Fantasy Preview: Talladega 5/3

This weekend, the Sprint Cup Series heads to Talladega for the first restrictor-plate race since the season-opening Daytona 500.

Tier A
Dale Earnhardt Jr.

Photo courtesy Chris Trotman/Getty Images

Earnhardt won the Daytona 500, so he should be strong at the other restrictor-plate track on the schedule.  Earnhardt used to be extremely good at Talladega, but he hasn't won there since 2004.  He did finish second in the last trip there in the fall, so look for Earnhardt to be strong this weekend.

Bench:
Kevin Harvick

Tier B
Greg Biffle
Biffle has been strong during restrictor-plate races, and he finished eighth in the Daytona 500.  Dating back to 2011, Biffle has finished in the Top 15 in every race at Talladega, with the exception of this race last year when he finished 36th.

Tony Stewart
Stewart is always a threat to win at any restrictor-plate track, and he is definitely due for a victory.  Though he has never won the Daytona 500, he is always strong at Talladega, and almost won last year before taking out the entire field.  He is definitely hungry for a win, so I expect him to run well this weekend.

Bench:
Paul Menard
Ryan Newman

Tier C
Michael Waltrip
Waltrip almost pulled off a major upset last year, and I wouldn't be surprised if he does it again this year.  I usually stick with Waltrip as a fantasy pick for restrictor-plate tracks because those are the only races he's in the car and it's a solid pick.  I look for him to finish in the Top 10 this weekend.

Bench:
Austin Dillon

My pick to win the Aaron's 499: Tony Stewart

Photo courtesy Patrick Smith/Getty Images

That's all for this week!  Leave a comment below with who you're picking this weekend, and be sure to catch the Aaron's 499 this Sunday from Talladega Superspeedway at 1:00 p.m. EST, only on FOX.

Ambrose v. Mears: My Take

I’ll start by saying I didn’t see the race at Richmond on Saturday.  I was in Providence, RI for the ECA Convention as part of the social media team from Slippery Rock University.

If you did watch it, you’ll know there was a fight in the garage between Marcos Ambrose and Casey Mears following the race.  I’m not sure what the reason for the fight was, but all I know is that NASCAR should not punish either of the drivers too harshly.

Photo courtesy Tom Pennington/Getty Images

Ambrose punched Mears in the face, and it looked like a pretty good hit.  But we all know that NASCAR is going to use it in their advertisements in the future.  Did anyone notice how similar it looked to Cale Yarborough and Donnie Allison?  

NASCAR wants to let drivers do their thing, but they don’t want them to go too far.  What Ambrose did crossed a line.  You can’t just turn the Sprint Cup garage into Fight Club.  

Fans love short track racing because it leads to fights in the infield.  Fans love to see the drivers show their true emotions after the race has finished.  NASCAR knows what the fans like (sometimes) and uses stuff like this during their ad campaigns on a regular basis.  

But if they decide to punish Ambrose or Mears, they need to be more lenient than they have been in the past.  NASCAR will surely use the “actions detrimental to stock car racing” defense, but if they continually use it in marketing materials it sends mixed messages.

What Ambrose and Mears did was a lot safer than what some other drivers have done.  Remember when Carl Edwards and Brad Keselowski had their feud?  It’s amazing they both didn’t get killed.  They fought each other in their cars, which is not only dangerous to those driving, but also everyone around them.

We could talk about this forever and not solve anything.  But if NASCAR wanted to stop their free fall in attendance and ratings, they would let the drivers retaliate against one another off the track.  A couple shoves?  All good.  A slap in the face?  Bring it on.  But a punch to the face just can’t be ignored, and understandably deserves punishment.  I just hope NASCAR looks at this and doesn’t punish them too harshly.

During a Rookie Season, There is a Learning Curve for Fans

Originally written for Drafting the Circuits.

On a baseball team, players change pretty frequently.  Unless they’ve been locked down to a long-term contract, your favorite player could end up playing for your team’s bitter rival by next week.  Now you must make the decision whether you’ll root for your favorite player or your favorite team.

NASCAR is different.  A driver usually stays with their team for a long time.  Jeff Gordon will always be with Hendrick Motorsports, as will Jimmie Johnson.  Some drivers move around a lot, like AJ Allmendinger and Mark Martin.  But every year, only a few drivers retire, and even then they normally only semi-retire.  But what do you do when your favorite driver actually retires and you don’t see them at the track?

Photo courtesy Brian Lawdermilk/Getty Images

This is the question I had to ask myself after the 2013 season.  After being a Mark Martin fan since I began watching NASCAR in 2002, I realized that after years of partial schedules I would have to find a new favorite driver to cheer for.

I decided to pick Austin Dillon, because I had been following him since he began his Truck Series career.  After watching him win championships in the Truck and Nationwide series, I figured he would be a great driver to follow into the future.

But one thing I never thought of was having to measure expectations.  When Mark Martin was in the car, I knew he was a threat to win every weekend.  Even if he didn’t have a good car, he had the capability to dial the car in just enough to be competitive.

But Austin Dillon is a rookie, and I’ve had to realize that he won’t be able to win every weekend.  I’ve had to settle with a “good finish” in the top 20.  With Mark, I would be pretty upset if he didn’t finish in the top 10.  

I’ve enjoyed listening to Austin on the radio every weekend.  It’s been pretty interesting listening to his team work to find out what he needs to drive the car and get it to the front.

This year has been interesting so far, and I just wanted to use the first off-week to reflect on the season.  It’s been exciting to see him get the finishes that he’s gotten, and I’m glad that I picked a pretty good rookie.  

I’m not sure if he’ll win the Rookie of the Year since Kyle Larson has been running so well, but it will be fun to watch them race for the rest of the year.  I wouldn’t be surprised if he got a win before the end of the season.  Until that happens, I’ll have to continue to manage expectations and be happy with where he finishes.

Fantasy Preview: Richmond 4/26

This week, the Sprint Cup Series is back and under the lights at Richmond International Speedway.  Below, I'll tell you who I think will be strong this weekend.

Tier A

Photo courtesy Sean Gardner/Getty Images

Clint Bowyer
Bowyer is usually strong at the short tracks like Richmond, and I expect that to continue this weekend.  He finished second in this race last season, and he already has two victories at the track.  I expect him to be strong this weekend.

Bench:
Kasey Kahne

Tier B
Brian Vickers
Vickers was strong at Bristol this year, and these two tracks are pretty similar (at least a lot more similar than Bristol and Martinsville).  Vickers ran strong here last season, but finished 35th following a crash while filling in for Denny Hamlin.  I think he should be strong this week.

Carl Edwards
Going off the similarities to Bristol, Edwards should be strong here.  He won at Bristol earlier this year, and he won the last race at Richmond back in the fall.  I wouldn't be surprised if he ends this race with a victory backflip.

Bench:
Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
Martin Truex Jr.

Tier C
Danica Patrick
Patrick had an average finish of 29.5 last season at Richmond, but she did finish 18th at Bristol earlier this year.  The drivers in Tier C (with the exception of Austin Dillon and Kyle Larson) are usually pretty rough, and most times I just hope for a top 25 finish out of them.

Bench:
Landon Cassill

My pick to win the Toyota Owners 400: Carl Edwards

Carl Edwards celebrates his victory earlier this year at Bristol. Could he return to Victory Lane in Richmond?

That's all for this week!  Comment below with who you're starting this week.  Be sure to watch the Toyota Owners 400 from Richmond on Saturday at 7:00 p.m. EST on FOX.

Vote Raymond Parks

Imagine a Hall of Fame without Babe Ruth or Vince Lombardi; without Wayne Gretzky or Michael Jordan.  Imagine a Hall of Fame without the people who helped build a sport and change the landscape of those sports forever.

This is the problem that faces the NASCAR Hall of Fame.  The NASCAR Hall of Fame has a long list of great people who helped shape the sport, including Bill France Sr., Dale Earnhardt and Richard Petty.  But one person the Hall of Fame is missing is Raymond Parks.

NASCAR was built by men who ran moonshine in the south during the prohibition era.  One of the men who made money off this was Raymond Parks.

Parks made a name for himself throughout Atlanta throughout numerous business ventures, but he had an immense impact on the sport of NASCAR.

Parks was part of the group that founded NASCAR with Bill France Sr. at the Streamline Hotel in 1947.  He also became the first championship car owner when Red Byron won the Grand National Championship (now the Sprint Cup Series) in NASCAR's inaugural season in 1948.

Parks retired in the mid-1950s, saying, "I loved racing and I loved winning, but it was costing too much money.  I had to start making a living."

But Parks left a big legacy once he left the sport.  His drivers included Bob Flock, Roy Hall and Curtis Turner.  He also teamed with legendary mechanic Red Vogt during his first NASCAR season.

What Parks did after his retirement may have been even more important for the sport.  Colleagues noticed frequent transactions between Parks and France that helped NASCAR through a few rough financial spots early on in NASCAR's history.  Simply put: without Raymond Parks, NASCAR might not still be around.

Many NASCAR fans don't know who Parks is or why he was so important to the history of the sport.  Until his death on June 20, 2010, he was the only person who had witnessed all of NASCAR's history.

You can vote for Parks by heading to the NASCAR Hall of Fame's website before voting closes on May 20, 2014.

At a reception for the inaugural Hall of Fame class in 2010, Mike Helton said Parks was "the heart and soul or spirit that got NASCAR started."  Let's help make Parks become the heart and soul of the NASCAR Hall of Fame.

Kevin Harvick Wins the Southern 500 at Darlington

Originally written for CLNS Radio.

Kevin Harvick locked up his spot in the Chase for the Sprint Cup with a win in the Bojangles’ Southern 500 from Darlington Raceway on Saturday night.

Harvick had the most dominant car on Saturday night, and showed it early and often.  He won the pole on Friday, and led 239 of 374 laps on Saturday night.

Photo courtesy NASCAR via Getty Images

The win was Harvick’s second of the season, effectively locking him into the Chase for the Sprint Cup.  That was good news for Harvick, who has struggled with mechanical problems in the past few weeks.

“We had to overcome a lot over the last several weeks,” Harvick said in victory lane.  “We’ve kept our heads down and kept doing what we had to do.”

When the green flag fell, Joey Logano jumped out to the lead after starting on the inside of Harvick.  Harvick quickly learned his lesson, however, and he restarted on the inside following the first caution on lap 41.  He took the lead away from Jeff Gordon, and held on to the top spot until the next caution came out on lap 59.

Joe Gibbs Racing teammates Matt Kenseth and Denny Hamlin used pit strategy to get up front, and they restarted on the front row following the caution.  It only took 10 laps for Harvick to chase down Kenseth for the lead, and he led over the next two caution periods, for a span of over 100 laps.

Kasey Kahne had to make an early pit stop during a long green-flag run, and he was able to gain a lot of time on the leaders with his fresh tires.  When the stops cycled around, Kahne led Harvick by over five seconds.  

Harvick took the lead back following another restart on lap 208.

After Aric Almirola spun to bring out the caution on lap 222, Brian Vickers and Ryan Newman took two tires to get to the front of the field.  They were able to hold off Harvick on the following restart, and a caution 20 laps later reset the field again.

On the next restart, Harvick was able to drive around Vickers for the lead, and he held on until lap 358, when Logano got into the wall to bring out the caution.

Jimmie Johnson only took two tires during the caution period, and he led the field into Turn 1 on lap 363.  He was able to hold off the leaders until the caution came out for debris with just three laps to go.

On the next restart, Harvick pushed Dale Earnhardt Jr. to the lead.  Earnhardt was headed into Turn 3 when the caution came out again for a spin by Kurt Busch.  Busch had made contact with Clint Bowyer, and showed his displeasure by glaring at the No. 15 as it drove by.

On the final restart, Earnhardt jumped out to the lead, but was caught by Harvick coming down the backstretch.  Harvick drove around Earnhardt coming out of Turn 4 and took the checkered flag for his 25th career victory.

Here are the unofficial results:

1. Kevin Harvick

2. Dale Earnhardt Jr.

3. Jimmie Johnson

4. Matt Kenseth

5. Greg Biffle

6. Kyle Busch

7. Jeff Gordon

8. Kyle Larson

9. Tony Stewart

10. Ryan Newman

11. Austin Dillon

12. Clint Bowyer

13. Carl Edwards

14. Marcos Ambrose

15. AJ Allmendinger

16. Jamie McMurray

17. Brad Keselowski

18. Casey Mears

19. Denny Hamlin

20. Ricky Stenhouse Jr.

21. Josh Wise

22. Danica Patrick

23. Just Allgaier

24. Aric Almirola

25. Landon Cassill

26. Brian Vickers

27. Martin Truex Jr.

28. David Gilliland

29. Alex Bowman

30. Parker Kligerman

31. Kurt Busch

32. David Ragan

33. Travis Kvapil

34. Joe Nemechek

35. Joey Logano

36. David Stremme

37. Kasey Kahne

38. Cole Whitt

39. Reed Sorenson

40. Ryan Truex

41. Paul Menard

42. Michael Annett

43. Dave Blaney

The Sprint Cup Series will return to action on April 26 for another Saturday night race under the lights.  The Toyota Owners 400 from Richmond International Raceway can be seen at 7:00 p.m., only on FOX.

Harvick celebrates in victory lane. (Photo courtesy NASCAR via Getty Images)

Fantasy Preview: Darlington 4/12

This week, the Sprint Cup Series heads to the Lady in Black, Darlington Raceway.  Read on to find out which drivers I'm starting on my fantasy team this weekend!

Tier A
Kyle Busch

Photo courtesy Chris Trotman/Getty Images

Darlington is a good track for Kyle Busch.  It's a track where you can run right next to the wall, get into it a little bit and keep racing.  Busch is always one of the first drivers to get a Darlington Stripe, but that shouldn't slow him down.  I always think of his victory in the 2008 race at Darlington, when he drove an Indiana Jones car and completely flattened the right side.  Too bad that only made his car go faster.

Bench:
Clint Bowyer

Tier B
Tony Stewart
I was surprised Tony Stewart ran so well at Texas.  I think that team is starting to turn the corner, and I think he should run well at Darlington.  A strong run at this track will help that team build even more confidence heading towards the summer months.

Greg Biffle
Greg Biffle is always strong at Darlington, and I think he'll run well this weekend.  That team just seems to be missing something, but I expect them to find it this weekend, or at least come close.  Biffle knows how to get around Darlington, and he should run well this weekend.

Bench:
Carl Edwards
Brad Keselowski

Tier C
Michael Annett
Honestly, I'm just picking Annett because I can't keep using Austin Dillon and Kyle Larson every weekend.  He's shown a few flashes (and by that, I mean he's run in the top 20 a few times).  He finished 26th at Bristol, which is the closest thing on the schedule to Darlington.  Expect him to run around the same place this weekend.

Bench:
Danica Patrick

My pick to win the Bojangles' Southern 500: Kyle Busch

Kyle Busch celebrates his victory earlier this season at Auto Club Speedway. (Photo courtesy Brian Lawdermilk/Getty Images)

That's all for this week's fantasy preview!  Check back next week for my race recap, and be sure to comment below with who you're picking this weekend!