Bleacher Report - Articles by Ben Bomberger

Jimmie Johnson: One "Lucky Dog"

Ben Bomberger — Wed, 05 Aug 2009 13:38:17 -0400

This past weekend at Pocono, Jimmie Johnson haters went from glee-full to depressed in a matter of minutes.

After suffering engine problems and barely being able to keep up minimum speed, Johnson and the No. 48 Lowe's team found themselves three laps down, and at the bottom of the running order.

After collecting the "Lucky Dog" three consecutive cautions, Johnson found himself back on the lead lap, battling for a top-15 finish.

Shortly there after, Johnson was interviewed by the media and said, "I'm just so proud of the fight this race team has. For us to come back from three laps down and get back on the lead lap and salvage a 13th-place finish means a lot to me. I think we're going in the right direction and it shows me what my team is capable of—and I know what I'm capable of going into the Chase."

The media ate up the comments and quickly declared Johnson as one of the best drivers to ever get behind the wheel of a stock car.

"Johnson defies odds and shows why he is the three-time defending champion," various media outlets reported.

In fact, Johnson almost got as much, if not more, attention than race winner Denny Hamlin.

Now, imagine this race took place prior to the "Lucky Dog" rule being imposed and it would have been a different story at the end of the race.

The media would have been talking about how a top championship contender's day was ended early after suffering engine problems and being mired three laps down.

Which leads me to my point of this article: NASCAR should limit the number of times a driver can receive the "Lucky Dog."

It's pretty basic. A driver is given a free pass around for being the first car one-lap down. Fair enough, but given three free passes? That's just insane.

In the closing laps, Johnson was passing cars that had worked hard all race to maintain a lead lap position.

Were they as good as Johnson?

Obviously not, because they were watching him go by, but they did earn their spot and were consistent all race long.

Consistency is a word that NASCAR doesn't like. Remember when the most consistent driver used to win the championship? That was before they began resetting the points with 10 races remaining.

This isn't just meant to beef on Johnson and the No. 48 team—they catch enough grief without this guy chiming in—but its a way of saying NASCAR needs to fix a problem within the system.

Creature Vs. Creature NASCAR Writers Pool: Pocono Picks

Ben Bomberger — Fri, 31 Jul 2009 13:46:31 -0400

Things are heating up as we head into the final stretch before the cut-off of the 2009 Chase.

Points leader Tony Stewart remains a popular pick each weekend and returns to the site of his first win as an owner/driver this weekend at the Tricky Triangle.

With six races remaining until the points are reset—both in the Sprint Cup Series and here on B/R—it's all about the wins for our 13 writers.

Here are this weekend's picks:

Ben Bomberger—Juan Pablo Montoya

The No. 42 Dodge was by far the fastest and most dominant car last weekend at Indy. A speeding penalty near the end of the race cost Montoya his first win on an "oval" track in a stock car.

Montoya is one of the hottest drivers on the circuit these days and is pushing his way towards a Chase berth.

I think Montoya will run well on Sunday and shoot for his second career Sprint Cup Series win in the Pocono mountains.

James Broomhead—Denny Hamlin

It was a tough choice between Hamlin and Montoya this week, and even though Denny burnt me when I picked him for the first Pocono outing, where his competitive afternoon finished after about 100 yards, I have to go with him again.

The kid can just get round the place, he was topping practices in June, so he's got his head round the COT here, he just needs to get round at speed.

M.J. Buchanan—Kasey Kahne

My pick for Pocono is Kasey Kahne. He has traditionally run well at the Tricky Triangle, he has the new engine and Richard Petty Motorsports has been picking up the pace. So, I'm going with ole blue eyes!

Kelly Crandall—Mark Martin

NO COMMENTS SENT

Mason Dunn—Tony Stewart

I don't even need to say why I am going with this pick.

Adam Heasley—NO PICK SENT

NO PICK SENT

Danielle Henderson—Denny Hamlin

NO COMMENTS SENT

Kara Martin—Tony Stewart

I have to go once again with Stewart, although picking him has not always been a sure shot as he has only provided me with a single win. But since that win for me came from Pocono earlier this year I am picking him to make the sweep and "Swagger" into Victory Lane once again!

S.M. Napier—Tony Stewart

Going to stay with Tony Stewart at Pocono, we could see him sweep the races this year at the track.

Kyle Ocker—NO PICK SENT

NO PICK SENT

David Phillips—Jimmie Johnson

NO COMMENTS SENT

Jen Preston—Denny Hamlin

Hamlin is in need of a good run after his finish in Indy, and I think Pocono is the perfect place for him to rebound. Despite his 38th place finish there in June, he has an average finish of 10.7, four top fives and five top 10s—not to mention the two wins in his rookie season. I'm looking for Hamlin to have a consistent Chase run this weekend.

Rob Tiongson—Jimmie Johnson

As we return to Pocono, I'm trying to decide on which type of driver should I go with: the historically best one or the one on a tear in 2009.

It's been a Hendrick Motorsports kind of year, from their satellite team in Stewart-Haas Racing winning to the usual suspects like Mark Martin, Jeff Gordon, and Jimmie Johnson grabbing the checkers for this 25 year old team.

Jimmie Johnson's starting to show his winning ways, though his 2009 season is laced with some inconsistency. I look for the No. 48 team to establish a top 10 streak, not without grabbing win number four of the year.

If I had to go with a dark horse, is Tony Stewart that driver? That said, I'm going with JJ.

Here is a look at each writers' pick from Indy last weekend, where they finished, and the updated point standings (wins are in parenthesis):

Ben Bomberger, (2903) Jeff Gordon finished ninth. (1)

Kelly Crandall, (2781) Tony Stewart finished third. (1)

Adam Heasley, (2774) Kasey Kahne finished seventh. (3)

M.J. Buchanan, (2731) Jeff Gordon finished ninth. (0)

S.M. Napier, (2695) Tony Stewart finished third. (2)

David Phillips, (2250) Jimmie Johnson won. (2)

James Broomhead, (1342) Tony Stewart finished third. (1)

Kara Martin, (1298) Tony Stewart finished third. (1)

Mason Dunn, (1243) Mark Martin finished second. (0)

Rob Tiongson, (1191) Jeff Gordon finished ninth. (1)

Danielle Henderson, (1126) Juan Pablo Montoya finished 11th. (0)

Jen Preston, (948) Reed Sorenson finished 13th. (0)

Kyle Ocker, (898) Dale Earnhardt Jr. finished 36th. (0)

Remember, during the regular season, our writers are trying to collect as many wins as possible.

After Richmond, points will be reset with each writer receiving 10 points for correctly picking a winner during the season.

For the final 10 races, the points will matter, and a Creature vs. Creature Champion will be crowned following the season finale in Homestead.

SIDE NOTE: When the Chase starts, our writer's will really have to put on their creative hats, as they will only be able to select a driver one time during the final 10 races.

In other words, each writer will have to be careful with the likes of Johnson, Gordon, Stewart and Busch, because they only get to use each once.

NASCAR Fantasy: Who's Hot, Who's Not (Pocono Edition)

Ben Bomberger — Thu, 30 Jul 2009 08:39:06 -0400

It's the return to the Tricky Triangle in Pennsylvania, as the boys head back to one of NASCAR's most unique tracks—Pocono Raceway.

It was just a few weeks ago that Tony Stewart visited Victory Lane for the first time as an owner-driver in the Pennsylvania mountains.

Stewart has "smoked" the competition all season, and leads the point standings by a whopping 192 points over three-time defending champion Jimmie Johnson.

As you plan to set your Fantasy Roster this weekend, here are a few drivers that you want on your team (Hot) and those to stay away from (Not).

Who's Hot

Tony Stewart

This guy basically deserves the top spot on the weekly fantasy list until he proves otherwise. Heading into the second race at Pocono, Smoke leads all drivers with 12 top-fives and 16 top-10 finishes in 2009.

He leads the points, has won two races this year, and returns to the site of his first win as an owner-driver just weeks ago.

At Pocono: Stewart has 21 starts at the Tricky Triangle, with two wins, seven top-fives, 15 top-10s, one pole and an average finish of 12.4.

His Average Running Position of 10.5 is second-best according to NASCAR's Loop Data. Other data shows that Smoke has a Driver Rating of 104.6 (third-best), 61 Fastest Laps Run (ninth-most), 679 Green Flag Passes (eighth-most) an Average Green Flag Speed of 158.943 m.p.h. (fourth-fastest), a series-high 1,362 Laps in the Top 15 (79.6 percent) and a series-high 405 Quality Passes.

Jimmie Johnson

Johnson is quickly reminding everyone why he is the three-time defending Sprint Cup Champion. After collecting his third win of the season at Indy last week (and becoming the first back-to-back winner at The Brickyard), Johnson moved up to second in the point standings—quietly lurking behind Stewart.

With six races left until the cut-off for the Chase, Johnson is shooting for nothing but wins, as the points will be erased before the playoffs begin.

Heading into this weekend's event in Pennsylvania, Johnson feels good. "We should be good," he said on a teleconference call earlier this week. "We were just there a month or so ago. We're competitive. We're making some small adjustments from that setup and should be just fine."

At Pocono: Johnson has hit the banks of Pocono 15 times, collecting two wins, five top-fives, 10 top-10s, two poles and an average finish of 9.6.

According to NASCAR's Loop Data, Johnson has a series-best Average Running Position of 10.4. The data shows that his Driver Rating of 102.5 is fourth-best and his 1,327 Laps in the Top 15 (88.6 percent) is third-most.

Kurt Busch

Entering the 2009 season, the elder Busch was rarely talked about as a competitor for the 2009 Championship.

With six races remaining until the cut-off, it's Kurt Busch who sits a comfortable fourth in the point standings, while the "Shrub" is on the outside looking in.

At Pocono: In 17 starts at Pocono, Busch has two wins, seven top-fives, eight top-10s and an average finish of 16.9.

NASCAR's Loop Data ranks him second-best with a Driver Rating of 105 and tops in the series with 229 Fastest Laps Run.

Busch's Average Running Position of 11.1 is fifth-best, while his Average Green Flag Speed of 159.050 mph is second-fastest.

Denny Hamlin

Hamlin swept the track in his rookie season and has had success nearly every time he's visited.

"We've always been competitive there," Hamlin said on a teleconference call earlier this week. Although his last trip to Pocono ended early after fuel pump issues on the first lap, Hamlin is optimistic about this weekend's race.

"I think it's a racetrack that just kind of tends to be my style a little bit. We go there, Mike has a good feel for what we need in a racecar at that track. So I think it's no matter what the car, we're always going to be competitive. It's just hard to repeat what you did in your rookie season when we had a car as phenomenal as it was."

At Pocono: Hamlin has seven starts at the track with two wins, four top-fives, five top-10s, two poles an an average finish of 10.7.

According to NASCAR's Loop Data, Hamlin has an Average Running Position of 11.2 (sixth-best), a Driver Rating of 111.3 (series-best), 210 Fastest Laps Run (second-most) and a series-best Average Green Flag Speed of 159.396 mph.

Dark Horse: Brian Vickers

At Pocono: Vickers has collected four top-fives, four top-10s and an average finish of 15.1 at the Tricky Triangle.

Who's Not

Kyle Busch

The Shrub may have three wins on the season, but he currently finds himself on the outside looking in when it comes to a Chase berth.

After a disappointing run at Indy last week, Busch plummeted four spots in the championship standings to 14th—82 points behind 12th-place Matt Kenseth.

Busch's finish at Indy gave him four finishes outside the top-30 and nine outside the top-20—by comparison, he had five finishes outside the top-30 and eight outside the top-20 the entire 2008 season.

At Pocono: While his average finish at Pocono is 22.0, Busch has two DNF's (2005 and 2008) and hasn't finished in the top-10 at the track since 2007—when he still drove for Hendrick Motorsports.

Dale Earnhardt Jr.

Poor finishes continue to haunt the No. 88 team and NASCAR's most popular driver. The team finished 36th at The Brickyard last weekend, dropping to 22nd in the championship standings.

Earnhardt Jr. has finished outside the top-20 in seven of his last 11 races (including finishes of 36th, 39th and 40th) and has yet to collect a top-10 with new crew chief.

If anyone is ready for the 2009 season to be over with, it's got to be Earnhardt Jr., who has seen all three of his teammates win multiple races and place themselves inside the top-12 in points.

At Pocono: In 19 starts, Earnhardt Jr. has an average finish of 16.8 at Pocono, with five top-fives and six top-10s.

This article also appears on Pit Road Report.

Full of Bull | Brian Vickers: We're Going to Win

Ben Bomberger — Wed, 29 Jul 2009 10:43:56 -0400

Brian Vickers

While rumors are swirling as to what manufacture Red Bull Racing will field next season, it's marquee driver is convinced of one thing—a win is in the near future.

Vickers entered Sunday's race looking for a solid finish as his No. 83 Toyota is pushing towards its first Chase berth.

After collecting his third top-five of the season, Vickers moved up one spot to 15th in the championship standings, 120 points behind 12th-place Matt Kenseth.

Though the run was solid, Vickers is ready to visit Victory Lane for the first time since his tenure at Hendrick Motorsports.

"We're going to win one of these races," he said after the Allstate 400 at The Brickyard. "The whole Red Bull team is too good. The cars are too good. We're right there."

Vickers began the race in sixth-place and ran in the top-five most of the afternoon. His No. 83 Toyota paced the field for five miles, though it came during a green-flap pit sequence.

"It was a good race, but not satisfied—by no means," Vickers said. "We really wanted to come here and win this race. The 5 (Mark Martin) and the 48 (Jimmie Johnson) were really strong. I think when we were at our best, if we would have had the track position then we could have stayed out in front of them. It was very difficult to pass and track position meant a lot."

The top-five cut 26 points off the margin between Vickers and 12th-place. With six races left until the cut-off, Vickers must average a gain of 20 points each week to make the play-offs.

Entering Pocono this weekend, Vickers has 11 starts at the Tricky Triangle in Pennsylvania, with four top-fives and four top-10s, including a runner-up finish in 2008.

Scott Speed

Vickers and the No. 83 team weren't the only Red Bull Racing Toyota to gain points this weekend—though Speed's gain was very minor.

After hitting the banks of Indy for the first time in a stock car, Speed struggled most of the day, eventually finishing 31st—one spot ahead of the No. 34 team, who he is battling for a spot in the top-35.

Speed felt his car was "spot-on" in the corners of Indy, but that the speed simply wasn't there on the straightaways.

"We can't beat ourselves up too much over this race," Speed said last Sunday. "We had a really good car. The balance was right, and we were really good through the corners. We just didn't have the speed. I want to thank all of the Red Bull guys for their hard work."

The finish gained the No. 82 team three owner points in the race to a guaranteed spot each week. Speed continues to hold down the 36th-place spot in the owner standings, a distant 187 points behind the No. 34 team.

Speed has one start at the Tricky Triangle in Pennsylvania. After qualifying 37th, he brought his Red Bull Toyota home in 32nd.

With 16 races remaining in the season, Speed's time is running out to make a charge towards a guaranteed starting spot when the cars hit Daytona in 2010.

Red Bull News

Though weeks ago it was said that Red Bull and Vickers had reached a formal agreement to keep him in the seat of the No. 83 Toyota, no formal announcement has been made.

Team Vice President and General Manager Jay Frye is expected to travel to Austria in the near future to meet with Red Bull officials. It is expected that the meeting will finalize a contract for Vickers, as well as which manufacture the team will field in 2010.

Until the deal if finalized, Vickers said he is, "keeping all my options open. The ball is in their court."

This article is also featured on Pit Road Report.

Creature Vs. Creature NASCAR Writers Pool: Results After Indy

Ben Bomberger — Mon, 27 Jul 2009 10:21:59 -0400

Here is a look at each writers' pick from Indy last weekend, where they finished, and the updated point standings (wins are in parenthesis):

Ben Bomberger, (2903) Jeff Gordon finished ninth. (1)

Kelly Crandall, (2781) Tony Stewart finished third. (1)

Adam Heasley, (2774) Kasey Kahne finished seventh. (3)

M.J. Buchanan, (2731) Jeff Gordon finished ninth. (0)

S.M. Napier, (2695) Tony Stewart finished third. (2)

David Phillips, (2250) Jimmie Johnson won. (2)

James Broomhead, (1342) Tony Stewart finished third. (1)

Kara Martin, (1298) Tony Stewart finished third. (1)

Mason Dunn, (1243) Mark Martin finished second. (0)

Rob Tiongson, (1191) Jeff Gordon finished ninth. (1)

Danielle Henderson, (1126) Juan Pablo Montoya finished 11th. (0)

Jen Preston, (948) Reed Sorenson finished 13th. (0)

Kyle Ocker, (898) Dale Earnhardt Jr. finished 36th. (0)

Remember, during the regular season, our writers are trying to collect as many wins as possible.

After Richmond, points will be reset with each writer receiving 10 points for correctly picking a winner during the season.

For the final 10 races, the points will matter, and a Creature vs. Creature Champion will be crowned following the season finale in Homestead.

SIDE NOTE: When the Chase starts, our writer's will really have to put on their creative hats, as they will only be able to select a driver one time during the final 10 races.

In other words, each writer will have to be careful with the likes of Johnson, Gordon, Stewart and Busch, because they only get to use each once.

Full of Bull: Tale of Two Bulls

Ben Bomberger — Fri, 24 Jul 2009 09:18:40 -0400

From the beginning of the season, it's been the tale of two bulls at Red Bull Racing.

Brian Vickers and the No. 83 team have been quietly competing for a top-12 spot and a place in the 2009 Chase, while Scott Speed and the No. 82 team have been battling for a spot inside the top-35 each weekend.

Heading into the Allstate 400 at The Brickyard this weekend, but drivers look for a solid finish to move each towards their separate goals.

Brian Vickers

Vickers currently sits 16th in points with seven races remaining before the Chase begins. Though the 146 points he needs to make up look daunting, a few solid finishes could quickly close the gap.

Vickers has five starts at the infamous 2.5-mile track in Indiana, but has only one top-five finish (a third-place finish in 2005). Vickers finished 42nd at the track in last year's race after suffering from engine problems only 93 laps into the race.

His average finish of 22.4 isn't awful, but he does have two DNF's in his five starts.

Earlier this summer, Vickers was fortunate enough to take part in tire testing, after last year's race failed to see more than 14 green flag laps run at a time.

"Obviously last year was an embarrassment for the sport at Indianapolis," Vickers said. "It was not at all what anybody wanted, and I commend NASCAR and Goodyear. They're going above and beyond to get this problem fixed."

Many drivers have commented this week, saying they are confident Goodyear brought the right tire combination for this weekend's event, to keep another race like 2008 from repeating itself.

"When you make these tires slower and harder, they just slide across the pavement and because of that grooving it just turns into a shredder and they just don't last," Vickers said.

"So we're going to have to have a softer, faster tire that essentially will grip the track instead of sliding across it, I think, to make it last. If they can find a way around it, great, but if not, I think we just accept the inevitable and have a fast tire and good race."

Scott Speed

Speed comes to Indy for the first time in a stock car, as he looks to make up lost ground on 35th-place in the owner standings.

He last was behind the wheel of a Formula One car in 2007 at The Brickyard, where he finished a respectable 13th.

Though he's been on the track before, F1 races in the opposite direction than NASCAR on the oval.

"Everything about Indianapolis was completely different," Speed said. "I mean, in Formula 1, we even ran in reverse down the straightaway. Racing on the oval is going to be a completely new situation.

"As far as what's going to be the same for me at Indianapolis, I do know where the good restaurants are, and I've played the Brickyard Crossing golf course, which I'll probably do again. Other than that, not much will be familiar for me."

Speed looked to be on track to make up some points in the battle for a top-35 spot two weeks ago at Chicagoland.

His No. 82 Toyota qualified on the front row, alongside his teammate, and ran solid during the first part of the race.

After sliding back in the pack, Speed looked to be heading towards a top-20 finish before being caught up in an accident. He finished 36th, and fell further behind a guaranteed spot each weekend.

"For the last three weekends, we've been running really well during the race," Speed said. "We've been unlucky though, not to finish any of those races because we've been caught up in wrecks.

But seeing the progress we've made as a team is definitely rewarding and good for team morale. We just need to keep running like this every weekend—and actually finish—and that will be a huge improvement for the whole 82 team.

"For the last three weekends we've been wrecked out of top-20 finishes. It's like, man, what do we need to do to catch a break?"

Speed is one of 11 drivers vying for eight spots in this weekend's event.

This article also appears on Pit Road Report.

Creature Vs. Creature NASCAR Writers Pool: Indy Picks

Ben Bomberger — Thu, 23 Jul 2009 21:51:30 -0400

Things are heating up as we head into the final stretch before the cut-off of the 2009 Chase.

Points leader Tony Stewart and follower Jeff Gordon were among the popular picks this weekend, but a few of our writers went out on limbs with picks of Kasey Kahne, Juan Pablo Montoya, Reed Sorenson and Dale Earnhardt Jr.

If either of the two top picks have bad runs this weekend, it could be a solid chance for another writer to move up the ranks.

Picks for this weekend:

Ben Bomberger—Jeff Gordon

Gordon is quietly lurking behind points leader Stewart, and heads to a track where he has found great success.

At Indy: Gordon has competed in all 15 events at The Brickyard, and has captured four wins, nine top-fives, 12 top-10s, three poles and an average finish of 8.6.

According to NASCAR's Loop Data, Gordon has an Average Running Position of 14.7 (12th-best), a Driver Rating of 97.5 (eighth-best), 19 Fastest Laps Run (ninth-most), 195 Green Flag Passes (second-most), an Average Green Flag Speed of 169.454 m.p.h. (fifth-fastest) and 111 Quality Passes (third-most).

James Broomhead—Tony Stewart

Tony Stewart at the Brickyard. It just sounds right! And given the season Smoke is having his return to what is already a favourite stomping ground is one of the races he's more likely to win.

M.J. Buchanan—Jeff Gordon

The Brickyard is all about handling, finesse, and yes some driving maturity. So, I'm going with a driver who has all that and more, including a bit of a hometown advantage.

I believe that we will see Jeff, Ingrid, and Ella kissing the bricks this Sunday.

Kelly Crandall—Tony Stewart

NO COMMENTS SENT

Mason Dunn—Mark Martin

Mark has had five top five finishes at the Brickyard and a win this weekend would be the best thing for his campaign for his first ever Sprint Cup championship, something that has eluded him for his entire career.

With only one DNF on his record back in 2000 Mark is definitely a secure pick and is definitely the experienced pick.

Adam Heasley—Kasey Kahne

I'm going with an underdog who has a chance to shine again this weekend and has showed me more then I expected from him.

This driver is Kasey Kahne. I have a really good feeling about him this year and for this race, I also contemplated on picking Denny Hamlin because of how well he runs at tracks like this.

Danielle Henderson—Juan Pablo Montoya

He is sometimes look upon as an underdog, that may be true but he can drive with the best of them. Juan Pablo Montoya has raced in F1 and also CART, he moved to

NASCAR to prove that he could handle stock cars to, I personally think that he has shown that he has the ability to win in NASCAR.

In the last six or seven races, Montoya has shown that he can drive with the big boys. Montoya has proven that he is capable of being competitive on Restictor plates, short tracks and even intermediate.

This is all why I am picking Juan Pablo Montoya to win the Brickyard 400...That and I have a gut feeling about him this week.

Kara Martin—Tony Stewart

I am sure that it will come as no surprise that I am going with Stewart. What I'd be surprised with this week are those who are NOT going with him as a favorite to win in Indy!

While Jeff Gordon has more wins and top five finishes under his belt at the Brickyard, Stewart's track record this season and the fact that he will be racing at "home" will be a major factor in propelling him to the front of the pack and taking the checkered flag!

S.M. Napier—Tony Stewart

Going with Tony Stewart, he's on a role has momentum on his side and poised for his third win in his backyard.

Kyle Ocker—Dale Earnhardt Jr.

I am going to go out a limb here and say Dale Earnhardt Jr. is going to earn an upset victory this weekend at Indianapolis. The team is going to be using a brand-new chassis, built by interim crew chief Lance McGrew specifically for Earnhardt.

That should help because McGrew will know exactly everything and maybe that will help them adjust to the car more. Plus, every new car has more research.

Also, among active drivers, Earnhardt is sixth overall as far as wins go at tracks over two miles. HMS as an organization has more wins at Indy then any other team. Hopefully, if everything adds up correctly on Sunday, I can get my first win in this thing!

David Phillips—Jimmie Johnson

NO COMMENTS SENT

Jen Preston—Reed Sorenson

Does he have the best average at Indy? No. Is he a shoe in to win? No. Is ANYONE else going to pick him? No.

But his team is looking for a rebound, RPM is slowly but surely improving AND I'm continuing to avoid Knausing. And I'm really hoping he gets a top 10 and I look really smart :)

Rob Tiongson—Jeff Gordon

It'd be easy to pick Tony Stewart, and I might be regretting the fact that I won't pick him as I'll choose Jeff Gordon for the win at the Brickyard this Sunday.

While Smoke has conquered Indy twice, Gordon has been the man to beat at Indy since '94 (except in '96, 2000, and 2006), winning four of these events.

Otherwise, he's been in the thick of things, battling from something as low as a top 10 spot to as high as a victory. Indy shares some characteristics of the flat tracks that will be visited on the Chase like Phoenix and California, and has a bit of an intermediate track feel.

That said, if the 24 team wants to indeed gain those bonus points to catch the likes of Mark Martin, Kyle Busch, Jimmie Johnson, and Stewart, Gordon and company can aid their cause with a "W" at Four-Time's second home away from home in California.

Here is a look at each writers' pick from Chicago last weekend, where they finished, and the updated point standings (wins are in parenthesis):

Ben Bomberger, (2765) Brian Vickers finished seventh. (1)

Adam Heasley, (2628) Mark Martin won. (3)

Kelly Crandall, (2611) Jimmie Johnson finished eighth. (1)

M.J. Buchanan, (2593) Juan Pablo Montoya finished 10th. (0)

S.M. Napier, (2525) Tony Stewart finished fourth. (2)

David Phillips, (2060) Scott Speed finished 36th. (1)

James Broomhead, (1172) Carl Edwards finished 14th. (1)

Kara Martin, (1128) Tony Stewart finished fourth. (1)

Mason Dunn, (1068) Brian Vickers finished seventh. (0)

Rob Tiongson, (1053) Tony Stewart finished fourth. (1)

Danielle Henderson, (986) Denny Hamlin finished fifth. (0)

Kyle Ocker, (843) Matt Kenseth finished 23rd. (0)

Jen Preston, (824) Kevin Harvick finished 19th. (0)

Remember, during the regular season, our writers are trying to collect as many wins as possible.

After Richmond, points will be reset with each writer receiving 10 points for correctly picking a winner during the season.

For the final 10 races, the points will matter, and a Creature vs. Creature Champion will be crowned following the season finale in Homestead.

SIDE NOTE: When the Chase starts, our writer's will really have to put on their creative hats, as they will only be able to select a driver one time during the final 10 races.

In other words, each writer will have to be careful with the likes of Johnson, Gordon, Stewart and Busch, because they only get to use each once.

Jeff Gordon: I'm Very Confident in the Tires

Ben Bomberger — Thu, 23 Jul 2009 16:09:52 -0400

Tire issues plagued—and ruined—the 2008 running of the Allstate 400 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, but drivers and Goodyear officials are confident that it will not be an issue in this Sunday's race.

Since last year's race, 30 teams have logged more than 13,000 miles at The Brickyard during seven different tests to ensure the problem is fixed.

"I'm very confident in the tires," said Jeff Gordon, a four-time winner at The Brickyard. "I did the last test there and was very pleased."

Gordon isn't the only one optimistic about Sunday's race. NASCAR's Vice President of Competition Robin Pemberton applauded Goodyear's and teams' efforts and felt that everyone worked together good to pay careful attention to detail and unique outside resources.

"The last two tests, Goodyear really honed in on different constructions, different tire compounds and things that would add life to the tire, but also add a lot of grip," Pemberton said. "It's tough to get both and I think they've done a great job in doing just that. It's amazing to see what's been accomplished in the last 10 months or so.

"There will be a lot of good information that comes out of these tests that we will be able to take to other race tracks, such as different compounds and constructions. Things that will help the grip and help make the racing better all the way around."

Kasey Kahne, driver of the No. 9 Budweiser Dodge finished seventh in last year's Allstate 400 and has logged extensive laps at the famed track since last year's debacle.

"I think there was a lot to it because it seemed like a pretty tough process," Kahne said. "I must have tested six or seven times there since last year's race. The teams have put a ton of time testing up there and I feel like the tire is as good as anything that I've been on up there."

So good, that Kahne went as far to predict: "It's gonna be an awesome race."

Points leader and two-time winner at The Brickyard Tony Stewart agreed, saying he felt Goodyear has come back with a combination that is not only durable, but also made to provide better racing.

Stewart also made a trip to Goodyear's Akron, Ohio headquarters, where he had an opportunity to watch how a tire was assembled.

"It's a process that makes you shake your head because you just don't realize what goes into making a tire," Stewart said of his visit. "And the good thing is it's not done by a machine, it's done by a physical person that actually puts that tire together. There's a lot of machines that assist in the process, but some of the key components are still done by a Goodyear engineer that sits there and makes sure it's as perfect as it can be."

Last year's race was won by three-time defending Sprint Cup Champion Jimmie Johnson. It featured 11 cautions and a race-high 52 caution laps (33 percent of the race was run under caution).

This article is also featured on Pit Road Report.

NASCAR Fantasy: Who's Hot, and Who's Not (Indy Edition)

Ben Bomberger — Thu, 23 Jul 2009 16:06:34 -0400

The famed Indianapolis Motor Speedway will play host to the boys of the Sprint Cup Series this weekend, after the Series took a much needed week off.

NASCAR drivers have been hitting the rectangular track for 15 years now, with 13 of the races being won by past Series champions.

Perhaps even more important than winning at the Brickyard is following that up with a Series championship later in the season.

Seven times, the driver and crew that "Kissed the Bricks" in Indy went on to win that year's championship, including three of the last four.

Jimmie Johnson accomplished the feat in 2006 and 2008, while Tony Stewart did so in 2007. Four-time Series champion Jeff Gordon has done so twice (1998 and 2001), while Bobby Labonte did so in 2000 and Dale Jarrett did in 1999.

Here is a look at what drivers are Hot and which ones are Not this weekend.

Who's Hot

Tony Stewart
Stewart has quickly become a favorite pick each and every weekend. The two-time Series champion enters Indy with two wins on the season, and looks to continue that momentum at his "home track."

At Indy: In 10 races at the famed track, Stewart has two wins, four top-fives, six top-10s, one pole an an average finish of 9.1.

According to NASCAR's Loop Data, Stewart has an Average Running Position of 9.4 (second-best), a Driver Rating of 111.2 (series-best), 76 Fastest Laps Run (series-high), 189 Green Flag Passes (fourth-most), an Average Green Flag Speed of 169.852 m.p.h. (series-best), 516 Laps in the Top 15 (80.6 percent | series-high) and 116 Quality Passes (series-high).

Mark Martin
This 50-year-old is having the time of his life in his return to NASCAR full-time, as he leads all drivers with four wins on the season.

Indy is a place where Martin has threatened, but never won. Martin enters Indy driving Hendrick Motorsports equipment for the first time, however, and looks to continue his charge to a Chase berth this weekend.

At Indy: In 15 races at The Brickyard, Martin has five top-fives, nine top-10s and an average finish of 14.1.

According to NASCAR's Loop Data, Martin has an Average Running Position of 11.0 (fourth-best), a Driver Rating of 98.8 (sixth-best), 161 Green Flag Passes (11th-most), an Average Green Flag Speed of 169.248 m.p.h. (eighth-fastest), 496 Laps in the Top 15 (77.5 percent | second-most) and 111 Quality Passes (third-most).

Juan Pablo Montoya
Montoya enters this weekend as one of the hottest drivers in the Sprint Cup Series. This team has quietly began "points-racing" and worked their way into a Chase spot.

The No. 42 team has finished in the top-10 in five of the last six races and its' driver (Montoya) is comfortable driving around Indy.

Montoya won the Indy 500 in 2000, and finished a respectable second in his first trip to Indy in a stock car.

At Indy: Montoya has only two starts at The Brickyard in a stock car. Though he finished second in his first Allstate 400, an accident ended his day early in his second — leaving him with a 39th-place finish.

Jeff Gordon
Gordon is quietly lurking behind points leader Stewart, and heads to a track where he has found great success.

At Indy: Gordon has competed in all 15 events at The Brickyard, and has captured four wins, nine top-fives, 12 top-10s, three poles and an average finish of 8.6.

According to NASCAR's Loop Data, Gordon has an Average Running Position of 14.7 (12th-best), a Driver Rating of 97.5 (eighth-best), 19 Fastest Laps Run (ninth-most), 195 Green Flag Passes (second-most), an Average Green Flag Speed of 169.454 m.p.h. (fifth-fastest) and 111 Quality Passes (third-most).

Dark Horse: A.J. Allmendinger
It could be going out on a rather long line, but Allmendinger could be a solid selection for this week's Fantasy Roster.

The Dinger has competed in only one race in a stock car, and he finished 10th.

At Indy: While the numbers represent only one race, Allmendinger has an Average Running Position of 9.4 (series-best), a Driver Rating of 98.4 (seventh-best) an an Average Green Flag Speed of 169.692 m.p.h. (fourth-fastest).

Who's Not

Greg Biffle
Da 'Biff finished a disappointing 31st at Chicagoland the last time the cars were on the track, and fell four spots in the championship standings to 13th.

In the past nine races, Biffle has only two top-10 finishes (fifth at Michigan and third at Dover), and if the No. 16 team isn't careful, they could be caught on the outside of the playoff field come Richmond.

At Indy: Biffle has run decent at Indy, with two top-10 finishes (including last year's race) and an average finish of 17.5 — but this team will need better than a 17th-place finish if they want to push themselves back into Chase contention.

David Ragan
One year ago, this youngster was sitting 15th in the championship point standings, and vying for a spot in the Chase.

Heading into Indy this weekend, Ragan is 30th in points and hasn't had a top-10 finish since Talladega in April.

At Indy: Ragan has two starts at The Brickyard, with an average finish of 15th.

With rumors swirling that Ragan could be the odd man out once Roush Fenway is forced to scale back to four teams, this team better hope for a solid finish this weekend.

Fast Facts

Next Race: Allstate 400 at The Brickyard

The Date: Sunday, July 26

The Track: Indianapolis Motor Speedway; 2.5-mile oval

The Time: 2 p.m. ET

The Distance: 160 laps/400 miles

TV: ESPN, 1 p.m. ET

Radio: IMS Radio and Sirius Satellite

2008 Polesitter: Jimmie Johnson

2008 Winner: Jimmie Johnson

Schedule: Friday—Practice, 2-3 p.m.; 3:30-4:30 p.m. Saturday—Qualifying, 10:10 a.m.; Practice, 2-3 p.m. and 3:30-4:40 p.m.

2009 Top 12 Drivers

Driver Points
1 Tony Stewart 2,884
2 Jeff Gordon 2,709
3 Jimmie Johnson 2,672
4 Kurt Busch 2,526
5 Denny Hamlin 2,457
6 Carl Edwards 2,438
7 Ryan Newman 2,385
8 Kasey Kahne 2,336
9 Juan Pablo Montoya 2,321
10 Kyle Busch 2,298
11 Mark Martin 2,296
12 Matt Kenseth 2,295

This article is also featured on Pit Road Report.

Creature Vs. Creature NASCAR Writers Pool: Results After Chicago

Ben Bomberger — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 09:19:42 -0400

Here is a look at each writers' pick from Chicago last weekend, where they finished, and the updated point standings (wins are in parenthesis):

Ben Bomberger, (2765) Brian Vickers finished seventh. (1)

Adam Heasley, (2628) Mark Martin won. (3)

Kelly Crandall, (2611) Jimmie Johnson finished eighth. (1)

M.J. Buchanan, (2593) Juan Pablo Montoya finished 10th. (0)

S.M. Napier, (2525) Tony Stewart finished fourth. (2)

David Phillips, (2060) Scott Speed finished 36th. (1)

James Broomhead, (1172) Carl Edwards finished 14th. (1)

Kara Martin, (1128) Tony Stewart finished fourth. (1)

Mason Dunn, (1068) Brian Vickers finished seventh. (0)

Rob Tiongson, (1053) Tony Stewart finished fourth. (1)

Danielle Henderson, (986) Denny Hamlin finished fifth. (0)

Kyle Ocker, (843) Matt Kenseth finished 23rd. (0)

Jen Preston, (824) Kevin Harvick finished 19th. (0)

Remember, during the regular season, our writers are trying to collect as many wins as possible.

After Richmond, points will be reset with each writer receiving 10 points for correctly picking a winner during the season.

For the final 10 races, the points will matter, and a Creature vs. Creature Champion will be crowned following the season finale in Homestead.

SIDE NOTE: When the Chase starts, our writer's will really have to put on their creative hats, as they will only be able to select a driver one time during the final 10 races.

In other words, each writer will have to be careful with the likes of Johnson, Gordon, Stewart and Busch, because they only get to use each once.

Creature Vs. Creature NASCAR Writers Pool: Chicago Picks

Ben Bomberger — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 08:07:34 -0400

Picks for this weekend:

Ben Bomberger—Brian Vickers

Vickers pulled off his fifth pole of the 2009 season, and I'm hoping this could be the weekend he actually does something with a solid starting position.

In his four starts at Chicagoland, Vickers has yet to finish worse than 14th. He has one top-five (2005 with Hendrick Motorsports) and two top-10 finishes (one of which came in the No. 83 Toyota last year when he finished eighth.

Vickers has an average finish of 9.3 and an Average Running Position of 8.6 (sixth-best).

Team Red Bull continues to knock on the door of its first victory in the Sprint Cup Series, and Chicagoland could just be the place it finally happens.

James Broomhead—Carl Edwards

We're back on the cookie-cutter tracks, so we're back on Roush's home territory, and we're still waiting for the first Cup back flip of the season. Hint. Hint.

M.J. Buchanan—Juan Pablo Montoya

For this week in Chicagoland I'm going to pick Juan Pablo Montoya. He just has been steadily working his way up into the Chase points and has been having good, solid finishes.

It's been a tumultuous week for his team owner, Earnhardt Ganassi Racing, with the announcement about Martin Truex. But in spite of it all, I look for JPM to break out and get his name into the victory column this week.

Kelly Crandall—Jimmie Johnson

I went back and forth between Johnson and Kenseth. Kenseth has been so dominant at this track and has yet to break into the win column so I thought it might be his week.

But then I look at his performance and how things have gone from good to bad for this team and to me I just don't think he has regained the form he started the season with.

Greg Biffle crossed my mind after how he performed in Michigan but just don't feel like he can win either.

The man that can win and has the same car that dominated Michigan is Jimmie Johnson.

Johnson and crew chief Chad Knaus are still bitter about losing this race a year ago and have brought a race car that stomped the field in Michigan to make sure that does not happen again this year.

Johnson has seven starts at this track and has six top 10s, pretty much near perfect. He has five top fives, one pole, and has led 176 laps. He knows how to get around the track and has done everything but win here.

This weekend if the car performs like it did in Michigan (without running out of gas) he'll change that statistic.

Mason Dunn—Brian Vickers

I've been avoiding this driver but after my risky pick paid off last week with Elliott Sadler I feel a whole heck of a lot more confident going with Brian Vickers this week at Chicago. Vickers has four starts at Chicago and much like Hamlin at New Hampshire he has nothing but good finishes with a worst finish of 14th coming in the 2004 race.

He has completed 100 percent of the laps of the four races that he has run with a best finish of fourth place and after winning the pole late Thursday night for the fifth time this season look for the veteran driver of the Red Bull stable to bring home another quality top five finish to help his campaign for a spot in the 2009 edition of the Chase for the Sprint Cup.

Adam Heasley—Mark Martin

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Danielle Henderson—Denny Hamlin

He's been on the move for a while now and I think we all saw that at Daytona. My prediction is Denny will be up front all day and then take the checkered flag.

Kara Martin—Tony Stewart

I thought about going with Kyle Busch this week because I felt that he would have something to prove and would be out for blood after last week's melee in Daytona. But, I changed my mind at the last minute, let's see if I've gone with the right guy.

This week I'm going with Tony Stewart. Despite a poor qualifying effort Stewart is the one to beat this week. In my opinion there is no better driver on the track today.
He is one of two drivers, the other being Kevin Harvick to win twice at Chicagoland. In addition to his victories Stewart has six top five and six top ten finishes in Chicago.

Stewart's Crayola covered back to school Office Depot paint scheme will bring a colorful element to the scene this weekend. Let's just hope that he stays within the lines!

S.M. Napier—Tony Stewart

As much as I want to pick Happy this race, it all came down to statistics and going with Smoke. He gets my pick by winning a pole, one more top five then happy and led 113 more laps. So going with Smoke for the win and guess my dark horse will be Happy.

Kyle Ocker—Matt Kenseth

Matt Kenseth will be the winner of the LifeLock.com 400 this Saturday at Chicagoland Speedway. He has the best driver rating of 120.4 in the last four races.

Also in the last four races, he has led 296 laps. It pays to be the fastest, which has earned him a field-most 156 fastest laps. He also spends 91.1 percent of his time in top-15.

Keep an eye on Kyle Busch. He almost came away with the "W" but had a little incident at the finish.

David Phillips—Scott Speed

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Jen Preston—Kevin Harvick

In a continuing effort to avoid "Knausing", I'm picking my man Happy this weekend. He's got two wins at Chicagoland, holds the

track record for fastest race, has the most wins and most top tens of any driver, and has the best average finish (7.4). That, and I really want Harvick to get back in Victory Lane!

Rob Tiongson—Tony Stewart

It's time for yet another cookie cutter type of race...I wished it was a race enjoyed with some chocolate chip bites from Famous Amos or Boston Chipyard, but instead, we'll have to settle with the Chicagoland Speedway.

I seem to have been snake bitten as of late with my picks, with Newman running out of gas at NHMS and Shrub getting Kyle'd by Smoke at Daytona. So I'll play it safe with this Saturday night's race, choosing Tony Stewart.

It's summer, it's hot, and if any driver is looking to have the streak of victories in 2009, it's Smoke himself. He may have not liked how he won last Saturday night, but this time around, he'll relish his victory at CS.

Here is a look at each writers' pick from Daytona last weekend, where they finished, and the updated point standings (wins are in parenthesis):

Ben Bomberger, (2614) Tony Stewart won. (1)

Kelly Crandall, (2464) Dale Earnhardt Jr. finished 39th. (1)

M.J. Buchanan, (2459) Dale Earnhardt Jr. finished 39th. (0)

Adam Heasley, (2433) Dale Earnhardt Jr. finished 39th. (2)

S.M. Napier, (2360) Kevin Harvick finished 26th. (2)

David Phillips, (2005) Ryan Newman finished 20th. (1)

James Broomhead, (1051) Tony Stewart won. (1)

Kara Martin, (963) Dale Earnhardt Jr. finished 39th. (1)

Mason Dunn, (917) Elliot Sadler finished 10th. (0)

Rob Tiongson, (888) Kyle Busch finished 14th. (1)

Danielle Henderson, (831) Dale Earnhardt Jr. finished 39th. (0)

Kyle Ocker, (748) Ryan Newman finished 20th. (0)

Jen Preston, (718) Clint Bowyer finished 33rd. (0)

Remember, during the regular season, our writers are trying to collect as many wins as possible.

After Richmond, points will be reset with each writer receiving 10 points for correctly picking a winner during the season.

For the final 10 races, the points will matter, and a Creature vs. Creature Champion will be crowned following the season finale in Homestead.

Check back on Monday for this weekend's results.

Creature vs. Creature NASCAR Writers Pool: Results After Daytona

Ben Bomberger — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 10:25:46 -0400

When the fireworks cleared on the track Saturday night, Tony Stewart was left standing in Victory Lane for the third time in the past five July races in Daytona.

Two of our writers (Ben Bomberger and James Broomhead) correctly picked Stewart to take home the win, giving each their first win of the season.

Here is a look at each writers' pick from Daytona last weekend, where they finished, and the updated point standings (wins are in parenthesis):

Ben Bomberger, (2614) Tony Stewart won. (1)

Kelly Crandall, (2464) Dale Earnhardt Jr. finished 39th. (1)

M.J. Buchanan, (2459) Dale Earnhardt Jr. finished 39th. (0)

Adam Heasley, (2433) Dale Earnhardt Jr. finished 39th. (2)

S.M. Napier, (2360) Kevin Harvick finished 26th. (2)

David Phillips, (2005) Ryan Newman finished 20th. (1)

James Broomhead, (1051) Tony Stewart won. (1)

Kara Martin, (963) Dale Earnhardt Jr. finished 39th. (1)

Mason Dunn, (917) Elliot Sadler finished 10th. (0)

Rob Tiongson, (888) Kyle Busch finished 14th. (1)

Danielle Henderson, (831) Dale Earnhardt Jr. finished 39th. (0)

Kyle Ocker, (748) Ryan Newman finished 20th. (0)

Jen Preston, (718) Clint Bowyer finished 33rd. (0)

Remember, during the regular season, our writers are trying to collect as many wins as possible.

After Richmond, points will be reset with each writer receiving 10 points for correctly picking a winner during the season.

For the final 10 races, the points will matter, and a Creature vs. Creature Champion will be crowned following the season finale in Homestead.

Check back on Friday for this weekend's picks.

Creature Vs. Creature NASCAR Writers Pool: Daytona Picks

Ben Bomberger — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 07:41:34 -0400

Picks for this weekend:

Ben Bomberger—Tony Stewart

Hard to pick against this guy right now. At Daytona, Stewart has two wins, six top-fives, 11 top-10 finishes, one pole, and an average finish of 17.2.

His Average Running Position of 12.8 is fourth-best, and his Driver Rating of 104.4 is series-best.

Look for Stewart to be near the front at the end of the night, remember, it's Summer and Daytona is where Stewart kicked off his championship run in 2005.

James Broomhead—Tony Stewart

It's a restrictor plate race so through those 43 cards up in air and pick on on the way down. However, playing the percentage game Stewart is always a good bet for the win on the high banks, and the way his season is going it would be even less surprising than normal.

Dark Horse: Carl Edwards, Ryan Newman, Kevin Harvick, Dale Earnhardt Jr. Kurt Busch, Dave Blaney, and, well, anyone else.

M.J. Buchanan—Dale Earnhardt Jr.

For this hot, summery weekend at Daytona, I'm going to pick Dale Earnhardt, Jr. to win. I saw the confidence in crew chief Lance McGrew's eyes last weekend in New Hampshire and the swagger coming back in Jr.'s step as well.

Restrictor plate racing is Jr.'s strength and he knows how to get it done at Daytona. With Jr. Super Fan and Bleacher Report Community Leader Kelly Crandall cheering him on in person and my best NASCAR buddy Carol Messinger cheering him on from her home turf in Pennyslvania, how can he not win?! Happy July 4 all!

Kelly Crandall—Dale Earnhardt Jr.

I picked him in Talladega when I said that I would be going out on a limb because of how the team was running in the early part of the season. Then he went out and finished second.

So, this week the race that I'm going to be attending while cheering loudly for him, I'm going to pick Earnhardt Jr. again. He's coming off a decent finish, but a great run, in New Hampshire where you could tell that he and new crew chief (when do we stop calling Lance new?) were happy and having fun racing.

That's going to play well in Earnhardt Jr.s hands at a track that he is very good at. Once again he'll have a special paint scheme and will be racing under the lights, two things that he loves.

At Daytona in February, we all know what happened, but the last few times there and at the other plate track of Talladega, he's been close to going back to victory lane there so hopefully this weekend he can get it done.

His stats at Daytona include two points paying wins, not including the many exhibition races during February and the Nationwide Series races that he's won. He'll be in that Friday night race as well.

In 18 races, he has 11 top 10s, 6 top fives, and two wins. He's also led 382 laps. The guy know how to run this track and if he has a car that is even in the ballpark and he has a shot at the end, look for Earnhardt Jr. to be a factor on Saturday night.

Mason Dunn—Elliot Sadler

Crazy pick I know, but with my upcoming trip to South Boston Speedway for the Bailey's 200 Late Model Stock event, I felt compelled to pick a driver that hails from the Old Dominion.

Sadler has recorded a top five and three top 10s in his past five starts at Daytona and with his recent improvements behind the wheel of his 19 RPM entry I look for this weekend under the lights of Daytona to be a continuation of his turn around.

Daytona is where Sadler has his second best career average finish, behind only Infineon, and where he had a very memorable moment when he finished second to fellow Virginian and South Boston alum Ward Burton in the 2002 Daytona 500.

Sadler sits 23rd in the point standings and is no doubt looking to record his best points finish since his ninth in 2004, his only Chase appearance driving for Robert Yates, and 13th in 2005 and a finish towards the front at Daytona could be the kick in the pants he needs to do that.

Adam Heasley—Dale Earnhardt Jr.

When it comes to Daytona, many names come to mind, like Jeff Gordon, Tony Stewart, Jimmie Johnson, and I'll even throw Mikey into that conversation, and you can't leave out Kevin Harvick either.

But one name sticks out in my mind more, not because he is my favorite driver, but because he knows how to get around this place like his daddy, and this might be the only time we can really compare him to his daddy: Dale Earnhardt Jr.

It has been said that Junior can see the air go over cars at 200 MPH. Combine natural talent, a knowledge of the draft that rivals the intimidator, and a bad season to where only things can go up now, and you got one dangerous driver ready to break through with a win in a big way.

Dale Earnhardt is my pick to win the Coke 400, and who knows, maybe even get the weekend sweep.

Danielle Henderson—Dale Earnhardt Jr.

He's always good at Daytona. Look for him to be a factor.

Kara Martin—Dale Earnhardt Jr.

Yep that's right, I'm gonna stand by my man and pick Junior to win the Coke Zero 400. We all know that he does exceptionally well with restrictor plate races and Daytona for the most part is generally kind to Earnhardt Jr.

As with any track, there have been a few bumps in the road for Junior at Daytona. In 2007, he found himself in the 32nd position at the end of that season's 500 and 36th in the Pepsi 400.

Earlier this year, he finished a disappointing 27th in the Daytona 500 and currently sits 19th in points after a pretty dismal first half of the season. Why on earth would anyone even contemplate picking Earnhardt Jr. to take it all on Saturday, knowing that it could be Fantasy suicide?

Because he is the sentimental favorite and overcame his worst adversity to date and won just five months later at the very track that took his father's life.

People are expecting a good finish from Junior on Saturday night, he is long overdue for a win! With seven career wins at restrictor plate tracks, two of which were won at Daytona, it's business time, we know it and more importantly he knows it!

S.M. Napier—Kevin Harvick

Can I pick the rain to win the Coke Zero 400 powered by Coco-Cola. It's going to be raining, so we'll probably see a rain-shortened race, if they even get it in, so I'm just going to pick the same driver I had for the Daytona 500, Happy Harvick and hope that Delana get bring him some luck.

Kyle Ocker—Ryan Newman

Daytona International Speedway will be the site of Ryan Newman's first career victory at Stewart-Haas Racing. Last weekend, he nearly took the win at New Hampshire, but the rain came just a little bit too late. He has been performing quite well over the last few weeks and he did win the 2008 Daytona 500.

However, Dale Earnhardt Jr. will probably be one of the drivers that Newman will have to beat this weekend. Earnhardt Jr. can certainly be considered a dark horse this weekend. The last two weeks have brought good performances but mediocre finishes. If he can get the finish he deserves, he should be able to pull a top-five.

But I am going to choose Newman over Earnhardt Jr. because of consistency at this point.

David Phillips—Ryan Newman

Hello creatures, as we go back to Daytona, and we all know it's anybody's race. My pick this week is Ryan Newman.

Jen Preston—Clint Bowyer

I'm still holding out hope that RCR will make a comeback, and I think Clint Bowyer will be the one to get them back in Victory Lane this weekend.

Chevy has the most wins at Daytona (37) and Bowyer has the best average finish amongst drivers with three or more starts (11.1). Not to mention the fact that he has no DNFs, but he's also completed every single lap there since his first 500 in 2006. *Knocks on wood*

Rob Tiongson—Kyle Busch

Kyle Busch was at the right place at the right time last July when he took home the checkers for the Coke Zero 400 at Daytona. Yes, he won via Jeff Gordon's late-race collapse and spin, but Shrub is no stranger to holding it wide open. I look for that No. 18 team to repeat as the 400 champs again.

And as for my dark horse, he's not really one, but I look for Jeff Gordon to at least contend for the top five by night's end.

Here is a look at each writer's pick from New Hampshire last weekend, where they finished, and the updated point standings (wins are in parenthesis):

Ben Bomberger, (2419) Tony Stewart finished fifth. (0)

Kelly Crandall, (2418) Ryan Newman finished 29th. (1)

M.J. Buchanan, (2413) Jeff Burton finished 31st. (0)

Adam Heasley, (2387) Jimmie Johnson finished ninth. (2)

S.M. Napier, (2275) Stewart finished fifth. (2)

David Phillips, (1897) Martin Truex Jr. finished 37th. (1)

Kara Martin, (917) Jeff Gordon finished second. (1)

James Broomhead, (856) Johnson finished ninth. (0)

Danielle Henderson, (785) Kurt Busch finished third. (0)

Mason Dunn, (783) Denny Hamlin finished 15th. (0)

Rob Tiongson, (762) Newman finished 29th. (1)

Jen Preston, (642) Hamlin finished 15th. (0)

Kyle Ocker, (640) Kyle Busch finished seventh. (0)

Remember, during the regular season, our writers are trying to collect as many wins as possible.

After Richmond, points will be reset with each writer receiving 10 points for correctly picking a winner during the season.

For the final 10 races, the points will matter, and a Creature vs. Creature Champion will be crowned following the season finale in Homestead.

Check back on Monday for this weekend's results.

Creature Vs. Creature NASCAR Writers Pool: Results After Loudon

Ben Bomberger — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 11:38:07 -0400

Here is a look at each writer's pick from New Hampshire last weekend, where they finished, and the updated point standings (wins are in parenthesis):

Ben Bomberger, (2419) Tony Stewart finished fifth. (0)

Kelly Crandall, (2418) Ryan Newman finished 29th. (1)

M.J. Buchanan, (2413) Jeff Burton finished 31st. (0)

Adam Heasley, (2387) Jimmie Johnson finished ninth. (2)

S.M. Napier, (2275) Stewart finished fifth. (2)

David Phillips, (1897) Martin Truex Jr. finished 37th. (1)

Kara Martin, (917) Jeff Gordon finished second. (1)

James Broomhead, (856) Johnson finished ninth. (0)

Danielle Henderson, (785) Kurt Busch finished third. (0)

Mason Dunn, (783) Denny Hamlin finished 15th. (0)

Rob Tiongson, (762) Newman finished 29th. (1)

Jen Preston, (642) Hamlin finished 15th. (0)

Kyle Ocker, (640) Kyle Busch finished seventh. (0)

Remember, during the regular season, our writers are trying to collect as many wins as possible.

After Richmond, points will be reset with each writer receiving 10 points for correctly picking a winner during the season.

For the final 10 races, the points will matter, and a Creature vs. Creature Champion will be crowned following the season finale in Homestead.

Check back on Friday for this weekend's picks.

Creature vs. Creature NASCAR Writers Pool: New Hampshire Picks

Ben Bomberger — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 14:33:01 -0400

Picks for this weekend:

Ben Bomberger—Tony Stewart

Stewart has become (and will probably remain) the top choice on almost any given weekend.

Let's face it, Stewart can, well...Smoke...the competition on any given weekend, and NHMS is no different.

Heading into the weekend, Stewart leads the points by 84 over Jeff Gordon. He also leads all drivers with 12 top-10 finishes in 16 starts (75 percent) and is tied for first with eight top-fives.

At NHMS: In 20 starts at the track, Stewart has collected two wins, 10 top-fives, 12 top-10s, one pole, and an average finish of 12.6.

When it comes to NASCAR's Loop Data, Stewart has an Average Running Position of 9.9 (third-best), a Driver Rating of 115.6 (series-best), 235 Fastest Laps Run (series-high), an Average Green Flag Speed of 124.308 MPH (series-best), 1,883 Laps in the Top 15 (78.7 percent, fourth-most), and 229 Quality Passes (fourth-most).

James Broomhead—Jimmie Johnson

It's a case of head over heart this week for me. The heart wants a Hamlin or Bowyer win to add some sparkle to mediorce seasons, but the head can only point to a Hendrick driver, so JJ it is.

M.J. Buchanan—Jeff Burton

For my pick this weekend for the Lenox Industrial Tools 301, I am going with Jeff Burton. Yes, that's Burton, not Gordon, the latter being an often regular pick for this die-heard JG fan. I'm going with JB this weekend for a number of reasons.

First, he does well at this track, with four wins. He is one of four drivers, including himself, Jeff Gordon, Bobby Labonte and Joe Nemechek, to have competed in all 28 Cup races at that track. Burton will also be running the Lenox paint scheme in patriotic red, white and blue - that has to count for something, right?

And finally, that man and RCR are just due after a very rough start to this season.
So there you have it Jeff - not Gordon - but Burton to win in New Hampshire!

Kelly Crandall—Ryan Newman

After going back and forth between so many drivers. I'm going to go with the one that got his first career win at New Hampshire in 2002... Ryan Newman.

I stayed away from Greg Biffle because not many drivers have repeated at the magic mile, Biffle won the last time the series was there in September, and at the end of the day, you just don't know who it's going to be making way for Newman.

Hopefully, Newman can follow in his bosses, Tony Stewart, footsteps and get to victory lane this year and preferably this weekend!

At New Hampshire, Newman has two wins, his first career win in '02 and a win in '05 after he passed.... Tony Stewart!

He also has four poles, five top-fives and nine top 10s all in 14 races there. He really is the Rocket Man.

Mason Dunn—Denny Hamlin

At the same time as it appears that Hamlin's teammate Kyle Busch is beginning to slump and put his Chase aspirations into danger, Hamlin himself is beginning to turn his season around and has climbed back into the top 10 in points currently sitting in the seventh position.

New Hampshire has been kind to Hamlin in his career as he has his second best track finish average with a 7.17 behind only Watkins Glen where he has a 6.67. Hamlin picked up a win at this track in this event back in 2007.

With a worst ever finish of a mere 15th in September of 2008 it would seem to be crazy not to pick Hamlin at this track. Plus Hamlin has a history with flat tracks from his racing upbringing in Virginia, Martinsville and Langley specifically.

Adam Heasley—Jimmie Johnson

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Danielle Henderson—Kurt Busch

Kurt Busch usually runs well at Loudon. Here lately he's been doing better than his younger brother, Kyle busch. Expect Kurt to be up front and lead a ton of laps at this week's race.

Kara Martin—Jeff Gordon

This week I am choosing Jeff Gordon. Don't have any rhyme or reason for it, no great stats to report, or any fabulous thoughts on the matter. After a string of long, crazy nights at work I am too exhausted to link more than one coherent sentence together! I am just going with my gut. =)

S.M. Napier—Tony Stewart

Just going to stay with SHR, pick Tony Stewart this week at NHMS can't go wrong with his stats, 20 races, two wins, one pole, 10 top fives, 12 top-10 finishes, lead 936 laps and he'll be tough again this weekend.

Kyle Ocker—Kyle Busch

It certainly wasn't the prettiest outing for Kyle Busch at Infineon Raceway last week, but he always seems to back up a bad week with a good one. That's why I'm picking him to win this weekend at New Hampshire. In eight starts, he has one win, three top-fives and three top-10s.

David Phillips—Martin Truex Jr.

It's time for the other Earnhardt-Ganassi boy to shine. My darkhorse is Marcos Ambrose, I expect momentum to be on his side.

Jen Preston—Denny Hamlin

Denny Hamlin is looking for a rebound, and what better place to get it than a place where he has the best average of active drivers (with more than three starts- 7.2)? In his last two starts he's finished third and fifth, and I expect his rebounding to continue this weekend.

Rob Tiongson—Ryan Newman

Ahh, they're racing up in my home turf and there's nothing like NASCAR action up in my neck of the woods! I'm thinking that this will be Ryan Newman's race to win and why not?

He won here in 2002 and that No. 39 team is knocking on the door for a victory. Newman's not been to the winner's circle since his Daytona 500 triumph from last year in what was otherwise an unforgettable season. This year, they're sitting somewhat comfortably in Chase contention and a win on Sunday would do this team a huge favor.

Dark horse wise, I'd have to go with Greg Biffle. This is "sorta" Roush Fenway Racing's hometurf track if you consider the Red Sox ownership group that has some say with this team. And since NHMS is near Boston and Fenway Park, it'd be a fitting win for this team.

Here is a look at each writer's pick from Infineon last weekend, where they finished, and the updated point standings (wins are in parenthesis):

M.J. Buchanan, (2343) Jeff Gordon finished ninth. (0)

Kelly Crandall, (2337) Tony Stewart finished second. (1)

Ben Bomberger, (2259) Juan Pablo Montoya finished sixth. (0)

Adam Heasley, (2239) Montoya finished sixth. (2)

S.M. Napier, (2115) Stewart finished second. (2)

David Phillips, (1845) Ron Fellows finished 27th. (1)

Kara Martin, (742) Stewart finished second. (1)

James Broomhead, (708) Marcos Ambrose finished third. (0)

Rob Tiongson, (681) Gordon finished ninth. (1)

Mason Dunn, (660) Mark Martin finished 35th. (0)

Danielle Henderson, (615) Brian Vickers finished 16th. (0)

Jen Preston, (519) Ambrose finished third. (0)

Kyle Ocker, (494) NO PICK SENT. (0)

Remember, during the regular season, our writers are trying to collect as many wins as possible.

After Richmond, points will be reset with each writer receiving 10 points for correctly picking a winner during the season.

For the final 10 races, the points will matter, and a Creature vs. Creature Champion will be crowned following the season finale in Homestead.

Check back on Monday for this weekend's results.

NASCAR Fantasy: Who's Hot, and Who's Not (Loudon Edition)

Ben Bomberger — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 09:33:41 -0400

Is it just me, or was last weekend's race exciting? The double-file restarts proved to be killer at the first road course race of 2009, and I cannot wait for Watkins Glen!

This week, the boys return to an oval track with only left turns, as they head back up north to Loudon for the LENOX Industrial Tools 301 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.

When setting up your Fantasy Roster for domination this weekend, here are a few drivers to select (Hot) and a few to stay away from (Not).

Who's Hot

Tony Stewart

Stewart has become (and will probably remain) the top choice on almost any given weekend to put on your Fantasy Roster.

Let's face it, Stewart can, well...Smoke...the competition on any given weekend, and NHMS is no different.

Heading into the weekend, Stewart leads the points by 84 over Jeff Gordon. He also leads all drivers with 12 top-10 finishes in 16 starts (75 percent) and is tied for first with eight top-fives.

At NHMS: In 20 starts at the track, Stewart has collected two wins, 10 top-fives, 12 top-10s, one pole, and an average finish of 12.6.

Jeff Gordon

Gordon currently sits second in the points and rallied back last weekend at Infineon for a top-10 finish on the 1.99-mile road course.

Heading into New Hampshire, Gordon looks to capitalize on a track where he has been successful and make up some ground on points leader Stewart.

At NHMS: Gordon has raced NHMS 28 times and collected three wins, 12 top-fives, 15 top-10s, three poles, and an average finish of 11.6.

In NASCAR's Loop Data, Gordon has a series-best Average Running Position of 7.5, a Driver Rating of 106.7 (second-best), 196 Fastest Laps Run (second-most), an Average Green Flag Speed of 124.241 MPH (second-fastest), 2,142 Laps in the Top 15 (89.5 percent, series-high), and 261 Quality Passes (series-high).

Kurt Busch

Lately, the elder Busch has received far less attention than his younger brother—the Shrub.

This weekend at NHMS, however, it could be Kurt Busch who scores you some points on your Fantasy Roster.

Heading into the weekend, Busch quietly sits fourth in the points, and although he hasn't made much noise in recent weeks, Busch has been successful in Loudon.

At NHMS: Busch may not have the highest Driver Rating (83.7) or the best Average Finish (15.5), but he does have three wins, five top-fives, and seven top-10 finishes in New Hampshire.

Denny Hamlin

Hamlin is itching to not only get back to Victory Lane, but to also get out from beneath the shadow that is teammate Kyle Busch.

Hamlin moved up to seventh place in the point standings after a solid run at Infineon last weekend and returns to a track where he has finished outside the top 10 only once.

At NHMS: In six races in Loudon, Hamlin has one win, two top-fives, five top-10s, and an average finish of 7.2.

According to NASCAR's Loop Data, Hamlin has an Average Running Position of 9.2 (second-best), a Driver Rating of 103.6 (third-best), an Average Green Flag Speed of 124.031 MPH (fourth-fastest), 1,564 Laps in the Top 15 (87.3 percent, eighth-most), and 223 Quality Passes (fifth-most).

Dark Horse: Jeff Burton

The only reason Burton is a Dark Horse here, and not one of my Hot drivers, is because of the struggles that Richard Childress Racing as a whole has had so far in 2009.

Burton has four wins at NHMS, eight top-fives, 13 top-10s, and an average finish of 12.8—which are impressive numbers.

His Average Running Position of 11.4 and Driver Rating of 96.4 are seventh-best, while his Average Green Flag Speed of 123.925 MPH and 1,772 Laps in the Top 15 (74.1 percent) are both sixth-best.

Burton, who fell out of the top 12 last weekend, needs a solid finish this weekend to charge back into Chase contention.

Who's Not

Jamie McMurray

The driver expected to be the fifth wheel at Roush Fenway Racing after the 2009 season is a driver to stay away from this weekend at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.

In 12 starts at the track, McMurray has collected just one top-five (2004) and three top-10s (2003-2004).

Since joining RFR, McMurray's stats at the track have been even worse. In six races at the track in a Ford, McMurray's best finish was 11th (2007). During that span, he has an average finish of 28.2.

Elliot Sadler

In case you were thinking of taking Sadler as a wild card this weekend, it may be best to wait for another weekend.

Sadler has 20 starts at NHMS, and has collected only one top-five (though it did come in 2008) and five top-10 finishes.

His average finish of 21.2 isn't awful, but in his last four races at the track, Sadler has finishes of 24th, fifth, 38th, and 33rd.

Race Data

Race No.: 17 of 36

Track Size: 1.058-miles

Race Length: 317.4 miles (300 laps)

Banking/Corners: Variable at two and seven degrees

Banking/Straights: one degree

Driver Rating at NHMS

Tony Stewart 115.6

Jeff Gordon 106.7

Denny Hamlin 103.6

Dale Earnhardt Jr. 103.1

Jimmie Johnson 102.8

Kevin Harvick 102.2

Jeff Burton 96.4

Martin Truex Jr. 93.6

Ryan Newman 92.7

Mark Martin 92.1

Note: Driver Rating compiled from 2005-2008 races (eight total) at New Hampshire.

NASCAR Race to the Chase: Surprising, Not Surprising

Ben Bomberger — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 10:11:23 -0400

This weekend at Loudon officially kicks off the 2009 Race to the Chase. In other words, there are 10 races left until the points are reset and NASCAR's top 12 drivers battle it out for the 2009 Sprint Cup Championship.

Before looking forward at the next 10 races, I decided to do a special Surprising, Not Surprising and look back at the first 16 races of the 2009 season.

Surprising: David Reutimann visits Victory Lane | Competes for Chase spot

Three years ago, Michael Waltrip Racing was a struggling organization that appeared to be a team that would simply fill fields (or, in most cases, miss races).

This year, however, MWR has turned around (well, two of the teams) and collected its first win when Reutimann visited Victory Lane in the Coca-Cola 600.

Sure, he won by default when the skies opened and the rain fell, but long before he won the race at Charlotte, Reutimann and the No. 00 team were battling for a Chase spot.

Entering the 2009 Race to the Chase, Reutimann currently sits 14th in points, only 40 behind 12th-place Juan Pablo Montoya.

For the season, Reutimann has three top fives, four top 10s, and an average finish of 16.8.

Last year at this time, Reutimann was 28th in the points, with only one top 10—talk about a Surprising turnaround.

Not Surprising: Tony Stewart is successful as an owner/driver

While some doubted Smoke's abilities to handle both owner and driver duties at Stewart-Haas Racing, I knew he would be successful.

How could he not be?

This is a two-time Sprint Cup Champion, returning to the manufacturer he loved dearly, and driving Hendrick Motorsports equipment.

Stewart has collected one win in 2009 and currently sits 84 points ahead of second-place Jeff Gordon.

Last year, at this time, Stewart sat 11th in the point standings, clinging to a Chase spot.

Surprising: Carl Edwards has yet to win

Edwards entered the season as "the man to beat." Everybody deemed him the one who would dethrone three-time defending champion Jimmie Johnson.

With nine wins last year, Edwards finished the season second in points, but he appeared to have all the momentum heading into the offseason.

Apparently that momentum was lost during the winter months, as 16 races into the 2009 season, Edwards has yet to find Victory Lane.

To compare statistics, Edwards (at this point last year) had three wins, six top fives, and 12 top 10 finishes.

In the same 16 races in 2009, Edwards has zero wins, four top fives, and eight top 10s.

That's not to say that Edwards can't get hot and crank off three or four wins before the Chase starts, but entering the Race to the Chase, Edwards is no longer "the man to beat."

Not Surprising: Johnson/Kenseth look for sixth Chase berth

Two drivers have partaken in each and every Chase field since its inception in 2004—Jimmie Johnson and Matt Kenseth.

While Johnson appears to be a lock for his sixth Chase appearance, Kenseth is slowly fading to the bottom of the field.

Kenseth started the season off with a bang, winning the first two points-paying events of 2009, but has been anything but stellar since.

A solid finish (18th) at Sonoma this past weekend, coupled with a poor finish (35th) by Mark Martin, allowed Kenseth to quietly move back up to 10th place in the championship standings.

Johnson, on the other hand, sits comfortably inside the Chase field at third (293 ahead of 13th-place Kasey Kahne).

Surprising: Rick Hendrick's patience with the No. 88 team

We all knew a change was coming on the No. 88 team; we just didn't know when. After several weeks of poor performances by Dale Earnhardt Jr., team owner Rick Hendrick took Earnhardt's cousin Tony Eury Jr. off the pit box.

Eury wasn't fired, but instead reassigned to another position within the Hendrick organization.

Twelve races into the season, Earnhardt Jr. was 19th in points, with one top five and three top 10 finishes.

The crew chief change was made before the 13th race, and four races into the change, Earnhardt Jr. sits 20th in points, with the same number of top fives and top 10s.

While it will take time for Earnhardt Jr. and Lance McGrew to mesh, it appears a Chase berth in 2009 is out of the question now.

Not Surprising: Mark Martin will compete for championship

Many people (myself included) counted Martin out of the Chase after he struggled out of the gate in his first few races with HMS.

After race No. 4 (Atlanta), Martin and the No. 5 Chevy sat 34th in owner points, just barely guaranteed a starting spot.

Since then, however, Martin has collected three wins and moved himself into 11th place in the championship standings.

Martin "un-retired" from part-time competition to drive the No. 5 for a full season, hoping to capture a title that has eluded him throughout his tremendous career.

In fact, Martin has won and/or done just about anything a racer could want to do, except win the Cup championship.

With 10 races left until the Chase, Martin sits 11th in the standings, only 12 points ahead of 13th-place Kahne.

Could this be the year Martin wins the championship?

If the Chase started today, Martin would vault up to second in the points, tied with Kyle Busch at three wins apiece.

Here is a look at the 10 races leading up to the Chase cut-off.

June 28: New Hampshire Motor Speedway
July 4: Daytona International Speedway
July 11: Chicagoland Speedway
July 26: Indianapolis Motor Speedway
Aug. 2: Pocono Raceway
Aug. 9: Watkins Glen International
Aug. 16: Michigan International Speedway
Aug. 22: Bristol Motor Speedway
Sept. 6: Atlanta Motor Speedway
Sept. 12: Richmond International Raceway

Creature Vs. Creature NASCAR Writers Pool: Results After Infineon

Ben Bomberger — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 09:18:35 -0400

With nine races left until the Chase for the Sprint Cup Championship starts, things are heating up atop the Creature vs. Creature standings here on Bleacher Report.

Kelly Crandall successfully picked (again) the runner-up in Sunday's race and inched her way closer to points leader M.J. Buchanan—who's selection of Jeff Gordon finished a respectible ninth.

Crandall—along with S.M. Napier and Kara Martin—picked the highest finishing driver among our writers, while the other nine drivers fared relatively well.

Writer's successfully picked the second-place, third-place, sixth-place, and ninth-place finshers in Sunday's race.

With things winding down, Napier and Adam Heasley continue to lead the way with two wins apiece, setting them 10 points ahead of four writers (Crandall, David Phillips, Kara Martin, and Rob Tiongson) who each have one win.

New School

Among our new class of writers, Martin regained the points lead with her selection of Stewart, and pulled ahead by 34 points over second-place James Broomhead.

Previously leader Mason Dunn dropped three spots (to fourth) after his selection of Mark Martin lost a tire and finished 35th.

Only four weeks into the expansion, and two new comers (Martin and Tiongson) have both collected wins, while two writers here since Daytona (Ben Bomberger and M.J. Buchanan) continue to search for that first trip to Victory Lane.

Here is a look at each writer's pick from Infineon last weekend, where they finished, and the updated point standings (wins are in parenthesis):

M.J. Buchanan, (2343) Jeff Gordon finished ninth. (0)

Kelly Crandall, (2337) Tony Stewart finished second. (1)

Ben Bomberger, (2259) Juan Pablo Montoya finished sixth. (0)

Adam Heasley, (2239) Montoya finished sixth. (2)

S.M. Napier, (2115) Stewart finished second. (2)

David Phillips, (1845) Ron Fellows finished 27th. (1)

Kara Martin, (742) Stewart finished second. (1)

James Broomhead, (708) Marcos Ambrose finished third. (0)

Rob Tiongson, (681) Gordon finished ninth. (1)

Mason Dunn, (660) Mark Martin finished 35th. (0)

Danielle Henderson, (615) Brian Vickers finished 16th. (0)

Jen Preston, (519) Ambrose finished third. (0)

Kyle Ocker, (494) NO PICK SENT. (0)

Remember, during the regular season, our writers are trying to collect as many wins as possible.

After Richmond, points will be reset with each writer receiving 10 points for correctly picking a winner during the season.

For the final 10 races, the points will matter, and a Creature vs. Creature Champion will be crowned following the season finale in Homestead.

Check back on Friday for this weekend's picks.

Toyota/Save Mart 350: Surprising, Not Surprising

Ben Bomberger — Sun, 21 Jun 2009 21:21:31 -0400

The first road course race of 2009 is officially behind us, and NASCAR didn’t disappoint with its new double-file restarts.

Sunday’s racing was exciting from the drop of the green flag, until the caution flag fell in the closing laps, and in the end a Surprising driver was parked in Victory Lane.

As we look back at Sunday’s action, here are a few things Surprising, and Not Surprising .

Surprising: Kasey Kahne Wins | Moves Into Chase Contention

Entering Sunday’s race, Kahne had never finished a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series road course race in the top-10. By Sunday afternoon, Kahne broke a 37-race winless streak and called himself a road course winner.

Kahne managed to hold off a charging Tony Stewart and road course ace Marcos Ambrose through several double-file restarts in the waning laps.

More important than winning his first road course race, the solid finish moved Kahne to 13th in the championship standings, only three points behind 12th-place Juan Pablo Montoya.

Kahne’s win also gave the newly formed Richard Petty Motorsports its first win, and the King himself was in Victory Lane to celebrate with the No. 9 Budweiser team.

“I feel just as good as he [Kahne] does,” Richard Petty said after the race. “It’s great man.”

Kahne—who learned to drive on the dirt—said it was amazing to be in Victory Lane.

“It feels great,” he said after the race. “I can’t believe it to tell you the truth.”

Kahne gave Stewart credit for racing him clean and wished his dad a Happy Father’s Day. “Happy Father’s Day dad…have yourself a beer!”

Not Surprising: Tony Stewart Finishes Second

Smoke is on a roll—and always runs well at the road courses.

The current points leader has two wins at the 1.99-mile track in Sonoma, Calif., as well as seven top-10 finishes in 11 starts.

Stewart congratulated Kahne after the race noting that his No. 14 Chevy was, “a little too loose in the right handers,” while Kahne, “never made a mistake.”

The runner-up finish padded Stewarts’ points lead—extending it to 84 over second-place Jeff Gordon.

Surprising: Juan Pablo Montoya Points Races | Enters Top-12

Prior to the race, Montoya’s Crew Chief Brian Pattie said the team would be points racing on Sunday—and not get overly aggressive going for a win.

In the closing laps, it appeared Montoya was going to mount a charge to the front, but when Stewart managed to get back around him, Montoya seemed content bringing home a top-10 finish.

Montoya’s sixth-place finish vaulted him two spots in the championship standings to 12th—a minuscule three points ahead of 13th-place Kahne.

With nine races to go until the Chase cut-off, Montoya appears to be a challenger for a playoff spot.

Not Surprising: Jeff Burton Falls Out of Top-12

Richard Childress Racing is not the team it was one year ago, as is evident by its poor finishes in 2009.

With Burton’s 34th-place finish on Sunday (his average finish entering Sunday was 18.9), RCR officially has zero teams in the top-12 in points.

While his finishes the last few weeks haven’t been horrible (an average finish of 21.4 since the All-Star Race), those knocking on the door of the top-12 have been that much better.

Montoya, for example, has an average finish of 11.6 over that same time period, including two sixth-place finishes (Infineon and last week at Michigan), and two eighth-place finishes (Pocono and Charlotte).

The good news for Burton—and RCR as a whole—is that the No. 31 Chevy is only 46 points out of 12th-place.

The bad news for Burton—and RCR as a whole—is that those in front aren’t going to go down without a fight.

Surprising: Scott Speed Remains A Bust

After having what appeared to be a top-five run going in his No. 82 Red Bull Toyota during qualifying, Speed veered off the track and failed to qualify—again.

Once again, Joe Nemechek stepped aside to let the former Formula One driver get behind the wheel of the No. 87 Toyota.

Speed, however, as once again a non-factor throughout the entire race.

After finishing a disappointing 37th-place, you have to wonder when Red Bull’s patience with the rookie will wear out.

When the topic is brought up, many say Speed has a ton of talent and potential—yet it isn’t translating on the track.

Sure, the kid has yet to complete a full season in the Sprint Cup Series, but a road course race should have been a level field for Speed to run with the big boys.

Either way, Speed continues to fall further behind 35th-place in the owner point standings, and appears he will finish on the outside come Homestead.

Not Surprising: Double-File Restarts Provide Excitement

Infineon Raceway was the date many NASCAR fans (and drivers) circled when NASCAR announced the new double-file “shootout-style” restarts throughout the race.

Previously, with single-file restarts, drivers would get spaced out within a lap or two and it would take several laps for them to bunch back up.

On Sunday, each and every caution flag brought excitement as Stewart got to line up beside Kahne.

The double-file restarts also kept the fastest cars at the front, and kept lapped cars from interfering with the racing—something that has bitten teams in the past.

Overall, NASCAR has proven the double-file restarts are the way things should have been done all along, so kudos to the “suits” for listening to the fans and making racing more exciting.

Up Next: Loudon, New Hampshire

This article is also featured weekly on SpeedwayMedia.com.

Creature Vs. Creature NASCAR Writers Pool: Toyota/Save Mart 300 Picks

Ben Bomberger — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 09:30:17 -0400

Let's get ready to R-U-M-B-L-E!

That's right, NASCAR Nation, it's time for the first road course race of the 2009 season; time to find out who turns left and right best.

Our Creatures were pretty evenly spread on their picks this week, with point leader Tony Stewart garnering the most at three.

Road course aces Marcos Ambrose, Jeff Gordon, and Juan Pablo Montoya each collected two votes of confidence, while Ron Fellows, Mark Martin, and Brian Vickers each received one.

The green flag on the 219-mile event is scheduled to wave at 5:16 p.m.

Here is a complete look at each writer's picks for the first road course of 2009:

Ben Bomberger—Juan Pablo Montoya

Montoya is on the brink of breaking back into the top 12 in the championship standings and earning a Chase spot.

Sitting just 43 points behind 12th-place Jeff Burton, Montoya returns to the track where he collected his first (and only) NASCAR Sprint Cup win.

Montoya is known for his success in road course races, and will most likely be near the front when the white flag falls Sunday afternoon.

At Infineon: While he has only visited the twisted track twice in his short Sprint Cup career, Montoya has managed one win, one top five, two top 10s, and an average finish of 3.5.

According to NASCAR's Loop Data, Montoya has an Average Running Position of 9.6 (second best), a Driver Rating of 113.2 (series-best), and an Average Green Flag Speed of 90.020 MPH (third fastest).

Montoya's only downfall is that he tends to be aggressive, which could cost him a solid finish.

With Montoya battling to get back into Chase contention, he should be smart and race for points—not just the win—and I'm hoping he'll be a smart pick this weekend.

Dark Horse: Ron Fellows

James Broomhead—Marcos Ambrose

Kangaroo Meat has been the revelation of the season for me. Expected to struggle on anything that wasn't a road course, Ambrose is already mixing it with established drivers who have been in roundy-roundy racing for decades.

And if he can score top 10s on ovals, what can he do where his real experience lies?

He was running well last year before a few bumps broke his car. Now he has an extra year of experience in the cars and equipment that appears to be far higher than the Wood Brothers car he drove last year.

M.J. Buchanan—Jeff Gordon

My pick for Infineon is my driver, Jeff Gordon. I think he is definitely moving in the right direction (a shameless plug for my most recent article on him!) and he has been good on that road course before.

Although he has struggled most recently, he has recommitted himself to improving his road course program.

It's Father's Day (always special when you have Ella Sofia in your world), Ella's birthday is coming up, and Jeff is seeing both his step and real fathers for the weekend.

So, my prediction is that it will be Jeff Gordon, sipping his own California wine, in Victory Lane.

Kelly Crandall—Tony Stewart

Up until Thursdaym I was all but certain that I was going to take Juan Pablo Montoya. Montoya has been running so well this year and has made such huge gains, and I really was convinced that I should take him since we are heading to a road course.

But, I just don't feel like Montoya is a "safe" pick for some reason. He's either really good in a race or really bad, and since I'm not picking him, that most likely means he'll do well.

I'm gonna pick Stewart because of how strong that No. 14 car is running in 2009. He's got the All-Star win, won at Pocono, and has the point lead.

Not only that, but every weekend he is a force to reckon with and is a contender.

Stewart at Sonoma is no slouch. He's fifth on the stat list when it comes to active drivers at the road course.

In 10 races, he has six top 10s, three top fives, two wins, and one pole. He's also led 66 laps there, with his most recent road course victory coming at Watkins Glen in 2007 and a win at Sonoma in 2005.

Stewart's average start and finish at this track is a 10.0. Hopefully he can continue his amazing 2009 run and return back to Victory Lane on the California road course.

Mason Dunn—Mark Martin

Martin hasn't run in a road course race since 2006, but then again, he hasn't had a season like this since the mid to late '90s when he was winning road course races like it was his job.

He only has one win at Sonoma on his record, but he also has numerous top fives and I look for him and crew chief Alan Gustafson to team up and produce a solid top five to help solidify their spot in the Chase.

Adam Heasley—Juan Pablo Montoya

This week im going with Juan Pablo Montoya. I mean come on, they guy grew up driving on tracks like this.

He has one win at Sonoma, which happens top be his only win of his short NASCAR career. Montoya will be fighting for the lead if he stays out of of trouble and if trouble doesn't find him.

Danielle Henderson—Brian Vickers

I have a gut feeling that Brian Vickers will get his first win since 2006. It will be his second-career win. Brian has been having some great runs and I think he'll win this week at Infineon.

Kara Martin—Tony Stewart

This week I'm going with a road course favorite, Tony Stewart. In the past, Stewart has dominated Sonoma in all of the major auto manufacturers, but being back in a Chevy (a car that he admittedly loves) will give him the extra boost that he needs to take the checkered flag this weekend.

This season he has given all the tracks that he's raced on a run for their money. This road course will be just another notch in his well decorated belt.

S.M. Napier—Tony Stewart

This week I'm going with Tony Stewart. Through 10 races, he has two wins, three top fives, six top-10 finishes, one pole, led 66 laps, and has an average start/finish of 10th.

Just think, there's no stopping the "Big Red" machine piloted by Smoke, whose never run this good so early in the season, no doubt as we head into the stretch run for the chase and the final leg of the season.

It's going to be the "Big Red" machine up front either dominating for wins, or steal ones as his crew chief Darian Grubb and No. 14 Boyz kick some serious butt on pit road making it happen.

Kyle Ocker—No Pick Sent

No Pick Sent...

David Phillips—Ron Fellows

This week I've had trouble choosing who I should go with. I expect to see some Montoyas, some Johnsons, Gordons, a Busch or two, maybe even a Speed (who I've gone with three times already).

Wait, I know who I'll go with...Scott Pruett, the Grand-Am Champion who usually has a car fielded by Ganassi Racing.

But he's not on the entry list, so I'm going with that good ol' Hendrick Equipment—no, not Stewart, Newman, Earnhardt Jr., Martin or even Johnson or Gordon—my pick is the driver of the No. 09 for James Finch, Ron Fellows.

A one-of-a-kind pick, but hey, it's a road racing ace.

Fellows won in the Nationwide road race last season, has finished twice at Watkins Glen, and finished 15th two years ago at Infineon in the Hall of Fame Racing machine.

Jen Preston—Marcose Ambrose

Marcos Ambrose already has one top five and three top 10s this season, and I definitely see him adding to that this week in Sonoma.

Rob Tiongson—Jeff Gordon

For me, it's time to get a bit biased and go with my favorite: Jeff Gordon.

Sure he's got that nagging back problem and this track will be the biggest test thus far on how strong and how tolerant Gordon is of his back issues, but if there's a driver who knows his way around this 1.99-mile road course, it's the man driving that No. 24 DuPont Chevrolet.

Needing a great run and finish to trim Tony Stewart's point lead as we close down to the Chase, a win would be a huge boost to a season that's seen a lot more highs than lows for Gordon and crew.

Dark Horse: Can Tony Stewart be a dark horse? Because if he can, if Gordon can't seal the deal, the No. 14 Old Spice/Office Depot car will be right there to take the win.

Summary of Picks:

Tony Stewart — (3)
Marcos Ambrose — (2)
Jeff Gordon — (2)
Juan Pablo Montoya — (2)
Ron Fellows — (1)
Mark Martin — (1)
Brian Vickers — (1)
No Pick Sent — (1)

Here is a look at each writer's pick from Michigan last weekend, where they finished, and the updated point standings (wins are in parenthesis):

M.J. Buchanan, (2205) Edwards finished fourth. (0)

Kelly Crandall, (2162) Biffle finished fifth. (1)

Ben Bomberger, (2109) Brian Vickers finished ninth. (0)

Adam Heasley, (2089) Edwards finished fourth. (2)

S.M. Napier, (1940) Edwards finished fourth. (2)

David Phillips, (1763) Ryan Newman finished 23rd. (1)

Mason Dunn, (602) Edwards finished fourth. (0)

Kara Martin, (567) Kyle Busch finished 13th. (1)

Rob Tiongson, (543) Vickers finished ninth. (1)

James Broomhead, (543) Edwards finished fourth. (0)

Danielle Henderson, (495) Edwards finished fourth. (0)

Kyle Ocker, (494) Edwards finished fourth. (0)

Jen Preston, (354) Edwards finished fourth. (0)

Remember, during the regular season, our writers are trying to collect as many wins as possible.

After Richmond, points will be reset with each writer receiving 10 points for correctly picking a winner during the season.

For the final 10 races, the points will matter, and a Creature vs. Creature Champion will be crowned following the season finale in Homestead.

Check back on Monday for this weekend's results.

NASCAR Fantasy: Who's Hot, and Who's Not (Infineon Edition)

Ben Bomberger — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 09:11:54 -0400

Throw out the typical heavy hitters and get ready to put some road course ringers on your Fantasy Roster this weekend.

This weekend it's not just about who can get around an oval the fastest, but we find out who can turn left and right the best when the boys head to Infineon Raceway for the Toyota/Save Mart 350.

Here are a look at a few drivers that you want on your roster (Hot) and those that you don't (Not).

Who's Hot

Jeff Gordon

Gordon is always a threat when the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series hits the road course races, and this weekend will be no different.

Not only is Gordon having a championship-like season to date, but the No. 24 DuPont Chevy team has proven they can be competitive on all tracks.

Gordon was once deemed the "King of Road Courses," and looks to climb back on his throne this weekend.

At Infineon: Gordon has taken to the twisted track in California 16 times, and brought home five wins (31 percent), 10 top-fives (63 percent), and 12 top-10s (75 percent).

Add in five poles and an average finish of 9.3 and it's easy to see why Gordon is a smart move for your Fantasy Roster this weekend.

According to NASCAR's Loop Data, Gordon has an Average Running Position of 13.2 (eighth-best), a Driver Rating of 100.1 (sixth-best), 35 Fastest Laps Run (fourth-most), 172 Green Flag Passes (12th-most), an Average Green Flag Speed of 89.756 MPH (10th-fastest), 273 Laps in the Top 15 (61.8 percent | seventh-most), and 94 Quality Passes (second-most).

Tony Stewart

Stewart may very well be the hottest driver on the circuit these days, and is just now hitting his best part of the season.

After winning at Pocono two weeks ago, Stewart followed that up with a seventh-place finish at Michigan International Speedway, giving the No. 14 team 11 top-10 finishes in 2009 (most among all drivers).

At Infineon: Stewart has raced the curves of Infineon 10 times in a NASCAR Sprint Cup car, and will be the man that could beat Gordon on his playground.

The track has been kind to Stewart, as he has collected two wins, three top-fives, six top-10s, one pole, and an average finish of 10.

According to NASCAR's Loop Data, Stewart has an Average Running Position of 9.5 (series-best), a Driver Rating of 109.5 (second-best), 58 Fastest Laps Run (series-high), 189 Green Flag Passes (fourth-most), an Average Green Flag Speed of 90.262 MPH (series-best), 343 Laps in the Top 15 (77.6 percent | third-most), and 127 Quality Passes (series-high).

Look for Stewart to be a contender this weekend and gain you some valuable points in your Fantasy League if you use him.

Mark Martin

The 50-year-old climbed from his rocking chair this season to return full-time to Sprint Cup competition and is easily proving he's still a fierce competitor.

After teetering on the edge of the top-35 in points a few weeks into the season, Martin and the No. 5 team have ripped off three wins and moved themselves to a comfortable eighth-place in the point standings.

Martin is coming off his third win at MIS last weekend, after running a typical "Mark Martin" race—hanging around near the front and being where he needed to be at the end.

At Infineon: Martin has 18 career starts at Infineon Raceway, with one win, seven top-fives, 13 top-10s, one pole, and an average finish of 10.1.

Martin has an Average Running Position of 12.6 (sixth-best) and a Driver Rating of 90.2 (10th-best).

Martin is no longer a sleeper when it comes to Fantasy NASCAR, and is quickly becoming a solid pick to collect valuable points every weekend.

Juan Pablo Montoya

Montoya is on the brink of breaking back into the top-12 in the championship standings and earning a Chase spot.

Sitting just 43 points behind 12th-place Jeff Burton, Montoya returns to the track where he collected his first (and only) NASCAR Sprint Cup win.

Montoya is known for his success on road course races, and will most likely be near the front when the white flag falls Sunday afternoon.

At Infineon: While he has only visited the twisted track twice in his short Sprint Cup career, Montoya has managed one win, one top-five, two top-10s, and an average finish of 3.5.

According to NASCAR's Loop Data, Montoya has an Average Running Position of 9.6 (second-best), a Driver Rating of 113.2 (series-best), and an Average Green Flag Speed of 90.020 MPH (third-fastest).

Montoya's only downfall is that he tends to be aggressive, which could cost him a solid finish.

With Montoya battling to get back into Chase contention, he should be smart and race for points—not just the win—and will be a smart pick this weekend.

Dark Horse: Road Course Ringers

My top choice if you are opting to go with a ringer for your Fantasy Roster this weekend would be Ron Fellows in the No. 09 James Finch Chevy (which runs Hendrick Motorsports equipment).

The No. 09 has already visited Victory Lane this year with Brad Keselowski, and will be looking for another this weekend.

Among the other contenders are Patrick Carpentier (No. 55 Toyota), Boris Said (No. 08 Ford), Max Papis (No. 13 Toyota), and Brian Simo (No. 36 Toyota).

While the Ringers don't typically win the Sprint Cup Series events, a couple usually crash the top-10 party and bring home a solid finish.

Who's Not

Matt Kenseth

Kenseth started the season two-for-two, opening the year with back-to-back wins. Since then, Kenseth has managed only four more top-10 finishes and two top-fives.

Road courses aren't typically Kenseth's strong points either, and as Kenseth continues to slide back in the points, this weekend could be the race that knocks him out of the top-12 if he's not careful.

The good news is that Kenseth's career-best finish at Infineon came in this race one year ago—the bad news is that his career-worst finish at the track came two years ago.

At Infineon: In nine starts at the twisted track, Kenseth has never led a lap. He has one top-10 finish (2008) and an average finish of 21.8 (naming it as Kenseth's worst track statistically).

Dale Earnhardt Jr.

Earnhardt Jr. and the No. 88 team have problems right now: Problems that aren't going to be fixed over night, or over a couple races—making him a bad pick for any Fantasy Roster anytime soon.

Earnhardt Jr. always seems to run well at road course races, but never makes it to the end of the race with a solid finish.

At Infineon: Earnhardt Jr. has nine starts at the road course in California, with zero top-fives and zero top-10 finishes.

His average finish of 20.9 isn't awful—but it's nothing to brag about either.

That's a look at who you should and should not have on your Fantasy Roster this weekend. After Infineon, the boys head to Loudon.

Infineon Raceway Data

Race No.: 16 of 36

Track Size: 1.99-miles

Race Length: 110 laps/219 miles/350 kilometers


Driver Rating at Infineon Raceway

Juan Pablo Montoya # 113.2

Tony Stewart 109.5

Kyle Busch 104.8

Kurt Busch 102.6

Ryan Newman 101.9

Jeff Gordon 100.1

Jeff Burton 96.5

Jamie McMurray 92.7

Robby Gordon 91.9

Mark Martin 90.2

Note: Driver Rating compiled from 2005-2008 races (4 total) at Infineon Raceway.

# - Two races only.

Creature Vs. Creature NASCAR Writers Pool: Results After LifeLock400

Ben Bomberger — Mon, 15 Jun 2009 08:59:55 -0400

Sunday's race provided little action on the track, with the exception of the final lap. With eight of our 13 writers picking Carl Edwards to back-flip his way into Victory Lane, there was little action within our standings as well.

Kelly Crandall appeared to be headed towards her second win of the season, when leader Jimmie Johnson fell off pace, taking the white flag.

Crandall's selection of Greg Biffle took over the lead for the final two miles, but didn't have enough gas in his tank to hold off a charging Mark Martin.

Biffle fell off the pace down the back stretch, allowing Edwards (and eight writers here on Bleacher Report) to take over the top spot among our selections.

Fortunately for Crandall, Biffle managed to coast home in fifth-place, and she lost only five points on Creature Leader M.J. Buchanan.

Here is a look at each writer's pick from Michigan last weekend, where they finished, and the updated point standings (wins are in parenthesis):

M.J. Buchanan, (2205) Edwards finished fourth. (0)

Kelly Crandall, (2162) Biffle finished fifth. (1)

Ben Bomberger, (2109) Brian Vickers finished ninth. (0)

Adam Heasley, (2089) Edwards finished fourth. (2)

S.M. Napier, (1940) Edwards finished fourth. (2)

David Phillips, (1763) Ryan Newman finished 23rd. (1)

Mason Dunn, (602) Edwards finished fourth. (0)

Kara Martin, (567) Kyle Busch finished 13th. (1)

Rob Tiongson, (543) Vickers finished ninth. (1)

James Broomhead, (543) Edwards finished fourth. (0)

Danielle Henderson, (495) Edwards finished fourth. (0)

Kyle Ocker, (494) Edwards finished fourth. (0)

Jen Preston, (354) Edwards finished fourth. (0)

Remember, during the regular season, our writers are trying to collect as many wins as possible.

After Richmond, points will be reset with each writer receiving 10 points for correctly picking a winner during the season.

For the final 10 races, the points will matter, and a Creature vs. Creature Champion will be crowned following the season finale in Homestead.

Check back on Friday for this weekend's picks.

LifeLock 400: Surprising, Not Surprising | Mark Martin Wins On Fumes

Ben Bomberger — Sun, 14 Jun 2009 20:09:25 -0400

Fuel mileage again dictated the end of the LifeLock 400 at Michigan International Speedway on Sunday, as 50-year-old Mark Martin found Victory Lane for the third time in a Hendrick Motorsports Chevy this year.

While it wasn’t one of NASCAR’s most exciting races this year, the drama at the end provided for a decent finish.

Here are a few things Surprising and Not Surprising from Sunday’s race.

Surprising: Mark Martin Wins on Fuel Mileage

One year after Hendrick Motorsports teammate Dale Earnhardt Jr. coasted his No. 88 AMP Energy Chevy to Victory Lane, Martin did the same.

As the white flag flew, it was Martin’s other teammate—Jimmie Johnson—who was leading the way.

Johnson had dominated the field all afternoon and sprinted past Greg Biffle in the closing laps—appearing to be on his way to a third victory this year.

Coming off Turn Four, however, Johnson slowed and Biffle and Martin took over the top-two spots.

Martin—who was in fuel conservation mode—was racing for points and appeared headed towards a runner-up position.

“I went for the points man,” Martin said in Victory Lane. “I thought those guys were running too hard for us to save gas. I couldn’t do both—save gas and run with them. When Jimmie ran out, I said ‘we’re this close, I’m gonna run hard.’”

On the backstretch, Biffle ran out as well and Martin coasted to his third in 2009.

The win moved Martin up five spots in the championship standings to eighth-place—he entered in 13th, one point outside the Chase.

Not Surprising: Another Boring “Cookie-Cutter” Race

NASCAR’s “cookie-cutter” tracks are the reason non-fans say racing is not a sport.

Sunday was 400-miles of follow the leader—who, for most of the race, happened to be the No. 48 of Jimmie Johnson.

With only three cautions for 14 laps, NASCAR’s return to the D-shaped tracks was less than stellar and provided minor excitement.

In fact, if it had not been for the fuel problems at the end, fans would have been in for watching Johnson pull away to a couple-second lead and collect another win for Team Lowe’s.

Of the three cautions, only one had validity—a crash by David Stremme on Lap 150.

The other two were the infamous “phantom debris” cautions that NASCAR has become known for throwing when things aren’t going their way.

After exciting races the past few weekends, fans were reminded of the bad times ahead.

Luckily a road-course is on deck next weekend.

Surprising: Jimmie Johnson Runs Out of Gas for the Second Week in a Row

Is it just me, or does this guy never seem to have bad luck?

Sure, he ran out of gas last weekend as well, but still coasted to a seventh-place finish.

Sunday, Johnson was not as fortunate, as his fuel gamble cost him a win and dropped him to 22nd-place in the running order.

The good news for Johnson is that while he lost a shot at another win, he remained third in the championship standings—a comfortable 240 points ahead of 13th-place David Reutimann.

The bad news for the competition is that Johnson is on a roll—as usual—and appears to be in tip-top shape to contend for a fourth-consecutive NASCAR Sprint Cup Championship.

Not Surprising: Scott Speed Continues to Struggle

It’s got to be hard watching your teammate win poles and bring home top-five and top-10 finishes each week while you struggle to finish in the top-35.

Speed has not had the type of year anyone expected.

The former open-wheel driver crashed the NASCAR brigade full-time in 2009 and many thought he would at least be competitive some weeks.

Speed continues to battle with the No. 34 team for a spot in the top-35 and a guaranteed starting spot each weekend, but continues to fall further behind.

On weeks the No. 34 car struggles, Speed struggles more.

In Michigan, John Andretti brought the No. 34 car home a disappointing 33rd, but managed to gain valuable points on Speed, who finished 37th.

The good news for Speed is that when you finish that far back in the pack, you don’t gain many points anyway, and he only fell another 18 points behind Andretti.

The bad news is that unless things turn around, Speed may be looking at finishing the season outside the top-35, and could find himself on the outside of another spot come 2010—the No. 82 Toyota.

Surprising: Final Chase Spot Competition Heating Up

Typically, by this point in the season, NASCAR’s “playoff” field is all but set—but not this year.

With 11 races left until the cut-off, there are four drivers (Reutimann, Juan Pablo Montoya, Kasey Kahne, and Clint Bowyer) all within 100 points of 12th-place, which is held this week by Richard Childress’ Jeff Burton.

Once thought of as a long-shot to make the Chase, Brian Vickers remains in striking distance, only 136 out of 12th-place.

A few solid runs by Vickers, combined with a couple bad runs by those in front, and he could be sitting in the Chase come September.

It won’t be easy for any of the drivers outside of the 12-man field, however, as those inside will do everything possible to stay there.

Remember, those in front have an easier task ahead, than those behind.

Not Surprising: Roush Fenway Finished Strong

If Biffle had just another half-gallon of fuel, he would have been hoisting the trophy in Victory Lane instead of the 50-year-old Martin.

Roush Fenway has always been strong at MIS, and again flexed their muscles on Sunday.

While Biffle was forced to lay off the gas in the waning laps, he proved he could not only run with Johnson, but stay in front of him as well.

Along with Biffle, Carl Edwards finished in the top-five (fourth), and teammates Jamie McMurray (11th) and David Ragan (15th) finished in the top-15.

Matt Kenseth was the only RFR car to finish outside the top-15, bringing home a 20th-place finish.

Although RFR didn’t visit Victory Lane on Sunday, you can bet on them to take home a win this fall.

In the past seven years, RFR has won at least one of the MIS races, and a total of seven of the last 14 races there.

On to road-course racing.

This article is also featured on SpeedwayMedia.com.

Creature Vs. Creature NASCAR Writers Pool: LifeLock400 Picks

Ben Bomberger — Fri, 12 Jun 2009 07:38:54 -0400

NASCAR returns to the "cookie-cutter" tracks this weekend as the boys head to the American manufacturers' hometown.

It's all about bragging rights this weekend for Ford, Chevy, and Dodge. While Ford has traditionally dominated the two-mile track in Brooklyn, Mich., a Chevy (Dale Earnhardt Jr.) did win this race last year.

Although Carl Edwards has yet to win in 2009, our Creatures seem to think he'll break that streak this weekend, as eight (62 percent) of our 13 writers predicted we'd see a backflip this weekend.

The 400-mile event is scheduled to take the green flag at 2:16 p.m. on Sunday, and here is who our Creatures will be rooting for (OK, maybe not rooting for, but who they think will win).

Ben Bomberger—Brian Vickers

It's going to happen. Whether it's this weekend (which obviously I hope), or not, Vickers and his No. 83 Red Bull Toyota are going to make it to Victory Lane.

This week it was announced that Vickers had signed a multi-year deal to stay with Red Bull, and that confidence will carry over to the track this weekend.

At Dover: In 10 starts at the two-mile venue, Vickers has five top 10 finishes (50 percent) and one top-five (which came in this race last year, a fourth-place finish).

Since making his first start at the track with TRB, Vickers has only finished outside of the top 10 once, his first trip there with the No. 83 in 2007.

Finishes of eighth, fourth, and seventh have followed that up. He has also led 76 laps in the last three race as well.

Vickers and his Toyota would love to rain on the domestic parade in their hometown this weekend.

Dark Horse: David Ragan

James Broomhead—Carl Edwards

Seriously? You were expecting someone else. No way? Edwards is due a win, and Michigan is one of those Roush tracks where he will always have a chance.

And I have a feeling I won't be the only picking him here, let's say about five others have the same idea.

M.J. Buchanan—Carl Edwards

My pick for MIS is Carl Edwards. Roush Fenway is traditionally good at this track and Carl is tired of coming in as runner-up. I think it will be the right time to see Edwards' patented backflip in Victory Lane this week.

Kelly Crandall—Greg Biffle

My pick for Sunday's LifeLock 400 at Michigan is Greg Biffle. No surprise here that I'm going with a Roush Fenway car, at what's considered to be Jack Roush's playground.

Biffle has been right there all year long and ready to break into Victory Lane, but has always had something keep it just out of reach.

But, now we go to a track that not only has Roush as a whole run well at, but Biffle knows how to get around as well.

In 12 races, the No. 16 Ford has two wins, five top fives, seven top 10s, and has led 191 laps.

Early this year at California, another long and wide track, Biffle was right in the mix until the end when he ran over his air hose, which he says cost him the victory. Now, we head to a track just like California and where Biffle has won in the past.

I think the Biff can finally break through this weekend and bring home the checkered flag.

Mason Dunn—Carl Edwards

Edwards has been inching closer to his first win of the 2009 season and after an impressive run in last week's fuel mileage race at Pocono, I look for him to get his third win in the last five Michigan Cup races and set himself up for the season sweep of MIS.

Adam Heasley—Carl Edwards

Edwards is really starting to pick up the pace. I expect him to dominate and win at Michigan. The only thing that scares me is the fuel mileage game, which could take him out of the game.

Danielle Henderson—Carl Edwards

I'm going with "Cousin Carl" this week. He ran well at Pocono and has been on a roll here lately. He's done well at Michigan in the past; I mean it is Ford's home state. Besides that, I like Edwards and believe he will take the checkered flag.

Picking Dale Earnhardt Jr. last week didn't do much to help me. Hopefully, Carl can help a little.

Kara Martin—Kyle Busch

While my heart wants Dale Earnhardt Jr. to get out there and win his first race of the season at a track that statistically he does well at, I'm going to have to go with my head and choose Kyle Busch.

After last week's "smashing" success in the Nationwide, I believe that Busch will show up to the Sprint Cup Series with something to prove.

He'll shrug off the backlash regarding the Sam Bass trophy in Michigan by rubbing a Cup win in every one of his naysayers' faces.

Busch has yet to win in Michigan in the Cup series; no doubt he's champing at the bit to get that done.

Last June he came in 13th and in second during the August race. A first-place finish is inevitable.

My dark horse is Dale Earnhardt Jr. and even though I know I won't get the points for not officially choosing him, that is who I am ultimately rooting for to take the checkered flag.

S.M. Napier—Carl Edwards

Will edit in comments later...

Kyle Ocker—Carl Edwards

My pick this weekend is sure to get me a win. Edwards and the No. 99 Aflac Ford Fusion team at Roush Fenway Racing had a second-place finish at Pocono Raceway last weekend, showing that the team may be close to getting back to the form they were in 2008.

Roush Fenway Racing is going for eight seasons in a row with a Sprint Cup Series victory at Michigan International Speedway, and why would they stop now?

According NASCAR's Pre-race loop data report, he is the best performing driver not only at Roush Fenway Racing, but in the field, as he leads 13 of the 17 loop data categories in comparison to the past eight races at Michigan.

In those eight races, Edwards has spent 90.2 percent of his time in the top-15, and has posted an average finish of 6.1.

David Phillips—Ryan Newman

This week's pick is Hello Newman; look for Ryan Newman to pull off the win and follow up on Stewart's big win next week.

Jen Preston—Carl Edwards

He's got the best average finish among active drivers, and he's BOUND get into Victory Lane. I think this will be the weekend the backflip returns to NASCAR.

Rob Tiongson—Brian Vickers

I think I'll do a reversal here of sorts. Last week, on my weekly Dropping the Hammer column for Pocono, I had picked Brian Vickers to win. But with my C vs. C pick, I went with Tony Stewart.

This week for this Sunday's Michigan race, I'll have to go with Vickers. He's been wildly inconsistent as of late, but in the 2008 races held at this two-mile facility, he was amazing, with finishes of fourth and seventh.

If he keeps it together, that No. 83 Red Bull Toyota might be there in Victory Lane to truly upset those supposed American-only made cars!

SUMMARY OF PICKS:

Carl Edwards — (8)
Brian Vickers — (2)
Greg Biffle — (1)
Kyle Busch — (1)
Ryan Newman — (1)

Here is a look at each writer's pick from Pocono last weekend, where they finished, and the updated point standings (wins are in parenthesis):

M.J. Buchanan, (2040) Vickers finished 21st. (0)

Kelly Crandall, (2002) Johnson finished seventh. (1)

Ben Bomberger, (1971) Edwards finished second. (0)

Adam Heasley, (1924) Earnhardt Jr. finished 27th. (2)

S.M. Napier, (1775) Hamlin finished 38th. (2)

David Phillips, (1669) Vickers finished 21st. (1)

Kara Martin, (438) Stewart finished first. (1)

Mason Dunn, (437) Martin finished 19th. (0)

Rob Tiongson, (405) Stewart finished first. (1)

James Broomhead, (378) Hamlin finished 38th. (0)

Danielle Henderson, (330) Earnhardt Jr. finished 27th. (0)

Kyle Ocker, (329) Hamlin finished 38th. (0)

Jen Preston, (189) Hamlin finished 38th. (0)

Remember, during the regular season, our writers are trying to collect as many wins as possible.

After Richmond, points will be reset with each writer receiving 10 points for correctly picking a winner during the season.

For the final 10 races, the points will matter, and a Creature vs. Creature Champion will be crowned following the season finale in Homestead.

Check back on Monday for this weekend's results.

NASCAR Fantasy: Who's Hot, and Who's Not (Michigan Edition)

Ben Bomberger — Wed, 10 Jun 2009 09:14:48 -0400

This weekend, the boys head north to Michigan International Speedway, for the LifeLock 400.

MIS is a two-mile intermediate D-Shaped track, and is often referred to as one of NASCAR's many "cookie-cutter" tracks.

We all know what that means—Roush Fenway Ford's will rule supreme.

When setting your Fantasy roster for domination this weekend, here are a few drivers you may want on your team, and a few that you may not.

Who's Hot

Tony "Smoke" Stewart

Coming off his first win as an owner-driver, Smoke has (well) smoked the competition in recent weeks.

With Hendrick Motorsports equipment below him, Stewart is leading the points and entering his favorite time of the year—summer.

Smoke + summer + HMS equipment = bad news for the other 43 drivers.

Summer is Smoke's season, and is when things typically get on a role for the two-time champion.

This year, however, Smoke has hit his stride already, and could easily knock off a few wins between now and September, when the Chase starts.

At Michigan: Stewart visits the two-mile oval for the first time in a Chevy, but has one win, nine top fives, 13 top 10s, and an average finish of 12.5 at MIS.

In NASCAR's Loop Data, Stewart has an Average Running Position of 14.6 (10th-best), a Driver Rating of 94.5 (eighth-best), 52 Fastest Laps Run (11th-most), 570 Green Flag Passes (seventh-most), an Average Green Flag Speed of 173.455 MPH (sixth-fastest), and 1,024 Laps in the Top 15 (66.7 percent, seventh-most).

Carl "Flippin" Edwards

Edwards is still looking for his first win in 2009, and visits a track he won at last time the circuit visited it.

Last week, Edwards appeared to be smooth sailing his way to a win in Pocono, but a late surge by Stewart's pit crew got the No. 14 Chevy out first, which eventually led to Smoke's win.

Edwards' runner-up finish moved him up five spots in the championship standing to sixth, a much more comfortable spot than 11th.

Unfortunately, drivers can move back just as fast as they move forward, as was seen with Denny Hamlin's poor finish.

At Michigan: Edwards collected his second win at MIS last fall. He has recorded five top fives, eight top 10s, and an average finish of 6.6.

In NASCAR Loop Data, Edwards has an Average Running Position of 7.0 (series-best), a Driver Rating of 115.7 (series-best), 134 Fastest Laps Run (series-high), 565 Green Flag Passes (eighth-most), an Average Green Flag Speed of 174.229 MPH (series-best), 1,385 Laps in the Top 15 (90.2, series-high), and 410 Quality Passes (series-high).

In other words: Edwards could be the man to beat on Sunday.

Matt Kenseth

Kenseth started 2009 with a bang, winning the first two events of the season. Since then, however, he has managed only two more top fives, and four more top 10 finishes.

MIS could be the place where Kenseth (or any Roush Fenway driver for that matter) turns his season back around.

The past Sprint Cup Champion currently sits eighth in the championship standings, only 67 points ahead of 13th-place Mark Martin.

At Michigan: Kenseth has two wins, nine top fives, 13 top 10s, and an average finish of 9.1 at the two-mile oval.

According to NASCAR Loop Data, Kenseth has an Average Running Position of 11.5 (fifth-best), a Driver Rating of 106.4 (third-best), 76 Fastest Laps Run (sixth-most), 530 Green Flag Passes (11th-most), an Average Green Flag Speed of 173.932 MPH (fourth-fastest), 1,213 Laps in the Top 15 (79 percent, fourth-most), and 343 Quality Passes (fourth-most).

Any Other RFR Driver

Greg Biffle's stats include two wins, five top fives, seven top 10s, an average finish of 13.2, and an Average Running Position of 9.0 (second-best).

Jamie McMurray has collected one top five, four top 10s (three of which came in five starts in an RFR Ford), and an average finish of 18.5.

David Ragan has four starts at the two-mile track with one top five (a third-place finish last Aug.), and two top 10 finishes (an eighth-place finish in this race last year).

Dark Horse: Dale Earnhardt Jr.

If you are looking to take a chance with someone this weekend and gain some much needed points in your Fantasy League, Dale Earnhardt Jr. may be who you need on your roster.

Earnhardt Jr. may not be a popular pick right now as the team has struggled, but this team could turn it around at any moment.

The No. 88 AMP Energy Chevy visited Victory Lane last spring at MIS, and though it was on fuel-mileage, Earnhardt Jr. ran solid all day.

At Michigan: Earnhardt Jr. has one win, three top fives, six top 10s, two poles, and an average finish of 16.7 at the two-mile track in Michigan.

NASCAR's Loop Data shows that Earnhardt Jr. has an Average Running Position of 10.3 (fourth-best), a Driver Rating of 101.4 (fifth-best), 98 Fastest Laps Run (third-most), an Average Green Flag Speed of 173.728 MPH (fifth-fastest), 1,177 Laps in the Top 15 (76.7 percent, fifth-most), and 369 Quality Passes (third-most).

Who's Not

Now that you know who you do want on your Fantasy roster this weekend, here are a few drivers that you don't.

Kevin Harvick

Ol' Happy is anything but happy these days, as his backslide through the point standings continued with a poor finish at Pocono last weekend.

Harvick dropped two more places in the standings, to a season-low of 26th.

His 24th-place finish at Pocono extended his streak to 10 races without a top 10 finish. In fact, Harvick only has two for the year (fourth in Atlanta and second in Daytona).

At Michigan: Harvick has visited MIS 16 times, and has found little success at the two-mile venue.

Harvick has managed only six top 10s and two top fives, but has a respectable 15.2 average finish at MIS.

Denny Hamlin

Back-to-back finishes of 36th (Dover) and 38th (Pocono), have put the No. 11 FedEx Toyota in a bad spot—12th in points.

Hamlin is another driver that came into the season expecting to be competing for wins each week and the 2009 championship.

The season, however, has not been what the youngster was looking for.

Just over half-way through NASCAR's "regular season," Hamlin has three top fives and five top 10 finishes, and sits just one-point inside a Chase spot at 12th.

At Michigan: Hamlin only has six starts at MIS, but his most recent visit was his worst (a 37th-place finish last August).

At the track, Hamlin has one top five, two top 10s, and an average finish of 15.5.

Up Next: Infineon Raceway

Kenny Wallace: Put Your Name On My Nationwide Car

Ben Bomberger — Tue, 09 Jun 2009 08:45:57 -0400

Times are tough and sponsorship is hard to find these days across all three of NASCAR's top Series, but one Nationwide driver is giving fans the opportunity to put their name on his car.

Kenny Wallace kicked off his "Sponsor Kenny Wallace" campaign yesterday, giving race fans the opportunity to put their name on his No. 28 Chevy for the Nationwide Series race at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve in Montreal on Aug. 30.

The suggestion came to fruition after one of Wallace's Facebook friends gave him the idea when the driver mentioned that he didn't have a sponsor for the trip across the U.S. border.

After several weeks of deliberating, Wallace opted to go for it.

While he said he was humble to have to ask fans to dip into their pockets, he is offering incentive for the $20 it costs.

Wallace plans to not only have each person's name painted on his car, but each donor will receive a picture of the fan-sponsored machine, autographed by the Hermanator himself.

"Kenny Wallace wants to keep racing and he's looking to the fans for help," a release on his Web site says. "Due to a lack of sponsorship for this event only, Kenny is now turning to not only his fans, but all NASCAR fans out there to help accomplish his goal of competing and winning the NASCAR Nationwide Series race at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve."

On the launch day, Wallace said, "I am nervous...Today is the day I have been talking to all of you about for one month. At KennyWallace.com we are ready to put YOUR NAME on my race car in Montreal for the Nationwide race."

He continued to tell his Facebook friends that: "I want to again say thank you!! To Jim Ryan, our Facebook friend, for coming up with this idea. YOUR NAME on my racecar for $20.00...THANK YOU, THANK YOU."

Wallace later released a video on his Facebook, again thanking the fans for the opportunity and giving them a glance at the game room at his home.

"We are working hard on this program. I just really want to race at the best of our ability in Montreal," Wallace said on Facebook later. "My race team Jay Robinson Racing has been running better and better every week. We have a good road course car."

Wallace then pledged to give fans updates daily on how the Fan Car Sponsorship is going.

"So far on the first day, it look's like the program is a success."

Wallace noted that U.S. Border Patrol is still the full-time sponsor for his Chevy, but will not be on the hood at the Canadian race.

• For more information or to make a donation via PayPal, visit KennyWallace.com.

Creature vs. Creature NASCAR Writers Pool: Results After Pocono 500

Ben Bomberger — Mon, 08 Jun 2009 09:09:52 -0400

The Tricky Triangle was tamed by Tony Stewart—wow that's a lot of T's in there?

Stewart picked up his first points paying win as an owner-driver on Sunday, and two of our newest additions to the Creature vs. Creature weekly NASCAR picks collected their first wins as well.

Both Kara Martin and Rob Tiongson correctly picked Stewart to bring home the checkered flag on Sunday, and each earned themselves 10 bonus points when the Chase starts in September.

At the top of the points, leader M.J. Buchanan's gap was closed to 38 points, as her selection of Brian Vickers finished 21st, and second-place Kelly Crandall's selection of Jimmie Johnson brought his No. 48 Lowe's Chevy home in seventh.

With the Pocono weekend behind us, our Bleacher Creatures look ahead to the two-mile track in the state of Michigan.

Here is a look at each writer's pick, where they finished, and the updated point standings (wins are in parenthesis):

M.J. Buchanan, (2040) Vickers finished 21st. (0)

Kelly Crandall, (2002) Johnson finished seventh. (1)

Ben Bomberger, (1971) Edwards finished second. (0)

Adam Heasley, (1924) Earnhardt Jr. finished 27th. (2)

S.M. Napier, (1775) Hamlin finished 38th. (2)

David Phillips, (1669) Vickers finished 21st. (1)

Kara Martin, (438) Stewart finished first. (1)

Mason Dunn, (437) Martin finished 19th. (0)

Rob Tiongson, (405) Stewart finished first. (1)

James Broomhead, (378) Hamlin finished 38th. (0)

Danielle Henderson, (330) Earnhardt Jr. finished 27th. (0)

Kyle Ocker, (329) Hamlin finished 38th. (0)

Jen Preston, (189) Hamlin finished 38th. (0)

Remember, during the regular season, our writers are trying to collect as many wins as possible.

After Richmond, points will be reset with each writer receiving 10 points for correctly picking a winner during the season.

For the final 10 races, the points will matter, and a Creature vs. Creature Champion will be crowned following the season finale in Homestead.

Check back on Friday for this weekend's picks.

Pocono 500: Surprising, Not Surprising | Stewart Wins, Earnhardt Falters

Ben Bomberger — Sun, 07 Jun 2009 18:55:09 -0400

TNT took over NASCAR coverage this weekend, and the boys headed to Long Pond, Pa. for the Pocono 500.

Pocono features three very different—and unique—turns, and is a track where if a team gets behind early, it’s hard to catch up.

Problems plagued Chase contenders from the drop of the green flag until the checkered flag fell, but in the end, Tony Stewart came out on top both on the track and in the point standings.

With 14 races behind us, NASCAR’s Sprint to the Chase is in full effect, as those outside the top 12 have got to act now if they want to be in the 2009 Chase.

Here is a look at some things Surprising and Not Surprising from Sunday’s race.

Surprising: Tony Stewart wins first race as an owner

OK, so this isn’t really surprising because we all knew Stewart was going to get a win soon.

The reason this is surprising is because of the way Stewart won—through fuel mileage.

As the laps ticked away Sunday, Stewart was looking to be four to five laps short on fuel, but through fuel conservation, Stewart became the first owner-driver to win a race since Ricky Rudd did so at Martinsville in 1998.

In the waning laps, Stewart told his crew chief that he, “hated racing like this” in regards to the fuel mileage, but the gamble paid off and Stewart visited Victory Lane for the first time in his own car.

But as he crossed the finish line, Stewart said, “You guys made me look like a damn genius.”

After the race, Stewart said, “This has been an awesome weekend.”

When asked what it was like to win as an owner he said, “It’s a little different when it’s your own [team].”

Stewart pulled even further away in the point standings, as he now leads Jeff Gordon by 71 points. Stewart’s win earned him 10 bonus points when the Chase starts in September.

Not Surprising: Dale Earnhart Jr.’s pit problems continue

The No. 88 team may have a different crew chief calling the shots, but it’s the same driver behind the wheel of the AMP Energy Chevy.

And that driver continued to have problems in the pits on Sunday.

On Lap 105, Earnhardt Jr. completely blew through his pit stall and lost valuable track position.

Within a few laps of the green flag waving, Earnhardt Jr.—who restarted 25th—was nearly taken out of the race when contact with David Stremme sent the No. 12 Dodge into the wall.

Earnhardt Jr. struggled the remainder of the race and brought his No. 88 home 27th.

The poor finish was far worse than Earnhardt Jr.’s average of 16.3 at the Tricky Triangle.

Surprising: Denny Hamlin was never a contender

Hamlin swept the Tricky Triangle in Long Pond, Pa. in his rookie season and entered Sunday’s race leading just about every NASCAR Loop Data statistic.

When the green flag fell, Hamlin—who led Happy Hour practice—went from contender to field filler quickly after engine problems ended any chance of a third win at the 2.5-mile track.

Even worse for Hamlin was the drop in the point standings.

The No. 11 FedEx Chevy entered the race in seventh place in the point standings, but left clinging to a top-12 spot, only one point ahead of 13th-place Mark Martin.

Hamlin’s team deserves credit, however, as they managed to fix the problem and send the Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota back on the track to make up valuable points.

At one point, Hamlin was outside the top 12, but left Pennsylvania just inside Chase contention.

Not Surprising: Double-file restarts make racing more exciting

Pocono is not known for exciting races, and many fans complain of the two races the 2.5-mile track has during the summer months.

However, with NASCAR implementing the double-file restarts at the Pennsylvania track, it did make things a bit more exciting.

Sure, the double-file restarts aren’t a saving grace, but at least it did what should have been done all along—put the fastest cars at the front of the field.

Throughout the race, the restarts were much more exciting, as all cars on the lead lap were within seconds of each other as they took the green flag instead of being spread out the entire length of the front stretch.

The double-file restarts worked well at the 2.5-mile super speedway, but it’s yet to be seen how the rule change will work on the smaller tracks.

Surprising: David Reutimann jumps two spots in the point standings

Reutimann got his first-career Sprint Cup Series win just a few weeks ago at Lowe’s Motor Speedway when the Coca-Cola 600 was shortened by rain and used fuel mileage to bring home a top-three finish on Sunday.

Reutimann was strong all day and put himself in position to win late in the race.

It appeared the drivers in front of him would all have to pit one more time for fuel, and Reutimann looked to be coasting towards his second career win in the last three races.

Unfortunately for the No. 00 team, two cars—Stewart and Edwards—managed to stretch their fuel to the end of the 500-mile race, and Reutimann came home third.

The top-three finish moved Reutimann up two spots in the point standings to 11th.

With 11 races left before the Chase cutoff, Reutimann appears to be a serious contender for Michael Waltrip Racing’s first appearance in NASCAR’s playoffs.

Reutimann’s cushion is minor, however, as only 23 points separate him and 13th-place.

Not Surprising: Carl Edwards is inching towards first win of ‘09

After leading 103 laps on Sunday and appearing to have his first win of 2009 in the bag, Edwards was declared the bridesmaid of the Pocono 500.

Edwards, by far, has the best car all day, and recovered from a lucky caution after fueling problems forced him to pit several laps early.

When the final caution flag flew on Lap 165, Stewart’s crew managed to get the No. 14 Chevy out in front of the No. 99 Ford.

This would prove to be the move that cost Edwards his first win of the season, as Stewart pulled away to his first points paying win as an owner/driver.

Edwards’ second-place finish may not have been the win he wanted, but it did skyrocket him five places in the point standings to sixth-place.

Entering the race in 11th, Edwards is now a much more comfortable 84 points ahead of 13th-place.

“I was sure (Stewart) would run out of gas just like Jimmie (Johnson, who finished third) did,” Edwards said after the race.

Up Next: LifeLock 400 at Michigan International Speedway

TV: TNT, 12:30 PM

Radio: MRN, 1:15 PM

Track Details

Built: 1968

Length: 2-miles

Shape: D-shaped oval

Banking: 18-degree turns, 12-degree frontstretch, 5-degree backstretch

Frontstretch: 3,600 feet

Backstretch: 2,242 feet

Seating: 137,243

2008 Race Results

3M Performance 400 Presented by Bondo: Carl Edwards (Aug. 17, 2008)

LifeLock 400: Dale Earnhardt Jr. (June 15, 2008)

Points

1. Tony Stewart (2,043 | leader)

2. Jeff Gordon (1,972 | -71)

3. Jimmie Johnson (1,940 | -103)

4. Ryan Newman (1,840 | -203) (+1 in points)

5. Kurt Busch (1,819 | -224) (-1 in points)

6. Carl Edwards (1,762 | -281) (+5 in points)

7. Greg Biffle (1,753 | -290) (+2 in points)

8. Matt Kenseth (1,745 | -298)

9. Kyle Busch (1,731 | -312) (-3 in points)

10. Jeff Burton (1,725 | -318)

11. David Reutimann (1,701 | -342) (+2 in points)

12. Denny Hamlin (1,679 | -364) (-5 in points)

This article is also featured on SpeedwayMedia.com.

Creature vs. Creature NASCAR Writers Pool: Pocono 500 Picks

Ben Bomberger — Fri, 05 Jun 2009 09:41:30 -0400

After the Coca-Cola 340.5 threw our Bleacher Report writers a curveball two weeks ago, things returned to normal in the Creature vs. Creature picks, as nine of our 13 writers correctly picked a driver to finish inside the top 10 last weekend at Dover International Speedway.

Surprisingly, nobody picked race-winner Jimmie Johnson to win his fourth at the one-mile track known as the Monster Mile.

Several writers (James Broomhead, M.J. Buchanan, Mason Dunn, and Kyle Ocker) were at the top of the list with Carl Edwards, who finished seventh on Sunday.

Four other writers (Kelly Crandall, Danielle Henderson, Kara Martin, and S.M. Napier) weren't far behind, however, with Ryan Newman, who finished eighth.

The bad news for the day was Adam Heasley, who entered the weekend 32 points behind points leader Buchanan.

Heasley's pick of Jeff Gordon struggled all day, eventually finishing 26th.

The poor finish dropped Heasley to third in the Creature vs. Creature standings, and allowed Crandall to move into the runner-up spot.

Heasley does, however, maintain one of only two writers (the other being Napier) to have two wins so far this season, which will earn each 20 bonus points when the Chase starts.

Ben Bomberger—Carl Edwards

I was kind of surprised that nobody took Cousin Carl for the race this weekend. Sure, he's not had the kind of season that everyone expected of him, but eventually (let's hope it's Sunday), this guy is going to get hot and rip off some wins.

Though many had Edwards pegged to be the one to de-throne three-time defending Sprint Cup Champion Jimmie Johnson, Edwards has yet to visit Victory Lane in 2009 and currently sits 11th in the point standings, only 46 points ahead of 13th-place David Reutimann.

At Pocono: In eight trips to the Pennsylvania Mountains, Edwards has two wins, three top fives, four top 10s, and an average finish of 14.3.

His Driver Rating of 95.7 is seventh-best, he has 94 Fastest Laps Run (fourth-most), and his Average Green Flag Speed of 158.568 MPH is 13th-fastest.

Look for Edwards to back-flip on Pocono's front stretch this Sunday.

Dark Horse: Brian Vickers

James Broomhead—Denny Hamlin

OK, so I'm still waiting for Hamlin to repeat his rookie wonder at Pocono, and I need to start embracing the long shot to get a leg up on these other guys. If it doesn't pay off, then who cares, if it does and Hamlin romps away again, I look like a genius.

M.J. Buchanan—Brian Vickers

Sometimes you just have to go out on a limb. Some of the "usual" suspects are often good at Pocono, including Kurt Busch, Tony Stewart (our new points leader), Jimmie Johnson, and you can even throw in Hamlin, especially at this particular track.

But I'm going out on that proverbial limb to pick Vickers this week. He finishes well at Pocono and he has been oh so close this season. That Red Bull team is hungry, and I think that he may just be able to seal the deal in Long Pond.

If I see him in Victory Lane at my home track on Sunday, I'll tell him I owe him one!

Kelly Crandall—Jimmie Johnson

This weekend for Pocono I'm picking the man that I didn't pick last week and went to Victory Lane...Johnson.

Coming off the win at Dover and being a two-time winner at Pocono, I'm hoping that the three-time Champion can keep on rolling and give me another win.

Johnson has 14 starts at the Triangle and has two wins, two poles, five top fives, and nine top 10s. He's second on the active drivers list with the best statistics at this track and has an average finish of 9.8 and has led 368 laps.

The man who leads all drivers is Hamlin.

I honestly am afraid of picking Hamlin. I just have not seen this team live up to their (and everyone else's) expectations this year. I expected this team to run a lot stronger and be winning by now and they haven't. Plus, they only won one race last year.

To me, it seems Hamlin and Edwards are in the same boat, and are just not running like everyone expected them to be and it seems they have some pieces missing.

That's what's keeping me away from Hamlin this week and going with the Champ.

Mason Dunn—Mark Martin

Martin will look to bring more security to his current spot inside the top 12 with a solid top five finish this weekend at Pocono. Pocono is a track that requires a lot of patience and no one knows more about patience than Mark "The Kid" Martin.

Over the past four races at Pocono, Martin has an average finish of 8.5, with top 10s in all four races and has lead about 8 percent of the laps run.

His career at Pocono in a Chevy consists of seventh, eighth, ninth, and 10th place finishes. Martin has run 44 races at Pocono with only five DNF's in that span—not to mention his three career wins at Pocono including the June race in 1991.

Adam Heasley—Dale Earnhardt Jr.

Well, I'm really going out on a limb, but wow. I'm going with Earnhardt Jr. He's got Hendrick Motorsports' top guys on his team to turn it around.

Wow I just picked Jr. Well, go get 'em, Junior.

Danielle Henderson—Dale Earnhardt Jr.

He ran in the top 10 and top five most of the day at Dover. Although he ended up finishing 12th, he still gets some mometum—after all, its not 40th.

He's got a new interim crew chief who he did very well with last weekend and a new perspective on things. He has good stats at Pocono; he's ranked second only to Jeff Gordon!

He's never won there, but he just might be able to get himself and me that win. So I'm going to go out on a limb and pick Earnhardt Jr. to win this week at Pocono.

Kara Martin—Tony Stewart

After winning the All-Star two weeks ago and finishing a very strong second in Dover, he is poised for a win!

Pocono has always been one of Stewart's stronger tracks. Last August, he finished second behind Carl Edwards and this spring, I predict a win.

That's it, nothing profound, Stewart will win, enough said!

S.M. Napier—Denny Hamlin

This week I'm going to pick Joe Gibbs Racing's Hamlin. I think he'll get it done and his luck should turn around.

In six races, Hamlin has two wins, four top fives, five top-10 finishes, two poles, and led 300 laps. That speaks volumes, and I'm sticking with my first choice.

Kyle Ocker—Denny Hamlin

I am going to pick Hamlin and the No. 11 FedEx Racing team for the victory this weekend at Pocono.

Hamlin's team has posted the best average start (6.7), best average mid-race position (3.5), best average finish (6.2), best average position (6.5), highest percentage of quality passes (73.7), highest percentage of laps in the top-15 (90.6), highest percentage of laps led (27.1) and the best driver rating (123.6) in the field over the last eight races at Pocono, according to NASCAR's Loop Data statistics.

This team will be hungry after losing two positions in the points after last weekend's race at Dover, leading me to believe that Hamlin and the No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing team will visit Victory Lane for the first time this season, this weekend at Pocono.

To me, it's a no-brainer.

David Phillips—Brian Vickers

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Jen Preston—Denny Hamlin

He's sitting quietly in seventh-place in the points, is looking to rebound from his 36th-place finish in Dover, and has an average finish of 6.2 at Pocono.

Rob Tiongson—Tony Stewart

He's taken over the points lead recently and what season is coming up?

That's right, summer! And which driver do we usually think of winning a bunch of races when the heat is on? Tony Stewart.

He's won here before in Pocono, most recently in 2003. After coming so close last Sunday to winning his first race as a driver/owner in Dover, this Sunday, Stewart will close the deal.

SUMMARY OF PICKS:

Denny Hamlin — (4)
Dale Earnhardt Jr. — (2)
Tony Stewart — (2)
Brian Vickers — (2)
Carl Edwards — (1)
Jimmie Johnson — (1)
Mark Martin — (1)

Here is a look at each writer's pick from Dover, where they finished, and the point standings (wins are in parenthesis):

M.J. Buchanan, (1940) Edwards finished seventh. (0)

Kelly Crandall, (1851) Newman finished eighth. (1)

Adam Heasley, (1832) Gordon finished 26th. (2)

Ben Bomberger, (1791) Mark Martin finished 10th. (0)

S.M. Napier, (1726) Newman finished eighth. (2)

David Phillips, (1569) Scott Speed finished 37th. (1)

James Broomhead, (326) Edwards finished seventh. (0)

Mason Dunn, (326) Edwards finished seventh. (0)

Kyle Ocker, (280) Edwards finished seventh. (0)

Danielle Henderson, (248) Newman finished eighth. (0)

Kara Martin, (248) Newman finished eighth. (0)

Rob Tiongson, (215) Kyle Busch finished 23rd. (0)

Jen Preston, (140) Martin Truex Jr. finished 21st. (0)

Remember, during the regular season, our writers are trying to collect as many wins as possible.

After Richmond, points will be reset with each writer receiving 10 points for correctly picking a winner during the season.

For the final 10 races, the points will matter, and a Creature vs. Creature Champion will be crowned following the season finale in Homestead.

Check back on Monday for this weekend's results and the updated point standings.

Also, welcome us in wishing good luck to our very own M.J. Buchanan, who will be covering the race this weekend in Pennsylvania for Bleacher Report.

Good luck, M.J.!

NASCAR Fantasy: Who's Hot, and Who's Not (Pocono Edition)

Ben Bomberger — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 09:39:14 -0400

Last week, the boys were at Dover International Speedway, where Jimmie Johnson and the No. 48 Lowe's Chevy tamed the Monster Mile and collected his second win of the season.

Heading into the Pocono Mountains this weekend, a few teams are on fire, while others are quickly falling out of Chase contention.

Dover marked the half-way point in the Sprint to the Chase, and history shows that little movement often occurs in the top 12 after this point.

Could this be the weekend Stewart-Haas wins it's first points-paying event, or will Hendrick Motorsports collect its seventh win of the year?

Here is a look at a few drivers you want (and don't want) on your Fantasy Roster this weekend.

Who's Hot

Tony Stewart

Stewart is leading the points as an owner/driver for the first time since Alan Kulwicki did so in 1992, and is poised to win his first points paying event soon.

Pocono could be the place Stewart collects that win, as he has visited Victory Lane once at the 2.5-mile super speedway.

Stewart has also recorded six top-fives, 14 top-10s and one pole, with an average finish of 13.0.

According to NASCAR's Loop Data (which has been recorded since 2005), Stewart has an Average Running Position of 10.9 (fourth-best), a Driver Rating of 102.4 (third-best), 43 Fastest Laps Run (ninth-most), 593 Green Flag Passes (eighth-most), an Average Green Flag Speed of 159.050 MPH (fourth-fastest), 1,182 Laps in the Top 15 (78.3 percent, series-high), and 354 Quality Passes (series-high).

Coming off another runner-up finish at Dover last weekend, Stewart is hungry for that first victory.

Jimmie Johnson

Johnson collected his second win of the season last weekend, and moved up to third in the Sprint Cup point standings.

The No. 48 Chevy is a team that is a threat each and every weekend, and Pocono is no different.

Johnson has two wins, five top-fives, nine top-10s and two poles at the 2.5-mile triangle, with an average finish of 9.8.

According to NASCAR's Loop Data, Johnson has an Average Running Position of 11.0 (fifth-best), a Driver Rating of 100.8 (fourth-best), 53 Fastest Laps Run (seventh-most), an Average Green Flag Speed of 159.152 MPH (second-fastest), 1,144 Laps in the Top 15 (75.8 percent, third-most), and 312 Quality Passes (fifth-most).

When Team Lowe's gets on a hot streak, they can easily rip off four or five wins in a row, and Pocono could provide the team with back-to-back wins in 2009.

Denny Hamlin

Hamlin dominated this track in his rookie season, sweeping both races. It's a track he was instantly comfortable with, and could provide him with his first win in 2009 this Sunday.

On top of his two wins, Hamlin has four top-fives, five top-10s and two poles at the tricky triangle, where he has averaged a finish of 6.2.

Loop Data shows that Hamlin has a series-best Average Running Position of 6.5, series-best Driver Rating of 123.6, 201 Fastest Laps Run (second-most), a series-best Average Green Flag Speed of 159.808 MPH, 1,002 Laps in the Top 15 (90.6 percent, ninth-most) and 266 Quality Passes (11th-most).

Hamlin may not have had the dream season in 2009, but Pocono could be a place where he turns it around.

Dark-Horse: Brian Vickers

Vickers and his No. 83 Red Bull Toyota could be a Dark-Horse this weekend in Pennsylvania.

Although he has never visited Victory Lane at the 2.5-mile track, he has four top fives, four top-10s, and an average finish of 14.5.

Loop Data shows that Vickers has an Average Running Position of 11.9 (eighth-best), a Driver Rating of 95.0 (ninth-best), 68 Fastest Laps Run (fifth-most), an Average Green Flag Speed of 158.572 MPH (12th-fastest), 1,083 Laps in the Top 15 (71.7 percent, sixth-most), and 294 Quality Passes (eighth-most).

Vickers is currently 17th in the point standings, 131 behind 12th-place Mark Martin.

Who's Not

Kevin Harvick

To find Harvick's last top-10 finish in 2009, you'd have to go all the way back to the Atlanta Race in March (other than a ninth-place finish in the non-points paying All-Star Race).

Nine straight finishes of 12th or worse, have put Harvick well out of Chase contention, in 24th-place in the point standings.

Pocono is a track that Harvick's struggles will probably continue at.

In 16 races at the 2.5-mile Pennsylvania track, Harvick has two top-fives and five top-10 finishes.

His average finish, however, is a respectable 15.4.

David Ragan

Ragan entered the season as a favorite to compete for a Chase spot, and has faltered thus far in 2009.

With only one top-10 this sesaon, Ragan sits 31st in Sprint Cup points and could be the Roush-Fenway driver ousted after this season if things don't improve.

Ragan appears to be competing for the fourth spot at RFR with teammate Jamie McMurray, who sits a comfortable 22nd in the points.

At Pocono, Ragan has four starts, with one top-five, one top-10 and an average finishing position of 22nd.

Notebook (From NASCAR Media)

History

• Opened in 1968 as a three-quarter-mile track, Pocono Raceway held the first race on the 2.5-mile track in 1971.
• The first NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race was in 1974.

Notebook

• There have been 62 NASCAR Sprint Cup races at Pocono Raceway.
• There was one race from 1974 through 1981, and two per year since.
• All NASCAR Sprint Cup races at Pocono have been scheduled for 500 miles. By design, the inaugural race was run to a length of 480 miles due to the energy crisis.
• Buddy Baker won the first pole at Pocono.
• There have been 35 different pole winners at Pocono, including David Pearson who won the pole there in June 1984 but did not race. Only 15 drivers have more than one pole there.
• There have been 21 pole winners in the last 26 races. Denny Hamlin, Jeff Gordon, Jimmie Johnson and Kasey Kahne (two each) are the only repeat pole winners there since 1995. Qualifying was canceled once.
• The pole has been swept just three times: Bill Elliott (1985), Ken Schrader (1993), Denny Hamlin (2006).
• Richard Petty won the first NASCAR Sprint Cup race at Pocono.
• 28 different drivers have won races at Pocono, led by Bill Elliott with five victories; 19 drivers have won more than once there.
• There have been 14 different race winners in the 18 races since Bobby Labonte swept in 1999. Jimmie Johnson swept 2004 and Denny Hamlin 2006. Kurt Busch won the July race in 2005 and 2007. Carl Edwards won the June 2005 race and the August 2008 race.
• There have been six season sweeps at Pocono, including two of the past five seasons.
• Bobby Allison and Tim Richmond each won three consecutive races at Pocono.
• 45 of 62 Pocono races have been won from a top-10 start; 13 by the pole winner.
• The June 2005 race was won by Carl Edwards from the 29th starting position, the deepest in the field that a race winner has started.
• Rick Hendrick leads all car owners with 11 Pocono victories.
• There have been two green-white-checkered finishes: June 2005 (201 laps) and July 2005 (203 laps).
• Denny Hamlin won his first two races at Pocono, claiming both victories from the pole. His 6.2 average finish there is the best of any driver with more than one start at the track

NASCAR in Pennsylvania

• There have been 97 NASCAR Sprint Cup races in Pennsylvania.
• 136 drivers in NASCAR’s three national series (all-time) have their home state recorded as Pennsylvania.
• There are three race winners from Pennsylvania in NASCAR’s three national series:

Driver	NSCS	NNS	NCWTS
Dick Linder	3	0	0
Jimmy Spencer	2	12	1
Mark Donohue	1	0	0

Pocono Raceway Data

Race No.: 14 of 36 (6-7-09)

Track Size: 2.5 mile (200 laps/500miles)

Banking/Turn 1: 14 degrees

Banking/Turn 2: 8 degrees

Banking/Turn 3: 6 degrees

Frontstretch: 3,740 feet

Backstretch: 3,055 feet

Shortstretch: 1,780

Driver Rating at Pocono

Denny Hamlin 123.6

Kurt Busch 106.8

Tony Stewart 102.4

Jimmie Johnson 100.8

Mark Martin 98.2

Ryan Newman 96.8

Carl Edwards 95.7

Jeff Gordon 95.3

Brian Vickers 95.0

Kevin Harvick 90.8

Note: Driver Rating compiled from 2005-2008 races (8 total) at Pocono.

Qualifying/Race Data

2008 pole winner: Kasey Kahne (170.219 MPH, 52.873 seconds)

2008 race winner: Kasey Kahne, 125.209 MPH, 6-8-08)

Track qualifying record: Kasey Kahne (172.533 MPH, 52.164 secs., 6-11-04)

Track race record: Rusty Wallace (144.892 MPH, 7-21-96)

Estimated Pit Window: Every 28-30 laps, based on fuel mileage.