Atlanta Preview

It's that time of the year again, NASCAR racing at the fast, slick, bumpy track called Atlanta Motor Speedway. Known for its fast speeds, worn-out surface, fantastic finishes, and rich NASCAR history, it's not hard to see why this track is a favorite among fans. But what can we expect this year, following the biggest race of the year? Here are a few things to expect.
1. New 2015 rules package
For the first time this year, the Cup series will use its reduced horsepower and shorter spoiler package, in an effort to create more equal and exciting racing in the series. Perhaps this year, we will have a side-by-side finish that Atlanta is accustomed to.
2. Rain chances
With rumored chances of rain on Sunday, the race may not even be raced on Sunday, possibly pushed back to late at night or into Monday. This isn't the first time Atlanta has had rain delays. In 2011, Hurricane Lee postponed the race to Tuesday, which won won by Jeff Gordon to get his 85th career win.
3. Drivers to watch for
1. Kasey Kahne
When it comes to Atlanta, Kahne is always a factor at this track with 3 wins and 7 top-5 finishes. He is the defending winner of this race, and the last polesitter to win at Atlanta.
2. Jeff Gordon
As mentioned earlier, Gordon got his 85th career win here in 2011. He's a five time winner at this track and boasting an incredible amount of laps lead, and finishing in the top 10.
3. Carl Edwards
Edwards returns to the scene of his first career Cup win 10 years ago. This time, he's with the team that's won 2 of the last 3 Atlanta races. He has won at this track 3 times
4. Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
For a good dark horse pick, Stenhouse is your driver. He has two top-5's and a win in the Xfinity series. He scored a pole here in 2013. Though one may easily write off Stenhouse, he'll be one to watch with RFR's new package on 1.5 milers.

Logano's Daytona

After a thrilling win in the 57th running in the Daytona 500, Logano is feeling good about the 2015 season. But what is the scope of the 24 year old's impressive win? First of all, it's his first win on a plate track in Cup, and giving Team Penske it's second 500 win;(other one was 2008 with Newman). Secondly, Logano established himself as an early favorite in the championship much like last year, starting the season with wins and top-5 finishes. Thirdly, Logano's 500 win will stick with him as being a champion of NASCAR's vesion of the Super Bowl, giving him more noteriety and respect among his competitors and fans. Lastly, Logano gave Ford Motor Company their second weekend sweep in less than a year; other one being the August Bristol races, proving Ford as a competitive manufacturer on the plate tracks.

Sprint Unlimited Reactions

The Sprint Unlimited is NASCAR's kick-off to the season, and it wasn't short on action. So with further ado, here are a few things I spotted.

1.Hard wrecks

During the race, drivers were working hard to manage the car's grip, causing them sometimes to spin and cause big crashes. For instance, McMurray got loose and slid up into Menard,Johnson,Hamlin,Kahne, Stenhouse, Harvick and Patrick to name a few. Towards the end, Biffle and Kurt Busch suffered hard hits into the SAFER barrier on the backstretch, after Stewart got loose, sliding into Biffle, and thus causing a wreck.

2. New factors

There was always someone different up front during the race, notably Truex. Jr. He finished 2nd to Kenseth, following a dismal 2014 campaign. Toward the end, both Edwards and Kenseth helped each other on the restarts. Edwards held up the field, letting Kenseth get a healthy lead on the competiton, thus causing him to win the race. Logano was a factor as well, pushing guys to the front and accidentally cutting a tire down on Harvick's car.

3. Tempers flare

Seemingly like a deja-vu from 2010 at Pocono, Harvick was mad at Logano for racing him hard at the end. Words were exchanged, but no physical fighting occurred. One thing to keep in mind is that Harvick is the champion, so it's possible he has a certain sense of entitlement with his championship, feeling that others should race him a certain way.

With a thriller like the Unlimited, who knows what'll happen in the rest of Speedweeks.

Teams,teams,teams

Looking at all of the announcements of drivers enterting in this years 500, you might be overwhelmed of all the drivers entering in this years race. So to help you, here's a list of known smaller teams planning to race in the 500.
1. BK Racing
#23-Dr.Pepper/Maxim Toyota driven by J.J. Yeley
#26-LiveDeals Toyota driven by Jeb Burton
#83-Dustless Blasting Toyota driven by Johnny Sauter
2. HScott Motorsports
#46-Pilot/Flying J Chevy driven by Michael Annett
#51-Brandt Chevy driven by Justin Allgaier
3. Front Row Motorsports
#34-KFC Ford driven by David Ragan
#35-SpeedStick Gear Ford driven by Cole Whitt
#38-Love's Travel Stops Ford driven by David Gilliland
4. RAB Racing
#29-American Born Moonshine Toyota driven by Justin Marks
5. TMG Team
#30-Smokey Mountain Herbal Snuff Chevy driven by Ron Hornaday. Jr
6. Tommy Baldwin Racing
#7-Nikko Chevy driven by Alex Bowman
7. Xxxtreme Motorsports
#44-Golden Corral Chevy driven by Reed Sorenson
8. Premium Motorsports
#66-Crazy Vapors Toyota driven by Mike Wallace

It will be fun to watch these guys try to get in the field for the 57th running of the Daytona 500, during the Budweiser Duels on Thursday the 19th.

Sprint Unlimited Preview

 It's that time of the year again, Speedweeks at Daytona International Speedway. NASCAR starts off Speedweeks with the Sprint Unlimited, a race consisting of 2014 pole winners, and Chase contenders. It's hard to make a prediction at the Unlimited, let alone any plate track in NASCAR, but here a a few drivers to keep your eye on in this race.
1. Brad Keselowski
After finishing 2nd in last year's race, 3rd place in the 500, and an a win a Talladega in October, Keselowski is always a factor in any plate track he's gone too in the last year. But also in 2014, he finished 18th and 38th in the other 2 plate races, after being involved in wrecks. But given how much he wants to win at Daytona, he'll be one to watch when the green flag drops.
2. Matt Kenseth
Kenseth, like Keselowski is always a factor at plate tracks, but with more success during Speedweeks. He's won the Budweiser duels and the 500 twice, but has never won the Unlimited. In his last two starts in the Unlimited, he's finish 5th and 10th respectively. If he can simply avoid crashing out like last year, he could finally win an elusive Sprint Unlimited race.
3. Kevin Harvick
Fresh of his monumental championship run of 2014, he comes into the Unlimited with 4 wins in this event, including finishing 5th in last year's event. Though he may not be the best car in the beginning, he's notorious for showing up in the latter stages of races like these. Look for him to make a charge in the race, if he can avoid the wrecks.
4. Greg Biffle
One may not think Biffle as a favorite in the Unlimited, but he's shown his plate prowess in the last few years. He won his first career Cup race (then Winston) at Daytona in 2003. He also finished 8th in the 500 and a 3rd place finish at Talladega last year. Back in 2012, he almost won the Unlimited (then Shootout), Duels and the 500 in the same year. If RFR's performance is back up to standards, he could be a good pick for the Unlimited, and Speedweeks.