Weekly Pull List: 9/27/2017

All the comics available this week can be found on ComicList, and any comic book news is on CBR.

BOOM! Studios
Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers #19

DC
Justice League Power Rangers #6

Marvel
Ben Reilly the Scarlet Spider #8
Deadpool Kills the Marvel Universe Again #5
Generations Miles Morales Spider-Man and Peter Parker Spider-Man #1
I Am Groot #5
Spider-Gwen #24
Star Wars Jedi of the Republic Mace Windu #2
Thanos #11
Venomverse #4

Busch Dominates in New Hampshire

Originally written for CLNS Media.

Kyle Busch won the ISM Connect 300 from New Hampshire Motor Speedway on Sunday afternoon.

Busch had a dominant car throughout the race, and led 187 of 300 laps on Sunday. 

Busch raced with Martin Truex Jr. throughout the first two stages, but it almost ended with a wreck on the final lap of Stage 2.  Truex was leading when an accident blocked most of the track.  Truex was involved in the accident, but Busch was able to squeeze by on the outside.

Sean Gardner/Getty Images

Busch drove through a thick wall of smoke to avoid the wreck, and he said it was like a scene out of the movie Days of Thunder.

“You couldn’t see anything, it was just a wall of smoke over there off Turn 2,” Busch said.  “That was some Days of Thunder stuff right there.  Just checked up…trying not to get run into from behind.”

Busch said his dominance was a testament to how hard his team worked all week to help them advance to the next round of the Playoffs.

“It was just a great day for our team; we were able to execute all day long,” Busch said.  “We did everything right and everything we were supposed to do.”

“It’s a testament to this team and everybody at Joe Gibbs Racing…they’ve been fast and it’s a great opportunity for us to put them in victory lane when we can.”

Kyle Larson challenged Busch on the final restart of the race, but he ended up with a second-place finish.  Larson said his car just didn’t have the speed to compete with Busch on the short run.

“I felt like on fairly long runs I was pretty equal to those guys, but on the short run I…couldn’t get the throttle down and we’d get loose,” Larson said.  “He was just really good.”

“Solid effort for us.  We got a fifth last week and a second today; that was pretty much the day that we needed.  Obviously a win would have been great, but second is just as good.”

Unofficial results:

1. Kyle Busch

2. Kyle Larson

3. Matt Kenseth

4. Brad Keselowski

5. Martin Truex Jr.

6. Erik Jones

7. Clint Bowyer

8. Daniel Suarez

9. Ryan Blaney

10. Joey Logano

11. Chase Elliott

12. Denny Hamlin

13. Ryan Newman

14. Jimmie Johnson

15. Ricky Stenhouse Jr.

16. Jamie McMurray

17. AJ Allmendinger

18. Danica Patrick

19. Austin Dillon

20. Paul Menard

21. Chris Buescher

22. Ty Dillon

23. Michael McDowell

24. Trevor Bayne

25. Landon Cassill

26. Aric Almirola

27. Corey LaJoie

28. Reed Sorenson

29. David Ragan

30. Cole Whitt

31. Matt DiBenedetto

32. Brett Moffitt

33. Gray Gaulding

34. Dale Earnhardt Jr.

35. Kasey Kahne

36. Kevin Harvick

37. Kurt Busch

38. Jeffrey Earnhardt

39. Cody Ware

Jonathan Ferrey/Getty Images

Weekly Pull List: 9/20/2017

All the comics available this week can be found on ComicList, and any comic book news is on CBR.

BOOM! Studios
Go Go Power Rangers #3

Marvel
All-New Guardians of the Galaxy #10
Amazing Spider-Man Renew Your Vows #11
Journey to Star Wars The Last Jedi Captain Phasma #2
Peter Parker the Spectacular Spider-Man #4
Spider-Men II #3
Star Wars Annual #3
Star Wars Poe Dameron #19
Venom #154
Venomverse #3

Truex Begins Playoffs with a Victory

Originally written for CLNS Media.

Martin Truex Jr. won the Tale of the Turtles 400 from Chicagoland Speedway on Sunday, the first race of NASCAR’s playoffs.

Truex took the lead in the final stage on Sunday, and he was able to pull away from Chase Elliott over the final run to pick up his fifth victory of the season.  Truex already had the most playoff points going into Round 1, but this victory automatically puts him into the next round.

Jeff Zelevansky/Getty Images

Truex said he was excited he and his team could get to victory lane to kick off the playoffs.

“This is the playoffs, this is what it’s all about,” Truex said.  “I’m so excited…my team’s unbelievable.  We’re just having fun…proud of this group.”

Truex did not start the day off well, with multiple pit road problems costing him spots in the first segment.  Truex was able to battle back, and he finally took the lead in the final segment.

Truex said his team never gave up when they fell back early.

“We got the speeding penalty…after last year having to come from the back,” Truex said.  “We just kept our heads down and kept fighting…just did what we always do.”

“It’s important to come here and not let the pressure get to you, and I think we did a good job of that.  On to the next round.”

Elliott entered the playoffs without a victory, and he had a strong showing on Sunday.  Elliott fell short of beating Truex, but Elliott said this was the kind of race his team needed to kick off their playoff run.

“We had a solid day all around…our car was fast and we had good pit stops on pit road,” Elliott said.  “Without some luck I wasn’t going to beat the 78 [of Truex]…I didn’t have anything for Martin.”

“This is the time to go and we gave it our all today.  I think it’s a testament to our team and the lack of quit that everybody has.”

Unofficial results:

1. Martin Truex Jr.

2. Chase Elliott

3. Kevin Harvick

4. Denny Hamlin

5. Kyle Larson

6. Brad Keselowski

7. Joey Logano

8. Jimmie Johnson

9. Matt Kenseth

10. Jamie McMurray

11. Ryan Blaney

12. Daniel Suarez

13. Clint Bowyer

14. Paul Menard

15. Kyle Busch

16. Austin Dillon

17. Dale Earnhardt Jr.

18. Danica Patrick

19. Kurt Busch

20. Landon Cassill

21. Kasey Kahne

22. Trevor Bayne

23. Ryan Newman

24. Aric Almirola

25. Ricky Stenhouse Jr.

26. AJ Allmendinger

27. Chris Buescher

28. Ty Dillon

29. David Ragan

30. Michael McDowell

31. Matt DiBenedetto

32. Reed Sorenson

33. Erik Jones

34. Jeffrey Earnhardt

35. Cole Whitt

36. Corey LaJoie

37. Brett Moffitt

38. Gray Gaulding

39. Timmy Hill

40. Ray Black Jr.

Brian Lawdermilk/Getty Images

Weekly Pull List: 9/13/2017

All the comics available this week can be found on ComicList, and any comic book news is on CBR.

Marvel
Amazing Spider-Man #32
Ben Reilly Scarlet Spider #7
Deadpool #36
Gwenpool #20
Rocket #5
Secret Empire Omega #1
Star Wars #36
Star Wars Doctor Aphra #12
Venomverse #2

NASCAR Heat 2 Now Available

NASCAR Heat 2, the newest NASCAR video game, is now available for PS4, Xbox One and PC.

The game, a sequel to 2016's NASCAR Heat Evolution, was developed by Monster Games and released by 704Games.  704Games, previously known as Dusenberry-Martin Racing, is the same studio that released the last game in 2016.

Photo courtesy 704Games

The new game features all three national touring series, bringing the Xfinity Series and Camping World Truck Series back into a NASCAR video game for the first time since EA published NASCAR 09.  With the addition of these series, new tracks have been added, including the dirt track Eldora Speedway for the Truck Series.

This year, local split-screen multiplayer was included with the game.  Split-screen was a notable omission from last year's release, so it is a welcomed addition to this year's game.  Another addition that 704Games has included is the ability to customize your car in career mode.

As with last year's release, the player will have the option to complete 29 challenges, one for every track.  More challenges should be added in later via downloadable content.  Along with the single-player career mode, there will be an enhanced online multiplayer component, featuring 40-player lobbies.

The game is available now for $49.99 from most major retailers, as well as the Playstation Store, Xbox Live Marketplace and Steam.  Included with a physical copy of the game is a $50 coupon for race tickets at any SMI track in 2018.  A season pass will also be available for $29.99, which should be about half the price of all the DLC that will be released.

Check back in the coming weeks to see my review of NASCAR Heat 2.

Larson Wins Regular Season Finale

Originally written for CLNS Media.

Kyle Larson ended the regular season with a victory in Saturday night’s Federated Auto Parts 400 from Richmond Raceway.

Sean Gardner/Getty Images

Larson led 53 laps on Saturday, but he needed to use a late-race pit stop to take the lead for the final time.  His pit crew got him out front heading into overtime, and he was able to pull away from the field to head to victory lane.

Larson said he was excited his team was able to get him his first victory at a track shorter than 2 miles.

“This is amazing,” Larson said.  “My whole team, especially my pit crew tonight, were awesome.  The best pit crew showed up tonight…they were money all night long.”

Martin Truex Jr. dominated the race again, but Larson was able to get ahead on the final restart.  Larson said he knew he’d need a caution to catch Truex in the closing laps.

“The Target Chevy was great all night, but [Truex] was definitely the best,” Larson said.  “That was such a long run there at the end, I knew I needed a caution if I wanted a shot.”

“I’m really pumped for the playoffs; we’ve got a great shot at the championship.”

Truex led a race-high 198 laps, but wrecked in the closing laps for the second week in a row and finished 20th. 

Truex said he was unhappy with the final caution for Derrike Cope with four laps to go.

“Tonight sucked, plain and simple,” Truex said.  “Caution for a guy that shouldn’t even be out there is kind of ridiculous.  I don’t really know what to say about all that.”

Unofficial results:

1. Kyle Larson

2. Joey Logano

3. Ryan Newman

4. Kurt Busch

5. Denny Hamlin

6. Erik Jones

7. Daniel Suarez

8. Jimmie Johnson

9. Kyle Busch

10. Chase Elliott

11. Brad Keselowski

12. Kasey Kahne

13. Dale Earnhardt Jr.

14. Jamie McMurray

15. Kevin Harvick

16. Michael McDowell

17. Aric Almirola

18. Ryan Blaney

19. Ricky Stenhouse Jr.

20. Martin Truex Jr.

21. Austin Dillon

22. Ty Dillon

23. Danica Patrick

24. Clint Bowyer

25. Trevor Bayne

26. AJ Allmendinger

27. David Ragan

28. Paul Menard

29. Corey LaJoie

30. Reed Sorenson

31. Matt DiBenedetto

32. Chris Buescher

33. Cole Whitt

34. Jeffrey Earnhardt

35. Gray Gaulding

36. Derrike Cope

37. BJ McLeod

38. Matt Kenseth

39. Landon Cassill

Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images

Weekly Pull List: 8/6/2017

All the comics available this week can be found on ComicList, and any comic book news is on CBR.

Marvel
All-New Guardians of the Galaxy #9
Astonishing X-Men #3
Journey to Star Wars the Last Jedi: Captain Phasma #1
Spider-Man #20
Spider-Man Deadpool #21
Star Wars Darth Vader #5
Venomverse #1
Venomverse War Stories #1

Hamlin Dominates to Win at Darlington

Originally written for CLNS Media.

Denny Hamlin won the Bojangles’ Southern 500 from Darlington Raceway on Sunday night.

Hamlin had a strong car all night, but a pit miscue on the final pit stop almost cost him the victory.  Hamlin missed pit road under green, and had to come back around before he could complete his pit stop.

Sarah Crabill/Getty Images

Hamlin said he thought his night was over when he missed pit road and gave up 10 seconds to Martin Truex Jr.

“To get through the adversity we did right there, I knew I had to drive my tail off to get it back,” Hamlin said.

The victory was Hamlin’s second Southern 500 victory, and his second victory of the weekend following a win in Saturday’s Xfinity race.  Hamlin said this victory was more special than his first victory at the track in 2010.

“So proud to be back here in victory lane in the Southern 500,” Hamlin said.  “To have the family around…it means so much more.”

“This track is just amazing; I love this racetrack.  It means everything to me, as far as I’m concerned.”

Truex Jr. led 76 laps on Sunday and looked as though he would wrap up another victory.  But a flat tire with two laps remaining allowed Hamlin to take the lead, and Truex wound up eighth.

Truex said losing the race with such a fast car was a disappointment.

“Sometimes these things just don’t go your way, and tonight not much did,” Truex said.  “We had a fast car…just a phenomenal racecar on the long runs, and it was just two laps too long.”

“I think I could have held him off if the tire didn’t pop.  I wish we could have got it tonight, but that’s the way it goes sometimes.”

Unofficial results:

1. Denny Hamlin

2. Kyle Busch

3. Kurt Busch

4. Austin Dillon

5. Erik Jones

6. Matt Kenseth

7. Ryan Newman

8. Martin Truex Jr.

9. Kevin Harvick

10. Jamie McMurray

11. Chase Elliott

12. Jimmie Johnson

13. Ty Dillon

14. Kyle Larson

15. Brad Keselowski

16. Paul Menard

17. Chris Buescher

18. Joey Logano

19. Michael McDowell

20. Aric Almirola

21. Landon Cassill

22. Dale Earnhardt Jr.

23. Cole Whitt

24. Kasey Kahne

25. David Ragan

26. Danica Patrick

27. Matt DiBenedetto

28. Corey LaJoie

29. Ricky Stenhouse Jr.

30. Jeffrey Earnhardt

31. Ryan Blaney

32. Derrike Cope

33. Carl Long

34. AJ Allmendinger

35. Trevor Bayne

36. Gray Gaulding

37. Cody Ware

38. Daniel Suarez

39. Reed Sorenson

40. Clint Bowyer

Brian Lawdermilk/Getty Images