montoya took his second career pole at New Hampshire with a speed of 133.431. His previous fastest lap came at Talladega SuperSpeedway this April.

Our View Back in April, he slipped to a 20th-place finish, but the plate tracks are more about track position and the drafting pack. Montoya could be a sleeper this week on the short, flat track that requires many of the same skills as a road course.

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Montoya tops New Hampshire practice 1

Juan Montoya jumped to the top of the leaderboard at New Hampshire Motor Speedway late in the first practice session, with a speed of 132.485 mph.

Our View Montoya could be a sleeper on any given week. He ran consistent in the last 10 races of the regular season, but had to be conservative. Starting this week, the bit should be out of his mouth.

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September 15, 2009

Yahoo! New Hampshire Preview

While the media focuses on 12 drivers during the next 10 weeks, fantasy owners will be looking for some great values outside that group. So will we in this week's Yahoo! preview (.pdf).

September 14, 2009

Inspection complete

Both the post-race tear down and the engine inspection is complete following the Chevy Rock & Roll 400 at Richmond and everyone passed.

Our View Most fantasy games don't adjust points for penalties, but it's still nice to carry into the next race without any negative press.

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MWR confirms Tryson

According to a tweet from @MartySmith, Michael Waltrip Racing has confirmed that Pat Tryson will be the crew chief for Martin Truex Jr. next year in the Cup series.

Our View It remains to be seen if the short time status of Tryson will affect Kurt Busch's Chase efforts. Follow the No. 2 team with some caution.

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R Gordon wins off-road race at Primm

Last weekend, Robby Gordon turned his car over to David Gilliland so he could race in the Primm 300 off-road race. It paid off; he won over Rob MacCachren by only a minute, according to Race-dezert.com.

Our View It's rare to see a NASCAR driver forego a points' paying Cup race, so this underscores Gordon's love of his off-road roots.

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September 12, 2009

With career best Richmond finish, Vickers makes the Chase

Brian Vickers earned his first career top-10 at Richmond since his inaugural start in 2004 (in which he finished eighth) with a solid seventh-place finish and that was enough to clinch his first NASCAR Sprint Cup Chase berth.

Our View By the numbers, he was a long shot, but this is why they run the race and Vickers is one of two drivers to make his first playoff appearance.

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Hometown Hamlin wins Richmond

After dominating most of the night, our pre-race favorite Denny Hamlin won the Chevy Rock & Roll 400.

Our View Yee haw.

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September 11, 2009

Richmond pit stalls

Jayski has posted the pit stall selections, and as expected Mighty Mark Martin has taken the best spot after winning the pole for the Chevy Rock & Roll 400.

Our View Martin Truex Jr and Kasey Kahne have the only other two spots with an opening in front of them, but Brian Vickers, Jeff Gordon and Brad Keselowski chose stalls with openings behind them.

This could be especially positive for Keselowski, who is bound to be cheap in cap games and under-utilized in allocation games.

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N'Wide: Crippled Carl wins Richmond

Carl Edwards won the Richmond Nationwide race with one foot tied behind his back. Broken right foot and all, he outpaced the field after taking the lead late in the Virginia 529 College Savings 250.

Our View Edwards had to come from the back of the pack after a poor qualification effort. This gives him confidence entering the Saturday night Cup race, but his record is still not good enough to recommend starting him in the big show.

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Ku Busch loses crew chief

If the stress of the Chase were not enough, SPEED TV reported on Friday that Kurt Busch would lose his crew chief Pat Tryson at the end of the 2009 season.

Our View This situation could deteriorate in a hurry if the No. 2 team starts to struggle, so keep a close eye on Busch. If you are in conflict about starting him at all, err on the side of caution.

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Yahoo! Qualification Story – Richmond

Nearly all of the bubble boys will be clustered together on the start grid, adding to the drama of the final regular season race. The most popular Yahoo! players are together as well, so check out this week's qualification story .pdf story.

And in case you missed it, click here for this week's preview.

Martin wins Richmond Happy Hour

Mark Martin posted the quickest average speed in Happy Hour practice at Richmond, with a speed of 122.013 mph during 11 laps.

Our View That was a relatively short run, but he was also third-best in the morning session. His fastest lap in Happy Hour was third on the grid, so he should be considered a favorite to win both the pole and the race.

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Montoya fastest in Happy Hour

Juan Montoya had a seesaw Happy Hour session, but when the red and black flags were waved to signal its end, he was at the top of the charts with a lap of 124.412 mph.

Our View Montoya has been strong on the short tracks this year, but he has yet to score a top-five. If you are content with a top-10 at his level, however, he's still a good value.

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Truex wins Richmond practice 1

Martin Truex Jr. posted the quickest average speed in the first Richmond practice session among drivers working primarily on race trim. His average speed was 119.718 mph during 25 laps.

Our View After dominating early last week at Atlanta and falling off the pace late in the Pep Boys Auto 500, Truex needs redemption, but it's unlikely to come here. He has only one top-five in seven starts with an average of 23.9.

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Nemechek fastest in Richmond practice 1

Joe Nemechek posted the fastest single lap of practice in the morning session, with a lap of 122.867 mph.

Our View As one of the "go-or-go-home" drivers, he only turned 12 laps, but as a start and parker, this is pretty much the only thing on his agenda.

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F1: Sutil paces Italy GP practice 2

Adrian Sutil posted the fastest lap in the second practice for the Italian Grand Prix with less than five minutes remaining in the session.

Our View As impressive as that was, it was more notable that the driver he kicked off the top spot was Romain Grosjean, the rookie driver in the second Renault entry.

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RPM – Yates to merge

Richard Petty Motorsports and Yates Racing announced an intention to merge their companies in 2010. Kasey Kahne, A.J. Allmendinger, Elliott Sadler and Paul Menard will be the drivers and the entity will race Fords.

Our View That leaves Bobby Labonte and Reed Sorenson out of rides next year.

This has to be one of the most convoluted entities of all time since RPM is made up of a merger between Petty and Gillett-Evernham Motorsports and Yates, who absorbed Hall of Fame Racing at the start of this year. The economy makes strange bedfellows, and it is not improving competition.

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September 8, 2009

Yahoo! Richmond Preview

Only 44 cars will be entered this week, but there are still some pretty good dark horse choices this late in the season. Find out our best bets in this week's Yahoo! preview (.pdf).

September 6, 2009

Kahne wins seesaw battle over Harvick

The night was filled with comers and goers, but a late-race caution gave the edge to Kasey Kahne. His short run setup was better than Kevin Harvick's and he sprinted out to the lead with a handful of laps remaining.

Our View Three drivers dominated at different times. Harvick led 66 laps compared to Kahne's 60, but Martin Truex Jr. led the most laps at the start of the Pep Boys Auto 500 and headed the field for 68 circuits.

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September 5, 2009

N'Wide: Harvick dominates Atlanta

Kevin Harvick led 131 laps and dominated the Degree V12 300, but the victory was still in question during the final laps as Dale Earnhardt Jr. tried to turn the race into a fuel mileage gamble. It didn't matter, Harvick ran down the leaders and won.

Our View Harvick also had to overcome a seven-second mistake on pit road. That showed a lot of strength.

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Yahoo! Qualification Story – Atlanta

Starting position is of critical importance at Atlanta, so the drivers starting on the first five rows should dominate this week's roster. Check out this week's Yahoo! qualification story (.pdf) to see who is hot prior to Sunday's race.

Truex wins third career pole

Martin Truex Jr. utilized cool conditions to win his second pole of the season and the third of his career with a speed of 184.149 mph. He will lead the field to green on Sunday night, with Kasey Kahne on the outside of the front row.

Our View Qualification is extremely important at Atlanta, but the No. 1 team's luck has been abysmal. Outside pole sitter Kahne will be a better bargain this week.

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September 4, 2009

Gilliland in fourth Gibbs car for three races

Earlier this week it was announced that Bobby Labonte would replace David Gilliland in the No. 71 in seven of the final 12 races this season, which left the California native out of a ride in those events. He won't sit idle for at least two races, however, as he has been tagged to attempt to qualify a fourth Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota at Texas and Homestead-Miami with sponsorship from Farmer's Bureau Insurance, according to ESPN.com. Gilliland is also expected to run the Gibbs car at Lowe's Motor Speedway, which is not a race Labonte is scheduled to run in the No. 71, but there is no shortage of drivers waiting to take his place.

Our View Gilliland will be much more competitive in the Gibbs car than he was in the start and park Racer's Group ride.

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Elliott out, Gilliland in at Atlanta

According to a tweet from @NateRyan, David Gilliland will replace Bill Elliott in the No. 21 Wood Bros. Ford this week while Elliott heals from back problems.

Our View If you've lost track of the musical chairs, it has gone this way: Erick Darnell is in the No. 96 at Atlanta (and six more races), displacing Bobby Labonte (who is in the No. 71 for those same seven events), displacing David Gilliland who now is in the No. 21. This time of year is not known as the Silly Season without reason.

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Correction: Labonte not guaranteed to start Atlanta

Bobby Labonte will not be able to use his past champion's provisional this week since he was not the original driver entered for the Pep Boys Auto 500, according to Jayski.com.

Our View Jayski quotes the following from the rule book: "If after starting position 1 through 42 are assigned and there remains an eligible car owner whose driver is the current or a former NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion who participated as a driver in the 2008 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series and who was entered in the Event for that owner in that car prior to the entry deadline, a 43rd provisional starting position, the "Champion's Provisional", will be assigned to that car owner."

The entry deadline is Tuesday of each week prior to each event.

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September 3, 2009

Edwards injured playing Frisbee

Carl Edwards has broken his foot while playing Frisbee, according to a tweet from Jayski. He is still expected to race this weekend, however.

Our View Edwards was a big enough favorite that this does not automatically eliminate him from contention for you roster, but if you were on the fence about starting him in games with rosters that must be decided pre-weekend, this could be the deciding factor.

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NASCAR lowers age in some divisions

NASCAR will lower the minimum age to compete in the NASCAR Whelen All-American Series to 14, according to NASCAR.com.

Our View Several regional and national touring dirt series allow competitors to be this young and NASCAR apparently wants to keep up, but one has to wonder if this is too young.

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Labonte in No. 71 at Atlanta

Bobby Labonte will be behind the wheel of the No. 71 Chevrolet according to FoxSports.com, and as the most recent past champion running for a team outside the top 35 in owner points, he is guaranteed to start. Erik Darnell is taking over the No. 96 in seven of the last 12 races, which left Labonte out of a ride in those events until this deal was struck. Labonte will start those seven races with the Racer's Group.

Our View David Gilliland will sit out the seven races that Labonte starts, so it looks like he was the last man standing when the musical stopped. Until the Labonte/No. 71 gets a race or two under their belt and prove to be more than just a start and park operation, they should be avoided. This week, they enter the event with a sponsor on the hood, so the Racer's Group might actually try to go the distance.

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September 1, 2009

Yahoo! Atlanta Preview

The Chase contenders will be the ones to watch this week at Atlanta, but fantasy owners know it's not all about who wins. Check out this week's Yahoo! preview (.pdf) for a look at the top marquee drivers and dark horses alike.

Keselowski officially to Penske in 2010

On Tuesday morning, Penske Racing announced one of the worst kept secrets of the 2009 Silly Season: Brad Keselowski will run the No. 12 Dodge in 2010, according to multiple sources.

Our View This appears to be a one-year deal while Mark Martin runs his final season with Hendrick Motorsports. Don't be surprised to see him land in the No. 5 in 2011 with the possibility that Justin Allgaier could graduate into Cup that same year.

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