Points and Congratulatory Remarks

Congrats to zJerry on an impressive Daytona win, his 2nd win in teh last 4 races!

This is an exciting race to me as we will have a Segment 2 champion when this thing is over!! Two races ago, zJerry was 37 points out and not looking like a contendor at all.... he is now 8 points and has won 2 of the last 4 races!!!!

Here are the SEGMENT 2 Points.



1) 77GP 771 Leader
2) montecarlo3831 767 -4
3) zjerry 763 -8
4) JuniorCar 751 -20
5) lougreen03 748 -23
6) RocknSS04 710 -61
7) KidSpace 706 -65
8) Cowboy6622 700 -71
9) SilverStar 215
10) BocaReject 201
11) nichols2k 97

There are five people who could reasonably come out of Kentucky with a Segment win....

Overall standings... more people are interested in this, but with a segment, Ithink the precedence goes to that race this weekend.

1) 77GP 1674 Leader
2) JuniorCar 1661 -13
3) montecarlo3831 1636 -38
4) RocknSS04 1626 -48
5) Cowboy6622 1619 -55
6) lougreen03 1540 - 124
7) KidSpace 1523 -141
8) zjerry 1508 -156
9) BocaReject 1009
10) carlm54sl 374
11) silverfish 215
12) 03JGMonte 154
13) nichols2k 97
14) Nocturnx 85
15) odessadude 73
16) dustybird3 34



Track History

This track struggled and struggled to get on the schedule... it was a test track for years. Unfortuantly, I have no Torino history to bore you with this week.... but Indy is coming up soon.

Who to Look Out For This Week?

It's a new track, so we don't know who is the dominate force yet...

I personally think the Nationwide Series drivers are the ones to look out for. Guys like Kyle Busch, Carl Edwards, Kevin Harvick, Clint Bowyer, and yes, even Joey Logano, who has won a few races at this track on the Nationwide side, will be guys to look out for since they know a lot about racing at this place. However, a lot of guys tested here years ago and know how to get around the place none the less.

The track looks a lot like Las Vegas, Kansas, and Chicagoland... just what we needed was another one of those tracks on the schedule... terrific.

Hendrick Motorsports

The last 1.5 was Charlottte. Right now, the Hendrick guys are like 7-8-9, and I think that is more reflective of their season than when they had 2 guys 2-3rd in points. They've been good but not great all year.... yet Jr. had something going at Charlotte, so maybe the Hendrick boys figure it out all out this week.

The Blue Grass state seems like a good Jr. nation track for him to crack that old winless streak at too.

As far as the rest go.... I'd say expect the average... contendors and maybe winners, pick them at your own risk.

Childress

I think Harvick has a bit of a leg up since he has run here on the Nationwide side, as well as Clint Bowyer. I don't see Burton's luck turning around, although it very well could, and Paul Meanrd will probably return to plug status... not looking for him to return to the type of finish he had at Daytona. However, he did run well at Texas and Las Vegas this year.... hmm

Joe Gibbs Racing

I think the sleeper this week could be Joey Logano.. he had excellent luck here on the Nationwide side, although his luck this year has been lackluster. He own the Nationwide at Daytona and 3rd in the cup race, so maybe he and Greg Zippy are getting things together. The Toyota drivers seem stronger the last couple of weeks, so maybe Joey finally gets his first REAL win that isn't on a rain delay.

More seriuosly though, I think Kyle Busch could be a guy to look out for since he has more experience actually racing here.

Roush Fenway

Matt Kenseth has had the fastest car so many times on the 1 mile and 1.5 miles this year. I think he will be a major contendor this week for that reason.

Carl Edwards has raced here and he is hot this year... I think he wants the points lead back.

Greg Biffle's bread and butter, just like Roush Racing, is the 1.5s. I'd look out for him this week.

David Ragan might be a contendor.. he was at Texas and I think Las Vegas.

Red Bull

Kahne has been surprisingly a contendor this year.. .hard to say what he might do this week though. Vickers better be driving his @$$ off to try to get a win in and keep a job going.

Petty Motorsports

The Ford team has shown promise on the 1.5's... Ambrose might get that first win as he was a contendor on several of these tracks early in the year. Allmendinger I'm not too sure about though....

My Picks

I might edit them... but anyways, my initial thoughts....

1) Kyle Busch
2) Carl Edwards
3) Matt Kenseth

 

Thanks Duane , Glad I picked the ones I did ...

 

It's hards to look forward to this one. All the Nationwide races here have sucked, so I don't know why they added it to the Sprint Cup circuit

 

Disagreeing with the posting above. Paul Menard has a great chance on winning his first Sprint cup race. I feel its not so much what he favors any more. He has a great team and has grown a lot in this last year of racing.
He seems to get better every race. I had the same feelings about him two years ago. Daddy's boy getting spoiled. Not true. This guy can drive. I feel soon to be a champion in the Sprint cup circuit.


GO 14!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

I'm pensive.. My mans on top of the points (#29) race and I think that will motivate him to run well and he has the experience here, but alas... he doesn't seem to stay in the points lead for long when he's there.. So I don't know which way to go.... He's a closer so i'm going for....

1) Kevin Harvick
2) Jeff gordon (I used to be a gordon hater, but I'm rootin' for him this year... Jimmie needs the refresher course in losing... I'm a chad knaus fan for sure!)
3) I wanna go odd ball here... so lets say.... Matt Kenseth

( i can edit later too?)

 

I think I will wait later to make mine.

 

Don't be so quick to judge Harvick... he took the points lead after race 10 last year, and I remember him saying that he was ahead after the first 10 races, and didn't see any reason not to be ahead after the last 10.... he held the points lead until this atrocious Chase system took it from him after race 26.

Glad to see a new face popping in.... I'd love for you guys to give me more work after these races!

 

I still agree with Cowboy on Menard. He has cost Childress more then he has given them. This time last year there was 3 Childress cars in the Chase - all the Childress cars. Granted this problem doesn't have to be specific to Menard - the same happened when they spreaded themselves to thin with the plug Casey Mears. But at least Mears had previously won races so he seemed like a better gamble IMO. Menard has buried 2 race teams now who invested too much in him for his sponsor money (DEI and GEM). Menard will never be a Sprint Cup champion and will need to be incredibly lucky to ever even make the Chase. Lucky for him, Harvick has some pretty big coat tails!

I hope I'm not coming off as too brash and apologize if I am. I enjoy these conversations and am thrilled to have new members joining in - even the Kyle Busch fans! I don't want to run anyone off

 

You are allowed to edit up until 1 hour before race time, and we're not even picky about that. Before the green flag drops at least...

 

I know I can always depend on Brent, my partner in half-baked opinions, to back me up 50% of the time.


I do say 1 hour before the race because if I said before the green flag, then pepole would try to get in on lap 5, lap 10, lap 15.... not happening buddy. I say 1 hour so I can let you slide with 30 minutes, 15 minutes, whatever..... but if those engines are cranked, nope.... you're not in. That's the absolute hard line. If a guys car won't crank, you already know not to pick him.