NASCAR from a Different Perspective: 2012

Thursday, October 18, 2012

Photo Album from Charlotte Motor Speedway:October 11-13, 2012

Bandolero cars for the Better Half Dash. Travis Pastrana's wife, Lyn-Z won the event

5 Time Champion Jimmie Johnson, getting ready to go to work.

Justin Allgaier with perhaps his biggest fan, Evelyn Brandt

A little modified action on Thursday night

Nik Wallenda tight roping across the track. That was insane!!!

Tweetup. Special guests included CMS President, Marcus Smith, and Mike Rowe from the hit TV show "Dirty Jobs."

Perhaps the ugliest race car I have ever seen

Cole Whitt's car looks a tad better after contact with the wall in NNS final practice

Austin Dillon and granddad/team owner Richard Childress pose for a photo

I can guarantee you this is 100% race car, no cake involved

Eventual winner-Clint Bowyer

I think this M&M was jealous that I had its tan

I made sure I gave Juan Pablo Montoya plenty of room in the garage area

What could have been for Regan Smith, perhaps we will never know...

Do you think Kurt Busch got the intended message that Phoenix Racing was sending with AJ Allmendinger behind the wheel?

Love her or hate her, Danica Patrick had the best looking pink car at Charlotte

Come getcha some....

Bowyer showing 88 crew chief, Steve Letarte, the correct way to hold a checkered flag...

I wonder how many jokes were told during this exchange between Bowyer and MWR teammate Martin Truex Jr.

No, those empty seats weren't from the actual race. This was the quiet before the storm...

Danica to enthused fan, "mutha f*&$#! you can't have my cornbread."

Denny Hamlin either has gas or this is his serious face for the race...

It was great to see AJ Allmendinger back in a race car

How many times this year has Carl Edwards been able "they're Grrrreeat" about his team? Only a few weeks to go...

Here is your Sprint Cup Series' points leader, Brad Keselowski

Winner of the Bank of America 500- Clint Bowyer doing doughnuts after the victory

This is what it's all about.
#NASCAR

Sunday, September 16, 2012

Chase for the Sprint Cup: Predictions

After 26 grueling weeks of racing action, the points have been reset and the 12 drivers who made the Chase for the Sprint Cup are ready to fight it out for the title.

The 2012 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series has been full of many surprises. Can this carry over into the Chase? We will soon find out.

With four wins entering the Chase, Denny Hamlin enters today’s race at ChicagoLand Speedway as the points leader. That sounds like a good thing, but there’s 11 other drivers vying to knock Hamlin off the throne.

Last year we saw Tony Stewart do something that had never been done in NASCAR. He won 5 out of 10 races in the Chase, tied Carl Edwards in the final points standings, and won the title based on wins. That was as exciting as things can get for a Chase.

Could that happen again this year? We can only hope.

There are 12 drivers that currently have a shot at winning the championship. Some, like Hamlin and Jimmie Johnson stand out over others as being favorites. But as Stewart proved, anything is possible.

Here are my predictions for the 2012 NASCAR Chase for the Sprint Cup

The 2012 Champion will be…………..drum roll……………. Jeff Gordon

1) Jeff Gordon- After what he did at Richmond, Gordon has a chance now. The bad luck has been washed away and Gordon is eyeing his fifth championship. It helps when Gordon has won at all but one of the Chase tracks (Homestead)

2) Jimmie Johnson- Jimmie will be hard to beat and could easily overtake Gordon, but Jimmie already has 5 championships. No driver in the Chase will make it for him on the track. That includes his teammates.

3) Greg Biffle- After his win at Michigan a few weeks back Biffle said that people aren’t talking about him much, but they will at the end of the year. 5 of the 10 Chase races are at mile and a half race tracks, Biffle may be right because those are his specialty. And nobody drives harder than Greg Biffle, ask the Fox announcers.

4) Denny Hamlin- Before back to back wins and Bristol and Atlanta, Hamlin was like the Katy Perry song “Hot and Cold.” I see this happening in the Chase with struggles at New Hampshire, Charlotte, and Phoenix. By the time he gets his mojo going it will be too late.

5) Kasey Kahne – After a string of bad luck in the first quarter of the season, Kahne bounced back with 2 wins and made the Chase. Don’t count this team out, they could be the Stewart of last year.

6) Dale Earnhardt Jr. – Consistency is great, but that will only get you to second in points. Dale Jr. needs to win races if he wants to be the champion, period.

7) Brad Keselowski- I don’t know what they’re lacking, but the blue deuce hasn’t been as strong as they were earlier in the season. Expect crew chief Paul Wolfe to use a lot of pit strategy to help Keselowski and his chances of a championship. They may need it to win.

8) Matt Kenseth – They will say that it’s not, but the distraction of Kenseth leaving this team after the season will bite the 17 team in the Chase. Does Matt stay in meetings as the season winds down? Could the sharing of knowledge be used against Roush next year? There are just too many questions that will form as Homestead nears.

9) Clint Bowyer- Congrats to Michael Waltrip Racing on getting two cars in the Chase, that’s a big step in the right direction for them. However, the Chase will be the wrong direction based on the tracks they go to. There’s no road courses and only one short track. It will be tough.

10) Kevin Harvick- Hopefully they can keep up the momentum they’ve had since the return of crew chief Gil Martin. RCR has to be fully prepared though if they want to make a run. Harvick and Martin can only do so much.

Not making the awards banquet:

Tony Stewart

Martin Truex Jr.

Follow me and send comments to Twitter: @Dontae_Allen

Wednesday, September 5, 2012

What if NASCAR had a Draft?

Since millions of people are gearing up for the start of the NFL season this week, there have been many parties for fantasy football. All the talk about football and drafting players on fantasy teams led me to think about what if NASCAR had a draft.

Below is my list of potential draft picks that would be on my team. Going with the theme of football, I decided to choose 11 drivers that would be in my starting lineup and a few drivers that could come off the bench and perform like starters if needed.

Here is my list of draft picks if there was a draft and my reasons for their selection.

1) Jimmie Johnson – every team needs a star player. In football it is often the quarterback and there’s no better person to lead my team than the 5 time champion Jimmie Johnson, period.

2) Kyle Busch - every star quarterback needs the support of another outstanding player. There’s not a better person with this ability than Busch. Perhaps the most skilled driver, Kyle is the perfect guy to ride the tails of Johnson.

3) Ricky Stenhouse Jr. – Like a wide receiver, I want someone that’s fast and one who can get out in front of the defender to make an awesome catch. Stenhouse Jr. provides that and would be the perfect fit for this role.

4) Kurt Busch- Love him or hate him, similar to Michael Vick, Kurt provides talent that only a few have. His ability to maneuver around in a bad car and turn nothing into something catapults Kurt into my starting lineup because the skill is there, he just has to fix the off the field (track) stuff.

5) Brad Keselowski- Like a tight end or an offensive lineman, you need someone who is tough and willing to get down and dirty to win the game. Keselowski not only brings toughness, but he brings a great attitude that transfers into success.

6) Kasey Kahne- Every team needs a Tom Brady. Johnson is my quarterback leading the team, but Kahne can easily feel in and have instant success. Unlike the Seattle Seahawks, Kahne can overcome adversity and is a great team player. Oh, and like Brady he’s cute too. That’s a bonus for female fans.

7) Denny Hamlin- Whether dancing like NY Giants wide receiver Victor Cruz or performing a Terrell Owens like celebration, Hamlin brings it every week. He’s entertaining, a great driver, and could teach my team a thing or two about style.

8) Austin Dillon- The Dallas Cowboys would seem like the perfect place for Dillon, as he is a real cowboy. But, I picked Austin for his determination. Like Cowboys Owner Jerry Jones, he’s determined to be successful. Ironically Jones has won three Super Bowls and Austin drives the 3 car.

9) Ryan Blaney- Hmmm, a rookie on my draft team, that can’t be right can it? Atlanta Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan was a rookie and did pretty well. Blaney’s not old enough to buy ‘natty light’ but a young-talented guy like him is destined for success.

10) Danica Patrick/Dale Earnhardt Jr. – If my team is bad, someone has to bring in the sponsor money to help pay the bills. Who would be better at that than NASCAR’s 2 biggest stars? I could see them playing a position like center or something. Their not needed in the bigger roles, so why make them suffer more….ooops.

BENCH PLAYERS: Jeff Gordon, Tony Stewart, Timmy Hill, Ty Dillon, and Nelson Piquet Jr.

HEAD COACH: Whom do you think? Joe Gibbs with me as the assistant.

If there were a draft in NASCAR, how would your draft board look?

Follow me and send comments to Twitter: @Dontae_Allen