Wednesday, February 26, 2014

Week 2 Preview: Phoenix

Phoenix International Raceway

The Profit on CNBC 500




By Richard Tix

Well NASCAR left Daytona on a higher note then anyone could have expected. The racing was great, it ended up in prime time, and Dale Earnhardt Jr (the leagues most popular driver) won his second career 500 (2004 and 2014).

The fun shouldn't stop there either. I think 2014 could be a huge year. As I said in NASCAR's New Era earlier this year, the new points format should make this season very fun, while at times frustrating, one of the most entertaining seasons in recent memory. But even after I said that, I didn't see this kind of excitment coming to start the season.

It looks like NASCAR might have hit it out of the park with the new Aero Package at Daytona. The racing was fun and it resulted in great finishes. Now we move onto a totally different kind of racing after plate racing for a week.

In 2013 Carl Edwards picked up his first win of 2013 at Phoenix. After Phoenix I started my weekly Power Rankings, so check the review and rankings from last year out while you're here! If you haven't seen it yet, take a look at the Phoenix Entry List and the TV and Track Schedule. As for who will win this year, NASCAR Behind the Wall takes a fast look at some drivers who have fared on the "Good" side, been in the "Middle" and done "Bad" at Phoenix in recent seasons.


The Good:

  • Kevin Harvick- Harvick is the most recent winner at Phoenix International and is also the winner of two of the past three here. He has 4 top 5 finishes in the last three years at Phoenix (6 races). Hard to argue with thos numbers.
  • Jimmie Johnson- Consistency is key, and JJ has found that at Phoenix. He has 8 top 10's, all of which are also in the top 5 in his last 10 races here. He also has a win within that same time frame. So to say JJ has been pretty good at Phoenix might be an understatement.
  • Ryan Newman- If you take out the crash he was involved in during the first visit in 2013 (finished 40th) he has finsihed in the top 10 six out of the past 7 races including a win. He has the third best average finish at Phoenix in the last 10 races.
The Middle:
  • Carl Edwards- Well Carl is good or in the middle when it comes to Phoenix. Last year he broke his win less streak at Phoenix but then finished 21st the second time around. That seems to be the trend when it comes to Edwards here, which one will show up?
The Bad:
  • Jamie McMurray- He has one top 10 in the last 10 races at Phoenix. That stat pretty much says it all. To rub salt in the wound, his average finish in those 10 races is 21.6. Keep clear of McMurray, he is not a sleeper in this race. 
  • Clint Bowyer- For one reason or another, Clint runs into trouble when racing at Phoenix, maybe it is in the air, or the "water," all that we know is he has been up and down here. In his last 4 starts here he has finished better then 20th only once. That must mean Clint is due right?
Track Stats:
  • Kevin Harvick has won 2 of the last 3 races.
  • Chevy won 10 straight races from 2005-10. 
  • In the last 7 races here Chevy has won 3 races, Ford 2, and Toyota 2.
  • Kevin Harvick and Jimmie Johnson are tied for most career wins here with 4
  • Mark Martin has the most top 10's (21) followed by Jeff Gordon (20) in track history
  • Jimmie Johnson has the best Average Finish position with 6.3 over his career (21 races)
  • First NASCAR Cup Win at Phoenix in 1988 was by Alan Kulwicki. Also, his first career Cup win.
  • First Night race at Phoenix was run in 2005, won by Kurt Busch
  • Ricky Rudd won the 1995 race from 29th position. Still the farthest back a winner has started.
  • Mark Martin is the only driver to win in two different manufacturers (Ford 1993 and Chevy 2009)
  • Mark Martin's last Career Pole was at Phoenix Intl Raceway (This race last year) and he has no plans of trying again this year...
Well, it was worth a shot.


So who will run well this week? Let your voice be heard on Twitter and let me know! If you let me know and you get it correct NASCAR Behind the Wall includes shout outs in the Review/Power Rankings article every week.

Need more?

Week 1 Preview
Week 1 Review w/Power Rankings
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Tuesday, February 25, 2014

SHR's Rough Start


By Richard Tix

Week one is in the books on the NASCAR 2014 season. Daytona's Speedweeks is on of the longest race weeks of the season as fans gear up for the new season. During speedweeks NASCAR teams are also looking to get back up to speed and find there grove during the first race.

Well, 2014 didn't start out the way Stewart-Haas Racing would have liked. During the opening days of speedweeks Tony Stewart and Danica Patrick had to swap out engines after they both blew during practice. Under NASCAR rules both drivers had to fall to the back of the Budweiser Duels and the Daytona 500.

Then came the Daytona Duels where Danica, Kurt Busch, and Smoke both had there nights end in wrecks. Not the start SHR was looking for.  This trend just seemed to continue all week for the whole team.

Heading into the Daytona 500 on Sunday the team looked to turn things around but no such luck. Tony Stewart ran into trouble and seemed out of the race very early. He limped around the track for 174 of 200 laps after heading to the garage at one point and finished 35th.

Danica Partick didn't have an amazing run going, but was hanging around for awhile until she got caught up in a wreck. She only ran 145 of 200 laps finishing 40th, but did lead 2 laps during a pitting rotation. That's just the two members of SHR that were on the team in 2013, SHR also signed two new drivers for 2014.

Considering the first two drivers I mentions, Kevin Harvick and Kurt Busch had great days on Sunday (SHR Fresh Faces). Kurt Busch actually lead 15 laps during the Daytona 500 and ran up front for a good portion of the race. Kevin Harvick spent most of the day lurking in the field close to the front (never lead a lap) and waiting to pounce. Unfortunate for both there day ended before they had a chance at the win.

Kurt Busch ran into some bad luck down the stretch and after being involved in one wreck (That had his rear right quarter panel flapping in the wind) he also was caught up in the last lap wreck and finished 21st.  Kevin Harvick stuck around until the end and stayed out of the mess until the last crash that ended the race. Harvick still ended up finishing 13th (Which is better then last year when he was involved in an early wreck).

Considering all the hype around the new SHR team I don't think anyone expected the team to come out with an average finish of 27.25, zero top 10's and only one top 15. NASCAR runs a long season, so it is definitely no where close to too late to get going, but it is a small red flag.

Too many team finishes like this to start the season could set off all the personalities on this team so its a story worth watching. One thing's for sure, SHR is ready to put Daytona behind them.


What do you thing? Will SHR bounce back in Week 2? Who will be the first to speak up if they continue to struggle later this year? Lets hear it Twitter!

**Update 3/11/14- SHR's struggles have continued through the first three races. Kevin Harvick did break through with a dominate win at Phoenix, but that seems to be the lone bright spot for this team. This past week at Las Vegas Danica Patrick was the top finisher coming in at 21st. So far the team has dug a hole, but with the new points system it isn't too late to get out.**

New on NASCAR Behind the Wall
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NASCAR Rookie Report: Week 1

2014 Season Rookie Report



By Richard Tix

Well the Rookies officially have one NASCAR Sprint Cup race under there belts. The Daytona 500 is over and past them (Review and Power Rankings). NASCAR Behind the Wall will give you a quick run down of how the Rookies handled the Daytona 500 with the big boys.

#3 Austin Dillon


Austin had the most successful trip to Daytona of all the Rookies. First Dillon took the Pole for the Daytona 500 and then he finished top 10 (9th). He did have some downfalls as he seemed to be a part of a lot of the wrecks on Sunday. He may not have been a cause, but its a fact he was always around which may not win him friends. Noting that, he did make it out of most of those and got his car into a good spot for a top 10 finish. Good start to 2014 for Austin.

#42 Kyle Larson


Larson wasnt as fortunate. He started 16th but on lap one had troubles and hit the wall. Later on in the race he was nudged by Dillon and got into a few other cars. Tough break for him in his first Cup race. 

#51 Justin Allgaier

During some pitting rotations Allgaier got to run out front and pick up some points. After leading 4 total laps Sunday he finished 27th, but overall he had a quality race. He had 31 laps in the top 15 and seemed to make some good passes. Here is some loop data from Daytona.

#26 Cole Whitt


Whitt had a pretty good run on Sunday. He ran 56 laps while in the top 15 and made some quality passes. Unfortunatly he was caught up like many in one of the many incidents. He finished 28th.

#30 Parker Kligerman

Kligerman also had a decent day at DIS. He finished the day 29th, one spot behind teammate Cole Whitt. Parker finished the day running 6 laps in the top 15 and making 9 quality passes. Loop data here.

#7 Michael Annett

Annett ran 11 laps in the top 15 while making 36 quality passes in that time. He didnt have a bad run but he finished 37th on Sunday. 

#23 Alex Bowman


Bowman actually finished 23rd on Sunday, but he was neither great or terrible. Many Rookies just fell into the pack and we didn't get to see much of them. In the next few weeks we should see more out of these guys at non pack racing tracks.

Take a look at the first Article on these Rookies while your at it!
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2014 NASCAR Phoenix Schedule


By Richard Tix

Daytona has come and past with tons of excitment. This week NASCAR heads to Phoenix International Raceway. NASCAR Behind the Wall has got your back for th TV/Race Schedule.

**All times are Eastern**

Friday February 28, 2014

  • 1-1:50 pm- Nationwide Series Practice- FOX Sports 1
  • 2-3:30 pm- Sprint Cup Practice- FOX Sports 1
  • 5-6:25 pm- Nationwide Series Practice- FOX Sports 1
  • 6:40 pm- Sprint Cup Qualifying- FOX Sports 1

Saturday March 1, 2014
  • 11-11:55 pm- Sprint Cup Practice- FOX Sports 1
  • 12:10 pm- Nationwide Series Qualifying- FOX Sports 2
  • 2-2:50 pm- Sprint Cup Series Final Practice- FOX Sports 1
  • 3:45 pm- Nationwide Series Race (200 laps, 200 Miles)- ABC

Sunday March 2, 2014
  • 3 pm- Sprint Cup Race (312 laps, 312 Miles)- FOX


Phoenix Internationa Raceway Preview is coming soon. Also, if you need it check out the Phoenix Drivers Entry list posted yesterday.

Other NASCAR Articles:
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Monday, February 24, 2014

2014 Phoenix Entry List (First Race)

NASCAR Driver Entry List for Phoenix Int Raceway



By Richard Tix

Everyone had left Daytona and started the process of heading to Phoenix Int Raceway for NASCAR's second week of the 2014 season. Here is the Entry List for race number two from Jayski.com



Also, check out NASCAR Behind the Wall's newest articles:


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Daytona 500 Stepping Stone

Could 2014 be the Year for Dale Earnhardt Jr?


By Richard Tix

Richard Petty a 7 time NASCAR Champion and a 7 time Daytona 500 winner. Cale Yarborough a 3 time NASCAR Champion and 4 time Daytona 500 winner. Dale Earnhardt a 7 time NASCAR Champion and the 1998 Daytona 500 winner. Dale Earnhardt Jr....

This is where the story still is waiting to be told. In NASCAR, many times right after talking about how many NASCAR Championships a driver has we look at how many times a driver has won the Daytona 500. This we do know about Dale Earnhardt Jr, he will finish his career with at least two Daytona 500 wins (2004 and 2014). But will he ever win a NASCAR Championship?

Last time he won the Daytona 500 in 2004 he went on to win 5 more races in the season, but ended up finishing 5th in the standings (First year of the Chase Playoff and he had a few rough races during the Chase. Two 33rd place finishes actually). By far his best season was 2004 though, with career high's in wins (6), top 5's (16), and his second best in top 10's (21). He also lead the most laps he has in one single season in his career (1,131).

That's a bunch of stats to get to a point, but what I am getting at here is that confidence has always played a huge role in Dale Earnhardt Jr's success. By winning the 2014 Daytona 500 he may have just found that confidence again.

So, Jr Nation, if you were ever going to get excited about Jr having a shot at a Championship this is the year. After the win on Sunday it was amazing to see just how much it meant to Jr. As usual, he gave all the credit to his team over and over again. But he looked like a kid in a candy store after this win. "I'm going to try to keep myself in control. to be in shape for tomorrow. But I'm going to have a few beers" Dale said during his post race press conference. 

It looked like a weight was lifted right off of his shoulders. Jr said in his conference, "Confidence is a good thing. It's half the battle. Hopefully we can seize the moment." With the new points format installed for the 2014 season it was a huge weight lifted. Now it isn't 100%, but with the new system in place Jr is almost locked into the Chase already (Yes, 16 more drivers could win, but realistically even if they do Jr should keep enough points to get in).

Steve Letarte and Dale Earnhardt Jr know this, and now as Steve said "we can be even more aggressive then we already would be week by week. We can take huge risks knowing we might be locked in." The combination of Dale Earnhardt having tons of confidence and a Crew Chief knowing that there team can take huge gambles during the regular season to try and win again might just be what they need to finally win a Championship.

Confidence and getting momentum in NASCAR is always key. Just ask Tony Stewart when he made a huge Chase run and won a Championship in 2011. Getting on a roll is a trend you want to be on the right side of. This Daytona 500 win just might be the spark that Jr needs to take the final step towards a NASCAR Championship. It could be the stepping stone to one day saying, Dale Earnhardt Jr the 2014 Sprint Cup Champion and two time Daytona 500 winner. Heck, maybe its a roll he will take for a couple of years and we could be saying even bigger numbers after his name.


What do you think #JrNation and Twitter? Could Jr contend this season? Will he ever win a Championships? How many wins will he get in 2014? Also, check out the newest Pit Road (Daytona Review and Power Rankings).
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Pit Road Week 1: Daytona

Weekly Review and Power Rankings

Week One


By Richard Tix

Wow! My first reaction to the Daytona 500 to kick off the 2014 season. If you missed the race, thanks for coming to NASCAR Behind the Wall to check out a quick review with Power Rankings, but you missed one heck of a race. I would try and find it anywhere to watch the replay!

The 500 started like any other 500. We had a very good anthem sung by Aloe Blacc and a very energized "start your engines" call. Then the racing started. The Cup drivers stayed two wide to start, but then those damn rain clouds came in. We waited, and waited, and waited until they finally got us going in Prime Time.

When the race came back on fans who waited sure got what they waited for. As Gordon said, "it was like a switch flipped in peoples heads and everyone started driving like it was the last 5 laps with 150 laps to go." It was great action the whole way through.

Coming down the stretch we started seeing guys getting loose and caution flags flying (We also got to see a lot of commercials, in fact 10 in the last 65 laps. Thanks Fox). guys like Kahne, Truex, Bowyer, and Stewart never had a chance to make a mark because each had there own problems. But fans still had some heavy hitters up front.

Coming into the last lap Dale Earnhardt Jr was leading (I was a little outraged that some of Jr Nation were trying a rain dance earlier because he was leading, the same ones upset that rain had postponed the race). Matt Kenseth, Jimmie Johnson, Denny Hamlin, Jeff Gordon, and Brad Keselowski all up front trying to make there bid at the 500. But Jr came across to win his second Daytona 500 (first since 2004). This was sure to be one of the most exciting finishes of the season (and a Jr win like this is way more satisfying then calling it on rain, am I right Jr Nation?).

2014 Kicked off with a bang at Daytona. Next week we head to Phoenix for the first time in the year. Check out the full race results here. Next is the weekly Pit Road (or Power Rankings). This week it will get very messed up with many drivers having bad luck or getting involved in a wreck. After Phoenix it should even back out.


Pit Road: Power Rankings Week 1
  1. Dale Earnhardt Jr (LW-8)- Well its a big jump up from 8th so soak it in Jr Nation. This might be the momentum that gets him and Letarte going int Letartes last season as his Crew Chief. Either way, its a great way for Jr to start 2014. Great weekend after one of his cars (Regan Smith) won in Nationwide and then Jr caps it off with the 500. He had a strong car all weekend.
  2. Matt Kenseth (LW-2)-Kenseth finished 6th but he made his way up front towards the end of the race putting himself in reach but just not close enough. Overall he had a good weekend though.
  3. Denny Hamlin (LW-5)- Hamlin started the week off winning the Unlimited and then his Duel. He was quiet on Sunday until the end when he charged up front. Reports are that DH lost radio communication for the last 150 laps so his 2nd place finish is pretty impressive.
  4. Jimmie Johnson (LW-1)- 5th place finish and JJ falls? Well the early season Power Rankings are tough. JJ had a good showing in the 500 and finally stayed out of trouble. 
  5. Kyle Busch (LW-3)- Kyle finished 19th, but he doesnt drop too far after he had a strong run all day Sunday. He led 19 laps and a last lap crash dropped him back farther then he would have finished if it started green.
  6. Brad Keselowski (LW-10)- Another big mover, BK's #2 was strong all weekend. He just couldn't get enough push on the outside line after Jr's good jump on the last restart to get around Dale. BK finished 3rd in the 500 and hopes this starts his turnaround in 2014.
  7. Jeff Gordon (LW-11)- In the post race interview it seemed like Gordon had a lot of fun on Sunday. Gordon ended up 4th himself, but seemed to be even happier for Jr after the race.
  8. Kevin Harvick (LW-4)- Another guy who had a pretty good car, stayed up front most the day, but just didn't finish like he should of because of the last lap crash. 13th is better then how Harvicks 2013 season started so there is that.
  9. Joey Logano (LW-9)- Not moving after finishing 11th, well the Rankings are tough what can I say. In no way does this take away from his finish though, he had a good day and will start his 2014 season out on a good note.
  10. Kurt Busch (LW-7)- This was Daytona, so this happened to a lot of guys, but Kurt actually had a pretty good day. He did get clipped in a wreck that had his right rear quarter flapping in the wind for some closing laps and then he was also involved in the last lap wreck shoving him down to 21st.
  11. Greg Biffle (LW- NR)- Considering Ford seemed a bit behind last year to start the season it was a pretty strong showing. Biffle was one of those Ford drivers who helped them look better to start this season. Biffle finished 8th but had a good run up front towards the end of the race.
  12. Ricky Stenhouse Jr (LW-NR)- Last guy in, Stenhouse gets the nod here. He just hung around and ended up finishing 7th. Unfortunately, if he had more there he could have finished better while pushing BK around on the last lap. In his last 12 races he has 4 top 10's.

Dropped Out: Tony Stewart and Clint Bowyer
Just Missed: Carl Edwards and Austin Dillon
Honorary Mention: Reed Sorenson, Landon Cassill, and Casey Mears

As promised, here are some fans on Twitter that let me know before the Daytona 500 who would win!





ThisSportz Power Rankings if you need another view! Check'em out!

Onto Week 2 of the NASCAR Season! NASCAR heads to Phoenix to get the season going full steam. Check back for the Week 2 Preview: Phoenix later this week! As always, contact me on Twitter to talk NASCAR and let me know who you go this weekend!
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Friday, February 21, 2014

2014 Budweiser Duels

NASCAR Thursday Night Budweiser Duel Review



By Richard Tix

As NASCAR Behind the Wall wrote in Wreckers or Checkers, going into the Budweiser Dules it would be interesting to see how they played out. Would drivers be too aggressive and cause a huge wreck or would they try and save there car for the important race, the 500? Also, would this race give us more insight into how the 500 will be played out? Will it be a wreck fest or a classic with NASCAR's new Aero Package?

Well, the Duels gave us fans a little bit of both. Lets take a look Duel by Duel.


Duel #1

Going into the first duel I was curious to see how the drivers would handle even more cars on the track. On Wednesday NASCAR had even more crashing and it was only practice! Even more drivers were forced to there back up car and Smoke and Danica switching engines so early at Daytona seemed to be paying off (By the time we get to the 500 they could move from the back to what seems like the 5th row!)

Dillon started the first Duel out on the Pole (See the Duel Lineups here). AJ Allmendinger was a fast mover to start the race coming from the back all the way up to 5th by lap 3. Not too long into the race the bottom line broke up. As Biffle moved down it seemed like everyone went to the high line and he got left hanging.

Around lap 14 the bottom line started getting momentum again and Earnhardt Jr jumped down from 2nd to join and took the lead on lap 15.  By lap 29 Kenseth had made his way back to the front and took the lead. Kenseth seemed to hold the lead most of the rest of the race.

Teams started to pit with about 24 laps to go. Jr came in with the second group and ended up smoking his tires which some thought might end up a problem. He dropped a few spots but he ended up finishing well.

Coming down on the last lap everyone was looking to make there move and then finally it happened as Harvick had a good run on Kenseth. Harvick pulled down to the lower half of the track and just ended up a few feet short. At the same time Kahne tried making a move even lower but was a car length too short. In the end it was a clean but exciting finish leaving Matt Kenseth NASCAR's Duel #1 winner.


Duel #2

The second Duel of the night which started off with Martin Truex Jr on the Pole was a bit of the same for most of the race. Brad Keselowski and Jimmie Johnson started a bottom line early and got up front. BK held the lead and ran the top line most of the time before pits started.

Denny Hamlin had a run on JJ and pushed him up which left JJ falling back a bit. Denny continued his run up to the front. By lap 9 almost everyone was in a single line. Lap 36, or about 24 left, teams started pitting. Brad Keselowski came off pit road too fast and had to serve a drive through penalty which ended his strong run.

Once again it was a JGR car running up front most the race, this time Denny Hamlin. On the closing lap one big group came around to the finish line, just about everyone in the group would make the 500, but something weird happened.

Johnson ran out of gas while trying to get out of line, but at that time it was too late. Jamie McMurray who was having a good run got into JJ just enough to get the air under him and turn him around. Everything broke loose and a lot of drivers got caught up on the mess including the 78, 15, 48, 1, 66, 99, 34.

Oh, and Denny Hamlin won....


Duels in Review

Wreckers or Checkers? We got one of each on Thursday night. Though the wreck wasn't caused by over aggression but rather a weird scenario. Overall the Duels were great. Entertaining finishes with a lot of learning in between. We now know who is in or out of the Daytona 500 on Sunday (Line-up here). If the Daytona 500 is run close to the Duels it will be a very entertaining race. With 43 cars on the track I feel more cars will try and make the bottom line work earlier in the race. I can not imagine all 43 in a single file line for a whole race. It does seem that some drivers might be finally figuring out what the new Aero Package can and cant do.

Watch out on Sunday for the JGR drivers who have all looked fast in the pack. Also look for RCR, who have looked fast running solo. Maybe RCR cars have been just saving it until the 500? Brad Keselowski's bad move on pit road maybe helped him. He has had a great car all week and he didn't tear it up in that wreck, so keep and eye out for him. Also, Dale Earnhardt Jr has looked pretty strong as well.


We are so close fans! Need the Daytona 500 Starting Grid? Check out some other articles on the site and also check out This Sportz for there take on the Duels! As always, let me know what you think on Twitter! Who will win the 500!?
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2014 Daytona 500 Starting Lineup


By Richard Tix

Well NASCAR Behind the Wall has your Daytona 500 Starting Line up Card. *Note, many drivers are moving to backup cars and will move towards the back of the pack, but this is how they "start" and who is in*




More on NASCAR Behind the Wall:

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Thursday, February 20, 2014

Wreckers or Checkers

How Will the Daytona 500 Play Out?



By Richard Tix

With the Duels set to be raced tonight (2/20) and the Daytona 500 just on the horizon it is safe to say many fans and even drivers are wondering what the 500 will bring. NASCAR started its season with the Sprint Unlimited last Saturday and it brought some mixed results. The race was exciting and we got to see what the cars could do, but underneath it all it got me worrying. See, crashes are exciting, but NASCAR got down to about 8 cars in the Unlimited (though it was exciting, hear me out).

Now, I just figured that it was the first race with the new car package, so drivers were just trying to figure it out and with that mind set comes bumps in the road. Learning curves. Well then Wednesday's Practice session came along and it started to get me thinking.

Crashes left and right. Cars having to go to there back ups and even drivers who might be left out (Dave Blaney). Or how about Swan Racing? Cole Whitt originally went to his back up after he had a tire problem and hit the wall. Then Parker Kligerman ended up on his roof in a different practice crash. Parker is now in Cole Whitt's original car which they have to fix up for him to run. A lot of crazy twists and turns and its just practice!

What worries me, will any cars be left for the Daytona 500? We still have two Budweiser Duels tonight. Will teams just pull out of the race? Yes, drivers want the experience and to learn how these cars handle on a superspeedway but is it worth missing the chance at running in the 500?

What also worries me. Will the actual Daytona 500 be so wrecked and caution filled that it wont be enjoyable? The Sprint Unlimited was only 18 cars (really only 17 because Terry Labonte Started and Parked). So what is going to happen with 43 cars out there? Can they make it 25 laps without wrecking?

One thing we know, these cars have a fast closing speed. We have seen it time and time again so far. Will drivers get a grasp on this in time for the 500? Cars also seem to get a bit loose as soon as they get out of line by themselves (Just see Jimmie Johnson in the Unlimited).

I for one am hoping that cars can stay clean for good portions of the Daytona. Sure Wrecks will happen, but I just hope they make it towards the last 25% of the race before they start getting over aggressive. We have noticed as fans that these cars can make up huge ground in a short time, so for the sake of a good race, drivers don't be aggressive on lap one!



More articles for you to catch up on:


As always let me know what you think on Twitter! Will the drivers learn anything in Duel's? Will it be another wreck fest? Will drivers learn enough tonight to get through the Daytona 500? Will drivers pull out of the races tonight if they're locked in? Need even more? Check out This Sportz! Good guys and a lot of extra articles for Daytona including Fantasy and History.
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Week 1 Preview: Daytona

Daytona International Speedway
Daytona 500


By Richard Tix

NASCAR has one of the shortest offseasons of any sport out there, yet every year it seems like it has been ages in between the last race at Homestead and the first of the new year at Daytona. But NASCAR fans you can now breath, we are on the home stretch!

NASCAR Behind the Wall is here to give you a Daytona 500 preview to hold you over with the little time we have left before the Great American Race. Last year we started the year off at Daytona and found out once again it would be the year of Jimmie (Take a look at some Daytona History on This Sportz). Jimmie Johnson took the first win of 2013 and rarely looked back (Although, Matt Kenseth gave him a run for his money). This year the field should be back an better then ever. Denny Hamlin and Tony Stewart should be back to 100% and ready to pounce. Carl Edwards and Brad Keselowski are ready to bounce back. An a intriguing Rookie class including Kyle Larson and Austin Dillion are ready to start there legacies. Finally NASCAR Nation, racing is back!


The Good:
  • Dale Earnhardt Jr- He hasn't won here as of late, but if you look at Jr's average finish in the last 6 starts at Daytona he is No. 1 with an avg of 11.7. Last year he finished 2nd in the 500 and then 8th the second time around. If he stays out of trouble he should start his season with another top 10 at least. (He also has the best average finish in the last four Daytona races)
  • Ryan Newman- In his last three starts at Daytona he has finishes of 10th, 5th, and 5th. He and Jr are the only drivers to have 3 top 10's in the last 4 races at Daytona. It will be interesting to see how he does in his first race with RCR so he is hard to bet on early in 2014.
  • Tony Stewart- The man on the comeback in 2014, Stewart was runner up last time in Daytona (July). Last years Daytona 500 he had the opposite kind of finish, 41st. One more time, the July race in 2012 he won. So what will we get to start 2014? Smoke typically heats up in the summer, but that does not mean he can start out strong this season (When will he get 50 Wins?).
  • Matt Kenseth- Well last year he had some hard luck, yet he finds his way onto the "good" list, why? Well look at the previous 3 races  before last year (he had a win, a runner up, and a third). If you take out early in his career at Daytona he has run well. In his last 21 races he has had 12 top 10's and 2 wins.
The Middle:
  • Kurt Busch- In the last 10 races at Daytona Kurt has finished in the top 10 half the time, which isnt bad. What is holding him back however is his last 5 starts here. Starting with most recent and going back finishes of 6th, 28th, 35th, 39th, and 14th don't show much consistency. However over his entire career he also has finished in the top 10 half the time (13 times in 26 races) so he has shown he can run towards the front.

The Bad:
  • Jimmie Johnson- Look at JJ's stats over his career at Daytona. It doesn't take a scientist to see he is hard to predict here, but that is the nature of these resrictor plate tracks. JJ won both trips to Daytona in 2013 but before that had an average finish of 27.3 during a 13 race stretch dating back to 2006. To start his career he had an avereag finish of 7th during a 9 race stretch. So take him being in the "Bad" category with a grain of salt, he could win, or he could be lost in the pack, either way it isn't something you normally say about JJ.
  • Martin Truex Jr- Truex's average finish of 22.5 is not the kind of stat you want on your resume, neither is finishing 24th and 41st last season. Now he moves to a new ride which might not help out his cause.
  • Denny Hamlin- Denny has the skill to run up front, but his career stats at Daytona are hard to look at. In his 16 starts here he only has two top 10's. He seems to always find his way into a 20th place finish (or around there). 
Track Stats:
  • Jimmie Johnson was the first driver since Bobby Allison in 1982 to win both stops at DIS
  • Tony Stewart won from 42nd starting position 7/7/12, which is the farthest back anyone has won from.
  • However, Matt Kenseth won from 39th in the 2009 500, which is the farthest back anyone has won the Daytona 500.
  • The last Pole win in the Daytona 500 was in 2000 by Dale Jarrett. There have been 4 Pole winners since then in the other stop at DIS
  • Of current drivers, Jeff Gordon has the most wins at Daytona with 6 (3 of them the 500). Stewart is second with 4 (None the 500).
  • Of current drivers Dale Earnhardt Jr has the best Avereage Finish Position with 13.8 (28 races).


Take a look at the Preseason addition of Pit Road, a weekly review's and Power Rankings.

Recent Articles and Daytona Information:



So who will start off 2014 with a win at Daytona? Let me know on Twitter what you think and I look forward to interacting with some of you during the race! 
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Wednesday, February 19, 2014

Predicting a NASCAR Champion

Who Will be NASCAR's 2014 Champion?

NASCAR Behind the Wall's Brief Look at Past NASCAR Champions


By Richard Tix

The 2014 NASCAR Season is almost apon us as we head to Daytona. NASCAR will kick of a new Era of racing after the offseason brought plenty of new changes including a new qualifying format, new penalty system, and a whole new Chase Points System. Speedweeks have started (you can check out the speedweek schedule here for everything all the way up to the Daytona 500) and fans are getting excited. Aside from the millions of questions about how drivers will do and how will the new points system work, the big one remains....Who will be the 2014 NASCAR Champion?

Most fans will answer that question with there favorite drivers name. Now while I would love to say Brad Keselowski, Ryan Newman, Kasey Kahne, or Clint Bowyer (among many others I follow) I try to keep it as unbiased as possible (This Blog was never meant to be a fan driver blog, but a blog where every NASCAR fan can come, read, and communicate there opinion to me through the blog or Twitter).

That being said, unless you pick Jimmie Johnson every year to win the Championship, picking a Champion before the season is a tough task that you normally end up getting wrong (once again unless you have been picking JJ, in which you look pretty darn good right now). So NASCAR Behind the Wall is going to give you a look at the past 20 NASCAR Cup Champions and there stats. 10 season's of the Chase Era and the 10 previous seasons to that. Just to help you get an idea of what a Champion is made of. So take a look!


NASCAR Champions 1994-2013
Chase Era Champions 2004-2013
Year
Driver
WIN (%)
Top 5 (%)
Top 10 (%)
Start
Fin
Laps Lead
2013
Johnson
6 (16.7%)
16 (44.4%)
24 (66.7%)
9.8
10.7
1985
2012
Keselowski
5 (13.9%)
13 (36.1%)
23 (63.9%)
16.2
10.1
735
2011
Stewart
5 (13.9%)
9 (25.0%)
19 (52.8%)
17.7
12.0
913
2010
Johnson
6 (16.7%)
17 (47.2%)
23 (63.9%)
9.4
12.2
1315
2009
Johnson
7 (19.4%)
16 (44.4%)
24 (66.7%)
8.2
11.1
2238
2008
Johnson
7 (19.4%)
15 (41.7%)
22 (61.1%)
8.5
10.5
1959
2007
Johnson
10 (27.8%)
20 (55.6%)
24 (66.7%)
9.8
10.8
1290
2006
Johnson
5 (13.9%)
13 (36.1%)
24 (66.7%)
10.8
9.7
854
2005
Stewart
5 (13.9%)
17 (47.2%)
25 (69.4%)
12.0
9.9
1845
2004
Ku Busch
3 (8.3%)
10 (27.8%)
21 (58.3%)
15.0
12.5
746
Pre-Chase Era 1994-2003
2003
Kenseth
1 (2.8%)
11 (30.6%)
25 (69.4%)
21.3
10.2
354
2002
Stewart
3 (8.3%)
15 (41.7%)
21 (58.3%)
13.2
12.6
745
2001
Gordon
6 (16.7%)
18 (50.0%)
24 (66.7%)
9.5
11.0
2320
2000
B Labonte
4 (11.8%)
19 (55.9%)
24 (70.6%)
11.6
7.4
465
1999
Jarrett
4 (11.8%)
24 (70.6%)
29 (85.3%)
13.2
6.8
1061
1998
Gordon
7 (20.6%)
18 (52.9%)
21 (61.8%)
7.4
12.9
1319
1997
Gordon
10 (31.2%)
22 (68.8%)
23 (71.9%)
9.4
9.6
1647
1996
T Labonte
2 (6.5%)
21 (67.7%)
24 (77.4%)
10.6
8.2
973
1995
Gordon
7 (22.6%)
17 (54.8%)
23 (74.2%)
5.0
9.5
2610
1994
Earnhardt
4 (12.9%)
20 (64.5%)
25 (80.6%)
15.3
8.0
1013


Now that we have that out of the way, who the heck is going to win in 2014? For the sake of not just trying to pick JJ who I think has a 60% chance of winning it, would be higher if it was the old system, I wont be picking him. I also think he can be taken down so I will be picking someone else. Sorry Jimmie fans.


Final Eight

For the final eight I will just do a quick run down. This is my preseason prediction, I will most likely take a look at this again about mid season.

Drivers: Tony Stewart, Kyle Busch, Jimmie Johnson, Matt Kenseth, Denny Hamlin, Kasey Kahne, Brad Keselowski, and Clint Bowyer.

Final Four

I really like a three guys at JGR in 2014. I think Kyle just came off a good 2013 run, and now that the Chase is split up into three's I think he has a shot. I think Denny Hamlin will come back strong. If he does and he makes the final four watch out because he has been good at Homestead. Matt Kenseth came off a hot 2013 but I think he could slow down some in 2014.

Drivers: Kyle Busch, Denny Hamlin, Jimmie Johnson, Tony Stewart

2014 Champion

This is a toss up, I really like both JGR drivers. I think with the emphasis on winning it will either make Kyle that much better in a season or kill his season (when he lacks consistency). Denny has just been so good at Homestead that its hard to pick against him. That's the crazy thing about this set up.

Driver: Kyle Busch


Think of how crazy it would be if Hamlin and Busch were fighting for the Championship. I have Kyle edging Hamlin (gut feeling) but if both drivers truly make the Final Four it will be tough to bet against DH. After looking at these predictions it seems so tough to pick each round. I mean a guy who is still in it at Talladega could pull off the upset win and advance. So I am sure in the end these will change by mid year, and then get all messed up come Chase time!

NASCAR Behind the Wall also took a stab at some other random predictions, so if you havent check those out too! Also, let me know on Twitter what you think!


Daytona Information Links:

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