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1. Denny Hamlin: Is Retribution Coming?
As we return to Auto Club this year, one driver is looking for retribution for what happened here one season ago: Denny Hamlin. If you recall, Hamlin was battling with Joey Logano on the final lap for the win when the two made contact in turn 4. Logano went up and slammed the wall while Hamlin pointed straight down the track. He slammed a concrete piece of the wall and the result for Hamlin was a compression fracture in his back. The fracture resulted in Hamlin missing a few races and his season completely derailing. Now, there is one question for Hamlin. Is retribution coming for the Toyota driver at Auto Club Speedway? For sure, retribution is coming for Hamlin today. The main reason is that Hamlin has been fast the entire weekend. In practice and qualifying, Hamlin was one of the fastest drivers in each and every session. Plus, you have to consider where he was running a season ago. He was running at the front last year when, essentially, his season ended with the back fracture. It just seems like, to me, Denny Hamlin is fast again and when the laps start to wind down in today's race, we could very well see Hamlin running at the front of the field and looking for a win to continue his season.
2. Should Auto Club Speedway Be Paved?
This question has been building in my mind for the entire weekend. If you recall, Auto Club Speedway has the original surface on the track since it opened in 1997. Now, that is a long time if you consider it. I mean, that is close to seventeen years and that means I am almost as old as the track surface at Auto Club. Now, this has posed one question in my mind. Should Auto Club Speedway be paved any time soon? I say a definite no to that question. The only reason I could see them paving it is the recent tire problems we had in practice the past few days. A lot of guys have lost left side tires and that could very well affect the race. But I don't really care about that. The main reason they shouldn't pave it is the recent great racing we have seen in California. I mean, last year's race was stellar. There was side by side racing the entire day, tempers flaring in the end, and a heated battle for the win that was one of the best we saw last season. I mean, you can't deny the results an abrasive track surface gives to all of the races at the track. Now, odds are, Auto Club Speedway officials will have to pave the track in the near future. If they let it sit too much longer, pieces of the track could come up during the race and we don't want that to delay an event. Still, they need to let it stay unpaved for as long as possible and, hopefully, the race continues to pick up in action.
3. Kyle Larson: Is He Finally Considered a Legitimate Contender in NASCAR?
Yesterday, we finally saw a driver's ability come to fruition. Kyle Larson held off two of the best today in Kyle Busch and Kevin Harvick to take his first career NASCAR Nationwide Series win. This raises one single question in my mind. Is Larson finally considered a legitimate contender in NASCAR? If you recall, Larson was tabbed to drive the number 42 for Chip Ganassi Racing in the Cup Series after only a single year in Nationwide Series competition. I was pretty questioning about this move for Chip Ganassi for a couple of reasons. For one, Larson wasn't able to win in Nationwide competition in his lone season and he seemed to lack some maturity. Larson did show some spurts last year when he raced in the Nationwide Series that he could win a race, but he never did achieve it. Also, Larson just didn't have the stock car experience. He made the move to stock cars in 2012 with a K&N East Series championship and then made the jump to the Nationwide Series in 2013. For you guys counting at home, that is only two years of stock car experience while he had a few years of sprint car experience when he made the move to Cup. Some guys have a few years of stock car experience before they even think about heading to Cup. Now, all that stuff I just mentioned means absolutely nothing to Larson's career anymore. What he did yesterday to hold two of the best in the sport to win his first Nationwide race was the most impressive thing I have seen in a while. I mean, he battled Harvick and Busch to take his first win and he did it without wrecking into the wall and in absolute style. Plus, he has run great in all the Cup races he has been a part of this year. Whenever somebody asks me if Kyle Larson is now a legitimate contender in NASCAR, I won't hesitate to say an affirmative yes.
4. NASCAR Making Significant Engine Changes in 2015: Good or Bad?
This move surprised me when I read it yesterday in the news. NASCAR made an announcement that they have decided to make significant engine changes in the Cup Series starting in 2015. If you recall, NASCAR made minor changes this year to improve cars on mile and a half tracks for the future. Now, I didn't read the entire article, but I got the major points of it. Basically, NASCAR is going to limit the horsepower on each engine among a few other things. I am actually mostly okay with the move, but I don't like the timing of it. I mean, we are only four races into the year with today being the fifth. NASCAR hasn't even really tried their new changes for this year and now they are making landmark changes on something that really shouldn't be touched. Now, I know NASCAR's major plan for this engine move. They want the cars to be closer on all types of tracks and, thus, closer at the finish. I mean, it will probably work. Like I have said before, though, I am not an engineer at all. I can't tell you how much this will change the racing or how much it will affect it, but I know for sure it will. Hopefully, NASCAR hasn't made too many changes and the changes continue to advance the racing in the sport.
5. My Pick to Win
After last week's unpredictable race at Bristol, we head to Auto Club Speedway where the winner is a bit easier to predict. I say a bit easier because last year it was definitely tough to pick. Drivers from all positions in the starting order were running near the front when the checkered flag was close to waving in the race. I feel like today's winner will surprise some people a little bit. We very well could see somebody from the back make their way to the front and we could see somebody outside the top 10 take the win. Some good picks I think for today's race are Matt Kenseth, Jimmie Johnson, Kyle Busch, Joey Logano, Tony Stewart, Kyle Larson, Kevin Harvick, Kasey Kahne, Denny Hamlin, and Brad Keselowski. Hopefully, we end the day today with a great race and one that doesn't have too many ramifications for the rest of the year like last year's race. I won't be able to write about today's race today, but I will be writing about next Sunday's race at Martinsville. Well, that is all I have for today's edition of my thoughts and until we meet again.
UPDATE: As mentioned on Fox during the Pre Race Show today, Denny Hamlin developed a sinus infection over the weekend and he could not see as the race approached and he was feeling pretty bad. This put him out of the car and Sam Hornish Jr. was put in the car to drive.
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