Here are a few of my predictions for today’s race:
Sam Hornish Jr. will get in a wreck today. Maybe three.
Dale Earnhardt Jr. will not win today’s race. It’s just not in the cards.
I’m guessing there will be around 9 – 10 cautions.
A Richard Childress Racing driver will win. As much as I like Clint Bowyer’s consistency, I’m going with Kevin Harvick to be the victor today. He is coming off a win in yesterday’s Camping World Truck Series race and I’m a firm believer in momentum. He didn’t qualify all that great (18th) but had good finishes here last year at this time and also in September.
DW will annoy me today. I feel bad saying it. I really do, but he says the dumbest things sometimes.
That’s it for my predictions. Do you have any you’d like to share? Who do you think will win today?
Oh the possibilities. I just love the feeling of all the possibilities of race day. Will Jamie McMurray have another stellar race? Will Jimmie Johnson have the same luck? (I secretly hope so, not a big fan) Will Kyle Busch make it two in a row this weekend after the victory in yesterday’s Nationwide Series race?
Here’s the Video: Fontana Preview:
I’m going to play it safe and go with the winner of yesterday’s Stater Bros. 300, Kyle Busch. I think momentum is key, especially with Busch. He finished fifth here at Fontana last year and is starting ninth in today’s Auto Club 500. Here’s hoping it doesn’t rain. I don’t think I can stand two weeks in a row of red flag. Fingers crossed.
Painful. Just painful. I feel like I was in some sort of torture device for nearly seven and a half hours. I could have skipped all but the last 5 laps. The hole in the track was the biggest joke. Come on.
I follow racing on Twitter while I watch the race on television. Here are a few tweets that made me chuckle:
Jenna Fryer from the Associated Press, ” Has NASCAR set up a number we can text to donate $10 to track repairs yet?”
Jeff Gluck from SB Nation, “Almost like rain is coming…trying to be out front in case of another #hole delay? Racing hard now.”
Shawn Courchesne from the Hartford Courant, “NASCAR officials are now asking the fan council if they might have a solution to fixing the hole.”
What I’m trying to say here is if you get to the point of wanting to die listening to good ole Darrell Waltrip, log onto Twitter to tune him out. It’s just so funny to see what everyone is talking about. Very entertaining.
As much as I’m moaning about the race, I’d sit through it all over again to watch the interview with Jamie McMurray in victory lane. It was one of the most emotional Victory Lane speeches I’ve ever seen. Seriously, if you didn’t have tears in your eyes while watching McMurray try over and over again to gain his composure, I’m not sure what would do it for you. Congratulations to McMurray. Wow. An unbelievable finish.
Here are a few random thoughts:I have to admit that I was sitting on the edge of my seat rooting for Clint Bowyer, my fave.
I have to admit that I was rooting for Clint Bowyer, my fave.
I thought that I was actually going to get through the race without the Danicamania frenzy. No such luck. (thank you gigantic pothole)
Dale Earnhardt Jr. looks good with a beard. Just sayin.
I seriously am not sure I’m ready to listen to DW each week. I just don’t know.
I am so ready for the racing season to begin. It’s been months since I’ve jotted my thoughts down on a blog for all to see. I’m almost as nervous as the first time that I did this back in 2007. I’m gonna break that dry spell right now.
I’ll keep this entry short and sweet and come back after the race at some point and let everyone know my thoughts of the race. (some pertaining to the racing and other thoughts will have nothing to do with the racing at all) I hope you come back also and let me know what you thought of it…
My pick to win? Gotta go with Tony Stewart. He’s just been strong all week plus he’s got a bit of momentum by winning the Nationwide race.
Better late than never… the holiday weekend set me back a bit from writing this blog. It took many, many attempts for me to pick a winner when I first starting blogging NASCAR. It’s a lot harder than you would think. Each week, I try to pick the winner and most times, I’m not lucky.
I take the blog to the streets and look… I nail it on the first try. Wow. Congratulations to Tony Stewart for his victory Saturday night. What a wild finish. I don’t think that Stewart did anything wrong in that last-lap crash.
Stewart went on the outside of Kyle Busch to pass. It was clean. He clearly had the line and Kyle Busch made the mistake by going up when he didn’t have clearance. I gained a bit of respect for Busch though. He left the track without opening his mouth and making a fool of himself in an interview. Good job, Busch. You’re learning.
(click any image to enlarge)
A couple random thoughts:
– Scott Speed cannot catch a break. He was running in 15th with 8 or 9 laps to go when he blew a tire and hit the wall.
– Dale Earnhardt Jr. once again finished outside the top-20 and fell two spots in the point standings. He only has one, top-five finish and three, top-ten finishes all year. What is going on here?
Normally, I would want to pick Dale Earnhardt Junior to win at a superspeedway but given his non-performing year, I just can’t do it. So let me think. Hhmmm…..well, I know who I won’t be picking. I won’t be picking Sam Hornish Jr. or Michael Waltrip. Let’s see here…. Oh, and I won’t be picking Joey Logano. I didn’t think he deserved the win last weekend at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. That victory was all Zippy.
My pick to win the Coke Zero 400 is going to be Tony Stewart. He’s due another visit to victory lane and I think it’s going to be Saturday. Not to mention that he’s not too shabby at superspeedways.
Qualifying is scheduled for 4 pm tomorrow on SPEED. Hopefully the weather won’t be a factor in it. And here’s hoping that we don’t have another rain-shortened race this weekend. Uugh.
Here’s the NASCAR Newscast: Coke Zero 400 Preview:
Here are a few quotes from drivers regarding racing at Daytona:
Joey Logano — “This is still going to be a difficult race for me. I didn’t get to run as many laps at Daytona as I wanted to in February and it is so different than Talladega. Daytona is about handling and I know when we did the tire test it was slick. I can only imagine in the heat of July how much hotter it will be and slicker it will be. I know everyone is in the same boat, but at least they have an idea of what to expect. If we can get out of Daytona with a solid finish, Chicago should be a good race for us.”
Dale Earnhardt Jr. — “I bring a lot of confidence there and always enjoyed going there when I was a kid. It’s always been one of my favorite tracks.”
Mark Martin — “The July race at Daytona is so much different than the 500. Unlike Talladega, and more so than the 500, this race is really dependent on the car’s handling. A team’s ability to get its car handling well for this race can really set it apart from the competition. In this race, you’re not as reliant on drafting. You have the ability to put yourself in the right place at the right time if your car is handling well. The 400, in my opinion, is better than the 500, although the 500 is the one you want to win so badly. This race really comes down to the actual racing. There’s not as much pressure, and you can actually have fun and enjoy it.”
Carl Edwards — “I know a lot can happen at Daytona. The past two July races there have been good for us, so hopefully I can keep the Subway Ford out of trouble and finish up front. Last year we went there with a car that could win and good race strategy and ended up second. We’re bringing a new Ford Fusion that should be pretty good, so I’m expecting good things. We’re getting down to the final few races before the Chase, so a strong finish and a win more importantly would be huge.
Who do you think will be celebrating in victory lane on Saturday night?
