TOP 10: RESTRICTOR PLATE TRACKS
Top 10 on Restrictor Plate tracks, Wednesday look for our Top 10 Teams, Thursday look for our Top 30 rankings for Sunday’s Alabama 500 from Talladega Super Speedway.
TOP 10: RESTRICTOR PLATE TRACKS
Top 10 on Restrictor Plate tracks, Wednesday look for our Top 10 Teams, Thursday look for our Top 30 rankings for Sunday’s Alabama 500 from Talladega Super Speedway.
Ever since the last lap at the Coke Zero 400 drivers have had this date circled on their calendars and etched in their minds. Talladega Superspeedway is the sixth race in the Chase for the Sprint Cup and the last of four restrictor plate races for the year. A restrictor plate regulates how much air gets into an engine and therefore restricts or limits how fast it can go. They are only used at two tracks: here and Daytona. Hendrick Motorsports has the most wins in the last ten years with five victories. In fact Chevy has won 50% of the races here in the last ten years. But more recently in the last six races we have seen three Fords, two Chevys and a Toyota in victory circle. Drivers fear these races because it forces them to run very close together because the speeds are limited. This is the biggest track on the circuit and that often times leads to the biggest wrecks at any track. Drivers are all waiting for “The Big One” – a wreck that can take out one car or quite possibly half the field. When the cars get bunched up like they do here it only takes one car getting loose to start a huge chain reaction pile up. With only four races left in the Chase for the Cup no one wants to get caught up in someone else’s mistake or misfortune. Many times drivers who know each other will move thru traffic on the track together, nose to tail -“drafting” – and with a championship just four races away it will be interesting to see if old alliances stay intact due to team loyalties or if new ones are formed with drivers wanting to hook up with others they think can take them farther. Adding to the pressure we’ll see four drivers get eliminated from the Chase. Drivers Austin Dillion, Denny Hamlin, Brad Keselowski and Chase Elliott are on the bottom of the points rankings and need a win to stay in the Chase or a great deal of bad luck on the part of other drivers. Who stays in the Chase? We’ll know on Sunday.
Tuesday look for our Top 10 Drivers by Track Type.
HOLLYWOOD CASINO 400
My #5 driver won on the old surface and the new surface, #48 Jimmie Johnson. Jimmie won on the old surface in 2008 and again in 2011 in the fall. He got his last win in the early race last year. Those three wins make him the winning-est current driver here. He did that in 20 starts and has eight Top 5’s. Jimmie is fresh off his win in Charlotte, he stays in the Chase till Phoenix. He’ll be racing like he has nothing to lose because he doesn’t.
The #4 driver to watch is the most recent winner here, #18 Kyle Busch. Kyle has 17 starts, that win and three Top 5’s. Those stats may not sound so good, but those Top 5’s came in the last three races. Three straight Top 5’s with a win – he’s just getting better here.
My #3 driver has the #1 average for me here in the sunflower state, #20 Matt Kenseth. Matt has 21 starts, two wins and seven Top 5’s. Matt has 12 straight Top 15’s here including the last eight on the new surface. He won the first two races on the new surface and that confidence and a little desperation could drive him to the front. Matt is also rated #4 for me on tracks like this.
My #2 driver is the defending champion of this race, #22 Joey Logano. In fact, Joey in fact won the last two fall races here. Joey has 14 starts, those wins and five Top 5’s. Those five Top 5’s all came in the last six races here. He is #2 rated on tracks like this.
My #1 driver to watch won this race three years ago, #4 Kevin Harvick. Kevin is the #14 hottest driver over the last six weeks with a few runs of bad fortune. Kevin has 21 starts, that win, and five Top 5’s. Four of those Top 5’s came in the last six stops here – one reason he has the #2 average finish.
Monday look for our preview of the Alabama 500 from Talladega.
Hollywood Casino 400 from KANSAS
Friday we break down the Top 5 drivers to watch in the Hollywood Casino 400.
TOP 10 TEAMS POST CHARLOTTE
For the second week we find Furniture Row Racing at #1. Team Penske hold in the #2 spot. Joe Gibbs Racing can’t seem to muster their Toyota power to move up where they have been most of the season in the #1 or #2 spot. Hendrick Motorsports get the win in Charlotte and advance a place to #4. Stewart Haas Racing slip a place to #5. Chip Ganassi Racing and Richard Childress Racing remain stuck just outside of the Top 5. JTG Racing continue to impress moving up a place to #8. Wood Brothers Racing slip back a place to #9 and finally we have Roush Fenway Racing staying in the Top 10 at #10.
These are the Top 10 Teams, Thursday look for our Top 30 drivers at Kansas.
TOP 10: DOWNFORCE TRACKS
Top 10 drivers on Downforce tracks, Thursday look for our Top 30 for Sunday’s Hollywood Casino 400 from Kansas Speedway.
Kansas hosted their first race in 2001. This is the sixth year Kansas will host two races. There have been 13 different winners in 21 races here, Jeff Gordon, Jimmie Johnson, Greg Biffle, Matt Kenseth, Joey Logano and Tony Stewart being the repeat winners. Chase drivers Kevin Harvick, Denny Hamlin, and Kyle Busch have found victory lane once each. Hendrick Motorsports has won six races here and Roush Fenway Racing, Joe Gibbs Racing and Team Penske have each won four races. But the Hendrick Motor shop has a combined eight wins making them the motor here. Who will lock into the Chase and into the next round and what team will dominate? We’ll know on Sunday.
Tuesday look for our Top 10 Drivers by track type. Thursday we rank the Top 30 drivers for the Hollywood Casino 400 from Kansas Speedway.
BANK of AMERICA 500:Charlotte Top 5 Drivers
My #5 driver is the winning-est driver here, #48 Jimmie Johnson. Jimmie has 36 starts, seven wins and 14 Top 5’s. Outstanding stats. But the question is, which Jimmie shows up? The one who finished third here in May or the Jimmie that finished 39th in this race last year? Jimmie is 11th hottest over the last six races.
My #4 driver is the defending champion of this race, #22 Joey Logano. Joey has just 15 starts, that win and five Top 5’s. He is #3 on intermediate tracks and #4 hottest over the last six weeks.
My #3 driver to watch has the most Top 5’s this year of any driver, #2 Brad Keselowski. At this track, Brad has 14 starts, one win and three Top 5’s. With 15 Top 5 finishes this year, getting one in the Queen City should be no exception. He is #2 hottest over the last six weeks and #2 ranked for me on intermediate tracks.
The #2 pick is a driver with the #1 average finish here, #4 Kevin Harvick. Kevin has 31 starts, three wins and just seven Top 5’s. Four of his Top 5’s came in the last five races – in fact his last seven races were all Top 10’s. Two of his three wins came in that streak. He is ranked #1 on tracks like this.
My #1 driver to watch is the most recent winner here, #78 Martin Truex. Martin won here in May in a commanding fashion. That was his first win in 22 starts plus a total of just three Top 5’s. Martin got those three Top 5’s in his last three races. He is #1 hottest over the last six races, don’t look for him to cool down here.
Monday we preview the Hollywood Casinos 400 from Kansas.
BANK of AMERICA 500:CHARLOTTE
Here are our Top 30 drivers for Saturday’s race. Friday we’ll break down the Top 5.
The Race Dr. 