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.
Showing posts with label Casey Mears. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Casey Mears. Show all posts
Sunday, July 31, 2011
Wednesday, June 16, 2010
The People's Facts - Toyota/SaveMart 350
You, the Internet, have until Thursday night to vote in the polls on which drivers should start for the People's Pitstop in Sunday's NASCAR Sprint Cup race. To help you make your decision (and here's a hint -- Casey Mears would not be a strong candidate), we have some information about this season's first road trip, so to speak.
Track basics: Infineon Raceway in Sonoma, California, is the first of two road courses on the Sprint Cup schedule. This course is nearly 2 miles long and contains 10 turns, many of which violate the NASCAR cliche of "drive fast and turn left."
By the way, the "350" in this race's name refers to kilometers, not miles. For those of you who don't feel like converting, this race is 217 miles, or 113 laps.
Recent winners: Kasey Kahne (2009), Kyle Busch (2008), Juan Pablo Montoya (2007).
Who wins here a lot? It probably won't surprise longtime NASCAR fans that Jeff Gordon leads active Sprint Cup drivers with five victories in California's wine country. (Yes, that's "wine," not "whine.") What might surprise you is that second place belongs to Tony Stewart, with two. No other active driver has more than one win here.
What's with the new faces? Every year, NASCAR teams get nervous that their drivers may not have what it takes to qualify on a course where they have to turn left and right. That's why, in addition to the "road course specialists" trying to make the field of their own accord, you'll see several hired guns getting into the cars of some established NASCAR teams. The goal: Keep the oval driver in the top 35 (with the guaranteed race spot it ensures). Yes, this means you'll see and hear a lot about Boris Said over the next few days. No, that doesn't mean he's any closer to getting a full-time NASCAR ride. Sorry, Said-heads.
If you're eager to learn more about the fantasy aspects of this track, you can click here to download Yahoo Sports' excellent preview. And don't forget to vote.
Track basics: Infineon Raceway in Sonoma, California, is the first of two road courses on the Sprint Cup schedule. This course is nearly 2 miles long and contains 10 turns, many of which violate the NASCAR cliche of "drive fast and turn left."
By the way, the "350" in this race's name refers to kilometers, not miles. For those of you who don't feel like converting, this race is 217 miles, or 113 laps.
Recent winners: Kasey Kahne (2009), Kyle Busch (2008), Juan Pablo Montoya (2007).
Who wins here a lot? It probably won't surprise longtime NASCAR fans that Jeff Gordon leads active Sprint Cup drivers with five victories in California's wine country. (Yes, that's "wine," not "whine.") What might surprise you is that second place belongs to Tony Stewart, with two. No other active driver has more than one win here.
What's with the new faces? Every year, NASCAR teams get nervous that their drivers may not have what it takes to qualify on a course where they have to turn left and right. That's why, in addition to the "road course specialists" trying to make the field of their own accord, you'll see several hired guns getting into the cars of some established NASCAR teams. The goal: Keep the oval driver in the top 35 (with the guaranteed race spot it ensures). Yes, this means you'll see and hear a lot about Boris Said over the next few days. No, that doesn't mean he's any closer to getting a full-time NASCAR ride. Sorry, Said-heads.
If you're eager to learn more about the fantasy aspects of this track, you can click here to download Yahoo Sports' excellent preview. And don't forget to vote.
Saturday, May 22, 2010
A Quick Pre-All-Star Post
Thanks to those of you who voted in the poll about who should get a spot tonight in the NASCAR Sprint Cup All-Star Race. Jeff Burton was the winner, and in his honor, the People's Pigskin has just cast a vote for him on NASCAR.com. The results can be found below, and a fresh poll about the race's results can be found to the right of this post.
Unfortunately, one of your options for tonight's race won't be Brian Vickers, who has been sidelined for the season by his ongoing treatment for blood clots. Fortunately, NASCAR is allowing Casey Mears to use the spot Vickers had earned to run in tonight's All-Star Race. It's nice to see NASCAR earn itself some good karma for once.
If you're still online in about an hour and a half, be sure to visit the Yahoo Sports live chat for both the Sprint Showdown and the All-Star Race. We'll try to be there.
[polldaddy poll=3228185]
Unfortunately, one of your options for tonight's race won't be Brian Vickers, who has been sidelined for the season by his ongoing treatment for blood clots. Fortunately, NASCAR is allowing Casey Mears to use the spot Vickers had earned to run in tonight's All-Star Race. It's nice to see NASCAR earn itself some good karma for once.
If you're still online in about an hour and a half, be sure to visit the Yahoo Sports live chat for both the Sprint Showdown and the All-Star Race. We'll try to be there.
[polldaddy poll=3228185]
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