Bleacher Report - Articles by Terry McNamara

NASCAR Crystal Ball: 2009 Predictions

Terry McNamara — Sun, 04 Jan 2009 04:24:26 -0500

As the 2009 NASCAR season approaches, let's take some time and see what the crystal ball has hidden inside of it.

1. Will Jimmie Johnson repeat? Is there anybody on a better roll than Johnson and Chad Knaus? The answer to both is a resounding no!

The No. 48 Lowe's home improvement team is as solid as it gets and will be the man to beat again. Chad Knaus may be the best crew chief of all time, only time will tell. If anybody can win four in a row its this team and this driver, but the law of averages eventually catches up with you. Four to six wins is what I see!

2. Does Tony Stewart's RETURN TO CHEVROLET ensure him a shot at the title? Stewart will win at least three races this year and will make the chase. Hendrick is supplying the motors, chassis's, engineering, crew chiefs and every resource that can give him to ensure that. Smoke will have a legitimate shot during 09. Besides he inherited a seven post rig, his very own wind tunnel, A STATE OF THE ART GARAGE and a partner with unlimited resources!.There are four wind tunnels in North America and he has access 24/7.

3. Will Kyle Busch be dominant again in 09? The answer is yes! Busch will be more motivated to show everybody that last year wasn't a fluke. Rowdy will win between three and eight races and will be as fast and exciting again with another year to develop the Toyota and another year with crew chief Steve Addington.

4. Is this the year Mark Martin finally wins a cup championship? NO, But he will be better than he was last year which was very competitive.Martin moved over to Hendrick Motorsports in the off season and will reap the benefits with unlimited resources, a great crew chief in Alan Gustafson,great team-mates, and great motors. Martin will be a factor and should have his three teammates in the chase as well,but not this year for the championship, one win for sure for this forever young veteran.

5. Can anybody stop Carl Edwards? With Roush as his team, the answer is no in 09. Edwards will win between three and eight races and when its all said and done will be the 2009 champion.Mr backflip will be doing again this year a bunch.With the new no- testing policy the Aflac bunch will hard to beat.

6. Will Jeff Gordon win a race in 09? Yes, last year he had his chances but something was terribly wrong with the chemistry between himself and his crew chief Steve Letarte.Gordon is a lock to contend at the road courses and should be a factor most anywhere he goes. Three wins and a spot in the chase.

7. Will Dale Earnhardt JR win more than one race? A loud yes, June-bug will win at least three times this year and junior nation will be at a all-time frenzy.For JR to win a championship he has to listen to what his crew chief Tony Eury JR says and go with it, not argue like two year olds.The resources are there with Hendrick, its time to put up or shut up!

8. Can the Biff win it all? Greg Biffle was as fast as anybody in the garage last season.Crew chief Greg Erwin has this team upfront every week.Biffle has the skills and the resources from Roush to win it all, but all I see is three wins and a spot in the chase.

2009 Chase for the championship drivers in order of finish!

1-Carl Edwards=Country Carl grabs the big prize.

2-Kyle Busch=2010 FAVORITE, with a little luck could be 2009 CHAMP.

3-Jimmie Johnson=Bad luck ruins his chance for 4 in a row.

4-Greg Biffle=Climbing the ladder, hoping 2010 will be his year.

5-Dale Earnhardt JR= A TOP 5 in the standings will have JR nation going crazy.

6-Denny Hamlin= Will be top 5 in points all season long but will fall in the chase.

7-Tony Stewart=If he clicks with Darian Grubb early, he will be better than this.Most talented and most emotional driver on the planet.

8-Kevin Harvick= Owning to many teams has to be a DISTRACTION.

9-Jeff Gordon=IN the twilight of his career, I don't think he has a Championship run in 09,but if he runs more consistent, 2010 with his talent you never know.

10-Matt Kenseth=Another year and another crew chief spells doom to his chances in 09,Bring back Robbie Reiser.

11-Clint Bowyer=New crew chief Shane Wilson will try to rub some of his nationwide magic over to the cup side and if he does Bowyer will finish in the top 5 in 2010.New number(33) and new sponsor may pay dividends.

12-Mark Martin=4th Hendrick entry in the chase,will win a race in 09 and if there is anybody who could pull the big upset and win it all that man would be MARK MARTIN.Fast in anything he gets in period!

OUTSIDERS LOOKING IN=Jeff Burton,David Ragan,Ryan Newman and Brian Vickers.

Rookie of the year=Joey Logano, Sliced bread himself.

LET'S GO RACING, BOYS!

Hendrick Makes Worse Trade In Nascar History

Terry McNamara — Thu, 01 Jan 2009 11:50:57 -0500

Rick Hendrick has made a living because of his decision making and witty fixes to his Nascar owned franchises and car dealerships.When the decision to let Kyle Busch leave his stable after the 2007 campaign where he finished 5th overall a red flag of caution was wandering over his head.

Hendrick decided to let Busch go to the highest bidder which happened to be Joe Gibbs Racing and Toyota Motorsports. In the meantime in the back of his head he had a plan to bring in Dale Earnhardt JR,who could sell t-shirts, hats,sun glasses,jackets,etc;but he also hadn't won a race in almost 3 years.

Dale JR, won one race in the 2008 campaign at Michigan due to fuel mileage. Busch, 23, went to victory lane a record-tying 10 times in the Nationwide Series, winning five times after a NASCAR rule change reduced the horsepower of Toyota engines.

With three victories in the truck series to go with eight in Cup and 10 in the Nationwide, Busch racked up an aggregate 21 victories in NASCAR's top three touring series.

Dale Jr is a major hit with the fans being voted driver of the year for 4 consecutive years.Sometimes there is time when you go out and branch out of the shadows(DALE EARNHARDT SR,) of someone else and make your own idenity for your own fans. Two fuel-mileage wins in four years doesnt do that for you!

Earnhardt is 32 years old while Busch is only 23.When you rank drivers on talent alone JR is nowhere in the top 10, while busch 9 years his younger is.Tony Stewart, Jeff Gordon, Jimmie Johnson, Carl Edwards,Kyle Busch,Greg Biffle,Kurt Busch,Mark Martin,Kevin Harvick and Denny Hamlin would rank in the top 10.

Rick Hendrick doesnt make many bad decisons when it comes to the world of stock car racing but this time he may have dropped the ball.

Only time will tell!

Nascar Tidbits

Tony Stewart seems to be picking up great personnel to help run his team. Darian Grubb was brought over from Hendrick Motorsports to be crew chief. Grubb led Jimmie Johnson to two victories in the four races he was atop the box while Johnson's regular crew chief Chad Knauss was suspended during the 2007 campaign.

Also brought in was Jeff Mendering, the other crew chief who filled in for Steve Latarte (Jeff Gordon's crew chief) when he got suspended during the 2007 season and led Gordon to a win in four races.

Mendering will serve a car chief on the Office Depot No. 14 chevy driven by Stewart. Bobby Hutchins will run the day to day operations of Stewart-Hass Motorsports.

Hutchins was a longtime member of Dale Sr.'s team in its hay-day and as of late been the key player in the Childress-DEI motor alliance, serving as the director of competion at RCR.

Kentucky Basketball Trying to Regain Its Glory

Terry McNamara — Fri, 26 Dec 2008 09:24:39 -0500

The University of Kentucky is averaging over 80 points a game—their most in more than a decade.

Billy Gillispie is a tough, no-nonsense coach who is all about teamwork and doing things his way, or else. The Wildcats are playing a wide-open style reminiscent of Rick Pitino's days at UK.

After having success with Joe Crawford putting up big numbers last year, (Crawford was drafted by the LA Lakers) junior guard Jodie Meeks is more than holding his own.

It helps having a healthy roster—namely Meeks—who is scoring 24.8 points-per-game after missing most of his sophomore season with a variety of maladies. There is also a renewed sense of belief in each other, and in the exacting ways of their perfectionist coach.

The Wildcats are averaging 81.3 points—the most since Pitino's last team in 1996-97—and have already scored at least 88 points six times this year—a number it hit just seven times combined in the four previous seasons.

Patrick Patterson is a lottery pick-in-waiting, and is averaging 18 points and 10 rebounds per game.

Patterson is coming off a foot injury which forced him to sit out the final six weeks of the season last year. A fully healthy Patterson can simply give the 'Cats an inside presence that lets his 6'9" 240-pound frame dominate at the college level.

Perry Stephenson is improving at the center position. Listed at 6'10", Stephenson has an arm span of 7'5".

Freshman DeAndre Liggins is a star waiting to bust out, and Juco transfer Josh Harrelson has provided double-doubles in the couple of games this year when he could stay out of the coach's doghouse.

Freshman Darius Miller is also the real deal. Standing 6'7", the two guard slashes through the paint with the greatest of ease and a silky smooth jump shoot.

AJ Stewart has the special kind of athletic ability that every college coach craves, while Juco transfer Kevin Galloway has earned more minutes as the season has worn on due to his 6'7" frame that can play the point to create mismatches.

The recruiting trail has also been kind to the Wildcats with 2009 commits.

Daniel Orton, a 6'9", 265-pound center out of Oklahoma, will be a terror in the SEC with his massive skills of power and shot-blocking.

Jon Hood, a 6'7" shooting guard from Madisonville, KY, is a high-riser that will bring back memories of Rex Chapman for UK fans.

GJ Vilarino, a point guard from Texas, is a blur with the basketball in his hands. He was Gillispie's first commit at Kentucky.

2010 commit Dominque Ferguson from Indianapolis is considered by many to be the most talented recruit in school history.

The sleeping giant is starting to wake up, which isn't what the SEC and the rest of the country want to hear!

Cincinnati Reds: The Future Looks Rosey

Terry McNamara — Sun, 29 Jun 2008 04:23:27 -0400

The CINCINNATI REDS are on the verge of making a run at the central divison title for years to come.

The Reds are loaded with young talent at every postion. Jay Bruce leads the brigade with a host of prospects set to join him in Cincy in the near future.

Bruce is a five-tool outfielder that has set the baseball world on fire with possibly the best start ever for a rookie. The sweet swinging lefty from Texas looks to be the anchor of the outfield.

Adam Dunn is a free swinging lefty who has 50-home run potential every year and mans the left corner of the outfield.

Brandon Phillips is a gold glove second baseman with outstanding offensive skills that is always a 30-home run, 30-steals potential every season, scouting reports say that he's good, very good.

Joey Votto is a sweet swinging first baseman who as a rookie has gained the respect of the rest of the national league. Votto also has 30-homer potential and might be moved to the outfield from first because of his athleticism.

Edwin Encarnacion is a third baseman that also has 30-home run potential but needs to get more consistent on defense. Encarnacion makes the all-star play on defense and then blotches the routine one. He has the skills to be an above average MLB third baseman.

The pitching staff has plenty of young arms to bolster a winning record. Edison Volquez, a right handed starter, and likely starter for the national league in the all star game has ace, written all over him.

Volquez owns a fastball that reaches 98 mph and a change up that hits 68 to 74 mph that dips like a screwball. One word to describe Edison is nasty.

Johnny Cueto is another promising rookie that has a 97 mph fastball with a curve ball and change-up as well. Cueto has the bulldog mentality that former Red Tom Browning displayed.

Homer Bailey is widely regarded as a No. 1 starter if he can master command of his pitches and consistently throw strikes. Bailey is in Triple-A Louisville and working on a change-up to go with a mid-nineties fastball.

The reds have plenty of offensive power in the minors including: Juan Francisco—Juan is another bright light in the farm system and another example of the importance of international scouting in the modern game.

Juan is also working at High-A Sarasota, where he has posted a respectable line of .283/.301/.476/.777 in a pitcher friendly park.

Francisco has substantial power and is a very good athlete, capable of 40-home run potential in the majors. One thing I failed to mention is he is a shortstop—scary.

Cincinnati spent three million dollars on another gangly 16-year-old, 6-6 outfielder Juan Duran.

The Reds think Juan Duran, a skinny kid that already has 400-foot power to all fields, would have been a middle first-round draft pick, even at age 16, Reds director of Latin American scouting Tony Arias said.

Drew Stubbs, yet another outfielder in the minor league system, is a 6'5" center fielder with all the tools to be a success in the majors.

The future is bright in Cincy.

Joe Gibbs Racing Lowers the Boom at New Hampshire Nationwide Event

Terry McNamara — Sat, 28 Jun 2008 11:23:17 -0400

The Old Spice #20, driven by Tony Stewart, rolled the dice late in the Camping World RV Sales 200 by taking two tires on the last caution and powered his way to a season leading five nationwide wins.

Stewart started eighth and quickly took the lead getting challenges early from his JGR teammate Kyle Busch and RCR driver Clint Boyer. Busch held the lead during the middle stages of the race, fending off pursuits from Denny Hamlin and Kevin Harvick among other Sprint Cup regulars such as Carl Edwards and Greg Biffle.

The # 20 Toyota grabbed the lead for the first time on lap 21 and held it. Busch gained the lead away and seemed to be set to claim his fifth win of the season, but after a late caution with the #18 of Busch elected to take four tires and Stewart taking two spelled doom for Busch and the rest of the field.

Tony grabbed the lead from Edwards on lap 135 and led the rest of the way. Winning crew chief, Dave Rogers, was especially ecstatic getting the win at his home track.

Rogers was the lead engineer on the Home Depot # 20 during its two Sprint Cup Titles and credits Greg Zippadeli with helping him achieve the success he has been awarded this Nationwide Series.

Joe Gibbs Racing has had four different drivers get victories while driving the # 20 including Stewart, Busch, and Hamlin and teen sensation Joey Logano.

"There've been four drivers [to] win in this car, so it's not the drivers -- that's for sure," Stewart said. "We're the fortunate ones to be able to drive this thing."

Top five finishers:

1-Tony Stewart-Toyota

2-Denny Hamlin-Toyota

3-Kyle Busch-Toyota

4- Kevin Harvick-Chevrolet

5-Carl Edwards-Ford

NASCAR: Joe Gibbs Racing Hits the Lottery with Joey Logano

Terry McNamara — Sat, 21 Jun 2008 17:47:50 -0400

Joey Logano has the skills to be a superstar in the NASCAR world. He is hellbent on winning and fits in with his future Sprint Cup teammates and the whole Joe Gibbs Racing organization.

With the flare of a rookie and the savvy of a veteran, Logano is serving notice that the racing world had better take notice in a hurry.

Logano, in his first start of his career at the Monster Mile in Dover, Del., ran up front all day and if not for a couple mishaps on pit road, he might have brought home the checkered flag.

He finished in sixth-place in his first Nationwide start, and he backed that up with a pole run at Nashville in his next start. Logano led the first 55 laps only to succumb to a race incident and finish 31st.

The next start was witnessed by a record crowd of 73,000 plus at the marvelous future Sprint Cup site, the Kentucky Speedway. The Joe Gibbs Racing No. 20 machine once again started from the pole

This time, Logano brought home the prize, beating RCR driver Scott Wimmer by more than two seconds at the line. Sprint Cup points leader and JGR teammate Kyle Busch and Logano furiously battled down the stretch at Kentucky.

They showed the whole racing world that these two are as good as it gets as far as raw talent is concerned.With a nickname of sliced bread, Logano is every bit good as advertised.

Joey Logano is the future of NASCAR, and the future is getting closer every week!