By: Toby Christie

They say that all good things have to come to an end, well Sunday at Bristol it’s a bad thing that will be coming to an end. I am of course referencing the dreaded wing. The wing as we all know replaced the spoiler in NASCAR when they unveiled the “Car of Tomorrow”.

Fans never really took to the wing, even though NASCAR’s reasoning behind implementing it was to make the cars look more like cars that the kids on the streets have… but honestly nobody would be caught dead with one of those things.

The wing’s existence only lasted 59 races in the Sprint Cup Series, and I’m sure it won’t be missed by many drivers… but who has benefited most from the wing being in NASCAR?

It’s simple here’s a little stat you wont find anywhere else: Jimmie Johnson, Kyle Busch and Carl Edwards have combined to win a total of 45 of the 59 “winged” events… that is over 76-percent of the races won by just three drivers. I expect this to change a little bit starting with Martinsville.

In 2007 it was Bristol that hosted the wing’s first race, so there would be no more fitting place than Bristol this week to send the wing flying away. The wing has been attributed to the problem of cars flying into the stands here recently. When the cars spin backwards the wing actually causes the cars to lift off of the ground… not a good thing at all.

However in my opinion it is also the reason for the lack of parity in NASCAR for the past three seasons.

Atlanta showed just how unpredictable a NASCAR race could be, as my predictions were basically thrown out the window. However this week I vow to bring sanity back to my predictions. Without further adieu here is what you can expect at Bristol:

It has looked like the Busch series at Bristol Motor Speedway lately, as the Busch brothers Kurt and Kyle have basically made everyone look bushleague. In the past 16 races at the world’s fastest half mile the Busch brothers have taken eight checkered flags, including Kurt’s three straight win reign between 2003 and 2004, and Kyle’s sweep of Bristol last season.

Kurt is also tied with Jeff Gordon with most wins among active drivers at Bristol with five victories. While his brother Kyle has the second highest career average finish (10.2) at Bristol.

Point leader Kevin Harvick somehow managed to survive and rally to a top-10 finish at Atlanta even when things looked terrible all day long, but don’t expect a struggle out of Harvick this weekend. This is one of Harvick’s best tracks. He has a win here and an average finish of 12.9. So expect Harvick to be happy this weekend.

Roush-Fenway teammates Matt Kenseth and Carl Edwards each have two wins here in the past, but remember Edwards is coming off of a rough week at Atlanta where he sent Brad Keselowski flying. So Edwards may be watching his back more than looking for the checkers. Kenseth however has yet to finish outside the top-10 this season, and I fully expect him to be there again this week. Oh and speaking of Roush cars who have finished in the top-10 in every race thus far this year, Greg Biffle has also accomplished this feat, and he actually has been very solid at Bristol too. In fact Greg Biffle is my pick to win this weekend.

Looking for a sleeper this week? Look no further than Marcos Ambrose. Ambrose has the highest career average finish at Bristol among all active drivers (6.5). I know he has only had two career starts there, but he has performed very solid, and he should continue that this weekend. Remember this is a track very tough on rookies, yet Ambrose was able to score two top-10 finishes here last year in his rookie campaign. Look out for the Aussie this weekend.

As I mentioned earlier Jeff Gordon is tied with the most victories among active drivers with five at Bristol… expect him to compete this weekend. In fact expect every Hendrick car to recover from Atlanta’s tire debacle except Jimmie Johnson. I know I know it sounds crazy not to have Jimmie as a favorite, but the truth of the matter is Bristol that may just be his worst race track. Johnson has finished off the lead lap in half of the events he has started at Bristol, and has an average finish of 15.9 here. I expect Johnson to continue his Bristol woes this weekend.

Other than Johnson who else should you stay away from this week? Paul Menard, Brian Vickers, Martin Truex Jr. and Sam Hornish Jr. are all drivers you should keep away from if you have a fantasy team. None of these drivers have ever posted a top-10 in a Sprint Cup Series race at Bristol.

By: Toby Christie

Jimmie Johnson comes into this race on a two race winning streak, and has won more times at Atlanta in the past six races there than anyone, but he is not my pick to win.

Johnson will however be strong, that is a given, but there are two drivers I really see contending for a win Sunday.

Carl Edwards, who won nine races in 2008, comes into this weekend riding a 39-race winless streak. All that can change very quickly this weekend. Edwards has three wins at this track in his career, including a sweep at the track in his rookie season.

I fully expect Carl Edwards to be strong this weekend, and the whole Roush team as a whole has gotten a lot stronger from last season. If the team doesn’t make any mistakes Carl Edwards could be taking his retro paint scheme into victory lane at Atlanta again, and personally I have him down to win. He is just too good, and this team can only go so long without a win.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. is the other driver who I believe has a real shot at victory Sunday. Earnhardt, who starts on the pole, is still considered a long shot considering the fact that he comes into this event with a 60-race losing streak.

Atlanta however is one of Earnhardt’s best tracks in his career. His career average finish here is 11.9, which is actually second highest only to Jimmie Johnson among active drivers. Earnhardt has one career victory which came back in his six-win season in 2004. Look for Earnhardt to not relinquish the lead without a fight on Sunday, and don’t be surprised if he doesn’t find victory lane for the 19th time in his career.

Who else can we expect to contend?

All of the Richard Childress Racing cars are on fire, and I expect that trend to continue this week. All three teams missed the chase in 2009, but they sit first, second and seventh in the standings after three events. Kevin Harvick got his first career victory here back in 2001.

Jeff Gordon, and Mark Martin will also be very strong, but that goes without saying as Hendrick Motorsports has had a stranglehold on the entire Series in the past few seasons. Just for those who are new, Jeff Gordon has four career victories at Atlanta to go along with 23 top-tens in his 35 starts at Atlanta Motor Speedway.

Mark Martin has also tallied two wins here and 23 more top-tens. So watch out for these two cagey veterans.

Now an intriguing dark horse pick for the weekend is Bobby Labonte. Labonte, the 2000 Sprint Cup Series Champion, leads all active drivers with six wins at Atlanta, so he obviously knows his way around the track. The no. 71 team has given Labonte some decent cars in his little time there… if they hit things just right a top-10 definitely wouldn’t be out of the question.

If you have Joey Logano on your fantasy roster, I personally would sit him this week. In his two starts at Atlanta Logano has not finished on the lead lap yet… and based off of his speeds in practice and qualifying thus far, I don’t see that changing this weekend. I know he has drove incredibly thus far in 2010, but I just don’t have too much confidence in Joey at this racetrack yet.

Episode 2 of our weekly podcast “Hammer Down” is now available. Each week Toby Christie and Buddy Christie will be recapping the Sprint Cup Series race. This week Toby and Buddy breakdown the Shelby American at Las Vegas Motor Speedway in Las Vegas, Nevada.

So please enjoy and comment either here, Twitter or Facebook. We need your thoughts on this brand new podcast. Your comments will help drastically improve the content of future shows.

Included in this week’s breakdown:

• Thorough recap of the Shelby American
• Jeff Gordon dominates, yet comes up short
• Jimmie Johnson’s 49th career victory
• Kevin Harvick staying strong
• Top 10 finishers
• Updated top-12 driver’s point standings after Las Vegas

Enjoy the podcast, and remember there will be a new one available each week. We urge you to let us know what you think, good or bad, so we know how to adjust the show to fit our listeners better. Again, your comments will drive the content. Leave comments on our facebook page or via twitter.

Get Involved. Be Heard.

By: Toby Christie

Jimmie Johnson took his second straight victory of 2010 Sunday at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. The winning move for Johnson was a pass on Jeff Gordon with 16 laps to go. The pass was setup by a call from Chad Knaus. Knaus decided to take four tires, while Jeff Gordon and Steve Letarte took two tires on the final pit stop… this gave Johnson just enough of an advantage to do what he has done best over the past four seasons.

Johnson continues his climb to the top of the standings again in his quest for a fifth consecutive Sprint Cup Series championship. This win marks Johnson’s 49th career victory.

“Jeff and I were racing so hard all day. I wasn’t sure if I would get away from him there.” Johnson said in victory lane.

Kevin Harvick quietly continued his great start to the season, by sneaking by Jeff Gordon late to take home a second-place finish.

Jeff Gordon didn’t win, but he was the driver that actually laid a whooping down on the entire field. Gordon, age 38, drove today like he did back in the late 1990’s when he was on top of the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, but just couldn’t seal the deal.

At one point Gordon had lapped so many cars that only nine cars remained on the lead lap.

Gordon easily led the most laps in the race by leading 218 of the 267 laps today. It’s got to be frustrating for Gordon as he would fade to a third place finish down the stretch, but this finish does come at a great time for Gordon, as he was sitting all the way back in the 23rd position in the points standings before this race.

Mark Martin would give Hendrick motorsports their third top-five car of the race with a fourth-place finish.

Matt Kenseth would round out the top-five as he just held off Joey Logano for the fifth position in a photo finish.

Not everyone had a great day including Juan Montoya, who made the chase last season. Montoya has now had two straight races of finishing outside the top-30. Montoya was crashed by his teammate Jamie McMurray on lap 93 which resulted in a 37th-place finish, and Montoya vented in the garage area.

“He (McMurray) runs straight into my (Expletive). He nearly ran me into the fence in (Turn) 2 as well. I don’t know. He’s not doing himself any favors. I’m sure (McMurray) is going to say ‘Oh, I didn’t mean that.’” Montoya said.

So the Earnhardt-Ganassi team that was looking like a well oiled machine after Daytona, and even after California, now has some issues to resolve between their two drivers.

By: Toby Christie

Well we knew it was gonna have to happen eventually, but the skies held off rain for approximately 50-minutes of Sprint Cup Series happy hour.

Clint Bowyer was the fastest in this session turning a lap of 183.530 mph. Bowyer was followed by Juan Montoya, Mark Martin, Jimmie Johnson, and Marcos Ambrose rounded out the top-five fastest in happy hour.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. had a scare in the practice. He spun, over corrected almost went into the outside wall, but he was able to save the race car. This is extremely important because Earnhardt will be rolling off fourth on Sunday, and if he had to start in the back of the field that wouldn’t be a good start at all.

The question now is about the Nationwide Race. Will we get it in or will mother nature scratch it for today? We will find out shortly.

By: Toby Christie

We are coming off of a uncharacteristically exciting race at California, and the “real” season is now underway. So that being said what can we expect to see at Las Vegas?

Jimmie Johnson will be in the running for the win… No surprise I know, but in a town where it is better to be lucky than good, Jimmie Johnson is both and should perform very well. Kevin Harvick was even quoted after last weeks race saying “The 48 has a golden horseshoe up their (expletive)”. Much to Harvick’s dismay, Johnson’s luck will continue this week.

Jeff Burton will continue Richard Childress Racing’s great start. Burton has the best average finish at Las Vegas in the entire Sprint Cup Series at 9.8. Burton has won at Las Vegas twice in his career, and is one to watch this weekend as the Childress cars have looked very strong early this season.

Other drivers that are locks for a great performance at Vegas are: Mark Martin, Matt Kenseth, and Kyle Busch. Between them they have four wins at this track. Kyle Busch always has a bit of swagger in his step at this track because this is his hometrack.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. has had some good runs at this track in the past, but he has also had some less than stellar runs as well. It really is a toss up as to whether he will perform or not, but I believe he will get a top-10 this weekend.

Jeff Gordon has been snakebitten as far as luck goes in the first two events of 2010, but he does have the second highest driver rating of anyone at Las Vegas… If he can stay out of trouble and avoid any mechanical issues, he will be at the front, but I wouldn’t go all-in on him just yet.

I also do not expect amazing runs for David Reutimann (8th in points), Kurt Busch (11th in points), or Jamie McMurray (4th in points). I know I shouldn’t bet against McMurray as he came up big as an underdog at Daytona, but I just don’t think he has much of a chance at a track where his average finish is 16.9 in his career. Reutimann and Kurt Busch have career average finishes at Vegas outside of the top-20… 20.5 and 20.4 respectively.

My underdog for the weekend is Brad Keselowski. Some have him at 100:1 odds for this weekend, but he has had a great car in the first two races. If he can strike some good luck this weekend, and stay away from the Joe Gibbs Racing drivers he may just make someone a lot of money this weekend.

There you have it those are my predictions for the Shelby American GT 350 at Las Vegas. Enjoy the race.

Episode 1 of our brand new weekly pod cast “Hammer Down” is now available. Each week Toby Christie and Buddy Christie will be recapping the Sprint Cup Series race. This week Toby and Buddy breakdown the Auto Club 500 at Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, California.

So please enjoy and comment either here, Twitter or Facebook. We need your thoughts on this brand new podcast. Your comments will help drastically improve the content of future shows.

Included in this week’s breakdown:

• Thorough recap of the Auto Club 500
• Thoughts on a Richard Childress Revival
• Jimmie Johnson’s 48th career victory
• Top 10 finishers and other notables run-down
• Updated top-12 driver’s point standings after California

Enjoy the podcast, and remember there will be a new one available each week. We urge you to let us know what you think, good or bad, so we know how to adjust the show to fit our listeners better. Again, your comments will drive the content. Leave comments on our facebook page or via twitter.

Get Involved. Be Heard.

By: Toby Christie

Jimmie Johnson started the season off by finishing 35th at Daytona… However the four-time champ wouldn’t stay down long, as he won at Auto Club Speedway. Not only did he win, but he did so in dominating fashion.

He clinched the most laps led in the event by the 132nd lap of the 250 lap race.

Johnson who didn’t lead a lap at Daytona, got back on track with this win. Along with the win he climbs 23 spots in the point standings from 35th to 12th.

Johnson held off a ferocious charge by Kevin Harvick at the end. Harvick was right on the rear bumper of Johnson with three laps to go, when he slipped too far up the track with three laps to go.

Harvick who had a terrible season last year is looking great through two races in 2010, along with his teammates Jeff Burton and Clint Bowyer. Richard Childress, which failed to get one of his cars in the chase last season, currently has all three of his cars in the top-12 in points. This is a huge step for an organization that looked in disarray last season.

What’s even more impressive is that Harvick is the point leader after two races, and Clint Bowyer sits second.

Jeff Burton would finish third, followed by Mark Martin, and “sliced bread” Joey Logano.

The Daytona 500 is in the books, Jamie McMurray has made his late-night talk show rounds, and everyone is still buzzing about the last lap surge by Dale Earnhardt Jr., but what do we have to look forward to at California?

Don’t Expect Jimmie Johnson’s slow start to spill over this weekend. Johnson may be sitting 35th in points after Daytona, but the four-time Sprint Cup Series champion has an average finish of 5.8 in his career at Auto Club Speedway. In all he has four wins at the 2-mile oval, and he has 10 top-10’s in 14 starts there in his career.

Expect to see the Roush-Fenway Racing teams near the front. The “Roush Brigade” has been among the best in the sport at California over the last few seasons. I expect to see more of the same this week. Carl Edwards is my pick to win, but Greg Biffle, Matt Kenseth, and David Ragan each have equal opportunity to visit victory lane Sunday.

Will Michael Waltrip Racing continue it’s great start to 2010? Martin Truex Jr. looked as though he had a car that could win the Daytona 500 and finished sixth in the no. 56 NAPA Auto Parts Toyota, while his teammate David Reutimann came home fifth. Last season Reutimann and team owner Michael Waltrip piloted MWR cars to 14th and 15th place finishes respectively. If this team can show even a little improvement at this track from last season, I think Michael Waltrip Racing will be right in the thick of things.

Can Dale Earnhardt Jr. get a string of good finishes going this weekend? He finished second in the Great American Race at Daytona (a track he is very good at), but he hasn’t been nearly as stellar at California through his career. He did finish second in April 2001, but his career average finish at California is 22.1. Earnhardt obviously knows that Daytona success does not mean anything this week,

“You know, I look forward to seeing how we are as a team.” Earnhardt Said, “But the 500 is just one race. We got a lot more racing to do. Daytona is not your typical style track that we run on all year. If we can go to Fontana, Vegas, be competitive at any point during those races, it would be a little more validation.”

If he can finish well at California expect to see Earnhardt rocket towards a chase berth later in the season.

Really if anyone finishes well in the Shelby American 350 this weekend, you can expect them to be a player in the race to the championship. Of the drivers who finished in the top-12 of this race last season, just two of them failed to make the chase (Matt Kenseth, and Kyle Busch).

These are just a few of the things we have to keep an eye on this weekend, and don’t forget last season we had our first nail-biting finish at this track. It was an epic shootout between Matt Kenseth and Jeff Gordon with Kenseth taking the victory.