6 – THE DERRICK. / The News-Herald Wednesday, July 13, 2016 QUESTIONS & ATTITUDE Compelling questions... and maybe a few actual answers Forget Junior, what about Jimmie? Jimmie John- SPEED FREAKS son’s struggles for much of 2016 A couple questions 3 THINGS WE LEARNED have largely we had to ask — ourselves taken place Of the non-winners not currently outside the inside the Chase cutoff, who is spotlight’s glare. Jimmie Johnson is still FROM KENTUCKY searching for answers to the best bet to win a race? Two reasons for GODSPEAK: Give me Kasey this: 1. He did recent woes. AP FILE Kahne (18th), because Kasey win twice in the can win a race. He’s overdue first five weeks (Atlanta and Fontana), for a win. which puts him two up on Junior in the KEN’S CALL: Kyle Larson (19th W column. And 2. When you’re sailing in in points) has three top-fives, Junior’s orbit, you tend to get overshad- so statistically I’ll go with owed in good times and bad. him. Is this unprecedented for the Any chance Martin Truex Jr. is ridding himself of all bad luck No. 48? before the Chase? Our Research Dept. shows that since GODSPEAK: We’re talking a third-place finish at Richmond in late about the guy I picked to win April, Jimmie has had one top-10 in nine the title. He will be fine. starts. Three finishes of 32nd or worse in KEN’S CALL: Like Harvick two the past five races. We had to dig back years ago, maybe. Or, you to 10-race stretch in 2004, when he had know, maybe not. six finishes of 32nd or worse. We’ll keep asking, can Junior get So he stays in your weekly it together? GODSPEAK: Winning will cure top-10 ranking down below? all of Junior’s problems. I It’s tempting to bump him, but there’s think he is saving up for Dale Earnhardt Jr. makes a pit stop for more tires at Kentucky Speedway. Goodyear brought the hardest tires too much history. Our Research Dept. September. it could make to keep them from blistering on Kentucky’s new asphalt surface. AP/TIMOTHY D. EASLEY also tells us, after all, after that bad KEN’S CALL: We’re 18 races stretch in ’04, Jimmie won three straight into 2016, with too many and four of the next five. But give it a issues. Making the Chase is 1. Hard tires 2. Crazy eight 3. ‘Brad Speedway’ couple more weeks, and we may punt his top-end this year. Goodyear went to “old Matt Kenseth finished Brad Keselowski has 21 history to the wall. reliable” by using super-hard eighth at Kentucky Saturday career NASCAR Cup Series tires at Kentucky Speedway to night and was genuinely wins and three of those have ONLINE EXTRAS avoid tire issues. “It was the pleased the way his No. 20 been earned at Kentucky. Ken Willis has been hardest thing on the planet,” Toyota handled. “It’s the best Since Kentucky has hosted covering NASCAR for news-journalonline. three-time Cup Series cham- we ran in two months, really,” only six Cup races, Keselowski The Daytona Beach com/nascar pion Tony Stewart said after he said. “I thought we had has won half those races News-Journal for 27 the race. “The NHL doesn’t a top-3 to a top-5 car.” Fuel staged at the 1.5-mile oval years. Reach him at ken. facebook.com/ have anything on them on a mileage was Kenseth’s undo- since 2011. He has won every [email protected] nascardaytona hard puck.” ing at Kentucky. other year since 2012. — Godwin Kelly, [email protected] FEUD OF THE WEEK @nascardaytona Kyle Busch with three victo- Questions? Contact Godwin ries. Tony Stewart is 11th in Kelly at godwin.kelly@news- 3 THINGS the Chase standings thanks jrnl.com or Ken Willis at ken. to that win at Sonoma. Jamie [email protected] TO WATCH McMurray is on the bubble 1. Streaks based on points. SPRINT CUP POINTS There are several interest- 3. Rookie battle Elliott Blaney 1. Kevin Harvick 599 ing streaks in Cup Series CHASE ELLIOTT VS. RYAN BLANEY: Blaney 2. Brad Keselowski 595 Every so often we have to racing right now, but the two tried to go three-wide on Lap 88 at Ken- 3. Kurt Busch 583 remind you of the tremendous most interesting belong to tucky and sent both Elliott and himself 4. Carl Edwards 566 battle for NASCAR Sprint Cup Brad Keselowski and Kurt Kurt Busch has every reason into the outside wall. “I really didn’t 5. Joey Logano 533 Series Rookie of the Year Busch. Keselowski is on a two- to smile because he is the only know how that was going to work,” 6. Kyle Busch 521 honors. The two kids way out race winning streak with wins driver to complete every lap of Elliott said. 7. Martin Truex Jr. 514 front here are Chase Elliott, at Daytona and Kentucky. NASCAR Cup Series competition GODWIN KELLY’S TAKE: Chalk this one 8. Chase Elliott 492 who right now is qualified for Busch has finished every lap this season. GETTY IMAGES/SARAH up to a rookie mistake that cost two 9. Jimmie Johnson 484 the Chase playoffs, and Ryan of all 18 races staged to date. CRABILL rookies. Blaney got caught in the heat- 10. Matt Kenseth 477 There have been 5,202 laps Blaney, who is just beyond the the left side of this page are of-the-moment restart. One of them 11. Denny Hamlin 472 run this season and Busch has cut line. They crashed each the points standings, but deals, as they say. 12. Ryan Newman 463 finished each one. He is the other out at Kentucky. Not are not the standings being 13. Dale Earnhardt Jr. 461 last man standing in this iron- surprisingly, four of the five 14. Austin Dillon 460 tracked by NASCAR Cup Series rookie contenders crashed at man category. WHAT’S ON TAP? 15. Jamie McMurray 439 competitors. The real stand- Kentucky. 16. Trevor Bayne 429 ings have Brad Keselowski at SPRINT CUP: New Hampshire 301 17. Kasey Kahne 423 2. Real standings the top of the board with four — Godwin Kelly, godwin. SITE: New Hampshire Motor Speedway 18. Ryan Blaney 415 The points standings on wins this season, followed by [email protected] (1.058 mile oval) 19. Kyle Larson 412 TV SCHEDULE: Friday, practice (NBC 20. AJ Allmendinger 398 Sports Network, 11:30 a.m.), qualifying 21. Ricky Stenhouse Jr. 389 GODWIN’S PICKS FOR NEW HAMPSHIRE (NBCSN, 4:45 p.m. Saturday, practice 22. Greg Biffle 359 (CNBC, 10 a.m.; NBCSN, 12:30 p.m.). 23. Paul Menard 343 WINNER: Brad DARK HORSE: Kasey Sunday, race (NBCSN Sports, coverage Godwin Kelly is the Daytona 24. Danica Patrick 327 Keselowski Kahne begins at 1 p.m., green flag at 1:45 p.m.) Beach News-Journal’s 25. Aric Almirola 325 REST OF TOP 5: Matt DON’T BE SURPRISED motorsports editor and 26. Clint Bowyer 322 Kenseth, Dale Earn- IF: “Kez” and his XFINITY: AutoLotto 200 has covered NASCAR for 30 27. Casey Mears 279 hardt Jr., Kyle Busch, super-hot No. 2 SITE: New Hampshire Motor Speedway years. Reach him at godwin. 28. Landon Cassill 271 Joey Logano Ford make it three TV SCHEDULE: Friday, practice (NBCSN, [email protected] 29. David Ragan 263 FIRST ONE OUT: straight Cup Series 1 p.m. and 3 p.m.). Saturday, qualifying 30. Tony Stewart 248 Regan Smith wins. (NBCSN, 11:15 a.m.), race (NBCSN, 4 p.m.) KEN WILLIS’ TOP 10 NASCAR DRIVER RANKINGS BRAD CARL EDWARDS KEVIN KURT BUSCH MARTIN JOEY LOGANO KYLE BUSCH MATT CHASE JIMMIE KESELOWSKI Mr. Hunch HARVICK Runs up front TRUEX JR. Not Now at 81 KENSETH ELLIOTT JOHNSON Two straight likes him How long every week He’s even Mr. Penske’s career Xfinity Loves Getting Can he find wins good in New does he keep fast on pit favorite right wins nightlife of roughed up a the “go” enough here Hampshire points lead? road now Loudon, N.H. bit lately button? 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 2016 SPRINT CUP SCHEDULE AND RESULTS Feb. 13: Sprint Unlimited at Daytona (Denny WALKERHamlin) June 26: Toyota/Save Mart 350 at SonomaSALES (Tony Stewart) Oct. & 16: Hollywood SERVICE Casino 400 at Kansas, 2:15 p.m., NBC Feb. 21: Daytona 500 (Denny Hamlin) July 2: Coke Zero 400 at Daytona (Brad Keselowski) Oct. 23: Alabama 500 at Talladega, 2 p.m., NBCSN Feb. 28: Folds of Honor 500 at Atlanta (Jimmie GREATJohnson) July 9:SELECTION Quaker State 400 at Kentucky (Brad OF Keselowski) PRE-OWNEDOct. 30: Goody’s 500 at Martinsville, VEhICLES 1 p.m., NBCSN March2008 6: chevy Kobalt 400 at 2009Las Vegas chevy (Brad Keselowski)2007 ford July2008 17: gmcNew Hampshire2002 301, ford 1:30 p.m., NBCSN2005 ford 2006Nov. chevy 6: AAA 500 at Texas, 2 p.m., NBC Marchtrailblazer 13: Good Sam 500kequinox at Phoenix (Kevin Harvick)edge Julyenvoy 24: Crown sle Royal 400 f350at Indianapolis, 3 p.m.,f150 NBCSN malibuNov. 13:l Can-Am t 500k at Phoenix, 2:30 p.m., NBC March 20: Auto Club 400 at Fontana (Jimmie Johnson) July 31: Pennsylvania 400 at Pocono, 1:30 p.m., NBCSN Nov. 20: Ford 4002002 at Homestead-Miami, chevy t ahoe 2:30 p.m., NBC$4,750 April 3: STP 500 at Martinsville (Kyle Busch) Aug.