Colts Should Look Into Garrard

Former Jags QB David Garrard went 39-37 as a starter.

Yes, I know, the Colts already have QB Kerry Collins, but let's face it...he's 38 years old. I didn't see much out of Kerry suggesting he had anything left in the tank at Tennessee. Perhaps that is why he retired. 

Now maybe with an array of receivers, Kerry will turn out to be a better pickup than indicated. 

I never had a problem with his signing. He really was the best option Indy had. Then again, that was before the Jacksonville Jaguars cut ties with QB David Garrard...

Quite Frankly, I'm not sold on Garrard, but I firmly believe if he was with Indy, the Colts have a better chance of making the playoffs than with Collins behind center.  

Garrard, last year, threw 23 TD's (Career High) and 15 INT's, also a career high. Keep in mind, he did this with a less than stellar wide receiver core; Mike-Sims Walker was his No. 1. Just Imagine what he could do with Wayne, Clark, Collie, and Garcon??? 

Now apparently, the Seattle Seahawks aren't interested, and the 49ers have indicated any interest either, so that leaves Indy to swoop in for a steal.

Therefore, if Kerry Collins isn't working out, Coach Caldwell could always turn to him. I'm sure if Garrard was released earlier, he would already have been signed and became starter, leaving Kerry Collins still retired. Of course though, it's just one man's opinion.


NOTE: I do NOT take credit for this photo.

Countdown To The Chase: Richmond

And then there was one...Richmond!

This is it for the regular season in Sprint Cup competition, because the remainder ten races are, what we call, The CHASE!

As it is every year, there are drivers who will have a different agenda in this race. 

Drivers like Kyle Busch, Jeff Gordon, Kevin Harvick, and Jimmie Johnson are trying to help their Chase seeding by simply winning a race as they have nothing to lose. Others like Tony Stewart and Dale Earnhardt Jr. are trying to win, but simultaneously, preserve their spots in Chase by finishing in the Top 20. 

Who should the fans look out for the be in contention tomorrow night? Well let's get to it!

The Favorites

Kyle Busch                                                                                         

Kyle Busch celebrates after winning this race in May 2010.

Quietly, this is Kyle's best track statistically with three wins and a 4.9 average finish in 13 starts. He has won three of the last six at Richmond. All and All, he is the safest bet of anyone in the field to pick from. It won't be a shocker if he picks up win #4 at Richmond.

Denny Hamlin

Another Gibbs Driver that has displayed dominance at this track. He is on the outside looking in for the Chase, but luckily he has a win to help his chances greatly. The question is, why not obtain another one? Richmond is one of his best tracks on the circuit; he has a 7.5 average finish with two wins. He is the defending race winner of the last two September races. He starts 28th, so that'll be a tall order to climb.

Clint Bowyer

I'm surprised he only has one win here despite his 9.5 average finish. If Hamlin manages to have a bad race and Clint wins tomorrow night, he's in the Chase. Surprisingly, Clint chooses not to ponder on potential outcomes as he thinks he's done. Of course, he didn't rule out winning tomorrow night. He starts 5th. He'll be leading before you know it.

Darkhorses

Jimmie Johnson

Jimmie's last Richmond win in September 2008.

Five-Time has won each of three Richmond races starting from the top 4; he starts 3rd tomorrow. He and his other Hendrick Motorsport teammate, Jeff Gordon, looked awfully strong in practice. Despite his three wins, Johnson has an average finish of a 16.5. This time, I expect him to be up front all race long. Besides, a win would help his Chase seeding as well.

Jeff Gordon

Speaking of teammate, Jeff is fresh off his third win of the season while, ironically, battling Johnson in the last ten laps. With that being said, Jeff had the fastest 5, 10, and 15-lap averages. He has been oh so close to getting back to victory lane for the first time since 2000 here. Do not rule out back-to-back wins.

Risktakers

David Reutimann

He is tomorrow night's polesitter, and I don't expect him to last as I feel he'll find a way to put his car in the wall. Not to mention, he has only one top ten in nine career starts. The trend shall continue.

I think it's pretty straight-forward to know why this race should be watched. As far as the race goes, I think it'll be a part two of Jeff Gordon and Jimmie Johnson battling for the race win. Unfortunately, I think Johnson will get the best of Gordon this time around. The competition is too stiff for Jeff to win back-to-back races, but if anyone can do it, Jeff sure can. Then again, it's just one man's opinion.

NOTE: I do NOT take credit for any of these photos.

Countdown To The Chase: Atlanta

                        Kevin Harvick (#29) and Jeff Gordon (#24) racing for position. 

It's two races to go till the Chase begins and the Sprint Cup Drivers make their first and only stop of the season at Atlanta Motor Speedway, better known as "Hotlanta". 

Obviously when the Chase is on the horizon, certain drivers need to claw there way in or fight to stay alive. Bubble drivers like Tony Stewart and Dale Jr. need to get the best finish possible, if not a win, to keep Chase hopes alive while Brad Keselowski and Clint Bowyer are trying to race there way in. 

The question is, will any of these drivers be amongst the list of Favorites and Darkhorses? 

The Favorites

Tony Stewart

            "Smoke" doing burnouts after his win in last year's event.

Stewart is in dire need of a win to cement his spot in the Chase. Here is another shot for him to capitalize; Smoke won last year's event leading 176 of 325 laps en route to his 3rd career win at Atlanta. In 24 starts, his average finish is 11.6. Not to mention, Stewart's camp was very pleased with his race car. He posted the fastest 10 and 15 lap averages in yesterday's practice. Look for Stewart to gather some form of momentum tonight as he goes for back-to-back night race victories. 

Jeff Gordon

"Big daddy" and crew seem to have hit their strides going into the Chase. With Gordon locked into the Chase, he is just going for wins like the five drivers ahead of him. Jeff had the car to beat last week but pit road cost him one.  The Four-time Atlanta winner said his car was "perfect" after Friday's practice. Therefore, you can expect #24 to be a contender all race long. 

The Darkhorses

Kyle Busch

His Atlanta resume isn't exactly astonishing to say the least, but he does have a win here - just not in the night race. His car looked to be very solid on the speed charts. He starts up front which is a great sign for him. It won't take long for him to lead his fair share of laps. Wild thing will get a top five finish tonight.

Carl Edwards 

Looks like Cousin Carl and company are regressing late into the season. I continue to reiterate that he needs to get another race win for reassurance in the Chase seedings. Atlanta is one of his best tracks; he has three wins here. I wouldn't be shocked if Carl sweeps the weekend after winning last night's Nationwide Race. 

Jimmie Johnson

Jimmie doing burnouts in his 07 Atlanta win. He swept both races.

Five-time may have not have done much since his 2007 Atlanta sweep, but quietly he has the best overall finish of anyone in the field with a 10.4 in 19 starts. Like Carl, Jimmie could use another win, but does it really matter with him? After all, he has won five titles in a row.

Kevin Harvick

Harvick has only one win at this track, with it coming on a photo finish with Jeff Gordon in 2001. Then, Harvick had a terrible stretch with 12 of his next 13 Atlanta starts having a finish worse than 15th. Finally, when he was having his worst season ever, Harvick turned it around leading 66 laps in the inaugural night race  in 2009. Ever since then, he has established himself as a title contender. Harvick, much like Edwards, has regressed further into the season. Perhaps Harvick can pick-up where he started off earlier in the regular season. 

My pick to win tonight's race will be Jeff Gordon. I picked him last week and was spot on. He dominated much of the night leading 206 of the 500 laps. Alas, pit road kept him from his elusive 85th career win. Jeff will capitalize tonight, and secure a higher seeding in the Chase with his 3rd win of the 2011 Season. As usual though, its just one man's opinion.

NOTE: I do NOT take credit for any of these photos.

Countdown To The Chase: Bristol

            Just a few of the 155,000+ fans in attendance cheering on during the race.

Alas, The Chase continues to creep closer and closer, but the Sprint Cup Drivers are focusing on one thing as we speak: Bristol Motor Speedway. 

Bristol is known as the World-Fastest Half-Mile, which is why the track's nickname became "Thunder Valley". Sounds like a name for a place of chaos and destruction doesn't it? Well, you wouldn't be wrong. As a matter of fact, you know what lead to such mayhem? Driver's tempers. 

This track is famous for making drivers tick. Irony is, Thursday's night truck race already displayed this. Around midpoint of this race, the #18 of Kyle Busch was turned into the outside wall by the #24 of Elliot Sadler. Kyle thought the wreck was intentional and waited to return the favor on Elliot. Despite the retaliation, Sadler finished 9th while Kyle finish 30th. Let the pandemonium begin as only one driver will come out on top.

Favorites

Kyle Busch

             Busch celebrating last year's night race by leading 283 of the 500 laps.

I just mentioned him didn't I? What I didn't mention is that he has dominated by winning 4 of the last 5 here. Don't even get me started with his numbers in Nationwide and Truck. "Wild Thing" is going for his third straight night race win and considering his past success here, he has to be the runaway favorite. Only three of his 13 Sprint Cup starts at Bristol result outside of the top 10. Don't expect it to be four. The track is for aggressive drivers and he is a perfect example of one. Now you see why he enjoys this place so much.

Jimmie Johnson

"The Dominator" has greatly improved at "Thunder Valley" to the extent that makes him a favorite in my books. Johnson has led in the his last five Bristol starts with one win and three more top 10's. It's safe to say JJ has figured this track out. Expect Johnson to be a threat to end Kyle Busch's dominance at Bristol. After all, he is the only one to beat Kyle in this Bristol streak of his.

Carl Edwards

Carl had a rough race last week by finishing 36th. He only has one win this season and wouldn't you think at some point, Carl would rack up another. Bristol is a good track for him to attempt win No. 2. He won the night race in 2008 as well as being a runner-up to Kyle in this year's spring race. He is starting on the front row. Look for Carl to contend for the trophy at night's end with Kyle and Jimmie.

Darkhorses

Dale Earnhardt Jr.

            Junior celebrating his lone Bristol win in 2004.

This track has been very good to Junior. He has an average finish of 11.5 in 23 starts. Junior is 10th in points and is looking to get that elusive win to end his long winless streak. This is his best shot to do so in a while. Don't be surprised if Dale Jr. breaks his way to Victory Lane tonight.

Kevin Harvick

As I stated, Bristol is a track for aggressive drivers. "Happy" fits in that category. He has a win here in the spring of 2005. He won the truck race Thursday night too. Perhaps Mr. "Where-Did-He-Come-From" becomes a threat tonight despite him not being happy with the car. If not, maybe he has a run in with Kyle Busch?

Brad Keselowski 

Another aggressive driver who will be the perfect darkhorse for Bristol. Ever since injuring his ankle, everything has gone right for Brad K. He has a win, a 2nd, and a 3rd. Let the momentum continue. I predict Brad K will place between 5th and 10th tonight, but a win isn't far-fetched. 

Risktakers

Denny Hamlin

Despite his bad luck at Bristol, I wouldn't touch him for fantasy based off his last four finishes: 27th, 15th, 36th, and 35th. He seems to be losing confidence, and like I said, he has bad luck at Bristol. I expected last week for him to shake out of his slump but I was wrong. Not taking that chance this week.

The Bristol night race is one of my favorite races to watch throughout the Sprint Cup Season. In fact, both races should be at night. The chaos and destruction is that much greater. 

You're probably wondering who I pick as the winner? Well, None of those drivers I listed aren't who I'm picking to win tonight. Instead, I'm rolling with Jeff Gordon. After all,  he is a five-time winner here, but it's just one man's opinion.

NOTE: I do NOT take credit for any of these photos.

Kerry Collins As A Colt: Big Deal?

It's official! The Colts signed a veteran QB and thankfully it wasn't Brett Favre. The sports world would NEVER forgive Colts owner Jim Irsay for such a move. Instead, The Colts turned to formerly retired QB, Kerry Collins, who last played for the Tennessee Titans. 

Collins threw 14 TD's to 8 INT's in seven games started  last year.

Throughout his productive career, Collins has thrown 206 TD's for 40,441 passing yards and made two Pro Bowl appearances. But his career isn't in question; The question would be is his signing a big deal? 

Let's be honest, it is not the apocalypse for the Indianapolis Colts. From what I've heard, all reports indicated that the concern for Peyton Manning was missing the regular season opener. That's just it: the regular season OPENER. 

Even if the Colts lose the opener, that surely doesn't mean the Colts postseason hopes are shattered. After all, the Colts lost their opener last year at the hands of the Houston Texans and still won their division. 

If anything, Fantasy owners should miss Peyton's production more than the fans. But as usual, its just one man's opinion.

NOTE: I do NOT take credit for this photo.

Countdown To The Chase: Michigan

Frantic pack racing while Kevin Harvick leads the way at Michigan.

With 4 Races to go, the Race to the Chase is heating up and the next stop for the Sprint Cup drivers is Michigan International Speedway.

This 2-mile track will be the last time the Cup drivers will race here until next June.

Michigan, just like the remainder of the races in the regular season, won't have drivers necessarily race for points. At this stage, it's all about race wins for the Chase.

Basically, your drivers in the Chase are just going for higher seeding when the points reset after Richmond. The more wins a driver has, the higher the driver will be placed in the points. Example would be if one won three races before the chase ,and that's the most out of anyone, that driver will be seeded first.

If not that, drivers gunning for the wildcard will come out firing for the this race and the remainder three. Drivers such as Clint Bowyer (who is winless) needs a win to get one of the two coveted wildcard spots. Denny Hamlin has a win, but two assures himself a spot.

Onto the picks...


Favorites


Matt Kenseth

Roush Fenway Racing are always good here at Michigan and Matt is apart of why. He has the second best average finish (behind Carl Edwards) among active drivers here at 9.5 in 24 starts. Matt was fastest in practice one and seventh in practice two. He has two wins here as well as, two wins on the season. Look for Matt to attempt to advance on his seeding by going for win No. 3 here and on the season.

Greg Biffle

The Biff is one of those drivers vying for a spot in the Chase and he desperately needs a win to have a chance at this point. Like his Roush teammate, he has an impressive resume at Michigan as well with two wins and an average finish of 12.4. He's been one of the best cars in practice. Because of those circumstances, I'm picking the #16 to take home the checkered flag.

Darkhorses


Denny Hamiln

Hamiln is also on the outside looking in with one win on the season, but he needs two to guarantee himself a lock. Hamiln won the first Michigan race this season and is a strong candidate for another. With Biffle and Kenseth standing out before the race, Hamiln is under radar.

Mark Martin

The savvy veteran hasn't had the 2011 he expected, but this is one of those tracks where Mark can capitalize in a big way. In 51 starts, Mark has 5 wins and a average finish of 13.5. Pretty impressive. Mark was in the top 5 in practice one as well as being the fastest in practice two. Indications tell me Mark has something in store for the field come tomorrow.

Kevin Harvick

Quietly, he and Kyle Busch lead the circuit with three wins on the season. He won this event last year leading 60 of the 200 laps. He's been up and down and Michigan, but then again, that's what makes him the perfect darkhorse candidate.

Risktakers


Jimmie Johnson

Now Jimmie isn't terrible at Michigan. In fact, if it wasn't for fuel mileage, he could have won a couple of races here. Instead, he is winless at Michigan. I expect that to continue.  Michigan is a track that has Jimmie's number here - even if he has a race winning car.

David Ragan

He is the only Roush Driver that I wouldn't pick. He only has two top 10's in nine starts here. Not impressive. In fact, he should be much better considering how good his teammates are at this track.


Tune in the Pure Michigan 400 at 1:00 EST on ESPN. I'm betting it'll be another race of lackluster cautions and fuel strategy, but as usual; it's just one man's opinion.



NOTE: I do NOT take credit for this photo.

Countdown To The Chase: Watkins Glen

                    An aerial view of Watkins Glen International

It is the final road course race of the NASCAR Sprint Cup Schedule as 43 teams, (and counting), visit Watkins Glen, New York.

Now considering there isn't a Road Course race in the Chase, there isn't much to prepare for except to WIN! Although Mike Helton, President of NASCAR, thinks otherwise. Click Link below for more details.

http://www.nascar.com/news/110812/jgordon-mhelton-road-course-chase/index.html

Qualifying is HUGE at road courses, but i'm prepared to make my predictions ahead of time. Plus, I'm going to be away all Saturday, so I have no choice.

Favorites

Marcos Ambrose

In his minimal starts at the track, the "Tasmanian Devil" has quite the track record to start off with. In three starts, Marcos has posted a 3rd, 2nd, and 3rd, which means for the rest of the field: Yikes! Marcos may finally be able to breakthrough and notch his first ever cup win. I, for one, give him a great chance. Besides, this year has been full of first time winners. Just ask Trevor Bayne, Regan Smith, David Ragan, and Paul Menard. There's always room for one more.

Juan Pablo Montoya            

JPM celebrating his win here in 2010.

Like Ambrose, He is a road course "specialist." He is the defending race winner of this event while leading 74 of the 90 laps. JPM is 21st in the Sprint Cup Series Standings. If he wins this weekend, he moves into the top 20 with a win. Thus, making Juan eligible for the one of the two wild card spots. Simply put, this is the best shot he'll have attaining a Wild Card Chase spot.       

Tony Stewart

Stewart taking the checkered flag for his 5th win at The Glen.

Stewart is all-time wins leader in the Sprint Cup Series here with five. Not to mention, he has the second most laps led with 225. "Smoke" is clinging on for dear life in the top 10. The problem is, if he falls, Tony has no wins to fall back on this season. This is arguably his best track on the Sprint Cup Schedule. He hasn't looked great in practice but I feel if Stewart isn't able to be a contender for the win, he just might not make the Chase. It's desperation time and nobody knows that more than him.                   

Darkhorses

Carl Edwards

For a driver who isn't known as a road course racer, "Cousin Carl" has been consistently solid with an 8.2 average finish here in six starts. He is the point leader with just one win this season. Maybe Edwards sneaks and gets his first road course win in the Sprint Cup Series.

Denny Hamlin

Another driver who isn't known for his road course talents, but the #11 team was very satisfied with their Toyota friday afternoon. Reports from their stable say the car is "balanced".  Denny couldn't capitalize on his best track, being Pocono, last week. He is 11th in points, outside of the Chase top 10, with one win. If he can sneak up and notch his second win of the season, he assures himself a spot within the Chase.       

Jeff Gordon

Gordon hoisting his last trophy win in 2001.

His results have been unimpressive since his wheel-hop costing him another win in 2007. His last three starts resulted in an average finish of 25.3. Very uncharacteristic of Jeff Gordon when it comes to road course racing. He has four wins here, only trailing Stewart with the most wins. Ironically, Stewart drove to victory in 07 after his forgettable mishap. Gordon, towards the end of practice, became happier with his race car. He even tweeted that his car is a just a "few" adjustments away from being a top 5 car. 

RiskTakers

Dale Earnhardt, Jr.

After a top 10 finish for Junior, he now heads to a track that he hates. With an average finish of 22.9, I'd take his word for it. He had one great run in 2008 when he led 33 of 90 laps and seemingly looked like the car to beat. I highly doubt, he has a similar race like such coming up on Sunday.

Matt Kenseth

Like Junior, he too isn't a fan of road course racing. In fact, he is against the idea of having a road course race in Chase. Heh; I wonder why? His average finish is okay: 15.7. The thing is once a driver has a mindset that he hates a particular track, he's almost always going to have a disappointing result. Both Matt and Junior just want to survive Sunday.

There are many others I wanted to mention like Kevin Harvick, who won here in 2006. Or even Jimmie Johnson, who has steadily gotten better at road course racing. There are also the road course ringers like Boris Said, Andy Lally, and Ron Fellows who will have a shot to steal a win for the boys back home.

In retrospect, there are more drivers who have a shot to win a road course race than say...at an oval or short track.   

Interesting fact though, if qualifying rains out, Tony Stewart has a 60% chance of winning on Sunday. Three of his five wins have come from qualifying being washed out.

As much of a pain as road course racing looks, I enjoy watching them. But as usual, its just one man's opinion.

NOTE: I do NOT take credit for any of these photos.