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Thursday, August 22, 2013

Week 24 Preview

Bristol Motor Speedway: Irwin Tools Night Race Summer 2013

Unfortunatley I am back from the race in Michigan and not going to be at the race at Bristol. On the bright side Nascar is at Bristol! This time we come to Bristol with so many drivers looking for some kind of security in there Chase hopes. Joey Logano just added his name to a long list of drivers trying to get into the top ten or at the very least get a WC spot.

Earlier this season Kasey Kahne got the win at Bristol but has been up and down since then. Maybe this is the week another driver adds his name to the first time winners in 2013? Or, maybe this is the week a guy gets another win to solidify his spot in the Chase? One things is for sure, some tempers will most likely heat up and boil over. Take a look at the race preview from earlier this year and also the race review from after. Also take a look at the full race results from the last race at Bristol.


The Good:
  • Kyle Busch- Well if its a sign of anything to come, Kyle just won the Truck race on Wednesday.  Kyle has a career average finish of 9.8 in 17 races at Bristol (of current drivers that is a best). He has 5 wins, 8 top 5's, and 12 top 10's in those 17 races.
  • Brad Keselowski- I want to change up some of the "good" drivers from last time, so for extra insight check out last races preview. BK finished 3rd last time here and also has 2 wins I n 7 career starts at Bristol. He needs a win bad so look for him to push the limit a bit if he finds himself up front.
  • Kurt Busch- The second Busch on this list, Kurt is well known to be good here at Bristol. Most of his domination came before being on small teams, but last time here earlier this year he finished 4th so he has a shot (plus he has been bad fast this year).
The Middle:
  • Ryan Newman- 7 top 10's in his last 10 starts at Bristol, if that doesn't scream middle of the road I don't know what does (none of them were top 5's).  He needs a strong, very strong run at Bristol to make a run at the Chase.
The Bad:
  • Joey Logano- A win one week and the next you find yourself on the wrong list. JoLo only has one top 10 in 9 career races at Bristol. He seems to start the race in a good position but can not close with all the traffic. Maybe this is the time at Bristol where his confidence helps him figure out how to navigate Bristol.
  • Juan Pablo Montoya- JPM only has 3 top 10's in his last 10 starts here. To top that off we all know he has no wins on ovals. He seems like he is the kind of the guy who could surprise at a track where beating and banging is accepted, but it hasn't clicked yet.
Need More?

Pit Road Week 23

Pure Michigan 400: Michigan International Speedway

Nascar leaves Michigan International Speedway for the second and last time this season. Last time we were at MIS in 2013 Greg Biffle got his first and only win of 2013, this time it was Joey Logano's turn. Logano not only won the Pole on Friday but also had a great day overall Sunday which finished in Victory Lane.

JoLo's win will add him to the growing list of drivers trying to get into the Chase from a WC spot. JoLo, Newman, Truex Jr, and Greg Biffle are all on that line. To make things more interesting, as of right now Kasey Kahne has taken over the first WC spot with two wins.  Its going to be a wild ride until the end of the race at Richmond when the Chase field will be set.  Take a look at the final results of the Pure Michigan 400 here. Also take a look back at the Michigan International Speedway Garages 2013 for my first hand look inside the garages this year.  I will most likely also have a MIS Race Weekend in Photo's article up later this week.

Rising:

  • Joey Logano- He was strong this weekend. I have been predicting all season he would get a win this year and most likely before the Chase, he finally made me look good. JoLo may not have got the chance to prove me right if it wasn't for Mark Martin running out of gas with just a few laps left.
  • Kurt Busch- He was fast once again in 2013 but just short of the win. Kurt did spend a lot of time up front and will now spend a lot of time taking questions about where he will be in 2014. He finished 3rd.
  • Brad Keselowski- Yes, he finished 12th, but he had a very strong day and instead of gambling to try and get the win -or a 30+ finish is it didn't work out- he came in and got fuel. It was the second wee he went with the safe move and it could end up getting him into the Chase -but it could also be his downfall- only time will tell.
Coasting:
  • Clint Bowyer- After getting back on track at Watkins Glenn Bowyer followed up with a 5th at MIS. He is safe for the Chase but still needs to get some more wins during the Chase if he wants to win the Cup.
Falling:
  • Dale Earnhardt Jr- Seriously though, if he has another finish like this he may start to worry about missing the Chase. If you look at the whole day Sunday he had a good day. He spent much of the day up front but a cut tire doomed his day again at MIS.
  • Jimmie Johnson- This isn't falling out of the standings, or JJ needing to worry, but its just a fact that he had a rough, rough weekend. In practice he spun and had to go to a backup car and then he had engine trouble on Sunday and ended up packing up early. This season JJ has had some missteps that are not like that team so its something to look for in the Chase.
  • Jamie McMurray- He didn't have it at all on Sunday at MIS and finished up 22nd. J Mac was on a little stretch where it looked like he might knock them off and possible find a win. After MIS and another driver getting a win his chances just dropped dramatically.

 
Pit Road Week 23 Power Rankings
  1. Jimmie Johnson (LW-1)- Well he had a long day. After starting from the back -spun into the wall in practice- he fought his way up near the top 10 and then had engine problems. He has work to do before the Chase but can anyone really take this spot until then?
  2. Kevin Harvick (LW-4)- Harvick had a strong day by staying up front most of the day but never leading and eventually finishing 2nd. He is in the Chase and just needs to get on a streak.
  3. Carl Edwards (LW-3)- Carl followed up his road course 6th with another top 10 (10th) at MIS. He has been pretty consistent in 2013 and should make the Chase.
  4. Kyle Busch (LW-2)- After a much needed win at the Glen Kyle struggled early and often at MIS. He eventually finished 31st and has his mind on Bristol.
  5. Clint Bowyer (LW-7)- Well he is officially back on a hot streak, but the question is when will a guy with 8 top 10's and 13 top 10's get a win?
  6. Kurt Busch (LW-NR)- Well from unranked to 6th in a week, Kurt has been hot again. He lead a bunch last Sunday and looked early to be a favorite. Now we head to Bristol where he has a good track record.
  7. Brad Keselowski (LW-9)- He finished 12th but he had a top 5 car all day. BK actually looked like he had a car that could maybe push for the win but choosing not to gamble and get a splash of fuel lead to a middle of the road finish.
  8. Joey Logano (LW-12)- JoLo won the Pole on Friday and then the race on Sunday. I had been waiting for the win all season and I still think he will make a Chase run, if not make it. He could be a top 5 finisher if he gets in.
  9. Dale Earnhardt Jr (LW-5)- The big fall is a bit unfair considering he had a good car that was only brought down by a cut tire, but parity seems to be setting in with every driver but JJ.
  10. Kasey Kahne (LW-10)- Well he finished 7th but didn't move up in the rankings, but that just about all the drivers around and not so much him. Kahne has been up and down this year so a good finish at Bristol will move him right back up the rankings.
  11. Matt Kenseth (LW-8)- Speaking of up and down, Kenseth has finishes of 22nd, 23rd, and 15th (MIS) in his last 3. Its one of those down parts of 2013.
  12. Ryan Newman (LW-11)- Rocket man hangs on for one more week with a 13th place finish but he needs some more top 5 runs to get into the Chase.
Dropping Out: Martin Truex Jr
Just Missed: Greg Biffle, Juan Pablo Montoya


More?
This next week we take a trip back to Bristol for a Saturday night race that is sure to get heated with every driver fighting for a chance at the Chase. Come back and check out the preview later this week!

Monday, August 12, 2013

Week 23 Preview

Michigan International Speedway: Pure Michigan 400


Last time in Michigan we saw Roush Racing continue its dominance at the track in Brooklyn, MI when Greg Biffle won for the 4th time in his career.  Biffle is second only to Mark Martin (5) in career wins for active drivers at MIS.  Now going back in August we will get to see if Roush and Biffle can keep it going and make it three in arow.

Also, as always, the story in Michigan will be can Nascar's most popular driver finally get back into the win column for the first time this season? Michigan has been a place that Jr has looked good at and had chances to win in his last 10 starts, so he will be looking to break out of the good category and enter the great with a win.  Take a look back at last years results from the August race here and also this years June race here.

Biffle won back to back. Last August and also this June.


*A look at last June's Week 15 Preview (Michigan)*

The Good:

  • Greg Biffle- Well he has to be mentioned right away. He has two straight wins, 4 career wins, and an average finish of 8.3 in his last 10 at MIS (best of any current driver in the last 10). Best Chance Forecast: He should be considered a contender again this weekend. Should find a way into the top 10 at the worst.
  • Carl Edwards- Edwards was the Pole winner here in June so he knows how to be fast around MIS.  In his last 10 starts here he has one (36th in 2011) time where he was worse then 12th. He also has 7 top 10's. Best Chance Forecast: Not normal to start this list with two Ford's, but this is the one track they have been good at. Another top 10 isn't out of the question.
  • Matt Kenseth- A former Ford car driver rounds out the list this week. Kenseth has 6 top 10's in his last 10 races at MIS including finishing 6th in June (4 of those top 5's). Best Chance Forecast: Well another guy taking a likely top 10 finish in this weeks Good category.
The Middle:
  • Clint Bowyer- What is more middle of the road and consistent then 7 top 10s in 10 races but no top 5's? Well in this addition of Week Preview for MIS nothing. He has three straight 7th place finishes and before that two straight 8th place finishes. 5 straight top 10's for Bowyer here and he needs it to get out of his two race slump.
The Bad:
  • Jimmie Johnson- Last time this was a reach in the Bad category, this time it gets a little more legit. He fiinished 28th in June and last August he finished 27th. That's back to back bad finishes and that doesn't seem to happen to JJ at any track.
  • Kasey Kahne- He seems to find bad luck a lot at MIS and it hasn't helped his average finish position in his last ten (19.7). MIS is the kind of track that Kahne can finish really well at because he is fast week by week. If he stays out of trouble he could find another win.
Looking for a Long Shot?
  • Joey Logano- I am on the JoLo bandwagon, but if you read NBTW regularly you may know that. I am still in the small group that thinks he will get a win this year, and at one point I thought it would be before the Chase started. Well I always like going out on a limb when picking my weekly winner so I'm taking Joey. He has been on a hot streak and he is due.

Need More?

Well that's it for this weeks preview. I am not sure how late the review will be back as I will be at this race and not back until Monday. Do, however, check out my Twitter for updates from the track. Also, you can check out June's Preview and Review from Nascar Behind the Wall earlier this year.