Chad's Fantasy NASCAR

Driver Recommendations for the 2009 Checker O’Reilly Auto Parts 500 at Phoenix

2009-11-09T20:23:00.004-06:00

Jimmie’s wreck at Texas let Mark Martin and Jeff Gordon creep back into contention for the Cup. Can they capitalize and run better than Jimmie in Phoenix? Do you think Jimmie Johnson will have two bad weeks in a row? Phoenix is a much different track than Texas with lower banking and speeds. The drivers won’t be able to hold the throttle wide open as they have the past two weeks. They’ll be doing more driving and potentially battling the track; wanting to go faster when it won’t allow it.

Recommendations for the week:

Chaser: Jimmie Johnson
Jimmie won’t have two bad weeks in a row. I know it gets old to hear, but Jimmie is awesome at Phoenix too! He’s averaging a 5.4 place finish with 3 wins in the last 4 races and 6 consecutive top five finishes. In 12 career races Jimmie has 10 top tens. Simply amazing.

Alternate Chaser: Denny Hamlin
Don’t want Jimmie on your team since everyone else will have him? Then go for Denny as your chaser. He did well last week at Texas and has good history in Phoenix averaging a 10.4 place finish. The only thing I don’t like is since the first race of the chase Denny doesn’t have two consecutive top 10 finishes. In the 1st, 3rd, 6th, and 8th races he has top 5 finishes. In the other races in the chase his best finish is 22nd. Not good, but he should get a top ten this weekend.

Kyle Busch
Kyle has done fairly well in Phoenix over his career with 6 top tens and a win in 9 career races. He’s also been pretty good over the last five races averaging a 12.4 place finish. I’m sure he’s disappointed that he did so well in Texas without getting the win and sweeping the weekend. I don’t know if that will affect how he drives this weekend, but no matter what, you know he’ll be aggressive and pushing to get to or stay in the front of the pack.

Jeff Burton
Jeff has shown some life in the last two races finishing 5th and 9th. Phoenix is a track that he’s had some success at collecting 3 top tens in the last 4 races here. He also has the 6th best average finish at the track (11.2). He knows how to race and is a solid veteran that can get you points.

Dark horse: Martin Truex Jr.
Truex Jr. will definitely be a dark horse. Martin was expected to contend to make the Chase, and instead he’s sitting 24th in points and only has 4 top ten finishes this season. One of those top tens was at Phoenix earlier this season. He does have 3 top tens in 4 of the last races in Phoenix, so it’s not that unreasonable to think he can’t do it again this weekend.

Driver Recommendations for 2009 Dickies 500 at Texas Motor Speedway

2009-11-02T20:25:00.001-06:00

It’ll be hard for the finish of this race to top Talladega. Wow, was that a wild one or what? NASCAR needs to do something to get the cars out of the big packs causing the horrific wrecks. There are quite a few opinions on it, and I’ll try to write mine later in the off-season, but for now let’s focus on Texas. It’s another fast track that allows the drivers to drive. There are several drivers who do well here, so let’s take a look at the recommendations.

Recommendations This Week:

Chaser: Jimmie Johnson
There is no one as hot as Jimmie, and no one better than him at Texas. He’s got the Chase all but wrapped after averaging a 3.8 place finish over the last 5, and his 8.5 place average finish at Texas is best among active drivers. If you think Jimmie will take it easy this weekend and cruise to the championship, think again. Jimmie may lay back in the beginning, but by the end of the race he’ll be with the lead pack fighting for the win.

Alternate Chaser: Carl Edwards
Carl’s 3 wins at the Texas Motor Speedway are most among active drivers. His 13.4 average finish is 5th best. This is the style of track that Carl is used to dominating on. If any chaser outside of Jimmie can win it should be Carl. He hasn’t been doing so well in the chase, but Texas is a track he can dominate at and a win here would help get him geared up for next year.

Matt Kenseth
Matt’s 9.7 place average finish in Texas is 2nd only to Jimmie Johnson. He is very good at this track with a win, 6 top tens and 9 top fives in 14 career races. 5 of those top fives have been in the last 5 races. He only has two top tens (2nd & 3rd place finishes) since the chase started, but with his success in the past at Texas he should be in the top ten most of the day, and in the hunt for a top five finish. Like others that have had a disappointing year, he’s going to want to finish strong and carry the momentum into 2010.

Kyle Busch
Kyle has turned it on in the last five races averaging a 12.6 place finish, good enough for 4th best. He’s also done well in Texas finishing in the top ten in 3 of the last 4 here. We all know how aggressive Kyle can drive and he won’t be changing that just because it’s the end of the season. He wants to make sure he holds off Matt Kenseth for 13th place in points to secure the bonus, and appear at the awards banquet.

Darkhorse: Joey Logano
To say Joey has done bad in Texas is an understatement. So why have him on your team? Well, he’s a lot better driver now than he was last year, and earlier this season. Joey has really been turning it on lately; his 12.4 average finish in the last five races is 3rd best. Take a chance on the kid and put him on your team. I have a feeling he’ll battler for a top ten finish in Texas.

Driver Recommendations for the 2009 Amp Energy 500 at Talladega

2009-10-26T19:39:00.003-05:00

The Talladega Superspeedway is the largest track on the NASCAR circuit, and usually provides for an exciting race. With the restrictor plates the cars are always bunched together providing for some close racing at high speeds. So, who are the best drivers at the track? There are quite a few that have done well here in the past, but hopefully my recommendations will come through this weekend.

Recommendations for the week:

Chaser: Jimmie Johnson
Jimmie hasn’t necessarily done well at Talladega, but he has been absolutely ridiculous since the chase started, and has averaged a 2.8 place finish over the past 5 races, winning 3 of them. He does have a win at Talladega and 6 career top tens, so he has had success here. Look for him to continue his dominance, and if he doesn’t get caught up in someone else’s mess, he should be battling for the win at the end.

Alternate Chaser: Ryan Newman
Want to pick a chaser not named Jimmie? Ryan could be your guy. His average finish isn’t great here, 18.5, but he as 3 top tens in the last 4. Ryan has also been doing pretty well lately, averaging a 13th place finish over the last 5 races. He is a driver that loves speed, and Talladega provides that. The track suites Ryan well and he should perform this weekend.

Dale Earnhardt Jr.
I know, I know; Dale has been horrible and can’t put a good finish together to save his life. But this is Talladega. This is his track. He has 5 wins, 8 top fives, and 11 top tens in 19 career races. If ever there was a track that he would break out of his funk and get a top 5 it’s Talladega. Put him on your team and watch him perk up a bit this weekend. If he has a bad performance this weekend, then he may be done for a while.

David Ragan
Believe it or not David has the 3rd best average finish at Talladega among active drivers with more than 1 career race. In his 5 races here he has 2 top fives and is averaging a 14th place finish. You may not think much of David, or the job he’s done this season, but from the numbers it seems like he should have a decent weekend. I wouldn’t be surprised if he is contending for a top ten by the end of the race.

Darkhorses: Brad Keselowski, Marcos Ambrose, Joey Logano
All of these guys only have 1 career race at Talladega and Brad won, while Marcos got a 4th place finish and Joey a 9th place finish. Talladega is a track that anyone can win, and since the cars are so tightly packed, track position doesn’t matter until the final couple laps. Anyone in 25th or better can storm to the front of the pack in 2 or 3 laps and get the win. These young guys know how to go fast, and don’t be surprised if one of them takes home a top five or even wins on Sunday.

A Look Back At My 2009 NASCAR Predictions

2009-10-21T19:30:00.002-05:00

Well, we only have 5 races left in the season, so it’s time to see how my pre-season predictions panned out.

Champion: Carl Edwards
I was definitely wrong on picking Carl. Since the chase started Jimmie has flexed his muscle and hasn’t looked back. He’s the man to beat and there doesn’t seem to be a chance for Carl to really compete with him. In 10th place right now, it looks like Carl will be lucky to finish higher than 7th in points.

Most Disappointing: Kyle Busch
I think I hit this on right on the head. Some of you may argue that Dale Earnhardt Jr. was more disappointing, but you have to remember; Dale Jr. isn’t very good. I never expected him to do much this year, and frankly he didn’t have the pressure and hype on him that Kyle did. All you heard about was how great Kyle is and he’s winning in the Nationwide and Truck series and is going to dominate all year. I figured he would at least make the chase before he fell apart, but he wasn’t even able to do that. He fell apart before the chase even started.

Most Surprising: Brian Vickers
When the chase started I thought Brian had a chance to still be the most surprising driver this year, but being 12th in points and not competing very well in the chase has put an end to his run. I thought if he could finish in the top 6 he would take this award, but it doesn’t look like that will happen.

Instead of Vickers I’d have to give this award to Tony Stewart. Yes, he’s a past champion and is a great driver, but you have to give him credit for becoming owner of a down-in-the-dumps team and getting both of the cars into the chase and him sitting 4th in points with 5 races remaining. He has a lot of responsibility this season and was still able to drive well on Sundays and be the best driver for a lot of the season.

Rookie of the Year: Joey Logano
This was a fairly easy pick since Scott Speed was really the only other rookie to choose from. Given the superior equipment that Joey has, it would be tough for him not to win this award. With 5 races left he has a 29 point lead on Scott Speed.

Comeback Driver of the Year: Kurt Busch
I think making the chase and currently sitting 5th in points would qualify this as a good prediction. Kurt finished the 2008 season 18th in points and needed a rebound year to get back into championship conversations. He has done that with a win and 18 top tens for the season. He likely won’t win the championship, but finishing 3rd in points is well within reach.

Most Wins: Carl Edwards
Wrong. I was way wrong on this one. Carl hasn’t won a race yet this year. Jimmie Johnson, on the other hand, has won 6 races and Mark Martin has won 5. It looks like a two-horse race to take this award home.

Driver Recommendations for the 2009 Tums Fast Relief 500 at Martinsville

2009-10-19T17:54:00.003-05:00

Can you believe the dominance of Jimmie Johnson? The guy is incredible, winning 3 of the 5 chase races and finishing 4th and 9th in the other two. It’d be tough to bet against him winning the championship. This weekend the boys go to the Martinsville Speedway for the Tums Fast Relief 500. There are a couple of chasers that have dominated here and some non-chasers that would be good to have on your team.

This week’s recommendations:

Chaser: Jimmie Johnson
You can’t bet against Jimmie right now. He is red hot, and he’s awesome at Martinsville too! In 15 career races he’s finished in the top ten 14 times with 6 wins for an average finish of 5.3. Those are ridiculous numbers. Add to that the fact that since the chase has started, he’s won 3 races and has an average finish of 3.2. He’s just sick.

Alternate Chaser: Jeff Gordon
If you want to pick someone besides Jimmie, his Hendrick teammate, Gordon, has to be your choice. He’s the 2nd hottest driver right now, and has also dominated at Martinsville. In 33 career races here he’s collected 27 top tens and 7 wins, most among active drivers. His average finish of 6.8 is only second to Jimmie. Since the chase started Jeff has done pretty well also. He’s averaging a 5.8 place finish in the chaser also.

Clint Bowyer
Believe it or not, Clint has done really well in Martinsville, averaging a 12.7 place finish and is averaging a 12.2 place finish since the chase started. He hasn’t been very hot all year, but he is heating up now with 4 top tens in the last 6 races. He should be a good choice for your team and get you some points, as he has 4 consecutive top ten finishes at Martinsville.

Casey Mears
Casey hasn’t done particularly well at Martinsville, but has managed 2 top tens in the last 3 here, which is an improvement for him. The main reason for recommending him is that since the chase started he’s averaging a 12.6 place finish (9th best) and he’s coming off a 7th place finish last weekend. His confidence should be up and feeling good from that, which will hopefully carry into this weekend.

Darkhorse: Dale Earnhardt Jr.
Pathetic is one word you could use to describe Jr’s year. He’s been downright bad, and since the chase stated he’s gotten worse, averaging a 30.8 place finish. (Only 2 drivers are worse.) So, why would you want him on your team? He actually races hard and had a good record at Martinsville. In 19 career races he has 10 top tens and averages a 13.3 place finish, which is 8th best among active drivers. He could be worth a gamble to put on your team.

Driver Recommendations for 2009 NASCAR Banking 500 at Lowe’s Motor Speedway

2009-10-12T18:56:00.006-05:00

Jimmie flexed his muscle this past week and took the points lead from Mark Martin. Will that continue this weekend? Maybe, but Jimmie only has one top ten finish at Lowe’s Motor Speedway in the past 4 races. There are a couple of other chasers that do well here and should challenge Jimmie for the win. So, who are they?

Driver recommendations for this week:

Chaser: Carl Edwards
Carl is averaging a 10th place finish at Lowe’s with 7 top ten finishes in 9 races. A win has eluded him so far, but he could get is first this weekend. He moved up to 8th in points after last week’s race and if he has another strong finish he could gain a couple more spots. With everyone else jumping on Jimmie’s bandwagon, picking Carl could gain you some spots since he won’t be on as many people’s teams.

Alternate Chaser: Kasey Kahne
Want another different chaser to put on your team? Kasey is the guy. He’s in 11th well out of the title hunt, but he runs really well in Charlotte. For his career he has 6 top ten finishes with 3 of them being wins. I guarantee you not many people will have Kasey on their team, so he could be a good pick to try and gain points on the competition.

Kyle Busch
Well, Kyle is Kyle. His record at Lowe’s Motor Speedway isn’t the best with only 5 top tens in 11 career races, but 4 of those 5 top tens have come in the last 4 races. He’s obviously one of the most talented drivers in NASCAR, but it’s a matter of him keeping his focus and getting the job done Saturday night. Hopefully his recent success at the track is an indicator of how he’ll do this weekend.

Jeff Burton
Jeff has 6 top tens in the last 8 races at this track. His 14.8 place average finish is good enough for 7th best among active drivers. Jeff is a solid driver and knows how to get around the track. He’s a good pick to have on your team and should contend for a top ten this weekend.

Dark horse: Bobby Labonte
Bobby has been around a while and in 33 career races at Lowe’s Motor Speedway he has 17 top tens with an average finish of 12.8, 5th best among active drivers. He hasn’t had a top ten finish here since 2006, but has not been all that bad with 13th, 12th, 11th, 17th, 12th place finishes. Bobby has had a very bad year, and has been doing badly in the last 5 races with an average finish of 29th (4th worst). He should be able to keep his top 15 runs going this weekend, and help your team get some points.

Driver Recommendations for 2009 Pepsi 500 at Auto Club Speedway

2009-10-05T20:50:00.006-05:00

With the chasers doing so well it’s making it tough to pick drivers and get big points. It should be easier this week since there are a few non-chasers that have done well in California. The Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, California is a sister track of the Michigan International Speedway with the same D shape configuration, but less banking. The track will allow the drivers to drive and the top drivers should get to the front.

Recommendations for the Week:

Chaser: Jimmie Johnson
There’s no one better at this track than Jimmie Johnson. He has 3 wins, tied for the most, 8 top fives, 9 top tens and an average finish of 6.2 in 13 career races. His worst finish was 16th place! If he’s going to make a move, and take the points lead, to get his 4th consecutive Sprint Cup Series championship this is the race he’ll do it. He is absolute money here and should either win, or be in the top 5.

Alternate Chaser: Carl Edwards
We haven’t heard as much from Carl in the chase as I thought we would. He’s back in 10th place, but with a good run this weekend he may get back into the mix. In 10 career races Carl has 9 top tens and his 6.7 place average finish is 2nd best to Jimmie. If for some reason you don’t put Jimmie on your team, then you definitely need Carl on it. One of these two will win.

Matt Kenseth
Jimmie and Carl are 1st and 2nd in average finish at the Auto Club speedway, so why not pick the guy who has the 3rd best average finish? That is Matt Kenseth with a 9th place average finish. He, like Jimmie Johnson, has 3 wins here as well as 7 top fives and 11 top tens in 15 career races. Matt didn’t perform well last week and looks to rebound at a familiar track this weekend.

Kyle Busch
So, guess who has the 4th best average finish? Yup, Kyle. He averages a 9.2 finish along with his 1 career win and 8 top tens in 10 career races. He showed some life last week and seems like he isn’t mailing it in for the final races of the season. Look for Kyle to keep showing signs of life and try to finish the season strong to build for 2010. He should be on your team.

Dark horse: Kevin Harvick
Kevin doesn’t have the best record at the Auto Club Speedway, but he did have two top ten finishes here in 2008. In his last 4 races this season he has a 9th, 32nd, 12th, and 24th place finishes. If that trend continues, then Kevin will be due for a top 12 finish. There aren’t many other drivers to choose from for a dark horse, so Kevin should do just fine on your team. I doubt many others will have him, so it could be a chance for you to pick up gain points on the people in front of you.

Will Dale Earnhardt Jr. Ever Be Good Again? A Comparison to Kyle Petty

2009-10-01T19:13:00.007-05:00

Remember the first few years of Dale Earnhardt Junior’s career when he had so much promise and potential? Everyone thought he could be just like his daddy and take over the family name and keep the winning tradition alive. In 2000, his first full season in the Sprint Cup Series, he had 2 wins. He followed that up in 2001 with 3 wins and an 8th place finish in the point standings, which was very impressive. After that he was considered a perennial contender for the Cup, and rightfully so. Standings wise he had his best year in 2003 finishing in 3rd place, and win wise 2004 was his best year collecting 6 wins and finishing 6th in the point standings. It seems to have gone down-hill since then.

There’s one other son of a legend that at one time had great promise and potential although he seemed to flame out and become irrelevant on the race track. In the eighties Kyle Petty had to try and follow in his father, The King’s, footsteps. He did have some success, but never became a top-tier driver. Will Dale Earnhardt Jr. have the same fate?

First let’s look at some numbers for Kyle Petty and Dale Earnhardt Jr. to see how their careers are similar so far, and then we can take a look at my theory for Junior’s drop off in productivity.

Below is a table of stats for Kyle Petty and Dale Earnhardt Jr. broken down by their first full 5 seasons in Sprint Cup, and their 6th thru 10th seasons in the Sprint Cup Series. (2009 is the tenth full season for Dale Jr. so his stats will only include the first 28 races.)

As you can see in their first 5 seasons Dale outperformed Kyle pretty easily, collecting a lot more wins, top fives and top tens, but more importantly having a better average start and finish position for the races, and better standing in the points at the end of the season.

In his 6th thru 10th seasons Dale Jr. had his numbers drop off dramatically. His points position is 5.5 spots worse, he has 12 fewer wins, not as many top fives and top tens, is starting the races 5 spots worse, and finishing 2 spots worse than he did in his first full 5 seasons.

This is a reverse of what Kyle Petty had done in his 6th thru 10th seasons. He did have some drop off in his average points position, but not as dramatic as Jr, and Kyle actually did better with average start and finishing position in the races, and had more wins than his first 5 seasons.

So, what does this mean for Junior? Well if Kyle is any indicator, Dale better hope next year is better or he could fall into irrelevance pretty soon. You can see Kyle’s numbers after his 10th full season (18 more seasons) and they’re not pretty. His average points position is pathetic, average finishing position for a race wasn’t even in the top 20, and after his 15th full season he never won another race. That’s 13 seasons without a win to end your career. Ouch!

Will Dale Earnhardt Jr. be that bad? I don’t know if he’d let it get to that. I think he’d retire before it gets embarrassing, but with the way this season has gone, it’s getting embarrassing quick.

So, why has Dale’s performance been so bad the past five seasons? Easy; Michael Waltrip. Michael was the perfect 2nd fiddle to Dale Earnhardt Jr. at DEI. He was there to help Dale out on the track and push him along at Talladega and Daytona. He was there to talk to Dale in the garage and build him up and give him confidence. He was the perfect teammate for Dale Earnhardt Jr. After the 2005 season Michael Waltrip left DEI to form his own team and Dale hasn’t been the same since.

Yes, there was the much publicized battle with Teresa Earnhardt to see who would have control over DEI which had to be a distraction for him, constantly being asked about the situation, but he still grossly underperformed. In 2008 when he started racing for Rick Hendrick everyone though that he’d be back to his old form. He got the best equipment and personnel to help him win. Well, we’re still waiting. One win in 64 races with Hendrick isn’t getting it done.

So why is he doing do poorly with Hendrick with all the latest technology and best equipment? No Michael Waltrip to push him. Jeff, Jimmie, and Mark are all top-tier drivers that are worried about their own championship runs and winning races. They’re not worried about building Jr. up and making him happy. He needs to be able to do that himself. They are not there to push him around the track like Michael did, they’re going to pass him and try to get the win themselves. Teammates in the garage, but on the track it’s every man for himself.

Can Jr. succeed again? Yes. He owns a team in the Nationwide series. If he can get that team running in the Sprint Cup Series and make it a two car team he’ll have a chance. He would need to be the “A” driver and have a young kid or 2nd tier veteran as his teammate that can help push him on the track and build him up in the garage. It seems that is the only kind of environment that Dale Earnhardt Jr. will thrive in.

What do you think?

Driver Recommendations for 2009 Price Chopper 400 at Kansas Speedway

2009-09-28T18:01:00.003-05:00

The third race in the chase is at Kansas. Kansas is one of the more boring, cookie-cutter tracks in NASCAR, but hopefully the racing action will be exciting. I’m sure Joey Logano doesn’t want it to be as exciting for him as last week when he went flipping down the track. We’ll see if Jimmie can keep the pressure on Mark, or if the old guy will keep the points lead.

Recommendations for the week:

Chaser: Mark Martin
Average finish of 2.8 over the last 5 races, 7th best average finish at Kansas and just rolling. Mark Martin should be on your team. He only has 3 top tens in 8 races here, but 2 of them are top fives and 1 win.

Alternate Chaser: Greg Biffle
The Biff has the 4th best average finish over the last 5 races (9.8) and 4th best average finish at Kansas (9.9). If you don’t think Mark Martin can continue his strong runs, then Biffle is the chaser you should have on your team. In 7 career Kansas races he has 4 top fives and 1 win.

Clint Bowyer
Clint only has 3 races under his belt at Kansas, but two finishes were in the top ten, and no one has a better average finish than his 7.7. He does have 2 top tens over the last 3 races this season, so don’t count him out of finishing in the top 10 this weekend. He could be a solid performer for your team.

Jeff Burton
Not so long ago Jeff was a driver you could count on being in the hunt for a championship. Now he finds himself lost in the middle of the pack. His record at Kansas isn’t very impressive, with only 2 top tens, but they have come over the last 3 races. He hasn’t had a top ten finish in a long time and is way past due.

Darkhorse: Casey Mears
Casey isn’t one of the drivers you’d normally put on your team, but if you’re looking to gain points and pick up someone that no one else has on their team, then he could be your guy. In 6 career races at Kansas Casey has a good record. He has 3 top tens and an average finish of 13.8, good enough for 9th best among active drivers.

Driver Recommendations for 2009 AAA 400 at Dover International Speedway

2009-09-21T23:56:00.001-05:00

Dover International Speedway, the Monster Mile, hosts the second Chase race. The old man, Mark Martin, was impressive last week, and has kept his points lead. Will he rack up another win this week?

This Week’s Recommendations:

Chaser: Greg Biffle
Greg has been excellent at Dover, and has done well in the last 5 races. At Dover he has the 4th best average finish (10.6) and 7 consecutive top ten finishes. Is that amazing or what? For his career he has 2 wins, 6 top fives and 9 top tens in 14 races. Oh, and he’s averaging a 11.2 place finish over the last 5 races, good enough for 7th best.

Alternate Chaser: Mark Martin
The old man can still get it done, and he can really get it done at Dover. His 4 wins here are tied for best among active drivers. In is 46 career races here he has 21 top fives and 29 top tens to go with the 4 wins. His average finish of 12.7 is 7th best at Dover, and over his last 5 races Mark has the 3rd best average finish at 8.6. It’ll be tough to not put Mark on your fantasy team this week.

Matt Kenseth
I know, Matt disappointed us last week with a 23rd place finish, but don’t give up on him yet. He has 6 top tens in the last 7 races at Dover. For his career he has 13 top tens in 21 races. Matt is too good to have two bad weeks in a row, right? Yes, he is, so put him on your team.

Kyle Busch
Kyle has been hot lately, averaging a 9.4 finish in his last 5 races. His overall stats at Dover aren’t that impressive, but he does have a win and 5 top fives in 9 career races. If he can finish the race, he should be running up front and content for a top five finish.

Darkhorse: Jeff Burton
Jeff has had a very unspectacular year, and his last top 10 was in Pocono back in June, which means he’s way past due for a good run. He does have 3 top tens in the last 4 races at Dover, and 13 career top tens, so don’t count him out. He may be a good driver to put on your team that others won’t have.

Driver Recommendations for the 2009 Sylvania 300 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway

2009-09-14T22:59:00.002-05:00

The Chase is here! NASCAR’s version of the playoffs will begin on Sunday in Loudon. Hopefully the guys that didn’t make the chase don’t drive too tentatively and we still see some good competition. Not many of the chasers have fared well in New Hampshire lately, and even fewer non-chasers have fared well. It could be interesting.

This week’s recommendations:

Chaser: Denny Hamlin
Denny only has 2 top ten finishes in his last 4 at New Hampshire, but his 8.3 average finish is best among active drivers with more than 1 race here. He has also been the hottest driver in the last 5 races averaging a 6.4 place finish. For his career Denny has a win and 5 top tens in 7 races. The fact that Denny is running hot now, and has the good career numbers, he could be leading the points after this race.

Alternate Chaser: Jimmie Johnson
Jimmie has not performed well in the last few races, but a couple factors are working in his favor this weekend. He’s done very well at this track in his career, and now that the chase is here he’ll turn the intensity up. Jimmie has 5 consecutive top tens at this track, and his average finish of 9.9 is only bettered by Denny Hamlin. He also has 2 career wins at New Hampshire to his credit.

Matt Kenseth
Matt hasn’t fared well at New Hampshire lately, but he still has one of the best average finishes among active drivers. He has to be disappointed with not making the chase, but he’s a pro and I don’t expect him to hang his head and have a bad day. He should do well and contend for a top ten finish. He does have 11 of them in 19 career races.

Clint Bowyer
Surprisingly Clint has been one of the better drivers over the past 5 races averaging a 14.6 place finish. He only has 1 top 10 finish, which was a win in 2007, but I think his hot streak will carry him past the issues he’s had in New Hampshire. I doubt he’ll get another win here, but he should hang out in the top 15 and hopefully finish there.

Darkhorse: Martin Truex Jr.
This has been a nightmare season for Martin sitting 25th in points with no wins and 4 top five finishes. He’s also been one of the worst drivers over the past 5 races averaging a 27.2 place finish. There is good news though; he’s done very well at the New Hampshire Motor Speedway. He has 3 top fives, 4 top tens, and an average finish of 13.7 in 7 career races. Not many may think he has a chance, but don’t be surprised if he has a top 10.

Bonus Darkhorse: Brad Keselowski
I don’t know if Brad will even enter the race this weekend, but if he does he could be someone to put on your team. He’s been fairly solid this season when he runs, and in the New Hampshire race earlier this season he finished up in 6th. Might be a good way to pick someone that not many others have on their team.

Driver Recommendations for the 2009 Chevy Rock & Roll 400 at Richmond

2009-09-08T21:10:00.003-05:00

The picks last week were horrible. There’s no way this week can be as bad, so here we go. Richmond gets the final race before the chase starts. Kyle Busch and Brian Vickers are just outside of the top 12, and should be driving pretty aggressive Saturday night to get in. Look for Kyle to really cause some excitement and make a few other drivers mad.

Recommendations this week:

Chaser: Tony Stewart
Tony has 4 consecutive top fives at Richmond and 5 consecutive top tens. His 3 wins at the track are tied for best among active drivers, and his average finish of 10th is 3rd best. Overall he has 9 top fives and 15 top tens in 21 career races. Obviously Tony is in the Chase, and his only motivation on Saturday night will be to win and get 10 more bonus points.

Alternate Chaser: Kyle Busch
Kyle has the best average finish (6.1) among active drivers at Richmond, with 7 top fives and a win in 9 career races. He sits 14th in points and needs gain two spots to make the chase. Look for Kyle to be driving like a mad man and causing havoc. If he doesn’t wreck, or get wrecked, he should be in the top five contending for the win.

Mark Martin
Mark has finished in the top five in the last 3 races here. In his 47 career races at the track he has 26 top tens, 16 top fives, and 1 win. Mark should make the chase, but being in 10th spot by only 49 points doesn’t make it a sure thing. He will have to drive hard and get a good finish to ensure his spot.

Ryan Newman
Ryan does well at Richmond with an 11.7 average finish and has done well in his last 5 races with an average finish of 13th. Putting those two things together makes me believe that he should do well Saturday night. In 15 career races he has 9 top tens, so Ryan should be up front and driving easy all night.

Darkhorse: Marcos Ambrose
The spring race was Marcos’ first at Richmond, but he did finish 11th. Over the past 5 races he has finished 34th, 2nd, 35th, 3rd, and 23rd. If that trend continues he should be on pace to have another top five finish. Let’s hope that is what happens.

Driver Recommendations for the Pep Boys Auto 500 at Atlanta

2009-08-24T22:50:00.002-05:00

The fastest, non-restrictor plate track is next up for the boys. Atlanta is a very fast and wide track and always seems to have exciting finishes. Remember back in 2001 when Kevin Harvick won his first race as a rookie sitting in Dale Earnhard’s ride? That was about as close as a finish as there is. Hopefully we can see something close to that good Labor Day weekend.

Recommendations for this week:

Chaser: Jimmie Johnson
Jimmie has done pretty well here over the past few years taking home 6 top tens and a couple wins over the past 7 races. In his career he has an impressive 3 wins, 9 top fives, and 11 top tens in 16 career races. His average finish of 9.1 is best among active drivers. Another win before the chase starts would be good, and you can bet Jimmie will be driving hard this weekend to get it.

Alternate Chaser: Carl Edwards
Like Jimmie, Carl has 3 career wins here, but in only 10 races. He also has 6 top fives and 8 top tens. Very impressive. His average finish of 10.7 is 2nd best only to Jimmie. Surprisingly Carl is winless in 2009, but is 5th in the points standings. You know he wants to have at least one win and the bonus points that come with it before the chase starts. Carl should be on top of his game.

Kurt Busch
Over his career Kurt’s numbers at Atlanta aren’t all that impressive, but he does have 3 top tens in the last 4 here and won the March race earlier this year. Maybe he’s figuring something out about the track and has learned how to get around it faster. Whatever it is, I’d have him on my team.

Brian Vickers
No driver is as hot as Brian is right now. Over the last 5 races he’s averaging a 7th place finish. He’s also done well at Atlanta in recent years with 3 top tens in the last 4 races. But those together and it sounds like a no-brainer that Brian should be on your team.

Darkhorse: AJ Allmendinger
AJ hasn’t done great in Atlanta averaging only a 15.7 place finish in his 3 races here, but believe it or not, that’s good enough for 8th best among active drivers. He’s also been very consistent; not very impressive, but consistent. He has 17th, 14th and 16th place finishes. He’s a guy that it seems we can count on to finish in the top 20, and possibly the top 15.

Not impressed with the picks, or have others that I should have recommended? Leave a comment and let me know.

NASCAR Rookies of 2001...How Many Do You Remember?

2009-08-19T20:58:00.008-05:00

When Jeff Gordon started racing in the Sprint Cup full time in 1993 Dale Earhnardt nicknamed him the “Wonder Boy” since he was so good. Since then there have been many young, good drivers join the top series in NASCAR. A lot of these “young guns” are the drivers veterans like Gordon are chasing around the track each week. Think you know all of the drivers that have joined the Sprint Cup since 2001? Can you name ½ of them? Well, let’s take a look at the rookie class of 2001 first, and see if you remember them. You may be surprised by the names that you’ve forgotten, and some you may be surprised are still racing. Next week we’ll look at the rookies of 2002.

There were 5 rookies in the class of 2001, with all of them running 30 or more races. Can you name all of the rookies, or even 2 of them?

The two biggest names from that class are Kevin Harvick and Kurt Busch, who ran all 35 races that year. Harvick had a very good season with 2 wins, 6 top fives, and 16 top tens and easily won Rookie Of they Year honors with Kurt Busch being 2nd.

The other guys in that class? Casey Atwood, Jason Leffler and Ron Hornaday. Harvick and Busch are obviously mainstays in the Sprint Cup series and capable of winning any race, but the rest never really panned out in the series.

Remember when Casey Atwood was suppose to be the next Jeff Gordon? Ray Evernham was way off on that one. After two full seasons at the premier level Casey went back to racing in the Nationwide series where he is still racing in 2009 without a top ten finish.

After his rookie season, Jason Leffler never ran more than 19 races in the Sprint Cup Series, but has made a good name for himself in the Nationwide series over the past three seasons.

Ron Hornaday never started more than 3 races in the Spring Cup outside of his rookie season. He did toil in the Nationwide series from 2002 – 2004 making 30 or more starts each year, finishing 3rd and 4th in the standings in 2003 & 2004. From 2005 on, Ron has done very well in the Truck Series, finishing no worse than 7th in the final standings and winning the championship in 2007, and is leading the series in points this season.

So, how many of these guys could you name, or even remember were in the Cup Series at all? Next week we’ll take a look at the 2002 rookie class.

Driver Recommendations for the 2009 Sharpie 500 at Bristol

2009-08-17T21:14:00.001-05:00

Eleven of the twelve drivers that made the chase last year finished in the top ten at least twice in the last four races at Bristol. Picking a winner for the Sharpie 500 won’t be easy. The half-mile Bristol Motor Speedway keeps the cars bunched up and usually bumping and banging their way around the track. The car that gets dinged up the least will probably be the one going into victory lane.

Chaser: Jeff Gordon
Jeff is Mr. Bristol. He has 5 wins, 14 top fives, and 20 top tens in 33 career races. His average finish of 11.3 is close to the top among active drivers. He has 4 top five finishes in the last 6 races here. Jeff is awesome here, and if he doesn’t get caught up in someone else’s mess, he should be in the top 5, and probably fighting for the win at the end of the race.

Alternate Chaser: Clint Bowyer
Clint is 14th in points and needs a good run to get into position to make the chase. Bristol is a track that he does well at, and could get a top 5 or top 10 run. He’s finished in the top ten in 4 of the last 5 here. He’s also been one of the hottest drivers lately averaging a 9.4 place finish in the last 5 races this season.

Kasey Kahne
Kasey is another driver that’s been on a roll lately, averaging a 8.6 place finish over the past 5 races. He’s also had some success at Bristol lately, finishing in the top ten in 4 of the last 4 races. He doesn’t have any wins here, but if he avoids accidents he usually finishes around the top 10.

Ryan Newman
Ryan has been cooling off lately and hasn’t had a top ten finish since the July 11th race in Chicago, so he’s due. This weekend could be different, as he’s had some success at Bristol lately, finishing in the top ten in 3 of the last 4 races. Ryan is 9th in points and should make the chase fairly easily, but look for him to try to get a couple more top tens to get momentum going into the chase.

Darkhorse: Marcos Ambrose
Marcos sits 17th in points, but has had some good runs this season. He does have 3 top fives and 6 top ten finishes this season, so he’s no slouch. At the spring Bristol race (his first at Bristol) he finished 10th. He does well at road courses, and Bristol is a track that the driver needs to brake and accelerate like a road course, so he should do well again this weekend.

Driver Recommendations for the 2009 Carfax 400 at Michigan

2009-08-10T21:18:00.001-05:00

Okay, so my recommendations stunk last week, only getting 477 points. Truex Jr. killed me on the last lap of the race. I promise I’ll do better this week.

Michigan International Speedway is a track where just about anyone can win. 15 active drivers have won at Michigan in their career, so there’s no telling who will win. As always, gas mileage could play a factor depending on how the cautions fall. This is a big, wide track, so there can be quite a bit of side-by-side racing. This also gives the drivers plenty of room to maneuver and avoid contact. If that happens on Sunday it could be a short and uneventful race.

Recommendations for this week:

Chaser: Carl Edwards
Carl has the best average finish at Michigan with a 6.3 finish among active drivers. He’s accumulated 9 top tens in 10 career races with 6 top fives, and 2 wins. This is the type of track that Carl can take the lead and dominate. He’s done very well on the 1.5 and 2 mile ovals, and is a good bet to win again this weekend.

Alternate Chaser: Tony Stewart
It was hard not to pick Matt Kenseth for this spot, but how can you go against Tony? He’s leading the points chase, he averages a 12.2 place finish at Michigan, and in his last 5 races he’s averaging a 3.8 place finish, easily the best. If you don’t think Carl will win, then pick Tony because he probably will.

Brian Vickers
Tony Stewart is the only driver hotter right now than Brian. Brian’s average finish over the last 5 races is 7.2, which ties Jimime Johnson for 2nd best. His 11th place finish at Watkins Glen was his first finish out of the top 10 since race 17 at New Hampshire. Brian has also done very well at Michigan recently. He has 4 consecutive top tens and a top five. He seems to be a solid pick this weekend.

Mark Martin
Mark had a rough go of it at The Glen. He should be able to rebound nicely at Michigan. He has 5 career wins, 17 top fives, and 29 top tens in 47 career races. His average finish of 12.9 is 6th best among active drivers. He did win here in the June race, so don’t be surprised if he does it again this weekend.

Darkhorse: David Ragan
In 5 career races at Michigan, David has 2 top tens, which he got last year. His worst finishes here were 18th and 21st in his rookie season, so he is definitely getting better at the track. His average finish of 13th is pretty good, so look for David to contend for another top ten this weekend.

Will Danica Patrick go to NASCAR? If so, will she succeed?

2009-08-09T19:25:00.004-05:00

This is the last year of Danica Patrick’s contract with Michael Andretti, which means she will be a free agent after the IRL season. Obviously there have been drivers that transitioned from open-wheel cars to NASCAR. Tony Stewart (1997 IRL Champion) is probably the most successful, but Juan Montoya (1999 CART champion, won several races in F-1) has shown a lot of improvement and looks to make the chase this season. There have been others not as fortunate though. Patrick Carpentier (CART Rookie of the year, top points finish of 3rd) and Sam Hornish Jr. (3-Time IRL Champion) have had a hard time transitioning to NASCAR and being competitive.

So what does this mean for Danica? As you can see from the sample of open-wheel drivers mentioned above, they were all successful and some of the top drivers in their circuits. Danica’s credentials aren’t nearly as impressive. 2009 is her 5th year in the IRL. Her best points finish was 6th last year, and she’s currently sitting 5th this season. She has 77 races under her belt, only 1 win, 16 top fives, and 45 top tens. 45 top tens may sound impressive, but consider that at most 33 cars start IRL races, and that’s only at the Indianapolis 500. All of the other races are lucky to have 27 drivers enter. Some don’t even have 20 cars, so finishing in the top 10 is equivalent to being 20th in NASCAR. I wouldn’t call that dominating.

If Danica does decide to go to NASCAR would she be willing to start out in the Truck or Nationwide series? Tony Stewart drove in the Nationwide series in part of three season before driving full-time in the Cup series. I don’t see Danica having the patience for that, even if it’s just for one season. It seems that she feels entitled to whatever she wants, and that she should be able to drive in the Cup series immediately.

Last year Danica was on “NASCAR Now” on ESPN and was asked about moving to NASCAR. She asked why she would want to drive in NASCAR when she has a good thing in the IRL? The host reminded her that there would be more money, exposure, and races in NASCAR. She sounded stuck up and not interested at all.

So, does that mean she won’t sign for a team in NASCAR? There are definitely teams out there that would welcome Danica given the marketing appeal and sponsorships she can bring in. I don’t think she will sign with a NASCAR team since she wouldn’t be the main attraction, and will have to start out in the Truck or Nationwide series, which means she may not make as much money in her first season.

If there is a team out there that signs Danica and allows her to race in the Sprint Cup series right away, don’t look for her to make a big splash. She probably wouldn’t accept an offer from a 2nd or 3rd tier team, so she would have good equipment, but still struggle. Stock cars are much heavier and harder to handle than open wheel cars. A year or two in the Nationwide series would help get her feet wet and learn how the cars handle, but that would mean she’d have to swallow some pride and admit she needs practice. I don’t see her doing that.

My prediction is that Danica will stay in the IRL where she knows she’ll be one of the stars and main attractions wherever she goes. If she went to NASCAR, the publicity would be there initially, but after a lot of mediocre finishes that would die down, and she’d turn into another average-at-best driver.

What do you think Danica will do? Leave a comment and let us know!

Driver Recommendations for the 2009 Sour Cream Dips at Watkins Glen

2009-08-04T22:53:00.001-05:00

Watkins Glen International is the site of this week’s race. This is the second of the two road courses on the schedule. Many people want a road course in the “Chase”, but for now that isn’t the case. We’ll see what ringers are brought in, but I’ll be staying away from them for my picks and keeping with the traditional drivers.

Recommendations for this week:

Chaser: Tony Stewart
Tony is the man at Watkins Glen. He has 8 top tens, 4 wins, and 5 top fives in 10 career races. He averages a 5.7 place finish. Ridiculous numbers. He’s won 3 of the last 5 here and got 2nd in the two races he didn’t win. His worst finish was 11th! How can he not be on your team this week?

Alternate Chaser: Denny Hamlin
Denny hasn’t won yet at The Glen, but does have 3 top tens in his only 3 races here. His worst finish was 10th in his rookie season. If you don’t put Tony on your team, then Denny should be on it. He won last week, and is riding high with confidence. He should have at least another top 5 finish this weekend.

Mark Martin
Mark hasn’t raced here since 2006, but don’t let that fool you. The old guy knows his way around this road course. He has 16 top tens in 19 career races. He also has 3 wins and 12 top fives with an average finish of 6.9. He’s been solid all season and looks to continue his good runs at this track.

Darkhorse: Robby Gordon
There’s not a driver I dislike more than Robby Gordon, but the fact is that he runs well at Watkins Glen. He’s finished in the top 10 in 3 of the last 4 here and is averaging a 10.6 place finish. Of the regular NASCAR drivers, he’s considered one of the road course experts. He does have a win here, and even if he isn’t your favorite driver, you could do worse than picking him for your team.

Bonus Darkhorse: Martin Truex Jr.
Martin had a rough time at Watkins Glen in is first race here in 2006 with a 28th place finish, but in 2007 and 2008 he managed a 6th and 5th place finish taking his average finish at the track to 13th place. I know Martin has had a horrible season, but maybe his confidence will be up for this race and he can get another top 10 finish.

Driver Recommendations for the 2009 Pennsylvania 500 at Pocono Raceway

2009-07-27T12:00:00.001-05:00

Pocono, the big triangle, is the venue for this week’s race. Lots of speed involved, and lots of brakes will also be used on Sunday. It’s a wide track that provides the drivers plenty of room to race. The new re-start format should keep the race interesting as the driver drag down the front-stretch.

Chaser: Jimmie Johnson
Jimmie has 6 top tens in the last 7 races at Pocono and 10 top tens in 15 career races. He also has 2 wins and an average finish of 9.6, best among drivers with more than 1 race at the track. He’s been solid all season, and is 3rd in points. Look for him to get another win or two before the chase starts. One of those wins could come this weekend. Put him on your team.

Alternate Chaser: Jeff Gordon
If you don’t want Jimmie on your team, then Jeff should be your guy. Jeff has 5 top tens in the last 6 races at Pocono, and has 4 career wins. Bill Elliot is the only active driver with more wins, 5. In 33 career races Jeff also has 16 top fives and 23 top tens and an average finish of 10.1. He’s also been running well lately this season, so how could you not have Jeff on your team if you don’t have Jimmie.

Mark Martin
Continuing with the Hendrick Racing theme, Mark is another in their stable that should do well on Sunday. He’s always strong at Pocono with an average finish of 10.8. In the last 5 races he has 4 top tens. In his long career Mark has 45 races, 31 top tens, and 19 top fives at Pocono. He has yet to collect a win, but that could change this weekend. Mark has simply been on this season collecting wins. Don’t be surprised if he gets another one here.

Kasey Kahne
Kasey has made some big jumps in the points over the past few weeks. He hasn’t been great at Pocono with an average finish of 16.5 and finishing worse than 20th 5 different times, but he’s still able to have a good run this weekend. He does have a win and 7th place finish in the past 3 races at Pocono. A top five may not be in the works, but Kasey should be able to get a top ten.

Darkhorse: Marcos Ambrose
Marcos only has one race at Pocono and he finished 6th, which was very impressive. He has been running better over the past several weeks and is starting to become a more consistent driver. Marcos should contend for a top 10 and at least get a top 15 finish.

Driver Recommendations for 2009 Allstate 400 at the Brickyard

2009-07-13T19:03:00.003-05:00

The historic Indianapolis Motor Speedway is the venue for the next race on July 26th. This will be the 16th year for NASCAR running at the track in what is now titled the Allstate 400. This is usually one of the richest races with the winner taking home $500,000 or more. Only the Daytona 500 winner wins more. With the big payouts come big performances by the top-tier drivers. The winners here have been Gordon, Johnson, Stewart, Labonte, Elliot, Earnhardt; all champions. Make sure you stock your team with proven veterans.

This week’s recommendations:

Chaser: Jeff Gordon
No one has had success at Indy like Jeff Gordon. In the 15 races here he compiled 4 wins, 9 top fives and 12 top tens! His average finish of 8.6 is the best among active drivers. Jeff spent his teenage years in Pittsboro, IN only 14 miles from the speedway, so he’s always ready to perform at his best when at the track. Jeff is by far the best driver at the Brickyard and is a must start for your team.

Alternate Chaser: Tony Stewart
Tony isn’t as good as Jeff at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, but he’s pretty dang good. He’s averaging a 9.1 place finish and has 2 wins, 4 top fives, and 6 top tens in 10 career races. On top of that Tony has been awesome this season. He has 8 top fives and 9 top tens in the last 10 races. If you don’t have Jeff on your team, you must put Tony on it. One of them will win this race.

Mark Martin
Mark has 3 top tens in the last 4 races here and finished 11th last year. In the 15 races here Mark is averaging a 14.1 place finish and has 9 top tens. If the chase were to start today Mark would be in first place because of his 4 wins this season. He’s been solid all season and should finish in the top 10 and contend for a top 5 finish.

Kasey Kahne
Kasey has been hit or miss in his 5 races in Indy. He has 3 top ten finishes and a 36th and 40th place finish. If Kasey can stay out of trouble and avoid the wrecks he should be in the top ten. Put him on your team and watch him get you points.

Darkhorse: David Ragan
David has only raced here twice, but has been very respectable with 14th and 16th place finishes. He’s in 30th place right now for a reason though. He only has 1 top ten finish so far this season (Daytona 500), and I don’t think he’ll be able to get in this race, but he’s proven that he’s capable of getting a top 15 finish, and you never know. If fuel mileage comes into play, maybe he can get lucky and crack the top 10.

Driver Recommendations for the LifeLock.com 400 at Chicagoland Speedway

2009-07-06T19:37:00.002-05:00

This will be the last race on TNT before ESPN begins their coverage next weekend and it will be another Saturday night race. Chicagoland is one of the cookie-cutter 1.5 mile ovals that have been popping up in NASCAR over the past 10 – 15 years. Look for the usual drivers to run well, but hopefully I’ll be able to give you a name or two that you didn’t think of.

Recommendations for this week:

Chaser: Tony Stewart
It seems like I say it every week, but he is hotter than hot. Tony is averaging a 3.2 place finish over the past 5 races! Is that ridiculous or what? He’s done well at Chicagoland as well with top ten finishes in 3 of the last 4 here. He has 6 top tens in 8 career races at Chicagoland Speedway with two of those being wins and is averaging a 10.3 place finish, 7th best among active drivers. If Tony is on your team, ride this hot steak out. If he isn’t on your team, what are you waiting for?

Alternate Chaser: Kevin Harvick
Kevin has the best average finish, 7.4, at Chicagoland Speedway along with 2 wins, 5 top fives, and 6 top tens in 8 career races. Kevin has been horrible all year, and is averaging a 26.2 place finish over the last 5 races, but the race this weekend can turn that all around. Kevin likes this track and always seems to perform well here. His worst finish was 19th back in 2005. If you want to pick a driver that not a lot of others will have on their team, Kevin Harvick is your guy.

Kurt Busch
Kurt doesn’t have a win yet at the Chicagoland Speedway, but does have 5 top tens in 8 career races. In the three races he didn’t finish in the top ten Kurt placed 28th, 35th, and 39th so there’s not much middle ground with him. He’ll either get you a lot of points, or be a flop. I think this weekend will be a good run and Kurt should rack up some points for you.

Juan Montoya
Juan hasn’t tore things up in Chicago in his two races here with 15th and 18th place finishes, but it looks like he’s figured something out this season. He’s held his own on the intermediate tracks and if the chase were to start today he would be in. Juan’s confidence has to be way up, and now he knows that he can run with anyone on the 1 ½ and 2 mile speedways. Juan may not get a top five finish on Saturday, but I think a top ten is definitely within reach.

Dark Horse: Brian Vickers
Brian barely qualifies as a dark horse since he’s 17th in points and didn’t make the chase last year, but I’ll take it and use him as my pick. He’s only raced in Chicago 4 times, but does have 2 top tens and an average finish of 9.3, good enough for 4th best among active drivers. Brian may not get another top ten on Saturday night, but a top 15 finish is certainly doable for him, as his worst finish here is 14th; very respectable.

Driver Recommendations for the Coke Zero 400 at Daytona

2009-06-29T21:13:00.003-05:00

This is the first of two consecutive Saturday night races in the Sprint Cup Series. Daytona under the lights is an impressive site, especially with some of the special paint jobs the teams come up with. I’ll be looking forward to the restarts with the leaders double-file. It should keep the racing exciting and give us some extra bumping.

Recommendations for this week:

Chaser: Clint Bowyer
Who? Yup, that’s right; Clint is my main pick this weekend. I know Jeff Gordon has 6 wins here and is running well, but I think Clint may surprise some people this weekend. Although he doesn’t have a win here Clint boasts the best average finish of 11.1 and has 5 top tens in 7 career races. Clint has also averaged a 12.2 place finish over the past 5 races so he is getting hotter. Want to move up in the point standings? Pick Bowyer.

Alternate Chaser: Jeff Gordon
Jeff has been “on” most of the season and should be again this weekend. We all know his success at Daytona and he should be again Saturday night. His 15.1 average finish here is good for 7th best among active drivers. No current full-time driver has more wins, top fives or top tens than Jeff. Want a safe bet? That would be Jeff. Pick him and he should be able to get you some good points.

Kurt Busch
Kurt’s average finish at Daytona is only 17.9, but he’s finished in the top ten the last 4 races here. In his 17 career races at Daytona he doesn’t have a win, but does have 8 top fives and 9 top tens. Kurt is warming back up recently as well. He started the season hot, but was cooling off. Now he’s brought his average finish over the past 5 races to 13.6. Put him on your team and get ready to ride the hot streak he’s going on.

Kasey Kahne
I haven’t recommended Kasey much this season, but he’s been doing pretty well. He has himself 13th in points, only 1 point out of 12th, ready to make a run. Kasey has averaged a 10.6 place finish over the last 5 and also has 3 top tens in the last 4 races at Daytona. Put those two together and it gives you a driver that you need to put on your team.

Dark Horse: David Ragan
David has only raced here 5 times, but he’s managed 3 top tens and an average finish of 14th. Not bad numbers for a youngster. He has been doing poorly lately though. In the last 5 races he has one of the worst average finishes at 27.2. He did register a 6th place finish at the 500, so his confidence should be up, and he’ll be looking forward to having a good run to get things going in the right direction for him.

Driver Recommendations for the Lenox Industrial Tools 301 at New Hampshire

2009-06-22T17:30:00.001-05:00

We’re almost half way through the season and this is the first trip to New Hampshire. Lots of chasers have good records here with eight in the top 10 for best average finishes at the track. The only two non-chasers in the top 10 for average finishes here are Martin Truex Jr. and Mark Martin. The racing has been getting better and more exciting to watch and hopefully continues at the 1-mile oval on Sunday.

Recommendations this week:

Chaser: Jimmie Johnson
Jimmie has registered top 10 finishes in the last 4 races here and 6 of the last 7. His 9.9 average finish is 3rd best among active drivers. He also has two career wins and nine top 10s in 14 career races. Add to this the fact that he’s averaging a 9.4 place finish over the past 5 races this season and he’s an easy pick to put on your team. Jimmie should be the man on Sunday.

Alternate Chaser: Denny Hamlin
No active driver has a better average finish at New Hampshire than Denny. His 7.2 average finish is more than 2.5 spots better than the next guy. He has a win and five top 10s in six career races. Denny is a very good driver and likes this track. There’s no reason to believe he won’t be in the front on Sunday.

Ryan Newman
Not long ago Ryan was in the middle of a great run with 6 consecutive top ten finishes. His luck has changed a bit in the last two races finishing 23rd and 17th. I don’t think that streak of bad finishes will continue. New Hampshire is a track he has a pretty good record at with 2 wins, 5 top fives, and 9 top tens in 14 career races. Good enough numbers to keep him on your team and ride out that little rough patch.

Mark Martin
Whether it’s bad luck, lack of focus/concentration, or what, Mark hasn’t done will in the race after a win this season. In those races he’s averaging a 31.7 place finish. Two races later he has a 5th and 10th place finish. This is the 2nd race after his last win. Is another top 5 or 10 run in store for Mark? I think so. He hasn’t raced here since 2006, but in 24 career races he has 13 top tens and an average finish of 11th, good enough for 4th among
active drivers.

Dark Horse: Martin Truex Jr.
First the bad: Martin has the 9th worst average finish over the last 5 races, at 24.6 with his best finish being 18th over that span. His confidence may be shaken a bit by that, but nothing can get him going again more than racing at a track you have success at. Now the good: Martin has performed very well at New Hampshire. His average finish of 9.8 is 2nd best among active drivers, and he’s recorded his 4 top ten finishes here over the past two seasons. With that, I say Martin is the perfect dark horse for New Hampshire and should finish in or close to the top ten.

Driver Recommendations for the Toyota/SaveMart 350 at Infineon Raceway

2009-06-16T21:00:00.001-05:00

The first road course of the season is here. The usual “ringers” will be brought in to try and qualify and get a top 10 finish for some of the struggling teams, but it usually seems that most of them don’t get the job done. Boris Said is probably the most popular road course expert, but even he has only 4 top tens and an average finish of 20.2.

Recommendations this week:

Chaser: Tony Stewart
Over the last 4 races at Infineon Tony has a win and 3 top tens. In 10 career races he averages a 10th place finish with 2 wins, 3 top fives, and 6 top tens. He’s the hottest driver on the circuit, leader in points, and shows no sign of slowing down. Keeping Tony on your team should be an easy decision.

Alternate Chaser: Jeff Gordon
Jeff’s 5 career wins are easily the most among active drivers and he has 12 top tens in 16 career races. An average finish of 9.3 is 3rd best among active drivers. He’s been the road course king since he started his career and there’s no reason that he won’t keep the same form this weekend.

Ryan Newman
Ryan doesn’t have a win at Infineon, but in 7 races he has 5 top tens and an average finish of 9.4. He has been great recently and his 23rd place finish at Michigan should be a blip on the screen. Look for Ryan to recover and get a solid top ten or even top five run this weekend.

Juan Montoya
Juan has only race here twice in his career, but he already has a win and a 6th place finish. You could argue that he lucked into his win in 2007, but he was in position to win the race, so give him credit for that. Juan is a very good driver, and on road courses he’s one of the best. A top five run wouldn’t surprise me.

Dark Horse: Elliott Sadler
There aren’t many dark horses to choose from that could have a good run this weekend, but Elliott may be able to muster a top 10 or 15 finish. After a good start to the season with a 5th place finish in Daytona Elliot’s best finish was 12th last week at Michigan. He’s struggled a lot, but maybe last week’s good run will perk him up. He does have 4 top tens in 10 career races at Infineon with a 15.8 average finish which is 9th best among active drivers.

Driver Recommendations for the LifeLock 400 at Michigan International Speedway

2009-06-08T12:01:00.000-05:00

Michigan can be described as a big, wide, D-shaped track that gives the drivers plenty of room to maneuver, and build up lots of speed. This track is known for being won by “fuel strategy” and a lot of guys that dominate the race have run out of fuel with a couple laps to go making it difficult to predict the winner.

So, you think I’ve been picking the same drivers all season and taking the easy way out? Well how about this week I give you my chaser and alternate chaser like normal but instead of the usual 1 dark horse, I pick a whole team of them? Truth is I think all of these guys can score top ten finishes on Sunday.

Recommendations this week

Chaser: Carl Edwards
Carl is ridiculous at Michigan. 2 wins, 5 top fives and 8 top tens in only 9 career races. That means he averages a 6.6 place finish here! I don’t know how you can bet against that.

Alternate Chaser: Matt Kenseth
Matt hasn’t been as good as Carl at Michigan, but he has a good record here too. A couple wins, 9 top fives, and 13 top tens in 19 races. He’s also got 4 top fives in the past 5 races here. He started the season off hot, then cooled down, but he’s starting to get it warmed back up. He should be in contention at Michigan.

Brian Vickers
Brian has 3 consecutive top ten finishes at Michigan and 5 in his 10 career races. This is definitely a track that he knows how to navigate and stay out of trouble. This season wasn’t the breakout that he had hoped, but this weekend he should be able to make a good run.

Jamie McMurray
Eek. It’s been a bad year for Jamie, but like a lot of other drivers down in the points, he does have a good record at Michigan. 3 top ten finishes in the last 4 at the track is a good sign, and hopefully he can keep the focus and contend for another top ten.

David Ragan
This will only be David’s 5th race at Michigan, but last season he scored a 3rd and 8th place finish, improving his average finish at the track to 12.5. Confidence should go up for him at Michigan after he starts practice and has his qualifying run. Once the race starts he’ll be ready to go and fight for a top 10 or possibly another top 5 finish.