Tweet this - NASCAR says no penalty for Keselowski

I've been attending auto races for over 40 years. One of the things that keeps me going back is that it's impossible to predict what might happen. And there may be no better example of that then the Monday into Tuesday morning Daytona 500.
We'll get to the jet dryer fire in a moment. The news Tuesday morning was that NASCAR was considering penalizing driver Brad Keselowski for having a phone with him in his car and tweeting during the two-hour plus red flag delay.
The good news came later Tuesday when NASCAR released a statement saying Keselowski and other drivers can have phones with them in their cars, so long as of course,they don't drive and tweet at the same time. It seems funny to think about that, but yes, on Twitter Tuesday morning some were saying Keselowski was driving 200 mph while he was tweeting. While NASCAR drivers are talented, let's be real, they're not that good.
Keselowski did a good thing by tweeting live updates from the backstretch where the cars were stopped. Drivers were allowed out of their cars, but could not make any alterations to their cars.
Keselowski's popularity soared on twitter as he picked up 55,000 followers in that time period. Before the red flag he was at 85,000 followers and by Tuesday morning the number was over 206,000. Keselowski assured all that he doesn't tweet and drive. He said he keeps his phone in his pocket.
Keselowski won't be a little lighter in the pocket later this week since there is no fine. NASCAR enforced the spirit of the rule, not the letter of the law. It's not as if Keselowski is driving and talking on his phone during the race. It was OK to talk with him about it because this is new territory and good territory for the sport. What Keselowski did Monday night with his red flag tweeting is something a NASCAR marketing executive wishes he or she would have thought of.
It turned what could have been a long and tedious delay into a social media entertainment event.
The bottom line is that he was tweeting to entertain himself and others who could do nothing but watch. The fans loved it. They loved it at the track and the ones watching all over the world loved it, too.
Keselowski was in a win-win situation here. If NASCAR had penalized him, then he would have been loved even more for being treated unfairly. Since they didn't, fans can always ask, "remember the time that Keselowski tweeted during the red flag at Daytona?"
And yes, about that red flag.
One of the most bizarre moments in all of sports occurred with 40 laps remaining Monday night. Juan Pablo Montoya was coming off of pit road alone and speeding to catch the rest of the field. As NASCAR has done for years, jet dryers were on the track to clean off debris, mostly tiny pieces of rubber which come off tires that can make the racing surface just a bit slippery. Montoya had been complaining to his crew about a vibration and they couldn't get it figured out. And now they may never figure it out.
That's because when something broke on Montoya's car as he was accelerating, he lost control of his No. 42 car and slid sideways into one of the jet dryers, turning it into a fireball as about 200 gallons of jet fuel was on board. Luckily no one was hurt.



Then came the red flag delay.
When the race finally restarted there were two more yellow flags for incidents and eventually and maybe appropriately Matt Kenseth won. I say appropriately because he is one of NASCAR's most unassuming drivers who has done his job very well over the years. And I also say appropriately because for years, people will talk about the jet dryer fire, and Keselowski tweeting, and then ask, who won that race? And hopefully they will remember that too in what was an unforgettable night for NASCAR.

A Road Course or Curse and picks

Some NASCAR drivers might call this weekend's Sprint Cup race at Watkins Glen more of a road curse, rather than a road course. It's one of the two times during the season that NASCAR drivers get the chance to make right-hand turns. And actually, for a couple of times a year, it can be rather enjoyable to watch. The reason, is unlike the open-wheel cars that regularly run the road courses, the NASCAR guys and rub and bump fenders without causing a major accidents. However, if a driver does get "booted" as Kyle Busch likes to say, it can cost him several, sometimes as much as 20, places if he is running up front.
It will be curious to see if Jimmie Johnson and Kurt Busch get a chance to rub fenders this week. It's true what Busch said last week, that fans do like seeing two drivers go after on piece of real estate and neither one giving in.
Here's what Johnson had to stay before practice at Watkins Glen:


So, here we go with picks:
Tony Stewart - Five wins here. I'm gonna keep picking him until he gets one this year.
Jeff Gordon - Was king of the road courses until Stewart came a long. Will have to be dealt with.
Juan Pablo Montoya - The No. 42 team could soothe a disappointing week, with two crewmen being fired after drug accusations were made against them, and season with a win. Montoya is one of the best on the roads.
Marcus Ambrose - A major threat to win anytime he's on a road course.
Boris Said - As a closet "Said Head" this is one of only two times a season I can pick him, so I am.
Until next time

Brickyard can breed champions; picks too

Drivers who win the Brickyard 400 often go on to bigger and better things, like Sprint Cup titles. Of the 17 races at Indy, the winner has gone on to win the title eight times.
You've got Jimmie Johnson with three (2006, 2008 and 2009), Jeff Gordon with two (1998 and 2001) and Dale Jarrett (1998), Bobby Labonte (2000) and Tony Stewart (2005) each with one.
So, pay attention to Sunday's winner. If he makes the Chase, it could be a sign of better things to come.

After a week off (and a winning pick with Ryan Newman), we're back with picks for Indy.
1) Tony Stewart - He's won twice here and really needs a win to help his Chase chances.
2) Jeff Gordon - Will he become the first five-time winner at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway? It's quite possible.
3) Juan Pablo Montoya - Could be the first guy to win the Indy 500 and Brickyard 400, so have to pick him here.
4) Jimmie Johnson - A three-time winner at Indy, could join teammate Gordon with a fourth.
5) Kevin Harvick - He's got one win here and is one of three drivers (Stewart and Gordon are the other two) to average a top 10 finish at Indy.
Until next time

On Juan Pablo

While most of us have been focused on the Kevin Harvick-Kyle Busch controversy at Darlington last week, let's take a look at one more accident. That was the Juan Pablo Montoya-Jimmie Johnson wreck.
It's true Montoya is too aggressive at times, and there's no doubt he needs to be on good behavior. He's never been afraid to use his bumper in a bulldozer-like fashion to clear a path in front of him.
It's true that Montoya did bump and spin Johnson during Saturday night's race after Johnson had passed Montoya.
But when taking a look at the video, this wreck might not have been all on Montoya. As Johnson completed his pass and started to pull up in front of Montoya, the two cars behind Montoya went noticeably slower. What this tells us is that Montoya was slowing down to try and avoid a wreck.
Given Montoya's history, it's easy to assume this was all on him. Even the announcers just assumed that it was all Montoya's fault without really studying the video. Does he deserve part of the blame here? Probably. Was he trying to avoid an accident this time? Definitely.
Johnson, the five-time defending champion, is a great driver. But he's not perfect. Had he waited just a second or two to complete the pass, this accident probably would have been avoided.
So let's give Juan Pablo a little room on this one.

Martinsville picks

The Sprint Cup guys are back at a short track with Martinsville and sometimes that can be a little tricky for the Chase contenders. They won't want to get a lap down and really, if there are any scores to settle here, it could happen in a very innocent looking way as "just one of them racing deals."

Here we go with this week's Five Guys:
Denny Hamlin - If he wants to challenge Jimmie Johnson, now is the time. He's just 41 points back, but he needs a win and this is a good chance for him as he starts on the pole.
Jimmie Johnson - He dropped to 37th at one point last week, then finished third. That's what championship teams do. All of the contenders know Johnson needs a 30th or worse finish to let them back in. They also know it's not likely to happen.
Tony Stewart - He's a short track guy, and even though he's pretty much out of contention for the Chase at 171 points back, he'd love to win at this place.
Greg Biffle - He qualified at third and has shown the ability to win this year, even though he hasn't been consistent.
Juan Pablo Montoya - He's my non-Chaser pick of the week. He doesn't mind being aggressive on the short tracks, so if he can keep his cool, and pick the right time to bump guys out of the way, he could be there at the end.

The Chasees and the Chasers ... and New Hampshire

Here's a quick breakdown of the Chase drivers, the final 12 who are eligible to win the NASCAR Sprint Cup title in these final 10 races, starting today at New Hampshire.

1. Jimmie Johnson: He's the king until he's unkinged, and has to be the favorite, even though he's struggled a bit lately.
2. Denny Hamlin: He's getting on a roll at the right time and starts with the lead due to his six wins.
3. Kevin Harvick: He won the regular season points and has been consistent this year. However, top 10s just won't getting it done when it comes to winning the Chase. He needs top five and at least two victories.
4. Tony Stewart: He had the victory in Atlanta, but hasn't had his normal hot streak, so he's got a real chance.
5. Carl Edwards: Whether you like him or not, the combination of the driver and team are too good to not win a race. They've been getting closer lately, too.
6. Kyle Busch: He's capable of winning two or three in a row at any point. Also capable of a finishing 30th or worse in a couple of races. Talladega could be key race for him.
7. Jeff Gordon: If he wants to break his winless streak, now would be a good time. He's actually a bit of an underdog here.
8. Kurt Busch: Has a bit of chip on his shoulder after getting penalized 15 minutes of practice time for having a set of extra tires. That chip just might be what he needs.
9. Clint Bowyer: A good qualifying run at New Hampshire helps him. Clean air means a lot in these cars and he needs to get off to a good start to have a chance.
10. Greg Biffle: Did get an elusive win at Pocono and also capable of getting hot at any time.
11. Matt Kenseth: Maybe the quietest Chase entry. He needs to show that he can win to have a chance.
12. JefF Burton: An underrated driver who has a knack for showing up in the top five at end of races. So, don't count him out.
My pick to win the whole thing ... Denny Hamlin, to unseat Johnson.

My top five for New Hampshire:
1. Tony Stewart: Has always been fast there.
2. Denny Hamlin: Can't ignore a guy on a hot streak.
3. Jimmie Johnson: Yes, they were off in qualifying, starting 25th, but he'll be there in the end.
4. Carl Edwards: First win this year will come soon.
5. Juan Pablo Montoya: Just because you're not in the chase, doesn't mean you can't win a race.

PICKS for HOTATLANTA

It's a holiday weekend, so the Sprint Cups guys aren't going until Sunday night in Atlanta. They moved it to a night race to try and get more fans to come to the race in Atlanta, but for some reason, Atlanta fans just aren't into attending live events. Even in years where the Braves and Hawks are good, they have trouble getting fans to come and it probably won't be any different for the race.

Here's this week's picks:
Carl Edwards: He's been inching closer to winning lately, and Atlanta has been good to him in the past.
Tony Stewart: Really needs a win, even though he has been pretty consistent lately.
Jeff Gordon: Seeking of guys who need a win this season ...
Kevin Harvick: The Neighborhood Bully loves the fast track at HotAtlanta.
Juan Pablo Montoya: Have to pick one of those Ganassi guys to win

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.