It's a good day to be a racing fan. The NASCAR Sprint Cup drivers bring their act to one of the world's most famous tracks, Indianapolis Motor Speedway. And the People's Pitstop has a good chance to retake the lead in the 9beersfantasysportstavern standings.
All you need now to round out your Sunday is a dose of predictions about which drivers will finish in the top 10. Our most recent forecasts (two weeks ago, back when the National Football League still had its head up its rectum) went 2-2, leaving us with a season record of 22-46.
One from the front: The numbers are trending in Kurt Busch's favor. He has finished in the top 10 in three of the last four Sprint Cup races. He currently sits third in driver points -- only 11 behind leader Carl Edwards. And he starts fourth this week, making him the top driver not starting for the People's Pitstop.
One from the back: The statistics for this week's bottom 10 starters are almost as sad as the attendance forecasts for this race. Almost by default, we're going with David Gilliland, who starts 37th and does have a pair of top 10 finishes this season, including a third-place finish at the Daytona 500.
Two from the middle: Denny Hamlin, who starts 14th, is a good pick for several reasons. For one thing, he finished third in our last race at New Hampshire. For another thing, he sits in 10th place in points, and he probably doesn't want to take his chances with a wild card. Staying in the top 10 would allow him not to worry about whether one win is going to be enough to secure the last Chase spot.
And since we're in Indianapolis, we have to give our final selection spot to Casey Mears. After all, the Mears family has a pretty strong history on this track. (Admittedly, Mears made this pick easier by qualifying 11th.)
Enjoy ESPN's first race of this Sprint Cup season. We'll be back with the results.
No comments:
Post a Comment