My Thoughts: 2014 Atlanta

         We only have two races remaining before the start of the 2014 Chase as sixteen drivers will look to win the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Championship. Right now, twelve drivers are already qualified for the Chase with a good many other drivers fighting for the final four spots. Those drivers include Matt Kenseth, Ryan Newman, Clint Bowyer, Greg Biffle, Kasey Kahne, Kyle Larson, and a host of others. One key between these drivers: no wins this year. If any of these drivers find a way to victory lane in the next two races, they would automatically be in the Chase. That also means at least two drivers are going to make the Chase on points and that could lead to a lot of action in these races as well. We have discussed the prospective Chase field, but we have to talk about the penultimate race of the regular season tonight. The series heads to Atlanta Motor Speedway for the next to last regular season race. The track is a bumpy and bad fast mile and a half in Georgia with a long history of fantastic finishes and crashes. It is the more typical race track on the Cup schedule compared to the three fourths of a mile Richmond International Raceway, which is the final regular season race of the season next week. It will be a test for all the drivers in the field especially considering the close finishes here in the past. Dale Earnhardt Sr. barely beat Bobby Labonte to the line in 2000 for his penultimate win in NASCAR, Kevin Harvick held off Jeff Gordon by just a little bit to win in just his third start in the wake of Dale Earnhardt's death in 2001, Carl Edwards managed to hold off a fast charging Jimmie Johnson late to win his first career NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race in 2005, and Jimmie Johnson had a hard fought battle with Jeff Gordon in 2011, but Johnson took home the trophy at Atlanta. With so much on the line tonight, we can expect a great finish and, possibly, a driver win and make the Chase with just one race remaining. With that introduction, I have a few topics I want to discuss with you guys. Topics include a driver returning to the series after a three race absence, a discussion of the 2015 NASCAR schedule, a discussion of a driver making his first start in the Cup Series, a discussion of Kevin Harvick, and a my pick to win today's event. Well, let us jump into these topics as we wait for a Sunday night race in Georgia.

1. Tony Stewart Returns at Atlanta: How Will He Perform After Three Weeks Off?
        The events of August 9, 2014 still roll through my mind. Tony Stewart and Kevin Ward Jr. had an accident in Canandaigua, New York. Ward jumped from his sprint car after the accident and ran at Stewart's car due to being his anger at the accident. Stewart couldn't avoid him and Ward went flying after Stewart made contact with him. He was dead instantly and the world lost a twenty year old race car driver. Stewart was reeling from that terrible tragedy and he missed the races at Watkins Glen, Michigan, and Bristol due to the pain he was feeling. Well, tonight at Atlanta, things are going to be different: Smoke will rise. Stewart is returning to the track at Atlanta with the opportunity to still make the Chase after missing three races. I'm sure this tragedy will forever affect Stewart's life, but tonight is his opportunity to begin the healing process. I have just one question for the three time NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion as he returns. How will he perform after being out of the car for three straight weeks? He will perform pretty well at Atlanta. The main reason I feel this way is how fast he has been this entire weekend. He qualified twelfth in qualifying on Friday night and he has been extremely consistent in every single practice session. Granted, he has missed three weeks of competition and it will certainly be an adjustment considering the bumpiness and difficulty of AMS, but Stewart is going to come back strong and I am going to support him fully as he jumps behind the wheel of a car again.

2. 2015 NASCAR Schedule Released: Which Changes Seem Most Important?
        On Tuesday, NASCAR released the 2015 schedule for all three of its major series. The Nationwide and Truck schedules seemed to be pretty much the same, but the Cup Series schedule had a few major shake ups. The first major change was with the race at Atlanta Motor Speedway. Next year, the race will be the second race of the year instead of being on Labor Day weekend like it has been recently. Darlington will leave its April date from this year and slide into its traditional Labor Day weekend date. Bristol will transition from a March race into a mid-April race due to the weather and Phoenix will slot into Bristol's previous date. The final big change was with the Coke Zero 400 at Daytona in July. Instead of being run on a Saturday night, it will now be run on a Sunday. These are all the major changes for the schedule next year and I have just one question. Which change is the most important one for the future? Darlington moving to Labor Day weekend is by far the biggest change and the most important one. For years, Darlington had the annual Southern 500 on Labor Day weekend and it was a huge part of NASCAR history. In 2004, all that changed when Darlington moved to a single date heading into 2005. Now, they have the traditional date back and it will be an even better race with that in mind. Another reason this is the biggest change is due to the proximity of the Darlington race to the Chase. The race will be the penultimate round of the regular season before the final one at Richmond. That means an always chaotic race at Darlington will be even more chaotic with the thought of a Chase berth on the line for all the drivers. Next year, I will be building up this Darlington race for months and I'm sure it won't disappoint along with the other schedule changes.

3. Ty Dillon Making His NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Debut: How Will He Perform?
        In 2011, Ty Dillon burst onto the racing scene with a fantastic year in the ARCA Racing Series. He won a good many races and took the title over some great ARCA regulars. In 2012, he transitioned to the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series where he raced for two years. He won a couple races, but he was unable to take a Truck title. After two solid Truck years, he made the move to the NASCAR Nationwide Series for this year. He has already taken a win at Indianapolis and he has looked consistent the entire year, but the biggest race of his racing career will be tonight's event. The youngest Dillon boy will make his Cup debut driving for his grandfather with his brother, Austin, as his teammate. It will be a great moment for the young driver and I have just one question for him. How will he perform in his first Cup start? He will perform pretty good for his first start. The main reason is his past success at Atlanta. His first NASCAR Camping World Truck Series win came at Atlanta in 2012 and he started on the pole while dominating the event. Plus, Dillon is very good on the mile and a half tracks. This year in the NASCAR Nationwide Series, he has scored the most points on mile and a half tracks compared to the other drivers. This makes Atlanta look like a great place to make his first start and Dillon will do a great job. He starts twenty ninth and he will have to battle to move up in the race, but he will do a good job and make Richard Childress and his team proud.

4. Kevin Harvick: Does He Have the Momentum Heading Into the Chase?
        For a good many weeks, it seemed Jeff Gordon had the momentum heading into the Chase, but that has seemed to change. Kevin Harvick seems to have taken the momentum heading into the Chase and he looks very fast. It seemed like at the beginning of this year, Harvick would be the driver to beat. He left the only team he had known, Richard Childress Racing, after 2013 and he headed to the super team at Stewart-Haas Racing. He immediately proved he was going to run well with a win in the second race of the year at Phoenix. He continued the momentum, but he seemed to cool off slightly as we hit the summer months. He hasn’t won since Darlington, but that doesn't mean anything for Harvick. Since the Michigan race in June, he has finished second three different times and he has won four poles including the last two poles at Bristol and Atlanta. I have just one question for Harvick. Does he have the momentum heading into the Chase? He certainly has the momentum. If you look at last year's results early in the Chase, Harvick won at Kansas and ran very consistently throughout the Chase. He has been on a mean streak this year heading into the Chase and I feel like he will have another stellar Chase in 2014. Plus, he hasn't had too many bad finishes this year and he will be a championship contender. I would not be surprised if we are calling Kevin Harvick the 2014 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Champion after this year.

5. My Pick to Win
        I have said this a lot this year, but Atlanta is certainly a driver's race track. During the early part of the race, drivers will be running fast on the bottom, but the groove will transition to the high side as the race nears a close. That will benefit drivers like Kyle Larson, Kasey Kahne, Tony Stewart, and others who love to run the high line. The key for the race early on will be making sure each team makes the right adjustment as the track transitions to pure night. The driver who makes the best adjustments will eventually win the race and the driver who plays the best strategy could also take the victory. In the end, this race will decide a lot of things and we could see a winless driver take a win to guarantee a Chase spot. I have several picks for tonight's race at Atlanta. My picks include Kasey Kahne, Kevin Harvick, Kyle Larson, Jimmie Johnson, Brad Keselowski, Ryan Newman, Kyle Busch, and Matt Kenseth. Some underdog picks for tonight’s race are Martin Truex Jr., Tony Stewart, and Austin Dillon. I am very excited for tonight's race. After the fantastic finish for today's NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race at Canadian Tire Motorsports Park, I feel like tonight's race will have an even better finish to it. I won't be writing about it, but I will be watching as it all unfolds in Atlanta tonight. It will be a fantastic race and one that will change the picture of the Chase. Well, that is all for me and until we meet again.





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My Thoughts: Atlanta

        This week the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series heads to the Atlanta Motor Speedway for the penultimate round of the 2013 regular season. The part of the season known as silly season due to the amount of personnel changes is in full force. One driver was given a contract for a return to the Cup series, one driver was given a contract after a stellar rookie Nationwide campaign, and a championship winning driver will join the team of a championship winning owner and driver. Plus, we head to a track filled with good finishes in the past and a few drivers who are hurt. All in all, it was a busy news week and one I want to get talking about immediately.

1. Kurt Busch Heading to Stewart-Haas Racing In 2014
        A story that has been developing over the past week has finally ended. Kurt Busch signed the contract to driver for Stewart-Haas Racing next year and beyond. He will join a team that is already stacked for next year with Kevin Harvick and Tony Stewart and the one year “veteran” Danica Patrick. Ryan Newman was just recently let go for 2014 and now Busch will look to replace him. I have very mixed feelings about this move. One positive thing is that Busch is a pretty good driver. Not only does he have a championship to his name, but he does well in cars that probably shouldn't be running up front. Along with that is the fact that he can win races just about anywhere from road course to short track and even to a superspeedway. But the negative things definitely out weigh the positive. For one, Kurt Busch is really hot headed. By that, I mean that he is quick to get angry at very small things while Ryan Newman is very cool and calm most of the time. This could really affect the result of the four teams. Another thing is how much backlash the organization could get. Tony Stewart had told Ryan Newman that the reason he was released is because they did not have enough money to run four teams. Gene Haas, who has absolutely no idea what in the world he is doing, overrides Stewart and gives Kurt Busch, who hasn't been in a very good ride since 2011, a contract to drive for Stewart's team. I don't care if Haas has his name on the team. It is NOT his decision. Let me repeat that. It is NOT his decision. If Stewart, one of the greatest drivers of our generation, says he can not run four cars, he can not. It is as simple as that. Now, you have Ryan Newman mad at the team and this could result in some wrecked race cars. I just think the move to get Kurt Busch should have never happened and it could blow up in the face of Stewart-Haas Racing.

2. Great Finishes In the Past at Atlanta 
        Whenever the series heads to the Atlanta Motor Speedway, we always think of the amazing finishes that have occurred there. First, you think about the battle to the line that Bobby Labonte and Dale Earnhardt had in 2000. Earnhardt crossed the line .010 seconds ahead of Bobby Labonte for the win. The next year held an even more memorable finish. Kevin Harvick, who had just taken over for the late Dale Earnhardt, held off Jeff Gordon on the final lap and crossed the line just .006 seconds ahead of Gordon for the win. The celebration was just as memorable as tears flowed down the faces of Dale Earnhardt's former crew members. Kevin Harvick even rode around the track with three fingers held out the window. In 2005, there was just as good a finish. Carl Edwards, who was looking for his first win, held the lead coming out of turn 4 on the final lap, but Jimmie Johnson was coming. Johnson got a run on the inside coming to the line, but Edwards was able to win by just .028 seconds. In 2011, Jimmie Johnson and Jeff Gordon had a very impressive battle as well. Johnson and Gordon spent the last ten or so laps slipping and sliding their way around the track. It looked like they would wreck at any point, but Gordon was able to hold off Johnson to take the win. The point I am trying to make is that the finish at Atlanta is always one worth watching. I believe this year could have just as a crazy a finish due to all the drivers needing a win.

3. Kyle Larson Replacing Juan Pablo Montoya at EGR In 2014
        Since Juan Pablo Montoya was released from his contract at EGR starting in 2014, a lot of speculation was made about who would drive the car. Some people were saying, Kyle Larson, some people, including myself, thought Ryan Newman should take over, and even Mark Martin was thrown in the mix to driver part time with Larson. Finally, EGR made the decision to go with Kyle Larson. Once again, I have mixed opinions about the Larson move. One positive thing is that Larson is a really good driver. Even though he does not have a NASCAR Nationwide Series win this year, he does have a lot of good runs like at Bristol in March. But the negative things once again outweigh the positive things. For one, Larson does not have the needed experience, in my opinion. I believe that the right path for a driver heading to Cup is at least 3 ARCA wins, 2 Camping World Truck Series victories, and at least one Nationwide victory before they are even offered a Sprint Cup job. Larson has no ARCA wins, one Camping World Truck Series victory, and no Nationwide Series victories. This to me means that he is not ready for a job. Granted, he has not raced in Cup yet and it is a little too soon to judge. A final thing is that Larson only has one teammate to go to for information. Jamie McMurray is a great racer and just needs the right equipment and he could be a wonderful driver in the series. But Larson really needs somebody else other than McMurray. If EGR went to a three car team and added Juan Pablo Montoya back, I think Larson would excel in his career. With only McMurray, I think he can still do good, but he is going to be missing a lot of experience at road courses and other tracks. If Larson turns out to be a bust or a great driver, we will always come back to this move as being really stupid or the smartest idea ever. 

4. Martin Truex Jr., Denny Hamlin, and Bobby Labonte Injured
        It was a tough week to be a race car driver. Martin Truex Jr. was diagnosed with a fractured wrist after a rough incident near the end of the race last Saturday at Bristol. Denny Hamlin also sprained his thumb during the same wreck. Truex and Hamlin should have no trouble racing Sunday night except for Truex, who might have trouble when he shifts gear. But there was one other driver injured during the week. Bobby Labonte went to the hospital during the week with three broken ribs after a crashing his bicycle. He was held in the hospital overnight for observation. He is unable to race this Sunday and Mike Bliss will replace him in the #51. This is a big injury for Labonte if you think about it. Labonte is nearing the last part of his career and it was already announced that Allmendinger will replace him next year in the #47. Now, he gets injured and will miss at least one race. With very select rides left in the series, Labonte might not get another chance after this injury. I'm not saying I want this because Labonte is one of the last drivers left from the Winston Cup days of the sport and I don't want that era to leave the sport. I wish Bobby a speedy recovery and hope he is back really soon.

5. A.J. Allmendinger Replacing Bobby Labonte at JTG-Daugherty Racing In 2014
       This news was expected for a good little while and finally it was announced this week. A.J. Allmendinger had signed a contract with JTG-Daugherty Racing to drive the #47 next year. Like I have previously stated in some of my race recaps, Allmendinger has been on a roller coaster for the past two years. In 2011 at Daytona, he tested positive in a random drug test and was indefinitely suspended from the sport. He quickly went through the road to recovery program and was allowed back in the sport, but he had lost his ride at Penske Racing. This year, Allmendinger was given a chance to race an IndyCar in the Indianapolis 500 for Roger Penske. Allmendinger did well and Penske decided to give him an opportunity to race the two road course races in the Nationwide Series for him. The Dinger made the best of his opportunity by winning both races. Now after he has ran races for JTG-Daugherty Racing, he now has a Sprint Cup ride for next year. I think Allmendinger is going to do a really good job in this ride. He is a good road course racer and can do well on any other track on the circuit. If sponsors fall the right way and the team's equipment is decent, we could have a new first time winner next year.

6. My Pick to Win
         This is a really tough pick for me this week, to be honest. There aren't too many drivers who looked good in practice and in qualifying. I think I'm going to go with a driver that needs a win bad. I am going to go with Denny Hamlin. He has been the only driver to really show speed in practice and even qualifying. He is going out fourth for the race and he was a winner at Atlanta last year. If you don't like that pick, Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Matt Kenseth, Jimmie Johnson, Jeff Gordon, Carl Edwards, and Kasey Kahne are good picks as well. Well, I thank you guys for once again reading my opinions. I was pretty long winded in my opinions this week, but these were very important issues for the series. I hope you guys continue to follow me and I will continue writing for you guys.





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