YES HE CAN and PICKS

The big question going into tonight's Sprint Cup race at Dover is if Kyle Busch can win in NASCAR's three major series on the same weekend. And yes, he certainly can. Busch is physically and mentally capable of enduring 500 more laps on the half-mile oval. Also, just as important at Bristol is the winning driver needs to hae an aggressive mind-set. You have to think you are the one who is going be giving the bumps, not the ones taking them. Busch always thinks that way and that's why he could get that elusive trifecta.

Here's a look at this week's picks:
Kyle Busch: See above.
Tony Stewart: Loves the short track and would love to get first win this season.
Kevin Harvick: A perfect track for the Neighborhood Bully, who's been on a roll lately.
Jimmie Johnson: He won in the spring here and is due for a win.
Carl Edwards: Also has been coming close and is due for a win.

Michigan pickers and last week

Here's the picks for this week's race at Michigan:

Kasey Kahne: He's on the pole and may be a little more relaxed after knowing he has a ride with Red Bull Racing for next year.
Tony Stewart: Always does well at Michigan and maybe wants to prove something after a disappointing (for him) seventh-place finish on a road course.
Greg Biffle: The Fords are coming on at the right time of the year and they particularly like to do well at Michigan.
Carl Edwards: He's been coming close lately, so don't be surprised to see him in Victory Lane.
Jeff Gordon: Well, the dude's got to win sometime right?

Here's a quick review of how I did last week:
Juan Pablo Montoya: We got a winner in town.
Marcos Ambrose: Third, not bad.
A.J. Allmendinger: Fourth, pretty good.
Carl Edwards: Fifth, hey a good run.
Tony Stewart: Seventh, not quite up to his road-course standards.

late picks again

Sorry for lateness again this week, but here we go with picks.

Carl Edwards: Starting on pole, a big advantage at a road course and could make it two in a row for Ford.
Tony Stewart: He's great on this track and team is peaking at the right time, and he really, really wants a victory.
Marcos Ambrose: You know he wants to make for the Sonoma gaffe, when he stalled his car while leading on a yellow flag lap costing him an almost certain victory.
Juan Pablo Montoya: Always a must pick on a road course.
Scott Speed: Another safe pick on a road course, especially since he's starting in the top 10 today.

late picks ... or maybe not

Apologies for the late picks this week, but they may not be they may not be that late if today's race is postponed by rain, which is the talk in the media room this morning.
Here goes:
Denny Hamlin: Have to pick him here.
Tony Stewart: Usually races better than he qualifies, so the fact that he's on the pole is a good sign for him.
Kurt Busch: He's always liked it here.
Carl Edwards: If Ford gets first win this year, it would be no surprise if it was at Pocono with Edwards.
Kevin Harvick: Neighborhood bully always seems to be around at the end of these 500-milers.

Brad, Carl and the Brickyard

There were no fireworks between Carl Edwards and Brad Keselowski in Saturday night's Nationwide race. While Edwards was penalized 60 points in the Nationwide Series and they were both put on probation, that doesn't mean something couldn't happen in the Sprint Cup Series. So, you know, you might want to keep an eye on the 12 and 99 today in Indy.

As for Indy, here are my picks, sorry for being a bit late with this:

Juan Pablo Montoya: On the pole, should've won last year, loves Indy.
Jeff Gordon: A good place for him to get his first win of the year.
Tony Stewart: A good place for him to get his first win of the year, really.
Denny Hamlin: It's not uncommon for success at Pocono to translate into success at Indy.
Kyle Busch: He won the Nationwide race Saturday night at O'Reilly Raceway Park just outside Indy, so it would be a no surprise to see him get an Indy double.
Probably will regret not picking Jimmie Johnson, but can't pick the dude every week.

Unscheduled pit stops and change

Sorry, it's been a bit since I've been on here, just a lot of unscheduled pit stops this past week.

It was good to see David Reutimann find victory lane last week in Chicagoland. Reutimann and Michael Waltrip have been together since Waltrip started his team the first year Toyota competed in the Sprint Cup series. They each had no record of any great accomplishments, and in an era where patience is not a common theme among sports, it was good to see that team reach victory lane. They had won one other time, but it was a rain-shortened race. This one was completely legit, so good for them.

No Sprint Cup race this weekend, they go to Indy next week.

It was impressive to see so many fans in St. Louis stay to try and watch the truck race Friday night, but it was eventually postponed due to a power outage. They'll run Saturday at 1:30.

POT HOLES AND PICKS

Let's hope the track stays together for one more night at Daytona, as they have had to make some repairs to the track already this weekend. The track is scheduled to be resurfaced by the Daytona 500 in February, so problems with the track should be fixed by then.

Last week's picks
Kyle Busch - Finished 18th, led 46 laps but not around at the end due to some late race bumping.
Denny Hamlin - Finished 14th. One of the few recent times where he was not a threat to win the race.
Tony Stewart - Finished 2nd. He had a strong finish and wasn't far from pulling off his first win of the year.
Juan Pablo Montoya - Finished 34th. He started on the pole and led the majority of his 36 laps early on. Was not surpsinginly involved in some heavy bumping, so that sabotaged any chance of a good finish.
Kevin Harvick - Finished fifth to keep a solid hold on the top spot in the standings.

The picks
It's always tricky making picks for a restrictor race, so here goes.
Tony Stewart - He's had plenty of success in the July Daytona race and he's been very good in restrictor plate races. He has to go to the back in a backup car tonight, but it won't take long for him to get to the front.
Kevin Harvick - Starting the pole and the Neighborhood Bully has a knack for being around at the end of the race at Daytona
Kurt Busch - The Penske cars have been good at Daytona for the past couple of years. It would be no surprise to see him in Victory Lane.
Jeff Gordon - He's going to win a race sometime this year. Really.
Dale Earnhardt Jr. - If I'm going to pick this guy to win a race this year it's got to be here. The win in the Nationwide can't hurt his confidence.