30 Degrees of Banking

NASCAR Nuggets: Subway Fresh Fit 500-Phoenix

By Ryan Frisco

Photo Cred www.spokesman.com

The Victor: I was right!  My pre race guess at who was going to win this race was actually correct for a change!  Okay, okay, I said it would be one of the Rousch drivers, Greg Biffle or Carl Edwards.  Biffle led the beginning of the race, and Edwards dominated the second half.  That's at least half a point for me, right?  This is definitely good news for Carl.  My Dark Horse pick from the preseason already has one backflip under his belt.  The rest of you drivers, be afraid...be very afraid.

The First Loser: Jimmie Johnson finished second?  Well good for him.  Not a bad start to the year, one win one runner up.  I honestly liked Jimmie better when he didn't talk so much.  His whining at the end of this race that Carl did something illegal on the restart was annoying.  He beat you Jimmie, man up and stop crying.  You're still leading the points.

Photo Cred www.usatoday.com

Pat on the Back: Not as many to point out this week.  The entire Top 10 in this race was made up of drivers who should be driving in the Top 10.  Props to AJ Allmendinger who drove his first race of the season and finished eleventh.  This may not seem like much, but it's great for this kid.  He's driving for an underfunded team and is coming off his suspension last year for substance abuse.  Finishes like this are what will bring him back to relevance and a full time ride in the future.

The Girl: Aaaaaand we're back to reality.  Sure, Danica supporters can blame her poor finish on a blown tire that wasn't her fault.  Did anyone take notice of the hundred plus laps she ran before that though?  She stayed towards the back of the pack, running 27th/28th.  Danica was no where in the hunt this race, and that's the pace I expect her to keep up much of the season, barring the two road course races and three more restrictor plate races.

Photo Cred www.aol.sportingnews.com

Contenders in Trouble: We're only two races into the season, but let's take a look at the top tier drivers sitting outside the Top 25 in points: Kurt Busch (29), Kevin Harvick (29), Kasey Kahne (29), Kyle Busch (33) and Martin Truex, Jr. (34).  Yeah, it's very early on, but it isn't easy to make up much ground in NASCAR.  These guys need to minimize mistakes and poor finishes the next 24 races if they stand any chance of making the Chase.

Well, that's it for Phoenix.  Tune in Saturday for my Las Vegas picks.  I promise, this week I'll narrow it down one driver to win the race.  Odds are pretty good betting on me, I'm 1 for 2 so far this year!