NASCAR Fantasy Racing Preview: Autism Speaks 400 at Dover

May 27, 2009

Greetings On Pit Row readers,

I’m glad to be bringing a new fantasy NASCAR preview to On Pit Row. I began the season at the defunct Onebadwheel and glad to have found another ride. I’m currently last in the Expert Picks but don’t hold that against me.

The Monster Mile is a unique one-mile, concrete track with high banking. Should be a good one… assuming there is no rain. Let’s get to the ranks.

A List

Greg Biffle… Top-eight finishes in seven of eight Dover races. Only driver with two victories in last five years (10 starts).
Jeff Gordon... Most recent pole winner. Eleventh or better in 13 of 17 Dover races, four DNFs.
Jimmie Johnson… Fifteenth or better in 12 of 14 Dover races, two DNFs.
Carl Edwards… Streak of five top-three Dover finishes, led laps in all five.
Mark Martin… Forty-five career Dover starts, top-fives in nearly half (21).
Kyle Busch… Five top-fives in only eight career Dover starts.
Matt Kenseth... Laps led in five of six Dover races.
Jeff Burton… Top-14s in 13 of 14 Dover races, one DNF.
Clint Bowyer… Three eighth-place finishes in six career Dover starts.

B List

Tony Stewart… Two wins, all top-11s in first 12 career Dover starts. Zero wins, only one top-10 since.
Kurt Busch… Career average starting position of 10.5 at Dover but only four top-10s in 17 starts.
Ryan Newman… Three poles over the last 10 Dover races, but only one top-12 in the last six.
Martin Truex Jr…. Three top-sixes, one win in six career Dover starts.
David Reutimann… Three career Dover starts: 18th, 27th, 17th.
Jamie McMurray… Three top-10s in the last six Dover races.
Juan Pablo Montoya… Four career starts, two top-12s.
Brian Vickers… Top-20s in three of the last four Dover races.
Denny Hamlin… Top-11s in first three career Dover starts, 38th or worse in three starts since.
Dale Earnhardt Jr…. Only one top-20 over the last eight Dover races.
Joey Logano… Two Nationwide starts at Dover: sixth, 14th
Casey Mears… Twenty-fourth or better in nine straight Dover races, 17th or better in five of the last seven
Michael Waltrip… Two top-15s over the last three Dover races.
David Gilliland… Five career Dover starts, 16th and 19th last season.
Paul Menard… Three career Dover starts: 21st, 22nd, 21st.

C List

Bobby Labonte… From ’95-’00, 10 top-fives in 12 Dover races. Over the last six races, four top-20s.
AJ Allmendinger… Sixteenth place finish in the September race last year, 33rd or worse in the three prior Dover starts.
Marcos Ambrose… One Cup start at Dover: 32nd. Four Nationwide starts: average finish 18.0
Sam Hornish Jr…. Two career starts: 18th, 42nd (DNF)
Brad Keselowski… Four Nationwide starts at Dover: one top-five, three top-10s. Career average finish: 10.2
Robby Gordon… Streak of four top-22 finishes, one top-10 at Dover.
Dave Blaney… Streak of three top-12s at Dover.

Do not start

Kevin Harvick… Nineteenth or worse in seven of nine Dover races.
David Ragan… Five career starts, 18th or better on three occasions.
Kasey Kahne… Ten career starts, only one top-10. Seven finishes of 21st or worse.
Elliott Sadler… Twenty career starts, just three top-10s despite some good qualifying runs.
David Stremme… Four career starts, one top-20.
Scott Speed… No starts at Dover. Max Papis… No starts at Dover.
Reed Sorenson… Two top-20s as a rookie, 26th or worse in the four races since.
Regan Smith… Finished 21st and 37th last season.
Mike Bliss… Four career starts, 31.5 average finish
John Andretti… One career top-10 in 21 starts.
Joe Nemechek… Finished in the 20s in three of the last five Dover races.
Scott Riggs… Fifth-place finish in his first career start, two top-20s in the next nine.
Tony Raines… No top-20s in 14 career Dover races.
J.J. Yeley… Seven career starts, career-best 24th place finish last year.
Todd Bodine… No starts since 2003 but finished 12th and 17th.
David Starr… Six starts at Dover in the truck series: one pole, one top-five, 4 top-10s. Average finish of 10.2
Derrike Cope… No starts since 2006, finished 37th and 43rd.

Written by Eric McClung · Filed Under Dover International Speedway, Fantasy NASCAR, Fantasy Racing, Fantasy racing leagues, NASCAR | 4 Comments

NASCAR Power Rankings: Dover

May 27, 2009

Charlotte

Who's Up

Who's Down

Biggest Gain This Week:

Kyle Busch: 4th to 2nd

Biggest Drop This Week:

Jeff Burton: 8th to 11th

New This Week:

David Reutimann

Dropped Out This Week:

Rank: 1st

Jeff Gordon #24
Last Week: 1
Change: 0
Driver Page | Articles

Jeff Gordon- Had an up and down day at Lowes

The 24 started at the front of the pack but they fell back very quickly at Lowes because of their ill handling racecar. Pit strategy is what saved their day. Expect a rebound for Gordon at Dover where he has a COT average finish of 8th.

Rank: 2nd

Kyle Busch #18
Last Week: 4
Change: +2
Driver Page | Articles

Kyle Busch- All bad luck since 200 win talk began

Ever since Kyle started talking about 200 career NASCAR wins look at what's happened to him at Darlington and Lowes in both the Nationwide Series and the Sprint Cup Series. The runs have been good but not the deserved results.

Rank: 3rd

Mark Martin #5
Last Week: 2
Change: -1
Driver Page | Articles

Mark Martin- Pit penalty in short race = problem

The series veteran had an early pit road mistake but the shortened race just didn't allow enough time for him to overcome the problem. If the race went the scheduled distance I think he would have.

Rank: 4th

Tony Stewart #14
Last Week: 3
Change: -1
Driver Page | Articles

Tony Stewart- Looking forward to Dover

Tony was a 10th place car at best at Lowes and he never really challenged for anything. If the 14 truly wants to contend for the championship they need to be much better in the fall race.

Rank: 5th

Jimmie Johnson #48
Last Week: 5
Change: 0
Driver Page | Articles

Jimmie Johnson- Not the quite Power of Pride Car

If Lowes was still bumpy (blame Humpy) then it would still be Jimmie Johnson's house. Dover is also a good track for Johnson where he started his career there 2-0 in his rookie year.

Rank: 6th

Ryan Newman #39
Last Week: 6
Change: 0
Driver Page | Articles

Ryan Newman- Is he really back?????

Did you know Newman has scored the most points over the last 6 races? So is he back? I say let's wait until he has some strong runs on the typical Intermediates first (not Darlington or Dover).

Rank: 7th

Kurt Busch #22
Last Week: 7
Change: 0
Driver Page | Articles

Kurt Busch- Only front runner with problems

Kurt had a tough day at Lowes and finished 34th. Last fall at Dover he also finished 34th. Dover hasn't been friendly to the elder Busch because in COT races his best finish is 20th and his average finish is 31.25!!!!

Rank: 8th

Greg Biffle #16
Last Week: 9
Change: +1
Driver Page | Articles

Greg Biffle- Most recent Dover winner

Biffle wants to leave Lowes behind in his rearview mirror because Dover is perhaps his best track. The last race he finished outside the top 10 at Dover was back in 2005. His average finish in COT races at Dover is 3rd.

Rank: 9th

Matt Kenseth #17
Last Week: 11
Change: +2
Driver Page | Articles

Matt Kenseth- Good Dover pick

Matt Kenseth now has his first consecutive back to back top ten finishes (10th both races) since his Daytona and California victories earlier this year. Did you know that Matt Kenseth made his Cup debut at Dover in 1998 and finished sixth.

Rank: 10th

Denny Hamlin #11
Last Week: 10
Change: 0
Driver Page | Articles

Denny Hamlin- Pocono is coming up

Hamlin has the 4th best average running position (10.3) in 2009, but he still needs to improve on the Intermediate tracks. He has the short tracks and flat tracks mastered.

Rank: 11th

Jeff Burton #31
Last Week: 8
Change: -3
Driver Page | Articles

Jeff Burton- Best RCR car

Burton may be the best RCR car right now but is that an honor? RCR appears to have fallen behind technologically to the competition because as a whole the RCR Intermediate track program is not on par with the competition.

Rank: 12th

David Reutimann #00
Last Week: NR
Change: N/A
Driver Page | Articles

David Reutimann- First win in the rain

David Reutimann won his first career race for MWR in the rain Monday at Lowes. My question now is why didn't anyone else ahead of him try the same strategy?

*** The Lowes Power Rankings is being skipped to keep all Onpitrow.com Fantasy Racing content in sync with one another.

Written by Ryan Rantz · Filed Under Dover International Speedway, Fantasy NASCAR, Fantasy Racing, Lowe's Motor Speedway, NASCAR, NASCAR Power Rankings, On Pit Row, Richard Childress Racing | 2 Comments

NASCAR Fantasy Experts Picks: Autism Speaks 400 from Dover

May 26, 2009

Expert	Website	Pick to Win	Finish	Experts Avg
James Jones	On Pit Row	Mark Martin	10	8.1
Ryan Rantz	On Pit Row	Jimmie Johnson	1	9.6
Mike Harmon	FOX Sports	Kyle Busch	23	10.1
Yahoo Users	Yahoo! Sports	Jimmie Johnson	1	10.5
Cheryl Lauer	Speed Couch	Greg Biffle	3	10.8
Eric Brewer		Tony Stewart	2	11
Darren Fauth	Fantasy NASCAR Names	Carl Edwards	7	11.1
Bob Ellis	NASCAR Ranting and Raving	Kyle Busch	23	11.3
Gerrit Ritt	FOX Sports	Ryan Newman	8	11.9
Charlie Turner	On Pit Row	Mark Martin	10	13.3
Dennis Michelsen	RaceTalkRadio.com	Mark Martin	10	13.4
Lou Lauer	USAR Fans	Carl Edwards	7	13.8
Roger Rotter	FOX Sports	Ryan Newman	8	16.8
Eric McGuire	FFToolbox	Greg Biffle	3	17.8
P J Walsh	FantasyNASCARPreview.com	Kyle Busch	23	18.3
Eric McClung	KFFL Fantasy NASCAR Blog	Greg Biffle	3	18.3
Jon Rodgers	Gillette Young Guns Challenge Winner	Denny Hamlin	36	18.4

Written by Charlie Turner · Filed Under Dover International Speedway, Fantasy NASCAR, Fantasy Racing, Fantasy racing leagues, NASCAR | 1 Comment

From Dancing with the Stars to Dancing with the Cars

May 23, 2009

Gold-Medal Gymnast and “Dancing with the Stars” Champion Joins Festivities to Celebrate Historic 50^th Running of NASCAR^®’s Longest Race

CHARLOTTE, N.C., May 21, 2009 – As a world champion gymnast, celebrity dancer and honor roll student, Shawn Johnson is used to living life in the fast lane, but things will get much faster this weekend when she is introduced to the world of NASCAR^â.

Johnson has been named an Honorary Race Official for one of NASCAR^®’s crown jewels, the Coca-Cola 600. Johnson will be on hand to help celebrate the historic 50^th running of NASCAR’s longest race at Lowe’s Motor Speedway on May 24
(5:00 p.m. EST on FOX).

The 17-year-old Johnson won four medals at the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games, then came home and won America’s heart as the youngest-ever winner of the popular ABC television show “Dancing with the Stars.” As an Honorary Race Official for the Coca-Cola 600, Johnson will take part in a number of activities, including interacting with fans, attending the driver’s meeting and greeting all of the drivers during pre-race introductions.

During weekend events, Johnson will get a true NASCAR^® experience when she climbs into an actual race car for a 160 mph ride-along with fan favorite and Coca-Cola Racing Family member Kyle Petty. She’ll also tour the garage at Lowe’s Motor Speedway where she’ll try her hand at typical pit crew jobs such as jacking a car, working an air wrench and changing tires.

Johnson has been featured on Olympic-themed packaging as one of the Coca-Cola “Six-Pack” of Olympic Athletes. She also serves as a Coca-Cola “Ambassador of Active Living” to help encourage and inspire people to lead active, balanced lives.

The Coca-Cola 600 is the longest continuous race sponsorship in NASCAR^â. Coca-Cola is the Official Sparkling Beverage of NASCAR^â and has been involved with stock car racing for more than 40 years. A signature part of Coca-Cola’s innovative NASCAR^â program is the Coca-Cola Racing Family – a group of top drivers that includes Greg Biffle, Clint Bowyer, Jeff Burton, Denny Hamlin, Kevin Harvick, Dale Jarrett, Bobby Labonte, Jamie McMurray, Kyle Petty, David Ragan, Elliott Sadler, Tony Stewart, Michael Waltrip, Aric Almirola and Joey Logano.

About The Coca-Cola Company

The Coca-Cola Company is the world’s largest beverage company, refreshing consumers with nearly 500 sparkling and still brands. Along with Coca-Cola, recognized as the world’s most valuable brand, the Company’s portfolio includes 12 other billion dollar brands, including Diet Coke, Fanta, Sprite, Coca-Cola Zero, vitaminwater, POWERADE, Minute Maid and Georgia Coffee. Globally, we are the No. 1 provider of sparkling beverages, juices and juice drinks and ready-to-drink teas and coffees. Through the world’s largest beverage distribution system, consumers in more than 200 countries enjoy the Company’s beverages at a rate of nearly 1.6 billion servings a day. With an enduring commitment to building sustainable communities, our Company is focused on initiatives that protect the environment, conserve resources and enhance the economic development of the communities where we operate. For more information about our Company, please visit our Web site at www.thecoca-colacompany.com.

Written by Charlie Turner · Filed Under Lowe's Motor Speedway, NASCAR, NASCAR Press Releases | Leave a Comment

NASCAR Fantasy Experts Picks: Coca Cola 600 at Lowes Motorspeedway

May 19, 2009

Expert	Website	Pick to Win	Finish	Experts Avg
James Jones	On Pit Row	Jimmie Johnson	13	7.9
Mike Harmon	FOX Sports	Tony Stewart	19	8.9
Bob Ellis	NASCAR Ranting and Raving	Tony Stewart	19	10.2
Ryan Rantz	On Pit Row	Mark Martin	17	10.4
Yahoo Users	Yahoo! Sports	Jimmie Johnson	13	11.4
Darren Fauth	Fantasy NASCAR Names	Jeff Gordon	14	11.5
Cheryl Lauer	Speed Couch	Jeff Gordon	14	11.5
Eric Brewer		Jimmie Johnson	13	11.8
Gerrit Ritt	FOX Sports	Jimmie Johnson	13	12.3
Charlie Turner	On Pit Row	Tony Stewart	19	13.6
Dennis Michelsen	RaceTalkRadio.com	Ryan Newman	2	13.7
Lou Lauer	USAR Fans	Jimmie Johnson	13	14.4
Jon Rodgers	Gillette Young Guns Challenge Winner	Brian Vickers	5	16.8
Roger Rotter	FOX Sports	Jeff Burton	25	17.5
P J Walsh	FantasyNASCARPreview.com	Jeff Gordon	14	17.8
Eric McGuire	FFToolbox	Tony Stewart	19	19.2
Eric McClung	KFFL Fantasy NASCAR Blog	Mark Martin	17	19.6

Written by Charlie Turner · Filed Under Fantasy NASCAR, Fantasy Racing, Fantasy racing leagues, Lowe's Motor Speedway, NASCAR | Leave a Comment

Have NASCAR Fans Let Toyota Off The Hook?

May 19, 2009

I am a car guy. I like the classics, the customs, and even the “retro” styled cars of today. I admire the power one can extract from a force induction fed 4 cylinder, and I’m enamored by the cranking up of a throaty V8– especially in stock car form! I’m even fortunate enough to have a job in the auto industry.

The thing is, I drive imports. I won’t go into the assorted reasons why, but lets say that I gave domestics of the ’80s & ’90s their chance. I’m now now nine import cars removed from my last domestic car and I’ve yet to have a bad experience.

Of NASCAR fans, I’m most likely in the minority when it comes to preferring a car from a foreign manufacturer. Read the comments on various NASCAR blogs and forums and one will see it’s clear that many fans despise Toyota’s entry into NASCAR competition (at any level). Of course most of the haters often ignore the fact that Toyota has built over 15 million cars in the US over the last 49 years. That is a lot of cars by a lot of American workers over a lot of years. Pffttt!!! That’s not good enough for the haters though.

The first year was rough on Toyota and it started at the very beginning with an embarrassing “mystery substance” in the engine of Michael Waltrip Racing’s Toyota engines. This was the team to lead the Toyota charge, and right off they bat they were in the hole with penalty points. The Toyota bashers had a field day.

A lot has changed for Toyota in NASCAR. Joe Gibbs Racing switched from Chevrolet and took over the reigns as the elite Toyota team. During 2008, Kyle Busch racked up wins for Toyota almost as often as GM issued recalls. With time, Kyle even managed to change the minds of many NASCAR fans from hating him (and his Toyota), to applauding his celebratory bows.

But have things really changed for Toyota? Have NASCAR fans now accepted Toyota?

As I mentioned earlier, I’m a car guy. One of the sites I frequent daily is Jalopnik.com, and just the other day they had this post: Toyota Hybrid Breaks Down, Towed Off Track Before NASCAR Event. The contributing member sent in the image and following comments:

“Check out this Toyota Highlander Hybrid parade vehicle used as part of the driver introductions for the All-Star race this past weekend at Lowe’s Speedway. When all the cars started up to drive away, this one wouldn’t start, so they had to tow it. Supposedly the crowd was going crazy laughing…”

Now obviously, that Toyota Highlander is “on the hook.” But what do you think? Have NASCAR fans let Toyota off the hook? Is all right in the world now that Tony is back with Chevrolet? If you were in the grandstands, what was the fan reaction really like?

Image Credit: Jalopnik.com & tipster “Hank”

Written by JamesJ · Filed Under Lowe's Motor Speedway | 34 Comments

NASCAR Power Rankings: Darlington

May 18, 2009