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

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

Photo Album from Atlanta Motor Speedway



Matt Kenseth's team performs a pit stop






Like much of the 2012 season,it was a disappointing night for Juan Pablo Montoya and team



Marcos Ambrose making a pit stop under green

Martin Truex Jr. probably would have won the race if it weren't for a late race caution

The Dew Crew getting ready to go to work

Brad Keselowski makes a pit stop

Ty Dillon completes a pit stop during the Camping World Truck Series race

Winner winner chicken dinner, Hamlin wins the AdvoCare500

Hamlin serving doughnuts to all in attendance

#Winning

Jeff Burton and crewman striking a pose

A clash of culture as courty boy Austin Dillon chats with west coaster Travis Pastrana

USA! USA! USA!

Montogomery Gentry gets the crowd fired up

One less coat of paint could have won Jeff Gordon the race

Beautiful

Rutledge Wood during a Jeff Gordon charity kickball event

The wall was rowdy to Kyle Busch

Has this guy been taking dance lessons from Denny Hamlin?

Kyle Busch and Dave Rogers have been off lately, maybe wearing the same uniform may help....just a thought

Clint Bowyer

Yes Junior i'll give you the last Diet Mountain Dew for your 88 car!

Wouldn't be complete without Danica Patrick right?



Great looking raspberries on Landon Cassill's car, that's better than bacon



Over 50 years of racing experience here as Mark Martin chats with Jeff Burton

Ty Dillon wins his first NCWTS race at AMS

Rebel without a cause

Hamlin Shows Gordon How to Dance at AMS

The 11 FedEx/SportsClip team during post race inspection.

In an attempt to take back the spot as the best dancing driver in NASCAR, Jeff Gordon surprisingly wobbled at his chance to retake the throne in last night’s race at Atlanta.

Last week Denny Hamlin was dancing to the wobble during driver introductions at Bristol, and next week in Richmond we’ll hear “Drop it like it’s hot” because that’s exactly what this team is doing right now.

After last week’s win at Bristol, Hamlin and team knew they had something special.

“I feel like we can win at any track,” said Hamlin.

Heading into Atlanta Motor Speedway this weekend, Hamlin knew this track would be a test to his team. In 12 previous starts he only had one top 5 finish and 4 top 10’s. Atlanta was a track that Hamlin seemed to struggle with. He either had mechanical issues or the car was just bad.

The only bad thing about his car last night was that it was bad fast.

Jeff Gordon, who showed his dancing moves during awards week last year, was not able to break dance his way past Hamlin and catapult his chances of making the Chase.

Hamlin serving doughnuts to the crowd at AMS

Hamlin led a race high 105 laps to win the running to the AdvoCare 500. He was able to fend off a hard charging Gordon and secure his spot as the proverbial points leader heading into the Chase for the Sprint Cup.

It was Hamlin’s fourth win of the season so he is at least guaranteed a tie for the points lead. Regardless of being the points leader, Hamlin and team are showing forms from 2010 when they were close to winning the title.

With championship winning crew chief Darian Grubb, the FedEx team is for sure capable of winning at any track. After all, Grubb knows a thing or two about winning.

Hamlin’s victory proved that his team is capable and ready to fight for the championship this year. They have been somewhat under the radar this season, but the garage (especially those Hendrick cars) took notice after back to back victories by the 11 team.

Hamlin has won at 6 of the 10 tracks in the Chase and as we saw last year with Grubb and Stewart, anything can happen. After back to back wins, Hamlin’s back in the conversation. Can the success continue? Only time will tell, but when you’re hot you’re hot.

Denny’s dropping it like it’s hot and there’s no summer breeze coming anytime soon to cool his team off.

The next stop is Richmond – Denny’s home track. The jukebox keeps playing.

Queen’s “We are the champions” patiently waits its turn to be played.