Sylvania 300 Picks

Race: Sylvania 300
Date: Sunday September 25, 2011
Track: New Hampshire Motor Speedway
Time: 2 pm ET
Channel: ESPN
by Virginiai Vroom, NASCAR Handicapper, Predictem.com

Bet the Sylvania 300 using your credit card at the web's oldest online sportsbook: Intertops.

What a start to the Chase! If you had the pleasure of catching the race on Monday at Chicago, you were able to see about half of the field run out of fuel! The race was rescheduled due to rain, which disappointed many. The race ultimately came down to pit strategy. Tony Stewart, the one who said he didn't feel like he belonged in the Chase, took the checkers when it was all said and done to move into 2nd place in the championship points. Kevin Harvick holds the lead, while some of the other obvious front runners had their share of trouble.

Jeff Gordon, who most had been indicating would be extremely successful this Chase, started off poorly with a 24th place finish after tire issues and running out of fuel late in the race. Teammate Dale Jr. successfully navigated through the slowing cars to come home with a very respectable 3rd place finish, which moves him up 5 positions to 5th place.

This weekend, we are heading to New Hampshire Motor Speedway at Loudon. This track is just over 1 mile and is considered a typical oval. The banking is variable, which means it is anywhere between 2 to 7 degrees through the turns. The straights have very minimal banking at 1 degree. The frontstretch and backstretch are both 1500 feet.

New Hampshire can be a tricky track for a lot of drivers. Although it is a mile, it races much like a short track, and drivers do see their fair share of contact. The race here earlier this year, won by Chase contender Ryan Newman, was riddled with issues resulting from contact. Tires also seemed to wear because of brake heat melting the beads, so watch for tires to break down more than usual if long green flag runs are present along with little clean air.

When it comes down to picking the winner for this weekend, I am going to have to go with Jimmie Johnson. Although everyone loves to hate Johnson, he had a very strong potential finish, almost a second place finish prior to running out of fuel, at Chicagoland and always seems to gain speed throughout the Chase. He has multiple wins at this track with his latest being the Spring of 2010.

Other drivers to watch include several of the Chase guys including Tony Stewart, who is coming directly off his win, Jeff Gordon, who has been having a strong runs consistently, and also Ryan Newman, who is the defending winner of this track. I think that there are non-Chase drivers that we need to keep our eyes on too. Namely Clint Bowyer and Martin Truex Jr. are the two that I think will be factors this weekend. Clint Bowyer is still coming on strong, although he was just outside of qualifying for the Chase. Martin Truex Jr. has strong family ties here and always runs consistently at Loudon.

Here are your current top 12 in the standings as we head into New Hampshire:
1. Kevin Harvick
2. Tony Stewart
3. Carl Edawrds
4. Kurt Busch
5. Dale Earnhardt Jr.
6. Brad Keselowski
7. Ryan Newman
8. Jimmie Johnson
9. Kyle Busch
10. Matt Kenseth
11. Jeff Gordon
12. Denny Hamlin

The biggest losers in the first race of the Chase were Jeff Gordon and Kyle Busch, both losing 8 positions. Tony Stewart was the biggest winner, gaining 7 positions. This weekend will give us a better idea of where these guys truly stand in terms of teamwork, consistency, and willingness to take risks after learning about fuel from Chicagoland. Stay tuned for another fantastic weekend of racing!

Virginia's Prediction to Win: Jimmie Johnson.

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