The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly -- Sylvania 300

This week, the Crappafoni Pictures crew is in the hills of New Hampshire, Loudon, to be specific, for this week's version of The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly. Served New England-style, with clam chowder and iced coffee to wash it down. Enjoy!

THE GOOD

Mark Martin: as the race winner, he gets first billing. He had a stout car and set himself up to win by getting track position through good pit stops and strategy. The win was the first of his career at Loudon, and it couldn't have come at a better time. He keeps the points lead, at least for this week. Good job Mark!

Juan Pablo Montoya: despite leading the most laps, he didn't quite have enough for Martin on the final restart. He was stout throughout the weekend, and showed why he's going to be a force to be reckoned with in the Chase.

Denny Hamlin: he was strong, led laps, and contended for his second straight win. A caution on the final lap cost him an opportunity for a second place finish, as he was nose to nose with Montoya.

Jimmie Johnson: this is what his team does best--hang out in the lower half of the top 10 in the first half to two-thirds of the race, then when it's go time, they're in contention for the win. They set themselves up nicely for the rest of the Chase.

The Busch Brothers: there couldn't have been a greater contrast. Kurt was stout throughout the day and weekend and was in contention for the win. Kyle wasn't strong to begin, but the crew got the #18 better as the race went on. Kyle finished fifth and Kurt finished sixth.

Honorable Mention: Ryan Newman, Elliott Sadler, Greg Biffle, Clint Bowyer, and Bobby Labonte. (Labonte is rumored to go to the 07 next season.)

THE BAD

Tony Raines: he was the first of the start and parkers to park the car. After eight laps. He drew the short stick during their meeting in the Todd Bodine Meeting Room.

THE UGLY

The race itself: aside from the last couple of cautions, it was a snoozefest.

The coverage: atrocious as usual. Every time a commercial came on, I can guess that a caution would come out, and I was right more often than not. And they wouldn't explain WHY a caution came out until just before the green flag came out.

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

Gas and Go--Atlanta (Summer Race 2009)

This week's Gas and Go comes from the Deep South. I will give you some insights and short takes leading up to this race.

1. Atlanta will benefit greatly from the Chase race. Currently 89 points separate seventh through 14th positions.
2. This will be the first time Atlanta has hosted a night race.
3. For whom will the night time be the right time? Historically, AMS seems to favor consistent drivers.
4. The drivers in seventh through 14th have to guard against racing too conservatively. A good result, and their Chase chances greatly improve. A bad result and they can kiss their Chase chances good bye.
5. Historically, AMS has been the scene of some great finishes, most notably Kevin Harvick's first Cup win in just his third start. Harvick beat Jeff Gordon to the line by a foot in the Spring 2001 race. (Harvick held the record for the fewest starts to his first Cup win until Jamie McMurray won at Charlotte in October 2002 in his second start, filling in for an injured Sterling Marlin.)
6. Thinking of you: Awesome Bill from Dawsonville, aka Bill Elliott.
7. Who will run well? I look for the usual suspects: Carl Edwards, Greg Biffle, Matt Kenseth, Tony Stewart, Ryan Newman, Jeff Gordon, Jimmie Johnson, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Brian Vickers. Dark horses: Juan Pablo Montoya, Marcos Ambrose, Kevin Harvick.
8. For which driver will the night time be the right time?

Predicted Race Winner: Mark Martin. He has run consistently well at AMS since he began Cup racing. With a Chase berth on the line, he takes the checkered flag and all but clinches a Chase spot.

The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly -- LifeLock.com 400

This week, the Crappafoni Pictures crew is in the heart of the Midwest, Chicagoland Speedway, for this week's The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly. Served deep-dish, Chicago-style, loaded with all the toppings. Enjoy!

THE GOOD

Mark Martin: as the winner of this race, he automatically gets first billing. He was dominant once he took the lead. He led 195 laps, the most laps a driver has ever led at Chicagoland. He had that car on a rail. This was his fourth win of the season. He'll be formidable once the Chase starts. An extra good to the Musgrave family as they won a $1 million bonus by choosing Mark Martin as the winner.

Jeff Gordon: although he never led, he had a strong car throughout the race. He was consistently in the top 10 en route to a second place finish.

Kasey Kahne: he survived a wild and wooly last few laps en route to a third place finish, leading two laps in the process.

Stewart-Haas Racing: Tony Stewart (4th) and Ryan Newman (6th) were stout all race long. Stewart led a lap during a round of green flag pit stops early in the race.

Denny Hamlin: he was a quiet fifth. He was consistent, and a bold move with 17 laps to go pretty much sealed a top 5 finish.

Honorable Mention: the rest of the lead lap finishers. Martin was so good he put more than half the field at least a lap down.

THE BAD

Kyle Busch: he was BRUTALLY BAD. His car was bad from the outset. Then he made contact with the wall and it got worse--the track bar was bent. It would get worse. The rear end alignment on the #18 got thrown off later in the race. Then to top it all off, his engine blew late in the race and he crashed.

Jeff Burton: like Busch, he was brutally bad. Unlike Busch, he didn't have an engine blow. He was part of a late race accident involving Dale Earnhardt Jr and David Reutimann. Burton T-boned Scott Speed when Speed came down in front of him.

Greg Biffle: the #16 team totally missed the setup. He had a bad car from the outset and finished two laps down.

THE UGLY

Kyle Busch: see above.

Jeff Burton: see above.

Those are my choices for the race. Feel free to chime in and comment.