Matty’s Picks – Vol. 1 – Bud Shootout – Daytona International Speedway
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[/media-credit]Race No. 1 – Bud Shootout
Daytona International Speedway, February 18, 2012
Following my two months of moderate depression, its time to get the ball rolling in 2012! Between the major letdown of the Buffalo Bills’ 2011-12 season and the ever slumping Buffalo Sabres’ season in-progress, I am anxious for the engines to fire and for the sweet smell of race fuel to hit my nostrils. It has been a long off-season for race fans here in Western New York, despite having one of the mildest winters in recent history.
2011 Season Review
Since everyone knows the historical significance of Daytona and the Bud Shootout, I thought I would post some stats as far as how my picks fared throughout the 2011 season. Now, if you’re wondering why the numbers might not add up…I did not start my ‘Matty’s Picks’ column until the Dover race in May of last year.
We’ll take a look at my winner picks first…
My 28 winner picks last season averaged a finish just outside the Top 10, with an average finish of 10.8. 3 races (2011 All-Star Race, Kentucky, and Watkins Glen) I picked the eventual race winner, 10 races I had Winner Picks finish in the Top 5, and 3 more of my Winner Picks finished with Top 10’s. To sum that up, 16 of 28 winner picks last year finished with imaginary points in my Pick Um’ Challenge.
Here is the breakdown of the 14 drivers I picked last year, and the number of races I picked them as Winner Picks:
Driver Picks
Jimmie Johnson 5
Kyle Busch 4
Carl Edwards 3
Kevin Harvick 3
Denny Hamlin 2
Jeff Gordon 2
Marcos Ambrose 2
Matt Kenseth 1
Ryan Newman 1
Brad Keselowski 1
Clint Bowyer 1
Tony Stewart 1
Martin Truex Jr 1
Kurt Busch 1
These Winner Picks are slightly less than impressive, but if I were to take anything out of these 28 picks last season, it was that only once did one of my Winner Picks fail to finish the race. (Jimmie Johnson –October 15th, Charlotte)
Onto the Dark Horses…
I guess all-in-all it was an ok season in the world of Matty’s Dark Horse Picks. My Dark Horses averaged a finish in the top half of the field each week (15.6), and again just one DNF for all 28 Dark Horse picks last season. I didn’t manage to end up with a Dark Horse in Victory Lane last season, but did manage a silver medal in David Ragan’s runner up finish in the Coca-Cola 600. Beyond that pick last May, I managed 5 more Top 5’s for a total of 6 and 4 more Top 10’s.
Here’s the breakdown of the 15 drivers I picked last year as Dark Horses:
Driver Picks
A.J. Allmendinger 3
Juan Pablo Montoya 3
Clint Bowyer 3
Kasey Kahne 3
Marcos Ambrose 2
David Ragan 2
Mark Martin 2
Paul Menard 2
Greg Biffle 2
Brad Keselowski 1
Martin Truex. Jr 1
Brian Vickers 1
Reagan Smith 1
Jeff Burton 1
Joey Logano 1
So what did I take out of last season?
1. I earned a lot of brownie points with my girlfriend by picking Jimmie Johnson 5 times.
2. I lost a lot of brownie points with my mother by picking Kyle Busch 4 times.
3. Most race-winners come from drivers that are not considered “Dark Horses”.
4. If you’ve got a driver you’d like to see finish the race, send them to me (mattl@speedwaymedia.com) because of my 96.4% completion percentage.
5. Of my 3 Winner Picks, two of them happened while I was in attendance. (Follow me on Twitter @ML_B_Lo to find out if I am at the track on a given weekend)
Bud Shootout Picks
In case you are wondering how the race is going to go Saturday Night at Daytona, or how drivers qualify to race in the Bud Shootout, here’s the skinny:
The Bud Shootout field is comprised of drivers finishing among the top 25 in final NASCAR Sprint Cup Series points standings as well as active past winners of the Daytona 500, Coke Zero 400 and Shootout at Daytona. The 75-lap Shootout will consisit of two segments – 25 and 50 laps, with a 10-minute pit stop allowing teams the opportunity to change tires and FOX their chance to cash in on some commercial time. The Green Flag will fly at 8:29PM Eastern on Saturday Night on FOX.
Dark Horse Pick
Its tough to call any of the drivers in Saturday’s Bud Shootout a Dark Horse, because you have to have done something to even be on the entry list for the 187.5-mile dash. I’d like to think that my Dark Horse pick flies under the radar when most people talk about who they think will win Saturday night, and that is why I am considering him a Dark Horse this week.
Jamie McMurray won the 2010 Daytona 500, a year before NASCAR decided to break up the pack racing at superspeedways. From the brief practices earlier today, it looks like we could be heading back to the pack this year.
McMurray’s win in the 2010 was actually the second time he visited Victory Lane at Daytona, as he was the winner of the then Pepsi 400, the July race at the 2.5-mile superspeedway. McMurray was then in the No. 26 Crown Royal Ford for Roush Fenway Racing in 07′, but is back in the No. 1 Bass Pro Shops/Tracker Chevy for Earnhardt Ganassi Racing for this year’s Bud Shootout at Daytona.
Winner Pick
My birthday happens to fall on the same day as this year’s Daytona 500, and in an effort to earn an extra gift from my mother next week, I’m going with her guy this week in the Bud Shootout.
Since it seems like the pack is back in style, I have to go with the guy that can “see the air” in the draft. Simply based off his finishes last year (24th & 19th) at Daytona with the two-car-tango, Dale Jr is ready for the draft, and the pack racing that NASCAR is trying to get back to.
With the two-car racing that was seen last year, drivers were forced to pick a dancing partner and stick with them for the duration of the race. Rather than making “friends” out on the track, drivers were simply looking for “a friend”. There are 25 cars entered for Saturday’s Bud Shootout, and I would bet that the other 24 drivers are more than willing to hook up with Jr for a run to the front. So instead of having one friend like last year, Jr will have 24 friends looking for his rear bumper on Saturday night.
That’s it for this week, but stay tuned throughout Speed Weeks for more picks and insightful thoughts on the 2012 racing action.
Until next time….You stay classy NASCAR NATION!
Leilani Munter Combines Racing and Dolphin Passions
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[/media-credit]While passions run high as the ARCA racers take to the track for their season opener at Daytona, Leilani Munter is not only looking forward to her time behind the wheel but cannot wait to share the cause on the hood of her race car.
The driver of the No. 12 Tony Marks Racing Dodge Charger is combining her passion for speed, as well as her commitment to calling attention to the plight of dolphins by featuring the documentary ‘The Cove’ on her race car.
“I’m just passionate about a lot of things, like the environment and clean energy,” Munter said. “The way that I found ‘The Cove’ is that I saw the movie a couple of years ago.”
“As soon as I saw it, I was so moved by it,” Munter continued. “As soon as it ended, I looked at my husband and said “We’re going to Japan to help to end this.”
“That was my call to action,” Munter said. “My husband and I traveled over there in 2010. I made two trips in 2010 and then another trip over there for three weeks this past September.”
What Munter saw in her travels to Japan and the cove shook her to her core and became the reason for her desire to combine her racing passion with her call to save the dolphins. Munter’s passion for the issue was most evident as she recalled the story of ‘The Cove.’
“There is a small cove and the dolphins are migrating past the area,” Munter said. “Thirteen boats go out and bang on poles in the water, which scares the dolphins into the cove.”
“The dolphins are trapped overnight in the cove,” Munter continued. “Then dolphin trainers from all over the world come and pick out the dolphins they want to go train at dolphin parks.”
“But what happens to the remaining dolphins is that they end up slaughtering all of them for food.”
During her trips, Munter is ‘on the ground’ volunteering. She has even risked her own safety to share her concerns for the plight of the dolphins in the cove.
“I filmed the first slaughter of the year this year,” Munter said. “And I got caught in the typhoon and was without water for five days in Japan.”
“It was pretty interesting having no drinking water and no showers,” Munter continued. “So, I’ve had some pretty intense experiences over there.”
“I just became passionate about it and the more that I got to know Ric O’Barry (dolphin activist, former trainer of Flipper, and star of the movie), the more I wanted to help and to get everyone to see the movie.”
Prior to the Daytona race, Munter has devoted a great deal of time to continuing to try to keep the academy award winning film, as well as the plight of the dolphins, in the public eye.
“This summer, we did a screening of the movie in San Francisco, who donated the theatre to us,” Munter said. “My brother-in-law, who is a musician with the ‘Grateful Dead’, played a few sets so a lot of their fans came out.”
“This past December, we went up the Empire State building, as the owner saw the film and was moved to help,” Munter continued. “So, on December 9th, we lit up the Empire State building in red in honor of the dolphins who had died at ‘The Cove.’
“It was there that I began to think about how cool it would be to have a race car and really get this message in front of the race fans,” Munter said. “One of the key things we want people to understand and take away from the film is the tie to dolphin captivity and the slaughter.”
“The take away message, besides watching the movie which is my number one call to action, is to not support dolphin captivity and dolphin parks,” Munter continued. “By doing that, you are indirectly supporting the dolphin slaughter.”
“We want to help fans making the connection between going to see dolphins jump through hoops and the slaughter that occurs for all the other dolphins in the cove,” Munter said. “It is a complicated issue but we hope that we can help fans understand.”
Munter is not only educating her fans but also her own race team to the dolphin slaughter issue.
“We held a screening at Tony Marks Racing to help the team and crew know the message,” Munter said. “It was fantastic. One of the guys came to talk to me afterwards and shared that he had no idea that was going on until he saw the film.”
“That’s something that we want to accomplish and to get people to see the film because that’s how we’ll end the slaughter.”
Munter knows that the strength of stock car racing, combined with being at Daytona, is one of the best ways to get her message out. In addition, she is thrilled to drive at the storied track and fully intends to take her ‘Cove’ car to Victory Lane.
“What better way than NASCAR to get a movie out in front of a large group of people all at once,” Munter said. “And Daytona is the best venue ever.”
“I’m so excited to drive this car,” Munter continued. “I have a good, fast race car and this means more than anything to me. It’s a very special race to me.”
Munter and Tony Marks Racing currently have a one race deal for the Daytona ARCA race. But they are focused on gaining not only sponsorship but calling attention to other causes in upcoming races as well.
“We’re definitely focused on ‘The Cove’ car, which is a one race deal,” Munter said. “But Tony Marks and I are hoping to go to at least the nine televised ARCA races that are left. I’m actively talking to sponsors to be involved in that program.”
“We want to continue to use the race car to send messages,” Munter continued. “We want it to be a vehicle to call people to action and get them to think about things.”
Munter has one more reason to look forward to her Daytona race. In addition to her passion for racing and dolphins, she will also be celebrating her birthday.
“I’m looking forward to having a chance to run up front and finish the race in first place,” Munter said. “I don’t think I’d ever be able to top winning the Daytona race in ‘The Cove’ car on my birthday.”
“But for this weekend, it’s all about the dolphins,” Munter said. “We want to make the world a better place.”
NOTES FROM THE NASCAR NATION: WHO’S GOING TO DRINK THE FREE BEER AT THE SHOOTOUT?
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[/media-credit]You know the annual Speedweeks at Daytona has arrived when you see Budweiser being sprayed all over victory lane. The 34th annual Budweiser Shootout, the traditional start of Speedweeks, will see the green flag this Saturday night, February 18th. In the past this 75 lap shootout has created some very exciting finishes and, based on speed charts from the January test sessions at Daytona, it appears that the 2012 edition of the Shootout will be more of the same.
THE STORY BREAKDOWN
For many of the NASCAR Sprint Cup teams, the Budweiser Shootout will be an opportunity to add to their Daytona racing notebooks. There are two pre race practice sessions scheduled for Friday plus the 75 lap race on Saturday. The teams entered in the Shootout can possibly pick up some important information that can be applied to the February 26th running of the Daytona 500.
It’s also highly likely that the race teams, and the fans, will gets an up close look at the 2012 version of two car tandems or, as Dale Earnhardt Jr called it, “love bug racing.” With recently instituted changes by NASCAR, regarding the car’s cooling systems, Saturday night’s Budweiser Shootout will clearly point out how the new version of tandem racing will work under bonafide racing conditions.
The Budweiser Shootout will also mark the debut of new driver and team combinations that will be on the track for the first time under racing conditions. That new ride list includes: Kasey Kahne-#5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet, Kurt Busch-#51 Phoenix Racing Chevrolet, Clint Bowyer-#15 Michael Waltrip Racing Toyota, A J Allmendinger #22 Penske Racing Dodge and David Ragan #34 Front Row Motorsports Ford.
THE VEGAS BREAKDOWN.
To get an accurate idea regarding who might be spraying Budweiser in Daytona’s victory lane Saturday night, we turn to the professionals from “Las Vegas Insider.Com”, (LVI), who have prepared some rather interesting numbers for us.
Topping the LVI list, at 8 to 1 odds, is Kevin Harvick and his Budweiser Chevrolet from Richard Childress Racing. Harvick is a previous two time winner of the Shootout and a rock solid bet to score a third win on Saturday.
The LVI’s 10 to 1 listing features an impressive trio of potential race winners including two time Shootout winners Jeff Gordon and Dale Earnhardt Jr along with Kyle Busch who is always considered to be a pre-race favorite.
Also very impressive is the 12 to 1 group featuring Kasey Kahne, Jimmie Johnson, Carl Edwards and Tony Stewart who has won three Budweiser Shootouts in his last ten starts.
All by himself, at 15 to 1, is Brad Keselowski who is an excellent long shot bet to win the Budweiser Shootout. The Penske Dodge teams were very strong during the January test sessions at Daytona.
At 18 to 1 odds you will find the trio of Matt Kenseth, Denny Hamlin and Jamie McMurray. Right behind them, at 20 to 1, is the duo of Greg Biffle and Jeff Burton. Both of these drivers could turn out to be interesting long shot wagers.
At 25 to 1 is a large group of drivers that features Kurt Busch, Clint Bowyer, Ryan Newman, Martin Truex Jr, Michael Waltrip, Joey Logano, Juan Pablo Montoya and A J Allmendinger. From this group there are two standouts worthy of your long shot consideration. The first is Kurt Busch who will making his debut with Phoenix Racing. This team topped the speed charts, during the January test sessions, in both the drafting and solo runs. Busch is also regarded as being very strong in any restrictor plate race he enters. The other long shot is A J Allmendinger who’s making his debut with Roger Penske Racing. “The Dinger” was also very strong during testing and he’s coming off of the momentum of being part of the team that won the recent Grand American Rolex Series 24 Hours of Daytona.
Concluding the LVI rankings is Paul Menard at 30 to 1 odds. If you don’t see your favorite driver on the list it means they are automatically ranked at 30 to 1.
Now for the disclaimer: NASCAR wants us to remind you that these numbers are posted for the purposes of information and entertainment. They neither encourage nor condone the placing of wagers on their races.
That disclaimer actually makes a lot of sense. You really do need the information, from the LVI, to make an intelligent wager and collecting your winnings from a Las Vegas bookie is indeed a major source of entertainment.
THE RACE BREAKDOWN
The 34th annual Budweiser Shootout is 75 laps/187.5 miles around the Daytona International Raceway. The race will be ran in two segments, 25 and 50 laps, with yellow caution flag laps counting. There will be a ten minute break between the two segments to allow the cars to come down on pit road for tires, fuel and adjustments.
The race has 25 entries vying for a one million dollar plus purse that pays approximately $200,000 plus to the winner. The race is open to all drivers who finished within the top 25 of the 2011 points, past Budweiser Shootout champions and past Daytona Raceway race winners both in February and July. The criteria also requires for an entrant to have been active during the 2011 NASCAR Sprint Cup racing season.
The defending race champion is Kurt Busch who, last year, finished a mere .058 seconds over runner up Jamie McMurray. Last year’s event set a record for the closest finish in Budweiser Shootout history. Last year’s race also set a new record for lead changes at 28.
When it comes to individual stats for this race, the legendary Dale Earnhardt Sr owns the Budweiser Shootout. The Intimidator has the record for the most wins-6, most laps led-98 and the best average finish ratio-2.75. Keeping things all in the family, Dale Earnhardt Jr holds the Shootout record for most laps led-47 when he won the event in 2008.
In the manufacturer’s standings, Chevrolet has the most Budweiser Shootout wins at 19 followed by Ford’s seven trips to victory lane. Buick, Oldsmobile and Pontiac have two wins each while Dodge has a single win.
The SPEED channel will cover all Friday activities pertaining to the Budweiser Shootout including coverage of the first practice session at 5 pm eastern time and the final happy hour practice session at 630 pm et. SPEED will also cover the qualifying draw party, one of the more entertaining events of Speedweeks, beginning 830 pm et. On Saturday race day the Budweiser Shootout will be carried live by Fox Sports beginning at 8 pm et. SPEED will present the re broadcast on Sunday at 5 pm et.
