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  • Matty’s Picks Vol. 12 – Pocono – August 7, 2011

    Matty’s Picks Vol. 12 – Pocono – August 7, 2011

    Back to Long Pond, PA we go for the second time this year in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series.

    [media-credit name=”poconoraceway.com” align=”alignright” width=”271″][/media-credit]I’m going to learn from my mistakes this week, and pick two drivers that I have not picked in my column before. Back in just my 6th edition of Matty’s Picks, I chose two drivers, both with storied histories at the Tricky Triangle. Denny Hamlin, my winner pick had finished in the Top 10 in 8 out of his 10 races at Pocono (after the race in June it was 9 out of 11 races – 19th place finish).

    My Dark Horse pick faired a bit better in the 5-Hour Energy 500 this season, netting me one of my 4 Top 10 finishes. Juan Montoya has been my Dark Horse pick twice this year, once coming last week at the Brickyard, and the other at Pocono in June. In the race in June, Montoya gambled on two-tire stops a total of three times throughout the afternoon, a strategy that would net him a 7th place finish and me a Top 10 Dark Horse pick.

    Brickyard Recap

    As stated earlier Juan Montoya was my Dark Horse last week for the Brickyard 400. He was never really in contention to win the race last week, but lingered around the Top 5 for a good portion of the 200 laps last Sunday. It was tough for anyone to predict how the fuel-mileage frenzy would unfold last Sunday, and when the checkered flag flew over the #27 of Paul Menard, Montoya was nowhere to be found.

    Montoya said after the race “It was good. We had the fastest car but when we could see the front it seemed like I could get a little more out of the car and I was pushing really hard.” The #42 team would lose out on the almost road-course-like pit strategy and would come home 28th.

    As for my winner pick last week, after starting 3rd on the grid Jimmie Johnson also hovered around the Top 5 for the majority of the laps around Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

    About his qualifying lap last Friday at IMS, “It was a good lap for us and I certainly hope that it hopes up and keeps us in the top five. If we can have a good spot on pit road, it makes for such a different race. And there are some very generous areas to work on pit road here, so I’m hoping to get one of those spots.”

    And it was one of those “generous” spots he would end up with for the race, but just like everyone else, Johnson was not able to stay out of trouble. The 48’s contact with Brian Vickers squashed all my hopes for a win out of the Lowe’s Chevrolet last weekend bringing home a 19th place finish.

    Yes, last week at the Brickyard was the first time I did not have a driver finish in the Top 10 or better since Michigan back in Mid-June.

    Pocono Picks

    Winner Pick

    I’ve decided to spread the wealth this week and pick a driver that has not been mentioned this year in Matty’s Picks. He is very deserving of a Winner Pick this week for his efforts at PIR in June. He started on the pole for the 5-Hour Energy 500, and currently sits second on the speed charts after the first practice session of the day.

    Kurt Busch is no stranger to Victory Lane at the Tricky Triangle, earning his first win at the track in July 2005 and then winning again in August 2007. Kurt Busch also has and astounding 5 – second place finishes at Pocono as well, his most recent coming in June. Kurt Busch has been running well this season, with one win, 4 Top 5’s, and 11 Top 10’s. He will look to rebound after dropping 3 spots in the points following the Brickyard 400 with a strong finish on Sunday in the Good Sam RV Insurance 500.

    Dark Horse Pick

    My Dark Horse this week currently sits in 13 place in points. He is extremely hungry to make a statement with a win and solidify his spot in the 2011 Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup. He also, is no stranger to Victory Lane at Pocono, a track where he has less than impressive finishing statistics.

    Greg Biffle averages a finish of 16.4 at Pocono International Raceway, but will use the momentum he has from his 7th place finish last week at Indy to lay down a qualifying lap good enough to start towards the front and remain there throughout the race. He has managed to finish in the Top 5 at Pocono only 6 times in 17 starts, and will look to gain upon his 27th place finish in June.

    Stay tuned next week as I preview my 19th trip to Watkins Glen International. I am extremely excited to head to my home track next week, tremendously eager to get camp set up with friends and family and enjoy another fantastic weekend of road racing at WGI!

    Until Next Week…You Stay Classy NASCAR NATION!

  • Matty’s Picks Vol. 11 – Indianapolis – July 31, 2011

    Matty’s Picks Vol. 11 – Indianapolis – July 31, 2011

    Its time for the Brickyard! The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series makes its annual stop at the one and only racing facility to be designated a National Historic Landmark. IMS was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1975, so as everyone knows IMS boasts a plethora of racing history.

    [media-credit name=”Indianapolismotorspeedway.com” align=”alignright” width=”300″][/media-credit]Following the drivers and teams this week via Twitter has really opened my eyes as to how much the drivers really enjoy the once-a-year trip to Indianapolis.

    After spending his off week in France, Jimmie Johnson tweeted Wednesday “It’s one of a few tracks where you truly feel the history of motorsports.” This was one of the infinite number of comments about traveling to IMS this weekend, all eager to strap in and get on the track today.

    10-Pick Recap

    During my week off from Matty’s Picks, I was able to compile the results of the 10 previous race weekends that I have submitted picks for. I have actually made 15 ‘Winner Picks’ so far this season (including the Sprint Showdown, All-Star Race, All Star Race – Fan Favorite, Indy 500 and occasional Camping World Truck Series, and Nationwide Series Winner Picks). By the numbers:

    Winner Picks
    4 – Wins
    5 – Top 5’s
    1 – Top 10’s
    4 – Outside Top 10 picks worth zero points
    6.8 – Average finish

    It’s been since June 19th that I have gone without a Winner Pick in the Top 10, stringing together 6-straight, with just one finish outside the Top 5. My current hot streak of Winner Picks includes two wins – both at Kentucky Speedway and both courtesy of Kyle Busch.

    Dark Horse Picks
    0 – Wins
    2 – Top 5’s
    2 – Top 10’s
    6 – Outside Top 10 worth zip
    16.1 – Average finish

    When I compiled the numbers, I thought initially that my Dark Horse average was less than impressive – with an average finish of 16.1. I went back and examined some similar numbers such as Jimmie Johnson’s Career average finish of 11.7, Dale Jr’s average finish this season at 14.0, and even Fireball Roberts’ career average finish of 13.2 and determined that if I want to become the ‘Nostradamus of NASCAR’, I’ve still got some work to do.

    All in all, I am not having a bad rookie season of Matty’s Picks but there is surely some room for improvement – particularly with my Dark Horse picks. I am excited to begin re-visiting tracks for the second time in the 2011 Sprint Cup Schedule, with the goal of learning from my mistakes earlier in the season.

    Brickyard 400 Picks

    Closely examining historical statistics this week for both my Dark Horse and Winner Picks, I have decided to follow the Chevrolet trend at IMS. With the last 8 races being won by a driver in a Chevrolet in Indianapolis, the stats speak for themselves. Furthermore, 12 of the 17 NASCAR Sprint Cup Races at the Brickyard have been won by Chevys. How can I bet against them?

    Dark Horse Pick

    My Dark Horse Pick this week has drank the milk in Victory Lane at IMS, but has never felt the warm rubber and salty taste of the Yard of Bricks against his lips.

    He led 86 laps last year and a record-setting 116 laps in 2009, the most ever by any non-winner at Indianapolis. In the 2009 Allstate 400 at the Brickyard, Juan Pablo Montoya was running away with victory, leading 90 of 91 laps when a pit-road speeding penalty crushed all chances of victory. Last Year, Montoya lead a race-high 85 laps before a collision with Dale Jr on lap 146 ended his chances for victory in a stock-car at IMS.

    With his storied history at IMS, Montoya seems more like a Winner Pick to me this week, but never having won on an oval, JPM qualifies for my Dark Horse pick for purposes of this column. The 2000 Indy 500 winner has victory within his grasp this year and will break through for his first oval win of his stock car racing career on Sunday.

    Winner Pick

    After compiling the data, I must admit that I am astounded that in 15 Winner Picks, I have not picked him as the winner yet. (Already making strides at becoming ‘The Nostradamus of NASCAR’) This is probably why my Winner Pick average is not inside the Top 5…

    My goal this week is to earn some brownie points with my girlfriend by picking her favorite driver; and not by coincidence is he more deserving of a Winner Pick this week.

    Jimmie Johnson has compiled 3 wins at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, winning all 3 in the past 5 races. He started second last year, and judging by his practice speeds, Ol’ 5-Time will have a decent starting spot again this year at a track where the race-winner averages a starting spot of 9.4. Only 3 times has the winner of the Brickyard 400 come from the 20th starting spot or worse, meaning IMS does not foster a fair amount of passing.

    Following the moderate blow up at New Hampshire, Chad Knaus has the #48 crew whipped into shape and ready to go mistake-free on Sunday afternoon. Watch for the #48 team to redeem themselves from their mishaps at Loudon and help to put Jimmie Johnson in Victory Lane at the Brickyard.

    I do enjoy following @JimmieJohnson on #Twitter. I’ve learned by following him about a 3-drink Twitter rule imposed on him, which I’ve found he tends to violate from time to time. If you don’t follow Jimmie or don’t have a Twitter account, I suggest you look into it as it adds a bit of a joy to my life.

    It’s a little tough picking against a guy that has won 4 times and holds records for most wins (4), most poles (3), most Top 5’s (9), most Top 10’s (13), and most laps led (440) in Jeff Gordon (thanks for the advice Uncle Ed, but you can only lead a horse to water). But, I have gained my brownie points for the week and will be interested to see the comments from the few “regular” Matty’s Picks readers I do have.

    I am excited to start the stretch towards the Chase and improve upon my less than impressive stats as ‘The Nostradamus of NASCAR’.

    Until next time…You stay classy NASCAR NATION!

  • Dale Earnhardt Jr. Finds Himself Needing A Touch Of Lady Luck These Next Three Races

    Dale Earnhardt Jr. Finds Himself Needing A Touch Of Lady Luck These Next Three Races

    With seven races remaining until the start of the 2011 chase for the Sprint Cup Championship, it’s beginning to look like déjà vu once again for NASCAR’s most popular driver, and time has been slowly creeping on him. No longer is Hendrick Motorsports driver Dale Earnhardt Jr. comfortably sitting within the top-10 in points, instead he finds himself fighting to hold on to the final position until the green flag waves in Chicago to start the chase.

    [media-credit name=”Greg Author” align=”alignright” width=”225″][/media-credit]A mere seven points is the lifeline between another disappointing season, or in his case a possible major fail when you look back to five races ago when he was on top of the world sitting third in the point standings. The 51 point lead was enough to keep his fans planning ahead for a possible return to the post season party, which he hasn’t been a part of since 2008.

    The roller coaster ride that Earnhardt has endured while driving for one of NASCAR’s most successful organizations, is enough to give his legion of fans an ulcer the size of the heart this 36 year-old Kannapolis, North Carolina native drives with. Fan loyalty, along with anyone else who has taken an interest trying to dissect what is happening with Earnhardt, have come up with some pretty good explanations as to why he is having so much trouble trying to get win No. 19 along with a possible championship.

    There will always be those who will either show some compassion for what he is going through, and just like a double edged sword where the sharpest edge is the one that does the most damage, which comes in the form of the harsh comments from the nay-sayers. It’s not hard to look around and see that Earnhardt is NASCAR’s most popular driver, but the only advantage with that accolade was the fact he got a free entry into this season’s all-star race.

    Other than that it hasn’t helped him to add to his win column, or more importantly get the consistency back he had while driving in the early years for Dale Earnhardt Inc.  A lot has changed since Earnhardt came over to HMS, along with the excuses why this third generation driver can’t put together a solid season and prove that he is legitimate championship contender.

    In reality there is no magic wand that can be waved over his team, and sugar coating is no longer an option, as well as the hypothetical scenarios that are talked about each time Earnhardt finishes outside the top-10. Hendrick Motorsports has given Earnhardt the ingredients he needs to succeed in the sports top tier series, and how many drivers in the sport today have gone through three crew chiefs in the past four seasons to try and help improve their driver?

    Possibly the only ingredient missing that Hendrick cannot give him is luck, and now is the time Earnhardt needs to borrow the lucky horseshoe from his teammate Jimmie Johnson that Kevin Harvick so reluctantly said he has hiding where the sun doesn’t shine. Heading into Indianapolis Motor Speedway this weekend, Earnhardt will need as much help as he can get whether it be in the form of a horseshoe, or asking lady luck to shower him with a special blessing.

    Either way something good needs to come within reach of the team in order to keep him from falling outside the top-10, and a possible chase berth, which could go a long way in putting into perspective the success he had earlier in the season. “We’ve got good cars. We’ve got a really really good team. We should be running better than we have been the last couple of week and we know it. We are just going to try and work really hard to get back where we were earlier in the season. It shouldn’t be that difficult,” Earnhardt said at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.

    With only two top-10 finishes, and a best finish of sixth in 2006 in 11 starts, crew chief Steve Letarte has his work cut-out if he expects to keep his driver focused enough to get past these next three races. “Dale (Earnhardt Jr.) runs well there, but the big thing we need to do is qualify better. The track is very, very hard to pass at.,” Letarte said during this week’s pre-race media release.

    Letarte also added that, “Hopefully the tire will hold on. Pit strategy will be important. Indy is kind of like Daytona (Fla.) and Talladega (Ala.).” If you aren’t fast when you come off the truck, it’s very frustrating. It’s hard to find speed there. So we are trying to find some speed and make sure we are fast. We need to qualify well and start towards the front of the pack.”

    Without being the breaker of bad news, stats or past performances don’t lie, and the next three races are crucial if Earnhardt expects to regain the momentum he had before his last five finishes of 21st, 41st, 19th, 30th, and 15th almost knocked him out of the top-10 in points. In 23 starts at Pocono, Earnhardt only has five top-five, and seven top-10 finishes, and Watkins Glen is no better with two top-five, and three top-10 finishes in 11 starts.

    One race at a time and a touch from Lady luck could bring the Nation to their feet, and give them the hope they have been waiting for since his last chase appearance three seasons ago.

  • Matty’s Picks Vol. 10 – Loudon – Lenox Industrial Tools 301 – July 17, 2011

    Matty’s Picks Vol. 10 – Loudon – Lenox Industrial Tools 301 – July 17, 2011

    The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series makes its next stop in the first state to declare its independence from Mother England. It was actually the first of the thirteen original colonies to sever ties with England, a full six months before the Declaration of Independence was signed.

    New Hampshire Motor Speedway has been the site of a few incidents that have shaped the current rules we have in NASCAR today. For instance, NHMS was the first track where NASCAR started the field in two separate groups under the warm-up laps, helping drivers to set their pit road speeds.

    [media-credit name=”nhis.com” align=”alignright” width=”250″][/media-credit]An incident occurred at the track during the September 2003 race that would eventually end racing back to the caution flag. The rule implemented following an incident involving Dale Jarrett is the “free pass” or more commonly referred to as “the lucky dog” rule.

    Finally, following two fatal accidents at the track in 2000, New Hampshire Motor Speedway became the only track in recent history (outside of Daytona and Talladega) to run restrictor plates on Sprint Cup cars. Jeff Burton won the race in the first race to go wire-to-wire without a lead change, as a product of the plates.

    Kentucky Recap

    TRAFFIC!!

    Just kidding… I know everyone has heard by now about the issues at Kentucky so I will stick to the on track action.

    Winner, Winner, Chicken Dinner! I put all my eggs for last weekend in one basket and came out on top. Kyle Busch was my winner pick for the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series, NASCAR Nationwide Series, and NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races last weekend at Kentucky Speedway.

    After starting dead last in both the truck series and Nationwide series races, he finally got the best starting spot on Saturday Night via his top practice speed on Friday. Had qualifying taken place Friday Afternoon, I do not think any other driver would take the top starting spot for the Quaker State 400 as the #18 car was on a rail around Kentucky Speedway all weekend.

    It really was a treat to watch Kyle wheel his way through the field Thursday Night to win the UNOH 225 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race. He did it again Friday Night in the Nationwide Series, coming from dead last to finish third in the Feed The Children 300. As for Saturday Night’s Quaker State 400, Kyle would start from the pole and lead a race-high 125 laps en route to Gatorade Victory Lane.

    Kyle Busch etched his name in Kentucky Speedway’s history book as the inaugural Sprint Cup Series race winner, and also took over the points lead from Kevin Harvick with his three wins this season. This netted me not one, but two wins for winner picks, and also a top 5 for a winner pick in the Nationwide Series. It was a great points weekend at Kentucky Speedway for not only KB, but for myself as well.

    My Dark Horse pick last weekend – Joey Logano – nothing to speak of in 14th place.

    New Hampshire Picks

    For my Dark Horse this week, I’m going with a guy from my neck of the woods in Central New York. Reagan Smith picked up his first and only NASCAR Sprint Cup Series win earlier this year at Darlington. Since then, the Furniture Row Racing driver has been out to prove his worthiness in the Sprint Cup Series. He has run fairly consistent this year, finishing in the top 10, three times this season including his win in the Showtime Southern 500. He was seventh fastest in practice today so, look for him to lay down a quick qualifying lap and start towards the front on Sunday Afternoon.

    Tony Stewart is my winner pick this week for his history at New Hampshire. He won the very last Indy Racing League event at New Hampshire Motor Speedway in 1998, which returns to the track next month after a twelve year hiatus. Stewart has also visited Gatorade Victory Lane at Loudon in a Sprint Cup car twice. He has an outstanding average finishing spot of 12.4 at New Hampshire, directly on par for his average career finish. Smoke was second fast in practice earlier today, and is due for a win for his Stewart-Haas racing team. Look for the 14 car to take the checkered flag on Sunday.

    This is all I have for this week, stay tuned next week for a full Matty’s Picks stats update!

    Until next time….You stay classy NASCAR NATION!

  • The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly: Kentucky Speedway – July 2011

    The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly: Kentucky Speedway – July 2011

    The Trip

    I had the pleasure of making the trip to Kentucky Speedway last weekend, and yes I did make it into the race. I’ve been wanting to see some of the fans’, fellow sports writers’, and track officials’ responses to the chaos that ensued this past weekend at Kentucky before I jumped to any conclusions about my experience in the Bluegrass State.

    [media-credit name=”Matt LaFlair” align=”alignright” width=”235″][/media-credit]I made the trip with my dad and a few fellow NASCAR fans all the way from Buffalo, NY to be in attendance for this historic event. We left Buffalo Wednesday afternoon, making a pit stop in Cleveland for the New York Yankees/Cleveland Indians game in hopes of seeing Derek Jeter inch closer to the 3,000 hit mark. After the game, we drove further on in our journey, catching some drinks with some quite hospitable folks in the home of Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, Mansfield, Ohio, and caught a quick nap before continuing on towards Sparta.

    On Thursday, we met up with some friends in the Cincinnati area who graciously allowed us to stay in their Winnebago with them at the track. Upon arrival, we discovered that the ‘Edge of The Speedway’ campground, was nowhere near the edge of the speedway. Dragging our feet too long in booking a site, we found that the speedway camping was ‘sold out’ months in advance – Mistake #1 on our part, and mistake #1 on the speedway’s part. The Edge of The Speedway campground would put us about a 3.5 mile walk away from the front gates of Kentucky Speedway, a bit of a hike when lugging 30 to 40 pounds of camera and computer equipment.

    I did not make it into Kentucky in time to cover the NCWTS race on Thursday, but that experience in the stands helps me to write this column from both the journalist and the fans’ point of view.

    The Track

    My jaw dropped as I walked through the gates and stood below the Indiana Tower right at the start/finish line. The track was truly a sight to see the first time I laid eyes on the 1.5 mile circuit. The grandstands were almost overwhelming as to how well they were set up for fans to watch the on-track action. Built with a ‘buffer-zone’ between the outside wall and the start of the grandstands, row number one is built approximately 8-10 feet above the top of the outside walls. This gives fans almost a bird’s-eye view of the action below.

    I can’t complain much about the fan experience inside the gates of Kentucky Speedway (except that I did hear that concessions were about out of food 2 hours BEFORE the green flag Saturday night). This is the first track that I have been to where fans are not allowed to carry their own beverages into the stands, a big disappointment to many.

    It was outside the fan gates on speedway property that needed some help…After trudging 2.5 miles to get remotely close to the track, we spotted a shuttle stop on Speedway Boulevard, Thursday before the truck race that looked fairly promising in getting us to the front gates.

    We waited about an hour while bus after bus came by, packed to the brim with race fans. Now this shuttle stop was FURTHEST from the track, and yet it came past us at full capacity. After about an hour of this, we decided to cut our losses and hoof it the last mile (uphill by the way) to the front gates.

    So my first word of advice for Kentucky Speedway, figure out a shuttle route that benefits the fans. The shuttles should not be picking people up a quarter mile from the front gates and riding them the entire route. Shuttles should travel to their furthest stop and travel towards the track, picking up fans at designated stops, not the other way around.

    The Media Hospitality

    Last weekend, Kentucky Speedway did everything they could with the resources they had to accommodate the influx of press to cover the NASCAR weekend.

    Upon arrival on the infield of the track, I found that the Media Center was not the largest one I had ever been in, but not the smallest either. I had heard through the grapevine that the track had issued somewhere around 200 working media credentials for only 40-some seats in the Media Center. Luckily, SpeedwayMedia.com was granted a seat in the deadline room so I had a place to set up shop for the weekend. I did have a bit of an issue finding food to eat around lunch-time in the Media Center as they had run out around 12:30PM – but, I used my experiences as a college wrestler to help me through my grumbling empty stomach.

    My only other issue while covering the races at Kentucky Speedway came during the Pre-Race Ceremonies of the inaugural Quaker State 400. It seemed like all of the fans that were supposed to be in the stands, somehow got down onto the track and pit-lane during pre-race, and their mission was to make a photographer’s life a living hell. I don’t know if I could put an exact number to the people allowed down on the track during pre-race, but if I had to guesstimate, it would have to be somewhere around 20,000 – or at least it seemed like it.

    There were children running all over as the drivers made their way to the intro stage, pushing though mass crowds of people to obtain an autograph or a picture. The crowd plowed their way out onto the track and the Ford Mustangs designated to carry the drivers around the track for their pre-race introduction, had merely the width of their cars to navigate through the massive crowd of race fans. If you check out my photos for the weekend, you will even see one fan going for an autograph while Kevin Harvick is already seated in his Mustang.

    I did hear a fellow photographer mumble to me during the mayhem that was the pre-race ceremonies “They have lost all control out here”. I could do nothing but shake my head in disbelief and carry on my duties.

    Other tracks that I have covered have been locked up tighter than Fort Knox when it became time for the pre-race ceremonies, and your first-born was required to gain admittance to the area around the pre-race stage. This was by far not the case on Saturday Night. Word of advice #2 to Kentucky Speedway – get control over the pre-race ceremonies, there’s no reason to have that many people out there.

    The Race

    Well, there’s not much to say about the cup race…it was boring. Kyle Busch dominated the entire night, and with only a one or two lap window after a caution for passing, there was little chance the #18 would surrender the lead. At one point, I believe I heard that Kyle had the lead by almost eight seconds over the second place car.

    As for the trucks and Nationwide series races, they were a little more exciting. Watching Kyle Busch come from dead last in BOTH races, was truly a sight. He diced up both fields like they were tied to a fence-post. Even though he did not win the Nationwide race, it was still a sight to see him come from the back, at a track that did not foster much passing throughout the course of the weekend.

    That’s that for the race…nothing exciting to say the least.

    The Traffic

    By now everyone has heard the stories about the traffic at the track. My story with the traffic is: it was all gone by Sunday morning.

    By camping at the track, I avoided the mayhem on I-71 and it was smooth sailing all the way back to Buffalo on Sunday. I do have a heart and feel bad for all the folks that did not make it into the speedway on Saturday Night. In these times, it’s tough to have hundreds of dollars shelled out in tickets to a race that you can’t even make in time.

    It needs to be addressed, there were hardly enough signs directing folks where to park, parking attendants were less than helpful at best, and there was no order to the traffic in and around the track. Bruton Smith knows how to put on events, I think he just fell short on the details, traffic being one of them.

    The Aftermath

    I find it hard to call this past weekend a success after reading the countless stories of folks trapped on the interstate, walking in the sweltering heat, and hearing stories of never going back.

    I do commend SMI for their efforts in trying to make what was done, a little more acceptable to the fans. Offering tickets at any other SMI race this season is the least they can do for the fans that were trapped with nowhere to go Saturday Night.

    I am skeptical in the sense that all those in attendance Saturday Night at Kentucky Speedway will return to the track next season (if Kentucky is on the Sprint Cup schedule next season). I would like to think that changes will be made to how to handle the crowds, getting them in and out, and how to handle them inside the fences of Kentucky Speedway. I had fun, and was extremely pleased that I was in attendance for the inaugural Sprint Cup race at Kentucky Speedway…

    Stay tuned tomorrow for Matty’s Picks where I brag about picking the Inaugural Quaker State 400 race winner!

  • NASCAR Top-10 Power Rankings: Kentucky

    NASCAR Top-10 Power Rankings: Kentucky

    Note: The quotes in this article are fictional.

    1. Kyle Busch: Busch led 125 of 267 laps, winning the Quaker State 400 to take the first Sprint Cup race ever at Kentucky Speedway. Busch’s third win of the year vaulted him past Carl Edwards and Kevin Harvick to the top of the point standings, where he leads Edwards by four.

    “If you told Edwards and Harvick that I ‘jumped’ them both in one night,” Busch said, “then they would have told you they had their backs turned, or were asleep. And speaking of ‘asleep,’ how about Saturday’s race? Some fans claimed they were ‘put to sleep;’ others said they’d like to be.

    “That’s 99 wins for me in NASCAR’s three top series. One more, and I become the sole member of an exclusive club, that being ‘drivers with 100 wins and nothing to show for it.”

    2. Carl Edwards: Edwards finished fifth at Kentucky, scoring his series-best 13th top-10 result of the season. He remained in second place in the Sprint Cup point standings, and now trails Kyle Busch for four.

    “If you liked racing,” Edwards said, “then you found precious little to like at Kentucky. If Elvis Presley were alive today, I’m sure you’d hear him croon the words to ‘Kentucky Plain.’ However, it was good to see the stands full at Kentucky Motor Speedway. The fans came out in bunches, although most of them didn’t even get to park. By the looks of traffic on Interstate 71, you could say they came out in droves.

    “As for the point standings, there’s no shame in second. Kyle Busch is on top now, so for me and the other drivers who trail, we’ll just have to be content in doing what we did at Kentucky, and that’s play follow the leader.”

    3. Kevin Harvick: Harvick began the night at Kentucky atop the Sprint Cup point standings, but fell to third after finishing 16th in the Quaker State 400. Handling issues plagued the No. 29 Budweiser team for much of the race, but Harvick rebounding to salvage a respectable result.

    “We’re not thrilled with our finish,” Harvick said, “nor with falling out of the points lead. We couldn’t get out of here fast enough. But who wasn’t saying that after Saturday’s race?”

    4. Jimmie Johnson: Johnson lost the battle for first with Kyle Busch in the closing laps at Kentucky, and gave up second to David Reutimann’s Toyota on the final lap. Johnson’s third was his sixth top-5 result of the year, and he remains fifth in the point standings, 19 out of first.

    “I couldn’t do something that Red Bull could,” Johnson said. “And that’s hold off two Toyotas. I hear there was not a one pass for the lead in the entire race. That’s something NASCAR fans should be used to, because there hasn’t been a pass for the lead in the last five years.”

    5. Kurt Busch: Busch led 41 laps at Kentucky, dueling early with younger brother Kyle, and finished ninth, picking up his tenth top-10 result of the year. He remained fourth in the Sprint Cup point standings, 18 out of first.

    “As NASCAR’s resident foul-mouth,” Busch said, “I feel compelled to comment on the traffic fiasco at KMS. Organization in and around the track in Sparta was anything but ‘spartan.’ In fact, it made nearly everyone, especially those stuck in traffic, want to ‘Sparta-cuss.’

    “Qualifying was washed out by rain on Friday, so the starting order was set by practice times. In light of the traffic problems on Saturday, I found it amusing that there was “gridlock” on Friday and Saturday.”

    6. Matt Kenseth: Kenseth posted his tenth top-10 finish of the year, and seventh in the last nine races, with a sixth in the Quaker State 400. He is now sixth in the point standings, 22 behind Kyle Busch.

    “There wasn’t a single on-track pass for the lead all night,” Kenseth said. “It seems the ‘race’ off pit road was the only race of the night. I’m not sure who was louder with their ‘boring’ chants, the fans in the stands or those on Interstate 71.

    “I’ve got two wins and I’m sixth in the point standings, which puts me in great position. Once the Chase For The Cup starts, I plan to be right in the middle of things. Which means I’ll probably finish sixth or seventh.”

    7. Jeff Gordon: Gordon managed early handling issues and benefited from a timely late caution to come home tenth in the inaugural race at Kentucky Motor Speedway. It was Gordon’s fifth top-10 in the last six races, and he is up to seventh in the point standings, 71 out of first.

    “Will the Kentucky date remain on the NASCAR schedule for years to come?” Gordon asked. “Don’t ask me about a ‘return trip.’ Ask the 15-20,000 fans who never made it to the race about their ‘return trip.’

    “Anyway, that’s what happens when auto racing encroaches on territory thoroughly dominated by horse racing. Ironically, Kentucky Motor Speedway officials told thousands of fans get out of their cars and ‘hoof’ it.”

    8. Dale Earnhardt, Jr.: Earnhardt blew a tire with two laps remaining, and finished 30th, his fourth-straight finish of 19th or worse after a run of four consecutive results of seventh or better. He fell one spot to eighth in the point standings, and is now 76 out of first.

    “I’ve now gone 111 races without a win,” Earnhardt said. “Now you can now add ‘momentum’ to the list of things I’ve lost.”

    9. Denny Hamlin: Hamlin finished 11th at Kentucky in a race dominated by Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Kyle Busch. Hamlin improved one spot to tenth in the Sprint Cup point standings, and trails Busch by 95.

    “You may have heard,” Hamlin said, “that I almost missed driver introductions because of traffic at the track. I think the best course of action in the future for Kentucky is to move the race to Sunday and continue to urge people to leave early on Saturday to get there.

    “Those fans that missed the race due to traffic deserve a refund. And even those that witnessed the race could make a pretty strong case for the same.”

    10. Ryan Newman: Newman came home fourth at Kentucky, recovering from falling a lap down to post his fifth top-5 finish of the year. He improved one spot in the point standings to ninth, and is now 86 out of first.

    “The No. 39 Tornados Chevrolet gave me trouble early,” Newman said, “but we made the right adjustments, and we caught a few breaks. Then, I went from seventh to fourth in two laps. In short, I’m pleased. Overall, I think coming to Kentucky was a good idea. It’s leaving that was the problem.”

  • Matty’s Picks Vol. 9 – Kentucky – Quaker State 400 – July 9, 2011

    Matty’s Picks Vol. 9 – Kentucky – Quaker State 400 – July 9, 2011

    [media-credit name=”KentuckySpeedway.com” align=”alignright” width=”300″][/media-credit]This week, the NASCAR Sprint Cup series heads to the state known not for stock car racing, but for its horse racing. Yes, each year the Thunder Over Louisville is the opening ceremony for the most prestigious horse race in the world, the Kentucky Derby. Not only does the Kentucky Derby Festival hold the world’s largest fireworks display in the world, but Kentucky holds more gold in storage inside the vaults of Fort Knox, than any other place in the world. Over $6 billion dollars worth of gold calls Kentucky home in the underground storage vaults.

    Enough with the quirky facts about the state and onto the RACING!

    Just 11 years ago, Jerry Carroll’s dream came became a reality when he opened the front gates to Kentucky Speedway on June 16, 2000. It was two years and $153 million dollars that finally got the track opened for its first event, a Slim Jim All Pro Series race. The day following, Greg Biffle won the first NASCAR sanctioned race at Kentucky in the Camping World Truck Series. Since then, Kentucky Speedway has been a stop for the Camping World Truck Series, Nationwide Series, IZOD IndyCar Series, and the Firestone Indy Light Series.

    In 2008, the track was purchased from owner Jerry Carroll by Speedway Motorsports Inc with the intent to host a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series event during the 2009 racing season. Bruton Smith put an additional $50 million into the track, expanding the seating of the track from 66,000 to 107,000, reconfiguring pit road, and adding an additional 200 acres of camping around the complex. This proved to be enough to land an event at the speedway for the 2011 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. The race Saturday night has officially sold out and should prove to be one of the most memorable nights in the track’s brief history.

    Kentucky Speedway’s layout mocks the layouts of Kansas Speedway and Chicagoland Speedway. With 14 degrees of banking in the corners, 8-10 degrees in the Tri-Oval and 4 degrees on the backstretch, Kentucky will prove to be a bit of a challenge to newcomers.

    Daytona Recap

    Because my Kentucky intro being as long-winded as it is, although tough with the excitement of the last 20 laps at Daytona, I will keep my recap of last week fairly brief.

    My winner pick, Jeff Gordon, played the Hendrick game last Saturday night in an effort to steer clear of trouble. Gordon immediately hooked up with drafting partner, Mark Martin in the first few laps of the race, pushing Martin to the point. The tandem of Gordon and Martin would slip out of the top 20 just before lap number 20, and would ride in the middle of the pack until the 300-mile mark. Following their final green flag stops with 25 laps remaining, the duo would make their charge towards the front, moving to 7th and 8th with just 5 laps remaining. Gordon would make one of the best saves of his career, keeping the Pepsi Max Chevy clear of any barriers but would bring out the caution with just 4 to go. The first attempt at a GWC restart would go foul in Turn 2, putting Gordon in 17th on what would become the final restart. Gordon then hooked up with Toyota driver, Kyle Busch, and the tandem sliced through traffic and Busch pulled Gordon to a 6th place finish, netting me a top 10 for my winner pick.

    A.J. Allmendinger would also net me a top 10 for my Dark Horse pick this past weekend in his No. 43 U.S. Air Force Ford Fusion. Also taking the mid-pack route on Saturday night, Allmendinger hooked up with teammate Marcos Ambrose early, but the tandem would eventually split late in the race after the No. 43 ran out of gas on lap 134. Allmendinger coasted onto pit road and would eventually go one lap down to the leaders. It wasn’t until the caution brought out by my winner pick that Allmendinger would gain the Lucky-Dog and jump back onto the lead lap. Starting at the rear of the field following the final two cautions would prove to be beneficial in the end for the Richard Petty Motorsports Driver. Allmendinger would avoid both cautions in overtime to drive to a 10th place finish, netting me another top ten for my Dark Horse pick.

    Kentucky Picks

    Onto my picks for this week.

    I’m not going to bore you all to death with statistics this week only because THERE AREN’T ANY! I’m also not going to base my predictions on past finishes at Kansas or Chicagoland because the two tracks are rather similar to Kentucky Speedway, but that fact means nothing when it comes to an inaugural race. Each of the 43 drivers starting the race Saturday Night will be foaming at the drop of the green flag in an effort to become the first NASCAR Sprint Cup Series winner at Kentucky Speedway.

    I’m not sure how legal this is in the eyes of the Matty’s Pick’s rules committee, but I’m picking a guy this week that fans may not always have as a contender to win week in and week out. He has won the past three NASCAR Nationwide Series races at Kentucky, and will use his experiences in the Nationwide cars to give him a bit of an edge on Saturday night. Joey Logano scored his first NASCAR win at Kentucky in 2008, but has not seen victory lane in the Sprint Cup series since his win at Loudon in June 2009. This is my basis for qualifying him as a Dark Horse this weekend, and my guess is he will prove me wrong as a Dark Horse by running in the top 10 on Saturday.

    For my winner pick, I am also picking a driver with some experience at Kentucky Speedway. He won a race in the Nationwide Series at Kentucky in June of 2004. Rowdy Busch is my Winner pick for this week and I am basing this prediction off of desire. I think Kyle Busch has a spot on his mantle open for a trophy with the words “Inaugural Race Winner” inscribed on it, and Joe Gibbs Racing will give him the car he needs to go get it. Look for the No. 18 in Gatorade Victory Lane not only Saturday Night, but Friday in the Nationwide Series, and Thursday in the Camping World Truck Series as well.

    This ends a very long-winded Matty’s picks this week, (including the two hidden Bonus Picks!) I am extremely excited to be joining the other 125,000 folks at Kentucky Speedway this weekend to watch history be made. I will make the journey from Buffalo, NY to be on hand for this epic event, and look forward to sharing some good food, good times, and great RACIN’ in the Bluegrass State!!!

    Until next time…..you stay classy NASCAR NATION!!

    [media-credit id=22 align=”alignright” width=”283″][/media-credit]

  • NASCAR Top-10 Power Rankings: Daytona

    NASCAR Top-10 Power Rankings: Daytona

    Note: The quotes in this article are fictional.

    1. Kevin Harvick: Harvick led 16 laps and finished seventh in the Coke Zero 400, posting his tenth top-10 result of the year. He overtook Carl Edwards, who struggled in finishing 37th, atop the Sprint Cup point standings, and now leads Edwards by five.

    “The car says ‘King Of Beers,’” Harvick said. “But the point standings say ‘King Of Peers.’ If this is what a handshake with Kyle Busch gets me, I can only begin to imagine the possibilities, but I’ll try not to for the sake of my manhood. But, the points lead in July is much like an insincere handshake—meaningless.”

    2. Carl Edwards: Edwards No. 99 Ford, paired up with teammate Greg Biffle, got loose in the draft on lap 23, and Edwards spun into the inside retaining wall. The damage to the car’s rear required lengthy repairs, and Edwards finished 37th, 26 laps down. He dropped from first to second in the point standings, and is now five behind Kevin Harvick.

    “The damage to the No. 99 Subway caused exhaust fumes to enter the car,” Edwards said. “That was simply more than I could handle. No, not the temperature, but the jokes about whether or not I wanted it ‘toasted.’

    “But my trouble with the ‘back end’ allowed Kevin Harvick to ‘back in’ to the points lead. That’s fine with me. Now, without the pressure of the points lead, I can concentrate on contract talks. I may have been ‘un-seated;’ now, I can proceed in earnest with getting ‘re-seated.’”

    3. Kyle Busch: Busch fell back from the front after contact from Jeff Gordon damaged the No. 18 JGR Toyota with three laps to go at Daytona. Busch restarted 18th after pitting for repairs, and he picked his way through late-race carnage to deliver a fifth-place finish. Busch improved two spots in the point standings to third, and trails Kevin Harvick by 10.

    “Surprisingly,” Busch said, “I drafted well with Joey Logano. Our cars ran extremely well nose to tail. What do you get when you pair the No. 20 Home Depot Toyota and the No. 18 Interstate Battery car together? ‘Domestic Battery.’

    “And speaking of other ‘unlikely pairs,’ how about the right hands of Kevin Harvick and I? Other unlikely pairs? My brother Kurt and a happy wife. Red Bull crew members and political correctness. Dale Earnhardt, Jr. and victory. Richard Childress and a 2011 without probation.”

    4. Jimmie Johnson: As he had in April’s win at Talladega, Johnson hooked up with Dale Earnhardt, Jr. in the draft at Daytona, and the duo look poised to challenge up front as the laps wound down in the Coke Zero 400. But after Johnson pitted during a caution with two laps to go, and Earnhardt didn’t, the tandem was separated. Instead, Johnson hooked up with Jeff Gordon’s No. 24, but the No. 48 was collected in a last lap crash that dropped him to a finish of 20th.

    “I hear that Earnhardt fans are livid at me for leaving Dale hanging,” Johnson said. “It seems that Junior Nation was unhappy with the state of the ‘union,’ and they let me hear about it. But I fired back on my Twitter account, where I essentially gave Junior Nation the finger. Call it the ‘Tweet-y bird.’

    “But let’s be serious. How is Jimmie Johnson pushing Junior advantageous to me? I’m pushing Junior. That means I’m behind him. That in itself means I have no chance of winning.”

    5. Kurt Busch: Busch’s No. 22 Shell/Pennzoil Dodge suffered damage on a lap 163 restart, and after repairs, he was 26th in the second green-white-checkered restart on lap 168. On the final turn, a wild crash ensued as the field roared to the checkered. Busch, with the help of his spotter, avoided damage this time, and came home 14th. He remained fourth in the point standings, and is 16 out of first.

    “At Daytona,” Busch said, “as in relationships, it’s all about finding the right partner. And, in both cases, it’s easy to get out of line, which is what happens when you lose a draft partner, for example, or kiss another woman in Victory Lane. Often, it all boils down to timing. Squeezing through a multi-car crash: good timing. Announcing your marriage is ending after publicly kissing another woman: bad timing.”

    6. Matt Kenseth: Kenseth pushed Roush Fenway Racing teammate David Ragan to the win at Daytona, and Kenseth claimed the runner-up spot, his ninth top-5 finish of the year. Ragan and Kenseth were a formidable tandem all night, combining to lead 29 laps. Kenseth moved up one spot to fifth in the point standings, and is 22 out of first.

    “With apologies to NASCAR’s drug policy,” Kenseth said, “and even more apologies to the great Curtis Mayfield, I’m proud to say to David Ragan, ‘I’m your pusher, man.’ Ragan was driving the UPS car, but I delivered the package.

    “There was a lot of talk at Daytona about drivers leaving their draft partners, but with Crown Royal’s sponsorship leaving the No. 17 car, it appears I’m the one that really was hung out to ‘dry.’”

    7. Dale Earnhardt, Jr.: Earnhardt lost drafting partner Jimmie Johnson when Johnson pitted during a caution with three laps to go in regulation at Daytona. On the restart, Earnhardt resumed without Johnson’s push, and, after getting collected in a final-turn crash, Earnhardt finished 19th. He remained seventh in the Sprint Cup point standings, and now trails Kevin Harvick by 52.

    “I was enjoying the push from the No. 48,” Earnhardt said. “Then, with little warning, he was gone, causing a great deal of confusion and leaving my race in disarray. It was a case of ‘helper skelter.’

    “As you know, I’m not a big fan of the type of racing prevalent at Daytona now. It’s a lot like a restrictor plate—it sucks.”

    8. Jeff Gordon: Gordon survived a spin with three laps to go at Daytona, miraculously keeping his car off the wall, then hooked up in the draft with Kyle Busch for a charge that netted Gordon a sixth. It was Gordon’s seventh top-10 finish of the year, and he advanced one place to eighth in the point standings.

    “The two Red Bull cars checked up,” Gordon said, “leaving me, much like Red Bull drivers themselves, nowhere to go.”

    9. Denny Hamlin: Hamlin spent most of Saturday’s Coke Zero 400 paired up with Ryan Newman’s No. 39, and the duo was in the mix near the end. But Newman got loose on the final lap, upsetting their two-car draft, and Hamlin fell back before being collected in a multi-car wreck. He finished 13th, and is now 11th in the point standings, 91 out of first.

    “Congratulations to David Ragan for a job well done,” Hamlin said. “That was an unexpected win for the No. 6 car. As the driver of the Fed Ex car, I’m contractually obligated not to mention Ragan’s primary sponsor. So I’ll just say his victory was a huge ‘UPS-et.’”

    10. Tony Stewart: Stewart rebounded from a late-race accident to finish 11th at Daytona, leading one lap for a valuable bonus point. He remained 12th in the Sprint Cup point standings, and is now 92 out of first.

    “I’ve vowed to police NASCAR tracks and take care of anyone who gets out of line,” Stewart said. “In other words, I plan to be judge, jury, and executioner, but not necessarily in that order.”

  • Fireworks on the track and in the sky

    Fireworks on the track and in the sky

    Daytona’s Coke Zero 400 showed promise. Time and experience had improved the Nationwide race immensely so the Cup series should be just as good. Realistic expectation perhaps, but it didn’t come to pass.

    [media-credit id=22 align=”alignright” width=”219″][/media-credit]All week drivers had been asked about the two car tango. There were many opinions and explanations on how it worked. Some liked it. Some didn’t. One of the biggest detractors of the tandem drafting was Dale Earnhardt Jr. “I’d rather have control of my own destiny and be able to go out there and race and just do my own work and worry about my own self. It’s really weird and kinda wrong on some levels to race that way and to think like you think. You take care of somebody and you feel this obligation to take care of them and then worry about having them take care of you and how that makes them feel. Been growing up all these years racin’ for number one-lookin’ out for number one. Doing my job. This is what I need to do. I need to do this to get up through the pack. This is how my car drives and now you are doing it so different. Your thought process and everything you think about during the race is nothing near that. It is just different and weird. It won’t be like that forever I assume and hopefully I am alive and still racin’ when it goes back to the way it was because I just really enjoy lookin’ out for number one, man. If you had a car that drive up through there and you were smart about drafting and knew what you were doing, you could make some cool things happen and that was pretty fun.”

    Elliott Sadler says he likes the two car draft and offered this explanation, “I like the 2 car drafting that we do now and I’ll you the reason behind it. Drafting – restrictor plates – are a tough part of our sport. We hear drivers talk about it all the time. Old drafting where you have 40 cars in one bunch in one pile a lot of the finishes you got are out of your control. A lot of the wrecks you get in, everything really is determined by everyone else around you. We have a lot of those same factors in the 2 car draft. Where things can happen around you and catch in a wreck not of your doing. But with the 2 car tandem if you know what you’re doing as a drafting partner and you make the right decisions as a 2 car tandem you can work your way to the front and actually the pack will split up a little more so actually the big wreck has a little bit less chance of happening and as a driver that’s a good thing. But I do think it’s harder to draft this way.”

    Both drivers were involved in huge last lap crashes of their respective races. The Sprint Cup race ended with two crashes on the white flag lap. The crashes took out 15 cars in the first and 18 cars in the final wreck just yards before the start finish line. This is significant when you remember that the starting field is 43 cars. Many of the cars that did finish were damaged from earlier wrecks in the event.

    At some point words from the drivers and NASCAR start coming back to you. Words like cost containment measures, no down force, racing for track position, driver safety is a priority. At that point you begin making observations.

    Let’s start with cost containment. NASCAR implemented the COT and eliminated testing as cost containment measure for teams. They did so in 2008. Let’s take a good look at this race and ask about the cost containment. 30 cars were involved in the last lap melee. Several more were damaged in the wrecks that happened before the white flag. Let’s break it down to teams. HMS lost 3 cars and damaged the fourth significantly. Joe Gibbs had damage to 2 out of the 3. RCR lost 2 out of 4 with damage to a 3rd. Roush Fenway, had significant damage to 2 out of the 4 but did win the race with a pristine car. Richard Petty Motorsports lost 1 and damaged a second. Red Bull lost 1 and damaged the other. Penske Racing seriously damaged both cars. Those are just the major teams. How cost effective is the decision to not make changes to the car? But even drivers do not believe there will be changes made. “I don’t think they’re going to address that to be honest with you. I think its goes against what they’re trying to do and we’re not turning each other around, the interface works really well and so well we can push.” Stated five time series champion Jimmie Johnson. But at what cost? How long will it be before a driver is seriously hurt?

    NASCAR has stated since 2001, that driver safety is paramount and utmost on their list of priorities. Yet we still have not learned that three lap runs for the checkered flag on super speedways is always disastrous. In was disastrous in 1992 when Rusty Wallace took a wild ride through the tri-oval grass at Talladega. It was disastrous in 2001 when Dale Earnhardt lost his life in a turn 4 crash at Daytona. And it was disastrous in 2011 when 30 cars wrecked on the last lap of the Coke Zero 400. We lost a hero. We hurt another. We destroyed millions of dollars worth of equipment. What does it take for NASCAR to see that Green White Checker finishes don’t belong on restrictor plate tracks?

    The COT’s safety systems have been tested and proven for sure. But they are not fail safe. The cage that surrounds the driver in the new car is stiffer and unyielding. This transfers more impact to the driver. “The driver compartment is stiffer and stronger than it has ever been before it’s going to absorb the impact far less even though we have some impact material and foam around the driver side,” stated Jeff Gordon. He did go on to add that he would not trade the safety measures for what they had before.

    Injuries are not always obvious. In the case of Carl Edwards he lost a crush panel in front of the right rear wheel on his Subway Ford Fusion in an early race crash. After only a few laps on the track Edwards returned to the pits after becoming ill in the car from Carbon Monoxide poisoning. Edwards, who does not run a Koolbox system which would have provided him with a Carbon monoxide filter, did finish the race but was treated with Oxygen post race.

    This race showed the instability in the cars. Numerous times we saw cars in tandem pairs be passed by another tandem and the pair be pulled apart as the side force of the cars was disrupted. The aero dynamic wave, if you will, caused the two cars to become unstable on the track with several cases of spins and wall contact resulting.

    There is no doubt that this race was costly to teams. Thankfully there were no injuries. At least not physically but the financial injuries will take some of the smaller teams a great deal of time to recoup.

    The cup race did not live up to its sister series race. It was a long fairly uninterrupted affair that saw teams dropping back and waiting to the very end to make a run for the front. Those were runs that simply didn’t happen. Some because the tandem was broken up by needed pit stops after the late caution that took pole sitter Mark Martin out of the race. Some because they had simply fallen too far back to make the run and then were caught in the final melees typical of Restrictor Plate racing. Sadly, there seems to be no hope of returning to the old school racing at Daytona or Talladega. But hopefully we will carry with us as a sport the lessons learned from this years Coke Zero Demolition Derby.

    ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ * * * * ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

    Congratulations to TNT on a great broadcast with readable graphics and limited interruptions for commercials. This was definitely the best broadcast of the year.

    Kudos to Wally Dallenbach and Kyle Petty for having the courage to get in to cars and demonstrate and describe what we were about to see even though they themselves had never done it before.

    Congratulations to Joey Logano on his win in the Subway Jalapeno 250, and also to Kyle Busch for pushing him to that victory.

    Congratulations to Danica Patrick for finally displaying the skills that all of her fans believed her to have in a stock car.

    Congratulations to David Ragan on his victory in the Coke Zero 400 and also to Matt Kenseth for pushing him to that victory.

    That said, to all the competitors in all the series thanks for giving us everything you have to give, you are our heroes. Most importantly, thanks to all the families who shared their loved ones with us so we could cheer our favorite driver and favorite teams. You are the true heroes of the sport and we are forever in your debt.

  • Matty’s Picks Vol. 8 – Daytona – COKE ZERO 400 Powered By Coca-Cola – July 2, 2011

    Matty’s Picks Vol. 8 – Daytona – COKE ZERO 400 Powered By Coca-Cola – July 2, 2011

    It’s time to head back to “The World’s Most Famous Beach”!! We head back to the birthplace of stock car racing this weekend – where the top speed 100 years ago in 1902 was a blistering 57 MPH – just a hair over this weekend’s Pit Road speed.

    [media-credit name=”Daytonainternationalspeedway.com” align=”alignright” width=”225″][/media-credit]Daytona Beach has been the site of a few milestones in the respect of land speed records. British fighter pilot Henry Segrave drove the first car to break the 200 MPH milestone in 1927. On March 29, Segrave piloted his Sunbeam 1000 HP down the beaches of Daytona, setting the new land speed record of 203.79 MPH, the first time a car had traveled over the 200 MPH mark. Nowadays, 200MPH is the standard at the 2.5 mile high-banks of the Daytona International Speedway.

    Sonoma Recap

    Before I get into how excited I am for the next 8 days, I’ll start, as always, with a very brief recap of my picks last week.

    For my Dark Horse, I picked Clint Bowyer last week at Infineon. Now, after watching the race Sunday, I’m not sure that Bowyer will be eligible for a Dark Horse pick in August when the Cup Series visits Watkins Glen International. I think that with his performance not only in the race on Sunday, but with his qualifying efforts on Friday, Bowyer is a force to be watched on road courses. He might be the most underrated road course driver in the Sprint Cup Series. Bowyer ran 87 percent of the 110 at Infineon in the Top 15, leading a lap in the meantime. With a gamble to stay out and not come to Pit Road mid-race, Bowyer would start 19th on the last restart with as many laps left in the race. Bowyer would gain 15 positions in the last 19 laps to finish fourth, netting me double points for a Top 5 Dark Horse Pick.

    I thought my winner pick was a shoe-in. I did squeak out a Top 5 with my winner pick who fought a car lacking in forward bite the whole day. Ambrose moved from his eighth starting spot all the way to third place by lap 15. Ambrose dropped out of the Top 10 only once around lap 50, but quickly moved back into the top 10 before his final pit stop during the fifth and final caution of the day. He would restart out of the Top 10 with 19 laps left and would also use fresh tires to his advantage to drive towards the front in the final laps. Ambrose netted me points for his Top 5 Winner Pick at Infineon.

    Daytona Picks

    For my Dark Horse pick this week, I’m going with a Ford Racing Driver that started 15th in the Daytona 500. He was second quick in practice yesterday while running with his Richard Petty Motorsports teammate in the two-car push. A.J. Allmendinger is currently 15th in Sprint Cup Points and has a certain swagger about him this season. He ran 28 laps in practice and also had the second quick 10 Consecutive Lap Average Thursday in the only practice session of the day. Allmendinger does have a third place finish at Daytona and he is my Dark Horse for the COKE ZERO 400 this weekend.

    My winner pick this week is a guy that has 6 wins at Daytona in his career. He finished third last season at July’s race at Daytona, and boasts twenty wins on Superspeedways in his storied NASCAR Career. Jeff Gordon was 5th quickest in practice yesterday in his PepsiMAX Chevy boasting a speed of 198.085. He ran 15 laps with his teammate Mark Martin yesterday in practice. Jeff Gordon is a seasoned veteran of the high banks and high speeds of Daytona and will keep his car clean on his way to a strong finish Saturday night.

    I would like to wish everyone a very happy and safe 4th of July this weekend. I would also like to take a brief moment and thank all the service men and women serving in the United States Armed Forces that make NASCAR racing possible for all the fans around the world. Stay safe out there, and I’ll be thinking of you watching the fireworks unfold at Daytona Saturday Night!

    Until next week’s overenthusiastic volume of Matty’s Picks… You stay classy NASCAR NATION.