Kyle Busch was in the news last week. Photo via: Wiki Commons.
The NASCAR Cup Series heads for the Monster Mile this week at Dover. This track is one of the toughest tracks to pass on, considering it’s a single-groove racetrack. Its abrasive surface also raises a challenge. It will be interesting to see what type of tire wear we will see with the new cars. Over the last few years, usually, the racing here is rather clean. In last season's race, the first incident didn’t occur until 176 laps into the race. When the incidents do come, though, they are hard to avoid with the track being as narrow as it is. More than likely, the winner of the race will be the driver that conserves their tires the best. Last season, we saw Kyle Larson lose the race to his teammate Alex Bowman because his tires went away in the end.
Last week, Ross Chastain went on to capture his second victory of 2022 in a thrilling last-lap pass at Talladega. As the field was coming to the checkered flag, Erik Jones went to the outside to try and block Kyle Larson, and Chastain was able to slip by for the victory. It has been a dream season for Chastain and his teammate Daniel Suarez. Both drivers are in the mix for wins every week, If Suarez can get a victory, they will certainly be contenders in the playoffs.
Another driver who deserves some praise is Michael McDowell. After finally breaking the seal last year and capturing that first career win in the Daytona 500, he’s proven that he can run upfront. And he’s shown that over the past two weeks with back-to-back Top 10 finishes. Since 2018, he has provided a sense of stability to this team and while his future at Front-Row Motorsports is unclear, it has been great to see him find success in these last two weeks.
Kyle Busch was in the headlines last week. During the opening weekend media availability, Kyle was asked by Bob Pockrass about the status of his contract for the 2023 season. He responded by saying, “ask Joe Gibbs.” He then talked about if there was any chance he would go to another team, to which he responded, “Probably not.” These comments can either be one of two things. A ploy for Busch to try and pressure his boss to get a deal done, or the beginning of maybe one of the biggest silly season moves in the history of the sport. In the last decade, only Jimmie Johnson has had more success than Busch has. Joe Gibbs Racing would be absolutely insane to let Kyle Busch walk away from everything they have built. This could be an interesting storyline to follow over the next few months.
The driver that I have winning this week is William Byron. Each season, Byron has continued to improve greatly. He’s gone from a fringe playoff contender to a championship favorite. He’s won two races this year, including a victory at Martinsville. This track has been good to Byron, he’s finished in the Top 10 in three of the last four races, including a third-place finish last spring. He will be fast come Sunday.
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Dusty Baker shines while Astros struggle to find their groove
Apr 25, 2024, 10:54 am
Dansby Swanson hit a three-run homer during Chicago's four-run first inning and the short-handed Cubs beat the Houston Astros 4-3 on Wednesday night.
Playing without Cody Bellinger, Chicago used Swanson's big swing and a solid start by Jameson Taillon to earn its second straight win. It will try to sweep the three-game set against the struggling Astros on Thursday.
Taillon (2-0) allowed two runs, one earned, and seven hits in 5 2/3 innings on a chilly evening at Wrigley Field. The right-hander struck out four and walked two in his second start since he began the season on the injured list with a back strain.
“Before that back injury, I just really liked where we were at,” Taillon said, “and I feel like we were able to use that downtime as like, let’s stay on the straight and narrow, stay on the right path.”
Houston lost for the seventh time in eight games. It has scored a total of 21 runs during the slide.
Manager Joe Espada tried to spark his sputtering lineup by moving Alex Bregman into the second spot, between Jose Altuve and Yordan Alvarez. But the Astros went 1 for 10 with runners in scoring position and left 10 runners on base.
Altuve opened the ninth with a drive to left against Héctor Neris for his sixth homer. But Neris retired Bregman, Alvarez and Kyle Tucker for his second save in three opportunities.
Bellinger was placed on the 10-day injured list with two fractured ribs on his right side. The center fielder got hurt during the series opener Tuesday night.
There was no word just yet on a timetable for his return.
“The doctors will come up with a plan,” manager Craig Counsell said, “and, like everything, he’s got to get symptom-free first and we’ll go from there.”
Nico Hoerner and Ian Happ singled for Chicago in the first against Spencer Arrighetti. Michael Busch delivered a sacrifice fly and Christopher Morel walked before Swanson hit a two-out drive to left for his third homer.
The Cubs also got off to a fast start Tuesday night, jumping on the Astros for five runs in the first in a 7-2 victory.
“We’ve just been pretty committed to our plans coming in and put some good swings on some balls and that’s just a testament to the work that the guys are doing in the cage,” Swanson said.
Arrighetti (0-3) was pulled with two outs in the fourth. The right-hander allowed seven hits, struck out seven and walked two in his third major league start.
TRAINER'S ROOM
Astros: LHP Framber Valdez (elbow soreness) threw about 40 pitches during a bullpen session. “He came off the mound feeling good,” Espada said. Valdez remains in line to start this weekend during a two-game series against Colorado in Mexico City. … RHP Cristian Javier (neck discomfort) played catch back in Houston. “The doctor saw him, and it looks like he's improving,” Espada said.
Cubs: RHP Kyle Hendricks is taking pills to help with the inflammation from his low back strain. He also is getting treatment and playing catch to help keep his arm moving. He isn't too concerned about the injury. “It just made sense to give it the time to settle down, get out of there and give myself a chance to get back to 100 percent,” he said. ... OF Seiya Suzuki (right oblique strain) has resumed baseball activities.
UP NEXT
Houston right-hander Justin Verlander (1-0, 3.00 ERA) makes his second start since he missed the beginning of the season because of shoulder inflammation. Right-hander Javier Assad (2-0, 2.11 ERA) takes the mound for Chicago.