I mean, I’m not particularly a huge fan of watching super speedway racing.  I never have, and likely never will be.  But, I can still distinguish when one of these races should be construed as something exciting to watch and when it shouldn’t.  For instance, Elliott Saddler finishing Talladega by sliding across the finish line on his roof = very exciting.  Greg Biffle winning a race at Daytona on fuel mileage = boring as hell.  So, like I said, I’m not a huge fan of tracks like Talladega, but for some reason I was completely stoked about the race coming into this weekend … and, I left my buddy’s house Sunday evening extremely disappointed.  And, I really don’t know how else to describe it other than “disappointing”.

Think about it … after three races in the Chase, we come to Talladega where the points standings are about as tight as a normal pack of cars on the ‘Dega speedway, but we leave with Team Hendrick beginning to run away with things.  Toyota qualified a lot of drivers at the front of the field, splitting the fans into two groups:  Those who thought this would translate into some great Toyota finishes and those who thought Toyota would be the cause of “the Big One”.  Well, not only was Toyota unable to produce the results they were looking for, but the Big One had nothing to do with the Toyotas and was really lackluster compared to what we’ve grown accustomed to.  Dale Earnhardt Jr came to Alabama one of the odds-on-favorites to win the race, not to mention it was his last race with Tony Eury Jr as members of DEI.  There was a lot of hype around that one, and surely the cousins Junior would add some drama to their story by competing for the win in the final laps of the race … instead, we witnessed Earnhardt’s sixth engine failure of the year about midway through the race.  Kevin Harvick came from very deep in the pack to start the race (I believe he started somewhere around 34th or something), and found himself in sixth place approximately five laps into the race.  Surely he had one of the cars to beat, but alas, Jeff Burton experienced engine troubles, leaving the 29 without a dependable drafting partner.  Not really sure what happened to Harvick’s car between the green and checkered flags, but he wound up coming home in 20th.  The Fords had nothing for the Chevy’s, so we had to rely on Dodge to race them to the checkered flag.

I could go on and on and on with this, but I’m pretty sure that you guys get the picture.  Instead of what should have been a very dramatic race start to finish, instead we were left watching the Hendrick cars lag in the back of the field for the entire day only to gang up on the Penske cars of Kurt Busch and Ryan Newman in the closing laps.  Tony Stewart tried to muscle his way past Gordon and Johnson, but everytime he ducked out of line to try and make a move nobody followed until the 9 car of Kasey Kahne finally supported him … until the last turn.  I mean, that was literally probably about the only exciting part of the race for me.

Again, it was a good race, sure … but, when the series heads to Talladega for the fourth race in the Chase for the Cup, I’m just expecting so much more.  On a scale of 1 to 5, I have to rate this race a 2.

Post from: EveryJoe

Rating the Race: Talladega

Question of the Week:
Should Jacques Villeneueve make his stock car debut at Talladega?

A) Yes, he’s a former Formula One Champion and can race any car at any track.
B) Sure. He won’t finish well, but what’s the worst that can happen?
C) It’s not a good idea. He’s a good driver, but Talladega’s a dangerous place to drive.
D) Absolutely Not! All it takes is for him to be in the vicinity of Elliot Saddler in the closing laps and this guy’s toast!

Results
A) 0%
B) 16.7%
C) 33.3%
D) 50%

Post from: EveryJoe

Poll Results (from Week of 10/1 – 10/7)

- Kyle Busch wins the Busch Series race in Kansas on Saturday.

- Greg Biffle runs out of fuel under caution to win a crazy, rain-filled race at the Nextel Cup Series race on Sunday.

- Kyle Busch is not happy with Dale Earnhardt Jr. (who will drive Kyle’s car next season) for getting him lose and putting him in the wall at Kansas Speedway.

- NASCAR announces that no penalties will be issued to Tony Stewart for the use of vulgar language during a live feed on ESPN2.

- Former Formula One Racing Champion Jacque Villeneueve announces he will make his stock car debut this weekend at Talladega.

- Chip Ganassi signs former Indy Car Series Champion Dario Franchitti to race the number 40 car for the 2008 season.

- CNC Racing signs Scott Riggs to a contract to race either the 66 or the 70 next year.

- M&M’s announces that it will sponsor Kyle Busch as he heads to Joe Gibbs Racing in 2008.

- Nationwide Insurance has been named the new sponsor for the “other” NASCAR Series, which is currently sponsored by Busch.

- NASCAR has released their 2008 schedules for the Sprint (currently Nextel), Nationwide (currently Busch), and Craftsman Truck Series.

- Todd Bodine has the best qualifying speed and starts Saturday’s Craftsman Truck Series race from the pole position.

- On Thursday, Bryan Clauson captures his first career pole for the ARCA Series’ Talladega 500.

- Erin Crocker leads the final ARCA practice session on Friday.

- Tony Stewart leads both practice sessions at Talladega on Friday for the Nextel Cup Series race.

Post from: EveryJoe

Saturday Morning Quick Fix

Well, if you’re one of those people that have opened up October double fisting pints of Jack, trying to remember why the heck you forgot to pickup a liter of Coke when you went to the store as you head for the bathroom, then I’m about to break your heart.  As you sit there staring at that tile floor after losing your lunch yet again in November – wishing that you’d just stuck it out with one of the Chase regulars, remember that you heard it here first … 2007 is NOT the year that Cinderella is reunited with her glass slipper, which means that there will be no miracle at Homestead and Clint Bowyer will NOT be crowned as your new Champion.

What I want all you Bowyer bandwagon kids to do right now is go scroll through all of the 2007 race results prior to the race at New Hampshire and tell me how many top 5 finishes this guy had prior to entering the Chase … seriously, do it now.  I know, you’re having trouble finding them all, right?  Okay, go back and find them all again … wait, your math must still be off.  Maybe if your breath wasn’t reeking of JD at the moment, you’d be able to see where I’m going with this.  You can’t find them because they’re virtually non-existent!

Seriously, I’m not trying to “hate” on the 07 team, and I’m not trying to “clown” all you supporters out there, but c’mon.  This guy finished 4th at Infineon and 3rd in the second race at Bristol.  That means he had TWO top 5 finishes coming into the Chase, the first of which didn’t come until the sixteenth race of the season … think about that – a guy scores his first top 5 finish sixteen races into the season, and you wanna talk to me about a Championship run?  Sorry, but in the words of a certain fishing expert I know, “Get Reel”.

Post from: EveryJoe

Don’t Count Your Kansas Chickens Just Yet

When Kevin Harvick fans took a look at the current NASCAR Nextel Cup Series points standings following the Lifelock 400 race held on Sunday at Kansas Speedway, they didn’t see anything out of the ordinary.  Richard Childress’ no. 29 Shell Penzoil Team currently sits in fifth place – 126 points back of Chase leader Jimmie Johnson.  So, why are Harvick fans not worried?

Since NASCAR moved to their “Chase” format at the beginning of the 2004 racing season, Harvick has made the Chase just one other time, and that was last year and he finished fourth in points, just 78 points behind current defending Champion Jimmie Johnson.  Coming into this race last year, Harvick sat in fifth and was 96 points behind the leader, but a sixth place finish at Talladega allowed him to make up substantial ground and he came out of that race fourth in the standings and was then only 33 points behind Jeff Burton for first place.  The final six races would have provided for a crazy-close three-way battle for the crown between Harvick, Matt Kenseth, and Denny Hamlin who all finished within 22 points of each other for 2nd through 4th, but a late surge by Johnson and his crew ultimately catapulted him to the front and out of reach of the other Chasers.

Taking that into consideration, it’s very feasible to imagine that Harvick could leave Talladega with a good finish and gain a ton of points on the guys in front of him.  Not only has ‘Dega been good to Harvick in the past (six top 10’s in his last nine races there), but restrictor plate racing always seems to trigger a huge multi-car pileup, or “the Big One” as we’ve come to know it.  I’m sure Kevin’s not going to wish any ill-will toward the other drivers in the garage (wink), BUT if some of these other guys in the Top 5 happen to get caught up in a wreck somewhere between the green and checkered flags, it could be a huge points day for the 29 team.

Talladega’s probably not much of a concern to most Kevin Harvick fans, but two of the three following races should be.  Lowe’s is a track that Harvick has never faired well at and Atlanta is a place that has become a real thorn in his side in the past couple of seasons, despite running well there earlier in his career.  The next bright spot on the schedule after this weekend will actually be at Martinsville on October 21st – right between Charlotte and Atlanta.  Harvick has two top 10 finishes there in his past three tries and he’s always been fond of short-track racing.  It’s going to be a long bumpy road for the Childress protégé’, but if he can reverse his misfortunes at a couple of these tracks, he could find himself well in contention for #1 in 2007.

Post from: EveryJoe

Harvick Chasing Familiar Territory

This week, the series makes its way down south to Talladega, and I’ve decided to approach my Fantasy Previews in a slightly different manner for you.  From here on out, I’ll actually list out my top six finishers for the race as well as listing a “Sure Bet”, a “Sleeper Pick”, and a “Steer Clear” driver.  This should help you monitor my advice over the long run and allow you to better gauge whether or not to take my lists as gospel.  That said, here goes …

Race Winner:  Dale Earnhardt Jr. – I eluded to this last week in my writeup of Eury Jr. leaving for Hendrick after this week, and I’m sticking with my original pick.  Junior comes to Talladega with an average finish of 12.6.  In fifteen career races at this track, he’s walked away with five wins, including a stretch of 7 consecutive races where he finished second or better.  He hasn’t scored a Top 5 at ‘Dega since 2004, but did finish the Spring race here in 7th.  Nonetheless, I still believe that this team is just so motivated to win a race in 2007, especially before Earnhardt and Eury part ways for the remainder of the season, that the no. 8 is going to put on a show this weekend reminiscent of the years that DEI absolutely owned this track.

2nd Place:  Jeff Gordon – The DuPont team has been on fire this entire season, and this Sunday they’ll be visiting a track that Gordon has treasured over the years.  Nineteen races here, 4 wins, 9 Top 5’s, and an average finish of 13.9, Gordon is sure to be one of the real contenders in this race.

3rd Place:  Kurt Busch – The older of the Busch brothers comes to Talladega with an average finish of 10.2 – second best amongst all active NASCAR drivers, and better than anyone to make more than 2 starts here.  Despite the fact that he’s never been able to quite seal the deal and get a win here, in only 13 races at ‘Dega, Busch has scored ten Top 10 finishes and is currently working on a string of six consecutive top 10’s at this track, not to mention finishing third in each of the last 2 races here.

4th Place:  Tony Stewart – “Smoke” has 17 career starts at Talladega and has recorded eight top 5 finishes here.  Though he’s never been able to win here, he’s come close on several occasions with three consecutive 2nd place finishes between the Spring of ’05 and Spring of ’06.  However, Tony has not finished inside the Top 20 since then.

5th Place:  Martin Truex Jr. – In five career Talladega starts, Truex has an average finish of only 20.0.  However, he’s finished 5th and 10th in his last two starts here respectively, and he’s had the Bass Pro Shops machine running up front for most of the season this year.

6th Place:  Kevin Harvick – Todd Berrier and Kevin Harvick have always favored restrictor plate racing, and Talladega’s certainly been good to Harvick over the years.  He comes into this race with an average finish of 13.1 and seven career top 10’s in 13 races here, not to mention back-to-back 6th place finishes in his last two Talladega races.

Top 5 Lock of the Week:  Kurt Busch

Sleeper Pick:  Jamie McMurray

Steer Clear:  Clint Bowyer

Post from: EveryJoe

Fantasy Preview – Talladega

2.  Jimmie Johnson (2) – The no. 48 Lowes Chevrolet Team was able to bring home their first top 5 finish since the beginning of the Chase – which ironically began just one race after Jimmie brought home the checkered flag at Richmond.  This team’s going to be looking to use this to build momentum and catch fire early on in the Chase this year rather than doing it the hard way like they did in 2006.

3.  Tony Stewart (3) – Stewart had as much of an “up and down” day as one can possibly have in a single race.  After starting toward the middle of the pack for Sunday’s race at Kansas, Stewart quickly moved up to the front and appeared to have his fourth win of the season wrapped up when they stopped the race for rain just past the halfway point.  Two hours later the race restarted and Stewart found himself in the wall and with a 39th place finish. Had they officially called the race, Tony would be in first place with a 46 point lead – instead, he’s now in fourth and 117 points behind leader Jimmie Johnson.

4.  Clint Bowyer (6) – Without a doubt, the 07 Jack Daniels machine has been by far the biggest surprise in the Chase for the NASCAR Nextel Cup to this point.  Bowyer entered the chase riding on only one win, two top five finishes, and nine top ten’s, but with his 2nd place finish at his hometown track in Kansas, Clint now sits in third place in the standings … a staggering 14 points behind Chase leader Jimmie Johnson.

5. Kyle Busch (5) – Kyle entered Sunday’s race riding the momentum of back-to-back top five finishes to begin the Chase and looked as though he may be one of the cars to beat at Kansas until he was placed firmly into the wall by Dale Earnhardt Jr.  Kyle will need to capitalize on the Hendrick team’s dominance at restrictor plate racing, keep his nose clean, and walk away with a good finish at Talladega in order to keep his Chase hopes alive.

6.  Carl Edwards (4) – Edwards did not get the finish he needed at Kansas to keep himself in Chase contention after late-race misfortunes left him with a 37th place finish on Sunday.  Edwards could be in trouble as the series heads to Talladega next week, a track that has historically been dominated by Chevrolet.

7.  Greg Biffle (NR) – Despite a tremendously disappointing season after entering 2007 with the hopes of putting together a possible championship run, Biffle picked up his second top 5 of the season two weeks ago at Dover and scored his first win of ’07 last week at Kansas.

8.  Matt Kenseth (7) – Matt Kenseth and Crew Chief Robby Rizer have just not been able to get things going after three races to begin the Chase.  It’s been a very mediocre season for Kenseth, but the Dewalt Team continues to remain optimistic.  If they’re going to have any shot at putting together a late run, though, they need to get things going next week at ‘Dega.

9.  Dale Earnhardt Jr. (10) – Junior rolled across the finish line in 10th place last week to complete the best back-to-back runs this team has been able to put together in recent memory (scored a top 5 at Dover). The no. 8 Budweiser crew is still looking for their first win of 2007, and many feel that could come next week at Talladega, which is also Crew Chief Tony Eury’s last race with the team before heading off to Hendrick to get things ready for next year.

10.  Casey Mears (NR) – Mears has managed to put together a string of three consecutive top 10 finishes, included a fourth place showing last week at Kansas.  It will be interesting to see how this momentum carries over to Talladega, a track where Mears’ last top 10 came in 2004 and where he finished 39th earlier this year.

Post from: EveryJoe

Power Rankings – Week of 10/1 – 10/7

All Poker Addicts by Blake Butler
BCS Frenzy by Allison Boyer
BIGPLAY Radio NFL Podcast by David Kindervater
College Fast Break by Rich Carlson
Do You Nascar by Tim Zaegel
Dejuiced by Albert Bianchi
Every Morning Quarterback by David Kindervater
Getting Reel by Don Zaegel
Gossip on Sports by Jodie Lynn Boduch
Green Posse by Michael Stramba
Hockey Beat by Jeanne Dupuis
Hoops Fantasy by Stephen Kersey
Jab & Grapple by Kris Karkoski
Knuckle Curve by Geoff Young
Ladies Court by Joe Ruiz
Light the Torch by Sasha Manuel
NBA Obsessed by James Edwards
Rackets and Balls by Erica Beck
Real Muscle Online by Ramsay Taplin
Six and Out by Dinsa Sachan
Squib Kick by James Edwards
The Fantasy Kickoff by Kori Ellis
The Footie by Jyle Dupuis
Ultra Sports Bet by T.O. Whenham

To celebrate the launch of the new blogs and the continued excellence of the existing blogs, we are holding the Sports Channel Launch Contest.

What’s up for grabs?

Prize Package #1:

• $50 Amazon Gift Certificate
• Five Lebron James basketball cards, including a 2004 Upper Deck Rookie Card graded a Gem Mint
• Ohio State Buckeyes Rug from Milliken Rugs

Prize Package #2:

• $50 Amazon Gift Certificate
• David Beckham Bobblehead
• Soccer Bear from The Vermont Teddy Bear Company

Prize Package #3:

• World Poker Tour Chip Set
• Other World Poker Tour Merchandise
• UFC Classic DVD Set

Prize Package #4:

• Fox Sports Tailgating Handbook: The Gear, The Food, The Stadiums
• “Haunted Baseball” by Mickey Bradley and Dan Gordon
• “Greatest Team Ever” (Dallas Cowboys) photographs by Ron St. Angelo, essays from Norm Hitzges
• Florida Gators Rug from Milliken Rugs

Prize Package #5:

• Six Brett Favre Football Cards, all mint condition or better
• Fox Sports Tailgating Handbook: The Gear, The Food, The Stadiums
• Autographed copy of “Romo – My Life on the Edge: Living Dreams and Slaying Dragons” by Bill Romanowski
• Family Guy Stewie football

Prize Package #6:

• Mio Fitness Watch
• Hockey Bear from The Vermont Teddy Bear Company
• World Poker Tour Merchandise

Prize Package #7:

• 2007 Topps Series 2 MLB Cards – Sealed Box
• Life Fitness Watch
• USC Trojans Rug from Milliken Rugs
• Family Guy Stewie football

Each package will also include a copy of “Ricky Barry’s Super Sports Trivia” from Square One Publishers and Dr. Adrianne Ahern’s “Snap Out of It Now!”.

There are two fun ways to win. You can enter our sports trivia contest, or you can write on your own blog about one (or more) of the b5 sports blogs.

You must enter the contest before Friday, October 12, 2007 at 12:00 noon ET.

CLICK HERE to get all the details on how to enter and win!

We want to thank all the sponsors who provided the contest prizes.

Good luck !!!

Post from: EveryJoe

Get Into The Game – Sports Channel Launch Contest

For having the ability to demonstrate some common sense and, as I’ve stated before, just letting the drivers drive, I say bravo to NASCAR … bravo, I say!

Post from: EveryJoe

No Repricussions Expected For Stewart

While Junior is ineligible for championship contention this year, he is definitely a man on a mission as he has been unable to win a race the entire season and this will be his final year racing for DEI.  On lap twenty-seven, Earnhardt was racing with Kyle Busch for position when he got into the back of the no. 5 Kellog’s Chevrolet – which just happens to be the same team that Jr will be driving for in 2008.  The incident sent Kyle spinning into the wall and basically ruined his day and any hopes of being able to keep ground with the Chase leaders.

After the accident, Kyle Busch stated that he had no idea what the Dale was thinking and that he tried to open up a lane for the no. 8 to pass him, but instead he wrecked Kyle.  Busch also stated that he couldn’t imagine that Junior’s new team for ’08 could possibly be very happy with him right now since they’re trying to race for a championship this season.  Busch dropped to sixth in the championship standings and gave up 126 points, now 136 back.

Post from: EveryJoe

Junior Brings Out the Tiger