My Thoughts: 2014 Talladega

          Last week, we had some action packed short track racing. By the end of the race, we had seen a lot of changes up front, a crazy battle to the win, and a huge punch laid down in the garage after the race. If you multiply all that by two and add some speed, huge wrecks, and underdog drivers up front, you get a race at Talladega. The largest track on the NASCAR circuit has some of the best racing every single year. Just think about last year for a second. A rain delay sent the race to the edge of darkness as sunset approached. A huge wreck with Kurt Busch flipping late in the event left the race with a final run to the finish. As the green waved, David Ragan and David Gilliland, two of the underdog drivers on the same team, hooked up and powered to the front. The two had enough speed to finish first and second as Ragan took the win in one of the most memorable wins in recent years. Plus, just think about all the magic we have seen in the past few years. In 2009, Brad Keselowski battled Carl Edwards to the trioval and Keselowski would win after Edwards slammed into the fence. In 2011, Jimmie Johnson took the win as six drivers crossed the line three wide two rows deep at the massive superspeedway. There are so many other moments to talk about at Talladega, but there just isn't time. One thing is for sure: more history will be made today. In just a few days, this very race could be one of the most talked about races in recent history. Plus, we will all be a part of it. Before today's race begins, I have some topics I want to discuss with you guys. Topics include a discussion of the backlash from last week's fight, a discussion of Kasey Kahne's superspeedway struggles, a discussion of Joey Logano's recent momentum, a great underdog driver to consider for today's race, and my picks for today's race. Well, let us not waste any more time and jump right into these topics. 

1. Casey Mears and Marcos Ambrose Fined After Richmond Altercation: Fair or Foul?
        The most talked about story leaving Richmond was the fight between Casey Mears and Marcos Ambrose after the four hundred mile race last Saturday night. Before I give my discussion of the fines and my opinion of those fines, let me discuss the events leading up to the fight. After the finish of the race, Mears and Ambrose met each other in the garage. The two weren't happy with each other after questionable moves by both close to the finish. Both began to talk when the situation escalated as Mears pulled Ambrose a little bit and shoved him. Ambrose wasn't going to sit idle and he laid a right hand into Mears's face. Mears was stunned by the move and a little pushing and shoving began. The situation was shut down, but the NASCAR world was reeling after the events. Now, here are the fines for the two drivers. Ambrose was fined twenty five thousand dollars for his hit to Mears and Mears was fined fifteen thousand dollars for initiating the altercation. I just have one question to answer. Were the fines fair or foul? I say foul. Listen, only a few years ago, Brian France was saying, “Boys, have at it.” Now, he seems to have taken that back because he doesn't want to hurt the image of the sport. In today's world, it seems like we can't promote fighting. Honestly, I would be the first to say that I don't want to see a fight in the garage after a race. If it comes down to it, though, let them fight and then don't fine them. Plus, what is even the point? In the past week, I have seen ESPN talk about this more than anything. Yes, I don't want the outside world to see us as fighting “rednecks”, but it is great when someone is talking about the sport a lot. Let me wind this up with a simple conclusion. Let the boys have at it and when they ultimately do, let it go and just deal with the stories about it. 

2. Kasey Kahne: Can He Break the Curse at Superspeedway Races?
        Kasey Kahne hasn't been as good to start this season as he was one year ago. Still, though, he has time to pick it back up as the summer stretch that is coming up is usually the best part of his season. Along with that, he has been struggling a lot recently at superspeedway races. If you recall, he failed to finish inside the top thirty in any of the superspeedway races a season ago. The problems continued this year at the restrictor plate races as he finished thirty first in the Daytona 500. Here is my question for Kahne. Can he break his recent superspeedway curse today at Talladega? I honestly think he can. The main reason is the way he has raced at the superspeedway tracks recently. In those races last year, he just finished bad. He ran really good. In fact, with three laps to go at Daytona last summer, he was running second and most likely going to pass Jimmie Johnson for the win when he was flat wrecked. At Talladega last spring, he was running inside the top ten when Kyle Busch pulled a stupid move early in the event and wrecked half the field. At Daytona earlier this year, he was leading before NASCAR absolutely screwed him over after a bogus pit road speeding penalty. For Kahne fans like myself, that gives me hope. I mean, it seems like he just needs to keep his nose clean and he will be a factor today. Now, I won't promise anything, though, because he will start at the back after failing post-qualifying inspection. We will have to wait just a couple of hours to see how Kahne fares in the event and if he can take his first win at a restrictor plate track in NASCAR's highest series.

3. Joey Logano: Is He Finally a Cup Contender?
        Another story leaving the Richmond race was about Joey Logano. Logano won the race at Richmond, which was his second win of the season after winning at Texas two weeks before. Now, Logano is the second driver to legitimately punch their ticket to the Chase along with Kevin Harvick. My question for Logano and his team is this. Are they finally Cup contenders? I firmly believe so. First, let's look at Logano's recent success since he joined Roger Penske's Cup team. Last year, when he made the jump, he was able to win a race, but he looked to be making great improvements. Also, he grabbed a good many top tens, made his first career Chase, and ran well in that Chase. This year, he already looks better. He has two wins, which is already the most wins he has ever had in a season and we are only a fourth of the way in. Along with that, he has been qualifying really well and he has been running up front a lot. Finally, Logano's attitude seems to have changed. I have mentioned this several times recently, but he looked out of it when he raced for Joe Gibbs Racing. Now, he looks like he is full of energy and it shows on the track. He doesn't take much on the track now and when he has a good car, he will pass you without worrying about what you think. Really I felt this attitude come into play at Auto Club one year ago. He was absolutely determined to win that race and he battled hard. When he didn't win, he faced Tony Stewart in the pits like a man after Stewart felt he didn't race him clean. To me, that was the turning point in Joey Logano's career. Now, he is a formidable Cup contender and come Chase time, watch out for him.

4. Which Underdog Driver Has the Best Chance to Win Today?
         Since I am feeling like cheering for an underdog today in Talladega, I want to give you guys an underdog driver who I believe could very well win this race. I mean, there are a lot of choices. Ryan Truex, Alex Bowman, Landon Cassill, David Gilliland, David Ragan, Josh Wise, Terry Labonte, Justin Allgaier, Michael McDowell, and Cole Whitt are just a few of the various underdogs who have a chance to win today. I would even throw in A.J. Allmendinger and Casey Mears as underdogs, but it wouldn't be a surprise if they won since they have Richard Childress Racing power. Yesterday, I was tossing this idea up in my head and I narrowed it down to two drivers: Justin Allgaier and Michael McDowell. In my opinion, Michael McDowell has the best chance of the underdog drivers to win. Before you guys freak out, let me explain myself. First, McDowell is a very proven underdog driver at superspeedway races. Some people manage to forget that McDowell finished ninth in the 2013 Daytona 500. Along with that, McDowell has raced so many years at superspeedway tracks and it seems like he can handle the situation. Finally, McDowell has a nice pack to run with today. Yesterday in qualifying, he ran with the Team Penske and some other great Ford drivers. He was extremely fast and he will start in the top twenty today. Also, if you run well in a pack of drivers, they will typically allow you to run with them. Listen, don't expect an underdog driver to win today because it is really rare, but don't wager against it. If you do think an underdog driver will win, Michael McDowell is a good driver to pick.

5. My Pick to Win
         Well, throw the odds out the window. The past few weeks and for most of the races throughout the year, you can predict the winner usually for sure. Last week, it was pretty obvious that Joey Logano was going to be a driver that would contend for the win. We are at a different track today and the winner isn't going to be that obvious until we take the white flag. Even then, the guy out front for the white flag might not win in the end. So many guys are going to be contenders in the event and it is isn't even a great idea to pick one guy to win. Still, though, there are going to be a few guys who will definitely be contenders. Consider Kyle Busch, Brad Keselowski, Kevin Harvick, Jimmie Johnson, Kasey Kahne, Paul Menard, Ryan Newman, Jeff Gordon, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Tony Stewart, Kurt Busch, and so many others to win the race. Plus, consider the underdog drivers because Talladega is a track where anybody and I mean, anybody can take the win. I am very excited for today's race because Talladega is usually my favorite time of the year. Expect a recap of today's race after the event for what should be one of the best races of the season. Well, that is all for me today and make sure you guys check out today's race. It will definitely be great and until we meet again. 





Credits:
-Image:
http://www.mikemulhern.net/uploads/posts/tc39cizqv9ssvw1v6k5jkn4uus0actmv.jpg

My Thoughts: Talladega

        When the word Talladega is mentioned, every fan stands up to cheer and every driver cowers in fear just hoping they can make it to the finish. Lately, though, the hopes of finishing the race at Talladega have become less and less. That was the case for many current Chase drivers in May including Kasey Kahne, Kyle Busch, Kurt Busch, Ryan Newman, and Greg Biffle. Others were able to make it to the finish including Jimmie Johnson and Matt Kenseth. But that does not mean that they will make it to the checkered flag this time around. Also, you have to think about the possible upset victory. It has always been said that restrictor plates are the ultimate equalizer and that has been proven this year. It was definitely true at Talladega in May when David Ragan and his teammate, David Gilliland, took a 1-2 finish for their underfunded Front Row Motorsports team. It was the most magical moment of this year thus far, but it could be outdid by the fall race at Talladega. Finally, you have to think about the big one. The big one is always the closest thing to the driver's minds as they strap in their cars. No driver knows if they will make it through the big wreck when it comes to crunch time. In fact, they don't even know if they will be in the race when the big wreck happens. Last year in the fall at Talladega, the big wreck happened in the final corner at the front of the field and left most of the field with wrecked race cars. Will this happen this year? I don't know, but I do know that I have a few thoughts to discuss before the craziest race of the year. Today's topics for my discussion include a discussion of the possible wild card race of the Chase, a team downsizing for next season, a driver out due to health problems, a crew chief suspended for violating the NASCAR substance abuse policy, and the feature topic of my thoughts: my pick to win, which takes a different meaning today. Let us go ahead and get started without any further delays.

1. Will This Race at Talladega Be the Wild Card Race We Have Been Expecting?
       Like I mentioned in the introduction, Talladega is always a wreckfest and most of the high profile drivers don't finish the race with a clean race car. This has been a definite theme over the past two races at Talladega with the big wreck that happened there last fall and the wrecks in May. Most of the leaders were caught up in the wreck with Matt Kenseth being one of the only drivers to make it through the crash in the fall last year. Earlier this year in May, a big wreck happened with only a few laps to go and left a lot of current Chase drivers without good finishes. Plus, a lot of other wrecks happened during the middle part of the race that also took out some more Chase drivers. This leads into my question: will this race at Talladega be the same wild card we have been accustomed to seeing? I definitely believe this to be true. For one, you have to look at the truck race yesterday. Only two drivers made it clean across the finish as trucks flipped and crashed behind them. Those guys really had less to lose than the Sprint Cup drivers do today. Because of this, a lot of guys are going to be racing hard to move up in points and this will lead to a lot of wrecks in the race. A final reason is just the track at Talladega. It never ceases to fail that drivers end up wrecking during the race at Talladega. It doesn't matter if they have something to lose or if they don't have something to lose. This was especially evident at Talladega in May. In the final laps, Kurt Busch was running in a pack with J.J. Yeley and some other drivers who weren't and aren't typically at the front. The guys who aren't usually at the front were doing everything they could to make their way up to the lead while Kurt Busch was just hoping to stay out of a wreck. The racing around Busch led to a wreck and he was caught in a wreck that had nothing to do with him. Because of this, Busch had to fight for most of the year to make sure he was in the Chase. All this evidence leads me to believe that today's race at Talladega will be the same wild card we expect.

2. Michael Waltrip Racing Moving to Two Teams in 2014; Martin Truex Jr. Moving to Furniture Row Racing
        A little bit of surprising news came out during the week. Michael Waltrip Racing announced during the week that the team would scale down to only the teams of Clint Bowyer and Brian Vickers for 2014 and Martin Truex Jr. would be out of a ride. This is the stupidest thing I have heard in years. Listen, all of this is a fallout from the Richmond manipulation. Because of what Clint Bowyer, Brian Vickers, and the rest of the MWR team did at Richmond. Truex lost a sponsor from this and now he has lost a ride. This is not right at all. Truex did absolutely nothing wrong at Richmond a month ago. He did not know about the plan to get in the Chase and he had no idea it was happening. Then, after he made the Chase, he was taken out of the Chase, he lost a ride, and he lost a sponsor. I just can't stand it. It makes no sense why a driver who deserves a lot of credit for making the MWR team what it is today is treated just like trash. Luckily, Furniture Row Racing realized the value of Truex as a driver and offered him Kurt Busch's previous ride for next season. I believe this is a tremendous move for Furniture Row Racing. Now, I like Kurt Busch as a driver and I like Truex as a driver, but I believe that Truex is the better of the two and can make a team very good. Like I said, take a look at MWR. Truex pretty much made MWR the respected team it is today and I think he can easily do that for Furniture Row. Plus, he is a respected driver and he is well liked in the garage unlike Kurt Busch sometimes. I think this move could go a long way for Truex and Furniture Row in the future as the years go by.

3. Brian Vickers Out For the Rest of 2013 Due to Injury: Elliott Sadler Filling In; Is Vickers Worth the Risk For MWR?
         A good bit of shocking news came out during the week for Michael Waltrip Racing. It was announced that Brian Vickers had another blood clot in his leg and his doctors had ordered him to not race for the rest of the season. This is the second time Vickers has had a blood clot in his leg. He had one in the early part of the 2010 season while he was at Red Bull Racing and he missed the rest of the season. It was also announced that Elliott Sadler would replace Vickers for the final races of the season, but I want to focus on something else. Is Brian Vickers worth the risk for Michael Waltrip Racing? I say no. Granted, I like Vickers as a driver, but he has a lot of health problems. I mean, this is the second time in four years he has had a season ending blood clot. It has to be a major concern for the team and I know they are thinking about it. Another reason is the drivers who really could be in a better ride. Let us revisit Martin Truex Jr. Truex does not have a ride with MWR mostly because of Vickers himself. Again, there were other drivers involved in the incident at Richmond, but Vickers was a major driver in the incident. But this makes me think why Truex is not in a MWR car while Vickers, who has these health problems, would be locked into a ride. No offense to Brian Vickers at all. I enjoy his racing abilities, but is he really a better choice than Martin Truex Jr. or any other driver? Maybe and maybe not, but we will find out in the coming years.

4. Todd Parrott, Aric Almirola's Crew Chief, Indefinitely Suspended By NASCAR For Violating Substance Abuse Policy
        Another bit of shocking news came out during the week. It was announced that Todd Parrott, the crew chief for the number 43 and Aric Almirola, had been indefinitely suspended from NASCAR for violating the sport's substance abuse policy. This news was very surprising to me for a few reasons. For one, Parrott is a really respected crew chief in the sport. He was a championship crew chief for Dale Jarrett in 1999 and he has been one of the go to crew chiefs for making young drivers good in the sport. He is very respected and I just don't understand how he could violate the policy of NASCAR against drugs. A final reason I was surprised is because of the amount of drug policy violations recently in the sport. If we go back to last year, A.J. Allmendinger was suspended for violating the drug policy and it has taken up until about now for him to get back to greatness. I can't believe just how many there have been. I also can't believe Parrott would risk that. I mean, he is one of the most respected guys in the garage and now this. It is a terrible thing for him and one that could destroy his reputation in the future. Hopefully, he can come back to the highest place in the sport and he can keep his reputation as one of the best crew chiefs in a while.

5. My Pick to Win
        Last week at Charlotte, Brad Keselowski took the win from Kasey Kahne in the final run of the race. Last time out at Talladega, David Ragan took a crazy upset victory over the big dogs in the sport. Last time at Talladega in the Chase, a massive crash erupted in the final corner and Matt Kenseth was one of the only drivers to make it through unscathed. I think the same will apply to today's race. I think the winner of the race will be unknown until the field makes it to the trioval. In fact, I predict the winner will be running in between third and fifth place on the final lap. This is a bold prediction, but one that I think will come true. Today, I am going to take a different route for my pick to win. Since it is so hard to predict who is going to win at Talladega, I will pick who is not going to win. I think Landon Cassill, Joe Nemechek, Tony Raines, Terry Labonte, and Michael McDowell will not be in the battle for the win. Yes, that means thirty eight drivers have a chance to win and yes, they will have a shot in the event. I thank you guys once again for reading through my thoughts. If you guys have any differing opinions on the issues at hand, let me know your thoughts down below. I hope today's race is a crazy one that keeps us on our feet the entire time and one that leads to a crazy finish. I will continue writing for you guys and until we meet again.





Credits:
-Image:
http://www.uproxx.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/talladega_crash_2012-650x393.png