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Post by labontefanboy on Feb 2, 2015 9:59:43 GMT -5
Entry List for Homestead  |
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Post by labontefanboy on Feb 2, 2015 10:01:37 GMT -5
Clinch Scenarios
With so tight a points battle, there are only a few ways that a driver could clinch the championship without relying on another driver to falter.
Jeff Burton
Finish 2nd and lead the most laps
Win the race
Ryan Newman
Win the race and lead the most laps
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Post by labontefanboy on Feb 2, 2015 10:03:42 GMT -5
That said, I'm curious to see what everyone's predictions are. I haven't run the race yet so who knows what could happen, but I have a feeling Jeff Burton does it as the lame duck. He's got all the momentum in the world from winning Phoenix and Newman struggled last weekend, and only got a 7th place finish because of other contenders falling by the wayside in the big wreck. I don't think Mears, Stewart, Busch, or Bowyer will factor in at all. One could very possibly win the race and lead the most laps but I can't imagine both Newman and Burton having a bad finish.
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Post by flyer101999 on Feb 2, 2015 10:57:00 GMT -5
I think Burton wins it all as Stanton Barrett gets a top 25  |
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Post by Deleted on Feb 2, 2015 14:18:50 GMT -5
Bobby Ricky looks at...the Ford 400:
Six drivers, 400 miles, one race, ONE CHAMPION. The drama-filled 2007 Nextel Cup season comes to its conclusion this Sunday at Homestead-Miami. Six drivers are in contention for the championship coming into this race, but only one of them can have that spiffy trophy for themselves when this is over. Who's got the best shot at this championship? Well, let's look at all six drivers individually and see how good (or bad) their championship chances are.
Jeff Burton: He comes into this race with the points lead following that win at Phoenix last week. It may only be one win, but Burton's been consistent all year, and maybe he'll go two-in-a-row en route to a first career championship!
Ryan Newman: He's 12 points behind Burton, but has had more success this season by comparison. Thus, I feel the Rocket Man has a good shot at snatching that title from under Burton's nose.
Casey Mears: The Daytona 500 champ comes into this race as a championship contender, but lack of success compared to Burton and Newman (15 top-10s compared to Burton's and Newman's 20 each) means that the Blue Deuce will need a lucky break in order to make '05 champ Rusty Wallace proud by winning the championship with a young upstart!
Tony Stewart: 6 wins, but 4th in the standings. Smoke was so good early in the year, but he's gonna have to start being that way again if he wants that second championship.
Clint Bowyer: He's had his times of surprising us, but with 130 points to make up, the 07 team might as well race as if they're NOT competing for a championship unless Lady Luck feels like smiling on them this Sunday.
Kyle Busch: Kurt's younger brother has been there fighting with the big boys most of the year, but the only way he's gonna win this championship is if he gets ahead early and dominates the race with flying colors. If might also help for the other 5 contenders to fall out in one way or another, but don't get your hopes up, Kyle Busch fans.
And now, my championship prediction.
Burton has the experience (and points lead) to get the job done, but the fact that he wasn't in victory lane until just last week, coupled with Newman's stronger success in comparison, leads me to believe that Roger Penske will be a two-time Nextel Cup championship-winning owner once this is all said and done.
Bobby Ricky's 2007 Nextel Cup Champion Pick: Ryan Newman
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Post by labontefanboy on Feb 2, 2015 21:20:03 GMT -5
The race has been run and I will be totaling points shortly. In the meantime, continue on with your predictions as to who will win the championship.
At this point in time, I plan to do a live race broadcast starting at 11 PM EST tomorrow night. I will be posting 5 updates per post so that it doesn't become a multi-hour event, but will hopefully allow some people to follow along.
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Post by frow78 on Feb 3, 2015 7:16:25 GMT -5
I got to go with Newman for the championship, but Burton seems like he has all the momentum after Phoenix. Just hoping for a good race.
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Post by labontefanboy on Feb 3, 2015 23:04:02 GMT -5
Race 36 - Ford 400
It's time. 6 drivers. 267 laps. We're here to crown a champion. In all likelihood, we'll have a first time champion, adding more meaning to the event. Jeff Burton, in his final season at Richard Childress Racing, is looking to fend off 2 veterans and 3 new hotshots. Tony Stewart, the 2007 wins leader, looks to earn his 2nd championship. Meanwhile, Ryan Newman looks to capitalize on his incredibly consistent Chase and earn Roger Penske his 2nd title in 3 years. Meanwhile, Clint Bowyer and Kyle Busch look to stun the NASCAR world and earn a championship in their first Chase, while Daytona 500 champion Casey Mears looks to also get Penske's 2nd title, and bring home the trophy in the blue deuce as Rusty Wallace did just 2 years ago. Buckle your seatbelts, race fans. It's all on the line today. Let's get it started.
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Post by labontefanboy on Feb 3, 2015 23:08:38 GMT -5
Pace laps: The cars are up and running. The two frontrunners, Burton and Newman, will have their work cut out for them. Newman qualified 23rd and Burton qualified 30th. Bowyer also had a poor showing, and will start to Burton's inside in position 29. Meanwhile, Newman's teammate Travis Kvapil earned his first pole of the season in the final race, clinching down a spot in next February's Bud Shootout on the last possible second. The others contenders all start in the top 10 - Mears starts 2nd, Stewart starts 4th, and Busch starts 9th.
Green flag: Buggity buggity buggity, let's go racing boys!
Lap 3: Jimmie Johnson motors around Kvapil for the lead. Frantic racing already jumbling up the Chasers. The inside line is cruising right now, as Busch has moved from 9th to 2nd in just 2 laps, and Newman has advanced from 23rd to 18th. Burton, however, is stuck on a slick outside lane and is stuck in 32nd.
Lap 4: Stewart has slipped back to 12th while Newman and Bowyer march forward to 16th and 23rd, respectively. Burton continues to fight an ill-handling car early on and runs 34th. Lots of racing to go, though.
Lap 6: Newman and Bowyer still advancing. The two now run 13th and 17th. Stewart has been caught on the outside line since that start and is now back to 14th.
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Post by labontefanboy on Feb 3, 2015 23:12:56 GMT -5
Lap 7: Newman, Stewart, and Bowyer each gain one spot on lap 6.
Lap 8: Bowyer slips back to 18th.
Lap 9: Jeff Gordon past Mears for 3rd while the two RCR contenders are falling backwards. Bowyer has gotten freight-trained and is back to 21st while Burton has made only negative progress and is back to 36th.
Lap 10: Kyle Busch past Johnson for the lead. Newman and Stewart both gain a spot again while Bowyer slips to 22nd and Burton slips to 38th. While we knew Burton would have a tough time in the early going to make headway on the outside, I don't think anyone expected him to be struggling this badly early on.
Lap 11: Hard racing at the front moves Gordon to the lead, Mears to 2nd, and Kyle to 3rd. Stewart and Newman swap 11th and 12th and Burton again slips backwards, this time falling to 39th at the stripe.
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