Fearless Forecast: Who Will Win at Texas?
Saturday, April 5th, 2008 by Jim Mc Coy
Predicting a NASCAR winner isn’t like picking a Final Four Winner. When you’re picking a winner in the stick and ball sports, it’s a heck of a lot easier to choose between two teams than it is picking a winner among 43 drivers. I haven’t picked a winner yet this year, but I’ve come darn close with Jeff Gordon finishing second last week, Tony Stewart taking third at Daytona and Junior’s third in Atlanta.
Let me start by saying that I’m choosing this week’s winner on the basis of speed. With in mind, I see the racers from Hendrick Motorsports, Joe Gibbs Racing, Richard Childress Racing and Roush Fenway Racing as the teams most likely to produce a winner at Texas Motor Speedway. Looks like a pretty safe bet when you consider that Lil “E” has the pole and he’s joined by Carl Edwards of Roush on the front row. Ryan Newman, one of NASCAR’s premier qualifiers is up towards the front, and then you have some other of the usual suspects in the front of the field: Jimmie Johnson, Kyle Busch, and Matt Kenseth.
David Ragan will be someone to watch. The pilot of Mark Martin’s old ride did well at Martinsville, and he’s the front of the pack. Let’s tip a cowboy hat to Mike Skinner. Team Red Bull has been vindicated by their selection of the guy more famous for his truck racing prowess to take the #84 over from A.J. Allmendinger. Their goal? To get in race- which unfortunately A.J. wasn’t doing. Skinner got a 9th position yesterday and he’s been getting his car in the race, so the move pays off. I’m not sure Petty Enterprises move of Chad Mc Cumbee for Kyle Petty really did any good, There will be NO #45 car in tomorrow’s field.
So who will win this? The talking heads over at Yahoo! Sports are going with Carl Edwards. A good choice. Some are saying Jeff Gordonwill get HMS off the 2008 snide. Knowing the resemblence this track bears to Atlanta bodes well for AMS winner Kyle Busch. David Reutimann makes a nice dark horse pick. I think if his equipment can hold up, he looks like a winner. Starting out front will be a boon for “Beak” (a nickname given him in high school because of his prominent schnauz), it will keep him away from the wreckers, which is his problem half the time, getting caught in the wrong place at the wrong time. Two time winner Jeff Burtoncan’t be ignored. Niether can Greg Biffle, Denny Hamlin or Kevin Harvick.
Dale Earnhardt Jr. will make history tomorrow. He will do what no other has done at the “Great American Speedway”- win at Texas from the pole. It will be Junior that gives Rick Hendrick his first victory of 2008.
(Photo by Jonathan Ferrey/Getty Images)
This race is about speed and Dale Earnhardt Junior is wicked fast.
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Jake Rutter
I hope jr. gets his first win today at Texas, he seems to do best on the bigger tracks. Also, he has already won the pole so that proves that he has a really fast car!