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

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

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!

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

Fantasy Preview: Pure Michigan 400

The Sprint Cup Series heads to Michigan International Speedway for the Pure Michigan 400.  After the race on Sunday, there will only be three more races until the Chase for the Sprint Cup.

Tier A
Kasey Kahne
Kahne is a driver who still needs a win to get into the Chase.  Michigan is the type of track where Kahne excels, and he'll need all the speed he can get to work his way towards the front.

Bench:
Dale Earnhardt Jr.

Tier B
Joey Logano
Logano qualified second for the Pure Michigan 400, so he definitely has a fast car.  Logano won this race last year, and he should be strong again this weekend.

Carl Edwards
Edwards starts right behind Logano in third.  Roush-Fenway Racing is normally strong at Michigan, but they failed to run well in June.  I look for that whole team to turn it around on Sunday and have a strong run.

Bench:
AJ Allmendinger
Greg Biffle

Tier C
Kyle Larson
At this point, you'd be stupid not to pick Larson.  He's been good everywhere, and he finished eighth at Michigan in June.  He qualified 13th, and he should run towards the front most of the day.

Bench:
Danica Patrick

My pick to win the Pure Michigan 400...Austin Dillon

Photo courtesy Sarah Glenn/Getty Images

Thanks for reading! Leave a comment with the drivers you're picking this weekend!

Weekly Pull List: 8/13/14

It's the pull list! As always, all the comics available this week are on Comixology, and any comics news is on Comic Book Resources.

Dark Horse
Star Wars #20

DC
Batman #34
Batman Eternal #19
Harley Quinn #9

Image
Sex Criminals #7
The Walking Dead #130

Marvel
All-New X-Men #30
Amazing Spider-Man #5
Amazing X-Men #10
Captain Marvel #6
Deadpool #33
Fantastic Four #8
Hulk #5
Inhuman #3
Nightcrawler #5
Nova Special #1
Original Sin #7
Spider-Man 2099 #2
Ultimate FF #6
Wolverine #11
Wolverine and the X-Men #7
X-Men #18

Be sure to pick up...

Deadpool #33
This Original Sin tie-in has been great.  We finally got to meet Deadpool's daughter, and it has been a pretty fun ride.  Make sure to pick up Original Sin #7 as well as this whole thing starts winding down.

Spider-Man 2099 #2
The first issue of this series was fantastic.  Miguel O'Hara is stuck in our time, and it's fun to see how he reacts with his new surroundings.  Be sure to pick up this Spider-Man title this week!

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

AJ Allmendinger Wins Wild Race at Watkins Glen

Originally written for CLNS Radio.
 
AJ Allmendinger won his first career Sprint Cup Series race at Watkins Glen on Sunday afternoon.

Photo courtesy Robert Laberge/Getty Images

Allmendinger had to run away from Marcos Ambrose, who was the favorite to win the race going into the weekend. 

“I wasn’t going to let Marcos take that from me,” Allmendinger said.  “If he could get to me, he’d move me out of the way just like I’d move him.”

“It wasn’t rough.  He didn’t try to wreck me, just tried to move me.”

The victory was the first of Allmendinger’s career, and it also locks him into the Chase.  

“I just wanted it so bad for them, for this team,” Allmendinger said.

Jeff Gordon won the pole for the Cheez-It 355, and he led the field to the green flag.  He and Ambrose raced side-by-side through the first corner before he finally cleared the No. 9 to take the lead.

The first caution came out on lap 10 when Cole Whitt’s car failed to slow down and he hit the tire barrier hard in Turn 1.

Gordon led the field back to the green flag on lap 15, and he led until the first round of green-flag pit stops began.  Gordon made his pit stop on lap 30, and that allowed his teammate Kasey Kahne to take the lead.  Kahne pitted under the first caution so he could go farther on fuel than most of the leaders.

When Kahne pitted on lap 33, Ambrose took the lead for the first time of the race.

On lap 51, Gordon’s car lost power while he was running second, and he brought out the caution after he was unable to get to pit road.  Ambrose brought most of the leaders down pit road, but the top 7 cars stayed out to take the lead.

Jimmie Johnson led the field back to the green flag on lap 55.  

On lap 57, a big wreck erupted when Ryan Newman made contact with Greg Biffle.  Newman spun hard into the wall, and then came back across the track into traffic.  He made hard contact with Michael McDowell, which tore the rear axle apart and sent him hard into the wall.  The race was red-flagged so that track workers could fix the guardrail.

After a red-flag that lasted for over one hour, the yellow flag came back out and the leaders brought their cars down pit road.

Carl Edwards stayed out under the caution, and he led the field back to the green flag on lap 60.  Edwards held off the field for the first lap, but Allmendinger was able to get around him to take the lead on lap 61.

On lap 78, Josh Wise stopped on the track to bring out the caution.  Allmendinger led the field back to the green flag, but the leaders didn’t make it through the first corner.  Kyle Larson got into Matt Kenseth, which spun Jimmie Johnson in front of the entire field.  Johnson was clipped by Regan Smith, and the caution came back out.

Allmendinger led the field back to the green flag on lap 86, and he and Ambrose raced side-by-side for the lead, and both cars made contact with each other.  

Allmendinger worked his way back around Ambrose before the caution came back out on lap 87.  Denny Hamlin was spun at the pit entrance, and Ben Kennedy was spun coming out of Turn 1.  The race was red-flagged for 20 minutes while track crews cleaned up the accidents.

Allmendinger led the field back to the green flag, and he was able to get ahead of Ambrose for the lead.  Ambrose fought back and got beside Allmendinger coming to the white flag, but Allmendinger was able to pull away from the No. 9 to get his first victory.

Here are the unofficial results:

1. AJ Allmendinger

2. Marcos Ambrose

3. Kurt Busch

4. Kyle Larson

5. Carl Edwards

6. Joey Logano

7. Kevin Harvick

8. Greg Biffle

9. Matt Kenseth

10. Brian Vickers

11. Dale Earnhardt Jr.

12. Kasey Kahne

13. Martin Truex Jr.

14. Jamie McMurray

15. Casey Mears

16. Austin Dillon

17. Justin Allgaier

18. Aric Almirola

19. David Ragan

20. Ricky Stenhouse Jr.

21. Danica Patrick

22. David Gilliland

23. Reed Sorenson

24. Denny Hamlin

25. Boris Said

26. Nelson Piquet Jr.

27. Clint Bowyer

28. Jimmie Johnson

29. Landon Cassill

30. Joe Nemechek

31. Michael Annett

32. Paul Menard

33. Alex Kennedy

34. Jeff Gordon

35. Brad Keselowski

36. Alex Bowman

37. Regan Smith

38. Josh Wise

39. Ryan Truex

40. Kyle Busch

41. Ryan Newman

42. Michael McDowell

43. Cole Whitt

Next week, the Sprint Cup Series heads to Michigan International Speedway for the Pure Michigan 400.  The race can be seen next Sunday at 1:00 p.m. EST on ESPN.

Photo courtesy Jerry Markland/Getty Images