Field Set for Sprint All-Star Race

Originally written for CLNS Radio.

Greg Biffle, Clint Bowyer and Danica Patrick became the final drivers to qualify for Saturday’s Sprint All-Star Race at Charlotte Motor Speedway.

Biffle and Bowyer won the first and second segments of Friday night’s Sprint Showdown, respectively.  The Showdown included all the drivers who have not won a race in the past season, made last season’s Chase for the Sprint Cup or have never won a Sprint All-Star Race.

Photo courtesy Stewart-Haas Racing Facebook page.

Biffle jumped out to the lead in the first segment when the green flag fell, and he never looked back.  He ran away from the field and won the first segment by over 1.5 seconds.  Following the segment, he took his car to the garage and did not race in the second segment.

Bowyer took four tires during the caution between segments, and it turned out to be the winning move.  After a caution early in segment two, Martin Truex Jr. and Kyle Larson raced side-by-side for the lead.  Bowyer took the duo three-wide into Turn 1, took the lead, and pulled away from the field over the final 15 laps of the second segment.

Patrick was the winner of the fan vote, which NASCAR said had the smallest margin between first and second place in All-Star Race history.  Patrick also became the first driver to win the fan vote more than once, after winning the fan vote in 2013.

Qualifying for the Sprint All-Star Race will be Saturday afternoon.  The race will be Saturday night at 9:25 EST.

This year’s All-Star Race will feature five segments.  The first four segments will be 20 laps, and then a final, 10-lap shootout to decide the winner.  The Sprint All-Star Race, one of only two non-points events during the NASCAR season, pays the winner $1 million.

Below are the drivers who will make up the field for Saturday’s 90-lap event.  

#1 – Jamie McMurray

#2 – Brad Keselowski

#4 – Kevin Harvick

#5 – Kasey Kahne

#10 – Danica Patrick (Sprint Fan Vote Winner)

#11 – Denny Hamlin

#14 – Tony Stewart

#15 – Clint Bowyer (Sprint Showdown Segment 2 Winner)

#16 – Greg Biffle (Sprint Showdown Segment 1 Winner)

#18 – Kyle Busch

#19 – Carl Edwards

#20 – Matt Kenseth

#22 – Joey Logano

#24 – Jeff Gordon

#31 – Ryan Newman

#41 – Kurt Busch

#43 – Aric Almirola

#47 – AJ Allmendinger

#48 – Jimmie Johnson

#88 – Dale Earnhardt Jr

Chase Picks: Challenger Round

The Chase starts on Sunday, and below are my picks for the first round of the Chase.  I've decided to go through this round by round, so in three weeks I'll write up part 2.

Below are the drivers I think will move on to the Contender Round (in no particular order).

Kasey Kahne
Kyle Busch
Denny Hamlin
Matt Kenseth
Greg Biffle
Jeff Gordon
Dale Earnhardt Jr.
Brad Keselowski
Kevin Harvick
Carl Edwards
Jimmie Johnson
Joey Logano

Also, in case you are interested in who I picked for my NASCAR.com "Perfect Bracket," below is my full bracket.

My perfect bracket.  We'll see how "perfect" it is after three more weeks.

Thanks for reading!  Be sure to check back in three weeks to see who I'm picking to head to the Eliminator Round!

Fantasy Preview: Richmond 9/6

This Saturday, the Sprint Cup Series heads to Richmond International Raceway to settle the Chase field.  Below are my fantasy picks for the race.

Tier A
Clint Bowyer
Bowyer is always good at Richmond, and he returns to the track still needing a win to get into the Chase.  He returns to the race where he was involved in a scandal last year.  In that race, he spun in the final laps to help get his teammate, Martin Truex Jr., into the Chase.  He will be looking for redemption on Saturday night.

Bench:
Kurt Busch

Tier B:
Ryan Newman
Newman has been strong lately, and he will lock himself into the Chase on Saturday by finishing 41st or better.  With that weight off his back, I could see Newman running up front and contending for a good finish.

Greg Biffle
Biffle is the final driver on the Chase bubble, and he will need to be strong on Saturday.  He will need to finish ahead of Bowyer and Kyle Larson if he wants to get into the Chase on points.  I'd expect him to run well and maybe even contend for the win with his season on the line.

Bench:
Marcos Ambrose
Paul Menard

Tier C:
Austin Dillon
For once, I'm letting my own personal feelings take over instead of my better judgement.  If Dillon wins on Saturday, he'll lock himself into the Chase along with picking up his first career victory.  I would love to see that happen in Dillon's rookie year.  I don't expect him to win the race, but if he has a strong run I want to look like a genius with him on my fantasy team.

Bench:
Danica Patrick

My pick to win the Federated Auto Parts 400...Kevin Harvick

Photo courtesy Jeff Curry/Getty Images

The Federated Auto Parts 400 can be seen on Saturday at 7:30 p.m. EST on ABC as the Chase field is set.

Fantasy Preview: Talladega 5/3

This weekend, the Sprint Cup Series heads to Talladega for the first restrictor-plate race since the season-opening Daytona 500.

Tier A
Dale Earnhardt Jr.

Photo courtesy Chris Trotman/Getty Images

Earnhardt won the Daytona 500, so he should be strong at the other restrictor-plate track on the schedule.  Earnhardt used to be extremely good at Talladega, but he hasn't won there since 2004.  He did finish second in the last trip there in the fall, so look for Earnhardt to be strong this weekend.

Bench:
Kevin Harvick

Tier B
Greg Biffle
Biffle has been strong during restrictor-plate races, and he finished eighth in the Daytona 500.  Dating back to 2011, Biffle has finished in the Top 15 in every race at Talladega, with the exception of this race last year when he finished 36th.

Tony Stewart
Stewart is always a threat to win at any restrictor-plate track, and he is definitely due for a victory.  Though he has never won the Daytona 500, he is always strong at Talladega, and almost won last year before taking out the entire field.  He is definitely hungry for a win, so I expect him to run well this weekend.

Bench:
Paul Menard
Ryan Newman

Tier C
Michael Waltrip
Waltrip almost pulled off a major upset last year, and I wouldn't be surprised if he does it again this year.  I usually stick with Waltrip as a fantasy pick for restrictor-plate tracks because those are the only races he's in the car and it's a solid pick.  I look for him to finish in the Top 10 this weekend.

Bench:
Austin Dillon

My pick to win the Aaron's 499: Tony Stewart

Photo courtesy Patrick Smith/Getty Images

That's all for this week!  Leave a comment below with who you're picking this weekend, and be sure to catch the Aaron's 499 this Sunday from Talladega Superspeedway at 1:00 p.m. EST, only on FOX.

Fantasy Preview: Darlington 4/12

This week, the Sprint Cup Series heads to the Lady in Black, Darlington Raceway.  Read on to find out which drivers I'm starting on my fantasy team this weekend!

Tier A
Kyle Busch

Photo courtesy Chris Trotman/Getty Images

Darlington is a good track for Kyle Busch.  It's a track where you can run right next to the wall, get into it a little bit and keep racing.  Busch is always one of the first drivers to get a Darlington Stripe, but that shouldn't slow him down.  I always think of his victory in the 2008 race at Darlington, when he drove an Indiana Jones car and completely flattened the right side.  Too bad that only made his car go faster.

Bench:
Clint Bowyer

Tier B
Tony Stewart
I was surprised Tony Stewart ran so well at Texas.  I think that team is starting to turn the corner, and I think he should run well at Darlington.  A strong run at this track will help that team build even more confidence heading towards the summer months.

Greg Biffle
Greg Biffle is always strong at Darlington, and I think he'll run well this weekend.  That team just seems to be missing something, but I expect them to find it this weekend, or at least come close.  Biffle knows how to get around Darlington, and he should run well this weekend.

Bench:
Carl Edwards
Brad Keselowski

Tier C
Michael Annett
Honestly, I'm just picking Annett because I can't keep using Austin Dillon and Kyle Larson every weekend.  He's shown a few flashes (and by that, I mean he's run in the top 20 a few times).  He finished 26th at Bristol, which is the closest thing on the schedule to Darlington.  Expect him to run around the same place this weekend.

Bench:
Danica Patrick

My pick to win the Bojangles' Southern 500: Kyle Busch

Kyle Busch celebrates his victory earlier this season at Auto Club Speedway. (Photo courtesy Brian Lawdermilk/Getty Images)

That's all for this week's fantasy preview!  Check back next week for my race recap, and be sure to comment below with who you're picking this weekend!

Biffle Wins the Quicken Loans 400

Originally written for CLNS Radio.

Greg Biffle won the Quicken Loans 400 from Michigan International Speedway on Sunday after holding off a challenge from Jimmie Johnson.

Will Schneekloth/Getty Images

Biffle started the day in 19th, and slowly worked his way to the front.  Biffle finally worked his way to the lead on lap 150 when he passed his teammate Carl Edwards for the lead.  After a caution on lap 167, Biffle re-took the lead on the following restart, and he led the final 28 laps on his way to victory.

The win was the 1,000th win for Ford in NASCAR, and it was Biffle's first victory of the season.  Biffle said that he knew Johnson was going to be strong in the final laps.

"We knew the 48 was really fast," Biffle told TNT.  "I was really worried about the 48, but when this thing got into clean air it was over."

Jimmie Johnson had a strong car for most of the day, and until the final laps he was the only Hendrick Motorsports driver to not have a problem.  Jeff Gordon was involved in an accident with Bobby Labonte on lap six.  Kasey Kahne cut down a tire and slammed into the outside wall on lap 104 while he was leading.  Dale Earnhardt Jr. was also leading when his engine dropped a cylinder on lap 127.

Johnson looked like he was headed towards a solid finish, but then he cut down a right-front tire with just three laps to go.  Johnson said that while the day was a struggle, his car was very good.

"We had a great racecar," said Johnson.  "We just struggled maintaining track position, but we drove back up through there."

Carl Edwards started the race on the pole, but Kurt Busch got him loose heading into Turn 1 to take the lead.  Gordon and Labonte wrecked in Turn 2 to bring out the first caution on lap six.  Busch was able to maintain the lead on the following restart, and he led until the competition caution on lap 20.

The race restarted on lap 25, and Joey Logano took the lead away from Edwards, who came out of the pits in first.  Kurt Busch spun on lap 29, ending his chances at a victory, and bringing out another caution.   Logano led on the following green flag, and Edwards took the lead under the next caution on lap 40. 

Jamie McMurray took the lead on the restart on lap 45, and Johnson took the lead away from him on lap 65.  The fifth caution of the race came out on lap 76, and this time Earnhardt won the race off pit road.

Earnhardt pulled away from Johnson on the restart on lap 81.  Kahne took the lead on lap 90, and on lap 104 he blew a right-front tire and hit the wall to bring out the caution.  Kahne's car caught on fire, but he was able to get out of the car safely.

Earnhardt led the race on the following restart, but on lap 127 his engine dropped a cylinder.  That allowed Johnson to take the lead, and the caution came out on lap 130 when Earnhardt's engine let go.

Edwards took the lead on lap 136, and Biffle was able to get the lead away from his teammate on lap 150.  Biffle would only lose the lead under the next caution on lap 167, but he was able to get it back on the next restart, and he went on to win the race.

Here are the unofficial results:

1. Greg Biffle

2. Kevin Harvick

3. Martin Truex Jr.

4. Kyle Busch

5. Tony Stewart

6. Matt Kenseth

7. Clint Bowyer

8. Carl Edwards

9. Joey Logano

10. Jeff Burton

11. Austin Dillon

12. Brad Keselowski

13. Danica Patrick

14. Paul Menard

15. Trevor Bayne

16. Ricky Stenhouse Jr.

17. Aric Almirola

18. Ryan Newman

19. AJ Allmendinger

20. Juan Pablo Montoya

21. Casey Mears

22. David Gilliland

23. Marcos Ambrose

24. J.J. Yeley

25. David Ragan

26. Mark Martin

27. Travis Kvapil

28. Jimmie Johnson

29. David Stremme

30. Denny Hamlin

31. Dave Blaney

32. David Reutimann

33. Jamie McMurray

34. Ken Schrader

35. Kurt Busch

36. Joe Nemechek

37. Dale Earnhardt Jr.

38. Kasey Kahne

39. Jeff Gordon

40. Josh Wise

41. Mike Bliss

42. Michael McDowell

43. Bobby Labonte

Next week, the Sprint Cup Series heads to the west coast to race on the road course in Sonoma, California.  The Toyota Save Mart 350 from Sonoma Raceway can be seen next Sunday at 2:00 p.m. ET, only on TNT.

Biffle Wins Texas Shootout

Greg Biffle's last victory came at Kansas in 2010, 49 races ago.  This season, the points leader had four top 10 finishes in the first six races.  Biffle was able to grow his points lead tonight, when he overtook Jimmie Johnson to win his first race of 2012.

Greg Biffle celebrates his first win since 2010 (Courtesy Getty Images)

Michael Waltrip Racing has been on a roll lately, and the off week did not slow them down; Martin Truex Jr. won the pole for the race, and Mark Martin qualified fourth.  Truex Jr. took the green flag first, and jumped out to an early lead.  Matt Kenseth began to have some problems at around lap 20.  He believed that something was on fire in the engine, after his water temperature shot up and he got some smoke in the cockpit.  But that didn't stop he and teammate Greg Biffle from catching Martin Truex Jr., and on lap 32, Biffle took the lead from Martin Truex Jr. 

Trevor Bayne, shown here on pit road, brought out one of the race's two cautions (Courtesy Getty Images)

On lap 43, Jeff Gordon hit pit road with a worn right-front tire, and it forced the rest of the field to make green flag pit stops.  During the stops, Kasey Kahne, who has had bad luck in almost every race this year, got boxed in on his stop and lost most of his track position.  At about lap 64, Matt Kenseth reported that he may have had a loose wheel, and that he would have to come in to fix it.  But then, on lap 67, they caught a break when the first caution came out, for debris.

Following pit stops, Martin Truex Jr. retook the lead from Greg Biffle, but Biffle took the lead on the high side on the ensuing restart.  He lead all the way until lap 82, when his Roush Fenway teammate Matt Kenseth took the lead.  On lap 93, the second caution of the night came out when Trevor Bayne slapped the outside wall.  Kenseth lost the lead during pit stops, and Martin Truex Jr.'s team got him out front once again.  On the restart, however, Greg Biffle was able to drive away from the field and retake the lead.

Biffle was only able to hold the lead until lap 113, when Jimmie Johnson got a run coming off turn 4 to take the lead away.  Johnson lost the lead on the next round of green flag pit stops, after he pitted five laps after Martin Truex Jr., who took the lead away from Johnson while he was in the pits.  It took Johnson until lap 180 before he was able to take the lead away from Truex.  Just a few laps later, green flag pit stops began again, and this time Jimmie Johnson was able to hold on to the lead.  While Johnson was able to hold onto his position, Martin Truex Jr. was shuffled back to fifth after pit stops.  Truex's Michael Waltrip Racing teammate Mark Martin moved up to second following the round of green flag pit stops.

Jimmie Johnson leads Greg Biffle during the Samsung Mobile 500 (Courtesy Getty Images)

Jimmie Johnson did not give up the lead over the next green flag run.  During the green flag pit stops, Johnson did not lose any time on Greg Biffle or Mark Martin, who were running second and third, respectively.  Johnson was dominating the race, but with 60 laps to go, Greg Biffle began to cut into Johnson's lead a little bit, partly due to the fact that Johnson was catching a lot of lapped traffic.

Right before the last set set of green flag pit stops, Greg Biffle cut into Jimmie Johnson's lead dramatically as Johnson was trying to get some trash off of his grille.  Following the green flag pit stops, the top three remained the same; Jimmie Johnson led Greg Biffle and Mark Martin with about 50 laps to go.  With 30 laps to go, Biffle was finally able to get around Jimmie Johnson to take the lead.  Biffle started to build a big lead on Johnson, and it got even bigger when the 48 car slid up into the outside wall with about 17 laps to go.  Biffle was able to keep his lead over Johnson at around 3.2 seconds, and easily captured his 17th career win.  Biffle led 91 laps on his way to victory.

Mark Martin stands in front of his car before the race; he would finish third (Courtesy Getty Images)

Jimmie Johnson, after leading a race-high 156 laps, was able to nurse his car home second.  Unfortunately for team owner Rick Hendrick, they will have to take the 200th Win hats to Kansas with them.  Mark Martin was running the fastest laps at the end of the race, but it was too little too late, and he came home third.  Jeff Gordon and Matt Kenseth rounded out the top 5. Pole-sitter Martin Truex Jr. was able to come home sixth, while Kasey Kahne had some good luck and finished seventh.  Carl Edwards, Kevin Harvick, and Dale Earnhardt Jr. finished eigth, ninth, and  tenth, respectively.  Marcos Ambrose had a strong run all day, but ran out of gas on the last lap and ended up 20th.  Tony Stewart had to go to a back-up car before the race, and couldn't make up any ground; he finished 24th.  Brad Keselowski had engine troubles about halfway through the race, and wound up 36th, 22 laps down. 

The race at Texas was not very exciting, but any race with a 234-lap green flag run isn't exactly the epitome of excitement.  The next race will be Sunday at Kansas, where the Sprint Cup stars will run 400 miles to see who is the best-of-the-best.  The race will be at 12:30, and can be seen only on FOX. 

Greg Biffle: Winner of the Samsung Mobile 500 (Courtesy Getty Images)

2012 Chase Predictions

Making predictions for the Chase are always risky.  Doing so will make some people look like geniuses, while making others question if their friends should be admitted to a psychiatric hospital.  Well, hopefully I fall into the first category.  There may be a few surprises on this list, like Kasey Kahne finishing so high in the final standings.  But I don't think it is a surprise to anyone who I am picking to win it all in 2012.  Let's take a look into my crystal ball and see how I think the Chase field will shake out in 2012.

1. Carl Edwards
Carl Edwards was very classy after just losing the Sprint Cup Championship in Homestead at the end of last season.  But after having the strongest Chase run of anyone in history (he had a 4.9 average finishing position), he seems poised to finally capture his first Sprint Cup Championship.  Hopefully he can avoid the team breakdown that occurred after finishing second in the points standings to Jimmie Johnson in 2008.

Carl Edwards in the garage during Daytona Preseason Testing (Photo courtesy Associated Press)

 2. Jeff Gordon
The "Drive for Five" has been going on ever since Jeff Gordon's fourth championship back in 2001.  Unfortunately for Gordon fans, he will fall just short of tying protege Jimmie Johnson in 2012.  Gordon will have a fantastic season in 2012, but will fall just short of Edwards.  Gordon will keep it close heading into Homestead, but the power of Edwards and his Roush-Fenway Racing team will prove too much for Gordon and the 24 team to overcome.

3. Matt Kenseth
The Roush-Fenway cars were strong at the end of 2011, and that should translate into strong cars in 2012.  Matt Kenseth seems to have returned to championship form, but it may not be enough to overcome Edwards and Gordon.  But Kenseth will have one of his best seasons to date, and he will once again own the nickname "Mr. Consistency."

4. Jimmie Johnson
"Five-time" will not win a sixth championship in 2012.  After a disappointing 2011 season (by "disappointing" I mean that they didn't win a sixth consecutive championship), Johnson will turn it around in 2012.  Though he may get the ship righted in 2012, he and crew chief Chad Knaus will continue to bicker over the radio, and this bickering will affect Johnson's championship run.

5. Kasey Kahne
After proving he can win in sub-par equipment at Red Bull Racing, Kasey Kahne will flourish at Hendrick Motorsports.  I believe Kahne will have multiple wins for the first time since 2009.  He will become a force to be reckoned with on the racetrack in 2012.  Look for Kahne to do big things this year, and even bigger things in 2013.

Kasey Kahne and Kenny Francis find themselves at Hendrick in 2012 (Photo courtesy Associated Press)

 6. Tony Stewart
Why is the defending Sprint Cup Champion so far down this list?  Two words: Steve Addington.  Sure, Addington has proved that he can win with the Busch brothers, but he was never able to elevate them to championship-caliber status.  Addington and Stewart will have some missteps and stumbles in 2012, and they will prove costly when it comes to the championship.  It is very unlikely this first-year combination will make much noise in the Chase.

7. Kyle Busch
Kyle Busch ran into trouble in 2011, and he seeks to put that behind him in 2012.  He will, and will have his best season to date with Joe Gibbs Racing.  He won't win the title, but he won't get into any major trouble either.  Busch will use this season as a stepping stone to 2013, where he will challenge for the championship.

Kyle Busch during Daytona Preseason Testing (Photo courtesy Associated Press)

 8. Kevin Harvick
After finishing third in the points the past two season, Kevin Harvick and the No. 29 team will falter in 2012.  Harvick will get one or two wins this season, but he will no longer be called "The Closer."  He will also run into some trouble early on in the Chase, and that will spell out the end to his championship run.

Kevin Harvick with RCR Teammate Jeff Burton (Photo courtesy Associated Press)

 9. Greg Biffle
Greg Biffle missed the Chase last year for the first time since 2007.  He was winless in 2011, but he will make both his return to Victory Lane and the Chase this year.  But he, like Harvick, will run into trouble early in the Chase and it will greatly affect his championship hopes.  At ninth place in points, he will also be far behind his Roush-Fenway teammates of Carl Edwards and Matt Kenseth.

10. Dale Earnhardt Jr.
While Dale Earnhardt Jr. will return to Victory Lane in 2012, he will come nowhere near hoisting the Sprint Cup Trophy.  I believe the No. 88 team will completely break down in the Chase, and Earnhardt Jr. will once again be relegated to the bottom half of the Chase field.  Earnhardt Jr. will make it into the Chase using a wild card spot.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. looks to return to Victory Lane in 2012 (Photo courtesy Associated Press)

 11. Denny Hamlin
Denny Hamlin will continue to be plagued by bad luck in 2012.  Even with new crew chief Darian Grubb, Hamlin will not be able to rekindle the magic that Jimmie Johnson stole from him in 2010.  Hamlin will find himself on the outside looking in when the series gets to Richmond, and he will have to settle for a wild card spot in the Chase.

12. Jeff Burton
Richard Childress Racing and Jeff Burton will get it turned around just enough to get Burton into the Chase, but no more.  Burton will just squeak into the Chase, and will prove to be a non-factor as the Chase rolls on.  Burton will simply not be able to keep up with everyone else that will be in the Chase.

Hopefully some of these predictions come true, so that I look a little bit smarter than I actually am.  And if not, I think I left my explanations vague enough that I have some room to back out of my arguments.  Is it time for Daytona?  I know I'm ready to get the season underway, and I can't wait to see how the season unfolds!

The Daytona 500 is February 26th (Photo courtesy Associated Press)