My Picks to Win/ Kaeding Fastest at KY Test/ Crocker Fourth Quick at Michigan Today/ Kinser Shows Truck Boys Real Racecars
My Picks to Win
I am not a betting man, but here are my picks to win this week’s big races:
WoO at Williams Grove - Donny Schatz, Greg Hodnett or Fred Rahmer
Wait a minute; you picked three people to win. You can’t do that. You are right. Let me explain. This is a two day show so we will have two winners. Donny Schatz has won four races with the WoO this season. With Terry McCarl out of the Big Game Tree Stands car, the competition just got thinner and increased Schatz’s chance s of winning. But not so fast my friend. The competition just went up another notch as the WoO enters Posseland. Greg Hodnett and Fred Rahmer love the Grove and will take at least one from the Outlaws this weekend. If I had to go with just one Posse member, I would pick Fast Freddie but don’t count out Hodnett. He is looking to give Al Hamilton a big smile after wrecking his car on the cool down lap last week at Williams Grove.
Salute to Indy at Manzy – Damion Gardner
He has been fast qualifier nine out of the last ten times in USAC sprint action. He leads the points and out west, he is the man.
Little 500 – Eric Gordon
Eric Gordon has won the last five Little 500’s with Jack French turning the wrenches. Expect a repeat.
Night before the 500 – Jerry Coons Jr.
Jerry Coons ran a great race there in 2005. In the Wilke-Pak midget in 2006, he will be the one to watch.
The Hoosier Hundred – Bryan Tyler
Bryan Tyler says he had a brain fart last year and that is what caused him to finish next to last in the 2005 Hoosier Hundred. That poor finish also prevented him from winning the 2005 Silver Crown title despite a great season. That will not happen again. Tyler has been dominant on the dirt this season and will claim his first Hoosier Hundred title Friday night at the Indiana State Fairgrounds.
Carquest 300 at Lowe’s Motor Speedway – Tony Stewart
Tony Stewart will take out his frustrations from All-Star night on the Busch Series drivers winning at Charlotte Saturday night. Open Wheelers will be there at the end on a track that suits them. With Jimmy Johnson not entered, there is hope for the rest of the field at CLT. Look for Kyle Busch to be a factor and probably punt at least one driver.
Coke 600, Cup – Jimmy Johnson
He must be cheating right? Jimmy Johnson has dominated at Lowe’s Motor Speedway. He is a safe bet but anything could happen in the longest Cup race of the year. Find a comfortable chair because this one will go on forever. Johnson is my pick but I would love to see Car Edwards flip or Tony Stewart climb the fence at the end of the night.
Indy 500 – Sam Hornish Jr.
The biggest Open Wheel race of the year in the US could see a first time winner.
It was a hard pick, but Sam Hornish Jr. will bounce back from last Sunday’s wreck and bad luck from past seasons to win his first 500.
Why was it so close? Because his teammate will be with him right there at the end.
Helio Castroneves will finish second followed by Scott Dixon. Either Dan Weldon or Tony Kanaan will be involved in an accident. The other will score a top five. If he stays out of trouble, Kosuke Matsuura will have the best finish of his career at Indy. Marco Andretti will fall victium to a rookie mistake while Michael Andretti will score a top ten but fallshort of his dream of winning the 500. P.J. Chesson, if he keeps it clean, will finish in the top 15. Danica Patrick will have her name said by the ABC announcers more than any other driver.
I give her a 50 percent chance of leading the race while cars are making green flag pitstops. She will say “stupid idiot” at least once on her two-way communications. Danica Patrick will either score a top ten or wreck.
Chances of ABC hosting a Danicafest 80 percent, chances of the network having a Danicacam 70 percent, chance of her winning 2 percent. Who will wreck or bow out with mechanical problems? Ed Carpenter, Dario Franchitti, Eddie Cheever Jr., Jeff Bucknum, Larry Foyt, Arie Luyendyk Jr., PJ Jones and Thiago Medeiros. In my final prediction, Kevin Kalkoven will come to Indy, meet with Tony George and announce that Champ Car will either make room in the schedule for their drivers to compete at Indy or they will make it an official stop on the 2007 sechedule.
Note: the above picks are for fun. Do not bet on racing. It is kind of like betting on wrestling.
Kaeding Fastest at KY Test
Bud Kaeding turned the fastest laps Monday at Sparta, Kentucky. Kaeding and six other teams were at Kentucky Speedway at an Open Hoosier Tire test for the new generation Silver Crown cars. Kaeding’s top time was 31.091at 173.684 mph on the 1.5 mile oval.
“We were a little bit off to start the day, but to end the day with the fastest time,” said Kaeding. “We’ve got a little bit more speed in our car; we just didn’t want to show our whole hand just yet.”
My pick to win the Hoosier Hundred, Brian Tyler spent time behind the wheel of his No. 21 Team 6-R Racing C&R/Chevrolet but also filled in for PJ Jones in the No. 98 C&R House car. Jones was in New York doing media appearances with the rest of the drivers in the Indy 500. The teams worked with Hoosier testing different compounds to bring back for the series race at Kentucky on June 16th.
“We brought a new compound here, new constructions; it’s going to make for a very good race,” Hoosier Product Manager Irish Saunders said. “The cars should be locked down to where the cars can make passes here, not going to be hockey pucks and skating all over the place. It’s going to be a good race; it’s going to be a really good race.”
USAC will share the spotlight with the NASCAR Busch Series at Kentucky. The Silver Crown portion of the race weekend is a one-day show.
Kentucky Test Speeds:
1. Bud Kaeding 173.684 mph
2. Brian Tyler (#21) 173.678 mph
3. Dave Steele 172.452 mph
4. Tim Barber 171.931 mph
5. Brian Tyler (#98) 171.472 mph
6. Rich Tobias Jr. 170.880 mph
7. Rodney Weesner 147.000 mph
Crocker Fourth Quick at Michigan Today
The ARCA RE/MAX Series took to the 1.5 mile Michigan Speedway oval today. Open Wheeler Erin Crocker turned in a time good for fourth quick. Crocker turned in a time of 39.730 at 181.223. Johnny Benson coached Crocker during the test.
“She’s very talented..,” said Benson. “Coming from sprint cars to big heavy stock cars is no easy adjustment. Once we get a good solid foundation for her to work with, she’ll be fine.”
Crocker finished seventh last year at MIS. “We sure learned a lot last year at MIS,” said Crocker. “It was only my second stock car race, so I was just getting going. I learned right away that I needed to work on my restarts, having never shifted before. But I’ve got a better handle on that this year.”
Brad Coleman had the fastest time of the day at 39.500, a speed of 182.278 mph.
Kinser Shows Truck Boys Real Racecars
Kraig Kinser is planning on going sprint car racing this weekend but he won’t be in a car. The rookie NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series driver is planning on taking his Morgan-Dollar Motorsports team members to nearby Attica Speedway to watch Steve Kinser and the National Sprint Tour."I am really looking forward to taking the guys to the race Friday night," Kinser said. "Many of the guys have never been to a Sprint Car race before, so that will be really fun to see how they like this type of racing. I know they will put on a good show, and it is always fun to watch my Dad race. Attica is a great track, and the race should be awesome."The Truck Series race is scheduled to go green at Mansfield Saturday at 2:15pm on SPEED.
Truck Series Entries for Mansfield
(10) Terry Cook
(15) Kyle Krisiloff
(16) Mike Bliss
(21) Bobby East
(25) Boston Reid
(46) Kraig Kinser
(98) Erin Crocker
Busch Series Entries for Charlotte
9 Kasey Kahne
10 John Andretti
11 Paul Menard
14 Tracy Hines
18 J.J. Yeley
30 Dave Blaney
33 Tony Stewart
38 Jason Leffler
42 Casey Mears
43 Aaron Fike
55 Robby Gordon
60 Carl Edwards
77 Burney Lamar
Kyle Busch goes to Court
In a follow-up to a story we first told you about last April, Kyle Busch pleaded guilty today to improper driving. Busch was ticketed near the Richmond, Virginia airport after he "chirped" his tires. He was fined $150 for the misdemeanor.
Images appearing in this blog courtesy of FOX, FX, NASCAR Images, Indy Racing League, Indianapolis Motor Speedway, IMS Productions, ABC, ESPN, ESPN 2 and SPEED.
I am not a betting man, but here are my picks to win this week’s big races:
WoO at Williams Grove - Donny Schatz, Greg Hodnett or Fred Rahmer
Wait a minute; you picked three people to win. You can’t do that. You are right. Let me explain. This is a two day show so we will have two winners. Donny Schatz has won four races with the WoO this season. With Terry McCarl out of the Big Game Tree Stands car, the competition just got thinner and increased Schatz’s chance s of winning. But not so fast my friend. The competition just went up another notch as the WoO enters Posseland. Greg Hodnett and Fred Rahmer love the Grove and will take at least one from the Outlaws this weekend. If I had to go with just one Posse member, I would pick Fast Freddie but don’t count out Hodnett. He is looking to give Al Hamilton a big smile after wrecking his car on the cool down lap last week at Williams Grove.
Salute to Indy at Manzy – Damion Gardner
He has been fast qualifier nine out of the last ten times in USAC sprint action. He leads the points and out west, he is the man.
Little 500 – Eric Gordon
Eric Gordon has won the last five Little 500’s with Jack French turning the wrenches. Expect a repeat.
Night before the 500 – Jerry Coons Jr.
Jerry Coons ran a great race there in 2005. In the Wilke-Pak midget in 2006, he will be the one to watch.
The Hoosier Hundred – Bryan Tyler
Bryan Tyler says he had a brain fart last year and that is what caused him to finish next to last in the 2005 Hoosier Hundred. That poor finish also prevented him from winning the 2005 Silver Crown title despite a great season. That will not happen again. Tyler has been dominant on the dirt this season and will claim his first Hoosier Hundred title Friday night at the Indiana State Fairgrounds.
Carquest 300 at Lowe’s Motor Speedway – Tony Stewart
Tony Stewart will take out his frustrations from All-Star night on the Busch Series drivers winning at Charlotte Saturday night. Open Wheelers will be there at the end on a track that suits them. With Jimmy Johnson not entered, there is hope for the rest of the field at CLT. Look for Kyle Busch to be a factor and probably punt at least one driver.
Coke 600, Cup – Jimmy Johnson
He must be cheating right? Jimmy Johnson has dominated at Lowe’s Motor Speedway. He is a safe bet but anything could happen in the longest Cup race of the year. Find a comfortable chair because this one will go on forever. Johnson is my pick but I would love to see Car Edwards flip or Tony Stewart climb the fence at the end of the night.
Indy 500 – Sam Hornish Jr.
The biggest Open Wheel race of the year in the US could see a first time winner.
It was a hard pick, but Sam Hornish Jr. will bounce back from last Sunday’s wreck and bad luck from past seasons to win his first 500.
Why was it so close? Because his teammate will be with him right there at the end.
Helio Castroneves will finish second followed by Scott Dixon. Either Dan Weldon or Tony Kanaan will be involved in an accident. The other will score a top five. If he stays out of trouble, Kosuke Matsuura will have the best finish of his career at Indy. Marco Andretti will fall victium to a rookie mistake while Michael Andretti will score a top ten but fallshort of his dream of winning the 500. P.J. Chesson, if he keeps it clean, will finish in the top 15. Danica Patrick will have her name said by the ABC announcers more than any other driver.
I give her a 50 percent chance of leading the race while cars are making green flag pitstops. She will say “stupid idiot” at least once on her two-way communications. Danica Patrick will either score a top ten or wreck.
Chances of ABC hosting a Danicafest 80 percent, chances of the network having a Danicacam 70 percent, chance of her winning 2 percent. Who will wreck or bow out with mechanical problems? Ed Carpenter, Dario Franchitti, Eddie Cheever Jr., Jeff Bucknum, Larry Foyt, Arie Luyendyk Jr., PJ Jones and Thiago Medeiros. In my final prediction, Kevin Kalkoven will come to Indy, meet with Tony George and announce that Champ Car will either make room in the schedule for their drivers to compete at Indy or they will make it an official stop on the 2007 sechedule.
Note: the above picks are for fun. Do not bet on racing. It is kind of like betting on wrestling.
Kaeding Fastest at KY Test
Bud Kaeding turned the fastest laps Monday at Sparta, Kentucky. Kaeding and six other teams were at Kentucky Speedway at an Open Hoosier Tire test for the new generation Silver Crown cars. Kaeding’s top time was 31.091at 173.684 mph on the 1.5 mile oval.
“We were a little bit off to start the day, but to end the day with the fastest time,” said Kaeding. “We’ve got a little bit more speed in our car; we just didn’t want to show our whole hand just yet.”
My pick to win the Hoosier Hundred, Brian Tyler spent time behind the wheel of his No. 21 Team 6-R Racing C&R/Chevrolet but also filled in for PJ Jones in the No. 98 C&R House car. Jones was in New York doing media appearances with the rest of the drivers in the Indy 500. The teams worked with Hoosier testing different compounds to bring back for the series race at Kentucky on June 16th.
“We brought a new compound here, new constructions; it’s going to make for a very good race,” Hoosier Product Manager Irish Saunders said. “The cars should be locked down to where the cars can make passes here, not going to be hockey pucks and skating all over the place. It’s going to be a good race; it’s going to be a really good race.”
USAC will share the spotlight with the NASCAR Busch Series at Kentucky. The Silver Crown portion of the race weekend is a one-day show.
Kentucky Test Speeds:
1. Bud Kaeding 173.684 mph
2. Brian Tyler (#21) 173.678 mph
3. Dave Steele 172.452 mph
4. Tim Barber 171.931 mph
5. Brian Tyler (#98) 171.472 mph
6. Rich Tobias Jr. 170.880 mph
7. Rodney Weesner 147.000 mph
Crocker Fourth Quick at Michigan Today
The ARCA RE/MAX Series took to the 1.5 mile Michigan Speedway oval today. Open Wheeler Erin Crocker turned in a time good for fourth quick. Crocker turned in a time of 39.730 at 181.223. Johnny Benson coached Crocker during the test.
“She’s very talented..,” said Benson. “Coming from sprint cars to big heavy stock cars is no easy adjustment. Once we get a good solid foundation for her to work with, she’ll be fine.”
Crocker finished seventh last year at MIS. “We sure learned a lot last year at MIS,” said Crocker. “It was only my second stock car race, so I was just getting going. I learned right away that I needed to work on my restarts, having never shifted before. But I’ve got a better handle on that this year.”
Brad Coleman had the fastest time of the day at 39.500, a speed of 182.278 mph.
Kinser Shows Truck Boys Real Racecars
Kraig Kinser is planning on going sprint car racing this weekend but he won’t be in a car. The rookie NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series driver is planning on taking his Morgan-Dollar Motorsports team members to nearby Attica Speedway to watch Steve Kinser and the National Sprint Tour."I am really looking forward to taking the guys to the race Friday night," Kinser said. "Many of the guys have never been to a Sprint Car race before, so that will be really fun to see how they like this type of racing. I know they will put on a good show, and it is always fun to watch my Dad race. Attica is a great track, and the race should be awesome."The Truck Series race is scheduled to go green at Mansfield Saturday at 2:15pm on SPEED.
Truck Series Entries for Mansfield
(10) Terry Cook
(15) Kyle Krisiloff
(16) Mike Bliss
(21) Bobby East
(25) Boston Reid
(46) Kraig Kinser
(98) Erin Crocker
Busch Series Entries for Charlotte
9 Kasey Kahne
10 John Andretti
11 Paul Menard
14 Tracy Hines
18 J.J. Yeley
30 Dave Blaney
33 Tony Stewart
38 Jason Leffler
42 Casey Mears
43 Aaron Fike
55 Robby Gordon
60 Carl Edwards
77 Burney Lamar
Kyle Busch goes to Court
In a follow-up to a story we first told you about last April, Kyle Busch pleaded guilty today to improper driving. Busch was ticketed near the Richmond, Virginia airport after he "chirped" his tires. He was fined $150 for the misdemeanor.
Images appearing in this blog courtesy of FOX, FX, NASCAR Images, Indy Racing League, Indianapolis Motor Speedway, IMS Productions, ABC, ESPN, ESPN 2 and SPEED.
posted by Blake Johnson at 8:05 PM
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