2016 NASCAR Week 36 Preview: Homestead

Ford EcoBoost 400

Homestead-Miami Speedway

By Richard Tix

The year is 2011. The race is the Daytona 500. A new racing season where everyone is hopeful to make a Championship run and writing their own story in NASCAR history. Little did we know at the time, but a win by rookie Trevor Bayne at the Daytona 500 would be shadowed by the way the season ended. 

Bayne's win marked the youngest driver to ever win the Daytona 500. Just one day after his birthday, Bayne won the 500 at just 20 years and one day old. It was an amazing moment for him and also Wood Brothers as it was the first time since 2001 that a Wood Brothers car got to grace Victory Lane at any track, let alone the historic Daytona International Speedway.

What a start to an epic season that no one could ever script.

The race is the GEICO 400 at Chicagoland Speedway. It's the first race of the 2011 Chase and 26th race of the season. Just in his third year as owner/driver at Stewart-Haas Racing Tony Stewart won the first Chase race to get off to a nice start on his quest to a third Cup Championship. His hot streak continued onto Loudon where he won again. Those two win's were astonishingly his first two of the season.

Smoke then went on a four race streak where he had an average finish of 13.75 with two top 10's (8th and 7th). Smoke headed into Martinsville on his heels with four races left and 19 points back of Carl Edwards who had a nice cushion on his own quest for his first Championship (closest was Matt Kenseth back 14 points at that point). 

Here is where most fans forget that the 2011 season started with a shocking win by Bayne, because Tony Stewart put everyone's memory on his accomplishments following the next four races. Smoke reeled off three wins in those next four races (Martinsville - win, Texas - win, Phoenix - 3rd, Homestead - win) including a win at Homestead-Miami where Carl Edwards finished second. 

During that span the pressure changed from all on Smoke to all on Edwards heading into Homestead and neither backed down. Going head to head with a Championship on the line, finishing one and two, and tying in season points, nothing was left on the table. Who would have thought a season starting with a 20 year old winning NASCAR's biggest race ending in a tie in the final moments?

Because Stewart won five races on the season (amazingly all in the Chase) he won the tie breaker against Carl Edwards (one win on the season). It was an exciting moment where Stewart became a driver/owner Champion and will go down as one of the most heated Championship battles ever. 

Just as Tony Stewart road off into the sunset at Homestead in 2011, he will do so again after this season's Championship race. This time he does not have a Championship on the line. No Smoke narratives that defy the idea's of Hollywood script makers everywhere. Just plain Tony. The fun loving guy when he is having fun. The aggravated, yet passionate guy when he is frustrated. A guy who wear's it all on his sleeve no matter the up's and down. That is the guy who will ride into the sunset after this Homestead trip.

He won't be in a car, but I don't think he will let us forget he isn't still around, that isn't his style. So, soak in one last race with Tony Stewart wheeling it into turn three and coming out of turn four. Let it sink in how open and genuine he is about the sport even when he is being a critique and never forget you got to witness one of the best drivers to ever wheel it driving a NASCAR Cup car. Because, he wasn't just a NASCAR driver but a racer, a pure, passionate, fun loving, heated, hard nosed driver of anything he could get his hands on.

**This section is just a quick look at some of Cup drivers latest finishes. This is not a tool for fantasy purposes and NBTW only is looking at end results. No deep statistic's are involved, but rather it is just a quick way to get ready for the race and get caught up on who has finished well at each track**

The Good

• Kevin Harvick - The past two years he has needed good finishes at Homestead and he got it (1st and 2nd). Will he spoil the Chaser's chance at a win this time while on the outside looking in?
• Kyle Busch - Rowdy won this race last year on his way to his first NASCAR Cup Championship, can he do it again? He has three top 10's in the last four races here.
• Brad Keselowski - 3rd, 3rd, and 6th. Those are BK's last three finishes here at Homestead. Will it be enough to finally get a win? Can he take a win from a Chase driver?

The Middle

• Carl Edwards - We know he can run very well here (see story above), but lately he hasn't closed out this race well. 11th, 34th, 12th, and 12th are his last four finishes here. Can he step it up for a Championship?

The Bad

• Kurt Busch - It's hard to think Kurt could have won the Championship even if he was in the final four this weekend. He just hasn't been that good here. SHR would have to give him a bad fast car to have a shot.
• Greg Biffle - Once a winner for three straight (2004-2006), the Biff has lost a step at Homestead. One top 10 (top 5) in his last five races here, Biffle just can't get it done.
• Jamie McMurray - 14 races, two top 5's, and four top 10's. The statistics pretty much say it all so I won't go too much deeper.

Another season has come and gone. It was a fun ride and I appreciate all of you who come check out the site, support it, and follow along on Twitter or Google +. I do this because I love the sport and it keeps me engaged weekly, but without people who follow along it wouldn't be worth it. I love the interaction with all the fans, so again, thanks for following along.

Per usual, Behind the Wall will have plenty of offseason content to check out weekly. Season reviews on drivers will get posted throughout the offseason and then we will get started on driver previews for 2017. Driver contracts, 2017 Paint Schemes, preseason Chase and Championship predictions, plus plenty more all up until Daytona 2017!

2016 NASCAR Week 35 Preview: Phoenix

Can-Am 500

Phoenix International Raceway

By Richard Tix

Harvick International Raceway, oh, I mean Phoenix International Raceway. NASCAR's last stop before its 36th and final race of the 2016 season which will crown a Cup Champion at Homestead-Miami. Phoenix is the last shot for anyone of the six drivers left in the Chase without a win this round to lock in a spot to race for the Championship.

Unfortunately for Kevin Harvick, he sits in a hole and is almost in must win position this weekend. Thats where all the sad news for Harvick ends, because PIR is the best thing that could happen to KH. 

Since 2012 Harvick has been almost untouchable here at Phoenix. In those nine races starting in 2012 he has six wins and all but one finish was no worse then second. Yes you read that right, second. He had one finish of 13th in 2013 without leading a lap otherwise he finished first or second eight times in nine races. If you take out that 13th in 2013 he has an average finish of 1.25 and he averages 145.87 laps lead per race. 

So, don't feel bad for KH. Almost every driver has been in a pressure spot at least once in the past three years and none of them have had such a nice track in front of them.

Now, if Harvick wins that means we have one open spot left for Homestead (Jimmie Johnson and Carl Edwards are locked in). If he doesn't win, we still only have two spots left and three JGR cars have yet to lock in a finale spot. 

Three, minus two, equals one. One guy at minimum sitting out from JGR after this round. Some interesting dynamics will be going on all race and "teammate" may be a word used lightly around JGR. Even considering JGR, we're still missing Joey Logano who has put himself in a nice spot, but one little slip up can mean a lost shot at the Cup Championship.

Then we have Kurt Busch... Sorry Kurt fans, I just haven't been aboard his chances since the start of the Chase. Something about this season just doesn't seem on for that team and it is costing them a bit of speed to truly contend. Then again, PIR is a pretty good track for him and he has learned a thing or two from Kevin.

So what will it be? Kevin Harvick winning his way into Miami with three JGR cars missing out and Joey Logano getting the last spot? Harvick winning and two of three JGR cars missing out and JoLo as well? How about Harvick not winning, not getting in and a mix of JoLo and JGR cars getting in?

This Chase hasn't seen quite the fireworks as the past two seasons, but Phoenix is setting up to have all the drama rolled into one race.

**This section is just a quick look at some of Cup drivers latest finishes. This is not a tool for fantasy purposes and NBTW only is looking at end results. No deep statistic's are involved, but rather it is just a quick way to get ready for the race and get caught up on who has finished well at each track**

The Good

• Kevin Harvick- We talked about him above and you should already know his dominance here. If not, I can not help you.
• Kyle Busch- Rowdy has back to back top five finishes here at PIR and won the pole early this season. He and Denny Hamlin both have a nice track record here lately.
• Carl Edwards- I did mention a few previews back that Carl hadn't been running well, but that this round set up nicely for him as tracks he runs well at. Well, here is another but he doesn't need it.

The Middle

• Team Penske- Both Keselowski and Logano are really good drivers here at PIR since the repave, but neither has won. Most of that is due to Harvick's dominance, but you would think between the two of them one of them would have cracked the code. Maybe this weekend?

The Bad

• Paul Menard- It always amazes me how many races Paul has run at tracks and his lack of top 10's at said track. This one is 19 tries and only two top 10's.
• Kasey Kahne- In the past four races he has three finishes outside of the top 20. In the last nine he has three top 10's and four top 15's. However, ten races ago he won. So, he's got that going for him, which is nice.
• Martin Truex Jr- In the last 13 races Martin has three top 10's. He does have eight top 15's in the last 13 races at PIR, but that's jut not good enough anymore for this team.

About the Track: Phoenix

Track Stats

• Chevy won 10 straight races from 2005-10
• Kevin Harvick has won 6 of the last 8 races
• Alan Kulwicki only started 5 races at PIR, but has 1 win, 3 top 5's, 4 top 10's, and an average finish of 5.2
• Jeff Gordon Retired with the most career top 10's of any driver at PIR (24 total)
• Kevin Harvick has the most led laps in PIR Cup history with 1,484 total.
• Ryan Newman still has the most career poles at PIR with 4 total

Track Info

• Surface
• Asphalt
• Length
• 1 mile
• Banking
• Turns 1/2- 10-11 degrees
• Turn 3- 8 degrees
• Turn 4- 8-9 degrees
• Frontstretch- 3 degrees
• Backstretch- 10 degrees

2016 NASCAR Week 33 Preview: Martinsville

Goody's Fast Relief 500

Martinsville Speedway

By Richard Tix

Behind the Wall Rant:

Points racing. This one statement of two words joined together seems to cause pure chaos in the racing community. Why? Well, it's something that stumps me year after year.

From the start of a point system way back in the "good ole days" racing has always been part points racing. As long as the standings have some type of points system in place drivers will be points racing.

The biggest misconception fans took from the new Chase Era was that more emphasis was on winning. That's what NASCAR said and what fans believed. Oh, and you should believe that. We do have a bigger emphasis on winning then we did before, but NASCAR never said winning will be everything and points mean nothing.

Points are there for a reason folks, for guys to accumulate and used to advance in an upwards position in the standings. Regular season drivers will use points to get into the Chase if they don't have a win, or assure a spot after one win.

In the playoffs points are used in the first two rounds to safely move on. Again, the safest way to advance is winning (hence a bigger emphasis), but if you can't win, points racing will work. Now, each round it gets tougher and tougher to points race because a win can assure your competitor will advance before you (or win the Championship if its Miami), but it can still be done (see Newman in 2014).

Points racing isn't the first option (winning always will be for a driver), but certain situations will lead to a driver focusing on points and not winning if they're not in a good spot for it.

So, just be aware, "points racing" isn't going anywhere anytime soon. Unless the standings only include wins, teams will be focused on racking up points each round just in case they can't get a win.

Race Preview:

Now, lets move onto Martinsville and some short track racing. Nothing's better then short track racing in NASCAR. I posed a question on twitter this week which was, "If you had to try and sell NASCAR fandom to someone who has never watch before, how would you do it?" 

It's not an easy answer as NASCAR is a tough sell in 2016, however a few things came up in most responses. "Take them to a race." Seems right, seeing it in person can really real someone in. "Bring a scanner that easily identifies the driver.team." I could not agree more, scanners are a must at tracks. I will admit I feel like we heard more on the radios 5-10 years ago, but they're still key. "Know the person who you're taking and cater to their likes.dislikes." Genius, not everyone likes the sport for the same things.

The one that came up more then not, "take them to a short track race for there first race." Ding, ding, ding, its Martinsville week, which means I will harp the idea NASCAR needs to get back to some more short tracks and in turn drop a few 1.5 tracks that get two stops. 

So, if you know someone who isn't a fan yet, but is willing to go to a race, get them to a short track, bring a scanner, and try and find out what will hook them. Maybe it is our job to help NASCAR retain some fans while they struggle through the new school vs old school fan dilemma. 

**This section is just a quick look at some of Cup drivers latest finishes. This is not a tool for fantasy purposes and NBTW only is looking at end results. No deep statistic's are involved, but rather it is just a quick way to get ready for the race and get caught up on who has finished well at each track**

The Good

• Jeff Gordon- Not a full time driver in 2016, but I feel like writing about him again. He will be in the No. 88 this weekend for Junior and what a better place to see him run. For his career he has 9 wins, 29 top 5's, 37 top 10's in 46 races at Martinsville.
• Jimmie Johnson- Trailing Gordon by one win, JJ has eight and might have to fight off Gordon from gaining another on him. You can almost lock in a top 10 for JJ at Martinsville.
• Denny Hamlin- Next in line behind Gordon and JJ for Martinsville Master? Well, that would be Hamlin with 5 career wins already in just 21 career starts here.

The Middle

• Matt Kenseth- 15.1 average finish here at Martinsville, yet he has hasn't won and only has five top 5's and twelve top 10's in 33 races. That means he is crazy consistent, but just might not be a front runner on Sunday.

The Bad

• Ricky Stenhouse Jr- Only nine starts here but he has a average finish of 31st so far. That's. Not. Good. His two best finishes are a 15th in 2014 and 25th in 2013. 
• Kurt Busch- Kurt famously won this race a few years ago with a beat up car after getting into it with BK, but past that he hasn't had a ton of success. Two wins, three top 5's, and five top 10's in 32 career starts.
• Greg Biffle- In 27 tries the Biff has yet to pick up a top 5 and only has five top 10's. Add on top RFR just hasn't been great lately and you can see where this might end up.

About the Track: Martinsville

Track Stats

• 8 straight Chevy wins here at Martinsville before Denny Hamlin won in 2015. 9 of the last 11 have been Chevy.
• Other then Denny Hamlin (Toyota) and Kyle Busch (Toyota) Chevy has won 18 straight races. That's 18 of the past 24 races. If you add in Rusty Wallace's win in 2004 (Dodge) its 20 of the past 27.
• The race has been won from the Pole 4 times in the last 16 races. 0 times in the last 6 races.
• Most cautions was 21 in 2007 for 127 laps.
• The farthest back a winner has started from was 36th (Kurt Busch) in 2002 (10/20/2002). Kurt won in 2014 after starting 22nd (3/30/2014) and Dale Jr won after starting 23 (10/26/14)
• Since 2003 Jeff Gordon, Jimmie Johnson, or Denny Hamlin have won 19 of 27 races.
• Richard Petty has the most career Martinsville wins: 15 to go along with 30 top 5's and 37 top 10's. 
• Darrell Waltrip has the most career pole awards at Martinsville with 8.

Track Info

• Surface
• Asphalt/Concrete
• Length- 0.526 miles
• Banking
• Turns- 12 degrees
• Straights- 0 degrees

2016 NASCAR Week 32 Preview: Talladega

Alabama 500

Talladega Superspeedway

By Richard Tix

The comforting thing about Talladega is it's a place anyone can win at on any given weekend. An underdog story can be made or a clutch moment to move on in the Chase can be had. However, that is where most of the comforts end when talking about this high banking superspeedway.

In once sense, a track like this is a great spot for Brad Keselowski (or any driver) to make up some points and possibly even win (see 2014 Chase) and move on. At the same time Dega is a place where one wrong move, or one wrong move by a guy in front of you, or one wrong move by the guy next to you (I think you get the point), will leave you picking up the pieces (literally for track crews).

So, as the second round comes to a close and twelve drivers bunch up together and bump each other for eight spots, they also have to look out for the big one. The same move that can lead you to the front of the pack and take you to Victory Lane is also the same one that can leave you answering questions in the garage about how your season just ended.

So, which will it be for each of these twelve drivers (yes, I know two are locked in for next round)? Will they be pumping their fist in VL, or hanging their heads waiting for the 2017 season to get underway so they have a chance at redemption?

**This section is just a quick look at some of Cup drivers latest finishes. This is not a tool for fantasy purposes and NBTW only is looking at end results. No deep statistic's are involved, but rather it is just a quick way to get ready for the race and get caught up on who has finished well at each track**

The Good

• Brad Keselowski- If you can call anything a sure thing at Dega right now (hint: you can't), BK would be the closest thing to it. A few more wins and his name can be thrown around with the Earnhardts here (Dale Sr has 10 wins, Dale Jr has 6, BK only has 4 so it's a ways away still). 
• Clint Bowyer- Even with a craptastic car (yes I made that word up), Bowyer finished 7th earlier in the year here. That was after starting 34th (which means nothing at Dega).
• Kevin Harvick- Harvick just seems to be consistent here. He has six straight top 15's and three of those are top 10's. For a track like this, those top 15's means days you can hang your hat on.

The Middle

• Ricky Stenhouse Jr- Don't look now, but Ricky is actually pretty good at making his moves around Talladega. In only six career starts he has three top 10's and all but one was 16th or better. This is your longshot/sleeper this weekend.

The Bad

• Kasey Kahne- Talladega serves a large test to a guy who has quietly been running very well as of late. In the last eight races here Kasey only has one top 10.
• AJ Allmendinger- Im not sure why, but every time a driver I like is near AJ on a superspeedway I get a bit nervous. Maybe it's because he always ran into me on NASCAR 14 at these same track, or maybe it's because he only has one top 10 (a top 5) in 13 races here,
• Carl Edwards- 24 career races and only six top 10 finishes. Those don't seem to be numbers that associate with a name like Carl Edwards. What's worse? Nine of those have been 30th or worse..

We're skipping the normal track facts here this week. Talladega is such a crazy place that every driver will go through up's and down's which makes the fun facts not as fun (or easy to get). Instead, here is an old Behind the Wall article on "The Big One" here at Talladega.

2016 NASCAR Week 31 Preview: Kansas

Hollywood Casino 400

Kansas Speedway

By Richard Tix

Week 31.... Let that sink in for a moment. Another season has come and gone as we round up the final twelve drivers and crown a Champion. Another year of writing in this space about just about anything that I feel is relevant in my life or the world of NASCAR. 

With all of that being said why are you still here!? For real though, I appreciate all of you that do come weekly to check out the Power Rankings and Race Previews. I also appreciate all of the interaction on Twitter (if you don't already follow me, check out @NASCARBTW and @UNC_Coastin). The first is this blogs twitter which I do most of my tweetering, but the second is my personal twitter (which I rarely use). 

It has been a crazy year and an even crazier Fall for me. I felt like I have missed a ton of content on here (sorry guys) and a ton of action on the track. None the less, we continue to push on to Miami and then into the vast offseason where N.O.D. becomes a real scare to fans of the sport (credit @annoyingracefan).

Before we get ahead of ourselves, we still have five more races left including Kansas Speedway this weekend. So, lets get into the "Good, Middle, and Bad" drivers here.

**This section is just a quick look at some of Cup drivers latest finishes. This is not a tool for fantasy purposes and NBTW only is looking at end results. No deep statistic's are involved, but rather it is just a quick way to get ready for the race and get caught up on who has finished well at each track**

The Good

• Jimmie Johnson- Coming off a win at Charlotte, this is not what anyone wants to see except for the No 48 team and Rick Hendrick. JJ has 16 top 10 finishes in 20 Kansas starts including three wins.
• Kevin Harvick- Four times in the last six Kansas races has Harvick finshed first or second (one win). He also has three pole awards in that same time. KH need's it this week after back to back rough finishes.
• Kyle Busch- Kansas hasn't always been a good track for Kyle (19.2 average finish), but he has three staright top 5 finishes here including a win earlier this year.
• Extra Credit: Joey Logano

The Middle

• Carl Edwards- Kansas has been one of Carl's best tracks (10.6 average finish in 18 races), yet he hasn't won here yet. Can he get it done this weekend?

The Bad

• Tony Stewart- On one hand Smoke has two career Kansas wins, on the other he has six straight finishes outside the top 10 and eight out of the last nine. 
• Jamie McMurray- McMurray matches Smokes six straight finishes outside the top 10, but one ups him with only one top 10 in his last 17 Kansas starts.
• Danica Patrick- Eight career Kansas races and only one top 10, and three top 20's. It's not terrible, but it's not great either. 

About the Track: Kansas

Track Stats

• Kansas has 13 different career winners in 21 Cup races
• Jeff Gordon and Jimmie Johnson are tied for most career Kansas wins with 3
• In 2011 Kansas started to have two races a year.
• Manufacture win count: Chevy 10, Ford 6, Toyota 3, and Dodge 2
• Brad Keselowski won after starting 25th in 2011, the furthest back a winner has come from
• JJ, Harvick, and Kahne are tied for most career Poles at Kansas (3)
• Most cautions in a Kansas race was 2013 in the Fall Chase race (15)

Track Details

• Surface: Asphalt
• Length: 1.5 mile
• Banking
• Turns: 24 degrees
• Straights: 5 degrees 

2016 NASCAR Week 30 Preview: Charlotte

Bank of America 500

Charlotte Motor Speedway

By Richard Tix

Race four in the 2016 Cup Chase is right around the corner. This weekend NASCAR hits Charlotte Motor Speedway after a lack luster first round. But, what do you expect? The first round is always the round with the least amount of drama.

From here on out, the drama will increase and I expect Twitter NASCAR fan's heads to start exploding. Something is bound to happen to one set of fans driver and the reaction on social media is always a fun and intense time.

So sit back and get your popcorn ready, the Chase and social media are about to get fired up.

**This section is just a quick look at some of Cup drivers latest finishes. This is not a tool for fantasy purposes and NBTW only is looking at end results. No deep statistic's are involved, but rather it is just a quick way to get ready for the race and get caught up on who has finished well at each track**

The Good

• Joey Logano- JoLo won this race last year in the Chase and won this years All Star Race. He has figured out Charlotte pretty well and might get off to a nice start this round.
• Carl Edwards- Edwards needs CMS after an unispirering first round. In 23 career races here he almost has an average finish in the top 10 (10.9).
• Brad Keselowski- BK has three straight top 10's here and five top 10's in the last six stops. Included in those last six was a win in 2013.

The Middle

• Denny Hamlin- Look, Hamlin has been very good here lately, but he just hasn't sealed the deal on a trip to Victory Lane yet. Look for another nice run this weekend.

The Bad

• Jimmie Johnson- You're not reading this wrong.. Yes, JJ has been very good here and I wouldn't bet against him, but three have his last four have all resulted in finishes of 17th or worse. I expect him to bounce back, but these stats should be noted.
• Kasey Kahne- Kahne has also had a nice career here (four wins), but none since 2012 and his last five have yielded only one top 10 and his average start position has been 25.25 in the last four.
• Paul Menard- 19 races. Two top 10's. That's really all you need to know here.

About the Track: Charlotte

Track Stats

• Martin Truex Jr was the first driver not named Jimmie Johnson to win from the pole earlier this year. The last time someone won a Charlotte race from the Pole not named Jimmie Johnson was 1998, Jeff Gordon. JJ has won 2 from the Pole since then (2004 and 2009)
• JJ won 4 straight from 2004 to 2005, sweeping both times. Four straight is also a track Cup record
• In that same stretch he (JJ) won 5 of 6 from 2003-2005 dropping the only race to Tony Stewart
• The most cautions was 22 during the 2005 May Charlotte race, which JJ ended up winning.
• In Jimmie Johnson's 7 wins, he (JJ) won 3 from the Pole, including this race in 2014.
• Those 7 wins are the most by any driver in a career.
• Bobby Allison has the second most wins with 6 total in 43 attempts
• Of current drivers Ryan Newman has the most poles (9). 
• David Pearson has the most career poles at Charlotte with 14.
• Jimmie Johnson has led 1,740 or 10,355 career laps he has run at Charlotte. That is enough for second most behind Bobby Allison (2,338 total).
• Richard Petty has the most top 10's in a career with 31 in 64 attempts. He is also tied with Bobby Allison for the most top 5's (23 total).

Track Info

• Surface: Asphalt
• Length: 1.5 mile
• Banking
• Turns: 24 degrees
• Straights: 5 degrees 

2016 NASCAR Week 27 Preview: Chicagoland

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 400

Chicagoland Speedway

By Richard Tix

The first Chase race of 2016 is here. It is an exciting time of the year for NASCAR fans, but it also makes us realize that we only have ten races left. On the bright side, NASCAR has one of the shortest offseason's so the world will not end.

Chicagoland is an interesting place to start the Chase off at. Yes, it is another 1.5 mile track that NASCAR first ran in 2001. However boring that sounds, it actually leads to some interesting results. David Reutimann won here in 2010 while driving for Michael Waltrip Racing in the No. 00. On top of a surprising winner going to Victory Lane, Chicagoland has also brought us 11 different race winners in 15 races.

With all that in mind, this is week one of the Chase and if history has told us anything about Chicagoland it has shown us anyone can win. Anyone in the Chase has an ok shot to win this week which makes this weekend even more fun.

A few guys have set themselves apart here at Chicagoland so look for them to be front runners this weekend. Check out who the best are below.

**This section is just a quick look at some of Cup drivers latest finishes. This is not a tool for fantasy purposes and NBTW only is looking at end results. No deep statistic's are involved, but rather it is just a quick way to get ready for the race and get caught up on who has finished well at each track**

The Good

• Brad Keselowski- BK has won two career races here at Chicagoland including the very first Chase race in 2014 (which was the first year of this new format). He currently has five straight top 10 finishes here. 
• Kyle Busch- Kyle has one career race here, but it was way back in 2008. However, he has four straight top 10 finishes including a 9th place finish after leading 121 laps last year. 
• Matt Kenseth- Kenseth has three straight top 10's here at Chicagoland including winning in 2013. A win this time around would be a nice start to the 2016 Chase.

The Middle

• Jimmie Johnson- In 14 career starts here JJ has ten top 10's. However, he has yet to get a win in that same time. He has run here well, but will he while struggling this season in general?

The Bad

• Paul Menard- Menards lone top 10 came in 2010 and his last top 15 came in 2012. Those two top 15's are his only top 15's at Chicagoland in nine tries.
• Jamie McMurray- In 13 starts at Chicagoland Speedway Jamie McMurray has three top 10's and an average finish of 20.8. He is in the Chase shit time around, but expect a finish of 15th-22nd.
• Greg Biffle- Biffle also has 13 career starts at Chicagoland, but only one top 10. That lone top 10 was all the way back in 2008, which seems like forever ago at RFR.

About the Track: Chicagoland Speedway

Track Stats

• This will be the 16th NASCAR Cup stop at Chicagoland Speedway
• 5 drivers have started all 15 races here at Chicagoland
• Their has been 11 different winners at Chicagoland in 15 races.
• Only three drivers have multiple wins here (Stewart, Harvick, and Keselowski)
• David Reutimann won with MWR here back in 2010
• Stewart and Havrick have the most career top 5's with 8
• Stewart and Jimmie Johnson have the most career top 10's with 10
• Johnson has led the most career laps here with 577

Track Info

• Surface: Asphalt
• Length: 1.5 miles
• Banking
• Turns: 18 degrees
• Frontstretch: 11 degrees
• Backstretch: 15 degrees

2016 NASCAR Week 26 Preview: Richmond

Federated Auto Parts 400

Richmond International Raceway

By Richard Tix

Everything comes down to this. One. Last. Race. Thirteen drivers are going to arrive at Richmond and take one huge breath of fresh air remembering they don't have any extra pressure on them until race 27. Meanwhile, the rest of the teams are scrambling, waking up from nightmares, and trying to prepare as best they can for one last shot at a win.

Thirteen drivers did what was needed in the first 25 races so they could get to this point and not stress over where they stand before Chicagoland. Those thirteen will focus on winning, like they do every week, without the pressure of behind a bystander in the Chase. With the exception of Chris Buescher, all thirteen are locked in (Chris just needs to stay top 30).

What this leaves us is three spots open with a wildcard fourth spot if Buescher has early trouble, finishes 40th, and drops out of the top 30 in points.

The only way the rest of the drivers know for sure on the last lap if they're in, is if they win. So, can guys like Chase Elliott, Jamie McMurray, Ryan Newman, Austin Dillon, Kasey Kahne, Trevor Bayne, Paul Menard, or Ryan Blaney get it done? One thing is for sure, only three (maybe four) will be in the Chase from that group above.

The Sprint Cup Chase not only adds excitement to the last ten races of the season, but it also adds another dimension in during the closing races of the regular season, as any popular sport in America does. 

So get ready fans, Richmond should be a fun weekend!

**This section is just a quick look at some of Cup drivers latest finishes. This is not a tool for fantasy purposes and NBTW only is looking at end results. No deep statistic's are involved, but rather it is just a quick way to get ready for the race and get caught up on who has finished well at each track**

The Good

• Kyle Busch- A 6.9 average finish position over a 22 race career should say it all for Rowdy. If not, four career wins should say the rest (which is the most active wins at RIR). The last two RIR races he finished runner up so he has a good chance to end up in VL.
• Kevin Harvick- Three career wins, ten top 5's, and 19 top 10's. Harvick knows how to get it done at RIR. Earlier this year he took the pole and finished 5th after leading 63 laps.
• Joey Logano- JoLo has five straight top 10's at RIR which all started with a win in 2014. RIR is a track he slowly came around to, but now can consitently be found at the front.

The Middle

• Ryan Newman- Newman is going to need more then just a top 15 finish this weekend to make the Chase. However his last and only RIR win was in 2003. 

The Bad

• Greg Biffle- For a driver who has had as good a career as Biffle has, six top 10's in 28 career RIR starts is not something to be proud of. In fact, he hasn't cracked the top 10 in seven straight races.
• Martin Truex Jr- In 21 career RIR starts Truex has one top 5 and six top 10's. Worse yet, only nine times has he finshed in the top 20.
• Austin Dillon- 27th, 20th, 27th, 27th, and 20th. Sound like a ton of great finishes? Nope, not really. It's a very short sample, but so far it hasn't gone AD's way.

About the Track: Richmond

Track Stats

• Richard Petty once won 7 RIR races in a row, 9 of 10, and 12 of 17. All were from 1967 to 1975
• In 2013 Kevin Harvick and Carl Edwards won from the 17th and 26th positions. Joey Logano won in 2014 (Spring) from the 17th position as well. 
• In 2009 and 2010 Kyle Busch won both early season races and Denny Hamlin won both late season. Kyle also won the early season RIR race in 2011 and 2012 making it 5 straight Toyota wins and 6 in 7 (actually 7 of 8 because Bowyer won late in 2012).
• Richard Petty has the most career RIR wins with 13.
• Of current drivers Kyle Busch has the most total wins with 4.
• Richard Petty also has the most career top 5's (34), top 10's (41), and Poles (tied with Bobby Allison with 8).

Track Info

• Surface 
• Asphalt
• Length 
• 0.75 miles
• Banking
• Turns: 14 degrees
• Frontstretch: 8 degrees
• Backstretch: 2 degrees

2016 NASCAR Week 23 Preview: Bristol

Bass Pro Shops/NRA Night Race

Bristol Motor Speedway

By Richard Tix

NASCAR Opinion:

After Watkins Glen was over the temperature ran hot for a few drivers. Kyle Larson and Martin Truex Jr both went for a spin late in the race and neither was happy because it was caused by another driver and not sell inflicted. Kyle Larson had much more to loose while trying to get a spot in the Chase off of points.

Meanwhile, Truex received a rare apology from Brad Keselowski right after the race, yet still took to Twitter to complain about the Penseke driver. He should be upset, BK did get into him late in the race but Truex didn't help himself on the day. Truex had a chance to go for the win but wouldn't move a "JGR Teammate" so he was stuck racing for second with the rest of the field.

WGI has turned into the old short track scene where moving someone is the way to go, especially with the race winding down. Truex is almost always a very clean and respectable driver, but some moments call for a little more aggression if you want to be a Cup Champion (I know, I know it can be done in other ways, but WGI is an aggressive track). Kyle Busch might have looked at moving someone in that position as well as a few other, more aggressive drivers.

In the end it was a tough time right after the race for Truex and I am sure he reacted with emotion on Twitter even after BK gave his apology and took blame. The nice thing? We get a week to cool down and move on until we get to Bristol where anyone can move anyone if they really want to intact "payback."

Race Preview:

Moving onto the next race on the schedule, Bristol. Motor. Speedway. It's Bristol Baby! If a driver has been waiting for payback, Bristol could be the place it happens (though I doubt much plays out this week). Just four races left before the Chase starts so I expect drivers to play if safe unless they're already down and out and just riding around looking for a "Kenseth Moment."

Earlier this year Carl Edwards came, dominated, and conquered Bristol. Edwards took the trip to victory lane after leading 276 laps which was the most on the day (Kenseth lead 142 but was caught up in a wreck).

Joe Gibb's Racing will once again be the team to beat at Bristol this week, which will continue a 2016 trend. Kyle Busch (5 Bristol wins), Matt Kenseth (4 wins), Carl Edwards (4 wins), and Denny Hamlin (1 win) have all won here and bring 14 total wins to BMS. By contrast, the rest of the current drivers have 20 total wins here.

So, really the story of BMS will be can NASCAR beat JGR?




**This section is just a quick look at some of Cup drivers latest finishes. This is not a tool for fantasy purposes and NBTW only is looking at end results. No deep statistic's are involved, but rather it is just a quick way to get ready for the race and get caught up on who has finished well at each track**

The Good

• Carl Edwards- JGR was mentioned above, but out of the bunch Carl has been the best as of late. He has two wins since 2014 at BMS (five races) and started worse than 3rd only once (2014 when he started 12th and won the Fall stop).
• Joey Logano- JoLo's first seven starts and his last eight starts are completely different. First seven starts: zero top 10's, one top 15, and three top 20's. His last eight: two wins, three top 5's, five top 10's, and seven top 20's.
• Matt Kenseth- Matt's dominance here at BMS has been speradic at best, but when he is on he is on. He has two wins in his last six races here. That is a win from Kenseth or Edwards in four of the last six races. Actually, all three of these drivers have combined for the last six wins at BMS.

The Middle

• Too Many to Focus on One: Ricky Stenhouse Jr (Avg finish of 11.9), Clint Bowyer (five top 10's in last nine. Back to back top 10's), and Ryan Newman (Four top 10's in last Seven races. Three straight top 10's).

The Bad

• Kyle Busch- Don't bet on this one coming true...However, it must be noted Rowdy only has one top 10 in the last five races. Bad luck aside, most of his wins came from 2007 to 2011 and he only has three top 10's since.
• Kasey Kahne- Bristol used to be a much better track for Kahne, but his last four have produced lack luster results. Four straight races with zero top 15's and only two top 20's can be improved upon. 
• Martin Truex Jr- 21 career BMS starts and only two top 5's, that's it. Only eight top 15's and 12 top 20's in that same time. His three Furniture Row starts have been 29th, 28th, and 14th.

About the Track: Bristol

Track Stats

• Cup has run 111 total races at Bristol since 1961.
• Richard Petty ran the most career races at Bristol: 60.
• Darrell Waltrip has the most career Bristol wins: 12. Rusty Wallace, Dale Earnhardt, and Cale Yarborough follow with 9 each.
• Richard Petty and Darrell Waltrip are tied for the most career top 5's with 26.
• Richard Petty has the most career top 10's with 37.
• Mark Martin and Cale Yarborough are tied for the most career Poles with 9.
• Of current drivers. The Busch Brothers, Kyle Busch, and Kurt Busch have the most wins with 5.

Track Info

• Surface
• Concrete
• Length
• 0.533 miles
• Banking
• Turns: 26-30 degrees
• Straights: 6-10 degrees

2016 NASCAR Week 22 Preview: Watkins Glen

Cheez-It 355 at the Glen

Watkins Glen International

By Richard Tix

NASCAR Opinion: 

Hot Take: Sporting events cost money.

Any sport has it's cost and we should all know that. However, year after year the complaint that going to the track is too expensive gets brought up and the incorrect fact that tickets are too expensive gets throw out there.

Sure, maybe for you it's too expensive. We all come from different backgrounds and all make different incomes. But, sports are a luxury, not a given. Going to sporting event's all comes down to priorities. Would your rather save some money, watch it on TV, and use that money on something else you need (not want)?

It is 100% understandable if you do not have the means to go to a race, not everyone can do every event. Life isn't fair and most of us have to work to make a living let alone go to a race.

I make one race a season so I know the struggles first hand. Being in Minnesota makes it a tough task to go anywhere at the Cup level for cheap. However, costs can be cut in places as long as we realize ticket prices aren't the issue.

Many tracks have inexpensive ticket options just for people who complain about prices, yet they continue to complain... Heck, most of these seats are even pretty good views at each track. Ive heard MIS, LVMS, Auto Club, and more all make deals to get fans to the track.

Complaining about money is the easy way out. If you just enjoy it better on TV, fine. Can't afford it this year because funds got tight, fine. Just lost the love of the sport, fine. All of that happen's, but don't use ticket prices as an excuse.

Compared to other sports NASCAR ticket prices are pretty inexpensive (think NFL, NHL, NBA, Soccer. The MLB might be an exception in some cities). Upper level tickets for the Vikings are normally around $50 for the highest seats (NFL), same with the Wild (NHL). Once we hit the new football stadium those prices may jump more for the Vikings. 

Add in the fact that a beer or even pop (soda) is around $7-7.50 at these stadiums and things add up fast. Parking in a downtown area is normally $10-15 (Vikings games used to get hiked up to $20 for a lot 3/4 miles away).

Point being, sports are expensive.

In NASCAR most tracks let you bring in coolers full of beer or pop (soda) and any kind of food you would like. Seriously, tell that to a sports fan who attends NBA/MLB/NHL/NFL games who doesn't follow NASCAR and hasn't been to a track. I bet the flip out with how awesome it is you can bring in a 12 pack, pop (soda), chips, sandwiches, ANYTHING YOU WANT. Tracks miss out on a ton of revenue on concessions just to get you there, but you want to complain.

"Hotel's in the area jack up prices." Sure they do. If one of your busiest weekends is a NASCAR weekend and you have an area with high demand and small quantities to give up you would capitalize. Nothing NASCAR or the tracks can do about supply and demand of hotel accommodations. Maybe they could create their own line of hotel chains (not likely folks), but even then the market wouldn't change much during these weekends.

NASCAR may not be able to do anything, but you can! Maybe you have friends or relatives in the area (we have friends about 45-55 min away from MIS). That's a small option for many people, but I have more. Stay farther away from the track. Many times you can make an easy 1 hour, 2 hour drive into the track and save a ton of money on hotels. Like camping? Maybe rough it for a few nights at a campground. It saves a ton of money and even gives you an extra experience that might bring some fun memories.

In the end everything still cost's money and you as a fan have to deal with it. Tracks have tried making cheap ticket packages, but the fan looks past this and moves onto the next thing to complain about. If you want to go bad enough you will make away or understand maybe it's not meant to be for that event. But, just realize in life nothing is free and life is not fair. That doesn't mean you can't enjoy things, you just have to start looking at it in another perspective. Make it happen or move along and enjoy it another way, folks!

Race Preview:

That was a long rant with a lot of opinion tied in, remember we all have opinions and most of them are not wrong. Just remember if you want to make it happen their are ways to get there. But, its race 22 and we have some actual takes on racing action this week to talk about.

Last week Chris Buescher won and put everyone on blast. Now, if he makes it to the top 30 he will steal a Chase spot. Good for him and good for Front Row. Other drivers/teams not already locked into the Chase have a five race warning call which starts this weekend.

Every driver has had 21 races to race their way in, so I don't want to hear Buescher doesn't deserve a spot, he does if he passes all the required rules (top 30). No, we do not need to change the format because of this. Every sport has an underdog story even in the playoffs. The NBA lets in 16 teams and normally only four of those have a legit shot to win. But, it creates some great opening round drama. Similarly, the NCAA Basketball tournament is filled with Cinderella lore. In the end "natural selection" takes over and the strong teams almost always prevail, but sports are sports because unpredictability is key.

NASCAR now has that and it adds some great feel good stories for teams that never get noticed. Do you think FRM and other small teams don't work there butts off with a smaller budget then the "big boys?" Night in and night out those guys work there tails off and deserve some pay off. Let there hard work pay off for once and enjoy the first three races in the Chase.

WG now gets even more focus because another underdog win will put more pressure on guys relying on the points bubble. If A.J. Allmendinger comes out strong early guys in the field like Larson, Elliott, Newman, and McMurray (among others) will start pressing. It will bring out the best or worst in each driver as they need to perform there best under pressure.

In the end, every driver has 26 races to race there way in. Plain and simple you need to win to have a chance in the Championship anyways. Strategy, good luck, bad luck, fast cars, crap cars, and even weather will make 16 teams a Chase team or not. Every driver/team with a win will have deserved it because racing is sport, and sport is unpredictable. Enjoy the moments and just remember that it's not like these teams didn't realize that any week something like Chris Buescher winning couldn't throw a wrench in there plan.

**This section is just a quick look at some of Cup drivers latest finishes. This is not a tool for fantasy purposes and NBTW only is looking at end results. No deep statistic's are involved, but rather it is just a quick way to get ready for the race and get caught up on who has finished well at each track**

The Good

• Kyle Busch- In 11 starts at WG Rowdy only has two non top 10's. One was his first Cup start here and the other his car was beat up (2014). The other nine races he has two wins, five top 5's, and nine top 10's. Yeah, he can wheel it at WG.
• Brad Keselowski- Some of the classic racing footage from recent races involves BK. BK v Kyle Busch and BK v Ambrose were two very fun races. Yet, BK hasn't won here while coming in second three times.
• Kyle Larson- Larson's first Cup start at WG actually resulted in a better finish then his second, but last year was arguably the better run. Last year he had an average running position of 11th and spent 80% of the race in the top 15, while finishing 12th. He could be an underdog worth watching on Sunday.
• Extra Credit- A.J. Allmendinger

The Middle

• Tony Stewart- In the three races from 2011-2015 (missed 2013 and 2014) Smoke has one top 20 (19th). It hasn't been good, but what has during that time? Before that he was one of the best drivers at WG. What will we get Sunday? I lean towards the old Smoke with the way he has been driving lately.

The Bad

• Paul Menard- I will give Menard this, he has two top 15's and three top 20's in his last four starts at WG, but the rest hasn't been pretty. 12 career starts and no top 10's. 
• Greg Biffle- Up and down is how to describe the Biff's performance at WG. He has four top 10's in 13 starts here, but also five finishes of 30th or higher.
• Kasey Kahne- Not a single top 10 finish in 12 tries for Kahne at WG. He also only has four top 15's and seven top 20's in that same time.

About the Track: Watkins Glen International 

Track Stats

• Three straight years the race was won from the Pole (1993-95) and all three years Mark Martin was the winner.
• Mark Martin has the most top 5's (12) and most top 10's (16) by any driver.
• Tony Stewart has the most career wins (5).
• Tim Richmond won the first race after NASCAR came back to the Glen (ran races in '57, '64, and '65) in 1986 beating out Darrell Waltrip. Part of his 7 win 1986 season.
• Steve Park won in 2000 after starting 18th, which is the farthest back a winner has started. Steve Parks only other Cup win was at Rockingham. Watkins Glen was his first.
• Geoffrey Bodine's last career win was at Watkins Glen in 1996 (18 career wins).
• Robby Gordon's final career win was also at the Glen in 2003. Where he first won Sonoma first and then finished the Road Course sweep in 2003 at Watkins Glen. 
• The race has been won from the front row 11 times (Pole 9 times) in 32 NASCAR races.
• A race has been won only 12 times out of 33 races after starting outside of the top 5 (Most recently 2014-AJ Allmendinger 6th and 2015-Joey Logano 16th) and 9 times after starting outside the top 10. 

Track Info

• Surface 
• Asphalt and concrete
• Length: 3.40 miles
• Turns 11

2016 NASCAR Week 21 Preview: Pocono

Pennsylvania 400

Pocono Raceway

By Richard Tix

Last time NASCAR took a trip to Pocono Raceway the weather forced them to move the rained out race to Monday. Coincidentally, I also started my new position at work that same Monday which meant I caught none of the race. Nothing. Not on TV, not on the radio, not on twitter, not on any racing app, nothing. 

But, sometimes weather and more importantly life gets in the way of our favorite hobby's and passions. These things tend to happen more and more over the Summer months or weekend Saturday night races for many fans.

The night race in NASCAR started as a nice switch up, it was something of a spectical for fans used to daytime NASCAR racing. A few spots on the calendar a year made it a special event worth tuning into. Just like when NASCAR was booming and added a bunch of 1.5 mile tracks during its heyday, the night race was over expanded and lost its luster. All of this being much the same as the luster of Indy has worn off, things need to be looked at to make night racing more significant again. Taking a few off the schedule might be the start of things. 

While I miss many Saturday night races, this weekend is a Sunday day race and I will be in Northern Minnesota. I will pop in and out to catch some of the race, but again life is going to get in the way of racing and I am ok with that. 

Hopefully you'all enjoy the race and this time around we don't get rained out. Unlike Indy, Pocono has made a nice comeback as of late and put on some good shows so this weekend I have an optimistic outlook. Pocono always has the possibility of being a fuel mileage ending, but it always seems to catch your attention (unless you're that fan that always has to complain unless its a win by less then 0.5 sec. Don't be that guy!). So, strap in and forget that we normally turn left four times, its the "Tricky Triangle."

**This section is just a quick look at some of Cup drivers latest finishes. This is not a tool for fantasy purposes and NBTW only is looking at end results. No deep statistic's are involved, but rather it is just a quick way to get ready for the race and get caught up on who has finished well at each track**

The Good

• Kyle Larson- Larson has already been running better in the second half of this 26 regular season stretch, now he gets one of his better tracks in Pocono. In his five starts he has one top 5, two top 10's, and average finish of 9.4, and no finishes higher then 12th. Could this weekend be his first NASCAR Cup win?
• Jeff Gordon- Welcome back to the review Gordon! Filling in for Dale Earnhardt Jr again this week, Gordon brings in a career of accomplishment at Pocono to the No. 88. Six wins, 20 top 5's, and 32 top 10's in 46 career starts.
• Brad Keselowski- I am not sure any current driver has been better then BK has at Pocono in the last few stops here without winning (he has one win here in 2011). He has come close (losing to Junior after running out of fuel late) but he hasn't closed. This weekend might finally be the time to get another Pocono win.

The Middle

• Denny Hamlin- Chance to be a front runner? Check. Chance to finish 15th-20th? Also check. Denny was much better at Pocono earlier in his career then he has been lately, but anything is possible with how strong JRG has been.

The Bad

• Kasey Kahne- Not many times does a driver with two wins at a specific track get on my "bad" list, but somehow bad luck follows Kahne at Pocono. Wrecking more often then winning in his last 14 races, Kahne is the dark horse in this group to pull out a top 5.
• Jamie McMurray- 27 career Pocono starts, zero top 5's and seven top 10's. Not numbers to go crazy over if you're a JMac fan this weekend.
• Paul Menard- Just like JMac Menard has yet to finish in the top 5 at Pocono in his career. 22 starts and only two top 10's means it could be another rough weekend for the No. 27.

About the Track: Pocono Raceway

Track Stats

• Of current drivers (full time), Denny Hamlin has the most wins (4). Gordon is filling in and has 6.
• Of current drivers (full time),  Kurt Busch has the most top 5's (12)
• Jimmie Johnson and Denny Hamlin have the most Pole's of current drivers (3)
• Jeff Gordon has the most career Pocono wins (6) followed by Bill Elliott (5)
• Mark Martin and Jeff Gordon have the most career Pocono top 5's (20)
• Ricky Rudd has the most career Pocono starts (55) followed by Mark Martin (54)
• Of drivers with at least 10 Pocono starts, Davey Allison has the best average finish (9.8 in 13 starts).
• A Pocono race has been won from the Pole 15 times in 76 Cup races
• Chevy has won the last 7 of 8 races 8 of the last 11. Including Dale Earnhardt Jr sweeping in 2014.
• The furthest back anyone has started and won was 29th in 2005 when Carl Edwards won in the first Pocono stop of the year

Track Info

• Surface: Asphalt
• Length: 2.5 Miles
• Banking
• Turn 1: 14 degrees
• Turn 2: 8 degrees
• Turn 3: 6 degrees

2016 Indianapolis NASCAR Schedule

Crown Royal Presents The Combat Wounded Coalition 400

By Richard Tix

**All Times are Eastern Time Zone (ET)**


Tuesday July 19, 2016 (Eldora)

• 6:30-7:55 p.m.: NASCAR Camping World Truck Series first practice
• 9-9:55 p.m.: NASCAR Camping World Truck Series final practice

Wednesday July 20, 2016 (Eldora)

• 5:15 p.m.: NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Keystone Light Pole Qualifying- FS1
• 7 p.m.: NASCAR Camping World Truck Series First Qualifying Race (10 laps)- FS1
• 7:09 p.m.: NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Second Qualifying Race (10 laps)- FS1
• 7:18 p.m.: NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Third Qualifying Race (10 laps)- FS1
• 7:27 p.m.: NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Fourth Qualifying Race (10 laps)- FS1
• 7:36 p.m.: NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Fifth Qualifying Race (10 laps)- FS1
• 8:15 p.m.: NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Last Chance Qualifying Race (15 laps)- FS1
• 9 p.m.: NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Aspen Dental Eldora Dirt Derby (150 laps/40-50-60)- FS1

Friday July 22, 2016

• 12-1:25 p.m.: NASCAR XFINITY Series first practice- NBCSN
• 1:30 p.m.-2:55 p.m.: NASCAR Sprint Cup Series first practice- NBCSN
• 3-3:55 p.m.: NASCAR XFINITY Series final practice- NBCSN
• 4-5:25 p.m.: NASCAR Sprint Cup Series final practice- NBCSN

Saturday July 23, 2016

• 11:45 a.m.: NASCAR XFINITY Series Coors Light Pole Qualifying- NBCSN
• 1:45 p.m.: NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Coors Light Pole Qualifying- NBCSN
• 3:30 p.m.: NASCAR XFINITY Series Lilly Diabetes 250 Heat #1 (20 laps)- NBCSN
• 4:25 p.m. (approx): NASCAR XFINITY Series Lilly Diabetes 250 Heat #2 (20 laps)- NBCSN
• 5:05 p.m. (approx): NASCAR XFINITY Series Lilly Diabetes 250 Main (60 laps)- NBCSN

Sunday July 24, 2016

• 3 p.m.: NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Crown Royal Presents The Combat Wounded Coalition 400 at the Brickyard (160 laps, 400 miles)- NBCSN

2016 NASCAR Week 19 Preview: Loudon

New Hampshire 301

New Hampshire Motor Speedway

By Richard Tix

It's almost race weekend at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. That means we are already through 18 week's and have just eight more races to go before the 2016 Chase. We know guys like Brad Keselowski (4 wins), Kyle Busch (3 wins), Jimmie Johnson, and Carl Edwards (both 2 wins) are in. Plus, everyone else with a win should be a lock (even Tony Stewart should stick in at least 30th place in points).

However, with the last eight races approaching quickly the last five spots are going to start taking shape.

Chase Elliott is the first guy in the points standings without a win. He has 492 points and currently sits 8th overall in front of 2016 winners like Jimmie Johnson and Matt Kenseth. He is almost a lock to get the top non points spot (if he doesn't win) as he has a 29 point lead on the next highest non win driver and that's after a few tough races in a row.

Ryan Newman is the next guy up in the points Chase (or fight for a win to get in). He has been his usual self in this Chase Era that started in 2014. Knocking off consistent finishes to constantly be hanging around in the points. At 463 points he only has a two point cushion on Dale Earnhardt Jr and three points on Austin Dillon.

Those three have the safest spot to make it without a win (assuming Chase Elliott is already locked in on points), but one or two back races can really hurt your spot in the standings if others take advantage. After Dillon their is a 21 point gap until Jamie McMurray who hasn't been all that consistent this season and holds the final spot as of now.

The shocking part is Trevor Bayne is only 10 points behind JMac and the 16th spot. Now, understand that as soon as a driver not ahead of them in the standing's wins they will automatically get pushed farther down (think AJ Allmendinger at Watkins Glen).

So, will the points bubble get smaller this weekend? Most likely a driver with a win in 2016 will win the New Hampshire 301 (Keselowski, Kyle Busch, or maybe Kenseth?). But, don't count out Larson, Newman, and Dillon who have all had some success here.

**This section is just a quick look at some of Cup drivers latest finishes. This is not a tool for fantasy purposes and NBTW only is looking at end results. No deep statistic's are involved, but rather it is just a quick way to get ready for the race and get caught up on who has finished well at each track**

The Good

• Brad Keselowski- BK has been one of the most consistent drivers at NHMS for a few year now. He has lead at least one lap in nine straight races. He also has lead at least one lap in ten of his thirteen career starts here.
• Matt Kenseth- Kenseth won the second race here in 2015 and also had a top 10 the first time around. His average finish of 12.5 is good for fourth best among active drivers. 
• Jimmie Johnson- JJ hasn't won here since 2010, but he still has 19 top 10's, 10 top 5's and 3 wins in his 28 career NHMS starts. He does have six top 10's in his last eight races here.

The Middle

• Denny Hamlin- Hamlin can be really good here (two wins and seven top 3 finishes). He also can have some average runs (only two top 10's in the last six races here).

The Bad

• Danica Patrick- Im giving Danica the biggest break of the three because she only has 6 career starts here, but those six still hasn't been great. Only one top 20 and three top 25's in those same six races for Danica.
• Paul Menard- Zero top 10's in 18 career NHMS starts says it all. Only three top 15's and seven top 20's in that same stretch make matters worse.
• Jamie McMurray- His last six at NHMS has been better (mixed in two top 5's), however he only has six top 10's and four top 5's in 26 career starts. 

About the Track NHMS

Track Stats

• Rusty Wallace won the first race at Loudon in 1993. He started 33rd
• Most cautions was the second race at Loudon, 1994, 17 for 78 laps. Ricky Rudd won the race
• In 1999 Jeff Burton won after starting 38th (farthest back a winner has started)
• A Cup race at Loudon has been won from the Pole position five times (Newman-2011, Clint Bowyer-2007, Kevin Harvick-2006, Newman-2002, and Jeff Gordon-1998)
• Ryan Newman has won the Pole at Loudon an astounding 7 times in his 26 starts
• 4 current full time drivers have 3 total wins at Loudon (Newman, Johnson, Stewart, and Ku Busch)
• A Chevy has not won a race at Loudon in 7 straight starts
• Jeff Burton has the most career wins at Loudon (4)
• Jeff Gordon has the most career top 5's (16) and top 10's (23).

Track Info

• Surface- Asphalt and Granite
• Length- 1.058 miles
• Banking
• Turns- variable, about 12% grade
• Straight- 1 degree

2016 NASCAR Week 18 Preview: Kentucky

Quaker State 400

Kentucky Speedway

By Richard Tix

Who want's to place a bet that according to Jeff Gluck's twitter pole after this race, that it places as one of the lowest six rated all season (don't get this line, check out the last power rankings)? Another week and another night race. I do enjoy seeing car's under the lights, but prime time races are hard to catch live and seem to have lost their luster.

However, maybe Kentucky can change that trend? Again, my money is on it might not be remembered as one of the better races of 2016. Why? Because Kentucky just repaved it's surface and we know how those first new races typically go, poorly.

I will leave the judgement up to you as I will be in Northern Minnesota this weekend and will have to catch the race via twitter. Hopefully I am wrong and the race out produces expectations!

**This section is just a quick look at some of Cup drivers latest finishes. This is not a tool for fantasy purposes and NBTW only is looking at end results. No deep statistic's are involved, but rather it is just a quick way to get ready for the race and get caught up on who has finished well at each track**

The Good

• Kyle Busch- In five Kentucky races only four drivers posted a top 10 every race and Kyle is one of those guys. Actually, he has two wins and four top 5's in all five Kentucky races. He has been the best driver here since Cup started making a yearly stop.
• Brad Keselowski- BK is actually not one of those four drivers with top 10's in every stop here, but he does have two wins and four top 10's in those five races.
• Matt Kenseth- Kenseth has five top 10's in the first five stops here and a win to go with those. He has the second best average finish behind Kyle Busch (4.6).

The Middle

• Kasey Kahne- Kahne seems like a driver stuck in the middle a lot latetly. Actually, some of his fans would welcome him averaging finishing around 13th right now. Kahne has two top 10's and four top 10's in five races.

The Bad

• Austin Dillon- Everyone has limited data here at Kentucky, so Dillons three career starts here actually falls in line with many other guys (only five Cup races at Kentucky). In those three two of them have been outside the top 20 and none of them were top 15's.
• Tony Stewart- Kentucky's five races just happen to coincide with Smokes poor seasons, so he finds himself down here. Smoke only has two top 15's and three top 20's in five career Kentucky races.
• Greg Biffle- Biffle only has one top 15 and two top 20's in his five career starts here at Kentucky.

About the Track: Kentucky

Track Stats

• Brad Keselowksi (2), Kyle Busch (2), and Matt Kenseth are the only three drivers to win a Cup race at Kentucky.
• Kyle Busch, Matt Kenseth, Jimmie Johnson, and Jeff Gordon have all finished top 10 in each of the four races.
• Ky Busch has lead the most career laps at Kentucky (437) followed by BK (408), and Jimmie Johnson (203).
• Kyle Busch is the only driver to have 4 top 5's in the first five races at Kentucky (four drivers have two). 
• Only 7 drivers have run every lap at Kentucky in the four Cup races.

Track Info

• Surface
• Asphalt
• Length
• 1.5 miels
• Banking
• Turns: 14 degrees
• Tri-Oval: 8-10 degrees
• Straight: 4 degrees

2016 NASCAR Week 17 Preview: Daytona

Firecracker 400 (Coke Zero 400)

Daytona International Speedway

By Richard Tix

84 races strapping in. 84 times another driver went to victory lane. Injuries. Drama. Car changes. Rule Changes. Legal battles. Lastly, numerous bold, no holds-bar, statements to remind us Tony was still with us. Anything you can imagine happening to break a man down happened to Tony Stewart in the last few years. Last Sunday it came full circle.

Smoke never gave up through all the frustration and personal issues that could have followed him. Even on Sunday at Sonoma he wasn't going to lay down after a mistake or two. Between his hard racing and say all attitude, its what has defined his career.

This week, with Smoke only trailing a Chase spot (top 30 spot) by 9 points, NASCAR heads to Daytona International Speedway. It's a place Tony has won at four times and its a race Tony has won four times. The reality is that Smoke never won a Daytona 500, but winning four Firecracker 400's is no small task. Of current drivers only Dale Earnhardt Jr has as many DIS wins as Stewart (4).

So, last week I begged the question at the end of my intro to Sonoma is a underdog like A.J. Allmendinger could win and steal a Chase spot. I also specifically asked if Smoke could get it done at Sonoma. He did, so now the next question is can he get to 50 wins and lock himself into the Chase by being top 30 in points with one more Firecracker 400?

**This section is just a quick look at some of Cup drivers latest finishes. This is not a tool for fantasy purposes and NBTW only is looking at end results. No deep statistic's are involved, but rather it is just a quick way to get ready for the race and get caught up on who has finished well at each track**

The Good

• Denny Hamlin- 2016 Daytona 500 winner will look to continue his Daytona dominance in the 2016 Firecracker. Hamlin has a streak of five straight top 10's that includes four top 5's at Daytona heading into this weekends race.
• Dale Earnhardt Jr- Even with his wreck in the Daytona 500, Junior still has the best average finish in the last 8 Daytona races (10). That's saying something about just how consistently good he has been here in the last few years.
• Jimmie Johnson- In the last eight races only Junior and JJ have multiple wins (both have two). JJ also has five top 5's in those last eight races.

The Middle

• Regan Smith- Yes, Regan Smith is stuck in the middle. No, I wouldn't trust he will have another quality finish, but his last three finishes have been 8th, 16th, and 8th. Before that he had finished of 34th, 24th, 24th, and 7th. 

The Bad

• Brad Keselowski- BK actually tends to find himself up front a ton at Daytona, but it never seems to unfold into more in the latest stops here. In 14 races he only has three top 10's. Don't be surprised to see him in the mix at some point but possible finish worse.
• Matt Kenseth- Speaking of a guy who can get in the mix at Daytona, Kenseth has two career Daytona wins, but his last seven runs here have had many mixed results. In those seven races he has one top 10 and only three top 20's.
• Paul Menard- Menard has seven straight finishes outside the top 15. Eight races ago was his last Daytona top 15 and it was 14th. The plus side is before that he had three top 10's.

About the Track: Daytona

Track Stats

• Jimmie Johnson was the first driver since Bobby Allison in 1982 to win both stops at DIS in a single season
• Tony Stewart won from 42nd starting position 7/7/12, which is the farthest back anyone has won from (Firecracker 400)
• However, Matt Kenseth won from 39th in the 2009 500, which is the farthest back anyone has won the Daytona 500
• 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)
• A Toyota only has two wins at DIS (Kyle Busch 2008 Firecracker and Denny Hamlin 2016 Daytona 500)
• Chevy has won 8 of the last 14. Ford has won 5 of 13. Denny Hamlin won the other.
• Trevor Bayne is still the youngest Daytona 500 win (19 years old. 2011 Daytona 500). It is still his only Cup win.

Track Info

• Surface
• Asphalt
• Length
• 2.5 miles
• Banking
• Turns: 31 degrees
• Tri-Oval: 18 degrees
• Back Straight: 2 degrees

Weekend Articles:

• Entry List
• TV Schedule
• Power Rankings
• Tony Stewart Tribute