Here it goes...
Ken:
Well Dega turned into the tale of the gas can and failed Hendrick’s engines, not the tale of the “Big One”…thank goodness. Who would have ever thought that Martin and Johnson would get tangled up @ 65mph before the race and who would have thought that 6 Hendrick engines would fail (#5,#24,#25,#48,#10,#36). All in all the most interesting thing about the entire race was the incident on the final parade lap…the rest of the race was boring, boring, boring. At least I picked the correct winner.
Next it’s on to a real race even though 1½ tracks aren’t really my favorites…I really prefer the 1 mile or less so I’ll have to wait another week for Martinsville.
I look for the bad luck recipients at “Dega” to rebound at Charlotte.
Mark Martin-in the last 13 races at Charlotte he has won twice including this Spring and his worse finish over that period of time is 12th. Look for a 2002 sweep.
Jeff Gordon-I don’t particularly care for “Goody Two Shoes” but he had a bad race at Dega so his history in 2002 is to generally follow it with a good race. Additionally, without a top 5 at Charlotte, the WC Championship will be even more unlikely.
Jimmie Johnson – Bad luck from the get go at Dega doomed a bad finish, don’t look for that to happen two weeks in a row.
Ryan Newman – in 3 point races at Charlotte he has only averaged just over 61 points per race but he did win The Winston in the Spring. A couple of people gave me a hard time when I predicted him to break into the top 5 in the WC race, well he’s there!
Tony Stewart – 4 top 5s, 5 top 10s and 7 top 20s in 7 races. Now he’s on top of the WC Championship. “Tony the Tiger” will be as tough to topple as Tiger Woods is when he gets in the lead. Except for winning the Indy 500, the WC Championship is his biggest goal in life. Another top 5 for Tony.
Possible top 5 sleepers: Jeff Green, Ricky Rudd, Matt Kenseth, Kurt Busch
Ken Shafer
SideWays:
Well we’re back to a real racetrack. No restrictor plates and no stupid small fuel cells. Folks sometimes I think we have the inmates running the asylum.
Jr. showed ‘em again at ‘dega…what a surprise! I tell you I bet he wishes half the season were run on restrictor plate tracks. He’d be Champion hands down.
“Smoke” was smart enough to take the points lead and from where I sat nobody wanted to step out and be counted. They could have run 20 more laps and it wouldn’t have changed!
OK it’s on to Lowes. We like Matt Kenseth to win.
Heather:
Wow, what can you say about last week’s race at Talladega that hasn’t been said? What a weird, boring race that was! Hopefully it will be better this week at Charlotte.
I think Jimmie Johnson and his team are still ticked off over what happened to them during the pace lap at Talladega, and will come back with a vengeance on Sunday. So my pick for Charlotte is Jimmie Johnson.
I also wouldn’t be surprised to see Jeff Gordon or Tony Stewart standing in Victory Lane. Gordon knows that it’s now or never, and he cannot afford to finish the race outside the top 5 in order to have any hope of catching back up in the points standings. On the other hand, Stewart has momentum and is out for blood – he wants that championship.
But then again, maybe since my birthday is on Monday (October 14th), Steve Park will win on Sunday at Charlotte. That would be the perfect present for me!
My Charlotte pick: Jimmie Johnson.
Don:
Before picking the winners at Charlotte, I would first like to express my sincere best wishes and condolences to the wife and children of Eric Martin, his team and fans. It is deeply regrettable that Charlotte seems to strike down ARCA drivers in their youth and prime. May Deborah Renshaw overcome this tragic impact on her rising star.
Now to the matter at hand. The points race is tight and leading the points doesn't seem to be the right thing to do at the moment. Logically, I should pick Tony Stewart to win but logic seems to have abandoned the Cup Series of late. So here goes:
1. Jeff Gordon-Hendrick's engine builders will ensure a reliable engine and Jeff runs well here.
2. Tony Stewart-Tony will play safe and not risk his points lead.
3. Jimmie Johnson-Will qualify well enough to stay away from Mark Martin and regain his strength.
4. Ryan Newman-He likes this track so long as he doesn't play, "Hello Walls"
5. Joe Nemecheck-Running good and needs to impress Mr. Rick.
Don
Rob:
It sickens me to see drivers die and I don't even know if I will watch the race this weekend. But, keeping on, as we do, I will predict the following:
Last year Tony Stewart and Sterling Marlin would take turns leading the race. Marlin's car was better on longer rns and Tony was fast out of the box. This played into Sterling's hand and he won.
I think the #20 team will have a better grasp on it this year and send Tony to Victory Lane to collect his Winston Leader Bonus
Look for Jimmie Johnson to bounce back and finish 2nd
And I think Newman will contend but fall short into 3rd.
Alison:
This week I am going to pick Mikey to win. Mikey said on Inside Winston Cup that he was going to sit on the pole and win. Who am I to doubt him?
Mark Martin for 2nd
Tony Stewart in 3rd
Lisa:
First I want to express my sympathy to the family of Eric Martin,
and the entire ARCA family. My thoughts and prayers are with you
all.
I just read an article in Winston Cup Scene that also brought tears
to my eyes, so I'm picking Ward Burton this week. For no other reason
than he was there to offer help when someone needed him.
LAST WEEK"S WINNER- Carl Lindecrantz:
Well, last week was my first week playing this and what a productive week it was; 1 WEEK=1 WIN!, but enough about that, on to Lowe's{or Charlotte, as most race fans refer to it as}.
Lowe's Motor Speedway has been kind to only a few racers over the past few years, some of which include #18, #6, #2, #88 and NASCAR's resident of anger-management, Tony Stewart.
This week, using my own personal winning formula, I see Mark Martin pulling off a victory here. Second through Fifth place goes to #18, #20, and #2 & #88 respectively.
Others to watch who could crack the top 10 are #22, #99, #19 and believe it or not, Mr. Park.
That is all for this week, could I possibly go 2 for 2?
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