NASCAR PREVIEW
Atlanta Motor Speedway is next up for the Monster Energy Cup series
Trey Campbell
Feb 23, 2018, 6:08 am
Chase Elliot (No. 9 car) could finally get it done this week. Jerry Markland/Getty Images
This week The Monster Energy Cup Series heads to the Peach State for the Quick trip folds of honor 500 at Atlanta Motor Speedway. This track is a one-and-a-half-mile oval with banking of 24 degrees. These high banked corners and multiple grooves around the track usually call for fast lap times and long green flag runs. In fact, in last year's race the first caution was not displayed until lap 86 and that was for the ending of stage one. This track is known for being a relatively clean race track that doesn't have many wrecks so more than likely there will be an abundance of green flag pit stops. Look for pit stops to be pivotal in deciding who wins this race and any mistake can be the all the difference.
It will be imperative that drivers watch their speed exiting and leaving pit row. Take last year ,for example :Kevin Harvick led a race high 292 laps and swept both stage one and stage two and victory appeared to be in his grasp. However, after a late race caution came out for the stalled car of Austin Dillion on lap 311, Harvick was penalized for speeding on pit road. This ended any chances of victory for him although he was able to rebound for a respectable ninth place finish.
Weather may also be an issue this weekend. After looking at the forecast for the race it would appear as if there is an 80 percent chance of rain in the forecast for Sunday night and early Monday morning, so if you are a diehard NASCAR fan be sure to have your sick days or your tablets ready if you want to watch the race possibly on Monday. My predictions for this race are that it will be relatively uneventful early until towards the end. My winner of this week's race is Chase Elliott. As most NASCAR fans know Elliot has had a difficult time in his pursuit of his first win. I think this is the place where he gets it done. Not only has he run well at Atlanta, but it is also his home track. Elliott has finished an average of 6.50 here in both of his starts and even though he hasn't led a lap here yet, I think that this week will be different. Look for the Napa Chevrolet to be up front.
My dark horse driver for this week is Ricky Stenhouse Jr. After a disastrous conclusion at Daytona, I think that he has a good chance to have a good finish. While yes, his average at the track is 19th in the last few races he has steadily improved his results. In 2016 he finished 15th, he then backed it up the next year with a 10h-place finish the next year and this year he will get a top five and maybe in contention for a victory at the end of the race. Look for him and his teammate Trevor Bayne to have good results this weekend. Overall, I think this race will have an uneventful beginning with long green flag runs, but when it comes down to the final stage the racing will get closer and the sense of urgency will ramp up. This track is known for classic finishes such as Carl Edwards and Jimmie Johnson in 2005 and of course Kevin Harvick and Jeff Gordon in 2001. If you have the patience to sit through the long runs, you won't be disappointed with the outcome It should be an entertaining race.
(All stats and information used in this article is brought to you by the good folks at driveraverages.com and Racing-Refrence.com the best website for all NASCAR stats).
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With the Astros now officially ten games under .500 for the season, manager Joe Espada is taking a lot of heat from the fanbase for the team's struggles.
While we don't agree with the sentiment, we even hear fans clamoring for the return of Dusty Baker and Martin Maldonado, thinking the Astros wouldn't be in this mess if they were still here.
Which is ridiculous. First of all, Maldonado has been awful for the White Sox, hitting .048 (even worse than Jose Abreu's .065). And for those of you that think his work with the pitching staff justifies his pathetic offense. Let me say this: Where was Maldy's game calling genius for Hunter Brown, Cristian Javier, and Framber Valdez last year? All of them regressed significantly.
And as far as Baker is concerned, we have no idea how much a difference he would make, we can only speculate. Baker would also be dealing with a pitching staff ravaged with injuries. And let's not forget, Baker was the guy that refused to move Jose Abreu down in the batting order, even though he would finish the regular season with the ninth-worst OPS in baseball.
The reality of the situation is managers can only do so much in baseball. Which leads us to something else that needs to be considered. Is Espada being handcuffed by the front office? Espada and GM Dana Brown both said recently that Jon Singleton was going to get more at-bats while they give Abreu time off to try to figure things out. Yet, there Abreu was in the lineup again in the opening game of the Cubs series.
It makes us wonder how much power does Espada truly have? The Astros have some other options at first base. Yainer Diaz may only have eight games played at the position, but how much worse could he be than Abreu defensively? Abreu already has four errors, and Diaz is obviously a way better hitter. Victor Caratini isn't considered a plus offensive player, but his .276 batting average makes him look like Babe Ruth compared to Abreu. Let him catch more often and play Diaz at first. Starting Diaz at first more often could also lengthen his career long-term.
Maybe that's too wild of a move. Okay, fine. How about playing Mauricio Dubon at first base? I understand he doesn't have much experience at that position, but what's the downside of trying him there? If he can play shortstop, he can play first base. He's driving in runs at a higher rate (11 RBIs) than everyone on the team outside of Kyle Tucker and Yordan Alvarez. And he's producing like that as part-time player right now.
The other criticism we see of Espada is his use of Jon Singleton to pinch hit late in games. Let's be real, though, who else does Espada have on the roster to go to? Batting Abreu late in games in which you're trailing should be considered malpractice. Espada can only use who he has to work with. This all really stems from the Astros poor farm system.
They don't have anyone else to turn to. The draft picks the club lost from the sign-stealing scandal are really hurting them right now. First and second rounders from 2020 and 2021 should be helping you in 2024 at the big league level.
Maybe they go to Astros prospect Joey Loperfido soon, but after a hot start he has only two hits in his last six games.
Finally, we have to talk about what seems like a committee making baseball decisions. Lost in a committee is accountability. Who gets the blame for making poor decisions?
As time continues to pass it looks like moving on from former GM James Click was a massive mistake. He's the guy that didn't sign Abreu, but did trade Myles Straw (recently DFA'd) for Yainer Diaz and Phil Maton. He also built an elite bullpen without breaking the bank, and helped the club win a World Series in 2022.
The reality of the situation is Dusty Baker and James Click are not walking back through that door. And all good runs come to an end at some point. Is this what we're witnessing?
Don't miss the video above as we hit on all the points discussed and much more!
Catch Stone Cold 'Stros (an Astros podcast) with Charlie Pallilo, Brandon Strange, and Josh Jordan. We drop two episodes every week on SportsMapHouston's YouTube channel. You can also listen on Apple Podcast, Spotifyor wherever you get your podcasts.