Fantasy Racing Junkie

I for one was happy to see the Cup cars returning to the rear spoiler instead of that wing. The more I think about it, I keep asking myself, why did NASCAR do this, and why now? Has the racing been that bad? Are the cars too much for the drivers? Is it an attempt to keep them on the ground after spinning? ( Brad Keselowski) I am sure everyone has there reasons, but I offer a different view, because I think weird sometimes. I believe NASCAR is doing this to slow down Jimmy Johnson. He is obviously dominating, and this makes racing kinda boring (unless you are a JJ fan!) I was so excited for this year to start, and after 5 weeks of racing, I catch myself missing major portions of the races, and only watching the beginning and ends of races. I was totally shocked to see the empty seats at Bristol last week. I have been there several times, and never seen those many empty seats. Maybe everyone stayed home to watch the NCAA Tournament or the Health Care debacle that was on TV. Testing has begun on the spoilers, so lets see who can take advantage of them and knock Jimmy off his throne!!

Having lived in California, near the Los Angeles area, I am well aware of how many people live there. It is a disgrace that they can get only 70k people in a race, and I believe that number was fudged. There are over 9 million people who live in the LA metropolitan area. There are trains that will take people from the city to the speedway. As I started to watch the Busch race Saturday, I was amazed at all the empty seats. I am not sure I saw more than 3 people sitting together. Heck, with a cheap seat ticket, you could of been behind the flagman with a view of everything. There were plenty of Cup drivers participating, and the famous Danica Patrick was there as well. Someone please tell me why California cannot fill the stands. I have been to Bristol where a busch race had over 90k in attendance. (Dale Jr was still driving then)
NASCAR needs to remove a race there, and give it to a facility that people will attend. Now that I think about it, the racing is not good, or is it very exciting. Reconfiguring the track wont help unless they put it to a figure-8 with a tunnel. Maybe it is time to give Darlington her race back. Races there are very exciting and the fans will show up. California needs to change something about their races quick, or they should lose a race.

Daytona was its usual self. All of the favorites with the exemption of Tony Stewart in the Nationwide race fell by the wayside. This of course made the scores low in Fantasy leagues, and also opened the door for some first time winners. I failed to be a winner this week, but did have some good finishes. Daytona is such a tough place for picks because of the unknown. Will your driver get collected up in a wreck, or will he just do bad? This week was the week of wrecks in Busch and Trucks. Daytona was calmer, that is until the potholes became an issue. This stopped the race twice, and became the talk of the race sunday. How can a track thast hosts the biggest race of the year, be allowed to fall apart? If it was water seepage, wasnt the track inspected before the race? We will never get the answers, but the race did continue. It seems most drivers led a lap during the race, so it was anyones to win. Kevin Harvick seemed to be the dominate car as he could drive to the front with ease. Kurt Busch led for a while, Jeff Gordon, Dale Earnhardt JR, Clint Bowyer, and others had their turns. When the caution came out with 6 or 7 laps to go, some front running cars pitted for two tires. I simply dont understand why Busch and Gordon came in. Both were in the top 10, and with so few laps left, what could they be thinking? Dale JR who was further back also came in. The green fell with 3 laps to go and Gordon and Busch never made up any ground. Gordon ended up wrecking and Busch had a bad finish. Jr on the other hand put the hammer down driving through the center and nearly caught McMurray for the win. Well its off to California next week. The racing should be more predictable for Fantasy players. Enjoy and good luck!!

Racing season is here. Now is the time to see why and how this blogger makes his picks in Fantasy Nascar racing. The first race is always exciting, but can be a back to earth day as well. Daytona has the ability to make a great day go to bad in one lap. Its called the BIG ONE !!
In years past, most racers stick with Hendrick Motorsports and Joe Gibbs Racing. As you know, things havent gone well. Jr has not lived up to his expectations and Jeff Gordon seems to get into a wreck. Most of the wrecks front runners are involved in, occur when they are riding mid-pack or in the rear. This year is no different. Two Hendrick cars on the front row, and with Rousch cars running well (new engine), its anyones to win. My advice here is to take drivers who have had success, can control their temper, and normally run a clean race. Open wheel racers tend to do well as they are use to racing in tight arenas. My two top picks are Tony Stewart and Kasey Kahne.

The Nationwide Race will be exciting. With a host of Cup Drivers which include Tony Stewart and Dale Jr, this field will be much tougher for Danica Patrick. I am sure all eyes will be on her as long as she is on the track. She will be good for the series and will draw larger crowds. However, do not expect her to do as well as she did in the ARCA race. Something tells me a wreck will collect her car and end her day. Even with the number of Cup drivers in the field, Kyle Busch will be the guy to beat. He is the Champion from last year, and runs well at the larger tracks. With that said, do not count out Tony Stewart or Carl Edwards.

The Truck race will be the best in my opinion. Drivers like Hornaday, Busch, Bodine, and Skinner have had success at Daytona. The Truck drivers have no issues bumping and taking out the guy in front of them, even if that driver is the leader, as we all saw last season. Most would expect Hornday or Busch to win ,but Todd Bodine has an excellent record on the Superspeedways. Picking the top 5 in this series is a wash. Those who can accurately figure out positions 6-10 will be the successful ones.

Well we finally had the opportunity to see some racing. With the ARCA race completed, along with qualifying, and the Bud Shootout last night, the fever for the season to start should have calmed a bit. Here are my thoughts for the season so far.

Danica did well in her first Stock Car race. She qualified 12th, and seemed comfortable in the race car. I do not think she cared for the follow the leader mentality that took place during the race. She was getting in and out of line all the time. I am sure Dale Jr being a spotter told her it was necessary. I am sure it was Dale Jr that had her riding the rim as well. She had an incredible save after being spun out. Those hands were going a 100 mph trying to get the car straight, and even let go of the wheel for a second hoping the car would right itself. It did, and she never hit anything. It was obvious she was ticked off by the way she left the pits. She did battle back to a 6th place finish, and gave Ricky Carmichael a love tap at the finish. She passed the test as far as the ARCA cars go. Now the question is, can she do this with 43 cars and going 3 wide? I think she will be fine.

Qualifying for the 500 was completed and Dale JR and Mark Martin are sitting on the front row. Martin was not a surprise, but it was good to Dale Jr do well. He needs to have a good season. Hopefully he will run well in the qualifying races and not wreck his car.

The Bud Shootout was ok, but I was hoping for better racing. If this is typical, there will be several “Big Ones” during the 500. Drivers are actually lifting through the corners, and the closing rates are much quicker than before because of the bigger restrictor plates. I am sure they will correct this as they get track time in the qualifiers. My biggest complaint is the green, white, checkered flag. These are the pros, let them race and finish under the green. I dont like it where the win is given to a driver because two clowns in the back wreck each other. Let them race!!