Monday, February 22, 2010

Johnson wins at Fontanta, Harvick close with 2nd but Leads in Points


by Terry Blount
espn.com

FONTANA, Calif. -- Kevin Harvick wasn't mad at Jimmie Johnson, who did his job and blocked Harvick from passing him in the final laps.


Harvick also wasn't mad that Johnson won again at Auto Club Speedway, claiming his 48th career victory in the No. 48 Chevy and his first of 2010.

But Harvick did want to make one thing perfectly clear.

"They're really good, but they're really, really lucky, too," Harvick said. "Jimmie is a good friend mine, but there's no denying how lucky they are. They have a golden horseshoe stuck up their a--."

Alrighty then. Point taken.

Whether you agree or not is debatable considering Johnson has the Sprint Cup field covered, winning the past four championships. However, Harvick was dead-on about this race.

read more here...

Saturday, February 20, 2010

Roberts Final Driver Ratings For California - Bow-ties Looking Good!

Micah Roberts Top 10 Final Driver Ratings

Las Vegas Review-Journal

Auto Club 500
California Auto Club speedway
February 21, 2010 - !2:01 pm (PT)

Rating/Driver/odds/Practice 1/Qualified/Practice 2/Practice 3

1. Mark Martin 8/1 1st 10th 2nd 1st
Using same car that won at sister track of Michigan in June

2. Jimmie Johnson 9/2 8th 7th 1st 3rd
4 wins at Cal, using same car that won at Indy and Cal last year

3. Clint Bowyer 25/1 5th 3rd 9th 2nd
Great avg speeds in practice, 12.5 avg finish at Cal

4. Kevin Harvick 25/1 7th 6th 11th 17th
Good Happy Hour run with long runs, using car that finished 3rd at Miami

5. Juan Pablo Montoya 15/1 3rd 2nd 6th 8th
New chassis, one best in practice all weekend

Read more on-line about the full listing of rankings.
For more insights on the Auto Club 500, log onto http://www.lvrj.com/hottopics/nascar_weekend/Hendrick-in-top-form-for-Fontana-84874137.html

California Auto Club 500 Driver Chassis Choice

by Jeff Wackerlin
MotorRacingNetwork.com

1. Jamie McMurray: 24.5 average finish in four starts with the COT; 22.1 average finish in last eight starts with Roush Fenway; Will make first track start with Earnhardt-Ganassi Racing since 2005; Posted an average finish of 7.2 in his five starts with Ganassi (2003-2005); Will debut a new car (chassis No. 31) in the Auto Club 500.


2. Dale Earnhardt Jr: 22.1 average finish is worst among all ovals on the schedule in which he's made more than 10 starts; 28.8 average finish (all with COT) in four starts with Hendrick Motorsports; Last of four top 10s came in the 2007 Labor Day race with Dale Earnhardt, Inc.; Does have one win at Michigan, the other 2-mile track on the circuit; Will debut a new car (chassis No. 578) in the Auto Club 500; Off to best points start since joining Hendrick Motorsports.

3. Greg Biffle: Winner of the 2005 spring race; Finished fourth in this event last year for fourth top 10 in 14 starts; 10.2 average finish in the four races with the COT; Has led 80 laps on 2-mile speedways with the COT; Will debut a new car (chassis No. 673) in the Auto Club 500.

4. Clint Bowyer: 14.2 average finish in four starts with the COT; Coming off fourth top 10 with a ninth-place finish last October; Has yet to finish outside the top 20 in eight starts; Will return in the same car (chassis No. 257) that finished sixth at Charlotte Motor Speedway in October and seventh at Texas Motor Speedway in November.

5. Kevin Harvick: A crash in 2009 hindered his 15.0 average finish in four starts with the COT; Has finished in the top 10 in three of his last four starts; Will race the same car (chassis No. 288) that last finished third at Homestead-Miami Speedway in 2009.

6. David Reutimann: 16.0 average finish in four starts with the COT; Only top 10 in six starts came in the 2008 Labor Day weekend race; Off to best points start with Michael Waltrip racing; Will become the first Toyota driver to make 100 starts.

7. Martin Truex Jr.: Will make track debut with Michael Waltrip Racing; Only top 10s (2) in eight starts came with Dale Earnhardt, Inc.; 18.5 average finish in four starts with the COT; Led four laps last fall in last track start in a Chevrolet.

8. Matt Kenseth: Best track on the circuit based on wins (3); Defending race winner; 6.0 average finish in four starts with the COT; Has the best average finish (9.2) among drivers with 15 or more starts; Third in laps led with 468.

9. Juan Pablo Montoya: 13.5 average finish in four starts with the COT; Coming off first top 10 in six starts with a third-place run; Led 78 laps last fall; Will debut a new car (chassis No. 906) in the Auto Club 500.

10. Carl Edwards: 5.0 average finish in four starts with the COT; Has finished seventh or better in 10 of his 11 starts; Won this event in 2008 after leading 64 laps; Will be driving the same car that posted finishes of sixth and seventh, respectively at Auto Club and Homestead in 2009.

11. Mark Martin: 1998 win was one of five top fives in 17 starts; Finished 40th in his track debut with Hendrick Motorsports after engine failure; Finished fourth last October to give him an average finish of 20.0 in three starts with the COT; Won with the COT at Michigan, the other 2-mile track on the circuit; Will return in the same car (chassis No. 523) that won at Michigan last June.

12. Jeff Burton: 22.8 average finish in four starts with the COT; Last top 10s with Richard Childress Racing came in 2007 when he finished fourth in both races; Has only four career laps led on 2-mile speedways with the COT; Hopes to turn around recent luck at ACS with a new chassis (No. 291).

13. Kyle Busch: 9.5 average finish in four starts with the COT; Those four starts are his only with Joe Gibbs Racing; Won the Labor Day weekend race with Hendrick Motorsports; Win was the start of eight consecutive top 10s; Will debut a new car (chassis No. 265) that has been tested in the wind tunnel.

14. Paul Menard: 28.7 average finish in six starts; Has yet to finish inside the top 20; Will debut a new car (chassis No. 683) in the Auto Club 500.

15. David Ragan: Best track on the schedule based on 13.2 average finish; 12.8 average finish in four starts with the COT; Coming off first top 10 with a seventh-place finish last fall; Will pilot the same car (chassis No. 617) that finished 33rd at Charlotte as the No. 26.

16. Brian Vickers: 15.5 average finish in four starts with the COT; Won the pole and finished 10th in this event last year; Has yet to lead a lap with the COT; Best finish (third) came with Hendrick Motorsports in 2005.

17. Denny Hamlin: 21.8 average finish in four starts with the COT; Won the pole last fall, but finished 37th after a crash; Only top five (third) came in the 2008 Labor Day weekend race; Finished sixth in this event last year to help his average finish of 16.9 in eight starts; Will pilot the same car (chassis No. 256) that last raced in Charlotte during the 2009 Chase when engine troubles relegated him to a 42nd-place finish.

18. Scott Speed: 31.0 average finish in two starts; Finished 21st last fall; Off to best points start in his young Sprint Cup career.

19. Michael Waltrip: Will not compete in this weekend's race.

20. Joey Logano: 20.0 average finish in two starts; Will debut a new car that served as a back-up last year (chassis No. 262) in the Auto Club 500.

21. Bobby Labonte: 23.0 average finish in four starts with COT (two different teams); Will make track debut in the No. 71 Chevrolet; All of his top 10s (5) came with Joe Gibbs racing (1997-2004).

22. Kurt Busch: 16.2 average finish in four starts with the COT; Has finished ninth or better in four of his eight starts with Penske Racing; Finished fifth and eighth, respectively, in 2009; Will debut a new car (chassis No. 704) that was used in a Goodyear Tire Test at Texas.

23. Tony Stewart: 10.5 average finish in four starts with the COT; Posted an average finish of 6.5 in the two races with Stewart-Haas; Best finish is a pair of fourth-place runs with Joe Gibbs Racing back in 1999 and 2001; Will pilot the same car (chassis No. 564) that finished sixth at Texas last fall.

24. Elliott Sadler: Won the 2004 Labor Day weekend race after leading 59 laps in a Yates Racing Ford; Will make first track start in a Ford since 2006; Last top 10 came in 2005; Will debut a new car (chassis No. 283) in the Auto Club 500.

25. Boris Said: Makes first track start since 2005; Has a 30.0 average finish in two starts.

26. Jeff Gordon: Three-time Auto Club winner; Last win came in 2004; Second in laps led with 597; Finished second in both races in 2009; Fifth-best driver rating at 100.3.

27. Robby Gordon: Has yet to finish inside the top 15 in 10 starts in the No. 7 car; Only top 10 (ninth) came with Richard Childress Racing in 2004; Has a 31.5 average finish in the four races with the COT.

28. Bill Elliott: Will not compete in this weekend's race.

29. Travis Kvapil: Makes track debut in the No. 34 Ford; Posted an average finish of 27.3 in previous three starts with Yates Racing; 18th-place finish in this event last year is best in six starts.

30. Kasey Kahne: Second-best track on the schedule based on 14.8 average finish; Will make track debut in a Ford; Won the 2006 Labor Day weekend race driving a Dodge; Participated in a Goodyear Tire Test in December.

35.Jimmie Johnson: Winner of the last three fall races; Ninth-place finish in this event last year was one of six consecutive top 10s; Will pilot the same car (chassis No. 553) that won at Indianapolis and Auto Club last year.

Friday, February 19, 2010

Jamie McMurray Fresh off Daytona win, takes Pole at California

McMurray wins pole at Auto Club: #1-Jamie McMurray won the Coors Pole for the Auto Club 500 Sprint Cup Series race at Auto Club Speedway with a speed of 183.744 mph for his 1st pole of 2010 and 4th of his career. His Earnhardt-Ganassi teammate, #42-Montoya will start 2nd followed by #33-Bowyer, #9-Kahne, #66-Blaney, #29-Harvick, #48-Johnson, #77-Hornish, #18-Busch, and #5-Martin The go-or-go homers who made the race (8): #66-Blaney, #82-Speed, #36-Bliss, #09-Almirola, #55-McDowell, #87-Nemechek, #71-Labonte, and #13-Papis


The go-or-go homers who failed to qualify for the race (3): #90-Mears, #35-Sauter, and #46-Cook

Read Jayski.com Qualifying Page for Full Lineup

Monday, February 15, 2010

California Auto Club 500 Preview: Hendrick vs Roush

by Micah Roberts
VegasInsider.com

What a thrilling Daytona 500 we witnessed last week with Jamie McMurray capturing the win as a 30 to 1 underdog. Despite over two hours of delays due to a hole in the track’s asphalt, the race featured all kinds of passing, multiple leaders, and lots of drama throughout. The change to widen the hole in the restrictor plates giving more throttle response made this one of the more exciting races in Daytona 500 history.


Hopefully for McMurray’s sake, he can build off this win like Jimmie Johnson did in 2006 rather than what the last three winners did. Johnson won the first of his four straight Championships the season he won at Daytona to kick off the year, while the last three have been curses.

In 2007, Kevin Harvick won in dramatic fashion denying Mark Martin his first ever Daytona win of any kind in a points race. Harvick made the Chase that season, but hasn’t won a race since.

In 2008 Ryan Newman won in dramatic fashion with his teammate Kurt Busch pushing Newman past the days best two cars in Tony Stewart and Kyle Busch. Newman failed to make the Chase that season and hasn’t won a race since.

Last season Matt Kenseth not only won at Daytona, but he won the following week as well at California. It was too easy and it looked like the Roush program, who had never won a Daytona 500, was going to dominate the season considering that in the previous year drivers like Carl Edwards reeled off 9 wins and Greg Biffle chipped in with two.

The curse on Kenseth not only forced him to miss the Chase for the first time in his career, but it also cursed the entire Roush organization. Edwards, nor Biffle won a race for the entire season. After Kenseth’s win at California, he would go on to place in the top-5 only five more times in the remaining 34 races.

McMurray may have the means to be successful this season away from a restrictor-plate race this season. We saw what kind of equipment teammate Juan Pablo Montoya was getting last season where he had the best car on the track on a few occasions, and McMurray could be the beneficiary of landing into something that’s working well.

Montoya excelling never rubbed off on former teammate Martin Truex Jr, but it’s possible knowing he was a lame duck driver that the organization figured it would be a waste to give him the good stuff when he wouldn’t be around for 2010.

We’ll learn a lot more at California this week, not only from McMurray, but the entire series. When they jump in the car for Friday’s practice it will be the first time we get to see the cars run on this type of track which requires massive amounts of horsepower for the long straights and lots of down force.

This track features lots of green flag runs where usually the best car does win because they’re able to put such a big gap between them a second place. This is an elitist track where you won’t see anyone like a Jamie McMurray sneak up on the win. 15 of the 19 races run have been won by either a Roush or Hendrick driver who were listed as one of the favorites.

In the other instances, top drivers like Rusty Wallace and Jeremy Mayfield from a good Penske team won. Elliott Sadler won in a souped up Yates engine as Dale Jarrett’s teammate and Kasey Kahne won when he was dominating the down force tracks. It’s pretty much a “No Hobo’s allowed” to win track.

Needless to say, the top teams are always consistent at California. What we saw last week with just about every team run well with restrictor-plates on will not apply. The top teams in NASCAR always win at California. Fenway-Roush has won this race seven times and is on a current streak of winning five in a row in the spring race.

The main question all the bookmakers have to ask themselves is how good do they think the Roush cars will be this week. There is indication to believe things could be restored to past glory with the new Ford RF-9 engine. Last week Kenseth used it for the first time along with other Ford drivers from other teams.

As of now, it isn’t known what engine the Roush drivers will be using, but it’s a better bet to believe that the Roush organization will be closer to 2008 when they won all those races on these type of tracks than the 2009 version that couldn’t get over the hump.

The main candidate to do well is Carl Edwards who has a California career average finish of 6.6 since 2004. He won this race in 2008, and even without contending for the win last season, he still managed to get a seventh-place finish in this race and a sixth in the fall.

California native Jimmie Johnson is the track’s all time leader in average finish position at 5.8 per race. He has four wins on the track, including the fall race last year, but hasn’t won the spring race since his rookie season back in 2002. Johnson has been traditionally a slow starter and seems to take a few weeks to get him going. Last year he didn’t have a top-5 finish until week five at Bristol.

Mark Martin had a slow start to last season getting acclimated with his new team, but once they got it going, they were tough to beat on these type of tracks. He won on the sister track of Michigan and had a fourth place finish in the California fall race. He won the second race ever at California Speedway while driving for Roush and has five career top-5 finishes on the track.

The driver that could benefit from Martin’s success the most is Dale Earnhardt Jr who has been sharing a garage at the Hendrick Motorsports headquarters with Martin. The two teams collaborate on everything and have almost all their cars set-up identical for each race. It’s all new and good stuff for Junior this year and he should have a good run this week.

Jeff Gordon had two second place finishes at California last season giving him 10 top-5 finishes for his career in 19 starts. He’s a three-time winner on the track which has him tied with Kenseth for second most in tracks history. His career average finish is 10.5.

Drivers that stop the Roush and Hendrick winning party at California are Kurt and Kyle Busch, Kasey Kahne, and quite possibly the new and improved Childress drivers. Busch brothers each claim a win and combined to average less than 13th place in all their races.

Kahne is a definite wild card because no ones quite knows how his new Ford will run at California. His past history has been great with one win and a couple other top 5’s.

Look for Roush to get back on track this week.

Top 5 Finish Prediction:
1) #17 Matt Kenseth (15/1)
2) #99 Carl Edwards (12/1)
3) #5 Mark Martin (8/1)
4) #24 Jeff Gordon (8/1)
5) #48 Jimmie Johnson (5/1)

Danica-Mania
NASCAR has never seen so much hoopla surrounding a driver debut than what was witnessed last week as Danica Patrick made her NASCAR Nationwide series debut at Daytona. Other than Jimmie Johnson, most of the NASCAR drivers that spoke about her used sarcasm with hints of animosity when asked anything about Patrick.

Hundreds of reporters followed her every move just wanting any story about Auto-Racing’s most beautiful driver. The crossover following for Patrick is amazing. Juan Pablo Montoya has a huge International following and lots journalists from everywhere covering NASCAR for his fans, but NASCAR has never had so many representatives for a race that crossover into pop culture.

Station Casinos sports books offered odds on the Nationwide race and listed Patrick at 50 to 1, the longest shot on the board. She has great JR Motorsports equipment to do well, but couldn’t get the hang of the draft and plummeted positions rapidly until finally getting involved a wreck and finishing the day in 35th place, a wreck not caused by her.

She’ll be racing this Saturday in California where she should do much better just because of no drafting. Because it’s close to Hollywood with so many media outlets, don’t look for any less of a media circus than witnessed at Daytona.

I may be in the minority of hard core race fans, but I hope she does really well and eventually makes the jump to NASCAR’s Sprint Cup Series next year. The combination her spunky attitude, no fear of going full throttle, and looking absolutely perfect in a bikini has my attention.

California Auto Club Speedway Facts: Auto Club 500

compiled by Mike Forde
NASCAR Media Services

History
· Groundbreaking for California Speedway, as Auto Club Speedway was originally known, took place in November 1995.
· The first race at Auto Club Speedway was a NASCAR K&N Pro Series, West race won by Ken Schrader on June 21, 1997.
· The first NASCAR Sprint Cup race was held on June 22, 1997 and won by Jeff Gordon.
· September 2004 was the first night race at Auto Club Speedway and that also was the first year both the NASCAR Sprint Cup and NASCAR Nationwide Series ran two races in a season there.
· The track name was changed to Auto Club Speedway in February 2008.

Notebook
· There have been 19 NASCAR Sprint Cup races at Auto Club Speedway since the track opened in 1997.
· Four drivers have competed in all 19 races: Jeff Burton, Jeff Gordon, Bobby Labonte and Joe Nemechek.
· Joe Nemechek won the pole for the inaugural race in 1997.
· There have been 13 different pole winners, led by Kurt Busch (three). Brian Vickers and Jeff Gordon each have two poles.
· Twelve different drivers have posted victories. Jimmie Johnson leads all drivers with four wins. Jeff Gordon and Matt Kenseth each have won three races.
· Hendrick Motorsports has won eight races, more than any other team.
· Nine of the 19 races were won from starting positions outside the top 10; only one has been won from the pole (Jimmie Johnson in 2008). The most prolific starting position is third, with three victories.
· Matt Kenseth won the 2006 spring race from the 31st starting position, the deepest in the field that a race winner has started.
· Three active drivers have averaged a top-10 finish: Carl Edwards (6.6), Jimmie Johnson (5.8) and Matt Kenseth (9.3).
· Kyle Busch won his first NASCAR Sprint Cup pole (2/05) and first race (9/05) at Auto Club Speedway.
· Jimmie Johnson won his first NASCAR Sprint Cup race at ASC on April 28, 2002.

NASCAR in California
· There have been 126 NASCAR Sprint Cup races in California:
· 410 NASCAR drivers have their home state recorded as California.
· There have been 33 race winners from California in NASCAR’s three national series.

Auto Club Speedway Data
Race # 2 of 36 (2-21-10)
Track Size: 2 miles
· Race Length: 250 laps/500 miles
· Banking/Corners: 14 degrees
· Banking/Frontstretch: 11 degrees
· Banking/Backstretch: 3 degrees

Driver Rating at Auto Club Speedway
Jimmie Johnson 122.3
Matt Kenseth 109.7
Carl Edwards 104.3
Kyle Busch 102.9
Jeff Gordon 100.3
Greg Biffle 99.8
Tony Stewart 97.6
Mark Martin 97.4
Kasey Kahne 94.8
Kurt Busch 94.1
Note: Driver Rating compiled from 2005-2009 races (10 total) at Auto Club Speedway.

Qualifying/Race Data
2009 pole winner: Brian Vickers (183.439 mph, 39.250 secs.)
2009 race winner: Matt Kenseth (135.839 mph, 2-22-09)
Track qualifying record: Kyle Busch (188.425 mph, 38.248 seconds, 2-27-05)
Track race record: Jeff Gordon (155.012 mph, 6-22-97)

Estimated Pit Window: Every 40-44 laps, based on fuel mileage

Sunday, February 14, 2010

McMurray Holds Off Junior, Wins Thriller in Daytona 500


DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- Jamie McMurray has won the Daytona 500, holding off a hard-charing Dale Earnhardt Jr. over a wild final two-lap sprint.

The race was stopped twice and delayed for more than two hours because of a pothole at Daytona International Speedway, a setback that marred the race but helped set up the thrilling finish.



Saturday, February 13, 2010

NASCAR Takes Bigger Action in Las Vegas Than Most Realize

by Micah Roberts
LVRJ.com


Just one week after the Super Bowl, Las Vegas sports books prepare for NASCAR’s Super Bowl, the Daytona 500. Betting on the NASCAR events pales in comparison to the NFL’s biggest game, but it still garners attention from quite a few. The South Point is even having a Daytona 500 party in their showroom Super Bowl style.

Where exactly NASCAR stands against the other top sports is hard to gauge. There is only one event per week compared to the multiple wagering opportunities daily the other sports have, but if going for the top event of the day by the books handle, it rates very high.

“The Daytona 500 will be our biggest event posted of the weekend. Between the Daytona and Las Vegas races, they take center stage in our books handle wise, “ said MGM-Mirage Race and Sports Book Director Jay Rood.

“We write a lot to the NASCAR events. If was averaged out weekly, I’d say it was close or comparable to one Thursday night NFL game.”

The bulk of the wagering will come on the odds to win indexes where there are usually up to 33 drivers listed with a field wager, meaning all others not listed. The books do well with these because many have a built in 32% theoretic hold when calculating the odds given for each driver. On most occasions, the actual hold is higher when posted, especially if one of the favorites doesn’t win.

The remainder of the action will come in the form of two-way and three-way propositions asking a variety of things like what car number or manufacturer will win. The two-way driver match-ups, putting one against another to finish better, are one of the popular NASCAR bets around town.

“So far from what I’ve seen out of the Gatordae Duel races and the early Daytona 500 write, it’s apparent that people are pretty excited about seeing NASCAR back.”

NASCAR bettors always have their favorites they bet, but they also are pretty educated with the happenings and what’s going on in practices and evidenced by some of the sharp plays on quality long shots.

“I’ve been seeing a lot of action on Brad Keselowski, who I dropped from 75 to 1 to 50 to 1, and have made a few moves lower on Kasey Kahne after the Duels, and also Dale Earnhardt Jr who we opened up at 30 to 1,” Rood said. “I’ve been shading Junior higher than most places over the last few seasons and have got away with it, but sooner of later it’ll catch up with me.”

Earnhardt Jr has always been a fan favorite with high ticket counts, but the volume decreased last year as he became less competitive on a weekly basis. You can be a fan all you want, but in betting, winning cashes tickets. Earnhardt Jr hasn’t won in 57 straight Cup races.

“By the way the public is betting on Junior, they must really feel this is the race he can turn it around. We now have him at 7 to 1 win after seeing lots of action on him, even before he sat on the front row from last weeks qualifying.“

“If there was ever a race where Junior could halt his losing streeak, Daytona would be it,” said Rood.

Rood is a fan himself and follows all the practice and qualifying with a keen eye and adjusts his odds accordingly. He’s got a few opinions on the Daytona 500 as well.

“I’ll be looking at the Hendrick drivers to do well, but I’m also looking at the Roush drivers along with Jamie McMurray who has stood out during Daytona Speedweeks.”

It sounds like pretty sound advice. Windows are open until the green flag drops at 10:19 am Sunday.

Read More on Sunday's Daytona 500 here...including My Driver Ratings

Driver Chassis Selections For Daytona 500

by Jeff Wackerlin
MotorSportsNetwork.com

1. Jimmie Johnson: Winner of the 2006 Daytona 500; Coming off sixth top five with a second-place finish last July; Leads all drivers with an average running position of 10.4 in the last 10 races; 52 of his 59 career track laps led have come in the 500; Has the fourth best driver rating at 94.3. He will be using the samne chassis that ran at the Bud Shootout and at Daytona in July last season.


2. Mark Martin: Will make 50th points-paying Sprint Cup start at Daytona; Daytona is his worst track on the schedule based on his 18.1 average finish; Finished 16th in his 500 debut with Hendrick Motorsports in 2009; Nearly won the 500 when he crossed the finish line by .020 seconds behind race winner Kevin Harvick in 2007; Has finished in the top 10 nine times in 25 Daytona 500 attempts; Will debut a new chassis (No. 560) on Sunday.

3. Jeff Gordon: Six-time winner with three wins coming in the Daytona 500; Has posted an average finish of 27.5 in his last four starts; Last top 10 in the 500 came in 2007 when he finished 10th; Sixth-best driver rating in the past 10 races; Overall has led 572 laps and has posted an average finish of 15.5.

4. Kurt Busch: Has the best average finish in the last five races at 4.8; Has finished second three times in the 500; Fifth best driver rating at 92.5; Led 95 laps in the 2007 Daytona 500 up until contact with Tony Stewart; Will debut a new car (chassis No. 632) in Sunday's 500.

5. Denny Hamlin: Winner of the 2006 Budweiser Shootout; Led 32 laps in the 2008 Daytona 500 and 63 in last year's Coke Zero 400; Third-place finish last July is only top 10 in eight starts; Posted a fifth-place finish in last weekend's Shootout; Has been one of the fastest drivers in the closing 25% of laps over the past 10 races; 11th-best driver rating in the past 10 races.

6. Tony Stewart: Has a 4.5 average finish in last two races; His last of three wins in the July race came last year; His 108.2 driver rating ranks No. 1 among all drivers in the past 10 races; Leads all drivers with 516 laps led in the past 10 races.

7. Greg Biffle: Winner of the 2003 July race; Best Daytona 500 finish came in 2008 in 10th; Will debut a new car (chassis No. 673); The Daytona 500 car is similar to the car that ran well in the Shootout up until an accident at the end of the race; 23rd-best driver rating in the past 10 races.

8. Juan Pablo Montoya: Coming off first top 10 with a ninth-place finish last July; Has run up front in previous restrictor-plate races, most notably Talladega; Will debut a new car (chassis No. 902) in the Daytona 500.

9. Ryan Newman: Winner of the 2008 Daytona 500; Posted a 28.0 average finish at Daytona with Stewart-Haas Racing; Overall has three top 10s and an average finish of 20.9 in 16 starts; Eighth-best driver rating in the past 10 races.

10. Kasey Kahne: Will make first Sprint Cup points start in a Ford; Won his Gatorade Duel and finished second in last weekend's Budweiser Shootout; Best finish is seventh, which he accomplished three times in 12 starts; Has only led five laps.

11. Carl Edwards: Led a race high 42 laps in last weekend's Budweiser Shootout; His three top 10s in 10 starts have all come in the July race; Best Daytona 500 finish is 12th (2005); Will debut a new car (chassis No. 677) on Sunday; 12th-best driver rating in the past 10 races.

12. Brian Vickers: Will make sixth Daytona 500 start; Equaled his best Daytona finish (seventh) last July; Has posted a 19.6 average finish in five starts with Team Red Bull.

13. Kyle Busch: Winner of the 2008 July race; Has posted an average finish of 15.0 in four starts with Joe Gibbs Racing; Best Daytona 500 finish (fourth) with JGR came in 2008; Has combined to lead 230 laps in his last six starts; Second-best driver rating in the past 10 races.

14. Matt Kenseth: Defending Daytona 500 winner; Has finished eighth or better in five of his last seven starts; Overall has led 69 laps and has posted an average finish of 17.9 in 20 starts; Third-best driver rating in the past 10 races

15. Clint Bowyer: Has the best average finish (13.4) among drivers with three or more starts; Best finish (fourth) came in last year's Daytona 500; Finish was one of five top 10s in eight starts; Ninth-best driver rating in the past 10 races; Will debut a new car (chassis No. 294) on Sunday.

16. David Reutimann: Best finish in six starts came in the 2009 Daytona 500 in 12th; Overall has a 25.5 average finish; Has yet to lead a lap; Will be making 100th start in a Sprint Cup points race.

17. Jeff Burton: Only top 10 in 10 starts with Richard Childress Racing came in the 2007 Daytona 500 in third; Won the 2000 July race with Roush Racing; Win was one of seven top 10s with Roush; 10th-best driver rating in the past 10 races; Will drive the same car (chassis No. 240) that served as the back-up car for all four restrictor plate races last season.

18. Marcos Ambrose: Leads all drivers with an 11.5 average finish; Best finish came in last year's July race in sixth; Has a 15.2 average finish in four career restrictor-plate starts.

19. Kevin Harvick: Winner of the 2007 Daytona 500 and last two Budweiser Shootouts; Finished second in last year's Daytona 500 for sixth top 10 in 17 starts; 14th-best driver rating in the past 10 races; Will debut a new car (chassis No. 295) that spent the off-season being tested in the wind tunnel.

20. Joey Logano: Finished 43rd in last year's Daytona 500 after a crash took him out of contention; Lowered finishing average to 31.0 with a 19th-place finish last July; Will race his Budweiser Shootout car (chassis No. 245) after crashing the Daytona 500 primary in Wednesday's practice session.

22. Jamie McMurray: Finished third in return with Earnhardt-Ganassi Racing in last weekend's Budweiser Shootout; Two of his three career wins have come on restrictor-plate tracks (Daytona, July 2007; Talladega, 2009); Will debut a new car (chassis No. 1001) in the Daytona 500.

23. Martin Truex Jr: Will make debut with Michael Waltrip Racing; Best finish came in last year's Daytona 500 when he came home 11th after starting from the pole; Has only led one lap in the past five starts.

24. AJ Allmendinger: Finished third in only start in Daytona 500 in 2009; Two other starts in the July race (42nd and 17th); Will race a new car (chassis No. 682) on Sunday.

25. Dale Earnhardt Jr: Winner of the 2004 Daytona 500; Has three top-five and five top-10s in 10 Daytona 500 appearances; Has led 141 laps in the Daytona 500; 2001 July race win is one of seven points-paying wins at Daytona (2 Cup, 5 Nationwide); Seventh-best driver rating in last 10 races; Will start second on Sunday in a brand new car (chassis No. 563).

26. Elliott Sadler: Daytona is his best oval on the schedule based on his 17.0 average finish; 7.5 average finish in his last two starts; 19th-best driver rating in last 10 races; Will debut a new car (chassis No. 283) on Sunday.

27. David Ragan: Has posted an 8.0 average finish in last three starts; Finished fifth in first Daytona start (Daytona 500) in 2007; 17th-best driver rating in the past 10 races; Will race the same car (chassis No. 649) that finished 17th at Talladega last fall.

28. Sam Hornish Jr: Best finish (15th) came in the 2008 Daytona 500; Has a 31.0 average finish in last three starts.

30. Bobby Labonte: Making first track start with TRG; Finished 10th in first restrictor-plate start with the team at Talladega last October; Best finish is a pair of runner-ups in 1998 with Joe Gibbs Racing.

Brad Keselowski: Finished 18th in first start last July; 11.0 average finish in three restrictor-plate starts; First career Cup win came at Talladega Superspeedway; Ran well in his Gatorade Duel before a pit road commitment line violation; Will be driving a new car (chassis No. 633) in the Daytona 500.

Friday, February 12, 2010

Expect a Wild Finish in This Years Daytona 500

by Micah Roberts
Las Vegas Review-Journal

This Sunday’s 52nd running of the Daytona 500 is more wide open than ever before. The list of possible candidates to win runs deep into the 43 car field with legitimate cases being able to be made for about 25 different drivers.


Because the race is so wide open, the odds in Las Vegas sports books have been jumping everywhere on several drivers. For the fantasy NASCAR players, there aren’t likely to be too many lineups the same.

Most restrictor plate races at Daytona and Talladega are always a crap shoot, but this years became a little more interesting because of NASCAR mandating a change to widen the hole in the restrictor plate which now gives the drivers a lot more throttle response. With that instantaneous power, the drivers have responded giving the racing a different look, yet at the same time, some have been a bit tentative with the extra burst as they try to feel their car out more.

The drivers used the first of their Daytona 500 practice sessions last Friday for qualifying runs while the second session got rained out. When they came out Wednesday for the first time in race trim -- getting the opportunity to draft with each other -- it got real interesting to the tune of five cars having to use backup cars after being involved in crashes.

Thursday’s Gatorade Duel qualifying races were a little more subdued, but still involved some great racing while it looked like many were just trying to stay out of harms way and avoid not having to go to a back-up car.

Jimmie Johnson was already in a back-up car after being one of the five on Wednesday who wrecked their primary cars. However, Johnson and crew chief Chad Knaus played a little tire strategy at the end of their race which proved to be the winning move as the No. 48 beat Kevin Harvick by an inch.

It was surprising to see Johnson go all out for the win with older tires and possibly risk damaging their car, which turns out to be the car that finished second at Daytona last year in July. Johnson’s a good enough to driver to hold if he got too loose, but two things came to mind immediately with the Knaus’ move to take only two tires.

Read More Here for Stats and Final Daytona 500 Driver Ratings...... 

Danica-Mania Has Already Started; First Race is Saturday at Daytona

by Micah Roberts


This Saturday’s Nationwide race at Daytona can expect high ratings with lots of interested parties because that is where Indy Racing star Danica Patrick will make her official racing debut. Last week she finished sixth in the ARCA race at Daytona, the first time I have ever watched an entire ARCA race on television from start to finish.

Patrick did well in that race and finished sixth. This week will be much more of challenge especially considering she’ll be racing against Kyle Busch, Tony Stewart, and her boss, Dale Earnhardt Jr.

She doesn’t have any lofty expectations of winning the race, but will utilize the chance to race against Stewart and Earnhardt Jr, who have both taken her under their wing with advice.

Her Nationwide practice times jumped from the first session where she ran at 26th to the final session where she clocked in fifth fastest. Many of the teams were using the final session in qualifying trim making limited simulations, but fast is still fast.

She has a great team behind her and the equipment to do well if she picks things up as fast as she appears to have done.

Still, the difficulties of doing well in her first race are the opinions of many including the Las Vegas sports books. Station Casinos opened her odds to win Saturday’s race as the longest shot at 50 to 1.

Just about every NASCAR driver has a Twitter account and they tweet regularly like their in a contest of some sorts. It is apparent by some tweets that some in the NASCAR circles feel some animosity because of all the hoopla surrounding Patrick and her debut.

Regan Smith tweeted Wednesday during Nationwide practice that ESPN’s coverage of Patrick was a bit much saying, The other 50 plus drivers should have coverage for them ESPN classic.

The hype surrounding Patrick has been huge, but why not? She is a unique individual that crosses all lines by selling sex and Motorsports at the same time. Who else can look as good as she does in her bikini and commercial shoots while driving a car at the level she does?

The detractors who say she hasn’t won anything for all the attention garnered are missing the bigger picture. Sex sells in America and businesses are buying it knowing that her crossover appeal will attract attention to their product just because of the splash she makes.

Television ratings won’t match Sunday’s Daytona 500 which is expected to grab close to 17 million viewers, or a 10.0 rating, but it should be one of the most watched Nationwide races just because of ESPN promoting the race non-stop as Patrick’s NASCAR debut.

I’m hoping she does well and validates all the attention given to her while gaining respect from those on the fence. However fans feel about her, it’s safe to say many will watch just to see what happens next to create their next opinion.

For those on twitter, she is currently asking her 84,000 followers to create a nickname for her. We may have to wait a few races to get a read on her stock car personality. If it turns out to be anything like her time in the IRL with some of her outbursts and confrontations, the suggested names will be interesting.

One thing is for sure that we can all agree on is that we’ll be watching.

Thursday, February 11, 2010

Gatorade Duels Provide Great Daytona Racing and Preview to the 500

Associated Press

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (AP) — NASCAR finally got the excitement it's been so desperately craving with two stirring battles to the finish in Thursday's two qualifying races for the Daytona 500. Jimmie Johnson  nipped Kevin Harvick in a door-to-door battle across the finish line of the first qualifier, while Kasey Kahne edged Tony Stewart in the second race.


More drama played out off the track, as Michael Waltrip nervously watched the second qualifier to see if he'd get the help he needed to make what's expected to be the final Daytona 500 of his career. Waltrip wrecked in the first qualifier, and the two-time 500 winner watched from a television studio as Scott Speed  used a late-race pass to earn the position needed to get Waltrip a spot in Sunday's race.

Click Here to Read More and See Results....

Wednesday, February 10, 2010

Gatorade Duel Preview: Hendrick Drivers Should Fare Very Well

By Micah Roberts

VegasInsider.com

The Gatorade Duel is this Thursday at Daytona and it will be the first time we get a chance to see everyone in NASCAR racing on the track this season. How the drivers finish in each of the two qualifying races will determine where they start in Sunday’s Daytona 500.

There are 54 cars entered in this year's Daytona 500 with only 43 available slots. Mark Martin and Dale Earnhardt, Jr. are locked in to this year's race by qualifying as the fastest two on Saturday. Thirty-three other drivers will be locked in because of finishing in the top-35 in points last season.

The remaining positions will be up for grabs in what makes for great racing at the end of each of the races. Drivers who aren’t normally featured in any race will have the spotlight on them as they try to race their self into the race and battle for positioning.

As for the top teams, they want to win the race, but it’s more about running well, feeling out their car, and not getting into trouble. The cars they will be driving are the ones they’ll be using on Sunday. There’s no need for a driver to get racey too much in this race when they are already qualified and guaranteed a spot in the race.

Nevertheless, they still go at it pretty hard trying to win and the winners are usually the elite restrictor-plate drivers.

The first race will be Mark Martin’s group and all other odd numbered qualifiers from Saturday. This looks to be the toughest of the two groups since it features Jimmie Johnson, Kyle Busch, Jeff Gordon, Denny Hamlin, Kevin Harvick, and Jeff Burton.

Look for the Hendrick trio of Gordon, Johnson, and Martin to battle for the win.

Gatorade Duel No. 1 - Top 5 Finish Prediction:
1) #24 Jeff Gordon (8/1)
2) #1 Jamie McMurray (25/1)
3) #18 Kyle Busch (5/1)
4) #48 Jimmie Johnson (6/1)
5) #29 Kevin Harvick (10/1)

In the second race headed by Dale Earnhardt, Jr., it looks to be a showdown between Tony Stewart, Kurt Busch, and Junior. Because the pool of drivers in this group aren’t as a talented in plate racing as they are in race one, don’t expect too great of odds in this race.

Gatorade Duel No. 2 - Top 5 Finish Prediction:
1) #88 Dale Earnhardt Jr (5/2)
2) #2 Kurt Busch (5/1)
3) #12 Brad Keselowski (20/1)
4) #14 Tony Stewart (2/1)
5) #42 Juan Pablo Montoya (10/1)

As odd as it may seem since there are two races every year, winning one of the duel races doesn’t necessarily translate into success in the Daytona 500. It’s only happened eight times in the 51 years.

Fireball Roberts was the first to do so in 1962. Cale Yarbrough did it twice (1977 and 1984), followed by Bill Elliott (1985), Bobby Allison (1988), Sterling Marlin (1995), Dale Earnhardt (1998), and Dale Earnhardt, Jr. (2004).

Earnhardt had won the Duels 12 times over his career, but it wasn’t until his 11th win that he parlayed that success into a win in the 500.

Junior blew by the field in 2004 with a car that no one could touch in either race. I look for him to equal the double-feat this year.

Check out VegasInsider.com for all kinds of stats and updates for the Daytona 500.

Monday, February 8, 2010

Daytona 500 Facts and Notes From the 51 Previous Great American Races

Compiled by Mike Forde
NASCAR Media Services

Daytona 500 Tidbits

* The 2010 edition will be the 52nd running of the Daytona 500.
* Although the first Daytona 500 was held in 1959, it has been the season-opener only since 1982.
* 510 drivers have competed in at least one Daytona 500; 300 in more than one.
* 33 drivers have won a Daytona 500.
* Eight drivers have won more than one Daytona 500, led by Richard Petty with seven victories.
* Fred Lorenzen posted a top-10 finish in eight of his nine Daytona 500s, the best percentage of drivers who have competed in more than two Daytona 500s.
* Dale Earnhardt finished in the top 10 in 16 of his 23 Daytona 500s.
* Dale Earnhardt and Richard Petty each had 16 top 10s in the Daytona 500, more than any other driver.
* Dale Earnhardt had 12 top fives in the Daytona 500, more than any other driver.
* Only 13 drivers have an average finish of 10th or better in the Daytona 500, six of those competed in the Daytona 500 only once.
* Kevin Harvick has a 12.9 average finish in eight appearances, the best of the active drivers who have competed in more than one Daytona 500.
* Other than Lee Petty, who won the inaugural Daytona 500, no driver has ever won in his first appearance.
* 27 of the 33 drivers who have won, participated in at least two Daytona 500s before visiting Victory Lane.
* Dale Earnhardt competed 19 times before winning his only Daytona 500 (1998), the longest span of any of the 33 race winners.
* Six drivers made 10 or more attempts before their first Daytona 500 victory: Dale Earnhardt (19), Buddy Baker (18), Darrell Waltrip (16), Bobby Allison (14), Michael Waltrip (14) and Sterling Marlin 12). Last year’s winner, Matt Kenseth, won it in his 10th try.
* The most Daytona 500s all-time without a victory was Dave Marcis (33 races).
* Mark Martin (25) leads active drivers without a victory. He will start on the pole for this year’s race.
* Six drivers posted their career-first victory with a win in the Daytona 500: Tiny Lund (1963), Mario Andretti (1967), Pete Hamilton (1970), Derrike Cope (1990), Sterling Marlin (1994) and Michael Waltrip (2001).
* Three other drivers posted their career-first victory in (point-paying) qualifying races: Johnny Rutherford (1963), Bobby Isaac (1964) and Earl Balmer (1966).
* Only eight drivers have won the Daytona 500 more than once: Richard Petty (seven), Cale Yarborough (four), Bobby Allison (three), Dale Jarrett (three), Jeff Gordon (three), Bill Elliott (two), Sterling Marlin (two) and Michael Waltrip (two).
* A driver has won back-to-back Daytona 500s three times. Richard Petty (1973-74), Cale Yarborough (1983-84) and Sterling Marlin (1994-95)
* Kevin Harvick’s 0.020-second margin of victory over Mark Martin in the 2007 Daytona 500 is the ninth-closest overall since the advent of electronic timing in 1993, and the closest in a Daytona 500.
* 26 of the 51 Daytona 500s have been won from a top-five starting position.
* Matt Kenseth won the Daytona 500 from the 39th starting position last year, the deepest a race winner has started.
* Nine have been won from the pole. The last to do so was Dale Jarrett in 2000.
* 15 Daytona 500s have been won from the front row.

Daytona History
* Groundbreaking for Daytona International Speedway was Nov. 25, 1957. The soil underneath the banked corners was dug from the infield of the track and the hole filled with water. It is now known as Lake Lloyd.
* The first NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at Daytona was a 100-mile qualifying race for the Daytona 500 on Feb. 20, 1959.
* Richard Petty won his 200th career race on July 4, 1984 at Daytona.
* Lights were installed in the spring of 1998. However, the race was delayed until October that year due to thick smoke from wildfires. The second Daytona race has been held under lights ever since.

Daytona Notebook
There have been 125 NASCAR Sprint Cup races since the track hosted its first race in 1959: 51 have been 500 miles, 47 were 400 miles and four 250 miles. There were also 23 qualifier races that were point races.
* Fireball Roberts won the inaugural pole at Daytona.
* Bob Welborn won the first race at Daytona, the 100-mile qualifying race for the Daytona 500.
* Lee Petty won the inaugural Daytona 500 on Feb. 22, 1959.
* Fireball Roberts won the first 400-mile race at Daytona, the 1963 Firecracker 400.
* 52 drivers have posted poles at Daytona; 19 have more than one.
* Cale Yarborough leads all drivers with 12 poles at Daytona.
* Bill Elliott leads all active drivers with five poles at Daytona.
* 52 drivers have won at Daytona; 24 have won more than once.
* Richard Petty leads all drivers in victories at Daytona with 10.
* Jeff Gordon has six victories at Daytona, more than any other active driver.
* The Wood Brothers have won 14 races at Daytona, more than any other car owner.
* 16 full-length races at Daytona have been won from the pole, including last July’s Coke Zero 400, won by polesitter Tony Stewart.
* A driver has swept both races at Daytona only four times, most recently by Bobby Allison in 1982.

NASCAR in Florida
* There have been 162 NASCAR Sprint Cup races in Florida.
* 156 drivers in NASCAR’s three national series have their home state recorded as Florida.
* There have been nine race winners whose hometown is Florida in NASCAR’s three national series.

Daytona International Speedway Data
Race #: 1 of 36 (2-14-10)
Track Size: 2.5 miles
Race Length: 500 miles (200 laps)
Banking/Corners: 31 degrees
Banking/Straights: 3 degrees
Banking/Tri-Oval: 18 degrees

Driver Loop Rating at Daytona
Tony Stewart 108.2
Kyle Busch 101.0
Matt Kenseth 96.1
Jimmie Johnson 94.3
Kurt Busch 92.5
Jeff Gordon 91.9
Dale Earnhardt Jr. 87.3
Ryan Newman 85.9
Clint Bowyer 84.6
Jeff Burton 83.5
Note: Driver Rating compiled from 2005-2009 races (10 total) at Daytona.

Qualifying/Race Data
2009 pole winner: Martin Truex Jr. (188.001 mph, 47.872 seconds)
2009 race winner: Matt Kenseth (132.816 mph, 2-17-08)
Qualifying record: Bill Elliott (210.364 mph, 42.783 secs., 2-9-87)
Race record: Buddy Baker (177.602 mph, 2-17-80)

Estimated Pit Window: 36-38 laps depending on fuel mileage

Daytona 500 Preview: Betting Will Be Good in Las Vegas With Lots of Props

by Micah Roberts
VegasInsider.com

NASCAR’s big show gets underway this Sunday as the 52nd running of the Daytona 500 jump-starts the season. It is NASCAR’s biggest race of the season and even though it may sound a bit off from the traditions of other sports where the biggest event is normally reserved for the end of the season, it’s so perfectly perfect. There is no bigger opener in any sport.


We just saw the NFL season end with hundreds of propositions available for that game. This week for the Daytona 500, the Las Vegas sports books will do the same. There are only two races a season that are treated like Super Bowls by the books, Daytona and Las Vegas.

The handle for those two races are the best all season and because of that volume, the books will offer several props that aren’t normally seen from week to week.

Winning car number, number of Ford’s in the top 10, over-under driver finishes, and head-to-head driver match-ups are just a few of the things that will be available at most places that aren’t for the other 34 races on the season.

The sports books have had odds on this race since the available since last season ended when the NASCAR award ceremonies were in Las Vegas. Kyle Busch was installed as the early 8/1 favorite by the Las Vegas Hilton Super Book, followed by a bunch of drivers getting double-digit odds or higher.

Busch has had the best restrictor-plate car over his last two seasons with Joe Gibbs Racing. The Las Vegas native only has two wins in eight attempts, but should have had a few more, including last year's Daytona 500.

The one thing about Daytona is that the favorite rarely wins. Because of the nature of the draft and so many cars being close together as the finish nears, it really is a crapshoot to who will win, unlike many of the other races where the possible winners are narrowed to about seven legitimate candidates.

Read More Here...for the Top 5 selections

Harvick Wins Second Straight Budwesier Shootout

Associated Press

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- Kevin Harvick started Speedweeks in bed, started the Budweiser Shootout in a backup car and started the final few laps out of the lead.


Kevin Harvick overcame the flu to win his second straight Bud Shootout.

Harvick won the exhibition race for the second consecutive year by moving from fourth to first and passing leader Greg Biffle with two laps remaining in Saturday night's kickoff race to Speedweeks. Biffle's wreck moments later ended the race under caution, giving Harvick his first win since the Shootout victory a year ago.

He hasn't won a points race since the 2007 season-opening Daytona 500, and was not ready to proclaim his Shootout victory a precursor for a possible repeat in next week's 500.

"I know we started last year the same way," he said of the 2009 Shootout win -- the lone bright spot in an otherwise abysmal season for Harvick and all of Richard Childress Racing.

Read More Here.....

Sunday, February 7, 2010

Mark Martin Wins First Career Daytona 500 Pole Position

by Jeff Wackerlin
MotorRacingNetwork.com

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. - Mark Martin secured his first career pole for the Daytona 500 on Saturday when he topped a 54 car field to earn the top spot for the 52nd running of "The Great American Race."


Martin, who started second in last year's Daytona 500 with Hendrick Motorsports, posted a lap of 191.188 mph for his 49th career pole. He also became the oldest driver to win a pole for the 500 at 51 years, 27 days, and it was his first at the speedway since taking the top spot for the 1989 July race with Roush Racing.

"I'd like to thank Alan Gustafson (crew chief), the GoDaddy.com team and Hendrick Motorsports," Martin said. "I was just out there riding really fast. It sure is fun. It's quite an opportunity to get to drive their stuff here."

Martin will be joined on the front row by Hendrick Motorsports teammate Dale Earnhardt Jr. to mark the first time one team swept the top two Daytona 500 qualifying positions since Yates Racing in 2007.

"Man, it is fun to drive a car that performs like that," said Earnhardt Jr. who matched his best Daytona 500 qualifying effort (qualified second in 2003). "We have a little bit different wind situation but we were able to put down a pretty good lap. It was hitting the ground a little bit yesterday and that is slowing it down some. Was hoping to get that fixed. We ran so much faster, we got such a good tail wind down the back straightaway today that we didn't do it enough. It hit the ground a little bit in three and four and slowed it down some."

Read More Here....

Friday, February 5, 2010

Daytona 500 First Practice Shortened Due to Rain, Junior Runs Fastest

Friday's first practice for next weeks Daytona 500 was shut down due to rain after only 46 minutes of the scheduled 80 were completed. Only 46 of the 54 cars entered were able to run laps.

Every team was using the session in qualifying set-up and were on the track one or two cars at a time to avoid any draft enhanced speeds.

The fastest of the day was Dale Earnhardt Jr, a good sign for the Junior Nation and a nice way to start the season with some kind of positive. All the Hendrick cars looked fast.

Top 5 Daytona 500 Practice Times 
1) Dale Earnhardt Jr. 188.679
2) MarkMartin 188.616
3) Jeff Gordon 187.950
4) Bill Elliott 187.884
5) Robby Gordon 187.872

See link for full practice results

Thursday, February 4, 2010

Super Bowl - Budweiser Shootout proposition at Las Vegas Hilton Super Book

by Micah Roberts
VegasInsider.com


The Las Vegas Hilton Super Book posted a Super Bowl proposition involving the winning car number in the race with the first half total of Super Bowl.

The posted number for the first half is 28 points. The Super Bowl eventual first half total between both teams is favored to have the higher number as a 3.5-point favorite over the NASCAR winner‘s car number.

This looks like a a good bet on the Super Bowl total even though there is a large variable number involved with the possibilities that car No. 48 driven by Jimmie Johnson or No. 88 driven by Dale Earnhardt Jr have a good shot at winning in Saturday’s race.

However, there looks to be way more upside in looking at the candidates to win the shootout who have car numbers ranging from No. 1 to 24, beginning with the likely winners of either No. 14 Tony Stewart or No. 18 Kyle Busch.

Another bonus in this proposition is bettors taking the Super Bowl side with a higher number also get No. 9 Kasey Kahne who was fastest in the final practice session, No. 11 Denny Hamlin, No. 1 Jamie McMurray, No. 2 Kurt Busch, No. 5 Mark Martin, No. 16 Greg Biffle, No. 17 Matt Kenseth, No. 20 Joey Logano, and No. 24 Jeff Gordon.

There are only 24 drivers racing and all but three of the top restrictor plate racers are driving with cars under No. 24 or less which makes this highly advantageous based on the offered total of the first half.

It’s quite possible that the Super Bowl could score far less points than expected in the first half, but having trying to beat a likely range of 1 through 18 makes it look pretty juicy by taking the Super Bowl side.

Budweiser Shootout Final Practice Driver Rating

by Micah Roberts

Saturday’s Budweiser Shootout at Daytona signals a shift in seasons throughout the sporting world. It’s a sign that football is one game away from beginning a long hibernation and pitchers and catchers will be soon reporting for spring training.


The Shootout is a non-points 75-lap race and gives fans a thrill as an appetizer for next Sunday’s Daytona 500. Everyone will get to see right away how some of NASCAR’s new, more loosely interpreted, rules will unfold before the season opener.

The race involves the best of the best in NASCAR taking the 12 Chase drivers from last season, past Cup Champions, past Bud Shootout winners, past Daytona 500 winners, past Daytona Coke Zero 400 winners, and the rookie of the year winner from the previous season.

Because NASCAR cut back costs to help the smaller teams, there was no pre-season practice at Daytona or Las Vegas for the second consecutive year.

Thursday’s Budweiser Shootout practice at Daytona was the first time we were all able to see how some of those changes would affect the racing and right away we got a quick answer in the first of two practice sessions. Two of the NASCAR changes were tested immediately.

The first dealt with bump-drafting and NASCAR allowing more of it in the plate races. Late in the session, Joey Logano bump drafted Denny Hamlin into the rear of Martin’s car wrecking a total of six cars. Hamlin, Martin, and Jamie McMurray will all be forced to use back-up cars in the race.

The next change tested was NASCAR’s new policy in their tolerance of drivers showing more personality and emotion on the track with less repercussions. Both Hamlin and Martin agreed that it was just one of those racing things negating a situation that usually is a recipe for some finger pointing, new policy or not.

In the second session, one of the few jalopies on the race track, driven by John Andretti, slowed causing Juan Pablo Montoya to got into the back of Kurt Busch in a chain reaction that led to Busch crashing into the wall. Busch will go to a back up for Saturday’s race.

The fastest in the first practice session was Jeff Burton who ran 19 laps with the quickest coming in at 193.303 mph. Before McMurray wrecked, he had came in with the second fastest lap just ahead of the favorite to win the race, Kyle Busch.

In the final practice Kasey Kahne led the way with the fastest lap of 191.673 mph. He ran only two laps but seemed happy afterwards when he twittered, “Bud car is pretty fast! Feel pretty good.”

There is nothing better than knowing your driver likes his car when the practice results already said so. What’s even better is when your driver is faster and you find 20 to 1 to win the race like Kahne’s odds were in Las Vegas sports books prior to the practice sessions.

Following Kahne was Ken Schrader with the second fastest lap. Schrader is using his past Bud Shootout wins from 1989 and 1990 to qualify in the race using Scott Speed’s car.

Rounding out the top three in times for the final session was last years Daytona 500 winner Matt Kenseth.

The best current driver in this short Saturday special race format has been Tony Stewart. Over the last nine years Stewart has won three times and has an average finish of 4.1 over the same span. In the last four seasons, Stewart’s worst finish has been third place which is why he is just a notch below Kyle Busch as the pre-practice favorite to win at 7 to 1.

Kyle Busch has had best overall restrictor plate car over the last two seasons while driving a Joe Gibbs Toyota which has made him the 6 to 1 favorite. Even though Busch’s best finish has only been seventh in his three previous starts, he still has two plate win in the last two years overall and likely should have had at least two more.

Where a drivers starts means very little in Saturday’s race, as is the case with all restrictor plate races. Last season was the perfect example. Only 28 cars started the Budwesier Shootout and the eventual winner, Kevin Harvick, started in the last row out of the No. 28 position. This race is wide open with several candidates to win.

Busch Like Saints in Super Bowl
Since Kyle Busch is from Las Vegas, the sports betting capital of the world, and he is the favorite to win Saturday’s Budweiser Shootout and next weeks Daytona 500, his thoughts on the Super Bowl merit some exposure.

“I think the Saints are going to beat the Colts. They both have really good offenses, and Peyton Manning is playing out of his mind right now, but I just think this is the Saints’ year. Their offense has really come together, and the defense is playing better than some had expected. As for a score, I say Saints 31, Colts 28 in a tight game.”

Pretty good analysis Kyle, but he may be in trouble with the score as he's in the same boat with me. I had almost the same score with the Saints winning 31-24.

What Goes Into The Final Driver Rating?
Each week I will provide an analysis of my top rated drivers to do well in the race based on the following criteria:
* Practice sessions leading up to the weekend’s Sprint Cup race
* Chassis information on what was brought to each track by each team; good or bad
* Driver tendencies at certain tracks
* Recent and past history for each driver at each track
* Decipher poor past results with what really happened, good car - bad luck?

These weekly ratings should help assist in final betting strategies with odds to win, driver match-ups, and prop plays, as well as help in NASCAR fantasy leagues.

Restrictor plate races are the most volatile and also the easiest to win at with not having the best car. The weekly drivers rating will hold the truest at all other tracks away from Daytona and Talladega.

Roberts Top-10 Post Practice Driver Rating
Budweiser Shootout
Daytona International Speedway
Saturday, February 6, 2010 5:10 pm (PT) TV:FOX

Rating - Driver - odds - notes
1. Tony Stewart 7/1: 3-time winner of event, 4.1 avg finish in last 9 starts
2. Kyle Busch 6/1: 2 plate race wins last 2 years with Gibbs, should have more
3. Jimmie Johnson 9/1: ‘05 winner of event, 2 plate wins, HBO should motivate him more
4. Jeff Burton 20/1: 1 plate win, Childress team much improved and should make chase
5. Denny Hamlin 12/1: won ‘06 event as rookie, Gibbs plate power, ACL injury shouldn't matter
6. Kasey Kahne 20/1: In Ford with Roush alliance. Roush 2 plate wins. Kahne fast in final practice
7. Dale Earnhardt Jr 10/1: 2-time winner of event, 2010 to be good year. Loves plate racing
8. Jamie McMurray 20/1: won fall Daytona race last year. Looked fast early on in car that wrecked
9. Kevin Harvick 13/1:  won event in ‘09, won Daytona 500 in ‘07. Childress cars going to be good
10. Mark Martin 10/1: won event in ‘99, 2 career plate wins at Dega
* Harvick was out with the flu - Clint Bowyer drove in 1st practice with Burton in 2nd practice

Budweiser Shootout Practice Times

by Jayski.com

Happy Hour Practice for the Bud Shootout is over at Daytona International Speedway. Some results and notes:

1) #9-Kahne, 2 laps run, 191.673mph
2) #82-Schrader, 18, 191.371
3) #17-Kenseth, 12, 191.367
4) #48-Johnson, 2, 191.294
5) #14-Stewart, 28, 191.270
6) #83-Vickers, 19, 191.221
7) #31-Burton, 16, 191.192
8) #42-Montoya, 8, 191.148
9) #99-Edwards, 23, 191.083
10) #20-Logano, 32, 191.034
11) #24-Gordon, 31, 190.743
12) #39-Newman, 34, 190.690
13) #51-Waltrip, 27, 190.621
14) #2-Busch [wrecked], 2, 190.561
15) #18-Busch, 25, 90.476
16) #34-Andretti, 28, 190.464
17) #71-Labonte, 13, 190.367
18) #88-Earnhardt Jr., 40, 189.934
19) #1-McMurray,9, 189.310
20) #16-Biffle,13, 189.298
21) #29-Burton [for Harvick],11, 188.241
22) #5-Martin [backup car bering worked on]
23) #11-Hamlin [backup car bering worked on]
24) #75-Cope, didn't run either practice

wreck #2: On the first lap, another wreck, when #34-Andretti slowed causing #2-Busch to slow. #42-Montoya got into the rear of the #2, sending Busch into the wall. The #2 team will go to a backup car, the sixth team to do so far. If the drivers cannot get the backup cars on the track for practice, they will have to start the Bud Shootout from the rear of the field, no matter what starting spot they draw at the Budweiser Selection Show Thursday night. #14-Stewart had to go to the garage midway thru and have the radiator changed as debris went thru it. #48-Johnson went out for a lap after the wreck and parked it for the night after running only two laps.(2-4-2010)

1st Practice for the Bud Shootout is over at Daytona International Speedway. Some results and notes:
1) #31-Jeff Burton, 19 laps run, 193.303mph
2) #1-McMurray, 12, 193.241 [wrecked/backup]
3) #18-Busch, 13, 193.212
4) #51-Waltrip, 9, 192.349
5) #5-Martin, 13, 191.546 [wrecked/backup]
6) #48-Johnson, 12, 191.530
7) #39-Newman, 10, 191.257
8) #9-Kahne, 14, 191.196
9) #20-Logano, 19, 191.123
10) #29-Bowyer [in for Harvick], 15, 190.977 [wrecked/backup]
11) #88-Earnhardt Jr., 14, 190.949
12) #42-Montoya, 7, 190.900
13) #24-Gordon, 11, 190.811
14) #83-Vickers, 18, 190.779
15) #2-Busch, 14, 190.779
16) #17-Kenseth, 13, 190.779
17) #16-Greg Biffle, 12, 190.751 [wrecked/backup]
18) #11-Hamlin, 18, 190.747 [wrecked/backup]
19) #99-Edwards, 9, 190.630
20) #82-Schrader, 9, 190.517
21) #14-Stewart, 19, 190.517
22) #34-Andretti, 7, 188.288
23) #71-Labonte, 7, 186.896
24) #75-Cope, 0, no speed

Big wreck: Late in the practice, #11-Hamlin got into the rear of #5-Martin in turn one with both wrecking, collecting #1-McMurray. All three, plus the #29 & #16 teams will go to backup cars. Others damaged included #29-Bowyer, #16-Biffle, #20-Logano, #83-Vickers. The rules are a tad different for backup cars in the Shootout. As long as the backup car is practiced, the driver can start in the position they draw at the Budweiser Selection Show, 9:00pm/et on SPEED.(2-4-2010)