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Buffalo4

By Buffalo4,
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Buffalo4 Huddler

Buffalo4

Posted
Posted

This is B. LaBonte's track, in 24 races he's won it 6 times with 12 top 5s, but I like J. Johnson to win two in a row. I also like J. Gordon, who has raced here 25 times and has finished top 5 in 10 of them. Dale jr. has raced here 11 times and finished top 10 in 6 of them.

 

This weeks darkhorse is again J. Nemechek, I have to pick him while he can still be labeled a darkhorse.

 

Anyone else have some insight?

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Jumpin Johnies Huddler

Jumpin Johnies

Posted
Posted
This is B. LaBonte's track, in 24 races he's won it 6 times with 12 top 5s, but I like J. Johnson to win two in a row. I also like J. Gordon, who has raced here 25 times and has finished top 5 in 10 of them. Dale jr. has raced here 11 times and finished top 10 in 6 of them.

 

This weeks darkhorse is again J. Nemechek, I have to pick him while he can still be labeled a darkhorse.

 

Anyone else have some insight?

 

732905[/snapback]

 

 

 

I like Tony Stewart, Labonte and Jr. Nemecheck is a good darkhourse pick, I also like Labonte's and Stewart's teamate Jason Lefler as another good darkhorse pick.

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Selly Huddler

Selly

Posted
Posted (edited)

Given how Bobby's season has gone so far, I can't give him a vote of confidence yet. I think the favorites have to be the guys that are proving it on the track right now; Johnson, Busch, Gordon and Stewart. Everyone else has been too inconsistent so far this season.

Edited by Selly
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Piranha Huddler

Piranha

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Given how Bobby's season has gone so far, I can't give him a vote of confidence yet. I think the favorites have to be the guys that are proving it on the track right now; Johnson, Busch, Gordon and Stewart. Everyone else has been too inconsistent so far this season.

 

733608[/snapback]

 

 

 

 

 

Well said :D

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Jumpin Johnies Huddler

Jumpin Johnies

Posted
Posted
Given how Bobby's season has gone so far, I can't give him a vote of confidence yet. I think the favorites have to be the guys that are proving it on the track right now; Johnson, Busch, Gordon and Stewart. Everyone else has been too inconsistent so far this season.

 

733608[/snapback]

 

 

 

:D You can't count out any of the Roush guys.

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Buffalo4 Huddler

Buffalo4

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Atlanta Motor Speedway is the fastest track in the series; at 1.5 miles, speed is magnified. A premium is placed on setup -- the car has to roll through the corners easily in order to get maximum power to the track on exit.

 

The storyline in the past two weeks has been "A Tale of Two Owners." At Atlanta, only one owner has the numbers required to call them dominant. Joe Gibbs Racing has controlled the top-five with six results in 13 attempts during the past three years and eight top-10s (62 percent). Roush Racing and Hendrick Motorsports have more top-10s (11 and 12), but they have fielded more than 25 cars apiece to record those numbers.

 

The three favorites this week are each looking for rebirth; Tony Stewart and Matt Kenseth's top-10 finishes last week at Las Vegas could have been better if they had not experienced trouble during the race. Dale Earnhardt Jr. never gained any rhythm when he took himself out of contention early in the race by triggering a four-car pileup on Lap 12.

 

The Favorites

 

 

Dale Earnhardt Jr. won the Spring 2004 race at AMS. Credit: Autostock

 

Since the end of 2002 and beginning of the 2003 season, the only time Earnhardt has been shut out of the top-10 for three races in a row was when he turned his car over to relief drivers at New Hampshire and Pocono to recover from burns sustained in a sports car race. Not long after those injuries healed he responded to adversity by winning under the lights at Bristol.

 

Last year he struggled at Las Vegas, a race in which the team missed the setup so badly they turned the race into a 400-mile test session. He rebounded with a victory at Atlanta. That win was the culmination of six consecutive races in which he finished seventh or better at AMS. In the fall race he slightly misjudged either the length of rookie Carl Edwards' car or the size of his heart and crashed off his front bumper. If not for that mistake, Earnhardt may have finished in the top-five one more time.

 

Stewart probably is the best similarly configured 1.5-mile track driver in the sport today. In the last 28 races contested on this type of track he has averaged a finish of better than eighth. Last week at Vegas, he was not very easy on his equipment, wrinkling up his front fenders with very aggressive driving, and later becoming involved in a racing incident that was not of his making. He still managed to claw his way back to finish ninth.

 

 

Matt Kenseth has five top-10 finishes in 10 starts at Atlanta, with an average finish of 17.8. Credit: Autostock

 

At Atlanta, Stewart has a seven-race streak of top-10 finishes that include a victory in 2002 and a runner-up finish in '03. In a 12-race career at AMS (that includes two DNFs because of accidents), Stewart has an average finish of better than 14th, which means that if he can keep his nose clean (literally) he easily will finish in the top-10 again.

 

Matt Kenseth is far from bullet-proof at Atlanta. Last year he drew the short straw from the Roush Racing engine department and detonated his powerplant, ran only 175 of 325 laps and finished 41st. In the five races immediately preceding that DNF, Kenseth had finished 11th or better, including a pair of top-fives. Last week at Las Vegas he snapped an 11-race streak of finishes outside the top-10. Now that he has found the front again, he will regain his rhythm here as well.

 

Dark Horses

 

Kasey Kahne would be listed among the favorites for this track if not for a frustrating and recently acquired propensity for crashing; it seems he is not immune to the dreaded sophomore jinx after all. The No. 9 has failed to finish the past two races due to crash damage, and limped home in the Daytona 500 with a bent up Dodge, but last year at Atlanta he was perfect in regards to top-fives. If this young gun is going to turn his season around, it should happen here. ... Of course that same logic cost fantasy owners a lot of points last week at Las Vegas.

 

 

In four Cup races at Atlanta, Greg Biffle's average finish is 16.2. Credit: Autostock

 

With new qualification procedures in place, Greg Biffle's team won't have to worry about making the show, not that it would have been foremost in their minds anyway. But Biffle did fail to qualify in his first attempt in a pre-rookie warm-up. Last year, in his rookie season, Biffle finished 13th and 34th at Atlanta. With two victories and three top-10s in his last four starts, Biffle not only has momentum on his side, he has a new attitude. In his third full season, Biffle is beginning to mature, and is less prone to making occasional mistakes either on the track, or by calling for the wrong adjustments on the car.

 

Avoidance Principle

 

Scott Riggs has lost two opportunities to finish at the head of the pack. He is slowly working his way up the grid to become a regular contender. But ill fate can be hard to shake -- just ask Ricky Rudd, who has been taken out of contention in three consecutive races by misfortune that was not his own making. Bad luck often comes in threes; Riggs has one more week to endure before he reverses his fortune.

 

Dan Beaver's fantasy analysis appears weekly on the afternoon prior to Nextel Cup qualifying. The opinions expressed here are solely those of the writer.

 

Modern Era Performance at Atlanta

(Minimum of three starts)

All-time Active Last 10 Races

Starts R. Petty (65) B. Elliott (55) 16 Drivers (10)

Poles B. Baker (7) R. Newman (4) R. Newman (4)

Wins D. Earnhardt (9) B. Labonte (6) B. Labonte (2)

Top-Fives D. Earnhardt (26) B. Labonte (12) B. Labonte (5)

Top 10s R. Petty (33) T. Labonte (24) J. Gordon (8)

Laps Led C. Yarborough (3,316) J. Gordon (975) T. Stewart (469)

DNFs D. Marcis (23) K. Petty (15) M. Martin, T. Stewart, M. Waltrip (4)

Avg. Start R. Newman (2.0) R. Newman (2.0) R. Newman (2.0)

Avg. Finish D. Hutcherson (3.60) D. Earnhardt Jr. (12.27) J. Gordon (12.3)

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Jumpin Johnies Huddler

Jumpin Johnies

Posted
Posted
Atlanta Motor Speedway is the fastest track in the series; at 1.5 miles, speed is magnified. A premium is placed on setup -- the car has to roll through the corners easily in order to get maximum power to the track on exit.

 

The storyline in the past two weeks has been "A Tale of Two Owners." At Atlanta, only one owner has the numbers required to call them dominant. Joe Gibbs Racing has controlled the top-five with six results in 13 attempts during the past three years and eight top-10s (62 percent). Roush Racing and Hendrick Motorsports have more top-10s (11 and 12), but they have fielded more than 25 cars apiece to record those numbers.

 

The three favorites this week are each looking for rebirth; Tony Stewart and Matt Kenseth's top-10 finishes last week at Las Vegas could have been better if they had not experienced trouble during the race. Dale Earnhardt Jr. never gained any rhythm when he took himself out of contention early in the race by triggering a four-car pileup on Lap 12.

 

The Favorites

 

 

Dale Earnhardt Jr. won the Spring 2004 race at AMS. Credit: Autostock

 

Since the end of 2002 and beginning of the 2003 season, the only time Earnhardt has been shut out of the top-10 for three races in a row was when he turned his car over to relief drivers at New Hampshire and Pocono to recover from burns sustained in a sports car race. Not long after those injuries healed he responded to adversity by winning under the lights at Bristol.

 

Last year he struggled at Las Vegas, a race in which the team missed the setup so badly they turned the race into a 400-mile test session. He rebounded with a victory at Atlanta. That win was the culmination of six consecutive races in which he finished seventh or better at AMS. In the fall race he slightly misjudged either the length of rookie Carl Edwards' car or the size of his heart and crashed off his front bumper. If not for that mistake, Earnhardt may have finished in the top-five one more time.

 

Stewart probably is the best similarly configured 1.5-mile track driver in the sport today. In the last 28 races contested on this type of track he has averaged a finish of better than eighth. Last week at Vegas, he was not very easy on his equipment, wrinkling up his front fenders with very aggressive driving, and later becoming involved in a racing incident that was not of his making. He still managed to claw his way back to finish ninth.

 

 

Matt Kenseth has five top-10 finishes in 10 starts at Atlanta, with an average finish of 17.8. Credit: Autostock

 

At Atlanta, Stewart has a seven-race streak of top-10 finishes that include a victory in 2002 and a runner-up finish in '03. In a 12-race career at AMS (that includes two DNFs because of accidents), Stewart has an average finish of better than 14th, which means that if he can keep his nose clean (literally) he easily will finish in the top-10 again.

 

Matt Kenseth is far from bullet-proof at Atlanta. Last year he drew the short straw from the Roush Racing engine department and detonated his powerplant, ran only 175 of 325 laps and finished 41st. In the five races immediately preceding that DNF, Kenseth had finished 11th or better, including a pair of top-fives. Last week at Las Vegas he snapped an 11-race streak of finishes outside the top-10. Now that he has found the front again, he will regain his rhythm here as well.

 

Dark Horses

 

Kasey Kahne would be listed among the favorites for this track if not for a frustrating and recently acquired propensity for crashing; it seems he is not immune to the dreaded sophomore jinx after all. The No. 9 has failed to finish the past two races due to crash damage, and limped home in the Daytona 500 with a bent up Dodge, but last year at Atlanta he was perfect in regards to top-fives. If this young gun is going to turn his season around, it should happen here. ... Of course that same logic cost fantasy owners a lot of points last week at Las Vegas.

 

 

In four Cup races at Atlanta, Greg Biffle's average finish is 16.2. Credit: Autostock

 

With new qualification procedures in place, Greg Biffle's team won't have to worry about making the show, not that it would have been foremost in their minds anyway. But Biffle did fail to qualify in his first attempt in a pre-rookie warm-up. Last year, in his rookie season, Biffle finished 13th and 34th at Atlanta. With two victories and three top-10s in his last four starts, Biffle not only has momentum on his side, he has a new attitude. In his third full season, Biffle is beginning to mature, and is less prone to making occasional mistakes either on the track, or by calling for the wrong adjustments on the car.

 

Avoidance Principle

 

Scott Riggs has lost two opportunities to finish at the head of the pack. He is slowly working his way up the grid to become a regular contender. But ill fate can be hard to shake -- just ask Ricky Rudd, who has been taken out of contention in three consecutive races by misfortune that was not his own making. Bad luck often comes in threes; Riggs has one more week to endure before he reverses his fortune.

 

Dan Beaver's fantasy analysis appears weekly on the afternoon prior to Nextel Cup qualifying. The opinions expressed here are solely those of the writer.

 

Modern Era Performance at Atlanta

(Minimum of three starts)

  All-time Active Last 10 Races

Starts R. Petty (65) B. Elliott (55) 16 Drivers (10)

Poles B. Baker (7) R. Newman (4) R. Newman (4)

Wins D. Earnhardt (9) B. Labonte (6) B. Labonte (2)

Top-Fives D. Earnhardt (26) B. Labonte (12) B. Labonte (5)

Top 10s R. Petty (33) T. Labonte (24) J. Gordon (8)

Laps Led C. Yarborough (3,316) J. Gordon (975) T. Stewart (469)

DNFs D. Marcis (23) K. Petty (15) M. Martin, T. Stewart, M. Waltrip (4)

Avg. Start R. Newman (2.0) R. Newman (2.0) R. Newman (2.0)

Avg. Finish D. Hutcherson (3.60) D. Earnhardt Jr. (12.27) J. Gordon (12.3)

 

741344[/snapback]

 

 

 

I use Racer's Edge for my fantasy teams.

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