Make sure to vote in this weeks poll!

Points Standings and Congratulations

Congratulations to Chris, montecarlo3831, on that big win in the Coca~Cola 600... a win with the fewest points since the Daytona 500 was won by Nocturnx with 85... Chris won with 99 points. Most of our winners are in the 120 area. Also, congrats to RocknSS for regaining his points lead... but with Chris's win, it's tightening up! 16 points separate the top 5!!!!

1) RocknSS 1199 -Leader
2) 77GP 1197 -2
3) JuniorCar 1195 -4
4) Cowboy6622 1190 -9
5) montecarlo3831 1183 -16
6) KidSpace 1085 -114
7) lougreen03 1079 -120
8) BocaReject 1009 -190
9) zjerry 1004 -195

Since more people seem to care about the overall points, I don't know what we might do with this segment thing next year... anywho, here are Segment 2 points...

MonteCarlo3831 314 Leader
77GP 294 -20
lougreen03 287 -27
JuniorCar 285 -29
RocknSS04 283 -31
Cowboy6622 271 -43
KidSpace 268 -46
zjerry 259 -55
BocaReject 201 -113


Kansas History

No Torino history to bore you with.. but since controversial cautions, gas mileage, and keeping pace are up... how about that win in like 2007 or whatever it was when Greg Biffle won the then only race here in the fall like a half mile behidn the pace car? He was out of fuel and coasting... 2nd place crossed the line first.... yet when Marcos Ambrose didn't keep pace, they took the lead from him. Not Administering Systematic Calls At Races.

I tried to find a video of this particular win, yet couldn't.

Who's Hot For This Week?

The mid-west boys seem to really run well here. Carl Edwards really wants to win here, and Clint Bowyer is another Kansas native who really likes this track but is itching for a win.

Roush-Fenway

Since they opened the palce, Greg Biffle has loved it. He has won twice and has only missed the top 10 once since 2004... 12th in that race. He's the hottest Roush driver there. Yet Carl Edwards will always be known for that bonzai move on Johnson in '08. Although he has never won, he's solid at this track and won a similar shaped track, Las Vegas, this season. Matt Kenseth always seems to be good at getting into accidents or blowing engines at this place... not his better 1.5.

David Ragan's stats may as well be null and void, guy has been running so much better than ever this year. I think it's because he's always checking over his back for when Trevor Bayne gets over that tick bite and takes his ride from him.

I think these Roush cars, judging by their runs on the 1.5's this year, are to be feared at Kansas. They didn't quite seal the deal a couple of times though.........

Richard Childress Racing

This has been the other hot 1.5 mile team this year. Heck, even Paul Menard has run top 5 for this team this year, so you know they're good!!! The guy ran 8th for flailing Petty Motorsports last season... so he might just pull one out of the bag for you this week.

The Childress guy I'm interested in this week is Clint Bowyer... Kansas native, wants to win in the wake of what happened here, and will be hard to beat this week. He was hot at Texas and if not for that bobble behind that lapped car, may have won. The thing is, his last finishes here are 12th, 21st, and 15th . I think that could change this weekend though.

However, Harvick is solid at this track... he might very well steal it from Clint Bowyer with a few hundred yards to go.... and judging by the Kansas races that have come to fuel mileage, don't doubt it.

I'm not worried about Burton.... he'll wreck or run out of gas or hit Brad K, something. The guy has reached the Dale Jarrett/Bill Elliott stage of his career where nothing goes right.

Hendrick Motorsports

Where have these guys been on the 1.5's this year? Jr. really wasn't the best car at Charlotte, he just ended up at the front due to pit strategy and luck really. Where were the rest of those Hendrick cars? They are behind, no matter what they say, and until they pull out a dominating performance ,I'm not looking for a Hendrick car to win a cookie cutter unless it's luck. They just dont' have that dominance. Check back with me in the chase, where Chad and Jimmie seem to always get it together, even in Hendrick off years.

Petty Motorsports

These guys are getting sneaky... Ambrose has been running well, so is Allmendinger.. Ambrose has even been running top 5 in the 1.5's this year. The guy has them figured out. I wouldn't be surprised if Ambrose gets a surprise win... but I don't think I'm picking him this week. I'll save him for a road course.

Joe Gibbs Racing

Although Kyle Busch was good in the 600, and Hamlin showed some flares of brilliance, that's about all we've seen from Gibbs this season... a big flash of hope at Richmond, and kind of "Bleh" everywhere else... the inescapable talent of Busch has been pulling the team along.... they haven't really had the domination with a team tehy had with Hamlin last year. They haven't had an engine failure in a while. They seem ot be struggling to keep up with tracks though.

Penske

These guys are really behind, no matter what they say. It took gutsy calls and a lot of good drivers out of the race to get them to the good finishes they had in the All-Star Open, All Star, and 600 last week. This isn't really a track you think about when you think Kurt Busch either.

Michael Waltrip Racing

I probably shoudl quit talking about them.... getting tired of your singing, Truex.

Stewart-Haas

Even in bad years, Stewart has run well here. He ran well at Las Vegas and a tire call really cost him that one. Although he hasn't been all that hot this year, he might just pull something out of the bag for Kansas. This type of track really suits him for whatever his reason. I woudln't be surprised if we saw Stewart win... he's another mid west guy, albeit from Indiana. However, the thing about him is that he's a Hendrick satelite team... and you can refer to what I said about Hendrick. He might figure something out for them though... kind of like how Petty figured some stuff out for Roush. Don't worry too much about Newman... he's been in the 20's a lot at this place. Joey Logano will probably put him in a wall or something.

Whitney Motorsports

I had to look up what this team was named. I am convinced that JJ Yeley will make it all the way to 39th position this week in that Red Line Oil Chevrolet. I think Red Line shoudl be ashamed to have their name on this car.

My Picks

I'm going with the home boys....

1) Carl Edwards
2) Clint Bowyer

Plus, the guy who is solid here...

3) Greg Biffle


Happy picking guys... enjoy Kansas.

 

You guys are getting good at doing this at the end... it's Thursday afternoon and we have no picks in!

 

Hi `Duane,
I just don't know who I'm going to Guess for Sunday's Race.
I haven't been doing to good on my picks this year
I will post my picks b-4 the Race...Thanks for your dedication to the MCF NASCAR Racing Contest....
Is it skill or Luck or Both ? In Racing & it picking the TOP three ?
Picking favorites
Are there clear-cut favorites yet for the Cup title? Does Kansas offer a "home track" advantage? Who will make a greater impact at Chicago: Trevor Bayne or Danica Patrick? Let's Smack.

 

NASCAR has actually made a decision I like.. they have changed how they order qualifying. The guaranteed cars used to go first, followed by the "go or go home" drivers... the go or go homers got the the track at the prime conditions, traditionally. Now the qualifying order is set by practice speed, with the faster cars getting the track later, and the go or go home cars hitting the track whenever they fall in line. I'm happy with that.

 

Harvick
hamlin
Kyle Busch

 

I don't see the need to change the rule regarding qualifying order. There is a good reason go-or-go homers go last. 2 years ago go-or-go homer Patrick Carpentier had qualified the #10 GEM car on the pole and with something like 2 cars left to qualify, the skies opened up. If even 1 car can't get qualifying in because of rain, the thing is scrapped and the field was set by point. Carpentier didn't even make the field and NASCAR recognized that that wasn't right. So they made the go-or-go homers last so they were less likely to feel the heartbreak. They suck at qualifying anyways

 

Getting them in finally.
1. Kenseth
2. Harvick
3. Edwards
Not usually a Ford kind of guy but I am not picking who I would like to win. I want the points lead as Duane said to go with my MOTM award. LOL
Only 10 posts away from big 1000.

 

Just because you're picking 2 Ford's, Jerry, the Ford engine guys will probably go home with a box of bent valves or something.

 

No doubt and instead of taking the points lead, I will drop 5 spots.

 

I can't recall an exciting Kansas race. I guess Kansas isn't supposed to be exciting. Should be a Ford show.

1. Carl Edwards
2. Matt Kenseth
3. Greg B if...............NO!

Im not over Charlotte yet! Inspite what Junior said post race, the 88 was posting fastest laps on the track all night long! He did race his way into that spot (after qualifying 25th), he didn't luck in. His pit stops were long as they took extra fuel. And they did not make the wrong pit call to finish either. Fact is, in that scenario the race is always won by some guy who didn't pit and took the chance. He saved his fuel and got closer then anyone else did legally and Harvick got him by not stopping either. Junior was going for the win and his bad luck landed him in 7th. I have a name for someone who's bad day is a 7th place finish: Champion! That's how Jimmie has won the last 5.
Watching Junior's post race comments online (at Charlotte the screaming fans were way to loud to hear a thing he said) I realized he's still good. That loss really got under my skin, but not his. I was afraid he'd be broken (he's took the Martinsville loss a little hard I thought). But he's still confident and my faith now stronger then ever before.

So its
1. Dale Jr.
2. Carl Edwards
3. Matt Kenseth

last: McDowell
1st caution: Peblo
5 cautions

105 race winless streak, and Nascar ranks him 3rd in the Power Rankings, ahead of Jimmie Johnson! Seems anti-climatic to break the streak in Kansas...