This week, the Crappafoni Pictures crew is somewhere between Louisville and The Natti aka Cincinnati for this week's The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly, thoroughbred-style, complete with all the food you can eat, and mint juleps to wash them down. (Be responsible when partaking of the juleps.) Enjoy the inaugural GBU from Kentucky!
THE GOOD
Kyle Busch: stout. That's one way to describe him. Dominant. The BEST way to describe him. The 18 crew NAILED the setup and I got the feeling about 30 laps in that everyone else was running for second place. I remember reading a piece by Larry McReynolds and he stated that the team that hits the setup right will look like King Kong. Kyle Busch WAS King Kong tonight. It didn't matter which line he was running; he was stout wherever he was running. At times his lead was 10+ seconds over second place. He got away with one bad restart when Dale Earnhardt Jr cut a tire shortly after that restart and brought out a caution. It was his night.
Brad Keselowski: he was the best of the rest, even though he got shuffled back on the final restart. He led 79 laps but finished seventh.
David Reutimann: he was strong, stayed in the top 10 for pretty much the entire race, and kept his nose clean. Kentucky is very similar to Chicagoland, where Reutimann won last season. Had the final caution not come out, he may have stole this one, as Busch was low on gas. With good pit stops and strategy, he was in a position to win or get a strong top 5.
Kurt Busch: he was strong early in the race, being at the point up to the competition caution at Lap 30. He never really dropped out of the top 10, but got shuffled back late. He led 41 laps en route to a ninth place finish.
Denny Hamlin: he started at the rear of the field due to an engine change. Must have worked, because he charged towards the front in a hurry. He even led five laps during a round of green flag pit stops.
Jimmie Johnson: it's been awhile since we've seen you here, JJ. Although he didn't lead a lap, he was strong and stayed within striking distance.
Ryan Newman: he was the beneficiary of good (and lucky) pit strategy, as he at one point pitted out of sequence. But it worked to his favor late in the race. He got a MUCH needed top 5, finishing fourth.
Honorable Mention: Carl Edwards, Matt Kenseth, and David Ragan.
THE BAD
Big Red: they sponsored three different makes of cars--Dave Blaney (Chevrolet), Mike Bliss (Ford), and Mike Skinner (Toyota). Skinner was a start and parker and finished DFL. Bliss did a LITTLE better, finishing 34th, three laps down. Blaney did the best, relatively speaking, finishing one position ahead of Bliss. He also finished three laps down. They'd have done better with JJ YELEY, had he run!
Mike Skinner: start and parker. He hotfooted it out of town with his earnings before the traffic got too bad.
TNT: TOO MANY COMMERCIALS. A sub-Good for the enhanced coverage, though.
Kevin Harvick: as big a Harvick fan as I am, I've got to put him here. The 29 crew missed the setup, making for a LONG night. The car started loose and finished loose. No matter what kind of adjustments they made to the car, it would not respond. They would have done well to read the notes from previous Chicagoland races, where they have run well. He was never a factor, and as a result, he drops to third in points, with Kurt Busch looming large in his rear view mirror.
THE UGLY
The race itself: it was a SNOOZEFEST, as most 1.5 mile races are. WHY does NASCAR INSIST on having 1.5 mile races when they KNOW most fans check out before halfway through the race? I'd be in favor of having FIVE races at most on 1.5 mile tracks. I even fell asleep!
Those are my nominees for the race. Feel free to come in with yours!
Showing posts with label GBU. Show all posts
Showing posts with label GBU. Show all posts
Sunday, July 10, 2011
Saturday, July 2, 2011
The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly -- 2011 Coke Zero 400
This week, the Crappafoni Pictures crew is at one of NASCAR's crown jewel tracks, Daytona, for the Dancing with the Stars version of The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly, minus the hosts of that show. You'll have to put up with me! Actually, it's Florida BBQ-style, washed down with (what else?) PLENTY of Coke Zero. Enjoy!
THE GOOD
David Ragan: he FINALLY gets to take home the trophy! And the first slot in the GBU for the first time in his career! Because it's his first win, I decided to put him ALONE in this spot. He had a stout car from the time it was unloaded all the way to the checkered flag. It's only fitting that a Coca-Cola driver (he replaced Kevin Harvick when Budweiser became Harvick's sponsor) gets into Victory Lane. Congratulations David, you earned this one! GREAT JOB!
Matt Kenseth: he also was stout, and decided that he was better pushing Ragan home. Wise move by a crafty veteran. He was at point for a number of laps.
Kevin Harvick/Paul Menard: they were stout together. They were by far the smoothest of the tandems; it seems that no matter which one was in front with the other pushing, they were smooth in their hookups. Both drivers led laps and it seemed like when Menard was pushing, they went to the front at will. They ran both lines equally well, but got bit by the last restart when they were shuffled back and could never regain their position. Because of Carl Edwards' poor finish (as a result of a wreck), Harvick gains the points lead going into Kentucky.
Joey Logano: no matter who he drafted with, whether it was Kyle Busch or someone else, he was able to get to the front. Although he didn't lead a lap, he put himself in position to win.
Kasey Kahne/Brian Vickers: the Red Bull duo ran at or near the front for much of the race, until Vickers was taken out in the Big One. No problem. Kahne and Logano hooked up and Logano very nearly stole the race.
Kyle Busch: see Joey Logano. The one difference, Kyle Busch led a lap.
Joe Nemechek/Travis Kvapil: gotta give a shoutout to ole Front Row Joe. Because of last-minute sponsorship, Nemechek was able to run the whole race. And he did well, even leading for a time. He got caught in a late race accident (The Big One) that caused him to lose a lap due to repairs.
Honorable Mention: Jeff Burton/Clint Bowyer , Landon Cassill/Casey Mears, and Kurt Busch/Regan Smith.
THE BAD
TNT's coverage: WTH are you guys doing going to commercial breaks when there's 10 laps to go?? Gotta give you guys a Bad for that.
THE UGLY
Brad Keselowski/Greg Biffle: Biffle first. He needs to take lessons in bump drafting from Kevin Harvick. His attempt at bump drafting sent his teammate Carl Edwards into a spin. The subsequent damage to the 99 car later caused Edwards to be sick in the car due to the fumes entering the car and not coming out of the exhaust pipes. Edwards is more sick after losing the points lead to Harvick. Now Keselowski. Line up behind Biffle for your lesson in bump drafting from Harvick. Instead of being on Trevor Bayne's right rear bumper, he went to Bayne's LEFT rear bumper. You know what happens next. Bayne gets turned into the wall, and his night ends much earlier than he expected. A sub-Good for Kes and Da Biff for finding each other and being competitive. They actually worked quite well together.
Those are my nominees for the race. Feel free to come in with yours!
THE GOOD
David Ragan: he FINALLY gets to take home the trophy! And the first slot in the GBU for the first time in his career! Because it's his first win, I decided to put him ALONE in this spot. He had a stout car from the time it was unloaded all the way to the checkered flag. It's only fitting that a Coca-Cola driver (he replaced Kevin Harvick when Budweiser became Harvick's sponsor) gets into Victory Lane. Congratulations David, you earned this one! GREAT JOB!
Matt Kenseth: he also was stout, and decided that he was better pushing Ragan home. Wise move by a crafty veteran. He was at point for a number of laps.
Kevin Harvick/Paul Menard: they were stout together. They were by far the smoothest of the tandems; it seems that no matter which one was in front with the other pushing, they were smooth in their hookups. Both drivers led laps and it seemed like when Menard was pushing, they went to the front at will. They ran both lines equally well, but got bit by the last restart when they were shuffled back and could never regain their position. Because of Carl Edwards' poor finish (as a result of a wreck), Harvick gains the points lead going into Kentucky.
Joey Logano: no matter who he drafted with, whether it was Kyle Busch or someone else, he was able to get to the front. Although he didn't lead a lap, he put himself in position to win.
Kasey Kahne/Brian Vickers: the Red Bull duo ran at or near the front for much of the race, until Vickers was taken out in the Big One. No problem. Kahne and Logano hooked up and Logano very nearly stole the race.
Kyle Busch: see Joey Logano. The one difference, Kyle Busch led a lap.
Joe Nemechek/Travis Kvapil: gotta give a shoutout to ole Front Row Joe. Because of last-minute sponsorship, Nemechek was able to run the whole race. And he did well, even leading for a time. He got caught in a late race accident (The Big One) that caused him to lose a lap due to repairs.
Honorable Mention: Jeff Burton/Clint Bowyer , Landon Cassill/Casey Mears, and Kurt Busch/Regan Smith.
THE BAD
TNT's coverage: WTH are you guys doing going to commercial breaks when there's 10 laps to go?? Gotta give you guys a Bad for that.
THE UGLY
Brad Keselowski/Greg Biffle: Biffle first. He needs to take lessons in bump drafting from Kevin Harvick. His attempt at bump drafting sent his teammate Carl Edwards into a spin. The subsequent damage to the 99 car later caused Edwards to be sick in the car due to the fumes entering the car and not coming out of the exhaust pipes. Edwards is more sick after losing the points lead to Harvick. Now Keselowski. Line up behind Biffle for your lesson in bump drafting from Harvick. Instead of being on Trevor Bayne's right rear bumper, he went to Bayne's LEFT rear bumper. You know what happens next. Bayne gets turned into the wall, and his night ends much earlier than he expected. A sub-Good for Kes and Da Biff for finding each other and being competitive. They actually worked quite well together.
Those are my nominees for the race. Feel free to come in with yours!
Sunday, May 31, 2009
The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly -- Autism Speaks 400
While the Fox Sports crew is bidding farewell to its NASCAR coverage for the 2009 season, the Crappafoni Pictures crew isn't. NOOOOO! We will be here throughout the season to bring you The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly. This week's version comes served up with Philly cheesesteak sandwiches and crab cakes. Enjoy!
THE GOOD
Jimmie Johnson: as the race winner, he automatically gets first billing. He led 298 of 400 laps en route to the win. Is there a track where he DOESN'T win at? As long as he and Chad Knaus are together, the 48 team will continue to pile up wins and it won't surprise me to see Johnson finish his career with a triple digit win total. One word of advice, though: LOSE the beard.
Tony Stewart: Smoke led six laps en route to his second place finish. He almost made two tires work, losing a spirited battle with JJ with two laps to go. He's getting closer to that first points win as an owner/driver. Started 31st and finished 2nd, a +29 difference.
Greg Biffle: the Biff led 41 laps and had a strong car all day. He started fifth and finished third, a +2 difference.
Matt Kenseth: he led a number of laps en route to his fourth place finish. He started at his car number, 17, and gained 13 positions. Props also go out to his crew for consistently quick pit stops throughout the race.
Kurt Busch: for a time it looked like he had something for Johnson. But after the last pit stop, the Blue Deuce went backwards. He rallied in time to finish fifth.
Honorable Mention: Carl Edwards, Casey Mears, Mark Martin, Clint Bowyer, Dale Earnhardt Jr, Jeff Burton, Joey Logano, Kevin Harvick, and Regan Smith. These lead lap drivers all gained at least six positions from their original starting positions.
THE BAD
David Gilliland: it didn't seem that long ago I was lauding Gilliland and putting him in the Good category for solid top 20 runs on a very underfunded team early in the season. He led one lap under caution and guess what? He parked the car after leading the lap. At least Tony Raines had an excuse: he was in an accident after his right front tire exploded and tore up the #37 Long John Silver's Chevrolet. I think Gilly drew the short stick at the Start and Parkers pre-race meeting, held in the Todd Bodine Meeting Room.
Jeff Gordon: I debated about putting him here. But because he finished two laps down and didn't run well all day, I had to. A sub Good for salvaging a 26th place position. He also lost the points lead to Tony Stewart.
AJ Allmendinger: after a strong qualifying run, he proceeded to go backwards at the drop of the green flag. He dropped 22 positions en route to a 29th place finish, four laps down.
THE UGLY
Paul Menard and Robby Gordon: these two hooked up in a pretty good wreck. Thank goodness for the SAFER barrier in the inside wall, as Gordon hit the wall hard. A sub good to both drivers as they were able to finish the race after significant repairs. Another sub good to NASCAR for putting the barrier along the inside wall.
Those are my nominees for the week. Feel free to come in with your nominees for the race.
THE GOOD
Jimmie Johnson: as the race winner, he automatically gets first billing. He led 298 of 400 laps en route to the win. Is there a track where he DOESN'T win at? As long as he and Chad Knaus are together, the 48 team will continue to pile up wins and it won't surprise me to see Johnson finish his career with a triple digit win total. One word of advice, though: LOSE the beard.
Tony Stewart: Smoke led six laps en route to his second place finish. He almost made two tires work, losing a spirited battle with JJ with two laps to go. He's getting closer to that first points win as an owner/driver. Started 31st and finished 2nd, a +29 difference.
Greg Biffle: the Biff led 41 laps and had a strong car all day. He started fifth and finished third, a +2 difference.
Matt Kenseth: he led a number of laps en route to his fourth place finish. He started at his car number, 17, and gained 13 positions. Props also go out to his crew for consistently quick pit stops throughout the race.
Kurt Busch: for a time it looked like he had something for Johnson. But after the last pit stop, the Blue Deuce went backwards. He rallied in time to finish fifth.
Honorable Mention: Carl Edwards, Casey Mears, Mark Martin, Clint Bowyer, Dale Earnhardt Jr, Jeff Burton, Joey Logano, Kevin Harvick, and Regan Smith. These lead lap drivers all gained at least six positions from their original starting positions.
THE BAD
David Gilliland: it didn't seem that long ago I was lauding Gilliland and putting him in the Good category for solid top 20 runs on a very underfunded team early in the season. He led one lap under caution and guess what? He parked the car after leading the lap. At least Tony Raines had an excuse: he was in an accident after his right front tire exploded and tore up the #37 Long John Silver's Chevrolet. I think Gilly drew the short stick at the Start and Parkers pre-race meeting, held in the Todd Bodine Meeting Room.
Jeff Gordon: I debated about putting him here. But because he finished two laps down and didn't run well all day, I had to. A sub Good for salvaging a 26th place position. He also lost the points lead to Tony Stewart.
AJ Allmendinger: after a strong qualifying run, he proceeded to go backwards at the drop of the green flag. He dropped 22 positions en route to a 29th place finish, four laps down.
THE UGLY
Paul Menard and Robby Gordon: these two hooked up in a pretty good wreck. Thank goodness for the SAFER barrier in the inside wall, as Gordon hit the wall hard. A sub good to both drivers as they were able to finish the race after significant repairs. Another sub good to NASCAR for putting the barrier along the inside wall.
Those are my nominees for the week. Feel free to come in with your nominees for the race.
Monday, May 25, 2009
The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly -- Coca-Cola 600
After two exhausting days, the Crappafoni Pictures crew FINALLY serves you up a soggy, rain-soaked version of The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly, mid-Atlantic style.
THE GOOD
David Reutimann: as the winner of the race, he automatically gets first billing. He was running well all day, staying in the top 10 much of the day. Yes, it was a rain-shortened win, but NASCAR made the right decision to call the race, as more rain was on the way. He had a good car, and a bold gamble by crew chief Rodney Childers paid off. Childers instructed Reutimann to stay out on the last caution while a lot of other cars pitted. Now it pays off in Reutimann's first Cup win. He becomes the sixth driver to get his first Cup win at the 600. Good job David!
Ryan Newman: the pole sitter led the first two laps and overcame a pit road mistake to finish second. He was stout, other than that mistake.
Robby Gordon: his third place finish was his best result since Watkins Glen in 2005, when he finished second while driving for Richard Childress Racing. Like Reutimann, he stayed out while the leaders pitted and benefitted from the rain.
Carl Edwards: while he didn't lead a lap, he got stronger as the race went on. Would have been a factor had it not been for the rain, as the #99 crew had the car dialed in to the changing conditions.
Kyle Busch: he led the most laps in the race (173) and was stout for the first 200 laps or so.
Brian Vickers: he led 33 laps en route to a top 5 finish. He was at or near the front since the drop of the green flag.
Honorable Mention: Kasey Kahne, Juan Pablo Montoya, Matt Kenseth, Joey Logano.
THE BAD
Richard Childress Racing: they have been bad for a number of weeks now. Until they improve their performance, they will continue to be in the Bad category. When your best finishing driver is 25th (Jeff Burton), you deserve to be in this category.
Weather: it played havoc with both the Nationwide Series and Sprint Cup Series races. Fortunately, the NNS race was well past the halfway stage before weather played a factor. The Cup race was postponed to today, and weather was again a factor today, eventually cutting short the race.
THE UGLY
Kevin Harvick: even before he and Sam Hornish Jr made contact, Harvick was already backing up from the green flag. He and Hornish made incidental contact in lap 2, cutting a tire and forcing Harvick to the pits. He was never a factor and finished three laps down in 41st. When Tony Raines and Scott Riggs are outrunning you, you belong in the Ugly category. Raines even LED a lap!! HE got the five bonus points!! You're not making the Chase this year; start working towards 2010. Consider this year as a gigantic test session. Start throwing out some CRAZY set-ups to see if they work. Couldn't hurt; hell, it might even help! You're my driver through thick and thin, and it's all going to turn around at some point this season.
Those are my nominees for the race. Feel free to come in with yours!
THE GOOD
David Reutimann: as the winner of the race, he automatically gets first billing. He was running well all day, staying in the top 10 much of the day. Yes, it was a rain-shortened win, but NASCAR made the right decision to call the race, as more rain was on the way. He had a good car, and a bold gamble by crew chief Rodney Childers paid off. Childers instructed Reutimann to stay out on the last caution while a lot of other cars pitted. Now it pays off in Reutimann's first Cup win. He becomes the sixth driver to get his first Cup win at the 600. Good job David!
Ryan Newman: the pole sitter led the first two laps and overcame a pit road mistake to finish second. He was stout, other than that mistake.
Robby Gordon: his third place finish was his best result since Watkins Glen in 2005, when he finished second while driving for Richard Childress Racing. Like Reutimann, he stayed out while the leaders pitted and benefitted from the rain.
Carl Edwards: while he didn't lead a lap, he got stronger as the race went on. Would have been a factor had it not been for the rain, as the #99 crew had the car dialed in to the changing conditions.
Kyle Busch: he led the most laps in the race (173) and was stout for the first 200 laps or so.
Brian Vickers: he led 33 laps en route to a top 5 finish. He was at or near the front since the drop of the green flag.
Honorable Mention: Kasey Kahne, Juan Pablo Montoya, Matt Kenseth, Joey Logano.
THE BAD
Richard Childress Racing: they have been bad for a number of weeks now. Until they improve their performance, they will continue to be in the Bad category. When your best finishing driver is 25th (Jeff Burton), you deserve to be in this category.
Weather: it played havoc with both the Nationwide Series and Sprint Cup Series races. Fortunately, the NNS race was well past the halfway stage before weather played a factor. The Cup race was postponed to today, and weather was again a factor today, eventually cutting short the race.
THE UGLY
Kevin Harvick: even before he and Sam Hornish Jr made contact, Harvick was already backing up from the green flag. He and Hornish made incidental contact in lap 2, cutting a tire and forcing Harvick to the pits. He was never a factor and finished three laps down in 41st. When Tony Raines and Scott Riggs are outrunning you, you belong in the Ugly category. Raines even LED a lap!! HE got the five bonus points!! You're not making the Chase this year; start working towards 2010. Consider this year as a gigantic test session. Start throwing out some CRAZY set-ups to see if they work. Couldn't hurt; hell, it might even help! You're my driver through thick and thin, and it's all going to turn around at some point this season.
Those are my nominees for the race. Feel free to come in with yours!
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