This week, the Crappafoni Pictures crew is in the hub of the sport, Charlotte Motor Speedway, for this week's The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly, served up BBQ-style, with a heaping side of helpings and Coke to wash it all down. Enjoy!
THE GOOD
Matt Kenseth: as the race winner, he gets first billing. He was solid all race, and got better in the closing laps, overtaking Kyle Busch for his third win of the season. More important, he gained four positions in the standings.
Kyle Busch: he led for much of the second half of the race, but Kenseth was too good late. Like Kenseth, he gained four positions in the standings.
Carl Edwards: he was stout throughout most of the race, but faded a bit late. He holds the points lead by five points over Kevin Harvick.
Kasey Kahne: had it been the 600, he might have had enough to win. He came from seventh on the final restart to finish fourth.
Marcos Ambrose: great run by the driver of the #9 Ford. He was strong from the outset and kept improving his track position. While he didn't have the car to beat, props to the crew and his crew chief for making the right adjustments.
Kevin Harvick: he was "Mr. Where Did He Come From?" again. The 29 car was plowing for most of the race, and the Pass through the Grass to avoid Kahne strangely made the car better.
Honorable Mention: Tony Stewart, AJ Allmendinger, Denny Hamlin, and Ryan Newman.
THE BAD
Joe Nemechek: he drew the short stick at the start and parkers' meeting in the Todd Bodine Meeting Room. Fortunately for him, he didn't have to hotfoot it very far.
Greg Biffle: he had a stout car that COULD have won, but penalties bit him in the rear. I think he has suffered the most penalties in NASCAR. His race went from bad to worse.
THE UGLY
Jimmie Johnson: he took a HARD hit when while racing for position with Ryan Newman, he got loose, tried to save the car, and went up the track and hit the wall HARD. He also took just as hard a hit in the points, going from 3rd to 8th, 35 points behind Edwards.
Those are my nominees for the race. Feel free to come in with yours!
Showing posts with label Matt Kenseth. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Matt Kenseth. Show all posts
Saturday, October 15, 2011
Sunday, May 15, 2011
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
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!
Saturday, April 9, 2011
The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly -- 2011 Samsung Mobile 500
This week, the Crappafoni Pictures crew is deep in the heart of Texas to serve you a heapin' helpin' of The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly, complete with Texas-style BBQ, all the fixin's, and washed down with plenty of Crown and Coke. Enjoy!
THE GOOD
Matt Kenseth: as the race winner, he gets first billing. He was so dominant it looked like he was going to lap the entire field. (I think had there been fewer cautions, or a 120+ lap green flag run, Kenseth WOULD have lapped the field; he was THAT good.) Everyone else was battling for second place. Kenseth led 169 of 334 laps, or just over 50% of the race. You want to know if it's your day? He was trailing leader Clint Bowyer by about a second when Brian Vickers made contact with Bowyer and nearly spun him out. While Bowyer made a great save of the #33 Cheerios Chevrolet, he lost the lead to Kenseth, who promptly checked out. The win was Kenseth's first since the spring 2009 race at Fontana. Props also go out to the Killer B's, who kept increasing Kenseth's lead with every pit stop. Good job #17 team!
Clint Bowyer: he led 44 laps and was strong all race long. But as said earlier, drivers not named Matt Kenseth were battling for second place. Bowyer ended up being the best of those drivers.
Roush-Fenway Racing: with Kenseth (winner), Carl Edwards (3rd), Greg Biffle (4th), and David Ragan (1st career pole, 7th place finish), all four RFR drivers had stout runs. When your lowest finishing driver finishes 7th, that's pretty darn stout. At least this week, they seemed to have it together.
Paul Menard: he continues to impress with strong runs. You cannot overlook the connection he has with Slugger Labbe as his crew chief. They united in the second half of last season when both were with Petty Enterprises. Although Menard never led tonight, he was in the top 10 pretty much the whole evening.
Marcos Ambrose: he deserves props for having a strong car that stayed on the lead lap the entire race, and staying in the top 10 for pretty much the entire race. Ambrose even led a lap under green flag pit stops.
Kurt Busch: he goes in this category for leading 50 laps, mainly in the last third of the race. He rolled the dice on pit strategy, hoping for a caution to extend his fuel mileage near the end, but it stayed green.
Honorable Mention: Jimmie Johnson and Dale Earnhardt Jr and everyone else that finished on the lead lap.
THE BAD
Mike Skinner: he was the first start and parker, running a grand total of 36 laps before declaring himself done for the day and hotfooting it out of town with his prize money. Word has it the start and parkers meet in the Todd Bodine Meeting Room to pick numbers to see who draws the sticks first. Skinner drew first, and drew the short stick tonight.
Kevin Harvick: he was uncharacteristically bad tonight. He had a poor qualifying showing (29th) and even though he finished in the top 20, he was never a factor. He was consistently 3-5 mph slower than Kenseth. Only on occasion (and it was usually on a short run) was he either even with or slightly faster than Kenseth. The 29 crew did everything they could to try to tighten up the car, but it wouldn't tighten. It stayed loose throughout the race. Just one of those days when nothing worked. To his credit, the 29 team stayed focused and determined and were able to salvage a 20th place finish.
David Reutimann: a bad season got that much worse. He couldn't seem to stay out of anyone's way on pit road. That, and he blocked in his fellow competitors. He blocked in Kevin Harvick right after Harvick's crew gave him his best pit stop of the night. Reutimann made contact with Joey Logano as he was exiting his pit and ended up blocking Harvick's exit from his pit. That cost Harvick about 10 seconds on pit road, dropping him from potentially in the top 15 to 28th. Harvick never recovered, eventually finishing two laps down. Needless to say, Happy wasn't too happy. Reutimann finished 29th, five laps down.
THE UGLY
Brian Vickers: hate to do this to BV, but his contact with Bowyer cost Bowyer a shot at a win. At that point, Bowyer HAD the car that could go toe to toe with Kenseth. WHAT THE HELL WERE YOU DOING RACING WITH BOWYER? You were already a lap down, and Bowyer gave you room to pass him because you were faster at the time. If you had been a little more patient, BV, you'd have made up your lap the hard way!
Those are my nominees for the race. Feel free to come in with yours!
THE GOOD
Matt Kenseth: as the race winner, he gets first billing. He was so dominant it looked like he was going to lap the entire field. (I think had there been fewer cautions, or a 120+ lap green flag run, Kenseth WOULD have lapped the field; he was THAT good.) Everyone else was battling for second place. Kenseth led 169 of 334 laps, or just over 50% of the race. You want to know if it's your day? He was trailing leader Clint Bowyer by about a second when Brian Vickers made contact with Bowyer and nearly spun him out. While Bowyer made a great save of the #33 Cheerios Chevrolet, he lost the lead to Kenseth, who promptly checked out. The win was Kenseth's first since the spring 2009 race at Fontana. Props also go out to the Killer B's, who kept increasing Kenseth's lead with every pit stop. Good job #17 team!
Clint Bowyer: he led 44 laps and was strong all race long. But as said earlier, drivers not named Matt Kenseth were battling for second place. Bowyer ended up being the best of those drivers.
Roush-Fenway Racing: with Kenseth (winner), Carl Edwards (3rd), Greg Biffle (4th), and David Ragan (1st career pole, 7th place finish), all four RFR drivers had stout runs. When your lowest finishing driver finishes 7th, that's pretty darn stout. At least this week, they seemed to have it together.
Paul Menard: he continues to impress with strong runs. You cannot overlook the connection he has with Slugger Labbe as his crew chief. They united in the second half of last season when both were with Petty Enterprises. Although Menard never led tonight, he was in the top 10 pretty much the whole evening.
Marcos Ambrose: he deserves props for having a strong car that stayed on the lead lap the entire race, and staying in the top 10 for pretty much the entire race. Ambrose even led a lap under green flag pit stops.
Kurt Busch: he goes in this category for leading 50 laps, mainly in the last third of the race. He rolled the dice on pit strategy, hoping for a caution to extend his fuel mileage near the end, but it stayed green.
Honorable Mention: Jimmie Johnson and Dale Earnhardt Jr and everyone else that finished on the lead lap.
THE BAD
Mike Skinner: he was the first start and parker, running a grand total of 36 laps before declaring himself done for the day and hotfooting it out of town with his prize money. Word has it the start and parkers meet in the Todd Bodine Meeting Room to pick numbers to see who draws the sticks first. Skinner drew first, and drew the short stick tonight.
Kevin Harvick: he was uncharacteristically bad tonight. He had a poor qualifying showing (29th) and even though he finished in the top 20, he was never a factor. He was consistently 3-5 mph slower than Kenseth. Only on occasion (and it was usually on a short run) was he either even with or slightly faster than Kenseth. The 29 crew did everything they could to try to tighten up the car, but it wouldn't tighten. It stayed loose throughout the race. Just one of those days when nothing worked. To his credit, the 29 team stayed focused and determined and were able to salvage a 20th place finish.
David Reutimann: a bad season got that much worse. He couldn't seem to stay out of anyone's way on pit road. That, and he blocked in his fellow competitors. He blocked in Kevin Harvick right after Harvick's crew gave him his best pit stop of the night. Reutimann made contact with Joey Logano as he was exiting his pit and ended up blocking Harvick's exit from his pit. That cost Harvick about 10 seconds on pit road, dropping him from potentially in the top 15 to 28th. Harvick never recovered, eventually finishing two laps down. Needless to say, Happy wasn't too happy. Reutimann finished 29th, five laps down.
THE UGLY
Brian Vickers: hate to do this to BV, but his contact with Bowyer cost Bowyer a shot at a win. At that point, Bowyer HAD the car that could go toe to toe with Kenseth. WHAT THE HELL WERE YOU DOING RACING WITH BOWYER? You were already a lap down, and Bowyer gave you room to pass him because you were faster at the time. If you had been a little more patient, BV, you'd have made up your lap the hard way!
Those are my nominees for the race. Feel free to come in with yours!
Saturday, February 12, 2011
The 12 Chase Drivers for 2011
Greetings my fellow NASCAR fans! A new season is upon us. This is where you hope SOMEONE will be able to dethrone Jimmie Johnson THIS season. Having said that, here are my 12 drivers that will make the Chase this season, in predicted order of finish, starting with 12th. (An asterisk next to their name denotes wild card.)
- Jeff Burton*: he'll finish just outside the top 10, but will make it based on his three wins going into the Chase. But there are too many other good drivers ahead of him for him to make serious noise in the Chase. Predicted finish: 12th.
- Clint Bowyer: he'll be more consistent than last season. Predicted finish: 11th.
- Tony Stewart: I'm probably going to catch some flak from Smoke fans, but I see him having one bad race early in the Chase that will have him trailing the field. That one bad race will cost him a chance to win his third title. He'll do his best to catch up, but I only see him gaining three spots. But, if he avoids that, he'll be in contention. (I hope he's consistent, and he's in contention heading into Homestead.) Predicted finish: 10th.
- Jeff Gordon: we'll see him in Victory Lane this season. Paired with Alan Gustafson, I won't be surprised to see him contend for the title. However, I see him falling a bit short. Predicted finish: 9th.
- Kyle Busch: he'll be the only Busch Brother in the Chase. It's either going to be hit or miss. He'll have a few misses along with a lot of hits. He'll run better than last year, but the competition is very intense, and he'll fall short. Predicted finish: 8th.
- Greg Biffle: we'll see Biff in Victory Lane a few times this season, and he'll be strong heading into the Chase. But I see a late season fade. Predicted finish: 7th.
- Denny Hamlin: last year had to be demoralizing, when he had the championship lead going into Homestead, but made that crucial error allowing Jimmie Johnson to overtake him. I see some hangover this year. Predicted finish: 6th.
- Matt Kenseth: he'll be his usual consistent self in the Chase. He'll finish where he started in the Chase. Predicted finish: 5th.
- Jamie McMurray*: he'll finish behind Burton in the regular season standings, but get in based on his three wins going into the Chase. I see him getting on a roll and winning a couple more races in the Chase. He'll be in contention heading into Homestead, but struggles at Homestead will cost him a chance at a championship. He'll learn and grow from this. Predicted finish: 4th.
- Carl Edwards: he ended last season on a roll, winning the final two races and establishing himself as a contender. IF he finishes as strong as he starts, he COULD end up dethroning JJ. But I don't see it happening, at least not this year. He'll be stout, but fall just short. Predicted finish: 3rd.
- Kevin Harvick: he had arguably the best season of his Cup career. He led the points for much of the season. Due to the bonuses in the Chase, he started in third and finished there. He'll start in third and improve a position. Predicted finish: 2nd.
- Jimmie Johnson: he'll be here until someone dethrones him. I look for him to win a very tight battle between him, Harvick, and Edwards. Your 2011 Sprint Cup Champion: JIMMIE JOHNSON. Predicted finish: 1st and still Champion.
Those are my 12 Chase drivers for this year. It was very hard deciding on WHO was going to make the Chase, as I think 15 drivers could be Chase contenders. Just as I see these drivers I think could win it all: Johnson, Harvick, Edwards, McMurray, Stewart, Gordon, Kyle Busch, and Hamlin. LET'S GO RACIN' BOYS!
Thursday, April 15, 2010
Gas and Go--Texas (Spring Race 2010)
This week's Gas and Go comes from deep in the heart of Texas. As always, I will offer some short insights and takes leading up to the race.
- I have to give Jeff Gordon thanks for making me look like a freaking genius last year. I picked him to win the race, even though he had never won at Texas. Gordon added Texas to the list of tracks he's won at.
- Back to this year. I look for the Roushkateers to bounce back and have strong runs. Matt Kenseth is showing signs of being the 2003 version of Kenseth. Very strong and consistent. He is a worthy rival to Jimmie Johnson.
- Conversely, Kevin Harvick has gone backwards, in spite of his 12th place finish at Phoenix. This is reminding me of when the COT first came out. Harvick and the #29 team ended 2006 and began 2007 strongly. Then the COT came out and they struggled to adapt to the nuances of the car. Once NASCAR came out with the new spoiler, the #29 team is struggling again. Harvick is too good to struggle for very long. He has 'Dega, Darlington, and Richmond awaiting, tracks he has run well at.
- With Kasey Kahne moving to Hendrick Motorsports in '12, will that light a fire under him, or will he continue to struggle at RPM? And will he be out of the #9 car before the end of the year and RPM shuttering the #9 team if he doesn't make the Chase?
- Thinking of you: Terry Labonte.
- In 2007, Jeff Burton became the first repeat winner at Texas when he won the spring race. Carl Edwards leads all drivers in wins at the track, with three. He'll certainly be a factor on Sunday.
- Ford leads all manufacturers in wins at the track, with nine. Conversely, Toyota has never won a Cup race at the track.
- Speaking of Kenseth, his win in April 2002 came from the lowest starting position (31st) for a race winner. Edwards has the second lowest position, 30th, when he won the first fall race in 2005.
- Look for the usual suspects to run strong: Johnson, Kenseth, Edwards, Burton, Gordon, Greg Biffle, Tony Stewart, and Kurt Busch.
Predicted Race Winner: Matt Kenseth. He's been stout all season, but without a win to show for it. He takes advantage of a struggling Jimmie Johnson, wins the race, and takes over the points lead. Rest of the top 5: 2) Edwards; 3) Biffle; 4) Smoke; 5) Burton.
Darkhorse top 10 finisher: David Ragan. He narrowly misses making it four Roushkateers in the top 5.
That is my Gas and Go for the week. Feel free to offer your insights.
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