Fast Forward ~ The STP 400 Fantasy Race Picks And Preview
4/18/2013
Jim Fitzgerald And Staff
“The future is like a
corridor into which we can see only by the light coming from behind.”
–Edward Weyer, Jr.
Well, we’re not in Kansas anymore.
Oh, wait. That’s
exactly where we are! The 2013 Sprint
Cup Series season rolls into the great state of Kansas this weekend for the STP
400. “Witch” driver and team will be the
Wizard and find out that there really is no place like home other than Victory
Lane? We’ll check out my contenders, our
Race Pro’s picks and look at last week’s results, but first, what’s the skinny
on Kansas?
The Track:
Location: Kansas City, Kansas
Length: 1.5 Mile D-Shaped Oval
Banking: 15 degrees in turns 1-2;
15 degrees in
turns 3-4;
5 degrees on
the backstretch,
10.4 degrees on
the front stretch
Pit Road Speed/Length:45 MPH/1573
Ft
The Race:
267 Laps/ 400.5 Miles
Defending Champion: Denny Hamlin, 144.122 MPH
Most recent winner: Matt Kenseth, 115.096 MPH
Track Record: Denny Hamlin, 144.122 MPH- April, 2012
Race Record: Denny Hamlin, 144.122 MPH- April, 2012
Qualifying record: Kasey Kahne, 191.360 MPH- October,
2012
TV:FOX, 1:00PM EST
The History:
May 25, 1999-Construction begins on the Kansas Speedway.
June 2, 2001-ARCA and the K&N Pro Series West are the
first events held on the newly completed track.
September 30, 2001- Jeff Gordon wins the first Cup series
race at Kansas.
October 5, 2003-Ryan Newman becomes the youngest driver
to win at Kansas, 25 years, 9 months, 27 days.
October 10, 2004-The closest Margin of Victory at the
track was achieved when Joe Nemechek crossed the line
at 0.081 seconds ahead of Ricky Rudd.
October 9, 2005-Mark Martin becomes the oldest driver to
win at Kansas- 46 years, 9 months.
2011-A second annual Cup Series race is given to Kansas.
April – October, 2012- The track undergoes a repave with
variable banking added in the turns.
That’s all in the black and white portion…what happens
when the cars get going and the twister comes, and we get into Technicolor?
The
Contenders:
Who do I think will have a shot to win at Kansas?
Tony Stewart: This might
be the time Stewart breaks into the win column.
IN 14 races at Kansas, Stewart has won twice, and also has a half-dozen
top five finishes and three more from sixth to tenth. He only has one DNF and has finished on the
lead lap in all but two races. If they
can figure out the car and how to make it go fast, Stewart will have the magic
to contend for the win.
Greg Biffle: Biffle also
has two wins here, seven top fives and nine top tens, and accomplished this in one less start than
Stewart. My only concern is that he
hasn’t been that hot here lately. Ford
also only has four wins here versus Chevrolet’s seven, but I’m thinking this
might be the week where Roush Fenway breaks the tie at four of wins here with
Hendrick Motorsports.
Jimmie
Johnson: The current points leader has two wins, and more top tens here than any other driver, with eleven. He only has five top five finishes, though,
and that included those two wins, which indicates the team is either spot on or
out to lunch, as out to lunch as the No. 48 team can be anyway. They seem to have this track and this car
figured out. It’s been more than a year
since Johnson won here, and it might be time to get back into the winner’s
circle.
Matt Kenseth: Kenseth was
looking good at Texas for a while but then faded to a 12th place
finish. I’m picking him this week for
several reasons. First, he won the most
recent race here last fall, and second, in the past four races here, no driver
has scored more points, 168, than Kenseth.
Kenseth is currently running a streak of five consecutive top tens and three consecutive top fives. Ride the bull until it kicks you off.
Jeff Gordon: Gordon has a
stout buggy last week at Texas before a mechanical issue forced him out near
the end of the race. As far as Kansas is
concerned, Gordon has won here twice, has eight top fives
and ten top ten finishes. Those are
solid stats, and if he can avoid Chistery and the
Flying Monkeys, Gordon should be near the front when it gets down to go time.
DARK HORSE
PICK-Martin Truex, Jr: Nine races here and finished the last two in the second
position. Those are his only top tens, however, but he did seem to have the field close at
hand. Pure track momentum makes Truex my
darkhorse pick this week.
There are my picks for this week at Kansas, but let’s look
back and see how I did with my Texas picks.
Matt Kenseth: Did not lead
and finished 12th. Off the mark.
Greg Biffle: Did not lead
but finished 4th.
Jimmie
Johnson: Oddly enough, Johnson did not lead either, and finished
in 6th.
Mark Martin: Martin did
not lead and finished 14th.
Carl Edwards: The
highlight of my picks, Edwards finished 3rd.
DARK HORSE
PICK-Kurt Busch: Finished 37th.
This week, my numbers are two top fives,
three top tens, and a 12th, 14th,
and 37th. Ouch.
Race Pro Picks!
Before we get to the Kansas picks, let’s back it up and
see how our pros did at Texas.
Player |
Selection |
Race Pts |
Previous Pts |
Total Pts |
Wins |
DNFs |
Alabama |
20 |
32 |
232 |
264 |
0 |
0 |
Mr. Seven |
43 |
37 |
186 |
223 |
0 |
0 |
PattyKay |
48 |
38 |
185 |
223 |
0 |
0 |
Jim |
15 |
29 |
180 |
209 |
0 |
1 |
Brian |
20 |
32 |
173 |
205 |
1 |
1 |
Nate |
99 |
41 |
152 |
193 |
0 |
1 |
It is with regret that I announce that Nate has left our
competition. However, we have a new
staff member, Kevin Abraham, who will now be joining the fray!
Here are our picks for the STP 400 at Kansas, at 1:00 PM
on FOX:
PattyKay (@MamaPKL): This may turn into a
joke, as Kansas is decidedly not one of my favorite tracks on the circuit. I've
looked over the entries and find that I like three Fords quite well here, Carl,
Greg and Brad. I also like a pair of Toyotas, both from JGR... Kyle and Brian. Therefore, I'm going with Jimmie in the #48.
The only other Chevy that runs exceptionally well here is the #14 of Stewart
and he doesn't seem to have joined the party as of yet. Come Sunday, I'll be
yelling for the guy everyone now loves to hate. Still can't understand how
anyone could not like the guy. I really DO prefer Vanilla. :)
Brian: I've been looking at the numbers, thinking about past season's races, and considering the performances this season, and I can't come up with a legitimate argument to not pick Jimmie Johnson this week. He's on fire, his team is on fire. Chad has to be about the best in this series at managing the complexity, and knowing how to fix what needs to be fixed. Sometimes I think I'm betting on Chad, and not just Jimmie, when it comes to picking a winner. I will say that I like Mark Martin and Brad Keslowski on this track, but the driver I plan to watch is Brian Vickers in the #11 Fed-Ex car. Denny Hamlin won this race last year, and Gibbs could win it again with Vickers. He isn't afraid to go fast, has everything to gain, and nothing to lose. He might not win the race, but I say he gets an easy Top 15 finish. So, it looks like I'm shopping at Lowes again this week. I need a new light bulb for over my stove in the kitchen, and the stove came from Lowes, so they have to have that custom top secret light bulb that no other business on this planet would ever carry, right? JJ for the win, and I expect him to send me a Lowes coupon for my support this week!!!
Kevin (@KEVDOGG329):
After
the stellar race Kyle Busch and Martin Truex, Jr last weekend, one would be
wise to choose either one of these two to win at Kansas. Truex had the dominant car last year, only to
lose in the closing laps to Denny Hamlin.
However, I am a fan of underdogs rising to the occasion, so my pick this
week is Aric Almirola. Look for the No.
43 to be in victory lane for the first time in over a decade. Aric showed last fall he could hold his own
at this track, and has shown speed this year on the 1.5 mile tracks.
Mr. Seven:
Hey, Newbie, don’t go trying to steal my thunder by
taking Aric Almirola, just because I did it last week and scored a seventh
place finish!
(Editor’s Note: Mr. Seven will be given credit for the
points of the seventh place finishing driver each week.)
Alabama: (....click, click, tappeta-tappeta, whirr,ching' click,tappeta.) That brings in
the No. 2 car. Ok now add, (clickety click) that
moves the No. 18 up, divide (bick-bick, whirr)...that
takes the No. 14 out but just barely. Now give points for that (clickety click click) and that puts the Nos. 16, 24, and 48
so close (tap-whirr) and ( tappeta-tick-tick-tappeta) that puts the No. 20 in the mix, minus (
tap-click) which takes out the No. 2 car, (tap-tap)which comes to (tick-ching)....Johnson in the 48.
Jim (@Forewasabi): I
don’t think a pick has been clearer to me this year than it is for this
race. I am taking my own advice and
“riding the bull until it kicks me off.”
Matt Kenseth, more points here in the last four races than anyone, the most
recent race winner, five top five finishes and eight top tens. Kenseth will do what he did last year; hang
around the front and then when the time is right, POUNCE!
So, there are my challengers and our pro picks for the STP
400 at Kansas. One driver and team is
going to get a wish granted when they click their heels together three times
and say, “There’s no place like Victory Lane… There’s no place like Victory
Lane… There’s no place like Victory Lane.”
Which driver is it? Well, the one
with the heart, the courage, and the brains, of course!
“I close my eyes…only for a moment and the
moment’s gone…” -Kansas
Remember to follow me on Twitter @Forewasabi Sometimes I give stuff away.
Jim Fitzgerald @Forewasabi
PattyKay Lilley @MamaPKL
Kevin Abraham @KevDogg329
Marshall Gabell @Gabell_Racing
Who is YOUR pick to win this week?