NASCAR Coact to Coast Weekend: Week #9 Talladega

Well, today Talladega was tornado alley as it was in the middle of the horrific severe weather that hit the Deep South today. Let's all pray that everyone who is losto r injures in today's tornadoes comes out safe. As for tomorrow, we have restrictor plate racing to do as the Sprint Cup Series runs the Aaron's 499.

Race #9: Aaron's 499
Where: Talladega Superspeedway, Lincoln, AL
When: Sunday, April 25th, 1:19 PM
TV: Fox
How Long: 188 laps, 500 miles

Last Week on the Circuit Studs and Duds

Three Studs

1. Jeff Gordon- A real shame for Jeff to be caught in the big wreck late, as he by far the fastest car on Monday and should have won the race. Alas, bad luck is part of racing.

2. Tony Stewart- Ditto Gordon, Stewart had a very good top five car that was destroyed by the late wreck. It wasn't his fault the wreck took place, it was just hard racing that caused the destruction.

3. Dale Earnhardt Jr.- Junior is showing verteran poise and confidence that has been missing since he debuted at Hendrick, can wins follow?

Three Duds
1. Matt Kenseth- He was effectively absent last week, trotting around the track to the tune of a 20th place finish. Ho hum for Mr. second place in the standings.

2. Brian Vickers- Tire problems have killed the Red Bull #83 team the past two weeks and now the one being chased is back to chasing for the Chase. Does that make enough sense?

3. Sam Hornish Jr.- Yes, I know he finished inside the top 20 three straight weeks, but he's also started 3rd and 2nd the last two races. At Texas, he was particurlarly living up to his "Sideways Sam" nickname.

It's Happy Time!!!

Happy 42nd Birthday Hermie Sadler- Yes, it;s Elliot's older brother, you know the one with the bad ass name. Hermie ran 59 Sprint Cup races from 2001-2006, doing nothing more than leading four laps. His only wins are Nationwide wins in 1993 and 1994 and Sadler has been last seen racing random Camping World Truck Series races.

Happy 16th Anniversary Rusty Wallace- Wallace is attracted ot these anniversaries, 16 years ago he earned his 32nd career win at Martinsville, tying him with the late Fireball Roberts on the all-time wins list. So kudos to Rusty yet again.

Happy Trails Denny Hamlin- Hamlin fled Talladega today, but not because of tornadoes. He went hoem to Charlotte to go to the Bobcats-Magic playoff game. Real good job Denny, hope you're ready to go tomorrow.

My Predicted Finish This Week

At Texas...
At Phoenix...
Number of  Top Ten Cars Correct: 5 of 10
Number of Top Five Cars Correct: 2 of 5
Correct winner: No
Number of Exact Position Correct: 0 of 10

This Season....
Number of Top Ten Cars Correct: 32 of 70 (45.7%)
Number of Top Five Cars Correct: 14 of 35 (40%)
Correct Winner: 1 of 7 (14.3%)
Number of Exact Position Correct: 5 of 70 (7.1%)

Got half of th top five right plus Kurt Busch and Jimmi Johnson inside the top five. Not bad considering a lot of contedners were taken out in the big wreck.

Now this week, it's roll the dice time. As with Daytona, Talladega is a complete crapshoot. The cars are pretty even, so the drviers who can draft and pick their partners well will win. That being said, I'm going with a guy who loves Talladega, has a great team with good teammates, and is due for a win. The most popular driver, Dale Earnhardt Jr.

After Junior, we'll go with Kevin Harvick, another superspeedway vet, then Matt Kenseth and Mark Martin. Kurt Busch rounds out the top five. Busch will be followed by Jimmie Johnson. Defending race champion Brad Keselowski finds seventh, Daytona 500 winner Jamie McMurray finishes eighth and Jeff Gordon is ninth. Rounding out the top ten is an undersdog pick, Furniture Row and Regan Smith.

My Top Ten Picks
1. Dale Earnhardt Jr.
2. Kevin Harvick
3. Matt Kenseth
4. Mark Martin
5. Kurt Busch
6. Jimmie Johnson
7. Brad Keselowski
8. Jamie McMurray
9. Jeff Gordon
10. Regan Smith