Brad Keselowski Dominates at Kentucky

Originally written for CLNS Radio.

Brad Keselowski dominated the Quaker State 400 for his second victory of the season on Saturday night.

Photo courtesy Todd Warshaw

Keselowski led a race-high 199 laps on his way to victory.  His car wasn’t the only strong Penske car on Saturday, as his teammate Joey Logano led 37 laps before dropping a cylinder and finishing ninth.

Keselowski’s second victory of the season also locked him into the Chase for the Sprint Cup.

Keselowski started on pole, and he quickly jumped out to the lead after starting on the outside line.  He led until the first caution came out on lap 29 when Denny Hamlin cut down a front tire.  

Keselowski led the leaders back to the green flag on lap 35, and he led until the caution came back out again on lap 77.  That caution was for Kyle Larson hitting the wall after cutting down a tire.

Logano won the race off pit road, and he led the field back to the green flag on lap 85.  Keselowski was able to get around him two laps later, and he led until the caution came out on lap 126.

Logano won the race off pit road again, and he led the field back to the green flag on lap 131.  Keselowski restarted fourth, and he didn’t take the lead again until lap 148.

On lap 153, the caution came out for a spin by Alex Bowman.  Jamie McMurray slowed to avoid the spin, and he was hit by Aric Almirola.  

Logano came off pit road first, and he led the field to the restart on lap 161.  This time, he led the entire green flag run, as David Stremme spun on lap 176 to bring out the caution.

Keselowski stayed out under the caution, and he led the field back to the green flag on lap 182.  On the restart, Kyle Busch went 3-wide around Keselowski and Logano to take the lead.

On lap 214, Almirola hit the wall to bring out the final caution of the night.

Busch led the field back to the green flag on lap 220, and he used the clean air to get away from the field.  But once he got caught in lapped traffic, Keselowski began to reel Busch in.  On lap 248, Keselowski finally got around Busch for the lead, and he never looked back as he collected the checkered flag.

Here are the unofficial results:

1. Brad Keselowski

2. Kyle Busch

3. Ryan Newman

4. Matt Kenseth

5. Dale Earnhardt Jr.

6. Jeff Gordon

7. Kevin Harvick

8. Kasey Kahne

9. Joey Logano

10. Jimmie Johnson

11. Tony Stewart

12. Kurt Busch

13. Marcos Ambrose

14. Greg Biffle

15. Paul Menard

16. Austin Dillon

17. Carl Edwards

18. Michael Annett

19. Martin Truex Jr.

20. Casey Mears

21. Danica Patrick

22. AJ Allmendinger

23. Clint Bowyer

24. Just Allgaier

25. Ricky Stenhouse Jr.

26. Brian Vickers

27. Reed Sorenson

28. Cole Whitt

29. Josh Wise

30. David Gilliland

31. David Ragan

32. Landon Cassill

33. Ryan Truex

34. Travis Kvapil

35. David Stremme

36. Alex Bowman

37. Jamie McMurray

38. Joe Nemechek

39. Aric Almirola

40. Kyle Larson

41. Mike Bliss

42. Denny Hamlin

Next week, the Sprint Cup Series heads to Daytona International Speedway for the July 4th weekend.  The Coke Zero 400 is next Saturday at 7:30 p.m. EST on TNT.

Photo courtesy Sean Gardner/Getty Images

Fantasy Preview: Kentucky 6/28

This weekend, the Sprint Cup Series heads under the lights at Kentucky Speedway.  The Quaker State 400 presented by Advance Auto Parts is Saturday at 7:30 p.m. EST on TNT.  Read on to see who I'm picking this weekend!

Tier A
Jeff Gordon
Gordon has been very strong this season, and he currently leads the points standings.  I expect him to run strong this weekend, and he might be able to pick up his first career win at Kentucky.

Bench:

Photo courtesy Tom Pennington/Getty Images

Kasey Kahne

Tier B
Paul Menard
Menard has been pretty consistent this season, and this weekend should be no different.  Menard finished in the Top 15 two years ago at Kentucky, and I expect more of the same this weekend.

Jamie McMurray
McMurray was fast during this weekend's practice sessions, and he qualified eighth for the race.  The Ganassi cars have speed this weekend, and he won't have far to go to find the lead.

Bench:
Casey Mears
AJ Allmendinger

Tier C
Cole Whitt
Whitt has shown flashes of speed this season, but starting him in fantasy won't bring much.  I'm hoping he can get a top 25 finish.  He was 25th fastest in final practice, so it seems like he's on the right track.

Bench:
Michael Annett

My pick to win the Quaker State 400...Jeff Gordon

Photo courtesy NASCAR via Getty Images

So what drivers are you starting this weekend?  Comment below with your fantasy team.

Weekly Pull List: 6/25/14

It's this week's pull list!  All the comics available this week can be found on Comixology, and any breaking comics news can be found on Comic Book Resources.

BOOM! Studios
Rush Clockwork Angels #3

Dark Horse
Star Wars Rebel Heist #3

DC
Batman #32
Batman Eternal #12
The Flash #32
Secret Origins #3
Sinestro #3

Image
Chew #42
Invincible #112
Saga #20
Sex #14

Marvel
All-New Doop #3
All-New Ultimates #4
Amazing Spider-Man #3
Deadpool vs. Carnage #4
Fantastic Four #6
Guardians of the Galaxy #16
New Warriors #6
Original Sins #2
Original Sin: Hulk vs. Iron Man #1
Savage Hulk #1
Spider-Man Spectacular #1
Wolverine #9

Be sure to pick up...

Amazing Spider-Man #3
Peter is still trying to clean up Doc Ock's mess from his time as Superior Spider-Man.  One of the biggest things Ock did may have been putting Felicia Hardy away in prison.  Yeah, the Black Cat is back, and she is not happy.

Deadpool vs. Carnage #4
It's the finale of this series!  This comic has been so much fun, and I'm really not sure who will win this ultimate throwdown.  Can Carnage take down Deadpool?  Or will Carnage destroy himself to get away from Deadpool's constant chatter?

Savage Hulk #1 
I've been excited for this series since it was announced.  It's basically like Savage Wolverine, so there will be a self-contained story set over a few issues.  I'm really excited to see what kind of stuff the Hulk gets into.

Spider-Man Spectacular #1
This is another throwback issue where we'll see a few mini stories from Peter's past.  I've really enjoyed all these issues so far, and I can't wait to see what's in this one!

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

Carl Edwards Wins the Toyota/Save Mart 350

Originally written for CLNS Radio. 

Carl Edwards won his first career road course race on Sunday in the Toyota/Save Mart 350 from Sonoma Raceway.

Edwards had to outrun Jeff Gordon over the last green-flag run, and he said it was a little intimidating with him in the mirror.

Photo courtesy Jerry Markland/Getty Images

“I grew up watching Jeff Gordon do well here, so to have him in my mirror, that is very special,” Edwards said.

Edwards had never won on a road course in his Sprint Cup career, and he made sure to thank those who helped him in victory lane.

“It’s really tricky, and that’s the best I’ve got, and it almost wasn’t good enough,” Edwards said.  “I’ve got to thank Boris Said, all my teammates, Mark Martin and everyone through the years who has helped me.”

Jamie McMurray started on the pole, and he jumped out to the lead when the green flag fell.  He pulled ahead of AJ Allmendinger, but he stayed right with McMurray over the first few laps.  On lap 9, Allmendinger finally got around the No. 1 to take the lead.

On lap 22, Kevin Harvick took the lead during green-flag pit stops.  He led until the first caution of the day came out when Landon Cassill blew up on the frontstretch.

Under the caution, Harvick pitted to give the lead back to Allmendinger.  He led the field back to the green flag on lap 35, and he held off a hard-charging McMurray.  On lap 54, McMurray was finally able to get around Allmendinger for the lead.

McMurray pitted on lap 56, and that allowed Gordon to take the lead.  When Gordon pitted, Harvick resumed the lead on lap 58.  He led until the second caution of the day came out when Ryan Truex’s car stalled on lap 61.

Harvick led the field back to the green flag on lap 64, and he was able to pull ahead of Clint Bowyer.  Harvick couldn’t hold off Johnson, and he took the lead on lap 70.  On lap 71, the third caution came out for debris in Turn 10.

Bowyer took the lead away from Joey Logano on the restart, and he led until the caution came back out later that lap.  Dale Earnhardt Jr. hopped a curb in the esses, and he turned Matt Kenseth into the tire barrier.  Kenseth’s car smashed into the tires, but he was able to walk away from the accident.

The race restarted on lap 80, and Marcos Ambrose was able to beat Bowyer through the first turn to take the lead.  On lap 82, McMurray spun Bowyer in the hairpin corner.  Bowyer stopped in the middle of the track, and he was drilled by Harvick, ruining both of their days.

Edwards jumped ahead of Ambrose for the lead when the race restarted.  He was leading when the final caution of the race came out on lap 91 when Brian Vickers spun Ricky Stenhouse Jr.

Edwards pulled away from McMurray on the final restart, and he pulled away from the other leaders by over two seconds.  Gordon got around McMurray for second, and he closed in on Edwards, but he was never able to get around the 99, and Edwards won his second race of the season.

Here are the unofficial results:

1. Carl Edwards

2. Jeff Gordon

3. Dale Earnhardt Jr.

4. Jamie McMurray

5. Paul Menard

6. Kasey Kahne

7. Jimmie Johnson

8. Marcos Ambrose

9. Greg Biffle

10. Clint Bowyer

11. Ryan Newman

12. Kurt Busch

13. Casey Mears

14. Brian Vickers

15. Martin Truex Jr.

16. Joey Logano

17. Austin Dillon

18. Danica Patrick

19. Tony Stewart

20. Kevin Harvick

21. David Gilliland

22. Brad Keselowski

23. Aric Almirola

24. Michael McDowell

25. Kyle Busch

26. Denny Hamlin

27. Cole Whitt

28. Kyle Larson

29. Alex Bowman

30. Michael Annett

31. Ricky Stenhouse Jr.

32. Reed Sorenson

33. Justin Allgaier

34. J.J. Yeley

35. Boris Said

36. David Ragan

37. AJ Allmendinger

38. Tomy Drissi

39. Alex Kennedy

40. Josh Wise

41. Ryan Truex

42. Matt Kenseth

43. Landon Cassill

Next week, the Sprint Cup Series heads to Kentucky Speedway for the Quaker State 400.  The race can be seen Saturday at 7:30 p.m. EST, only on TNT.

Photo courtesy Robert Laberge/Getty Images

Fantasy Preview: Sonoma 6/22

This weekend, the Sprint Cup Series heads out west to Sonoma Raceway for the Toyota/Save Mart 350!  Read on to see who I'm picking this weekend.

Photo courtesy NASCAR via Getty Images

Tier A
Kasey Kahne
Kahne has been good in the past at Sonoma.  He's won a race here before, and he's the only Hendrick driver still looking for a victory this season.  I expect him to be strong this weekend.

Bench:
Dale Earnhardt Jr.

Tier B
Marcos Ambrose
Is this really a surprise?  You would be stupid not to start Ambrose on a road course.  He grew up on road courses in Australia, and he is always a threat to win.  I wouldn't be surprised if he won his first race at Sonoma this weekend.

AJ Allmendinger
Allmendinger is another driver who is better on road courses, and this weekend he should be strong.  A win for this team would be incredible, and a berth in the Chase would be huge.

Bench:
Martin Truex Jr.
Tony Stewart

Tier C
Danica Patrick
While Patrick was a better IndyCar driver on the ovals, she has way more practice on road courses than a lot of other Sprint Cup drivers.  A strong run this weekend would really help that team out, and behind the restrictor-plate tracks, a road course would be her best shot at getting into the Chase.

Bench:
Kyle Larson

My pick to win the Toyota/Save Mart 350...Marcos Ambrose

Photo courtesy Jonathan Ferrey/Getty Images

Agree with my picks?  Comment below with the drivers you're starting this weekend!

Weekly Pull List: 6/18/14

It's time for the pull list! Be sure to check out all the comics available this week on Comixology and all the breaking comics news on Comic Book Resources!

Dark Horse

Star Wars Darth Maul: Son of Dathomir #2

DC

Batman and Robin #32

Batman Eternal #11

Harley Quinn #7

Image

Sex Criminals #6

Marvel

Avengers #31

Daredevil #4

George Romero's Empire of the Dead: Act One #5

Iron Man #28

Iron Patriot #4

Nova #18

Original Sin #4 (of 8)

The Punisher #7

Silver Surfer #3

Ultimate FF #3

Uncanny X-Men #22

Wolverine and the X-Men #5

X-Men #15

Be sure to pick up...

Batman Eternal #11

The Trial of Jim Gordon begins in this issue! I'm really liking where this series has gone so far, and I'm really glad it's a weekly series. Be sure to pick this one up to find out what the corrupt police force is going to do with one of Batman's closest allies. 

Sex Criminals #6

This series has been phenomenal, and this issue has been a long time coming. This issue kicks off the second storyline of this book, and if you read any of the first five issues you'll know that this should be fun. 

Original Sin #4

Holy. Crap. That's all I could say after the end of the last issue. It was a serious surprise to see who killed the Watcher, and I can't wait to see how the Avengers deal with these new facts. This is going to be fun. 

Thanks for reading! Be sure to leave a comment below with the books you'll be picking up this week!

Jimmie Johnson Wins First Career Race at Michigan

Originally written for CLNS Radio.

Jimmie Johnson won his third race of the season Sunday at Michigan International Speedway.

Photo courtesy NASCAR via Getty Images

The win was Johnson’s first career victory at Michigan, which is surprising considering how many wins the six-time champion has.

“We’ve figured out every way to lose this race and today we got it done,” Johnson said.

Johnson led 39 laps on his way to victory on Sunday.  The race put the cars and engines to the test, with speeds reaching well over 200 mph.

“This was an awesome performance,” Johnson said.  “Great power under the hood. A fantastic racecar.”

Kevin Harvick started on the pole after posting the fastest qualifying speed in NASCAR history.  Coming through Turns 3 and 4, Brian Vickers slid through the corner and spun down the track.  He was drilled by Travis Kvapil in the infield to bring out the first caution.

When the race restarted on lap seven, they only made it through Turn 2 before the caution came back out. Kyle Larson spun in the front of the field, and Kasey Kahne also spun during the incident.

The race restarted on lap 12, and Harvick was able to pull away with the lead.  Jeff Gordon ran him down and passed him for the lead on lap 19.

Green flag stops began on lap 40, and Gordon had cycled back around as the leader by lap 45.  He led until Harvick ran Gordon back down for the lead on lap 57.

The caution came out on lap 73 for debris, and Johnson won the race off pit road following pit stops.

He led the field back to the green flag on lap 79, but Joey Logano quickly took the lead.  Johnson retook the lead on lap 92 after chasing Logano down on the high side.

David Ragan spun on lap 103 to bring out the caution once again.  Kevin Harvick took the lead during pit stops, and he led the field back to the green flag on lap 108.

On lap 110, Alex Bowman got into the wall to bring out another quick caution.  

Harvick led the field back to the green flag on lap 114, but Brett Moffitt spun in Turn 3 to bring out the caution again.

Harvick led on the lap 120 restart, but the caution quickly came out again on lap 122.  Denny Hamlin and Aric Almirola got together in Turn 3 and spun on the track.

On lap 128, Logano got around Harvick when the race restarted and took the lead.  He led until Harvick chased him back down on lap 142.

The final caution of the day came out on lap 148 for debris.

The race restarted on lap 152, and Johnson blew by Jamie McMurray for the lead.  The leaders were then forced to make green-flag pit stops for the final time, with Johnson giving up the lead on lap 166.

When the final set of leaders pitted on lap 192, Johnson inherited the lead and he was able to pull away from Harvick to take the win.

Here are the unofficial results:

1. Jimmie Johnson

2. Kevin Harvick

3. Brad Keselowski

4. Paul Menard

5. Kasey Kahne

6. Jeff Gordon

7. Dale Earnhardt Jr.

8. Kyle Larson

9. Joey Logano

10. Clint Bowyer

11. Tony Stewart

12. Jamie McMurray

13. Kurt Busch

14. Matt Kenseth

15. Ryan Newman

16. Justin Allgaier

17. Danica Patrick

18. Juan Pablo Montoya

19. Trevor Bayne

20. Greg Biffle

21. Michael Annett

22. AJ Allmendinger

23. Carl Edwards

24. Casey Mears

25. Marcos Ambrose

26. David Gilliland

27. Ricky Stenhouse Jr.

28. Cole Whitt

29. Denny Hamlin

30. Austin Dillon

31. Aric Almirola

32. Reed Sorenson

33. Josh Wise

34. Brett Moffitt

35. Landon Cassill

36. J.J. Yeley

37. Martin Truex Jr.

38. David Ragan

39. David Stremme

40. Alex Bowman

41. Kyle Busch

42. Brian Vickers

43. Travis Kvapil

Next Sunday, the Sprint Cup Series heads to Sonoma Raceway for the Toyota-Save Mart 350.

Photo courtesy Jason Miller/Getty Images