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1. Denny Hamlin: Should He Be Concerned About Missing Last Week's Race?
Listen, if you haven't realized it yet, the words Denny Hamlin and Auto Club Speedway do not mix together well at all. If you recall, Hamlin wrecked at Auto Club in 2013 with Joey Logano and Hamlin slammed the wall hard. The contact resulted in a compression fracture in Hamlin's back and he was forced to miss a few weeks of racing action. Last week, Hamlin was pulled out of the race about thirty minutes before the scheduled start due to what was called a sinus infection that was affecting his vision. It turned out that Hamlin had a piece of metal in his eye and it was causing the vision problems. Missing the race resulted in Hamlin losing a ton of points, but still being in the competition for a Chase bid. Now, here is my question for Hamlin. Should he be concerned about missing the Auto Club race? I, honestly, say not. The first reason is what happened to Hamlin at Auto Club a year ago. Listen, chances are Hamlin wouldn't end two straight races at Auto Club in the hospital with an injury. But you can't rule that out. Him missing that race at Auto Club might have actually resulted in him missing a very bad incident. The second and final reason he shouldn't be concerned is today's race. Hamlin has been one of the best drivers in recent years at Martinsville. He has won four races at Martinsville and he has been up front in most of the races recently. This is the perfect place for Hamlin to grab his win and, possibly, ensure himself a Chase spot. This speed bump for Hamlin at Auto Club likely won't hurt his season, but he will have to fight a battle these next few weeks to return to form.
2. Martin Truex Jr.: What Is Wrong Early This Year?
In only five races this season, the biggest disappointment thus far in NASCAR's highest series has been Martin Truex Jr. If you recall, Truex lost his ride at Michael Waltrip Racing after the Richmond scandal caused NAPA to leave the team. Furniture Row Racing, who experienced a rebirth in 2013 with Kurt Busch behind the wheel, tabbed Truex to drive the Chevrolet for the team in 2014. To say the season has been miserable for the team is an understatement. Truex finished last in the Daytona 500 and four of the five races on the season ended with Truex outside the top twenty. His only finish in the top twenty all season long was a fourteenth place finish at Las Vegas three weeks ago. He sits thirtieth in points now and a long uphill battle awaits him. I only have one question for the whole team. What has been wrong with Truex and the team early this season? The first reason for me is growing pains for a new combination of crew and driver. Listen, every single new team must grow together and build up a nice notebook of great finishes. It doesn't matter who the driver is. To me, Truex just has to figure out his new role. The second and final reason for Furniture Row Racing's early season struggles is outlandishly high expectations. Listen, most of us can say we felt like this team would come out guns blazing to start the season. Kurt Busch had put them on the map last year and Martin Truex Jr. has looked better than Busch recently. That is where the problem started. We shouldn't have expected Busch's season to be bested by Truex. We should have decided to let Truex make his own season in the car. I mean, I thought they would come out great, but things don't always work out. I do believe the team will straighten everything out as we head down the stretch and Truex will most likely be a contender late in the year.
3. Kyle Busch: Is This Finally His Year For a Cup Title?
This question has been floating in my mind since the end of the Auto Club race last Sunday. Is Kyle Busch finally on the verge of his first Sprint Cup title? If you recall, Busch won last week's race at Auto Club thanks to a pass on a green-white-checkered on the final restart of the race. The move was a very bold and daring move for Busch, but he made it in style and held off the other Kyle, Kyle Larson. This win is just one of the many reasons why I think Busch is ready for a Cup title. Another is that I have seen Busch have a complete attitude change in recent years. I had been picking up on this attitude change near the end of 2013, but it was really obvious after the Nationwide race at Auto Club one week ago. Kyle Larson was able to hold off Busch in a thrilling finish to take the victory. Larson did his burnouts and made it to victory lane with his first win in NASCAR's Nationwide Series. Normally, when Busch finishes second like that, he would be pretty ticked off and would mostly walk away from the media. But he did something different last Saturday. After the race, he came to victory lane and gave Larson a handshake. I mean, it was a really class move for Busch. Larson fought hard for that win and Busch knew he deserved it. I think that speaks volumes to Busch's new character. A final reason is that Busch has been fast the entire year. His team has given him fast cars and he has taken them to some pretty good finishes. All in all, I see Kyle Busch as a changed competitor and he is definitely going to be a contender for the championship this season.
4. Will We See Sixteen Drivers Win This Year?
Well, NASCAR made this brand new Chase system for 2014 and it has promoted winning for sure. It contains sixteen spots and each spot is filled with a 2014 winner, depending on how many drivers win in a season. Most likely, less than sixteen will win and the rest of the spots will be filled based on points. Well, NASCAR might have run into a dilemma. In five races, five different drivers have went to victory lane. This brings one single question in my mind. Will we see sixteen different drivers go to victory lane in 2014? I don't believe we will. The first reason is just prior trends. If you take a look through the Chase era, the most winners ever in a season was 2011 with fifteen, but Trevor Bayne, who won the Daytona 500, was not running for the championship, so it was only fourteen championship contending drivers who won. Long story short, we most likely won't see sixteen different drivers win this year. The second and final reason is just the small amount of drivers who haven't won yet this season. I mean, let's be honest. There are only a few drivers left who haven't won yet and should. Jimmie Johnson, Matt Kenseth, Kasey Kahne, Jeff Gordon, and others haven't won, but, when they start winning, they will win several races. That takes away chances for drivers to take a win. I mean, sixteen drivers winning isn't out of the question. In 2000, ten different drivers won in the first ten races. I mean, things could change and we could end up with a variety of different winners, but trends are trends and they usually come out to be true. We will have to wait and see as the season progresses along.
5. My Pick to Win
Martinsville is not the unpredictable track we have had in recent weeks. Martinsville has its certain drivers that succeed every single race and I don't see it changing for today's race. Last year, Jimmie Johnson and Jeff Gordon took the wins at Martinsville last year and it seems highly likely they will be contenders today. But consider this for a moment. When the guys up front get to battling late in the event, they are surely going to wreck. This will allow some guys we don't expect to make it to the lead and possibly take the win. Along with Jeff Gordon and Jimmie Johnson, I think Denny Hamlin, Matt Kenseth, Joey Logano, Kyle Busch, Clint Bowyer, Ryan Newman, Kevin Harvick, Ryan Newman, and Kasey Kahne are guys to watch in today's race when the laps start to click down. Today's race is definitely going to be a rough and tumble Martinsville race for the Sprint Cup guys and I am excited to write about it. Don't forget the Trucks will follow the Cup race with a another interesting battle. Unfortunately, I won't be able to write about it, but I am excited to see who comes out on top of the event. Well, that is all for me today and until we meet again.
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