Sunday, August 31, 2014

Fantasy Preview: Atlanta 8/31

This Sunday, the Sprint Cup Series heads to Atlanta Motor Speedway for the Oral-B USA 500.  The race can be seen on ESPN at 7:30 p.m. EST.  Below are my picks for the race.

Tier A
Kevin Harvick
Harvick won the pole for Sunday night's race, and he has been strong all weekend.  After dominating Saturday night's Nationwide Series race, Harvick will be looking for the weekend sweep on Sunday night.

Bench:
Matt Kenseth

Tier B
Martin Truex Jr.
Truex is one of those drivers still looking for his first win of the season.  Truex is normally strong on the 1.5 mile tracks, and I expect him to run towards the front on Sunday night.

Brian Vickers
Vickers is also looking for his first victory, and he should be strong this weekend.  He qualified 19th, but he should finish well inside the top 15.

Bench:
Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
Jamie McMurray

Tier C
Danica Patrick
Patrick finished 21st in this race last year, but she has been getting much better over the course of this season.  If she has some good luck on Sunday night, Patrick could finish with a top 20.

Bench:
Jeff Burton

My pick to win the Oral-B 500...Kevin Harvick

Tuesday, August 26, 2014

Weekly Pull List: 8/27/14

All the comics available this week can be found on Comixology, and any breaking comics news is Comic Book Resources.


Image
Saga #22
Sex #15

Titan
Doctor Who: The Tenth Doctor #2

DC
Batman Eternal #21
Batman/Superman #13
The Flash #34
Harley Quinn #10
Secret Origins #5
Sinestro #5

Marvel
All-New Ultimates #7
All-New X-Men #31
Amazing Spider-Man #1.4
Avengers #34
Cyclops #4
Fantastic Four #9
Guardians of the Galaxy #18
Inhuman #4
Original Sin: Thor and Loki #4
Savage Hulk #3
Silver Surfer #5
Wolverine #12
Wolverine and the X-Men #8

Be sure to pick up...

Doctor Who: The Tenth Doctor #2
This series started off really well, and it was able to capture the magic of David Tennant's time as the Doctor.  Be sure to pick this up quick, as it will sell out pretty fast like it did last month.  Plus, everyone will be ready for some new Who after last week's premiere episode with the 12th Doctor, Peter Capaldi. Allons-y!!

Amazing Spider-Man #1.4
This is the final issue in this early Spider-Man story.  It's been pretty awesome so far, but it has been a little confusing.  They've put this story in the past, but put in some modern touches, like cellphones and the computer.  Last time I checked, those definitely did not exist in the 1960's.

Thanks for reading! Be sure to comment below with the books you're picking up this week!

Sunday, August 24, 2014

Joey Logano Picks Up Third Victory of the Season at Bristol

Originally written for CLNS Radio.


Joey Logano won the Irwin Tools Night Race on Saturday night from Bristol Motor Speedway.

Photo courtesy Patrick Smith/Getty Images
Logano had a strong car throughout the race, but it came down to the final restart when Logano went 3-wide to gain positions.

The win was Logano’s third of the season, putting him atop the standings heading into the Chase.  He is now tied with Jeff Gordon, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Jimmie Johnson and his teammate Brad Keselowski as winners of three races this season.

Following the win, Logano said this performance showed his team had a legitimate shot at winning the championship.

Kevin Harvick started on the pole, and he led until Gordon took the lead on lap 40.  Kyle Busch, who many expected to be strong this weekend, took the lead on lap 55.  He led until the competition caution came out on lap 60.

Matt Kenseth led the field back to the green flag on lap 68, but the caution came back out on lap 70.  Josh Wise spun in the middle of the field.

Kenseth led at the restart on lap 77, and he led until Logano took the lead for the first time on lap 104.

On lap 125, Brian Vickers got together with Kyle Larson.  Vickers bounced into Aric Almirola, who spun down the track and hit the inside wall hard.  Busch and Clint Bowyer were also collected in the wreck.

Denny Hamlin took the lead under the caution, and he led the field back to the green flag on lap 137.  He led until he was spun by Harvick on lap 161 while the two raced for the lead.  Hamlin hit the inside wall and then spun back up the track into Earnhardt.

Harvick led the field to the green flag on lap 173.  He led until Michael Annett spun on lap 196 to bring out another caution.

Kasey Kahne did not pit under the caution, and he was the leader when the race took the green flag on lap 201.  Jamie McMurray took the lead on lap 239, and he led until Danica Patrick spun on lap 265.

Keselowski won the race off pit road, and he led when the race restarted on lap 270.  McMurray, however, had the faster car, and he retook the lead on lap 312.

Debris on lap 359 brought out another caution, but McMurray held off the field on the following restart on lap 367.

Marcos Ambrose, another pre-race favorite, spun on lap 376 to bring out the caution.  McMurray once again had a good restart when the race went back green.

Debris brought the caution out for the final time on lap 432.  Under the caution, Kenseth stayed out and he led the field back to the green flag on lap 438.

Logano was able to get around Kenseth on lap 456, and he was able to hold off Keselowski to win the race.

Unofficial results

1. Joey Logano
2. Brad Keselowski
3. Matt Kenseth
4. Jimmie Johnson
5. Kurt Busch
6. Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
7. Carl Edwards
8. Jamie McMurray
9. Paul Menard
10. Greg Biffle
11. Kevin Harvick
12. Kyle Larson
13. Ryan Newman
14. AJ Allmendinger
15. Jeff Burton
16. Jeff Gordon
17. Clint Bowyer
18. Michael McDowell
19. Justin Allgaier
20. Martin Truex Jr.
21. Brian Vickers
22. Landon Cassill
23. David Ragan
24. Reed Sorenson
25. David Gilliland
26. Casey Mears
27. Danica Patrick
28. Austin Dillon
29. Josh Wise
30. Cole Whitt
31. David Stremme
32. Alex Bowman
33. J.J. Yeley
34. Marcos Ambrose
35. Kasey Kahne
36. Kyle Busch
37. Ryan Truex
38. Michael Annett
39. Dale Earnhardt Jr.
40. Denny Hamlin
41. Aric Almirola
42. Brett Moffitt
43. Dave Blaney

Next weekend, the Sprint Cup Series heads to Atlanta Motor Speedway for a rare Sunday night race.  The Oral-B USA 500 can be seen next Sunday at 7:30 p.m. EST on ESPN.

Photo courtesy Matt Sullivan/Getty Images

Saturday, August 23, 2014

Fantasy Preview: Bristol 8/23

The Sprint Cup Series returns to Bristol Motor Speedway for Saturday's Irwin Tools Night Race.  Below are my picks for the race.

Tier A
Kyle Busch
The Busch Brothers are money whenever they go to Bristol.  After seeing how Kyle did in Friday's Nationwide race (and Thursday's truck race), chances are good that he could be standing in victory lane following the race.

Bench:
Kurt Busch

Tier B
Carl Edwards
Edwards won the first race at Bristol this season, and he seemed to be good when the lights came on.  He'll be looking to prove that he can still win with Roush-Fenway Racing following the announcement of his move to Joe Gibbs Racing in 2015.

Brad Keselowski
Keselowski is always good at Bristol, and he picked up his first Truck Series victory in Thursday's race.  Keselowski could easily pick up his fourth win of the season on Saturday night.

Bench:
Aric Almirola
Marcos Ambrose

Tier C
Austin Dillon
Dillon finished 11th at Bristol earlier in the year, and he should be strong Saturday.  He qualified 26th, the same place he started earlier in the season.  I expect Dillon to finish towards the front on Saturday.

Bench:
Michael Annett

My pick to win the Irwin Tools Night Race...Brad Keselowski
Photo courtesy Patrick Smith/Getty Images

Wednesday, August 20, 2014

Weekly Pull List: 8/20/14

All the comics available this week can be found on Comixology, and any breaking comics news can be found on Comic Book Resources.

DC Comics
Batman and Robin #34
Batman Eternal #20
Green Lantern: New Guardians #34

Marvel
All-New Ultimates #6
Daredevil #7
Deadpool Vs. X-Force #3
Magneto #8
Mighty Avengers #13
Nova #20
Original Sins #5
Savage Wolverine #22
Secret Avengers #7
Storm #2
Wolverine Annual #1

Be sure to pick up...

Batman Eternal #20
This series has been a lot of fun, and it's really starting to pick up.  Batman has had to join forces with Killer Croc, which is throwing the new Gotham City Police Officers for a loop.  Be sure to jump on to this story before it's too late!

Nova #20
With the tie-ins with Original Sin, we'll maybe see what happened to Nova's dad.  This issue should be pretty fun, with a guest appearance from everyone's favorite: Rocket Raccoon!!

Wolverine Annual #1
It's the end of Wolverine!!  Just one month before his death, this annual is going to set the stage for his final showdown.  I'm very interested to see how Wolverine's demise will come about!

Thanks for reading! Leave a comment with the books you're picking up this week!

Sunday, August 17, 2014

Jeff Gordon Wins at Michigan

Originally written for CLNS Radio.


Jeff Gordon won his third race of the season on Sunday in the Pure Michigan 400 from Michigan International Speedway.

Photo courtesy Brian Lawdermilk/Getty Images
Gordon led 69 laps on his way to the victory, but he had to outrun Joey Logano to do so.  Logano led a race-high 86 laps, but Gordon said he knew they had the better car.

“It wasn’t easy, it’s never easy to win at any of these tracks,” Gordon said.  “That last restart was it.  We had the car to win; our car was amazing, but whoever got out front got such a good advantage.”

Gordon said he’s excited for what the rest of the season holds, and that he should have a strong car in the Chase.

“I have to give so much credit to [crew chief] Alan Gustafson,” Gordon said.  “He’s such a good leader, and I knew he had it in him.  Today was more than just a good race car.”

Gordon won the pole, and he led the field to the green flag. Logano took the lead going through Turn 3 after starting the race in second, and he led until Kyle Busch got into the wall on lap 3 to bring out the first caution.

Logano led the field back to the green flag on lap 8, and led again until the competition caution came out on lap 21 following rain on Saturday night.

Jimmie Johnson stayed out under the caution, and he led the field to the green flag on lap 25.  Going through Turns 1 and 2, Danica Patrick got loose and spun in front of the field.  She collected Justin Allgaier, Martin Truex Jr., Trevor Bayne, Aric Almirola, Matt Kenseth and Michael Annett.

Johnson led the field back to the green flag on lap 31, and he led until the caution came out for debris on lap 37.  Johnson pitted under the caution, and that handed the lead to Logano.

Logano led the field to the green flag on lap 41, and he led until Gordon took the lead on lap 59.

On lap 61, a round of green-flag pit stops began when Brad Keselowski pitted.  When the round of stops cycled around on lap 79, Gordon inherited the lead again.  

Kyle Larson brought the caution out on lap 97 when he hit the wall.  Larson’s car caught on fire after getting into the wall, but he was able to get out of the car without incident.

Ryan Newman led the field to the green flag on lap 109, but Logano took the lead going into Turn 1.  Logano gave up the lead on lap 141 to pit.  In the middle of green-flag pit stops, Keselowski hit the wall while leading when he blew a right-front tire on lap 168.

Logano led Gordon to the green flag on lap 174, but the caution came out on the same lap when Brian Vickers spun in Turn 3.

Logano led the field back to the green flag on lap 178.  He and Kurt Busch raced side-by-side for the lead through Turn 1, and he got loose coming off Turn 2.  He slammed into the outside wall, and then brought out the caution on lap 179 when he blew a tire.

Logano led the field to the green flag on lap 184, but Gordon was able to get a good run and clear Logano for the lead.  He was able to pull away from the field to win his third race of the season.

Unofficial results

1. Jeff Gordon
2. Kevin Harvick
3. Joey Logano
4. Paul Menard
5. Dale Earnhardt Jr.
6. Clint Bowyer
7. Denny Hamlin
8. Brad Keselowski
9. Jimmie Johnson
10. Greg Biffle
11. Ryan Newman
12. Marcos Ambrose
13. AJ Allmendinger
14. Jamie McMurray
15. Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
16. Kasey Kahne
17. Casey Mears
18. Danica Patrick
19. Brian Vickers
20. Aric Almirola
21. David Gilliland
22. Austin Dillon
23. Carl Edwards
24. David Ragan
25. Cole Whitt
26. Alex Bowman
27. Reed Sorenson
28. Josh Wise
29. Landon Cassill
30. J.J. Yeley
31. Kurt Busch
32. Travis Kvapil
33. Dave Blaney
34. Alex Kennedy
35. Joe Nemechek
36. Martin Truex Jr.
37. Jeff Burton
38. Matt Kenseth
39. Kyle Busch
40. Michael Annett
41. Trevor Bayne
42. Justin Allgaier
43. Kyle Larson

With just three races remaining before the Chase for the Sprint Cup, the Sprint Cup Series heads to Bristol Motor Speedway.  The Irwin Tools Night Race is next Saturday at 7:30 p.m. EST on ABC.

Photo courtesy Jerry Markland/Getty Images