Friday, March 29, 2013

Tweets of the Week: Two Week Martinsville Addition

Early addition of Tweets of the week because, well because Nascar Drivers are just as interesting on off weeks. Clint Bowyers kid turns on him, Harvick goes fishing, a cast member of Workoholics Tweets in, news on Denny and his replacement, and Kyle Busch's wife... Plus more updates coming as we get closer to Martinsville.





















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Thursday, March 28, 2013

Throw Back Thursday: Martinsville

It's Thursday and yet we are over a week away from the next Nascar Sprint Cup Race at Martinsville. So since we have the time, lets take a look back over the past few years at some of the finishes at Martinsville Speedway.

Fall 2012: Last time Nascar was at Martinsville, Fall of last year for one of ten Chase Races. The winner, Jimmie Johnson. Late in the race JJ holds of Kyle Busch to get the win.


Spring 2012: Ryan Newman gets his first and only win of 2012 at Martinsville. Late lap restart has Newman and AJ Allmendinger battling for the win. Too bad Dinger didn't push a little harder for the win, would have been interesting.

Fall 2011: A good finish in 2011, Jimmie Johnson tries to get past Tony Stewart on a late restart, but Smoke hold him off around turn four for the win.
 
 
Spring 2011: Kevin Harvick runs down Dale Earnhardt Jr late in the race and stops Jr from ending his win less streak.
 
Spring 2010: One of the best finishes at Martinsville in recent years. Green White Checkered restart gets everyone in the mix and Denny Hamlin comes out on top.

 
 
That's if for this week. Early next week I will have a Throw Back Tuesday that looks at some more Martinsville Finished in the earlier 2000's. Also check out Twitter for even more updates and follow me. 

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Wednesday, March 27, 2013

Step Into the Ring: Logano

Depending on how this season shakes up, Step Into the Ring will look into current rivalries shaping up in the Nascar Season. First up, Joey Logano and everyone mad at him.

Well, Fontana was well, exciting! The Auto Club 400 had just about everything except Ricky Bobby running around in his whitey tidies thinking he is on fire. A few weeks ago I wrote the article "Boys Have at it." It called for Nascar to step up in the media and create some rivalries that are right in front of them. I was thinking along the lines of Brad Keselowski battling Jimmie Johnson for the top. Guys, this is way better. Now I still think that the media should keep hyping up what they can, because rivalries are part of sports and help any given sport thrive, but what is going on in Nascar right now is pure entertainment. 
Now we don't need to have post race fights every week, and I don't think Nascar should hype up the rivals to the point of that, but rather hyping it up and seeing hard racing like we did between JoLo and Hamlin. Leaving Bristol we had our first big feud of the season, Denny Hamlin and Joey Logano. The former JGR teammates got into is when Hamlin hit JoLo a little too hard and sent Logano spinning to the bottom of the track at Bristol. After the race we had JoLo attempt to go after Hamlin while he was in his car but the teams kept that from escalating. Then the social media world blew up and JoLo went after Hamlin on Twitter. (Find some of it here)
 
Now, back to Fontana. Joey Logano has found himself in another pickle, dealing with Tony Stewart. Tony Stewart got all hot and bothered when JoLo blocked him on the final restart of the race when Smoke had a good run going to the bottom line. This block took both of them almost down to the infield grass. Smoke fell a ways back and finished 22nd while Logano fought, banged, and battled again with Hamlin. The result, Hamlin spinning out into the inside corner wall on turn 4. Logano still finished 3rd. After the race and after everyone caught there breath, Stewart came out of no where and had some thoughts for Logano. 

Now, in my opinion it was JoLo's right to block Stewart, and he also mentioned after the race a few smart comments. He said that if I don't block him I would never get in position to win at the end. Logano is right, he would have lost all track position and never got up to Hamlin to have that finish we all got to take in. At the same time, Joey does seem to be finding himself in the middle of everything right now. Is that a sign of something Logano is doing wrong around other drivers? Does anyone in Nascar like him?
Tony Stewart may not have been a fan of the move by Logano this past Sunday, but he may also have a short memory.
I'm not going to pick sides on any of these rivalries, but this is definitely setting up for a crazy Martinsville. It is also nice to see Nascar not fine someone for speaking his mind. Nascar fans what to know the drivers, know there personalities, and hear them speak up. When it comes down to it, which is more manly, the helmet throw by Tony Stewart or the water bottle by Joey Logano? Tony running his mouth is great for Nascar in my opinion, and just check out the ratings.
That is up 32% and it is during College Basketballs March Madness. Nascar could not have asked for a better start to the season. Denny Hamlin's fine may have been the wrong decision, but it got the Nascar world buzzing again. Denny may have hit Logano a bit harder than he meant, but it got everyone talking on social media about there feud. Tony Stewart may have been in the wrong about blocking him low, but it started another rivalry heading into Martinsville

The only thing that hasn't gone Nascars way is that this is a bye week. This may fizzle out by next week, but if Nascar media does it right they will use this time to hype every story line up. (Hey, did you know Kyle Busch won this past weekend? "That might be a story"). 

Maybe Jeff Gordon and Clint Bowyer can get back into it here, Bowyer hasn't completely forgot about it. Matt Kenseth also wasn't too happy with Greg Biffle when Biffle hit his right rear (at Fontana), could that make noise at Martinsville? And there is always BK and JJ fighting for a title (or will that start to fade with Jr on top of the points?).

So we are coming up on MLB Opening Day, who do you have throwing the first pitch? Joey or Tony?
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Tuesday, March 26, 2013

March Madness Nascar Style: Final Four

On a crazy Sunday in NCAA Basketball where a #15 seed will advance to the Sweet 16 for the first time ever, Nascar had a dramatic finish to the Auto Club 400. Great racing, check. Rivalry battle for the lead, check. Thrown punches, check. New rivalries started, check. Last lap pass for the win, check. As well as a Nascar fan I am also a fan of college basketball. My hometown team the Minnesota Gophers were on, and another team I grew up on the North Carolina Tar Heels were also on, yet I was glued to the race at Fontana.

 
This Nascar addition bracket is just for fun and has no real chance to add any extra drama to this Hollywood movie at Fontana and its a good thing, as Nascar fans we don't rely on it like College basketball does. That's because this past Sunday most of these match ups were blow outs. Lets take a look at the four match ups and the results. Here is a look back at the Elite Eight Article from last week.

5) Kyle Busch v 3) Clint Bowyer
  • Kyle seemed to be in full control of this victory all day long. He lead 125 laps and Bowyer really never had a chance. Bowyer did however have a really solid day, that is until 15 to go when his car gave up on him and he ended up not finishing the race. Kyle Busch is definitely one driver that doesn't want a week off from the Sprint Cup after finishing 4th, 2nd, and 1st.
4) Kasey Kahne v 2) Mark Martin
  • I guess it is only fair that Mark Martin went down this week to Kasey Kahne. That's because Martin got to step out at Bristol and let Brian Vickers get him into the Elite Eight. It was a tough day for Martin anyways, when Gilliland got into him and Martin remarked "something just broke in the car." Kahne meanwhile finished 9th and continued his hot run into the Final Four.
1) Brad Keselowski v 6) Juan Pablo Montoya
  • This is that match up where neither guy deserves to win, but because they got this far someone must go on. BK got the free pass in this race when Montoya went behind the wall to the garage early in the race. BK did have a good run from the back to the front, but at the end of the day he fell all the way back to 23rd.
8) Kurt Busch v 3) Paul Menard
  • The only close match up of the day in Fontana, Kurt Busch came out on top in the closing laps. Both drivers at one point in the Auto Club 400 were a lap down (Kurt a speeding penalty, Menard a cut tire). Both drivers also climbed their way back out of that hole to a top 10 finish. The difference was Kurt Busch's late race restarts that consistently shot him past other drivers for good track position. Kurt is the Cinderella of this Tournament heading into the Final Four and has a chance to fave his brother in the Finals.
So now Nascar takes a one week break during Easter weekend and gets back at it at Martinsville Speedway April 7th. Martinsville will be the track where the Final Four will be held and decide which two drivers move onto Texas Motor Speedway for the Finals. Here is who we have left and there match ups.

5) Kyle Busch v 4) Kasey Kahne
  • This is going to be an exciting match up in the Final Four. Kyle is definitely the hottest driver in Nascar right now. That leaves Kahne a close second. In the past three races you would have to be blind not to notice these guys having an impact.  Martinsville will be a tough place to advance out of because anything can happen. It will be exciting to see who gets out alive.
1) Brad Keselowski v 8) Kurt Busch
  • The only #1 seed left in the bracket faces the only #8 seed left in the bracket. In college basketball this would look like a mismatch at this point in the tournament but heading to Martinsville and anyone has a chance. Kurt and his small team that could is on a heater heading into the break. BK just hit his very first speed bump since becoming the defending Champion. How will either driver react at Martinsville? Whoever stays out of trouble the most may just be the one heading to Texas in the Finals.
Well here we go. A long week off after a race that left Nascar fans wanting more. With it being a long two weeks I will be back to update this throughout the week when we get closer to Martinsville.

Check out the Auto Club 400 Review
Also you can check out the Opening Round brackets,
and the Elite Eight brackets.
Can't get enough of last Sundays week? Check out Tweets of the Race.

Follow me on Twitter for more Nascar Updates.
"Like" the Facebook page Nascar Behind the Wall for even more updates everyday.
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Monday, March 25, 2013

Nascar Pit Road: Week 5

Auto Club Speedway
  
Wow! That doesn't even begin to sum up week 5 in Fontana, CA. Drama so crazy it seemed to be written and sent straight over from nearby Hollywood.  Kyle Busch came away with the win, but is that really what anyone remembers from this race? It is crazy to think the race winner and guy who led the most laps on the day is the background story, but it happened Sunday at Auto Club Speedway. Caution after caution waved and Kyle Busch always seemed to be up front, and when the green waved he would pull away time after time. Then came the final restart, Clint Bowyer spun out with 15 to go, and Nascar Fans saw about 6 different lines to take. Three wide all the way back and Logano got past Kyle, and so did Denny Hamlin. A week after the JoLo and Denny confrontation and their we were with the two "friends" one and two. On the last lap everything broke lose and it looked like Logano just pushed it too hard through the corner and pushed up into Hamlin. Logano bumped him, as a result Hamlin got loose and lost control wrecking both. Logano continued to finish 3rd but Hamlin spun down into the inside of the turn and hit the wall straight on where their was no Safer Barrier. (Still don't understand why Nascar doesn't mandate them every where possible?). The news on Hamlin is still out, last updates it was a back injury but he was stable. (Check back or check my Twitter for updates on his condition).

To start the Nascar season this has to be the race of the season. Even without the Denny v Logano shove fest, the last 15 laps had some of the best racing of the season. It could have been perfectly timed cautions, or that teams are figuring out the Gen 6 cars, but either way it was entertaining.

Joey Logano once again found himself in the middle of everything, and not just with Denny Hamlin, This week Tony Stewart wasn't happy with him. After the race a mini brawl started with the two teams and Tony trying to throw punches but failing to conect. After Tony was asked what got him so hot.
Smoke got blocked by Logano on the final restart in a race Tony had a chance at winning. Smoke was totally in the wrong here, their is no way you just let a guy go with 15 left when you want to win, but non the less it added even more drama in this trip to Fontana.

A few other things came up during the race such as Greg Biffle getting into Jeff Gordon and Matt Kenseth early in the race. Both didn't seem too happy about it.
Past all the drama a few other great story lines happened after Kyle Busch got the win. Dale Earnhardt Jr had another strong race this week. Jr started slow but his team figured it out and he jumped back for another top 5 while taking over first in the points standings. Greg Biffle started in the back of the field and made his way up to 6th. Brad Keselowski also started in the back (Engine) and ran up front most of the day but on the last restart fell way behind and slid to a 23rd place finish which resulted in him giving up first in the standings. Also one last storyline to mention out of many, Kurt Busch and the little team that could mark another top 5 on the season. For race results, check Auto Club 400 2013. Also check back this week for more storyline articles on the blog.
 
 
Rising, Coasting, and Falling drivers after Auto Club Speedway.
 

Risers:
Kurt Busch finished 5th

  • Kurt Busch- Kurt took on a mid race speeding penalty and eventually found himself a lap down. That didn't stop Kurt from getting it back and making moves down the stretch. At one point it looked like he may challenge his Brother for first. That's back to back top 5's for Kurt and his small team and the first time in Furniture Row History that has happened.
  • Joey Logano- JoLo looked good all day. He was constantly up front and around Hamlin (Mostly in front of him). The race really came down to their feud when they found themselves 1 and 2. Joey may have raced a bit too hard and pushed too far up the turn, and it resulted in them both crashing, but what else was he going to do? That is racing and hopefully Hamlin is ok. I was not a fan when JoLo said "He got what he deserved" but I'm hoping it was just emotions and he didn't realize that Denny was taken off via stretcher. **Update Logano didn't know how serious it was and is also hoping Denny is ok.** JoLo said he had to race it hard to hold him off and he just couldn't hold it, said that Denny raced him clean and gave him plenty of room. Past that he had his best finish at Fontana and on the season with a 3rd place.
  • Kyle Busch- Lets just say Fontana has been Kyle's track. Heading into this years race he had lead 231 of 329 of the laps in the past two races. No different this year as he lead 125 of 200 laps and got the win. No one is hotter than Kyle right now with the last 3 races resulting in a 4th, 2nd, and 1st. The Sprint Cup win finished off a weekend sweep after his Nationwide win on Saturday.
  • Honorable mention: Greg Biffle and Jeff Gordon
Coasting:
  • Paul Menard- Menard hit the wall and caused a caution when his tire went down, dropped to 30th, and went a lap down. Menard finished the day 8th. It was that kind of day at Auto Club Speedway. 10th, 9th, 7th in the past 3 weeks, Menard is racing like he wants to finish the season in the top 15.
  • Dale Earnhardt Jr- Hey Kyle won the race! Denny and JoLo got into it again! Tony Stewart is calling for JoLo's head! Oh, and Jr took over first place in the standings. It has to be a drama filled race when the sports most popular driver is the back story. If you are counting that is 5 top 10's and 3 top 5's this season.  One would have to think that Jr should notch a win at some point in the season, one would also think it is coming soon.
  • Kasey Kahne- After his 2nd place finish and then his win at Bristol, Kahne cooled off a bit this week. He still finished a respectable 9th but never really seemed in contention to win. Good job by this team to get points and keep the car on the track.
Falling:
  • Brad Keselowski- BK started the day moving to the back of the pack by replacing an engine. He responded by pushing up to the front pack. He looked to be a lock on the top 10 and a top 5 contender but on the final restart he fell way, way back and finished 23rd. Fontana was a speed bump that he wasn't expecting after good qualifying and a good run from the back of the pack. We will see in two weeks how he takes this bump as a defending champ.
  • Tony Stewart- Well Smoke has been down all season so this may be beating on a man who is down, but when you are a past champion and the start of your season has gone this way there is no way I will look past it. I will give it to him, he almost started the long climb out from the bottom. Stewart was up front all day, but on the last restart got blocked by Logano, and then said he may be on the verge of a cut tire and finished 22nd. Disappointing day, that ended with him taking it out on Logano. This could get real interesting at Martinsville, but if its the Tony we all know it could just be "Smoke."
  • Juan Pablo Montoya- Down early, Montoya finished 38th. That is 10 spots behind Danica. Montoya actually qualified well at Fontana, 12th, but that was as close to the front as he got. Montoya is just hanging onto the 30th spot in the standings.
  • Dishonorable mention: Clint Bowyer (Late problems lead to this spot, look for a quick bounce back)
     
Hamlin v Logano on the last lap


Pit Road (Week 5 Power Rankings)
  1. Dale Earnhardt Jr (LW-2)- JR may not be as HOT as Kyle Busch, but he has been in the top 3 all year, and taking over #1 in the points has got to count for something. Plus he took a bad car and worked all day to get it to 2nd.
  2. Kyle Busch (LW-8)- He has been the hottest driver in the last three races hands down. The win jumps him past last years champ. Can you argue against 4th, 2nd, and 1st? This team is clicking.
  3. Brad Keselowski (LW-1)- Rough ending to a good week. Qualify 3rd, change engines and start in the back. Make a run to the front, get a speeding penalty. Make another run to the front, last restart drop back to 23rd after being strong. It was not what BK wanted, but his first finish outside the top 5 brings him down a notch. Lets see what happens with his first drop of the season.
  4. Kasey Kahne (LW-4)- If Kyle has been the hottest driver in the last 3, Kahne is 1B. Kahne finished 2nd, 1st, and now 9th this week. Kahne was trying to find the right setup all day but never really did, he managed to salvage a top 10 though.
  5. Jimmie Johnson (LW-3)- A slow day at a track Jimmie normally runs well at. JJ is still sitting in 2nd in the points standings, but hasn't been too hot the past few.
  6. Carl Edwards (LW-5)- Quiet. In one word that's what comes to mind about Carl's day. He managed to finish with good track position and get his car into the top 5 with a 4th place finish.
  7. Greg Biffle (LW-6)- Along with BK, Biffle started the day moving back to the back of the pack. He along with BK steadly moved up. Though Biffle didn't loose track position at the end of the day and finished 6th. Biffle hasn't had a chance at winning too many races this season, but he still finds himself in the 5th spot in the standings.
  8. Matt Kenseth (LW-7)- Another week and another good race for Kenseth. Once again though he ran into problems, his name was Greg Biffle. Biffle got into him and it may have caused the tire that went down, not long after that lost Kenseth some track position. Kenseth still fought through and finished 7th. He doesn't normally retaliate but Martinsville would be a good place to get a little "nudge" back at Biffle if he wanted to.
  9. Joey Logano (LW-NR)- Carl may have been the quiet one in the race, but Logano has been the quiet one in the standings (definitely not quiet off the track). He is sitting 9th on the season and just notched his first top 5 this year. Denny and JoLo got into it again late in the race but he still finished 3rd in a day where he was up front challenging all day. Logano only needs one more top 5 to tie last season, two.
  10. Paul Menard (LW-NR)- Menard was in no position to win the race, but hey that is three top 10's in a row. Menard has got to love the start he has gotten off to and the possibility of getting a win. Not only that, but he is in a spot to make the chase as of today, 8th. Granted it is early, but Menard has been contestant the past three and I had to give him the slight edge over the deserving Kurt Busch who drove the wheels off his Furniture Row Chevy on Sunday.
Dropping Out- Denny Hamlin (LW-10) and Clint Bowyer (LW-9)
Just Missed- Kurt Busch, Ryan Newman, Kevin Harvick

This week I will also be adding in Tweets of the Race (Tweets from Fontana), an Updated March Madness Nascar Style: Final Four, and a few articles to get you through the week off until Martinsville. I also may do a Tweets of the Week: Week Off Addition.

Then next week we will have a Martinsville Preview and Tweets of the Week leading up to Martinsville. So get ready!

As always chek out and follow me on Twitter for the most recent updates!

**Denny Hamlin Update**
 


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Sunday, March 24, 2013

Tweets of the Race: Auto Club 400

Not an every week thing, the race at Auto Club Speedway was too good not to post some tweets. This race had all the Drama of a Hollywood movie, and very fitting in Fontana, CA. Tweets go in close order from beginning of the race to the end. Everything from pit strategy to post race profanity will be covered.
































Well that's it on the week. When updates come in on Denny Hamlin I will get them in here, also check my Twitter for even quicker news.
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Friday, March 22, 2013

Tweets of the Week: Week 5 Fontana

Tweets from the week after Britsol leading up to Fontana. Q&A with BK, JJ finding his old colors, Clint Bowyer late night, and still more on Hamlin v Logano. Also added, did Jeff Gordon lose his razor?



















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Wednesday, March 20, 2013

Week 5 Preview

Auto Club Speedway
Auto Club 400, Fontana, CA
 Nascar is leaving Bristol and heading to Fontana, CA for week 5 of the Sprint Cup season. Leaving Bristol we take a few things with us, Brad Keselowski is back where he ended last year, Dale Earnhardt Jr is still rolling, Kasey Kahne looks like a real contender after finishing last season 5th, and Denny Hamlin and Joey Logano have something personal going on.


So on we go to California before Nascar takes a breather for a week and gets back at it on one of the most entertaining tracks on the Nascar Schedule, Martinsville Speedway. Last time Nascar was at Fontana for the Auto Club 400 the race was cut short by rain leaving Tony Stewart the winner on the 2 mile oval. The year before that we saw an exciting finish where Kevin Harvick lead one lap all day, and it happened to be the last lap by 0.144 seconds.

Entering Fontana this year a few drivers who have been hot will also make another appearance on the Good list in this weeks Good, Middle, and Bad class for Auto Club Speedway. Here is a look at last years Auto Club 400 Results.

The Good: (Drivers with good results in the past few races at Fontana)
  • Kyle Busch- The past two times Nascar has stopped in Fontana Kyle has lead a total of 231 of the 329 laps. That is 98 laps lead by the other 42 drivers. Yet Kyle didn't win either of those races. Last year the rain shortened his run and he ended up 2nd in a car that was ready to win. In the past four races at Auto Club Speedway Kyle has finished 2nd, 3rd, 14th, and 3rd. Best Chance Forecast: Kyle is hot finishing 2nd at Bristol and 4th at Las Vegas, it is possible he can pull off a 3rd straight top 5 this week.
  • Tony Stewart- Stewart is in big need of a turn around, in fact all of Stewart-Hass needs it. Luckily two of the three team drivers show up on favorable lists this week (See Laying Low). Smoke got the last win in Fontana in that rain shortened race in 2012 but also has notched 13th, 9th, and 8th in the few years past. This could be the week he starts a comeback, if not he will have a huge hole to dig out of. Best Chance Forecast: Smoke needs a top 10 this week to turn things around for him and his team.
  • Kevin Harvick- Harvick has had a bit of a slow start to his season. He sits 16th in points due to bad luck at Daytona and otherwise just being mediocre (One top 10 so far this year, but 3 top 15's). The past four at Fontana for Harvick came out to 4th, 1st, 2nd, and 38th. Those past 3 races leave Harvick hopeful for a good finish this weekend. Best Chance Forecast: With his last 3 results all in the top 5, its not a stretch to say he could get his first top 5 of the year. Expect at least a top 10.
  • Others: Carl Edwards (5th, 6th, 13th, and 7th) and Jimmie Johnson (10th, 2nd, 1st, and 9th)
The Middle Class:
  • Clint Bowyer- Bowyer has had decent success at Fontana in the past 4 races with 2 top 10's and 3 top 15's. Bowyer is quietly in 4th even though he had a long day in Las Vegas a couple weeks back. Best Chance Forecast: Its hard to see Bowyer turning in a top 5 this week, but notching another top 10 isn't too far out of the question.
  • Matt Kenseth- Kenseth has had as hot of start as anyone, but it wont show in the points (currently 13th). Kenseth has just been in the wrong place at the wrong time at Daytona and Bristol, both races he had a great chance at the win. Kenseth's last trip to Fontana came with a 16th place finish, but the three before that resulted in a 4th, 7th, and 1st. That 16th place finish was also rain shortened and he was the last driver on the lead lap, so who knows he could have made up a few spots. Best Chance Forecast: Its very likely that Kenseth keeps it going and finds himself in the top 10 again at the end of the day.
  • Greg Biffle- Greg Biffle has also been on the edge of good at Fontana. Just as deserving as Carl, Biffle's last four 6th, 11th, 10th, and 4th have all been good. However only one has resulted in a top 5. Best Chance Forecast: Biffle should easily find himself in the top 15, if he happens to find a fast car in qualifying and keeps track position a top 10 is possible.
The Bad: (Drivers that haven't run well in the past few races at Fontana)
  • Joey Logano- I'm not sure this is the week we see Sliced Bread get back at Hamlin. Logano's last 4 here have resulted in a 24th, 25th, 5th, and 26th. Is that 5th place finish showing potential or just an outlier? Logano has had a decent start to the Nascar Season, and with some top drivers struggling (Stewart, Gordon, Harvick, even Newman) he finds himself in 12th. Maybe that good start will roll over, percentages say it wont.
  • Brad Keselowski- This isnt the first time BK has been on the Bad List. Brad has shown though that after his first Championship and his hot start this year that he has become more well rounded at tracks he has struggled with. It still isn't enough yet to not look at his 18th, 26th, and 21st finishes in his last three. This could be the year he breaks back out at Fontana if he continues his dominance, but anything but 1st and we know BK will still be wanting more.
  • Jeff Gordon- Last week I thought Gordon would get his first top 5 on the season, well he looked great until a cut tire ended his run and Matt Kenseth's while Gordon was leading. Gordon's last 3 of 4 races at Fontana haven't been much better than his 2013 start (26th, 18th, 20th, 2nd). Maybe Gordon will get back to that 2009 form at Fontana, if he doesn't he will keep digging his own hole.
Laying Low: (Drivers that could surprise)
  • Kurt Busch- Small team, big results from Bristol. Fontana is another track that Kurt can possibly keep it going. Kurt's last 4 here resulted in 9th, 17th, 6th, and a 5th place finish. Kurt could keep running his hot finish at Bristol right into Fontana.
  • Ryan Newman- Newman finally kept his car on the track and out of trouble at Bristol. It was a much needed top 10 and he is now currently the top Stewart-Haas driver in points. (That isn't saying much, he is 23rd). Newman has a chance to roll over his success at Bristol to Fontana. Newman's last two finishes here were 7th and 5th. Only downside, he did happen to struggle the two races before that, 36th and 28th. So the key to this race for Newman is also the key to his season comeback, hope the car stays together and keep the car on the track.
  • AJ Allmendinger- Two starts, two top 15's. It is not an easy task to run part time and also finish well but AJ has done it so far in 2013. In AJ's last two at Fontana he has finished 15th and 14th. AJ is my long shot this week and is a low end high reward driver for this race.

Need more from Fontana? Check out these links:
Entry list for Auto Club 400 at Fontana, CA: Here
Nascar.com Auto Club Speedway track details: Here
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Tuesday, March 19, 2013

March Madness Nascar Style: Elite Eight

Well the opening rounds of Nascar March Madness are over. We started at 32 drivers and in one week at Bristol we are down to the Elite Eight. Each Race from here on out is only one round, not two like the first round. In the first two rounds we got to see some upsets but we also now know who some of the front runners will be for the final four. Lets take a look at some of the more interesting story lines from the opening rounds. To check up on what we started with check out the article March Madness Nascar Style.



1) Denny Hamlin v 8) Kurt Busch
  • Wow did that hurt. Hamlin didn't have the easiest first round match up (Kurt notorious for finishing well at Bristol) but Denny didn't help his case by finishing the race riding around the walls, literally. Hamlin was the only #1 seed to not advance to the Sweet 16 at Bristol.
1) Dale Earnhardt Jr v 4) Kasey Kahne
  • Both Drivers got out of the round of 32 and into the Sweet 16 where this match up happened. Man did Jr get set up in a tough situation. Jr finished Bristol in the top 10 but he had to face Kahne, who was the race winner at Bristol. The Race winner this week was like an automatic bye, because he knew he had won both match ups. Kahne now has a 2nd and 1st in the past two weeks and might be getting hot at the right time, MARCH.
2) Carl Edwards v 3) Paul Menard
  • In what has set up to be the upset bracket (Also the same Division Hamlin lost in the round of 32) the high seeded Menard took down #2 seed Edwards who had been on a recent hot streak. Carl had a rough day at Bristol and he ran into Menard who notched back to back top 10's this week (Vegas and now Bristol). Menard probably wasn't the driver you thought was coming out of this Division but it will be either him or Kurt Busch in the Nascar Final Four.

1 Jimmie Johnson 5) Busch 1) BK 1 Brad Keselowski
5 Kyle Busch     4 Joey Logano
           
3 Clint Bowyer 3) Bowyer   6) JPM 6 Juan Pablo Montoya
2 Greg Biffle 2 Matt Kenseth
       
       
       
1 Dale Earnhardt Jr 4) Kahne 8) Busch 8 Kurt Busch
4 Kasey Kahen     5 Jamie McMurray
           
6 Martin Truex Jr 2) Vickers   3) Menard 3 Paul Menard
2 Brian Vickers 2 Carl Edwards


**Vickers will be replaced back with Mark Martin as long as Vickers doesn't participate at Fontana since it was Martins Points Spot before Bristol**

So here we are. That's the Elite 8 and who is left. This weekend at Fontana, CA the Elite Eight will be played out and the Final Four will head on to a week break and then Martinsville. Here is a breakdown of each match up next week.

5) Kyle Busch v 3) Clint Bowyer
  • Bowyer ran into a tough match up in the Elite 8 with Kyle Busch. Not only has Busch been getting hot as of late but his average finish at Fontana in the last 4 races has been 5.5. Clint Bowyer hasn't been too bad himself here, averaging 11.75 finishing position in the past 4 races. This could be one of the better match ups of the weekend, but to start Kyle has a slight edge.

4) Kasey Kahne v 2) Brian Vickers (Mark Martin)
  • Assuming Brian Vickers doesn't qualify, this spot is given to Mark Martin. (It was Mark Martins points spot to start with, but Vickers was driving the #55 car at Bristol). Vickers did the dirty work for Mark Martin, but now hands over the tough task of taking down one of the hottest drivers this season. Kasey Kahne has come on strong as of late so this will be no easy feat. Kahne has the slight edge over Martin at Fontana, but neither has been too impressive there. This could come down to who is hot right now, and that edge definitely goes to Kahne off the win at Bristol (his first at Bristol).
1) Brad Keselowski v 6) Juan Pablo Montoya
  • BK could have gotten off to the easiest Elite Eight match up in this tournament. BK took out the tough match up of Ryan Newman in round one, who notched a top 10 but couldn't beat out BK's 3rd place finish. Montoya on the other hand got off easy while finishing 30th. That's right a driver finishing 30th won two match ups last Sunday. This is Nascars Cinderella of this tourney. Montoya lucked out against Almirola (he finished outside the top 16 for the first time this season) and then got Matt Kenseth that got held up in a wreck when leader Jeff Gordon went down with a cut tire. Montoya has the chance again to get lucky with BK not having very much success at Fontana in the past, but BK had not had much success at Las Vegas either in the past and he posted a top 5. After all he is last years Sprint Cup Champion.
8) Kurt Busch v 3) Paul Menard
  • And this the most unlikely of match ups. No one doubts that Kurt could run well at Bristol, but when your first match up is Denny Hamlin it doesn't look as bright. Well Kurt ran in the top 5 and, well Denny rode around the walls to a 23rd place finish. Menard posted his second top 10 in as many weeks to glide past Jeff Burton and Carl Edwards. Kurt has posted a 9th, 17th, 6th, and 5th in his last four at Fontana so he could end up an 8 seed in the final four. Don't count out Menard though since he has been hot and picked up two top 10's on the year so far.
This week in Fontana, CA the match ups should be a little less hectic than racing around Bristol. Fontana will set up a great Final Four to be played out at another crazy track, Martinsville.

For a review of Bristol and Power Rankings check out Nascar Pit Road.
To look at the opening round bracket check out March Madness Nascar Style.

Fontana, CA Preview will be coming this week as well with the Good, Bad, and Surprise drivers at Fontana. Check back in regularly or follow my Twitter for Updates. You can also go on Facebook and "Like" Nascar Behind the Wall for updates if you are not on Twitter.
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