So basically the only thing you need to sponsor a race is to be backed by The King Richard Petty. GoBowling.com is a site dedicated to raise awareness... for bowling. For the record how do we think Petty cheats at bowling? Does he have a magnetized ball controlled by something underneath the lane or do you think he just substitutes his opponents balls with ones that are weighed down on one side? As far as the race goes get ready for another race filled with green flag laps led by the #48 team.

Stay Away From:

Matt Kenseth 11-1

This year has seen Matt run well especially at tracks where he has historically struggled. This is another one of those tracks but don’t expect a win for the #20 Chevy this week. He finished 25th a few weeks ago and has finished 23rd and 16th in this race the past two years. He has never won here and in his 27 starts has managed to find the top 5 just three times. Not to mention he has only led a total of 54 laps at this track in those 27 races or the fact that he is starting back in 24th in a track position race. The value just isn’t there.

Best Bets:

Jimmie Johnson 3-1

We haven’t seen someone this dominant since Tiger in his prime. He dominated the race from the pole a few weeks back and will have the chance to repeat exactly that this week after breaking a track record and earning another pole. Anything less than a max points day will be a disappointment for this team and there’s a fairly good chance that is exactly what we will see.

Jeff Gordon 12-1

Last year Mr. Gordon found himself in about the same position he is sitting in this year, on The Chase bubble. Then he won this race and was able to grab that last wildcard spot from Kyle Busch in the final race of the regular season. He needs to get at least one win to have a chance. He is the Pocono all-time leader in wins (6) and laps led (995). He is only second to his teammate Jimmie Johnson in average finish here among active drivers but he also has nearly twice as many starts. There won’t be a better opportunity for him, again this year, than this weekend.

Value Bets:

Greg Biffle 23-1

Clint Bowyer 27-1

Personally I don’t see either of these guys winning this week but both are more than capable. Both are inside the top 10, Bowyer rather securely in 2nd but Biffle has a win this year. Bowyer is staring at starting The Chase with some ground to make up despite his solid regular season. He needs to find a way to win one of these last races and gain some bonus points and more importantly confidence to be a legit title contender. The Biff has flown under the radar for the most part this year but is still right there with a chance. He finished 2nd here a few weeks ago and since he’s starting in 7th he should find his way to another solid finish at the very least.

My Pick:

Ryan Newman 19-1

Just when I thought his season was going to downward spiral Ryan wins at the Brickyard, by beating Jimmie Johnson, and now has his eyes on a wild card spot with a ton of momentum behind him. I think last week really opened up a lot of things for Newman. I don’t just mean a ride for next year but possibly an opportunity to compete for a championship even in a lame duck year. He is a previous winner here. He has the 6th best average finish at this track and is starting in row two. Maybe the most important thing he has going for him is that he is now racing fearlessly, driving with a fire under his ass. I’m not an incredibly stubborn person like I once was. The old me would be bitter that I counted him out and he won. Now I have talked myself into him beating Jimmie Johnson once again this week and really grabbing a hold of a coveted wild card spot and maybe even sneaking himself back into the top 10 by the time this regular season is over.

mlz

Friday, August 2, 2013