LifeLock 400 preview
By Micah Roberts
VegasInsider.com
This Weekends NASCAR Sprint Cup series race takes the cars back to their birth place, or at least in theory. Michigan is the heart of the American automobile and where all the power of NASCAR derives from. Last season there were lots of grumbles from the suits at General Motors, Ford, and Dodge when Toyota joined the series. For years, these automobile executives have used the Michigan NASCAR races as a show of strength, sort of a Super Bowl for automobiles.
The performance of the Toyotas in both Michigan races were not awful, but it was terrible enough to have the suits snicker and gloat about how much muscle their American cars had over the foreigners. However, the funny thing is that the Toyota Camry on sale to the public is actually more American than the three competitors on the circuit. The Ford Fusion is assembled in Mexico, The Chevy Impala and Dodge Charger are both put together in Canada, with only the Dodge Avenger actually being put together in the good old USA. The Toyota Camry is made in Georgetown, Kentucky, a place that is about America as it gets.
Coming into this years race, the Toyota’s are a bit more confident considering their horses under the hood have powered the current Sprint Cup series point leader, Kyle Busch, to a series leading 4 wins. Ford and Dodge have dominated over the years at Michigan combining to win the last 13 races in a row. Chevrolet has been a no show, claiming only two Jeff Gordon wins since 1996, as their only opportunity to boast with the bow-tie among their colleagues.
It’ll really be interesting to watch the cringes from the upper brass in the luxury boxes above Michigan Speedway as Toyota makes a serious run for the win crashing the big motor party. The Joe Gibbs trio of Busch, Tony Stewart, and Denny Hamlin will all be top contenders to win the race with an outside chance given to another Toyota driven by Red Bull Racing’s Brian Vickers at 40/1.
The favorite for this weeks race is Carl Edwards’ Ford at 5/1. Based on his performance at Michigan’s sister track in California and his two other wins on 1.5 mile tracks, he will be tough for anyone to challenge.
We are still seeing instances of teams not being comfortable in their Car of Tomorrow on tracks that the car didn’t run on last season. There are only a few drivers that have shown consistency on all those tracks that are seeing the COT for the first time. Edwards and Busch lead the way as those having a huge edge over the others.
Two of the drivers that did very well in California back in February, yet have fallen off dramatically from their usual consistent dominance are Jeff Gordon and Jimmie Johnson. They finished 2nd and 3rd at California, but have had some days since that look more reminiscent of a Petty team than Hendrick. They admittedly say they didn’t spend as much time and research for the COT on these type of tracks as they did last season when they feverishly prepared for the COT’s first run on the smaller tracks and it truly shows.
We already stated how big of a slump Chevy has been in at Michigan. The slump actually started one race before Johnson started his Cup career. In 12 races there, Johnson only has two top 5 finishes with a best of third coming in the fall race last season. Perhaps the change in car will be a benefit this season, but going winless in the 12 previous races is puzzling because of how similar California and Michigan are and also how dominant Johnson has been at California since winning there as a rookie.
Let’s stay with the trend of a Chevy not winning this week. The due theory is very overrated and if it was played consistently at Michigan, your bankroll would have evaporated long ago when Bill Elliott took his Ford to the winners circle 6 of 8 races in the mid-eighties.
I really like the concept of seeing Toyota not only winning to the dismay of the American Auto Giants, but maybe even finishing 1-2. Tony Stewart impressed at Charlotte and finished 7th at California. Kyle Busch has been good everywhere, but just for fun we’ll mention his 4th place finish at California.
Top 5 Finish Prediction:
1) #20 Tony Stewart (11/1)
2) #18 Kyle Busch (6/1)
3) #16 Greg Biffle (11/1)
4) #99 Carl Edwards (5/1)
5) #9 Kasey Kahne (11/1)
Driver Highlights - Michigan
VegasInsider.com
Note: All driver statistics that follow are from Michigan International Speedway. The Loop Data statistics – Driver Rating, Average Running Position, etc. – in this release, however, cover the last six races at Michigan. NASCAR’s scoring loops began collecting data for statistical purposes in 2005.
Greg Biffle (No. 16 3M Ford) 12/1
# Two wins, four top five, six top 10s
# Average finish of 13.4
# Average Running Position of 9.7, third-best
# Driver Rating of 105.4, third-best
# 88 Fastest Laps Run, second-most
# 424 Green Flag Passes, sixth-most
# Average Green Flag Speed of 175.329 mph, third-fastest
# 908 (80.2%) Laps in the Top 15, third-most
# 279 Quality Passes, third-most
Kurt Busch (No. 2 Miller Lite Dodge) 22/1
# Two wins, six top fives
# Average finish of 18.9
# Average Running Position of 10.7, fourth-best
# Driver Rating of 106.8, second-best
# Series-high 93 Fastest Laps Run
# Average Green Flag Speed of 175.275 mph, fourth-fastest
# 876 (77.4%) Laps in the Top 15, fourth-most
# 244 Quality Passes, fifth-most
Dale Earnhardt Jr. (No. 88 AMP Energy/National Guard Chevrolet) 10/1
# Two top fives, five top 10s; two poles
# Average finish of 17.2
# Average Running Position of 11.7, seventh-best
# Driver Rating of 98.3, sixth-best
# 56 Fastest Laps Run, sixth-best
# 421 Green Flag Passes, seventh-most
# 792 (70.0%) Laps in the Top 15, eighth-most
# 281 Quality Passes, second-most
Carl Edwards (No. 99 Office Depot Ford) 6/1
# One win, four top fives, six top 10s
# Average finish of 7.3
# Series-best Average Running Position of 7.9
# Series-best Driver Rating of 112.3
# 81 Fastest Laps Run, tied for third-best
# Series-fastest Average Green Flag Speed of 175.550 mph
# Series-high 998 (88.2%) Laps in the Top 15
# Series-high 329 Quality Passes
Jeff Gordon (No. 24 DuPont Chevrolet) 11/1
# Two wins, 15 top fives, 20 top 10s; five poles
# Average finish of 10.5
# Average Running Position of 11.3, fifth-best
# Driver Rating of 97.0, eighth-best
# 60 Fastest Laps Run, fifth-most
# 811 (71.6%) Laps in the Top 15, sixth-most
# 216 Quality Passes, eighth-most
Denny Hamlin (No. 11 FedEx Toyota) 12/1
# One top five, two top 10s
# Average finish of 10.0
# Average Running Position of 11.3
# Driver Rating of 97.1, seventh-best
# Average Green Flag Speed of 174.926 mph, seventh-best
# 74.3% (544 total) Laps in the Top 15, fifth-best
# 184 Quality Passes (average of 46.0 per race), fourth-best average
Jimmie Johnson (No. 48 Lowe’s Chevrolet) 8/1
# Two top fives, five top 10s
# Average finish of 14.8
# Average Running Position of 8.8, second-best
# Driver Rating of 104.7, fourth-best
# 81 Fastest Laps Run, tied for third-most
# Average Green Flag Speed of 175.349 mph, second-fastest
# 932 (82.3%) Laps in the Top 15, second-most
# 254 Quality Passes, fourth-most
Matt Kenseth (No. 17 DEWALT Ford) 18/1
# Two wins, seven top fives, 11 top 10s
# Average finish of 9.7
# Average Running Position of 13.1, ninth-best
# Driver Rating of 104.1, fifth-best
# 48 Fastest Laps Run, ninth-most
# Average Green Flag Speed of 175.272 mph, fifth-fastest
# 821 (72.5%) Laps in the Top 15, fifth-most
Tony Stewart (No. 20 Home Depot Toyota) 11/1
# One win, eight top fives, 12 top 10s
# Average finish of 12.9
# Average Running Position of 14.9, 10th-best
# Driver Rating of 95.7, ninth-best
# 43 Fastest Laps Run, 10th-most
# Average Green Flag Speed of 174.926 mph, eighth-fastest
# 793 (70.1%) Laps in the Top 15, seventh-most
# 226 Quality Passes, sixth-most
Odds and Ends - Michigan
VegasInsider.com
Michigan International Speedway:
History
# Groundbreaking took place on Sept. 28, 1967.
# The track has had 77 NASCAR Sprint Cup races. Other than 1973, which had just one race, there have been two races each season since 1969.
# The first race was 500 miles in length; the second was scheduled for 600. The track was re-measured to 2.04-miles for the last race in 1970 and both races in 1971 – with the race distance being 402 miles. All other races have been scheduled for 400 miles.
Notebook
# Donnie Allison won the first pole at Michigan.
# The first NASCAR Sprint Cup race at Michigan was won by Cale Yarborough.
# There have been 38 different pole winners; 18 drivers have more than one.
# 29 different drivers have won races, led by David Pearson (nine); 17 drivers have more than one victory there.
# The race winner has started from the pole 15 times, the most productive starting position.
# 61 of 77 races have been won from a top-10 starting position, including 44 from the first four spots. However, five of the past seven race winners started outside the top 10.
# The deepest in the field that a race winner has started was 28th by Tony Stewart in 2000.
# The Wood Brothers have won 11 races – more than any other organization. Their last victory was in 1991 with Dale Jarrett as the driver.
# There have been five different Coors Light Pole winners and five different race winners in the past five races.
# Carl Edwards has finished on the lead lap in all seven of his Michigan races.
NASCAR in the State of Michigan
# There have been 82 NASCAR Sprint Cup races in Michigan:
# 94 NASCAR drivers (all-time) have their home state recorded as Michigan.
# There have been seven race winners from Michigan in NASCAR three national series:
Michigan International Speedway Data
Race #: 15 of 36 (6-15-08)
Track Size: 2 miles
# Race Length: 400 miles
# Banking/Corners: 18 degrees
# Banking/Frontstretch: 12 degrees
# Banking/Backstretch: 5 degrees
Driver Rating at Michigan
Carl Edwards 112.3
Kurt Busch 106.8
Greg Biffle 105.4
Jimmie Johnson 104.7
Matt Kenseth 104.1
Dale Earnhardt Jr. 98.3
Denny Hamlin 97.1
Jeff Gordon 97.0
Tony Stewart 95.7
Martin Truex Jr. 93.9
Note: Driver Rating compiled from 2005-2007 races (6 total) at Michigan.
Qualifying/Race Data
2007 pole winner: J.J. Yeley (187.505 mph, 38.399 seconds)
2007 race winner: Carl Edwards, 148.072 mph, 6-17-07)
Track qualifying record: Ryan Newman (194.232 mph, 37.069 seconds, (6-18-05)
Track race record: Dale Jarrett (173.997 mph, 6-13-99)
Estimated Pit Window: Every 40-44 laps, based on fuel mileage.
Driver to win the Lifelock 400
Carl Edwards +485
Kyle Busch +485
Jimmie Johnson +765
Matt Kenseth +955
Greg Biffle +955
Dale Earnhardt Jr +1050
Denny Hamlin +1150
Tony Stewart +1150
Jeff Gordon +1150
Kasey Kahne +1150
Martin Truex Jr +2050
Kurt Busch +2550
Mark Martin +2850
Jeff Burton +2850
David Ragan +3650
Clint Bowyer +3650
Kevin Harvick +4050
Ryan Newman +4050
Brian Vickers +4050
Field +2350
TheGreek.com
Who's Hot / Who's Not In Sprint Cup : Pocono 500 Edition
Thomas Bowles
Pit strategy, pit strategy, and more pit strategy; in what became a 500-mile parade with little passing, Pocono’s race became won or lost by the men behind the wall. For those who made the right calls at the right times, a final restart on lap 181 put them in perfect position to succeed; for others, faulty fuel stops left them agonizing deep in the back of the pack.
Through it all, Kasey Kahne stayed above the fray – simply because that No. 9 car was in a league of its own. Building a lead of almost ten seconds over its nearest competitors, the Budweiser Dodge cruised home to victory over Brian Vickers, scoring its second win in the last three races as Kahne solidified his hold on a spot in the Chase. Who else is on track to follow in his footsteps — and which guys find any chance at the playoffs slipping from their grasp? Read this week’s version of Who’s Hot / Who’s Not to find out.
HOT
Jeff Burton — OK, so Burton’s streak of completing every lap of every race this season is over. Who freaking cares? Despite falling one lap short of that goal, Burton’s been focused on a far more important end of year trophy: the points championship. And with no finishes lower than 13th all season long, he’s well on his way towards making a serious run. Pocono (5th) was his first Top 5 finish since Martinsville in March, and if the No. 31 can survive this not-so-great two race stretch for them (Michigan and Infineon) they’ll wind up on top of their game when it really counts this summer: July, August, and September.
Kasey Kahne — Where in the heck did he come from? Since the Fan Vote pushed him over the top and into the All-Star Race, the No. 9 car has acted like it’s been shot out of a cannon. Three 1st place finishes in the last four weeks have this team working to displace Kyle Busch and Carl Edwards for title of “hottest car” on the circuit; and with Michigan up ahead, it’s important for Kahne to uuse his past success on intermediate tracks to continue to build up his Chase cushion with victories.
WARM
Greg Biffle — The Biff has been red hot lately, with his 3rd place finish bumping him all the way to 5th in points after Dover – a perfect situation for him to sign a contract extension with Roush.. But this weekend at Pocono, the pit road police caught up at the most inappropriate of times, as a speeding penalty sent the No. 16 to the back of the longest line and out of contention for the victory. The 15th place finish was still good enough to keep him 7th in the season standings, though.
COOL
Jamie McMurray — Another driver immersed in public news about his contract with Roush – for all the wrong reasons – is putting together a weak but consistent attempt at trying to remain in the fold. Seven Top 20 finishes in the last nine races have the driver of the No. 26 Crown Royal Ford up to 22nd in points. But he’s still 246 away from a bid in the Chase, a feather he’ll likely have to put in his cap in order to remain at Roush for one more year.
Kevin Harvick — After a solid start to the 2008 season, Harvick appears the most vulnerable of the 12 guys currently in the Chase field. After a 13th place finish at Pocono, it’s now been four races since the driver of the No. 29 Shell / Pennzoil Chevrolet scored a Top 10 finish in Cup. What’s even worse is his Top 5 streak – it’s been nine races (Bristol) since that happened.
Clint Bowyer — RCR’s third driver on the totem pole is joining Harvick in the “lost his touch” category as of late. Bowyer simply lost it at Pocono, spinning off Turn 3 and collecting Juan Pablo Montoya in an incident that sent the No. 42 bursting into flames. Bowyer’s car wasn’t ready for battle after that, winding up the night 39th; more importantly, he’s now gone four races without a Top 10 finish, the longest stretch of the season to date where he’s done that.
COLD
Patrick Carpentier — Carpentier may be doing a great thing by making all these Cup races on speed; but just because you make the starting grid doesn’t mean you know how to pace yourself after 500 miles. Eleven races into his 2008 season, the No. 10 car has yet to score a Top 25 finish.
J.J. Yeley — Yeley’s performance has been mentioned all over the place this week, so I won’t go into it in great detail. I’ll merely say this much: when you’re the only driver who fails to qualify on a race weekend – driving for a team with Joe Gibbs Racing support, no less – it’s gotta be a huge blow to your confidence. Hall of Fame Racing has Brad Coleman waiting in the wings; but with his struggles in the Nationwide Series, he’s not quite ready for primetime as of yet. So, the No. 96 is stuck in this hole for the foreseeable future; and there’s no telling how many DNQs they’ll rack up before they get out of it.
frontstretch.com
RacingOne Power Rankings
All it took was some consistent finishes for Carl Edwards to knock Kyle Busch out of the top spot in the Power Rankings. RacingOne's rankings are based on a combination of season-to-date loop data, season standings and staff selections by Jeff Wackerlin and Rachael West.
1. Carl Edwards: A flat tire might have spoiled Carl Edwards day at Pocono, but his run from 33rd to ninth on the last run of the race has put him in the Power Rankings lead. His finish at Pocono was his fifth consecutive top 10. This weekend's outlook for Edwards looks bright as he is the defending June Michigan winner and the driver ratings leader over the last six races at MIS.
Last Week's Rank: Second
2. Jeff Burton: Burton moved back up into the second slot in the rankings after he scored his first top five at Pocono since 2000. He also used his fifth-place finish to take advantage of Kyle Busch's misfortune to close the gap in the standings to 21 points. This weekend he will need to score his first Michigan top 10 with Richard Childress Racing (seven starts) to try to gain on or maintain his position.
Last Week's Rank: Fourth
3. Kyle Busch: Kyle Busch dropped in the rankings to third after he lost 121 champiosnhip points at Pocono as a result of his 43rd-place finish. It marked his first last-place finish since 2005 at Michigan, the site of this weekend's race. Busch will look to rebound at MIS, where he holds an average finish of 20.7, by replicating his top-five effort at the Auto Club Speedway, which was his first start on a 2-mile track in a Toyota.
Last Week's Rank: First
4. Dale Earnhardt Jr: Earnhardt Jr. bounced back from a bad day at Dover to finish fourth at Pocono. The finish was his sixth top 10 of the season and it lowered his overall season finishing average to 11.2, which is third among all drivers. This weekend he will be shooting for his third top five at Michigan when he makes his first track start with Hendrick Motorsports.
Last Week's Rank: Sixth
5. Matt Kenseth: Kenseth continues to make a run at the Chase after picking up his fourth consecutive top 10 of the season at Pocono. Now he looks to gain even more ground in both the standings and the rankings at Michigan, which is his best track, based on finishing average (9.7), where he has made more than 10.
Last Week's Rank: Seventh
6. Jeff Gordon: Gordon's top-five streak over the last month came to an end at Pocono after he couldn't successfully defend the June race at the 2.5-mile track. And, although he slipped a few positions in the rankings, Gordon has to like his chances this weekend at Michigan. After finishing third at Fontana earlier this season, Gordon heads to MIS with the most wins on 2-mile speedways among active full-time drivers.
Last Week's Rank: Third
7. Jimmie Johnson: Johnson has been starting to return to form over the last two races with two top 10s. But for the two-time defending series champion, top 10s might not be enough considering he had four wins at this time last season. With 14 straight races with the new car now under his belt, Johnson would like to steer his Chevrolet into victory lane for the first time at Michigan this weekend.
Last Week's Rank: Eighth
8. Greg Biffle: A speeding penalty and a loose car in the end put a stop to Biffle's chances of capturing his third-straight top five of the season at Pocono. But, like his Roush fenway teammates, Biffle has got to be looking forward to Michigan, a track where he has two wins and six top-10 finishes.
Last Week's Rank: Fifth
9. Denny Hamlin: Hamlin kept his success at Pocono running with a third-place finish Sunday. It was his first top-five finish since Darlington and helped him jump two spots in the rankings and four spots in the standings. Hamlin has also been successful at Michigan. In four starts, he's got an average finish of 10.0, with all starts within the top 15.
Last Week's Rank: 11th
10. Kasey Kahne: After winning the Pocono race, Kahne jumped back into the rankings for the eighth time this season. Kahne was able to overcome a pit road penalty early in the race to win his second race of the season. In half of his appearances at Michigan, Kahne has finished in the top five, including one win in this race in 2006. Last year he struggled at the track, finishing 32nd and 31st, respectively. But he finished ninth at the similar 2-mile Auto Club Speedway earlier this year.
Last Week's Rank: N/R
11. Tony Stewart: Despite leading 14 laps and hanging inside the top-10 for the majority of Sunday’s race, Stewart ended up 35th after being knocked off the lead lap from a speeding penalty on lap 177. He barely remains in the 12th spot in the standings, with David Ragan breathing down his neck, only seven points behind. Hopefully the weekend at MIS will help him maintain his points position. Stewart has finished in the top 10 in six of his last seven Michigan starts and he's a former winner there (2000).
Last Week's Rank: 10th
12. Brian Vickers: Red Bull gave Vickers wings at Pocono Sunday as the young driver posted the team's best finish to date. The second-place finish helped move Vickers into the 17th spot in the standings, within 112 points of the 12th-place spot. Vickers is coming off his best career finish at MIS, an eighth-place finish with Red Bull in the fall event last year.
Last Week's Rank: N/R
13. Kurt Busch: Busch recovered from a wild ride in the grass at Pocono to finish eighth and to rejoin the rankings for the fourth time this season. It was his first top-10 finish this season since his second-place finish in the season opening Daytona 500. Busch has won at Michigan twice, first driving for Jack Roush in this event in 2003, and second driving for Roger Penske in the last race at MIS. Besides his wins, though, Busch only has four other finishes in the top 10 in 14 starts and holds an average finish of 18.9 at the track.
Last Week's Rank: 13th
14. Kevin Harvick: Harvick was able to maintain his spot in the rankings with a solid 13th-place finish in Sunday's Pocono race. He also holds down the 10th spot in the standings. Harvick will have to turn up the heat this weekend at Michigan to keep his spot. He has a 16.0 average finish at the track and hasn't posted a top-five finish there since 2003.
Last Week's Rank: 14th
15. David Ragan: Ragan was able to hold his 13th spot in the standings but slipped considerably in the rankings with his 24th-place finish at Pocono. It was his worst finish after a six-race stretch of finishes of 17th or better. Ragan is making his third start at MIS this weekend, where he has an average finish of 19.5.
Last Week's Rank: Ninth
Racingone.com
Red Bull showing progress
June 9, 2008
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) -Brian Vickers and AJ Allmendinger both failed to make it to Victory Lane at Pocono Raceway. Still, there was an air of celebration around Red Bull Racing when the drivers completed the exhausting 500 miles of racing.
Vickers had finished second, and Allmendinger a career-best 12th for Red Bull's most complete day of racing since its turbulent entry into NASCAR.
After a horrendous inaugural season of struggles that saw both drivers combine to miss 32 starts, Sunday's showing proved the team is making slow but steady steps toward becoming a competitive player in NASCAR. The strong day capped a solid five-week run during which the Vickers team won the Pit Crew competition and Allmendinger scored his first stock-car victory by winning the non-points qualifying event before the All-Star race.
Then, developmental driver Scott Speed, shipped over to NASCAR after a disappointing Formula One run, added a Truck Series victory two weeks ago in Dover to the ARCA win he'd picked up weeks before.
``We're kind of starting to get on a roll,'' said general manager Jay Frye. ``We had a good day (in Pocono). Last week we had a pretty good week. But you've got to finish the deal, too, and finishing the deal is actually winning the race. We came closer to finishing the deal (at Pocono) than we ever have.
``We've got a long way to go, but we're pointed in the right direction.''
That's really all anyone can ask, after Red Bull's electric entrance fell stunningly flat.
With unlimited financial resources, a partnership with Toyota and a reputation for throwing the best parties on the F1 circuit, Red Bull was supposed to take NASCAR by storm. But when the deep pockets failed to lure a superstar driver, the team instead decided to groom its own talent.
Vickers, the low man on the Hendrick Motorsports totem pole, was tabbed to be the star of the program and immediately race for wins. Allmendinger, fresh off a headline-grabbing run of wins in the underwhelming Champ Car Series, would adapt to stock cars faster than Juan Pablo Montoya and be the first successful open-wheel defector.
Only one problem: The startup team didn't have the infrastructure to support its grand plans, and quickly appeared to be nothing more than an organization with more style than substance.
It didn't help that the team was determined to run itself like an F1 organization. It was a European mind-set - maybe even arrogance - that prevented Red Bull from understanding the nuances of NASCAR.
When the checkered flag finally waved on the dismal first season, the relationship with Toyota was strained and Red Bull had wasted millions of dollars in looking cool while failing miserably.
But some time before preseason testing, the leaders back in Austria finally realized the original course of action was an unmitigated disaster. They smartly hired Frye, who had worked wonders for close to a decade making underfunded race teams competitive as they stretched themselves down to their last dollars.
On the sideline since Dale Earnhardt Inc. swallowed cash-strapped Ginn Racing last summer, Frye had the NASCAR knowledge Red Bull so desperately needed.
He immediately reorganized, then repaired the relationship with Toyota.
A former college football player, Frye used inspirational speeches and a clip from ``Any Given Sunday'' to rebuild confidence that had wavered during the embarrassing first season. He's also worked on camaraderie, taking Red Bull's traveling team to a New York Yankees game last Thursday before they went to Pocono.
The impact has been immediate for Vickers and the No. 83 team, which blazed out of the gates and had cracked the all-important top-35 mark by the fifth race of the season. With Vickers no longer in danger of missing races, Frye turned his attention to the still-slumping No. 84 team and made the difficult decision to pull Allmendinger from the car.
Allmendinger was not ready for a Cup ride when Red Bull foolishly handed him the keys to his Camry, and in missing 19 races last season, he never got the seat time required to learn on the job. So when he missed the first three races of this season, Frye had to stop the bleeding - and the first step was assessing what exactly was wrong with the team.
Mike Skinner stepped into the seat, giving Red Bull a veteran who could help the team decide if its problems were driver or crew related. While doing so, Allmendinger was able to watch from the sideline and get a better grasp of the communication and feedback a driver needs to provide so the team can give him a competitive car.
``There was so much going on with him over the last 18, 24 months, and he was put under a very (high-pressure) situation,'' Frye said. ``I took him out a couple weeks to catch his breath. We did some things differently with that team that's made it stronger.
``I think it's helped him gain confidence because of a lot of things that (Skinner) said. It also made the team more confident in AJ.''
Allmendinger hasn't missed a race since he returned to the car, and his team heads into Michigan this weekend ranked 37th in the points with a legitimate chance to crack the top 35 in the next few weeks.
Vickers is also making a slow climb to the start of the field. He finished fifth at Talladega, led 61 laps at Charlotte, was 13th two weeks ago in Dover and followed it by leading 18 late laps Sunday before settling for second behind winner Kasey Kahne.
He's 17th in the points, and now that he's no longer stressing out about missing races, can focus on becoming a Chase contender.
``We'd like to win a race this year, and we'd like to be in the top 15,'' Vickers said. ``But in the next year, run for a championship, that's kind of our mind-set. We're kind of on target for that.''
Speed's progression is also coming along, and he seems destined to ultimately land a Cup ride. Although he once seemed to be a possible replacement for Allmendinger, it now appears the team will be better suited to field a third car - possibly a split ride - for Speed to begin the move to the top level.
Whatever route the team takes, it's become increasingly clear Frye has chosen the correct path for Red Bull.
``The future should be very bright for this company,'' Frye said. ``We have three very good young drivers. We've got to continue to build an infrastructure to the company. We've got to continue to build the program, set them up to succeed. We have three under-26-year-old drivers who are all performing right now. That's exciting.''
LifeLock 400 PreQ
Of the five high-banked superspeedway races this season Carl Edwards has recorded three wins. The series once again turns to a high-banked superspeedway track when they visit Michigan International Speedway this Sunday afternoon. Edwards loves racing at Michigan which can be attested to by his six top 10s with one win in seven career starts and a 7th place average finish. He has posted five consecutive top 10 finishes and will more than likely be the favorite to win the LifeLock 400. He is ranked as our No. 1 driver on the PreQ forecast and is a must have in your lineup this weekend.
After a rocky start to the season Jeff Gordon has turned it around dramatically in the last five races. He was unable to continue his top 10 streak at Pocono after recording four in a row but still managed a 14th place finish, which is pretty solid to his early seasons struggles. Gordon should be in store for a much better run this weekend at Michigan – a track that he has run exceptionally well at in his career. Over the last 10 seasons Gordon is averaging a 12th place finish with two wins and 12 top 10s. Gordon has yet to make it to victory lane and could easily do so this weekend. Keep your eye on the #24 DuPont Chevrolet at Michigan.
In the first six races of the season Dave Blaney failed to finish in the top 25. In the seven races since he has failed to finish outside the top 25 just once. He ranks 12th on the PreQ forecast which is pretty impressive for a non-Chase contender after recording a pair of 9th place finishes in the last four races. Blaney has had some recent success at Michigan placing 18th in this race last season while finishing even better in the fall event in which he took home a 6th place run. Blaney may not be a ‘name’ driver but he should be able to produce a solid run in the LifeLock 400.
After a horrible day at Pocono Clint Bowyer fell to 11th in the point standings. He could fall all the way out of the top 12 if his luck doesn’t change at Michigan. Bowyer has now posted three straight finishes outside the top 25 and Michigan is a track in which he has not performed that well at in his two seasons in the series. He did manage a pair of top 20 finishes last season but even with those runs is still only averaging a 26th place finish in four starts. With his poor performance as of late and a track in which he has yet to finish in the top 15 it looks like it could be a long weekend for the driver and crew of the #07 Jack Daniels Chevrolet.
Well, we were all over Juan Pablo Montoya early in the week for the race at Pocono and he disappointed us greatly finishing in the 38th position. Montoya now heads to a track where we feel he is not worthy of consideration. In his rookie season at Michigan he finished outside the top 25 in each event with an average finish of 35th position. Montoya normally runs much better on the flat-banked superspeedways such as Pocono better than the high-banked superspeedways such as Michigan. It doesn’t seem to matter this weekend as Montoya is a driver to avoid when it comes to setting your lineup.
profantasysports.com
Analyzing The LifeLock 400 At Michigan International Speedway
It’s no secret Carl Edwards loves running the 1.5- and 2-mile tracks on the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series schedule.
Here’s why:
• Of his 10 career NASCAR Sprint Cup wins, seven have come at tracks measuring 1.5 or 2 miles (the other three came at Bristol, Dover and Pocono).
• Edwards has three wins this season, all at 1.5 or 2-mile tracks.
• Edwards has scored a Driver Rating over 100.0 in eight races this season. Four of those were at 1.5- or 2-mile tracks (the only 1.5-mile track this season that Edwards has not scored at least a 100.0 Driver Rating was Lowe’s Motor Speedway. He had an 86.1.)
• His top three Driver Ratings came at tracks of that length (139.8 at Texas; 135.4 at Auto Club Speedway; 134.5 at Atlanta).
Now, the series heads to another 2-mile track, Michigan International Speedway, which clearly is good news for Edwards.
He is excellent there. In the past six races, Edwards has four top fives and five top 10s, including a win in last season’s spring race.
Edwards has also notched a Driver Rating of at least 100.0 in five of the last six Michigan races. His lowest rating over that span was 98.5 after a 22nd-place finish in August 2006. His race was still a strong one that day – he had an Average Running Position of 9.4 and 16 Fastest Laps Run.
Also, last season, Michigan was a slump buster for Edwards. He ended a 52-race winless drought with his victory there last season.
Michigan hosts Sprint Cup Series
Kasey Kahne will be looking to continue his climb up the driver standings on Sunday when he hits the track at Michigan International Speedway for the LifeLock 400.
Kahne raced to the win last weekend in the Pocono 500, holding off Brian Vickers and Denny Hamlin to take the checkered flag. Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Jeff Burton finished fourth and fifth, respectively, at Pocono, while Jimmie Johnson, Matt Kenseth, Kurt Busch, Carl Edwards, and Mark Martin rounded out the day's Top 10 drivers.
Kevin Harvick ended up 13th on the weekend, while Jeff Gordon was 14th, Greg Biffle was 15th, Martin Truex Jr. was 17th, and Ryan Newman was 18th. Tony Stewart and Clint Bower ended up well back in 35th and 39th position, while Kyle Busch managed to finish only 95 laps and had to settle for a 43rd-place result.
Kyle Busch's lead in the driver standings is now down to 21 points on Burton, with Earnhardt Jr., Edwards, and Hamlin making up the rest of the current Top 5. Johnson, Biffle, and Gordon follow behind in the standings, while Kahne jumped three spots into ninth place with his win. Harvick, Bowyer, and Stewart round out the Top 12.
Edwards won at Michigan last June (when the race was called the Citizens Bank 400), and Kurt Busch took the 3M Performance 400 on that track last August. Kahne and Kenseth won at Michigan in 2006, and Biffle and Jeremy Mayfield won there in 2005.
Biffle, Kenseth, Kurt Busch, Newman, Gordon, and Martin have all earned a pair of Michigan wins over the course of their respective Cup careers. Stewart has a single victory on the Brooklyn track; it came back in the 2000 Kmart 400.
After racing in the LifeLock 400 the drivers of the Sprint Cup Series will move on to Infineon Raceway for the Toyota/Save Mart 350 on June 22. The June schedule will then conclude on the 29th with the LENOX Industrial Tools 301 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.
LifeLock 400 Driver Rating
King Carl Edwards heads to Michigan International Speedway where he has dominated over the last three years. He has an average finish of 6.8 in that span and has more quality passes than any other driver at MIS. Edwards always performs well at the “cookie cutter” tracks, especially at Michigan where he has completed 88.2% of his laps in the top 15.
Kurt Busch comes off of an 8th place finish at Pocono and will try to build on the momentum in the Life Lock 400. He has led the most laps at Michigan over the last three years and needs another good finish to have a chance at making the Chase. "We're really pumped up about this weekend," Busch said. "We won the last race at Michigan, and hopefully that'll help us going into this weekend."
Greg Biffle lost any chance of winning at Pocono after getting caught speeding down pit lane. Biffle carries an average mid race position of 5.7 at Michigan, but tends to fall back later in the race. He’ll try to finish strong this weekend and solidify his place in the top 10 in the Sprint Cup standings.
profantasysports.com
Driver Handicaps: Michigan
This weekend the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series heads to Michigan International Speedway for Sunday's LifeLock 400. To help you make your fantasy racing picks, RacingOne brings you our weekly detailed look at some of the field for the 200-lap event.
Who's HOT at Michigan
• Carl Edwards leads all drivers with a 7.3 average finish.
• Two-time winner Matt Kenseth has only finished outside of the top 15 twice in 17 starts.
• Jeff Gordon has the best finishing average (12.5) among all drivers that have entered every race since 1998.
• Mark Martin has four victories and 27 top 10's in 44 career starts.
• Tony Stewart has finished in the top 10 in six of his last seven starts.
• Dale Earnhardt Jr. has been the most consistent driver in the last four races based on his finishing average of a 6.5.
Keep an Eye on at Michigan
• Jimmie Johnson is coming off his best finish in 12 races at Michigan after finishing third.
• Michigan is one of three tracks in which Greg Biffle has scored multiple wins at.
• Kyle Busch finished fourth at Fontana in Feburary - his first start on a 2-mile track with Joe Gibbs Racing.
• Last August's Michigan winner Kurt Busch has the second best driver rating in the last six races at 106.8.
• Brian Vickers has captured three top 10s on 2-mile tracks since joining Team Red Bull.
• Denny Hamlin has a 10.0 average finish at Michigan in four starts.
Track Performers
Jeff Gordon leads all active full-time drivers with five wins, 29 top 10s, eight poles and 1,479 laps led on 2-mile speedways. Carl Edwards, who has made 15 starts, holds the best finishing average on 2-mile tracks at 7.0. Matt Kenseth is second in average at 10.2 and Gordon (10.6), Jimmie Johnson (10.5) and mark Martin (13.0) round out the top five. Part-time drivers Bill Elliott and Martin also have stellar records on 2-mile tracks with both posting seven and five wins, respectively. Martin leads all drivers with 35 top 10s.
Michigan Rookie Report
None of the Raybestos Rookie of the Year candidates have made a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series start at Michigan International Speedway. Regan Smith and Sam Hornish Jr. are the only rookies that have made at least one Nationwide Series start at MIS. In the Cup race at Caifornia in Feburary, Smith was the top finishing rookie in 31st. Rookie Standings
Qualifying Tidbits
In the last 15 events at Michigan International Speedway there have been three drivers - Bobby Labonte, Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Jeff Gordon - that have won multiple poles. Gordon is coming off his fifth career pole at the track after breaking a tie with Labonte last August for the active full-time driver lead. Ryan Newman is the current qualifying record holder with his June 2005 lap of 194.232 mph. In this event in 2006, Kasey Kahne became the 15th driver at MIS to win from the pole. Past Pole Winners | Starting Positions of Michigan Winners
RacingOne Staff Picks
Jeff Wackerlin: Dale Earnhardt Jr.
Pete Pistone: Jeff Gordon
Rachael West: Denny Hamlin
Kym Opalenik: Carl Edwards
Top 20 Driver Notes - Ordered by Current Standings
1. Kyle Busch: Busch started 17th and finished ninth in his first career Sprint Cup start at Michigan International Speedway. In the second race that same year, he started fourth and led 28 laps before the car overheated and fell out of the race on lap 81 - his only DNF at MIS. Last year in this event, he scored his best finish in six starts after coming home sixth. This weekend he will be making his first start at Michigan with Joe Gibbs Racing. Earlier this season he finished fourth with JGR at MIS' sister track - Auto Club Speedway.
2. Jeff Burton: Burton has captured eight top-10 finishes in 28 starts at Michigan International Speedway, all coming with Roush Racing from 1996-2004. Michigan is one of three tracks on the circuit in which Burton has yet to post a top 10 with Richard Childress Racing. His worst finish (42nd) with RCR came in the 2006 August race when the No. 31 Chevrolet lost an engine on the 17th lap after starting from the pole position. This weekend Burton will be racing a new car (chassis No. 252) in the LifeLock 400.
3. Dale Earnhardt Jr: Earnhardt Jr. has been the best driver in the last four races at Michigan International Speedway based on his finishing average of a 6.5. His two career top fives in 17 starts came in that span with both coming in the June event. His fifth-place finish in this event last year came despite suffering a flat rear tire during the race. This weekend Earnhardt will climb into the same car (chassis No. 88-488) that finished eighth in the All-Star race and was tested at Pocono.
4. Carl Edwards: Edwards won his first Sprint Cup race at Michigan International Speedway in this event last year after leading 63 laps from the 12th starting position. He went on to earn his sixth top 10 in the August race with a seventh-place finish. Edwards, who holds the best average finish (7.3) at MIS, will be driving the same car (chassis No. RK-551) that last finished 19th in the All-Star race.
5. Denny Hamlin: Hamlin's best finish at Michigan International Speedway came last August when he placed fifth. The finish was his first top five and it gave him a finishing average of 10.0 in four starts. This weekend he will be back in the same car (chassis No. 208) that finished 24th in the Coca-Cola 600 at Lowe's Motor Speedway.
6. Jimmie Johnson: Johnson is coming off his best finish in 12 races at Michigan International Speedway after finishing third last August. In the 2004 August race Johnson started from the pole - after rain washed out qualifying - but his day ended after 81 laps when the engine expired in the Lowe's Chevrolet placing him 40th, his worst finish and only DNF at MIS. Last year in this event, Johnson led 56 of his track total 154 laps en route to a 19th-place finish. This weekend he will be behind the wheel of the same chassis (No. 502) that was in contention for the win in the Coca-Cola 600 until an engine failure knocked him out late in the race.
7. Greg Biffle: In last year's race, Biffle scored his worst finish (38th) at Michigan International Speedway after the team missed the setup on the No. 16 Ford. In the five races prior, Biffle captured five consecutive finishes of seventh or better, including two consecutive wins starting with the 2004 August race. This weekend he will be driving the same car (chassis RK-571) that finished fourth at Atlanta.
8. Jeff Gordon: Gordon has two wins, four poles, 15 top fives and 20 top-10 finishes in 30 starts at Michigan International Speedway. Last August, he broke a tie with Bobby Labonte for the active full-time driver pole lead after he scored his fifth with a lap of 189.026 mph. Gordon is first among active full-time drivers in laps led, with 899. In Feburary at Michigan's sister track, California, Gordon led 68 laps en route to a third-place finish.
9. Kasey Kahne: Kahne will look to carry over his winning momentum from Pocono to Michigan in hopes of capturing his fifth top 10 at the 2-mile track. Last season Kahne posted his worst Michigan finishes of 32nd and 21st, respectively. In 2006, he won this race from the pole.
10. Kevin Harvick: Harvick's best finish at Michigan International Speedway was second in the 2003 August race. The finish came after leading 46 laps. It was the second time in Harvick's career he led laps at MIS. The other time came in the summer prior when he held the lead for 42 circuits en route to a third-place finish. Harvick's only other top-10 finishes came in the June race in 2001, 2006 and 2007. He will race chassis No. 238 for the fifth time in 2007. The best finish for this particular car came at Atlanta in seventh.
11. Clint Bowyer: Bowyer's 26.2 average finish is hampered by an accident not of his doing in the June event and an engine failure in the August event in 2006. He was running third with three laps to go when the engine failed in the No. 07 relegating him to a 33rd-place finish. Last year in this event, Bowyer posted his best finish at MIS in 16th. This weekend he will pilot the same car (chassis No. 241) that crashed in final practice at Las Vegas.
12. Tony Stewart: Stewart has two third place finishes and a 10th-place finish in his last three starts at Michigan International Speedway. Those finishes, which contributed to his 12 top 10s at MIS, have come from way back in the pack. Stewart's 41st-place finish in the 2006 June race marked his third - first since 2000 - DNF at MIS. His lone win at Michigan came in the 2000 June race.
13. David Ragan: Ragan posted an average finish of 19.5 in his two starts at Michigan International Speedway during his rookie season in 2007. Ragan, who is just seven points out of 12th in the standings, will race the same car (chassis No. RK-584) in the Lifelock 400 that finished 12th in the Coca-Cola 600 at Lowe's Motor Speedway.
14. Ryan Newman: Nine of Newman's starts at Michigan International Speedway have been from within the top 10, including one start from the pole in 2005. Newman has won twice at Michigan and has finished in the top five four times. The No. 12 Alltel team is bringing chassis PRS-558 to the track this weekend. This is the same car Newman drove at Texas to a fourth-place finish.
15. Matt Kenseth: With the exception of this event last year, Kenseth has put together a stellar career in 17 races at Michigan International Speedway. Last June saw Kenseth record his first DNF, and first finish outside the top 20, after crashing on lap 75. He has two wins, 11 top 10s, including six-straight from 2002-2005, and has led 181 laps at MIS. Kenseth's win in the 2006 August race lowered his finishing average to 9.7, which is second best among all drivers. This weekend Kenseth will be racing the same car (chassis RK-564) that started 38th and finished eighth at Atlanta.
16. Martin Truex Jr: Martin Truex Jr. has made four starts at Michigan and has finished in the top 10 twice, a pair of second-place finishes in 2007. He led 54 laps in this event last year starting eighth.
17. Brian Vickers: Some of Vickers' best finishes since joining the Red Bull Team have come on the 2-mile tracks of Michigan and Fontana. In five combined starts he has posted an average finish of 15.6, which includes three top 10s. Earlier this season he finished 11th in his first race with the new car at Fontana.
18. Travis Kvapil: This weekend Kvapil will be making his first start at Michigan since the 2006 season. That year saw Kvapil post his best finishes at the track, with a pair of 21st-place finishes. The LifeLock 400 will mark his first track start with Yates Racing. He will make that start in the same car (chassis No. 530) that finished 36th at California.
19. Bobby Labonte: Labonte will be making his fifth start at Michigan International Speedway with Petty Enterprises. He scored his first top 10 with the team at the 2-mile track last August after finishing ninth. Labonte has won three times MIS with Joe Gibbs Racing, with the last occurring in 1999. His average start, supplemented by four poles, is 12.4. On the strength of 16 top 10s and nine top fives, Labonte's average finish is 13.5.
20. Juan Montoya: Michigan International Speedway is Montoya's worst oval on the circuit based on his 34.5 finishing average. His best success at the track came in the CART series where he posted a win and a second-place finish with Chip Ganassi. This weekend he will be driving the same car that finished 30th in the Coca-Cola 600.
Racingone.com
NASCAR Top 10 Power Rankings: Week 14 😀
By Jeffrey Boswell
Note: the quotes in this article are fictional.
1. Kyle Busch — Busch wrecked his primary car in Saturday's Cup practice, then, on lap 46 in Sunday's Pocono 500, he failed to clear the No. 26 car of Jamie McMurray before moving up the track. He clipped McMurray and suffered serious right-front damage, and headed straight for the garage. He returned 87 laps down, spun again, and finished last, 105 laps down.
"I guess my 'Triple Crown' weekend ended much like that of underachieving Big Brown," says Busch. "Underneath a tiny man in knickers with a whip. Hey, those kinky Japanese engineers expect some type of remuneration for providing us with those fine Toyota engines."
"But let's give Big Brown some credit. There's no shame in only winning two legs of the Triple Crown. He just didn't have it in the Belmont. Just because somebody's beating you with a riding crop and yelling 'Go!' doesn't mean you always 'go.' At least it doesn't work that way at Hendrick Motorsports, or I would have been out of there long ago."
2. Jeff Burton — Burton's fifth-place finish, coupled with Kyle Busch's numerous troubles, allowed the Richard Childress driver to take a huge bite out of Busch's points lead. Burton entered Pocono trailing by 142; he leaves with a deficit of only 21. Burton, along with Kyle Busch, Dale Earnhardt, Jr., and Carl Edwards, leads all drivers with 10 top-10 finishes. Not surprisingly, those four drivers occupy positions 1-4 in the points.
"I doubt Busch will ever again run three races in three states in three days," says Burton. "The only threesome a Busch brother has ever completed is Kurt getting smacked by three different drivers at three different tracks. Anyway, Kyle likes that fast-paced lifestyle. I prefer to slow down and savor the moment. I'm not 'rowdy,' I'm 'regular.' He's a 'punk'; I show 'spunk.' He's into 'Girls Gone Wild' videos; I prefer the 'Girls Gone Mild' series, in which middle-aged women in various stages of dress perform routine household chores, with not even the slightest lesbian implications."
3. Dale Earnhardt, Jr. — Earnhardt survived a grueling Pocono 500, as air temperatures in the 90s left the Hendrick Motorsports driver drained and exhausted, yet satisfied with a fourth-place finish. It was Earnhardt's 10th top-10 of the year, and he maintained third in the Sprint Cup point standings, where he is 145 out of first.
"The heat was nearly unbearable," says Earnhardt. "But you can't prosper in this sport without expecting to sweat a little. And you can prosper even more in this sport when you take that perspiration, bottle it, have it blessed, and sell it to your fans as 'Hol-'E' water. It's great for baptisms, exorcisms, mixers, and burning the skin of Kyle Busch fans. Even Bruton Smith's purchasing power doesn't rival that of Dale Earnhardt, Jr. fans."
"And, speaking of new marketing schemes, how about 'Steak-Umm' sponsoring my former ride, the No. 8 Dale Earnhardt, Inc. Chevrolet, driven by Mark Martin? You know, one year, Mark's in the 'Viagra' car. Then, he's in the 'Steak-Umm' car. Apparently, if your car is sponsored by a meat substitute, then Mark's your driver. If 'Spam' wants to team up with Amp energy drink, then we'd gladly field the 'SpAmp' car."
4. Carl Edwards — Once again, Edwards' attempt at victory was plagued by errors in the pits. During the final caution, the valve stem was pulled from the rim of the left rear tire, which almost immediately went flat. Edwards returned to the pits to remedy the situation, which dropped him to 33rd. He heroically made 24 passes in the final laps to finish ninth, and held on to fourth in the points.
"I guess my crew puts the 'stop' in 'pit stop,'" says Edwards. "We've given away more positions than the Kama Sutra. We've lost more points in the pits than we have in the inspection line. Frankly, it makes me very upset. But I'm trying to work on my anger issues. I've come to realize that physical intimidation is a brutish and uncivilized way to handle problems. That's why, in dealing with my pit crew, I'm turning over a new leaf, and resorting to making my points in a more civil manner, with just verbal intimidation."
5. Denny Hamlin — Hamlin was the lone bright spot for Joe Gibbs Racing, finishing third as teammates Kyle Busch and Tony Stewart faltered at Pocono's 2.5 mile tri-oval. Hamlin led 17 laps on the day, and advanced four places in the points to fifth, where he trails leader Kyle Busch by 284 points.
"Momentum is like the NASCAR rule book; it changes quickly in this sport," says Hamlin. "Before Pocono, Kyle was the hottest driver. After Pocono, Kasey Kahne looks like the hottest driver, although Juan Montoya has the hottest car. That fiery Colombian really had a scary wreck with Clint Bowyer's Jack Daniels Chevrolet. Kudos to the emergency crew who got extinguishers on that fire immediately. I'm sure that's not the first time a white powdery substance has been found in a Colombian's car. Usually, 'Jack' and 'Coke' mix much better."
"And speaking of 'hot cars,' I think Led Zeppelin frontman Robert Plant said it best when he sang, 'You need coolin', baby I'm not foolin' in 'Whole Lotta Love.' Obviously, he was referring to these four-wheeled saunas we call cars. There's more hot air in those things than a Waltrip family reunion. You could fry an egg in those things. And if you did happen to fry an egg in your car during a race, that might arouse NASCAR's suspicion, and they might be compelled to say to you, 'Hey, that looks like your brain on drugs. And lay off the heroin.' Still, I don't think that hypothetical episode would meet NASCAR's requirements for reasonable suspicion for a drug test."
6. Kasey Kahne — Kahne started on the pole and boasted the fastest car all day, slowed only by a miscue in the pits on lap 58 that dropped him to 38th. Kahne easily made his way through the field, passed Brian Vickers on lap 185, and led the final 15 laps. The victory gave Kahne two wins in the last three points races, and moved him within the top 12 in the points to ninth.
"I think we've really turned a corner," says Kahne. "The car was just awesome. Even when I fell behind, I knew I could come back. All I had to do was hit my marks, which was more difficult than it sounds, especially with all those 'Not For Sale' signs at the track. I don't blame the Mattioli family. I wouldn't sell the track to Bruton Smith, either. In fact, the Mattioli's have stated publicly that they won't sell the track to anyone that resembles 'The Thing' of 'Fantastic Four' comic book fame. Bruton is a dead ringer."
"I feel really good about the No. 9 car now. Suddenly, it's cool to drink Budweiser again, and the prospect of actually winning over some male fans has me really stoked. I'll soon be issuing a public statement through my spokesman, actor and All State Insurance pitchman Dennis Haysbert."
7. Jimmie Johnson — Johnson pitted on lap 168, gambling that the race would remain under green, which meant necessary pit stops for several cars in front of him. Unfortunately, that plan was rendered irrelevant when Kyle Busch spun with 23 laps remaining, forcing practically everyone to pit. Instead of contending for the win, Johnson settled for sixth, which moved him up one place in the point standings to sixth.
"Of all people, Chad Knaus and I understand the cold, hard facts of gambling," says Johnson. "Whether it's pit strategy, fuel strategy, $100 on the Lakers to cover, or illegally altering a car part, you win some and you lose some. Lately, we've lost more than we've won. In fact, we've lost so much that we even owe Charles Barkley money."
"Seriously, though, Hendrick Motorsports is ready to bust out. Joe Gibbs may have four wins, but we've got three drivers in the Sprint Cup standings. That's more than Gibbs can say. And, Jeff, Dale, and myself are trying our best to encourage Casey Mears to step up his game. And, by 'encourage,' I mean we're keeping the 'dead weight' comments to a minimum and referencing Weekend at Bernie's as little as possible."
8. Jeff Gordon — Much like teammate Jimmie Johnson, Gordon's fortunes were victimized by Kyle Busch's late spin. Gordon pitted on lap 165, and had the race remained under green, would probably have left with a top-five finish. Instead, Gordon lost track position due to Busch's spin, and had to work feverishly in the final laps to salvage his 14th-place finish.
"In hindsight," says Gordon, "I guess it was pretty optimistic to expect the race to go without a caution for the final 35 laps. Especially with those former open-wheel racers, like Patrick Carpentier, Sam Hornish, and Dario Franchitti, slipping and sliding all over the place. I can't speak for Carpentier and Hornish, but I myself have no problem driving with photos of Ashley Judd taped to my dashboard."
9. Tony Stewart — Stewart was on track for a top-10 finish before a pit lane speeding infraction on lap 171 incurred a penalty. Stewart served a drive-through penalty that left him a lap down, dampening his spirits after a promising day that saw him lead 14 laps.
"Normally, I've got no problem with 'drive-throughs,'" says Stewart. "especially if there's food involved. Those NASCAR officials have no sense of humor, though. They didn't even smile when I drove through for my penalty and said 'I'd like that biggie-sized' while holding a giant, foam middle finger out of the window."
"Take away the penalty, and we had a good day. The car ran well, we led 14 laps, and I made one of the most daring passes of my career when I nervously slipped by Elliott Sadler on lap 109. I was pretty sure one of us was going into the wall. I thought everything was cool until I bumped into Elliott after the race. It was an accident, but Elliott showed me his fist and said, 'I got your "Prelude to a Dream" right here.'"
10. Matt Kenseth — Kenseth scored his fourth consecutive top 10, coming home seventh in the Pocono 500 as the top finisher in the Roush Fenway stable. The driver of the No. 17 DeWalt Tools Ford is now 15th in the point standings, only 34 out of 12th.
"I've quietly put myself back in contention for the Chase," says Kenseth. "That's how I roll—quietly. I do everything quietly, even when I utter a blood-curdling scream whenever I feel physically threatened."
"I've got to hand it to TNT for their coverage of the race. Nothing gets me more excited about racing than knowing what drivers are eating and drinking during a red flag. And Kyle Petty is a great analyst. He really has some great insight. It's like he used to be a driver or something. I've got to bow to the 'King' Richard Petty for his driving, but Kyle definitely gets a curtsy for his broadcasting acumen."
sports-central.org
LifeLock 400 HOT! Sheet
Making his way up in to the top five on our sheet this week is former champion Matt Kenseth. Despite the horrible start to the season in which he finished 20th or worse in six of the first ten races, the #17 team has put together a stretch of four straight top 10s. His average finish in this current run is 6th. He has also gotten the five bonus points each time for leading at least a lap. He is a former winner of both the June and August races at MIS, so don’t be surprised if he chalks up his first 08’ win on Sunday.
Although he hasn’t exactly been a contender to win races, David Reutimann has been a decent fantasy buy for most of the season. He has done enough to spot himself 25th in the standings. The #99 team recently posted their first top 10, and it came in the longest race of the season at Charlotte. He followed that up by finishing ten positions better than he started at Dover, and 17 positions better than he started at Pocono. Consider him good for your roster this weekend.
With his recently signed new contract, Carl Edwards has been putting on quite a show. This past Sunday at Pocono he notched his fifth consecutive top 10 finish. In fact, he has been scored outside the top 10 only four times all season (Daytona, Atlanta, Bristol, Talladega). Of those, only twice has he failed to finish on the lead lap. This is one of his best tracks in his Cup career and he is the defending champion of this event. That should be enough for you to know that he’s a must have.
At the very bottom of our sheet this week is Tony Stewart. He recently won the charity event on his own dirt track, but that seems to be the only success he can find. As you can see below, he has an average finish of about 31st in the last three events. In the 600 he went home 18th. The accident at Dover scored him 41st. Then at Pocono he ended up a lap down in 35th. Until the “smoke” clears, you may want to be careful.
Another driver dropping like a rock is Clint Bowyer. In the four events since the win at Richmond, his average finish is around 28th. His best showing came at Darlington when he managed to cross the line 15th. In the three races since then, he has failed to end a race on the lead lap. He is coming off of his worst outing of the season, so he’ll be looking to rebound in a big way. But, he gets our “buyer beware” label this week.
profantasysports.com
Carl Edwards to defend title at Michigan track
What's happening in motor sports heading into this weekend, including the 15th race of the season in Sprint Cup Series.
1. NASCAR's Sprint Cup Series rolls into the Irish Hills of southern Michigan for Sunday's race at Michigan International Speedway.
Carl Edwards is the defending winner at the two-mile oval, which is a near replica of Auto Club Speedway in Fontana. Jamie McMurray, his teammate at Roush Fenway Racing, plans to carry a "Thanks Dad" paint scheme on his No. 26 Ford Fusion in honor of Father's Day.
This will be the season's 15th race and, after 26 races, the top 12 drivers in points are eligible for the Chase for the Cup to decide the championship over the final 10 races.
Four-time winner Kyle Busch leads the points, followed by Jeff Burton, Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Edwards.
NASCAR's second-level Nationwide Series, meanwhile, heads to the 1.5-mile Kentucky Speedway in Sparta for the Meijer 300 on Saturday night. Stephen Leicht is the defending winner of the race.
2. Two-time Cup champion Tony Stewart is 12th in points and thus still in the hunt for another title -- but just barely. The driver of the No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota is only seven points head of David Ragan and 10 points ahead of Ryan Newman, this year's Daytona 500 winner.
Stewart -- who said in April that he was considering leaving Gibbs for another team, perhaps before his contract expires at the end of next year -- is struggling to consistently finish races in the top 10. He was 38th at Talladega, 41st at Dover two weeks ago after an early crash, and 35th last week at Pocono. Stewart does have four top-five finishes.
Stewart could reach a milestone at Michigan. He's only 10 laps shy of leading 10,000 laps in his Cup career, which would place him 13th on the all-time list.
Also, Stewart plans to donate his prize money from Sunday's race to the American Red Cross in his hometown of Columbus, Ind., which recently was hit by severe flooding.
3. Newman's team owner, Roger Penske, said he was not concerned about the potential loss of the primary sponsor on Newman's No. 12 Dodge.
The sponsor, wireless phone company Alltel, last week agreed to be acquired by Verizon Wireless. NASCAR, with wireless carrier Sprint as its series sponsor, is unlikely to allow Verizon to take over sponsorship of Newman's car.
Penske told ESPN.com that his team could absorb the loss of Alltel's sponsorship and that the sale should not affect negotiations with Newman to extend his contract, which ends after this season.
4. The 24 Hours of Le Mans, the world's most famous endurance race, starts Saturday on the 8.5-mile Circuit de la Sarthe road course in France.
Four classes of sports cars, typically with three drivers each, compete in the grueling race. The top-tier LMP1 class, which features exotic prototype cars, has been dominated in recent years by Audi, which won again in 2007 with its diesel-powered R10.
5. In local racing Saturday night, dads will be admitted free for Father's Day at Toyota Speedway at Irwindale, where late-model stock cars head the multi-race program.
Perris Auto Speedway in Riverside County plans to host motorcycle racing, and sprint cars and midgets are featured at Ventura Raceway.
latimes.com.