PODCAST (Ep. 2): Daytona 500 Recap, Phoenix Preview

Click here to listen to this week's epsiode.

Jonathan and Gavin recap the good and bad of the Daytona 500, including Danica and Jimmie, before looking ahead to the Subway Fresh Fit 500.

FANTASY: Phoenix's Resurrection

Subway Fresh Fit 500 Fantasy Preview

Jimmie Johnson has been known to burn the competition
at Phoenix International Raceway. (Getty, 2009)

If your fantasy team didn't have a great week at Daytona International Speedway, fear not, that's Daytona; it's time to recollect and move on.

This coming Sunday's race will be the Subway Fresh Fit 500, a 500-kilometer or 312-mile race at Phoenix International Raceway.  (Can we use miles?  I mean, we are in America, right?)  Pun intended: Phoenix is a place for drivers and fantasy owners alike to rise from the ashes that might have burned them at Daytona.  Here's a more in depth look at what to expect in the Yahoo! Fantasy Auto Racing garage:

The Track

Phoenix International Raceway is a one-mile oval.  In 2011, it was reconfigured and repaved, which was designed to give the track a bit more speed.  Phoenix has a little more banking than the Magic Mile here in New Hampshire, but it still falls very much into the category of being a short intermediate and it does take a good race car driver to get his/her way to the front of the field.

X-Factor

The Gen-6 car is very much an X-Factor early in the season.  There is a huge difference between driving a restrictor-plate car at a superspeedway, like Daytona, and being forced to race on what can almost be considered a short track (by Sprint Cup Series standards), like Phoenix.  This will be the first time we truly get to see how different drivers are able to race these new cars.  Until we get a grasp on who can drive the Gen-6 and who can't, the new car will continue to provide question marks.

Jimmie's Love Letter to Gen-6

New car.  Same result.  Jimmie Johnson in victory lane. (Getty)

Hello Generation-Six No. 48 Lowe's Chevrolet,

My name is Jimmie Johnson.  My friends call me "Five-Time," because I once won five consecutive NASCAR Sprint Cup championships.  I'd recommend that you not get too used to referring to me by the number of championships I've won, as that number is continually increasing.  If it's okay, I'd like to call you "Gen-6."

I'm writing to welcome you to the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, and I'm excited by the prospect of competing with you each week going forward.  My former soul mate, the Car of Tomorrow, served me very well.  Crew chief Chad Knaus and the rest of my No. 48 team always had her running to perfection by the end of the season, in time to make a run at another championship.

Entering 2013, NASCAR told me that I needed to end my loving relationship with the darling I referred to simply as "C.O.T."  While I will miss my success with her, I want you to know that my heart is completely with you now.  The relationship with that Generation 5 vehicle was great while it lasted, but I understand that you are new and improved and that your existence is a positive step for NASCAR.

Magic Mile Power Rankings

Week 1 - Daytona 500

Jimmie Johnson takes the top spot in the Magic Mile Power

Rankings after his Daytona 500 win, but Danica Patrick's

strong day doesn't leave her far behind. (Getty)

So, the first race - NASCAR's premier event - of the season is in the books. The Gen-6 made a rather uneventful debut. Danica Patrick backed up her strong qualifying effort. And Jimmie Johnson showed that he's the man to beat, once again.

It's safe to say that Sunday's Daytona 500 went off swimmingly for NASCAR, as it was obvious during its commercial spots that it's trying to instill the rivalries and pageantry that's been missing over the last decade.

And having its biggest attraction, Ms. GoDaddy, piece together a strong day doesn't hurt, either. Patrick not only finished inside the top 10, but led the race on two separate occasions and was in the hunt before Johnson rolled to his first Daytona 500 victory since 2006.

Here's a look at the Magic Mile Power Rankings* heading into Week 2 on Sunday at Phoenix:

JT Stally's 2013 Chase Prediction

While not being considered the favorite, it's certainly
possible to see last year's LENOX Industrial Tools 301
winner, Kasey Kahne, winning this year's championship.
(NHMS/HHP)

On the first episode of the Granite Stripe Podcast, I made my predictions for the 2013 Chase for the Sprint Cup's final standings.  Here's a written look at my picks and my reasoning.

Non-Chase Driver of Interest

Marcos Ambrose - It's unlikely he'll make the Chase, but he's a road course expert and he seems to be developing on the ovals.  If he can win both road course races at Sonoma Raceway and Watkins Glen, it's possible he could sneak one of the Chase's wild card spots with those two wins, because he should finish the season in the top-20.

Dark Horse for the Chase

Matt Kenseth - Okay, he's not at all a "dark horse," but if I referred to him as the season's "wild card," it could easily be confused with him making the Chase as a wild card, so I'm going to stay away from that term.  I have a fork ready to eat my words that he won't make the Chase, but I truly don't know what to expect.  He was at Roush Fenway Racing for so long that a change in both race team and manufacturer could prove to be a learning curve.  It's also worth noting that Joey Logano wasn't overly successful with the No. 20 team, so I'm not sure if Kenseth will fare better.  He's definitely has Chases left to make in his career, but I think he just misses in 2013.

The Chase's Final Standings

BROADCAST (2013, Ep. 1): Daytona 500

In the first episode of the season, Jonathan and Gavin discuss the Gen-6 car and make their picks for the Daytona 500.

Week 1: Picking A Winner

Three for Three

 

Kevin Harvick has adjusted nicely to the Gen-6, already having
won two events (the Sprint Unlimited and Budweiser Duel 1)
and he should be the favorite again on Sunday. (Getty) 

Under crapshoot (a great word, by the way) in the dictionary, you'll find a picture of Daytona International Speedway. It's unpredictable. And while that can be said any year about the 2.5-mile beast, it's never been more fitting.

The sixth generation car, affectionately known as Gen-6, has put a serious question mark on Sunday's 55th annual running of "The Great American Race," making it nearly impossible for pundits, like myself, to pick a winner.

But, hey, that's exactly what I'm going to do. Breaking down the starting grid into three segments (1-15; 16-30; 31-43), let's pick three drivers with the best chance to win Sunday's Daytona 500 in each of those blocks.

PODCAST (2013, Ep. 1): Season Preview and Daytona 500

Click here to listen to this week's episode.

In this episode, Jonathan and Gavin make their picks for the 2013 Chase, talk about Danica/Stenhouse, and preview the Daytona 500.

Episode duration: 58:34.

Granite Stripe Relaunch: Blog, Podcast, Video

The Granite Stripe has a new logo and new graphic
to accompany the addition of video and audio.       

The Granite Stripe, the official blog of New Hampshire Motor Speedway, has undergone a significant face lift in preparation for the 2013 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season.  GraniteStripe.com, which is named after the Magic Mile’s signature start/finish line, is expanding to reach across multiple digital platforms.

The expansion on written blogs will include both audio and video content.  NHMS Digital Media Specialist Jonathan Stallsmith and Communications Manager Gavin Faretra will co-host “The Granite Stripe Broadcast” (video) and “The Granite Stripe Podcast” (audio).  The video show will take about five minutes to highlight the week’s top racing stories and give a fantasy lineup for the upcoming weekend.  The audio version will go into more depth to provide a roughly 30-minute discussion of everything newsworthy in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series.

GraniteStripe.com first launched in April 2011 with coverage mainly surrounding the regional series of the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East, NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour and American-Canadian Tour.  The blog also featured Yahoo! Fantasy Auto Racing previews and feature columns on everything from the Sprint Cup Series to NHMS’s own Loudon Road Race Series.

The growth of content is designed to provide more coverage of the fan-favorite NASCAR Sprint Cup Series without giving up its local flare. GraniteStripe.com creator, Travis Barrett, will continue to provide local coverage with a regional racing feature each Thursday.  Faretra will give his Sprint Cup Series power rankings on Mondays and write a motorsports-related feature article every Friday.  Stallsmith will write his feature on Tuesdays, while continuing his signature fantasy preview on Wednesdays.

The growth of GraniteStripe.com includes a new logo and graphic.   The podcast will allow the Magic Mile to reach users on iTunes for the first time.  Videos will be uploaded to the NHMotorSpeedway YouTube channel, and all content will be pushed across social media accounts on Facebook (/NHMotorSpeedway) and Twitter (@NHMS).  @Granite_Stripe will also become an active Twitter handle that interacts with race fans on a more personal level.  While GraniteStripe.com will streamline the content, it will also be made available to visitors of nhms.com.

FANTASY: Rolling the Daytona Dice

Daytona 500 Fantasy Preview

With so many question marks at Daytona, using the drivers on
the front row could yield 10 much-needed bonus points. (Getty)

It's that time of year again. The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series is just days away from kicking off its 2013 season, and with that comes the start of a new year with Yahoo! Fantasy Auto Racing.  For the second year, we are running the "Fans of NHMS" league and I encourage you to follow the link to sign up and play in our league.

Throughout the season, you can find fantasy tips and advice here on The Granite Stripe.  It was a difficult year for me last season, as my luck seemed about on par with Carl Edwards's, and I finished in just the 69th percentile.  However, after a 98th percentile finish in 2011, I'm going to ask for a mulligan and expect a more successful season in 2013.

To streamline the fantasy preview, each week I'll discuss the fantasy lineups based on the track, the X-factor and underlying strategy, and highlight specific drivers from Yahoo's A, B and C lists to start or park based on that analysis.

Danica The Driver: A Photo Collection

I like sports and the action that pertains to it.

I don't care about an athlete's personal life anymore than I do that of Kim Kardashian's (which makes sense when you consider that she basically only dates professional athletes).

I don't care where an athlete dines, parties, or in whose bed an athlete spends the night.  I personally don't think it's a good idea to bunk up with a competitor, but so long as it doesn't affect the sporting event I watch on Sundays, I really don't care what Danica Patrick, Ricky Stenhouse Jr., or the collective two of them do in their time away from competition.

I still support Tiger Woods as the greatest golfer to ever play the game, and I've disliked Alex Rodriguez since long before things went south with Madonna.  This weekend, I was impressed with Danica Patrick's ability to remind us that despite the clown show from the media that didn't relate the event they were there to cover, her focus remained on preparing and qualifying for the Daytona 500.

Here is a photo gallery of Danica Patrick's weekend as a driver, which is the only type of Danica my interest in auto racing cares about.

Thursday, February 14
On Valentine's Day, Danica Patrick had nothing but love for the questions
from the media, even if few of them are actually focused on her driving.  (Getty)

2013 Fantasy NASCAR Handbook

Jimmie Johnson is explosive in fantasy NASCAR. (Getty Images)

The car's been covered in the garage all winter, the cover's been collecting dust, but it's time to prepare for spring.

It's time to put away any boxes of Christmas decorations that might have been lazily placed on the hood in early January.  It's time to pick up the jackets and gloves that were using the roof as a coat rack.  It's time to move the sled that the kids leaned against the back bumper ... It's time to prepare the car to get back out on the race track.

Let's pull off the cover, wax the exterior, wash the interior and turn the key.  Start your engines; the Daytona 500 is next week!

For the second year, New Hampshire Motor Speedway has teamed up with Yahoo! Fantasy Sports to create the "Fans of NHMS" racing league.  To help get everyone lined up behind the pace car before the green flag drops, I've prepared a quick set of tips to prepare for the fantasy season.