The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly -- 2011 AAA 400

This week, the Crappafoni Pictures crew is in the lengthy shadow of Philly to bring you this week's heaping helping of The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly, Philly-style, with plenty of cheesesteaks and crab cakes and washed down with PLENTY of Miller Lite (be sure to drink responsibly). Enjoy!

THE GOOD

Kurt Busch: he gets this spot as this week's winner. While he had a strong car throughout the day, it was in the second half of the race that the Double Deuce got better. Props to the crew for making the necessary adjustments to get the car better. The real key was getting past Jimmie Johnson on a late restart to take the lead. He was able to hold off JJ and Carl Edwards, who was making a late charge.

Jimmie Johnson: JJ started sixth, and was solid throughout the race weekend. He led early through a round of green flag pit stops. Solid, not spectacular. He sorely needed a top 3 run and got it at one of his favorite tracks. With the runner up finish, he moves up five spots in the standings, to fifth, 13 points behind co-leaders Kevin Harvick and Carl Edwards.

Carl Edwards: he looked like he had the car to beat throughout the race. But he got popped for speeding on pit road, and had to serve a drive through penalty that put him a lap down. He subsequently became the beneficiary of a free pass to get back on the lead lap. Then he made his charge. He was 20th on the final restart. He finished third. Good job Carl!

Kasey Kahne: he was finally able to put together a solid run from start to finish and avoid the bad racing luck that has plagued him for much of the season. Although he didn't lead a lap, he was solid throughout. Well done.

Richard Petty Motorsports: with AJ Allmendinger (7th) and Marcos Ambrose (9th) having strong runs, it was a strong team effort. Ambrose passed Kevin Harvick on the white flag lap to gain a position to finish 9th.

Honorable Mention: Matt Kenseth, Kyle Busch, Clint Bowyer, and Kevin Harvick.

THE BAD

ESPN'S coverage: normally I would put the first start and parker here, but the coverage was PUTRID. While I like the Nonstop Coverage, CUT AWAY from the commercials when a caution comes out!! Sheesh!! I'm not so sure I'm looking forward to Fox's All-Waltrip All The Time Coverage next year, though.

Travis Kvapil: he was the first start and parker. He drew the short stick at the start and parkers' meeting held in the Todd Bodine Meeting Room before the race. He ran a grand total of 12 laps before declaring himself done for the day and hotfooting it out of town with his earnings.

Stewart-Haas Racing: it was a horrid day for both Ryan Newman (p23) and Tony Stewart (p25). As bad as they were, it could have been worse had it not been for some late cautions. I'm sure THEY hotfooted it out of Dover shortly after they took the checkered flag. Stewart even lost his points lead and maybe a bit of his swagger he had built up after winning the last two races.

THE UGLY

Weather: the race was run under cloudy and occasionally rainy conditions. In fact, there were a couple of cautions for sprinkles. Hopefully the weather will be better in Kansas next week.

Those are my nominees for the race. Feel free to come in with yours.

The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly -- 2011 FedEx 400 benefitting Autism Speaks

This week, the Crappafoni Pictures crew is in Dover for this week's serving of The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly, served up with crab cakes and a seafood medley, and washed down with copious amounts of Coke. Enjoy!

THE GOOD

Matt Kenseth: he gets this week's top slot as the race winner. Kenseth was stout throughout the race, spending much of the time in the top 10. He led a total of 33 laps en route to his second win of the season, and 20th of his career. He took two right side tires on the final stop and they held up. The track position gamble paid off. An extra Good for Kenseth for posting the fastest lap of the entire race.

Mark Martin: while he didn't have a particularly strong car, it wasn't weak, either. He was in the mid-teens for much of the race. He stayed out to get track position on the final caution, as he had enough fuel to make it to the end. He was shown to be the leader on the final restart. Kenseth quickly caught his old mentor at Roush Racing and took the lead, but Martin was strong enough on old tires to hold off spirited challenges from Marcos Ambrose and Kyle Busch to finish second. He gambled and it paid off.

Marcos Ambrose: he's getting closer and closer to that first win, period. (Will it come on a road course, or an oval? And will he be the next member of the First Win Club?) While he didn't lead a lap, he was strong throughout the race, spending much of the time in the top 10. A very good run by Ambrose, and that should set the table for him to get better as the season rolls on.

Kyle Busch: he was a beneficiary of that final caution, as he was struggling up to that point. He gambled on track position and won by taking two right sides only. Plus he made up several spots on the track. Today was a day where you could gamble, like the top 5 did, or hope that four fresh tires would work. Today, the two tire stop worked.

Brian Vickers: this was his first top 5 finish of the season. Like the others, he gambled on track position (is this sounding like a broken record?) and won.

Jimmie Johnson: JJ led the most laps of the entire race, but was bit in the rear when he took four tires and the #48 did not respond to the tires on that final pit stop. (For the record, with the car running as well as it was, I'd have taken four tires myself and worked my way through the field.)

Carl Edwards: he, too, was bit in the rear by taking four tires. He and crew chief Bob Osborne were banking on the track getting slick and with the four fresh tires, he'd have more grip than those with two tires. But there was just enough cloud cover for that strategy to backfire.

Honorable Mention: Clint Bowyer, Martin Truex, Jr., and Kevin Harvick.

THE BAD

Michael McDowell: he was already out of the race by 10:45 AM Pacific time. You blinked and you missed him. He was the first start and parker that hotfooted it out of town with his prize winnings.

Tony Stewart: Smoke was uncharacteristically bad today. The 14 team totally missed on the setup and that made for a VERY long day. He usually does quite well at the Monster Mile. All race long he was fighting with a very loose car and no matter what kind of adjustments they made, it wouldn't tighten. Then on the final pit stop, he gets popped for going too fast entering pit road. Just one of those days that he'd like to toss back into the lake.

THE UGLY

Engine issues: Kasey Kahne was most notably affected, as he was running in the top 5 for much of the race and he had a stout car up to that point. Regan Smith had an electrical issue that caused all his telemetry to go dark. That put him behind the wall for a number of laps. He returned, but then his car suddenly and inexplicably lost power. Back behind the wall he went. AJ Allmendinger also had engine issues (he was running in the top 10 at the time).

Those are my nominees for the race. Feel free to come in with yours!

The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly -- Autism Speaks 400 (2010)

This week, the Crappafoni Pictures crew is in Dover to bring you this week's The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly, complete with crab cakes, Philly cheese steaks (GO FLYERS!) all the fixin's, and plenty of beverages of your choice to wash them down with. Enjoy!

THE GOOD

Kyle Busch: as the race winner, he gets first billing. He had a dominant car the second half of the race, and overcame radio issues early. He became the first driver to sweep Dover since September 1991, when Harry Gant did it at age 51. He now is second in the points, 69 points behind Kevin Harvick. Good job Kyle!

Jeff Burton: he led one lap during a round of green flag pit stops. The 31 car got better as the race went on. He ran a typical Burton race: quietly moving forward without much fanfare, but was there at the end. No shame in being runner up to Kyle Busch, especially today.

Roush Fenway Racing: I have to put this group here because three of their drivers all having strong races--Matt Kenseth (3rd); Greg Biffle (6th); and Carl Edwards (8th). This is the best they have run in quite some time. Could a victory be in the not too distant future?

Joe Gibbs Racing: in addition to Kyle Busch (winner), JGR's other two drivers (Denny Hamlin (4th) and Joey Logano (10th)) also had strong races. Hamlin matches his career-best finish at Dover, and Logano's top 10 was huge for that team, particularly with the problems besetting Juan Pablo Montoya and Jamie McMurray.

David Reutimann: he was strong throughout the race, and for once he wasn't snakebit. He even led a lap during a round of green flag pit stops. He was in the top 10 for much of the race, eventually finishing 5th. Good top 5 run by the Aaron's Dream Team!

Kevin Harvick: the points leader was ALMOST lapped by Jimmie Johnson early in the race. A timely caution caused by Marcos Ambrose cutting a tire and hitting the wall kept Happy from going a lap down. Kudos to the crew for keeping up with the changing track conditions and not only making the right adjustments, but in consistently gaining ground on the stops. Dover is one of Harvick's worst tracks, and to come away with a top 10 is HUGE. If he has the points lead after Indianapolis, look for him to start racing for wins.

Tony Stewart: Smoke got better as the race went on. This was his best finish in quite awhile. He slowly climbed into the top 10, finishing 9th. Good job Smoke!

Honorable Mention: Jeff Gordon, Martin Truex Jr., Ryan Newman.

THE BAD

Johnny Sauter: he drew the short stick at the Start and Parkers meeting and was the first to park.

Sam Hornish Jr: he was the cause of TWO cautions for spinning out. C'mon Spinning Sam, you can do better than that!

David Ragan: sorry Melissa, gotta call your driver out this time. As good as his Roush Fenway teammates were, he was about equally as bad. UPS isn't paying all that jack to see its car finish consistently near the back of the pack!

Dale Earnhardt Jr: your sponsors aren't paying all that bank to see you finish in the 30s due to mechanical problems or other issues. They want to see you in the top 15 at least.

THE UGLY

Marcos Ambrose: twice he cut tires to bring out cautions. On one of them I was thankful because Harvick was about to go a lap down. Here's hoping you find more consistency.

Those are my nominees for the race. Feel free to come in with yours.

Gas and Go--Dover (Spring Race 2010)

This week's Gas and Go comes from our Vice-President's home state of Delaware. (You can always count on ole Joe for comic relief! And on a more serious note, get well wishes go out to his son Beau as he recovers from a mild stroke suffered earlier in the week.) And away we go!

1. More get well wishes go out to Brian Vickers as he recovers from an unspecified illness. Casey Mears will step in for Vickers in the #83 Red Bull Toyota. Get well soon Brian!
2. Kevin Harvick comes into the week with a 110-point lead over Jimmie Johnson. This would be a great opportunity for Johnson to cut into that lead, as this is one of Johnson's very best tracks. However, Harvick posted top 10s in both races in his rookie season of 2001. Johnson won both Dover races last season, as he did in his rookie season of 2002.
3. Johnson leads active drivers in Dover wins, with 5. (He also won the fall race in 2005.)
4. Although Juan Pablo Montoya is in 17th place in the standings, he's only 54 points behind Dale Earnhardt Jr for the final Chase spot. Montoya has been stout in the past month, pretty much duplicating what Mark Martin did last year, minus the wins. If not for Montoya's slow start, he'd be up there dueling with Harvick and Johnson.
5. The spoiler has greatly benefitted Gibbs, RCR and EGR. Those drivers have been very strong since the spoiler made its debut. Consequently, Hendrick Motorsports has been a little off, with the exception of Jeff Gordon.
6. Thinking of you: Jody Ridley (surprise winner at Dover in 1981). Whatever happened to him?
7. Dover has three firsts for Matt Kenseth: 1) Start (September 1998); 2) top 10 (he finished sixth in that first start subbing for Bill Elliott); 3) Pole (June 2002). Kenseth has eight top 10s in his last 10 starts.
8. Look for the usual suspects to run strong: Johnson, Denny Hamlin, Kyle Busch, Kenseth, Carl Edwards, Gordon, and Mark Martin. Which brings me to:

Predicted Race Winner: Jimmie Johnson. He breaks out of his funk and gains ground on Harvick. The rest of the top 5: 2) Hamlin; 3) Kenseth; 4) Kyle Busch; 5) J. Gordon.

Gas and Go--Dover (Spring Race 2009)

A few quick takes and observations on this week's race from Dover International Speedway, including some historical perspective.

1. Dover International Speedway first opened in 1969 as Dover Downs (still my preferred name for the track), a unique dual purpose speedway designed for both horse and auto racing. Richard Petty won the first NASCAR Grand National (now Sprint Cup) race, the Mason-Dixon 400, on July 6, 1969.
2. All non-NASCAR sanctioned events are dropped from the schedule after 1971 to focus exclusively on the two 500 mile races.
3. The first of the two 500 mile races exclusive to the track was run on June 4, 1972, as the Mason-Dixon 500. Bobby Isaac was on the pole and Bobby Allison won in a Chevrolet from the outside pole.
4. Bobby Allison leads in all-time Cup wins at the track with seven. Jeff Gordon leads all active drivers with four wins.
5. Thinking of you: Joe Ruttman.
6. Ruttman won the very first Busch Series (now Nationwide Series) race, the Sportsman 200, in June 1982. How time flies!
7. Dover Downs becomes NASCAR's first concrete paved speedway in 1995.
8. The Craftsman Truck Series (now Camping World Truck Series) had its first race at Dover in September 2000. Kurt Busch won that first race from the pole.
9. Dover Downs becomes Dover International Speedway in 2002. Jimmie Johnson swept the Dover races in that year as a rookie.
10. Kyle Busch won last year's race, and David Reutimann sits on the pole for this year's race.
11. Look for Reutimann to be strong all race long, as well as Busch, Carl Edwards, Matt Kenseth, Jimmie Johnson, Ryan Newman, and Jeff Gordon.

Predicted Race Winner: Carl Edwards.