Gordon Great at Martinsville

Jeff Gordon has put himself back into contention for the 2013 Sprint Cup Championship with his victory at Martinsville. It moved him into third place in the Chase with three races to go. Gordon is one of the best short track racers in the business but surprisingly, it is his first short track win since 2005. Here are the results and standings.

Week-Michael, Toby and Norb 232, PT, Joe and Neil 221, Terry 208, Dennis 204, Brent 187, Freddy 183, Jim 166, Chuck 148

Segment-Toby 1264, Michael 1262, Dennis 1256, PT 1254, Freddy 1201, Norb 1201, Brent 1188, Neil 1187, Chuck 1164, Joe 1135, Jim 1133, Terry 1132

Overall-PT 5651, Michael 5598, Chuck 5564, Freddy 5514, Dennis 5465, Joe 5349, Toby 5300, Brent 5288, Jim 5225, Neil 5190, Norb 5046, Terry 5017

This week's race is at the high banked, high speed Texas Motor Speedway. The race is Sunday at 1:15. I need your picks by 3:30 P.M. on Friday. There are three races left in the season.

Denny Hamlin finally had something good happen to him this season. Not only did he start from the pole, he had a top 10 finish. So in his honor I have a new song. Now this song is from a female perspective but of course I am singing it. Just pretend that it is Katie Perry singing.

Denny The Dominator

Okay, somehow I screwed up when I texted the picks to you. I had Brent's and Joe's picks switched and I didn't have Neil's picks correct. Sorry about that. Here are the picks and quailfying results.

PT-48, 2, 11, 15=45
Brent-48, 2, 11, 15=45
Neil-48, 2, 11, 15=45
Freddy-48, 5, 11, 18=42
Terry-48, 56, 11, 20=42
Michael-48, 2, 11, 24=41
Toby-24, 2, 11, 48=41
Norb-48, 2, 11, 24=41
Dennis-48, 5, 11, 24=36
Jim-48, 2, 14, 18=32
Joe-48, 2, 14, 24=26
Chuck-24, 5, 14, 18=20

The top fifteen in qualifying were: 11, 48, 18, 20, 15, 22, 1, 34, 24, 29, 2, 88, 42, 99, 56

Oh, Whoa, Whoa, Jamie's Cryin'

Jamie McMurray was emotional after his win at Talladega. He is seen here embracing his little boy in Victory Lane on Sunday. Did you like my Van Halen reference in the headline? Pretty clever if I do say so myself. The win for McMurray may have been a surprise to some but it shouldn't have been. McMurray has always been a good restrictor plate racer. This was the second race in a row that a non-chaser has won. After McMurray's son left Victory Lane, the celebration really began.

I am not sure what that is exploding into McMurray's throat, but I sure hope it is champagne. You know if you think about it though, McMurray does have some of the whitest teeth you'll ever come across.

Well, all the Chase drivers who have a shot to win the Chase were able to survive Talladega, however Johnson was able to take the points lead away from Matt Kenseth. I barely survived Talladega. My points lead over Chuck has shrunk considerably. Therefore, I will be copying Chuck's picks for the final four races of the season.

Here are the results for the week and the updated standings for the segment and the year.

Week-Toby 169, Chuck 151, Michael 143, Brent 131, Jim 131, Freddy 126, Neil 120, Norb 117, Terry 116, Dennis 114, PT 106, Joe 73

Segment-Dennis 1052, PT 1033, Toby 1032, Michael 1030, Freddy 1018, Chuck 1016, Brent 1001, Norb 969, Jim 967, Neil 966, Terry 924, Joe 914

Overall-PT 5430, Chuck 5416, Michael 5366, Freddy 5331, Dennis 5261, Joe 5128, Brent 5101, Toby 5068, Jim 5059, Neil 4969, Norb 4814, Terry 4809

As you can see, the outcome of our fantasy season is still very much up in the air. Seven of us still have a legitmate shot to win the segment and four of us still have a shot to win the championship.

This week the NASCAR circuit moves from the largest track to the smallest. This weeks race is in Martinsville. Martinsville is a flat, paper clip shaped track. To win at Martinville, it is crucial that the teams get the setup right. Unlike Talladega and Daytona, qualifying does matter at Martinsville. Track position is priceless. If a driver has a bad qualifying run and has to start near the back of the field, there is a good possibility that they will go a lap down within the first 20 or 30 laps of the race. That is a hole that is nearly impossible to climb out of. There are a handful of drivers who seem to have Martinsville down pat. They include Johnson, Gordon, the Busch brothers, Bowyer and until this year, Denny Hamlin. Some drivers have had moderate success at Martinsville over the years, This includes Keselowski, Kahne, Kenseth and Edwards. Brian Vickers has had some recent success at Martinsville, unfortunately he is out for the rest of the season. The race is on Sunday at 1 P.M. I need your picks by 2:30 P.M. on Friday.

As was noted by a fan, the 2014 NASCAR schedule is out. The major changes that were rumored to happen did not. The biggest change was that the spring race at Kansas will now be a night race.

As soon as Jamie McMurray crossed the start/finish, I had three songs immediately pop into my head. As stated previously, "Jamie's Cryin" by Van Halen, "Janie's Got A Gun" by Aerosmith, and "Aimie" by Pure Prairie League. I tried to sing "Jamie's Cryin" and "Janie's Got A Gun" but my former 25 year smoking habit and 30 years of booze have taken their toll. "Aimie" would of worked but the lyrics didn't inspire me. So instead, I made a slide show to celebrate the party that is Talladega. I also learned how to do something new. I can put captions on the photos as the slide show plays. I little bit of computer knowledge by a guy like me can be a dangerous thing. Hell if I could figure out Photoshop I would have a hay day. Once again I had to do hours of research but I was able to keep the sore wrist and hand cramps to a minimum. I discovered that I am ambidextrous.

Oh by the way, I was kidding about copying Chuck's picks.

Rain Rain Go Away

Qualifying for the Camping World 500 at Talladega was rained out on Saturday. As per NASCAR rule, when qualifying is rained out the starting lineup is determined by the speeds in the first practice. so here are your picks and points from qualifying.

Chuck 99, 43, 11, 88=35
Michael 88, 31, 11, 24=23
Toby 88, 1, 5, 20=19
Terry-15, 9, 14, 20=17
Brent-20, 56, 11, 24=17
Neil-48, 5, 14, 99=16
Freddy-20, 2, 55, 88=15
Jim-88, 2, 10, 39=11
Dennis-15, 2, 11, 48=9
PT-24, 2, 55, 20=7
Joe-48, 5, 11, 42=6
Norb-24, 2, 55, 18=3

Obviously Chuck played the rainout card by taking the 43. That looks like a smart move now but it won't look so smart when the 43 car has a DNF today. And for those who took the 88, good luck because you gonna need it.

Here were the top 15 qualifiers; 43, 31, 9, 56, 99, 16, 34, 88, 1, 13, 48, 20, 2, 35, 11

Horse Face Wins

Defending Srint Cup Champion Brad Keselowski finally has a win this season. It was the first time in years that a non Chase driver has won a race during the Chase. Unfortunately it is too little too late.

Here are your picks and results from qualifying as well as the result from the week, and standings.

PT-24, 5, 11, 29=40
Terry-29, 5, 11, 48=37
Norb-24, 42, 55, 5=34
Jim-48, 5, 11, 39=32
Michael-48, 5, 55, 18=30
Chuck-24, 5, 11, 99=27
Dennis-20, 5, 11, 29=25
Brent-20, 5, 11, 29=25
Neil-20, 5, 11, 29=25
Freddy-20, 5, 11, 48=23
Joe-48, 5, 11, 20=23
Toby-18, 5, 11, 20=18

Week-PT 211, Terry 211, Jim 205, Freddy 201, Joe 201, Dennis 200, Brent 200, Neil 200, Chuck 195, Toby 195, Michael 190, Norb 183

Segment-Dennis 938, PT 927, Freddy 892, Michael 887, Brent 870, Chuck 865, Toby 863, Norb 852, Neil 846, Joe 841, Jim 836, Terry 808

Overall-PT 5324, Chuck 5265, Michael 5223, Freddy 5205, Dennis 5147, Joe 5055, Brent 4970, Jim 4928, Toby 4899, Neil 4849, Norb 4697, Terry 4693

This week's race is in Talladega baby.This race is the real "wildcard" race in the Chase. I think it is the one race that could derail Matt Kenseth's quest for a second title and Jimmie Johnson's quest for a sixth title. It could also derail my quest for a third straight title. As long as I survive Talladega, I should be able to defeat you losers. I mean friends. I will need your picks by 11 AM on Saturday.

Now back to old horse face, Brad Keselowski. Brad is from Michigan and he really misses Michigan girls. Here is a little video to show you why he misses living in Michigan. Some of these Michiganders are famous and some should be.

Now here is a video to show you why he doesn't care for North Carolina girls, and as this video shows, who could blame him. Some of these North Carolinians are famous and thank God the rest of them are unknown. I must let you know that I searched long and hard for these photos. In fact, by the time I was finished I had a sore wrist and my hand was cramped.

Harvick Handles Half Mile

Kevin Harvick started from the pole and won the race at Kansas. I don't have time this week for my usual witty banter or my inspirational song. Here are the results and standings.

Week-Dennis 191, Jim 179, Chuck 173, Toby 171, Norb 168, Freddy 165, PT 164, Michael 164, Neil 161, Brent 158, Terry 151, Joe 141

Segment-Dennis 738, PT 716, Michael 697, Freddy 691, Chuck 670, Brent 670, Norb 669, Toby 668, Neil 646, Joe 640, Jim 631, Terry 597

Overall-PT 5113, Chuck 5070, Michael 5033, Freddy 5004, Dennis 4947, Joe 4854, Brent 4770, Jim 4723, Toby 4704, Neil 4649, Norb 4514, Terry 4482

This week's race is at Charlotte on Saturday night. I will need your picks by 6:30 PM on THURSDAY. REPEATING, 6:30 PM ON THURSDAY. Qualifying is at 7 PM on Thursday.

Kevin Cruises at Kansas

Kevin Harvick turned the fastest lap in qualifying to win the pole for the race at Kansas on Sunday. It was his first pole in over 4 years. Here are your picks and qualifying results.

Freddy-48, 2, 11, 5=32
Dennis-48, 56, 14, 29=31
Jim-20, 5, 55, 29=30
Norb-20, 5, 11, 48=29
Brent-48, 5, 55, 20=28
Toby-20, 31, 11, 48=28
Chuck-48, 2, 14, 24=27
Joe-18, 2, 14, 48=25
Neil-48, 56, 14, 20=25
PT-48, 56, 14, 99=23
Michael-48, 56, 14, 99=23
Terry-20, 5, 14, 2=22

The top 15 in qualifying were-29, 17, 48, 2, 22, 88, 20, 27, 99, 11, 55, 42, 56, 24, 5

Just Jimmie Johnson

Jimmie Johnson won for the record setting eighth time at the Monster Mile in Dover, DE on Sunday. He can be seen here celebrating with Miles the Monster after his victory. I hope that is the champaigne that is exploding.

 

In a surprising turn of events, Dale Earnhard Jr. started from the pole. It was his first ever pole win at Dover. Junior had perhaps the car to beat but a couple of mistakes entering pit row may have cost him the win. Here are the picks and qualifying results:

Chuck-20, 2, 14, 48=32
Brent-20, 2, 14, 48=32
Dennis-20, 2, 55, 18=26
Neil-20, 2, 11, 18=26
Norb-20, 56, 55, 22=25
Freddy-18, 2, 55, 48=20
Joe-48, 2, 14, 18=20
Terry-48, 5, 14, 99=20
PT-48, 56, 55, 18=16
Michael-18, 56, 55, 48=16
Toby-20, 5, 11, 18=16
Jim-24, 5, 10, 18=2

Now I know I give Dale Jr. a hard time but there is something he should be commended on. Dale Earnhardt Jr. has granted well over 200 wishes for the Make a Wish Foundation making him the fourth highest wish granter among all athletes. That is pretty cool. From everything I have read and seen about it, Junior really enjoys it and goes out of his way to spend time with these kids. In fact in one instance, a kid got too sick to travel to have his wish granted, so Dale Jr. went to the kid. That's pretty awesome.

 

 

With all that being said, I have once again chosen to pick on Dale Jr. I really do not have anything against Dale Jr. It is his fans that I like to get riled up. They act as if Junior walks on water. I can tell you who Dale Jr. is. He is a moderately successful driver who is a nice guy and has a famous last name. That's it! I do need to offer a disclaimer to this video. I want this video to offend Junior's fans but not be offensive. In truth, I do not believe that Junior is gay. Even if he were a homosexual, I really wouldn't care. Everybody needs somebody to love. So if Billy wants to marry Bob or Sally wants to marry Sue, I don't care. More power to them.When it comes to fiscal responsibility and national defense I am somewhat conservative, but when it comes to social issues I have more of a Libertarian point of view. This is why we are the Somewhat Rednecks league. Because a true redneck would never admit to that. Hope you enjoy it!!!

 



 

 



 

 

 

Okay finally here are the race results and the standings:

 

Week-PT 191, Michael 191, Norb 181, Chuck 176, Brent 176, Freddy 173, Joe 166, Toby 165, Dennis 159, Terry 159, Neil 151, Jim 145

 

 

Segment-PT 552, Dennis 547, Michael 533, Freddy 526, Brent 512, Norb 501, Joe 499, Chuck 497, Toby 497, Neil 485, Jim 452, Terry 446

 

Overall-PT 4949, Chuck 4897, Michael 4869, Freddy 4839, Dennis 4756, Joe 4713, Brent 4612, Jim 4544, Toby 4533, Neil 4488, Norb 4346, Terry 4331

 

This week's race is at Kansas City on Sunday at 1 P.M. Our very own Norbert will be in attendance as well as former league member, Al. The track at Kansas is a boring old 1.5 mile track. Its configuration is similar to Chicagoland Speedway and Kentucky Motor Speedway. I need you picks a little early on Friday because I will be busy later in the afternoon. So I need them by 2 P.M. on Friday.