TOP 30 DRIVERS

BOJANGLES SOUTHERN 500 from DARLINGTON

 

1. KEVIN HARVICK #4
2. KYLE BUSCH #18
3. MATT KENSETH #20
4. KYLE LARSON #42
5. MARTIN TRUEX #78
6. DENNY HAMLIN #11
7. BRAD KESELOWSKI #2
8. RYAN NEWMAN #31
9. JAMIE MCMURRAY #1
10. ERIK JONES #77
11. DALE EARNHARDT JR #88
12. JIMMIE JOHNSON #48
13. CLINT BOWYER #14
14. JOEY LOGANO #22
15. CHASE ELLIOTT #24
16. KURT BUSCH #41
17. DANIEL SUAREZ #19
18. RYAN BLANEY #21
19. KASEY KAHNE #5
20. AUSTIN DILLON #3
21. CHRIS BUESCHER #37
22. A. J. ALLMENDINGER #47
23. RICKEY STENHOUSE #17
24. ARIC ALMIROLA #43
25. PAUL MENARD #27
26. DANICA PATRICK #10
27. TREVOR BAYNE #6
28. TY DILLON #13
29. MATT DIBENEDETTO #32
30. MICHAEL MCDOWELL #95

 

 

Friday we break down the Top 5 drivers to watch.

TOP TEN TEAMS

TOP 10 TEAMS POST BRISTOL

1. JOE GIBBS RACING (LW #2)
2. FURNITURE ROW RACING (LW #1)
3. CHIP GANASSI RACING (LW #3)
4. STEWART HAAS RACING (LW #5)
5. TEAM PENSKE (LW #4)
6. WOOD BROTHERS RACING (LW #6)
7. HENDRICK MOTORSPORTS (LW #7)
8. ROUSH FENWAY RACING (LW #8)
9. JTG RACING (LW #9)
10. RICHARD CHILDRESS RACING (LW #10)

 

Red hot Joe Gibbs Racing return to the top spot after sitting out a week. The other Toyota team Furniture Row Racing drop back a place to #2. Chip Ganassi Racing remain in place at #3. Stewart Haas Racing move up a place to #4 and that sends Team Penske back to #5. Wood Brothers Racing remain at #6 this week. Hendrick Motorsports also shows no sign of movement they stay at #7.  Roush Fenway Racing, JTG Racing and Richard Childress Racing all stay put this week.

 

These are the Top 10 Teams, Thursday look for our Top 30 drivers at Darlington.

TOP DRIVERS by TRACK TYPE

TOP 10: INTERMEDIATE TRACKS

1. KEVIN HARVICK #4
2. MARTIN TRUEX #78
3. BRAD KESELOWSKI #2
4. MATT KENSETH #20
5. JIMMIE JOHNSON #48
6. DEAR EARNHARDT JR. #88
7. JOEY LOGANO #22
8. KYLE BUSCH #18
9. RYAN NEWMAN #31
10. KYLE LARSON #42

Top 10 on Intermediate tracks, tomorrow look for our Top 10 team rankings for Sunday’s BOJANGLES SOUTHERN 500 from Darlington Raceway.

 

 

RACE PREVIEW

BOJANGLES SOUTHERN 500
DARLINGTON RACEWAY
SEPTEMBER 3rd, 6:00 PM CHARLOTTE TIME NBCSN TV
1.366 MILES, 25 DEGREES of BANKING in TURNS 1 & 2, 23 DEGREES in TURNS 3 & 4.

Here is a track that could have easily gone the way of the North Carolina Motor Speedway (Rockingham) or the North Wilkesboro Speedway; both of which stopped running NASCAR sanctioned races. Once the home of two races a year, it now just hosts one. In 2003 we saw the last Southern 500 on Labor day weekend. When it went away I thought the days of thunder would be over for this incredible egg-shaped speedway. International Speedway Corp. decided to give this track a chance and kept a race date earlier in the year. Lights were added and we’ve had big crowds even though they added more seats. Why? Better marketing? Lower prices? New amenities? Nope, just great close-up racing under the lights and old school night excitement at the ultimate old school track. It is even better now that we are back on Labor Day weekend. Built in 1950 this track began the Speedway era in NASCAR. Called “the track too tough to tame” it could have also been called “the track with no turn the same” because of disproportionately different east and west turns. Add in a very tight racing groove and pavement that eats tires and you have “the track that is very tough to claim” (victory that is). Most racers find it smarter to race the track than to race the other drivers. Joe Gibbs Racing has four wins in the last ten years and Hendrick Motorsports has three wins in the last ten years but the Hendrick engine shop has four wins and the Toyota/Joe Gibbs Racing motor shop has five wins. Will anyone else challenge the JGR or HMS boys? We’ll find out Saturday night.

Tuesday August 29th look for our Top 10 drivers on Intermediate tracks.

TOP FIVE DRIVERS

 

Bass Pro Shop Night Race from BRISTOL

My #5 won here in 2015, #20 Matt Kenseth. Matt got his fourth in win in April. He has four wins in 35 starts! Not only that he has 21 Top 5’s in those 35 starts.  60% of his starts were Top 5’s! That is very good! He finished 4^th here in the spring race. He is #5 hottest over the last six weeks. His team Joe Gibbs Racing have won eight times in the past ten years, the most of any other team, they know how to get around here.

 

The #4 driver to watch won here in this race in 2015 and the race the year before, #22 Joey Logano. Joey has 17 starts, two wins and four Top 5’s. The four Top 5’s came in the last seven races; he is just getting better here in Thunder Valley. Joey is not locked in at this point for the playoffs, so he will looking to use that Penske power under the hood to power him to victory lane. He is our #1 ranked short track driver.

 

The #3 pick is my second highest rated short track driver, #48 Jimmie Johnson. Jimmie has 29 starts, two wins and 11 Top 5’s. Jimmie won here in the spring locking him into the playoffs. But  he also sits 29^th hottest this week. I think we’ll see him begin get better finishes in the lead up to the playoffs, and there is no better place than one where he has four Top 5’s in his last six stops here.

 

The number #2 driver needs a win or a big points day, #24 Chase Elliott. With no win he has no guarantee of a playoff spot, but he could get in on points. Here in Thunder Valley he has just three starts, no wins and one Top 5 finish. His best finish was a 4^th place finish in his debut here, his worst? 15^th in this race last year, not bad.

 

The number #1 driver to watch won here last year, #4 Kevin Harvick. Kevin has 33 starts, two wins and 12 Top 5’s. Coming in as the defending champion of this gives you a great amount of confidence. In fact three of his last four starts have been Top 5’s, all of his last four were Top 10’s. Kevin is the #3 short track driver and is #3 hottest over the last six weeks.

 

 

 

Monday look for our preview of the Bojangles Southern 500 from Darlington.

TOP 30 POWER RANKINGS

TOP 30 POWER RANKINGS

BASS PRO SHOPS NIGHT RACE-BRISTOL

 

1. KEVIN HARVICK #4
2. CHASE ELLIOTT #24
3. JIMMIE JOHNSON #48
4. JOEY LOGANO #22
5. MATT KENSETH #20
6. JAMIE MCMURRAY #1
7. CLINT BOWYER #14
8. DENNY HAMLIN #11
9. RYAN NEWMAN #31
10. RICKY STENHOUSE #17
11. MARTIN TRUEX #78
12. KURT BUSCH #41
13. BRAD KESELOWSKI #2
14. KYLE LARSON #42
15. ERIK JONES #77
16. AUSTIN DILLON #3
17. TREVOR BAYNE #6
18. DANIEL SUAREZ #19
19. PAUL MENARD #27
20. KYLE BUSCH #18
21. DALE EARNHARDT JR #88
22. RYAN BLANEY #21
23. KASEY KAHNE #5
24. A. J. ALLMENDINGER #47
25. CHRIS BUESCHER #37
26. DANICA PATRICK #10
27. TY DILLION#13
28. MATT DIBENEDETTO #32
29. ARIC ALMIROLA #43
30. MICHAEL MCDOWELL #95

 

 

 

Above the Top 30 drivers for BASS PRO SHOPS Night Race from Bristol Motor Speedway, Friday we’ll break down the Top 5 drivers to watch.

TOP TEN TEAMS

TOP 10 TEAMS POST MICHIGAN

 

1. FURNITURE ROW RACING (LW #2)
2. JOE GIBBS RACING (LW #1)
3. CHIP GANASSI RACING (LW #3)
4. TEAM PENSKE (LW #5)
5. STEWART HAAS RACING (LW #4)

 

6. WOOD BROTHERS RACING (LW #6)
7. HENDRICK MOTORSPORTS (LW #7)
8. ROUSH FENWAY RACING (LW #8)
9. JTG RACING (LW #10)
10. RICHARD CHILDRESS RACING (LW #OFF)

 

Joe Gibbs Racing sat at #1 for the last four weeks, this week we see them slip to #2. Red hot Furniture Row Racing takes the #1 place. Chip Ganassi Racing stay put this week despite the big win. Team Penske moves up a place to #4. Stewart Haas Racing slips back a spot but remains in the Top 5. Wood Brothers Racing stay at #6. A very unsteady Hendrick Motorsports stays at #7. Roush Fenway Racing stay put at #8. JTG Racing move up to #9. Richard Childress Racing return to the Top 10 at #10. Leavine Family Racing drop off the Top 10 list.

 

These are the Top 10 Teams, Thursday look for our Top 30 drivers at Bristol Motor Speedway.

TOP TEN DRIVERS by TRACK TYPE

TOP 10: SHORT TRACK

1. JOEY LOGANO #22
2. JIMMIE JOHNSON #48
3. KEVIN HARVICK #4
4. JAMIE McMURRAY #1
5. DENNY HAMLIN #11
6. BRAD KESELOWSKI #2
7. RYAN NEWMAN #31
8. CLINT BOWYER #14
9. KYLE BUSCH #18
10. CHASE EILLIOTT #24

Top 10 drivers on Short tracks, Thursday look for our Top 30 rankings for Saturday’s BASS PRO SHOPS NRA NIGHT RACE from Bristol Motor Speedway.

RACE PREVIEW

BASS PRO SHOP NRA NIGHT RACE

BRISTOL MOTOR SPEEDWAY

AUGUST 19th, 7:30 ET on NBC

½ MILE, 30 Degrees of Banking

Nothing gives you more drama than 40 cars on a high banked (30 degrees) short half-mile track.  Add to that the fact that drivers only have three chances left to lock into the Top 16 drivers that will race in the playoffs and you have all the action you need on a Saturday night. Bristol Motor Speedway is one of the best places on the circuit to watch a race and when you factor in the implications of this race, it IS one of the best race tickets to get, bar none. 150,000+ lucky fans will be gathered this Saturday in Thunder Valley to watch what the track describes as “racing the way it ought’a be.” And they are right! This is racing the way it should be, especially as the regular season winds down. If there are any simmering tensions out there amongst the drivers, and there are, they may well get settled Saturday night. Tensions that do not currently exist may get established here and have to be resolved later in the season. Short track = short tempers. High banks = short tempers + high anger. This is always a fun race and with championship eligibility on the line, it makes an event not to be missed. And to add to the drama, more work has been done to reduce the “progressive banking” that was added when the track was repaved making it more like the old Bristol. Toyota and Joe Gibbs Racing have won eight races at Bristol in the last ten years. That the most of any team or manufacturer. But Kevin Harvick won here last year in his Stewart Haas Racing Chevrolet and last spring Jimmie Johnson took his Hendrick Motorsports Chevy to a victory. Will someone else upset dominate Joe Gibbs racing, will we lock another driver in the Chase with a win? Who will dominate and who’ll lock into the Chase?  We’ll know Saturday night.

Tuesday look for our Top 10 drivers by track type for week 24 and on Thursday we’ll rank the top 30 drivers.

TOP FIVE DRIVERS

TOP 5 DRIVERS TO WATCH: MICHIGAN INT SPEEDWAY

The #5 driver is a two time former winner here, #11 Denny Hamlin. Denny has 23 starts the two wins and has seven Top 5 finishes. He is also ranked #5 on tracks like this. He finished 4^th here in June.

My #4 pick won here in August of 2010, #4 Kevin Harvick. Kevin has that win in 33 starts and ten Top 5’s. Not the best stats, but along with that 2010 win he has finished second here in five of the last nine races. He is also #2 on Downforce tracks and #5 hottest over the last six weeks.

My #3 driver has never won here, but it is in his backyard, #2 Brad Keselowski. Brad has 16 starts here and five total Top 5 finishes. He finished 3rd here last year and is #3 rated on these lower banked big tracks. If it comes down to a fuel battle Brad is the best there is at a mileage race.

My # 2 choice is a two time former winner here, #22 Joey Logano. Joey took the checkered flag in June of last year he also won in August of 2013. Joey has 17 starts, those two wins, and five Top 5’s. His five Top 5’s though have all come in the last eight races. In fact his last nine races have all been Top 10’s. He is also my #1 rated driver on tracks like this.

My #1 pick has never won here, #24 Chase Elliott. Chase has just three starts, no wins but he has three Top 5’s. In fact he has three second place finishes. Three for three, very good! It is time to get his first win and this is the best and most likely place.

 

Monday look for our preview of the Bass Pro Shops NRA Night Race 500 from Bristol Motor Speedway.