Fantasy Preview: Charlotte 5/25/14

This week, the Sprint Cup Series heads to Charlotte for the longest race of the season, the Coca-Cola 600.  I accidentally forgot to reset my fantasy team for this week, but I think I may have lucked out following the qualifying results.  Read on to see who I picked for this weekend.

Tier A
Clint Bowyer
Bowyer qualified very well, and he ran well last weekend for the All-Star Race.  He won the Sprint Showdown, and I expect his good fortune to continue this weekend.

Bench:

Photo courtesy Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images

Kasey Kahne

Tier B
Brad Keselowski
Keselowski's victory this season came at Las Vegas, which is similar to Charlotte.  I expect Keselowski to run very well this weekend, and he starts second on Sunday night.

Aric Almirola
Almirola was strong during the Sprint Showdown last weekend, but failed to race his way into the All-Star Race.  He has had some very good runs early this season on the 1.5 mile tracks, and I expect that to continue this weekend.

Bench:
Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
Brian Vickers

Tier C
Danica Patrick
Patrick ran extremely well at Kansas two weeks ago, finishing seventh.  She seems to be turning a corner, and she also qualified well for this weekend's race.  I expect her to continue her momentum and pick up at least a Top 15 finish on Sunday.

Bench:
Kyle Larson

My pick to win the Coca-Cola 600: Brad Keselowski

Keselowski will drive this car for Memorial Day Weekend (Photo courtesy Jerry Markland/Getty Images)

Thanks for reading my fantasy preview of the Coca-Cola 600!  Leave a comment below with what drivers you're starting this weekend at Charlotte!

Weekly Pull List: 5/21/2014

Another Wednesday - another pull list!! As always, all the comics available this week can be seen on Comixology, and any breaking comics news is on Comic Book Resources.

Dark Horse
Star Wars Darth Maul Son of Dathomir #1

DC
Batman and Robin #31
Batman Eternal #7
Batman/Superman #11
Green Lantern: New Guardians #31
Harley Quinn #6
New 52 Future's End #3
Sinestro #2

Image
Invincible #111
Saga #19

Marvel
All-New Doop #2 (of 5)
Amazing Spider-Man #2
Amazing X-Men #7
Daredevil #3
Deadpool Annual #2
Hulk #3
Magneto #4
Nova #17
Original Sin #2 (of 8)
Savage Wolverine #19
Uncanny X-Men #21
Wolverine and the X-Men #4
X-Men #14

Be sure to pick up:

Invincible #111
Last issue really shook up Invincible's life!  Robert Kirkman likes to create story lines with good jumping-on points, and this is one of them.  If you haven't been reading Invincible, this should be a great place to start.

Amazing Spider-Man #2
Did you think I wouldn't include a Spider-Man book this week?  Well you were wrong, and for good reason.  Electro is coming back, and he's got Spidey in his sights.  The Black Cat is also a little mad at Spider-Man, though it's not his fault; it has to do with what Doc Ock did during his tenure as the Superior Spider-Man.  Make sure to pick this one up.

Man, that's a lot of comics for this week!  Thanks for reading, and make sure to comment below with what books you're picking up this week!

Jamie McMurray Wins $1 Million in All-Star Race

Originally written for CLNS Radio.

Jamie McMurray ran away from the field during the final segment to win the Sprint All-Star Race on Saturday night at Charlotte Motor Speedway.

Photo courtesy Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images

McMurray led a race-high 31 laps on his way to the $1 million victory, but he had to hold off tough challenges from Carl Edwards and Kevin Harvick in the closing laps.

On the final restart, he ran side-by-side with Edwards before finally taking the lead with seven laps to go.  He said they raced hard with the perfect attitude.

“I thought heck with it, it’s for a million bucks,” McMurray said.  “If we wreck it’s not that big of a deal.”

McMurray said they’ve had good cars all season, but have had some bad luck.  He said this race makes all of those missed opportunities a little bit better.

“This is one of those races that makes up for a lot of bad times,” McMurray said.

Edwards started on the pole, and he led the first 10 laps.  Kyle Busch took over on lap 10, and he ran away from the field to win the first segment.

Under the caution, Denny Hamlin stayed out to take the lead while the rest of the field pitted.

Hamlin jumped out to the lead, and used the clean air to run away from the field.  

He led until the caution came out after Busch made contact with Clint Bowyer, sending Busch spinning into Turn 3.  After contact with the wall, he came back down the track and collected Joey Logano.

When the race restarted, Hamlin spun the tires, handing the lead over to Edwards.  

The race was only green for a half-lap, when Brian Vickers made contact with AJ Allmendinger, who went sliding into the inside wall.  

Edwards led the field back to the green flag on lap 34, but Kasey Kahne quickly got around him on lap 36 to take the lead.  Kahne pulled away from Edwards to lead at the end of the second segment.

McMurray stayed out under the caution to take the lead for the first time, and he led the field to the green flag to begin segment 3.

McMurray pulled away from the field, but Kahne quickly chased him down.  Kahne took the lead just six laps into the run, and he led until the end of the third segment.

After the third segment, McMurray only took two tires during pit stops.  He led the field back to the green flag at the beginning of the fourth segment.

Heading into Turn 3, Jeff Gordon, Martin Truex Jr. and Greg Biffle got together to bring out the caution.  Gordon’s car erupted in flames, but the fire quickly put itself out before he came down pit road.

McMurray led the field back to the green flag on lap 68, and he pulled away from the rest of the field.  Kevin Harvick was able to run him down and take the lead on lap 76, and he led at the end of the fourth segment.

Following the fourth segment, the running order was reset based upon everyone’s average finish among the four segments.  That put Harvick and McMurray as the first two cars, and they led everyone down pit road for a mandatory four-tire pit stop.

Edwards put his first pit stall to good use by winning the race off pit road.  That put him in the lead when the final 10-lap segment began.

Edwards took the green flag, but he was unable to get away from McMurray for the lead.  They raced side-by-side for three laps, but McMurray was able to take the lead.  

He pulled away from the rest of the field while Harvick and Edwards battled hard for second, and Harvick was never able to close in on McMurray to steal the win.

Here are the unofficial results:

1. Jamie McMurray

2. Kevin Harvick                                                                                                           

3. Matt Kenseth

4. Dale Earnhardt Jr.

5. Carl Edwards

6. Jimmie Johnson

7. Clint Bowyer

8. Brian Vickers

9. Denny Hamlin

10. Brad Keselowski

11. Kurt Busch

12. Tony Stewart

13. David Ragan

14. Kasey Kahne

15. Josh Wise

16. Ryan Newman

17. Jeff Gordon

18. Martin Truex Jr.

19. Greg Biffle

20. AJ Allmendinger

21. Kyle Busch

22. Joey Logano

The stars of the Sprint Cup Series stay in Charlotte for another week.  NASCAR’s longest race, the Coca-Cola 600, can be seen next Sunday at 6:00 p.m. EST, only on FOX.

Photo courtesy Jonathan Moore/Getty Images

Clint Bowyer Wins Sprint Showdown, Advances to All-Star Race

Clint Bowyer raced his way into the Sprint All-Star Race by winning the Sprint Showdown on Friday night.

Bowyer had a strong car all night, and he outran the rest of the field following a four-tire pit stop before the final restart.

Photo courtesy Jeff Zelevansky/Getty Images

“I guess that was the right deal,” Bowyer said.  “We’ve had a struggling year, and I spent a lot of time at the shop this week.”

“We came here with a little bit of a different set-up, and I’m really excited about the way our car handled in practice and throughout the run.”

AJ Allmendinger followed Bowyer across the line in second, and he also transferred into the All-Star Race.

The biggest surprise of the night came when NASCAR announced the fan-vote winner who also transfers into the All-Star Race.  The fan-vote was Josh Wise, whose Dogecoin-sponsored car spurred a Reddit-inspired movement to vote the driver into the race.

The Showdown was split into two 20-lap segments, with an optional pit stop in between the segments.  

The All-Star Race is Saturday night at 9:00 p.m. on FOX Sports 1.  That race includes all the winners since last year’s Coca-Cola 600 and all the previous winners of the All-Star Race.

The All-Star Race is a 90-lap event that showcases the biggest names of the sport.  It includes four 20-lap segments, and a fifth segment with a final 10-lap dash for the win.

Drivers are not required to pit between the first four segments, and will lose any track position if they choose to do so.  Following the fourth segment, the field will be reset by their average finish among the four segments, and they will have to make a mandatory four-tire pit stop.  The order on the final restart will be determined by how they come off pit road.

Qualifying for the All-Star Race will be Saturday night before the race.  

Here are the 25 drivers who will compete in the All-Star Race:

Jamie McMurray, Chip Ganassi Racing No. 1 Chevrolet

Brad Keselowski, Team Penske No. 2 Ford

Kevin Harvick, Stewart-Haas Racing No. 4 Chevrolet

Kasey Kahne, Hendrick Motorsports No. 5 Chevrolet

Denny Hamlin, Joe Gibbs Racing No. 11 Toyota

Tony Stewart, Stewart-Haas Racing No. 14 Chevrolet

Greg Biffle, Roush-Fenway Racing No. 16 Ford

Kyle Busch, Joe Gibbs Racing No. 18 Toyota

Matt Kenseth, Joe Gibbs Racing No. 20 Toyota

Joey Logano, Team Penske No. 22 Ford

Jeff Gordon, Hendrick Motorsports No. 24 Chevrolet

Ryan Newman, Richard Childress Racing No. 31 Chevrolet

David Ragan, Front Row Motorsports No. 34 Ford

Kurt Busch, Stewart-Haas Racing No. 41 Chevrolet

Jimmie Johnson, Hendrick Motorsports No. 48 Chevrolet

Brian Vickers, Michael Waltrip Racing No. 55 Toyota

Martin Truex Jr., Furniture Row Racing No. 78 Chevrolet

Dale Earnhardt Jr., Hendrick Motorsports No. 88 Chevrolet

Carl Edwards, Roush-Fenway Racing No. 99 Ford

Clint Bowyer, Michael Waltrip Racing No. 15 Toyota (Sprint Showdown Winner)

AJ Allmendinger, JTG Daugherty Racing No. 47 Toyota (Sprint Showdown Runner-Up)

Josh Wise, Phil Parsons Racing No. 98 Ford (Fan Vote Winner)

Sprint All-Star Fan Vote - Vote Austin!

The Sprint All-Star Race is this weekend.  The weekend kicks off on Friday with the last chance to make the race for all those winless drivers when they take the track for the Sprint Showdown.  The top 2 finishers of that event will continue on to the main event on Saturday night.

Along with the top 2 finishers from the Showdown, fans can vote one more driver into the All-Star Race.  This vote has been very important in the past - remember when Kasey Kahne won the All-Star Race after winning the fan vote?

Voting closes Friday night at 7:00 p.m. EST, so be sure to cast your votes before then!  You can vote by heading here, or by using the NASCAR Mobile App.  Votes cast on the app count double, so it's really a no-brainer. 

I've been voting for Austin Dillon, and hopefully we'll get to see the No. 3 return to the All-Star Race!

The Sprint Showdown can be seen on FOX Sports 1 Friday night at 7:00 EST, and the Sprint All-Star Race coverage begins Saturday night at 7:00 EST, with the green flag flying around 9:00.

Weekly Pull List: 5/14/2014

It's time for this week's pull list!  As always, all the comics available this week are available on Comixology, and any breaking comics news can be found on Comic Book Resources.

Dark Horse
Star Wars #17

DC
Batman Eternal #6
Green Lantern Corps #31
New 52 Future's End #2

Image
The Walking Dead #127

Marvel
All-New Ultimates #2
All-New X-Men #27
Avengers #29
Captain Marvel #3
Deadpool #28
Fantastic Four #4
Iron Man #25
Nightcrawler #2
Wolverine #6


Be sure to pick up...

The Walking Dead #127
The aftermath of All Out War begins here! Can Rick continue to lead the group, or is he too far gone? I really enjoyed All Out War, and it had a couple surprises along the way.  A new era of The Walking Dead begins here!

Deadpool #28
Deadpool goes on his honeymoon! After last month's colossal issue that saw Deadpool get married, this issue should be great.  Nothing can go wrong, I'm sure of it.  Right?

That's all for this week!  Thanks for reading, and be sure to leave a comment below with what books you're picking up this week!

Jeff Gordon Wins at Kansas

Originally written for CLNS Radio.

Jeff Gordon held off a hard-charging Kevin Harvick to win the 5-Hour Energy 400 from Kansas Speedway on Saturday night.

Gordon led after the final round of green-flag pit stops, but Harvick ran him down on the final lap when Gordon got caught behind some lapped traffic.

Photo courtesy Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images

“Kevin was tough; he was so strong,” said Gordon.  “I didn’t know if I could hold him off and I almost couldn’t.”

“I thought if we got in front of him we could hold him off.  And on that last pit stop, we cycled around in front of him.  We just pulled away because our car was so strong.”

Gordon had been the points leader coming into the weekend, but he had said earlier in the weekend that he would trade it all in for just one victory.

“I knew we had a fast racecar,” said Gordon.  “We’ve been bringing fast cars every weekend.  It’s been giving me some confidence every time.”

“What a huge weight off this team’s shoulders.  We’ve been leading the points, but it’s great to get this win.”

Harvick started on the pole and led a race-high 119 laps.  But he fell short after falling behind on the final pit stop.

“We ran out of gas coming to pit road,” said Harvick.  “He [Gordon] wound up getting by me there.  I slipped there with 10 or 11 laps to go, and lost all that ground we had made up.”

The start of the race was delayed by rain in the area by about 30 minutes.  When the race finally went green, Harvick started on the pole after setting a new track-record on Friday.  He quickly ran away from the field, and led all the way through the first round of green-flag pit stops.

The first caution of the night came out on lap 47 for a spin by Clint Bowyer.  Bowyer got loose coming out of Turn 2, and he spun down the track.  

When the race restarted, Brad Keselowski started in the lead.  He led for only one lap, as Harvick re-took the lead on lap 54.

On lap 60, a 4-car wreck brought out the caution. David Ragan got together with Michael Annett, Landon Cassill and Ryan Truex on the frontstretch.

Harvick led the field back to the green flag, and he had to hold off a 3-wide challenge from Jimmie Johnson and Keselowski to keep the lead.

On lap 72, Denny Hamlin spun coming out of Turn 2.  Much like Bowyer’s earlier spin, he got loose coming out of the corner and spun down the track.  

Harvick led when the race restarted on lap 75.  He led until the next round of green flag pit stops, when Joey Logano cycled around as the leader.

On lap 111, Marcos Ambrose spun coming out of Turn 4 to bring out the caution.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. led on the next restart, but Logano quickly re-took the lead.

On lap 150, Jamie McMurray cut a tire and hit the wall, and his car erupted in flames coming to pit road.  

Kasey Kahne led the field to the green, but Logano took the lead one lap later. 

Kurt Busch spun on lap 180 to bring out the sixth caution of the night.

Johnson led at the restart on lap 185, but a wreck on lap 187 brought out the caution once again.

Johnson led the field back to the green flag on lap 195, but Logano quickly got around him to take the lead.

Kurt Busch spun on lap 203 to bring out the final caution of the night.

Harvick led the field back to the green flag on lap 208.  He led until the final round of green flag pit stops began on lap 238.  When stops had cycled around by lap 259, Gordon was in the lead and Harvick was in second.

Harvick closed in on Gordon during the final laps, but he held off the 4 car to pick up his 89th career victory.

Here are the unofficial results:

1. Jeff Gordon

2. Kevin Harvick

3. Kasey Kahne

4. Joey Logano

5. Dale Earnhardt Jr.

6. Carl Edwards

7. Danica Patrick

8. Aric Almirola

9. Jimmie Johnson

10. Matt Kenseth

11. Ryan Newman

12. Kyle Larson

13. Brad Keselowski

14. Brian Vickers

15. Kyle Busch

16. Greg Biffle

17. Paul Menard

18. Denny Hamlin

19. Austin Dillon

20. Tony Stewart

21. Martin Truex Jr.

22. Ricky Stenhouse Jr.

23. Clint Bowyer

24. Marcos Ambrose

25. Michael Annett

26. Casey Mears

27. Ryan Blaney

28. Cole Whitt

29. Kurt Busch

30. AJ Allmendinger

31. Joe Nemechek

32. Reed Sorenson

33. Josh Wise

34. Travis Kvapil

35. Alex Bowman

36. Just Allgaier

37. David Gilliland

38. David Ragan

39. Jamie McMurray

40. Timmy Hill

41. J.J. Yeley

42. Landon Cassill

43. Ryan Truex

Next Saturday, the Sprint Cup Series heads home to Charlotte Motor Speedway.  The Sprint All-Star Race can be seen on Saturday at 9:00 p.m. EST, only on FOX Sports 1.

Photo courtesy Jerry Markland/Getty Images