Cheatin' Cllint and Dover picks

First some thoughts on the 150 points that NASCAR penalized Clint Bowyer for last week's race at New Hampshire for a rear end infraction.
Yes, it's true, Bowyer really has nothing to do with this, other than he is the driver and main spokesperson for the No. 33. He's out doing P.R. most of the week, keeping sponsors happy, that kind of stuff. But yes again, he's guilty by association.
No, the Childress team shouldn't act so surprised about the penalty. They were warned about it before, which is basically NASCAR saying, "we probably could have penalized you this time, but don't get caught again." But they were. The Childress team may have listened a little, but not a lot. Even if the team was riding the fence on the rules, it basically had nothing to lose because it was starting last in the Chase, so why not gamble a bit?
The No. 33 team gambled and lost and the penalty sent a strong message to other teams who might try something similar. So, while harsh, Bowyer's penalty is deserved.

Now on to the Dover top five picks.
1. Jimmie Johnson. He's on the pole and has been dominant there in the past.
2. Tony Stewart. He was about a mile short on fuel last week, but showed he has the equipment to run up front.
3. Kyle Busch. He had a good run at Dover in the spring, and is feeling pretty good about himself now.
4. Kevin Harvick. The neighborhood bully seems to hang around for good a finish.
5. Carl Edwards. A bit of an upset pick here, not because he's been terrible, he in the Chase afterall, but the Fords have run well here in the past, so I'm going with Edwards here.
Hopefully there is good weather all weekend.

Live at Dover

We've got a good day here. Mostly sunny and a little bit of a breeze. Kyle Busch, Denny Hamlin and Carl Edwards were top three in final practice Saturday. We'll how that plays out today as the weather conditions are very similar. Smallest crowd I've seen here. It's too bad because it's a great place to watch a race, but these things aren't free either.