Martinsville winners tend to stay at the top of the heap for years at a time. Jimmie Johnson has five Martinsville wins, while Jeff Gordon leads active drivers with seven, although he hasn't won at the track in several years.
Here's hoping one of them can break through and break Denny Hamlin's streak of Martinsville wins at three!
Wednesday, March 30, 2011
Tuesday, March 29, 2011
Jimmie Johnson ALMOST wins California
Needless to say, I was not happy at the end of this week's Sprint Cup race.
Sure, it was an exciting finish, but it's pure torture to watch your driver first take the lead with just 2 laps to go, and then lose it (to Kevin "Happy" Harvick no less) coming off the final turn of the race.
It took me several minutes before I had recovered from the disappointment. It's been a while since Jimmie won a race (Dover last September, a race I attended), and I'm more than ready to celebrate a race win again.
This week I am heading to Martinsville for the race. I saw Jimmie during his last win there in 2009, and let's hope he can find his way to Victory Lane there once again!
Sure, it was an exciting finish, but it's pure torture to watch your driver first take the lead with just 2 laps to go, and then lose it (to Kevin "Happy" Harvick no less) coming off the final turn of the race.
It took me several minutes before I had recovered from the disappointment. It's been a while since Jimmie won a race (Dover last September, a race I attended), and I'm more than ready to celebrate a race win again.
This week I am heading to Martinsville for the race. I saw Jimmie during his last win there in 2009, and let's hope he can find his way to Victory Lane there once again!
NASCAR Girl Power: Female Drivers on the Rise (It's More Than Just Danica)
The last couple of seasons have seen more females competing in NASCAR than there have been in many years. These drivers are enjoying success undreamed of even a few seasons ago. They have a long ways to go, but drivers such as Johanna Long and Danica Patrick are showing a lot of potential.
How far can they go? Read about it here.
How far can they go? Read about it here.
Friday, March 25, 2011
These struggling Chasers from 2010 need good runs this week at Fontana
After four races in 2011, Jeff Burton sits 29th in the points. His Chase hopes are already looking bleak, and several other 2010 Chasers have looked weak out of the gate in 2011 as well. Which of them can jumpstart their seasons beginning with this Sunday's race?
Read about it here.
Read about it here.
Thursday, March 24, 2011
Johnson, Kenseth Headline Fantasy Picks for California
"Which drivers should be on your fantasy roster at California?
The favorites hail from Roush Fenway Racing and Hendrick Motorsports. The two organizations have combined to win eight of the last 10 races at the track.
Who are this weekend's favorites? Here are the top five drivers at Fontana, along with three more to keep an eye on."
Click here to read the rest of the article.
The favorites hail from Roush Fenway Racing and Hendrick Motorsports. The two organizations have combined to win eight of the last 10 races at the track.
Who are this weekend's favorites? Here are the top five drivers at Fontana, along with three more to keep an eye on."
Click here to read the rest of the article.
Monday, March 21, 2011
Danica's Dose of Reality: Bristol Brings Patrick Back to Earth
"For the past two weeks NASCAR was abuzz with the news of Danica Patrick's historic fourth-place finish in the Nationwide race at Las Vegas.
Did this prove Danica was for real in NASCAR? Could she win a Nationwide race this season? Was she ready to run with the big boys? Might she even join a Sprint Cup team such as Joe Gibbs Racing or Red Bull in 2012?"
Read full the full article here.
Did this prove Danica was for real in NASCAR? Could she win a Nationwide race this season? Was she ready to run with the big boys? Might she even join a Sprint Cup team such as Joe Gibbs Racing or Red Bull in 2012?"
Read full the full article here.
Friday, March 18, 2011
Jimmie Johnson Needs Strong Run at Bristol Motor Speedway
"Jimmie Johnson is in need of a strong run on Sunday at Bristol Motor Speedway after struggling two weeks ago at Las Vegas."
Read the complete article here.
Read the complete article here.
6 Reasons Jeff Gordon Will Win the 2011 Championship
"Jeff Gordon's last Cup series championship came in 2001. Since then, he has watched his teammate and protege Jimmie Johnson win five championships, one more than Gordon's career total of four.
Gordon is as hungry as ever to win another championship, and everyone knows it. Could 2011, 10 years after his last title, be the year he finally gets it done?
Here are six reasons to believe that Gordon's Drive for five is alive."
Read the complete article here.
Gordon is as hungry as ever to win another championship, and everyone knows it. Could 2011, 10 years after his last title, be the year he finally gets it done?
Here are six reasons to believe that Gordon's Drive for five is alive."
Read the complete article here.
Sunday, March 13, 2011
Looking ahead to Bristol
The Sprint Cup series heads to Bristol Motor Speedway next Sunday. Last March Jimmie Johnson got his first career win at Bristol, beating Kurt Busch to score the win. Jimmie charged from sixth to first in the final ten laps in an impressive display of tenacity and driving ability.
Can Johnson defend his win this time around? Although he hasn't performed particularly well so far in 2011, I look for him to have a strong run. The Lowes team is always strong on short tracks, and this could be the perfect place for Jimmie and Chad to kick the 2011 season into high gear.
Can Johnson defend his win this time around? Although he hasn't performed particularly well so far in 2011, I look for him to have a strong run. The Lowes team is always strong on short tracks, and this could be the perfect place for Jimmie and Chad to kick the 2011 season into high gear.
Thursday, March 10, 2011
Hendrick struggles in Vegas
It was far from a banner day for Hendrick Motorsports. One week after placing each of its four teams in the top thirteen and winning the race in Phoenix, Hendrick gave a poor showing at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Dale Earnhardt Jr. brought home the team's only top-10 finish.
Jeff Gordon, last week's winner, had a decent car at Las Vegas, but a cut tire on lap 194 caused significant damage to the right side of his car and ended his day. Jimmie Johnson, four-time Las Vegas winner and defending race champion, never got the handle on his car en route to a 16th place finish. Mark Martin struggled to an 18th place result, while Dale Jr. ran in the top five before fading late to finish in eighth place.
This was a surprising result for one of NASCAR's top organizations. Jimmie Johnson is known as one of the sport's top closers, often coming out of nowhere to win races after running mid-pack most of the day. At one point, that seemed to be happening on Sunday, but after climbing into the top ten, Johnson had a poor pit stop and lost track position. He never recovered, and finished outside the top fifteen with an ill-handling race car. It was a similarly frustrating day for Mark Martin, who never ran with the race leaders.
But it wasn't all bad news for Hendrick Motorsports. Jeff Gordon led a couple of laps early and ran in or near the top 10 all race before his tire problems. Dale Jr. appeared to have a car capable of contending for the win, and his strong run was another sign that 2011 could be the year he turns his career around after a couple of frustrating years. He seems to be enjoying his relationship with new crew chief Steve Letarte, one of the most encouraging crew chiefs in NASCAR. A positive outlook could be just what Earnhardt needs to begin running in the front of the pack and winning races again.
It is too early to draw definite conclusions after the first race at the many mile-and-a-half tracks that dominate the Sprint Cup circuit, and it may be a while before we will know how the rest of the year will look for the Hendrick cars. The series heads next to the short tracks at Bristol and Martinsville and the flat 2-mile oval at Fontana, which require entirely different setups than do the mile-and-a-half intermediate tracks. But what we do know is that although Hendrick gave a weak showing at Las Vegas, history tells us that they will fix whatever problems they may have and be prepared in April when the series visits the next intermediate track on the schedule, Texas Motor Speedway. Look for the Hendrick brigade to be near the front when the checkered flag waves.
Jeff Gordon, last week's winner, had a decent car at Las Vegas, but a cut tire on lap 194 caused significant damage to the right side of his car and ended his day. Jimmie Johnson, four-time Las Vegas winner and defending race champion, never got the handle on his car en route to a 16th place finish. Mark Martin struggled to an 18th place result, while Dale Jr. ran in the top five before fading late to finish in eighth place.
This was a surprising result for one of NASCAR's top organizations. Jimmie Johnson is known as one of the sport's top closers, often coming out of nowhere to win races after running mid-pack most of the day. At one point, that seemed to be happening on Sunday, but after climbing into the top ten, Johnson had a poor pit stop and lost track position. He never recovered, and finished outside the top fifteen with an ill-handling race car. It was a similarly frustrating day for Mark Martin, who never ran with the race leaders.
But it wasn't all bad news for Hendrick Motorsports. Jeff Gordon led a couple of laps early and ran in or near the top 10 all race before his tire problems. Dale Jr. appeared to have a car capable of contending for the win, and his strong run was another sign that 2011 could be the year he turns his career around after a couple of frustrating years. He seems to be enjoying his relationship with new crew chief Steve Letarte, one of the most encouraging crew chiefs in NASCAR. A positive outlook could be just what Earnhardt needs to begin running in the front of the pack and winning races again.
It is too early to draw definite conclusions after the first race at the many mile-and-a-half tracks that dominate the Sprint Cup circuit, and it may be a while before we will know how the rest of the year will look for the Hendrick cars. The series heads next to the short tracks at Bristol and Martinsville and the flat 2-mile oval at Fontana, which require entirely different setups than do the mile-and-a-half intermediate tracks. But what we do know is that although Hendrick gave a weak showing at Las Vegas, history tells us that they will fix whatever problems they may have and be prepared in April when the series visits the next intermediate track on the schedule, Texas Motor Speedway. Look for the Hendrick brigade to be near the front when the checkered flag waves.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)