Following yet another fantastic Fontana finish and the West Coast Swing, NASCAR returns to its short track roots in southern Virginia. NASCAR heads to the "Paperclip" or Martinsville for some side-by-side, bump-and-run style of short tracks. Here are some drivers to keep your eye on at the paperclip.
1. Jeff Gordon
It's hard not to talk about Martinsville without mentioning Gordon's incredible statistics at this track. He has lead 3,723 laps, or about the distance of 7 Martinsville races. He also has 8 wins, 28 top 5's and 35 top 10's. It's not hard to rule out Gordon at this track.
2. Jimmie Johnson
Right behind Gordon, Johnson has also been extraordinary at this track. He also has 8 wins, 18 top 5's, and 22 top 10's. He finished 2nd last year and led the most laps behind Kurt Busch. In fact, he's led 2,748 laps, 2nd to Gordon.
3. Joey Logano
A bit of an underdog at this track, he had two stellar outings last year at this track. He finished 4th and 5th respectively. In both races total, he led 99 laps. He could also extened his streak of 23 lead lap finishes, breaking Earnhardt and Gordon's record of 21 consecutive lead lap finishes last week.
4. Denny Hamlin
Hamlin is always a factor at this track, with 4 wins, 3 poles, 9 top 5's and 14 top 10's. However, he has not won here in Cup since in the fall of 2010. He also hopes to give Toyota their first Cup win, since last year's spring Talladega race. This could also jump start his Championship run, much like in 2010.
Wednesday, March 25, 2015
Thursday, March 19, 2015
Fontana Preview
This week, NASCAR will complete it acclaimed "West-Coast Swing" at Auto Club Speedway in southern California. This track, known for 4 and 5 wide racing, worn out surface, and last lap finishes has made this a favorite among fans for racing. Here are some drivers to watch out for.
1. Kevin Harivck
Fresh of back-to-back wins at Vegas and Phoenix, Harvick returns to his home track where he won a nailbiter finish in 2011. But his last two finishes have been 13th and 36th, which could be a challenge if he wants to sweep the West Coast Swing.
2. Joey Logano
Always a contender at the 2-mile tracks, Logano is fresh of his 21st consecutive lead lap finish, tying Gordon and Earnhardt. He finished 3rd in 2013, in that famous battle between he and Hamlin. He's also had huge success at the sister track, Michigan where he's won and had several top 5's. Could this be the weekend he stop the Hendrick engine winning streak of 2015?
3. Kyle Larson
Larson shook the NASCAR world, when he won his first XFINITY race last year (then Nationwide) , holding off Harvick and Kyle Busch. Then in the Cup race, he was runner up to Kyle Busch in that great battle for the checkered flag. Will he be able to get the elusive first win at Auto Club Speedway this weekend?
1. Kevin Harivck
Fresh of back-to-back wins at Vegas and Phoenix, Harvick returns to his home track where he won a nailbiter finish in 2011. But his last two finishes have been 13th and 36th, which could be a challenge if he wants to sweep the West Coast Swing.
2. Joey Logano
Always a contender at the 2-mile tracks, Logano is fresh of his 21st consecutive lead lap finish, tying Gordon and Earnhardt. He finished 3rd in 2013, in that famous battle between he and Hamlin. He's also had huge success at the sister track, Michigan where he's won and had several top 5's. Could this be the weekend he stop the Hendrick engine winning streak of 2015?
3. Kyle Larson
Larson shook the NASCAR world, when he won his first XFINITY race last year (then Nationwide) , holding off Harvick and Kyle Busch. Then in the Cup race, he was runner up to Kyle Busch in that great battle for the checkered flag. Will he be able to get the elusive first win at Auto Club Speedway this weekend?
Wednesday, March 11, 2015
Las Vegas Reactions
Following the first race of NASCAR's West Coast Swing, Las Vegas produced some interesting storylines following the race.
1. Kevin Harvick
Picking up right were he left off at Atlanta, Harvick dominated his way to his first win at Las Vegas, following last year's 42nd place run. He is on the best 6 race strech of his career, fnishing 2nd,1st,1st,2nd,2nd and 1st. He also 2 for 3 in his last 1.5 mile starts.
2. Loose cars
They say loose is fast, but sometimes loose can be counterproductive. Nearly everyone from Carl Edwards to Brad Keselowski was complaining of loose cars in the center and entry of the corners.
3. Furniture Row/Truex. Jr
After a dismal 2014 season, Truex. Jr is starting off the year on a high note, with 2 top tens and an inpressive 2nd place run behind race winner Harvick It's not hard to see why he's better, as Furniture Row is using RCR's engines that have produced good results for other satelite teams like Germain Racing and JTG Daugherty Racing.
1. Kevin Harvick
Picking up right were he left off at Atlanta, Harvick dominated his way to his first win at Las Vegas, following last year's 42nd place run. He is on the best 6 race strech of his career, fnishing 2nd,1st,1st,2nd,2nd and 1st. He also 2 for 3 in his last 1.5 mile starts.
2. Loose cars
They say loose is fast, but sometimes loose can be counterproductive. Nearly everyone from Carl Edwards to Brad Keselowski was complaining of loose cars in the center and entry of the corners.
3. Furniture Row/Truex. Jr
After a dismal 2014 season, Truex. Jr is starting off the year on a high note, with 2 top tens and an inpressive 2nd place run behind race winner Harvick It's not hard to see why he's better, as Furniture Row is using RCR's engines that have produced good results for other satelite teams like Germain Racing and JTG Daugherty Racing.
Wednesday, March 4, 2015
Las Vegas Preview
NASCAR this week starts its west-coast tour, going to Las Vegas, Phoenix and Auto Club. Las Vegas is also the second 1.5 miler, and the first of many "cookie-cutter" tracks on the circuit. So, with NASCAR going to one of the more popular tracks, here are some predictions for this weekend.
1. Fuel Mileage
Almost every time we go to Vegas, fuel mileage is always talked about. It can win or lose you a race, just like Keselowski last year, making Junior run out of fuel.
2. Engine
Though the horsepower may be reduced, the possibility for engine failures still exists. With Las Vegas's high speed and RPM's, expect at least 1 or two engine failures.
3. Drivers
1. Brad Keselowski
Last year, Keselowski lead the most laps, en route to his first Vegas win. He also was a stong contender on 1.5 milers, with 3 wins, 5 top-5's and 490 laps lead. He also finished 3rd back in 2013. Don't rule him out as a contender this weekend.
2. Matt Kenseth
Coming off a dissapointing 2014, Kenseth returns to a place where he has 3 wins, 6 top-5's, 515 laps led and a pole back in 2011. He finished 10th last year. Could a win here be what he needs to start his 2015 campaign for a championship?
3. Jimmie Johnson
Fresh of his 21st 1.5 miler win at Atlanta, Johnosn returns to Vegas, where he has 4 wins, but none in the last 4 years. He also has 5 top-5's and led 455 laps. If he wins this weekend, he'll lead Vegas with most wins all time at this track.
So with this in mind, we will be in for a fast-paced, fight to the finish in Sin City.
Monday, March 2, 2015
Atlanta Reactions
Yesterday's running of the QuickTrip Folds Of Honor 500, proved to be a challenge for every team, but in the end it was Johnson taking home his 71st career win at 4th at Atlanta. So, here were some things I noticed in this race
1. Changing weather conditions
Unlike the other days NASCAR was at Atlanta, Sunday was chilly and rainy. This made for some interesting racing in the first 100 laps, as drivers tried to move the groove of the track upward. Also, the track started to cool down in the last 50 laps of the race, making for more side-by-side racing.
2. Bottom groove
Another thing that happened in the race was, more drivers were using the bottom than the top. This was unusual, since Atlanta is known for passing on the high side for wins and racing in general. On all of the restarts, the leader took the bottom, giving him the advantage, as the car on the outside would spin their tires.
3. Tires
Atlanta is known for a worn-out surface, causing tires to wear out quickly. Yesterday was no exception, as within 4-5 laps drivers would've run their fastest laps and torn were already worn. Even 9 laps after a caution, drivers would pit because of the tire fall-off at Atlanta.
4. Harvick domination
Much like a repeat from last year, Harvick lead the most laps, not only in Cup, but won his 3rd in a row Xfinity race in Atlanta. Once again, he had led the most laps, but couldn't seal the deal on a late race restart, giving the win to Johnson.
1. Changing weather conditions
Unlike the other days NASCAR was at Atlanta, Sunday was chilly and rainy. This made for some interesting racing in the first 100 laps, as drivers tried to move the groove of the track upward. Also, the track started to cool down in the last 50 laps of the race, making for more side-by-side racing.
2. Bottom groove
Another thing that happened in the race was, more drivers were using the bottom than the top. This was unusual, since Atlanta is known for passing on the high side for wins and racing in general. On all of the restarts, the leader took the bottom, giving him the advantage, as the car on the outside would spin their tires.
3. Tires
Atlanta is known for a worn-out surface, causing tires to wear out quickly. Yesterday was no exception, as within 4-5 laps drivers would've run their fastest laps and torn were already worn. Even 9 laps after a caution, drivers would pit because of the tire fall-off at Atlanta.
4. Harvick domination
Much like a repeat from last year, Harvick lead the most laps, not only in Cup, but won his 3rd in a row Xfinity race in Atlanta. Once again, he had led the most laps, but couldn't seal the deal on a late race restart, giving the win to Johnson.
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