October 10, 2009

N'Wide Inspection Cleared

According to @bobpockrass: NASCAR Nationwide inspection is done and there were no issues.

N'Wide: Logano stages comeback to win

After Greg Biffle pinched Joey Logano into the wall early in the Copart 300 it appeared one of the dominant cars was out of contention. Joe Gibbs Racing worked on the No. 20 during the next several cautions and got it back up to speed, however. With fresh tires, Logano took the lead late in the going to win his second consecutive race and the sixth of his career.

Our View Logano taking the lead was only one of several great stories at the end. Denny Hamlin and Biffle crashed at the end of the race and a wild restart with a green-white-checkered finish made sure that fantasy owners stayed on the edge of their seat until the checkers waved.

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IRL: Franchitti wins Homestead and championship

Dario Franchitti beat Ryan Briscoe to the line at Homestead in the season finale. As good as that is, the news gets even better since he also won the championship.

Our View He took the top spot on the strength of five wins and 13 top-fives, which made him a great value in the Indy fantasy game.

Complete Results

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Montoya "wins" Auto Club Happy Hour

Juan Montoya posted the quickest average time in Happy Hour with a speed of 175.151 mph during 18 laps. His fastest single lap of 178.390 mph was sixth on that chart.

Our View We can't call Montoya a dark horse any longer because he's favored for a top-five finish every week until his momentum starts to cool.

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Martin fastest in Auto Club Happy Hour

Mark Martin continues to dominate the NASCAR series with the fastest single lap of speed in Happy Hour for the Pepsi 500. His top speed was 180.293 mph.

Our View His average speed of 174.036 was eighth best on that chart, but fantasy owners should expect a top-five finish from the veteran once he adjusts on the car during the race.

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Harvick "wins" Auto Club Sat a.m. practice

With an abbreviated practice of only 20 minutes, the average speeds in the morning session are somewhat meaningless. However, Kevin Harvick was quickest with a speed of 177.559 mph during nine laps.

Our View If this were one of the usual frontrunners, it wouldn't be noteworthy, but with the struggles in the No. 29 camp, it's nice to have any sign of good news.

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Johnson fastest in Auto Club Sat. a.m. practice

Jimmie Johnson posted the fastest single lap of practice in the shortened Saturday morning session with a lap of 180.655 mph.

Our View So few laps were run that the average speeds are not very meaningful, but he was also third quickest on that chart.

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N'Wide: Logano on Copart 300 pole

Joey Logano and Kyle Busch make an all Gibbs front row for the Copart 300. Logano clocked in with a lap of 181.164 mph; Busch went 180.827.

Our View Those were the only two cars above 180 miles per hour, so fantasy players can expect those cars to dominate again this week like they did at Kansas.

Busch is feeling ill, however, so don't be surprised if he turns the No. 18 over to Denny Hamlin for relief.

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Reutimann's time disallowed

David Reutimann's second-place run was disallowed because he had too much gas in his rear shocks, according to NASCAR PR. As a result, he will have to drop from second to 42nd to start the Pepsi 500.

Our View Reutimann was considered a strong dark horse in pre-race coverage and his qualification speed underscored that. We suspect he can still claw his way into the top 10 before the end of the day.

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