Articles
Kurt Busch May Be A Risk Again At Talladega
It is the fall race at Talladega that has befuddled Kurt Busch of late. The last four races here have seen the elder Busch finish outside of the top 10 with two straight DNFs. Here is the weird part: It seemed like he had it figured out in 2018. Busch led 108 of the 193 […]
Chris Wassel 3 years agoTyler Reddick Has Been Lucky And Pretty Good At Talladega
Tyler Reddick has managed to avoid crashes in three straight races at Talladega. As a result, he has two seventh-place finishes and a 20th. The 13th position is the highest the Richard Childress Racing driver has started too. During the Spring race, he was in the top five before a late drop in speed cost […]
Chris Wassel 3 years agoChristopher Bell On The Ropes At Talladega
Christopher Bell has raced at Talladega just three times at the top level of NASCAR. His last one was a 17th for Joe Gibbs Racing where he started sixth. That was the key. He avoided the wrecks and drove his race. Now, will that be enough with him on the outside looking in this playoff […]
Chris Wassel 3 years agoAlex Bowman Needs Good Result At Talladega
After finishing 22nd at Las Vegas last week, Alex Bowman needs a better effort at Talladega this week. The Hendrick Motorsports Racing driver has his work cut out for him, as the superspeedway has been a mixed bag for him. He starts 11th on Sunday and does have three top-10s in his last seven races […]
Chris Wassel 3 years agoWilliam Byron A Dark-Horse Candidate At Talladega
William Byron has run very well at Talladega during his last three times at the track. The Hendrick Motorsports Racing driver finished 11th, 4th, and 2nd. He has managed to keep track position while avoiding problems. Byron has even led ten or more laps in four of his seven appearances. The No. 24 car has […]
Chris Wassel 3 years agoKevin Harvick Has Big Test At Talladega
Kevin Harvick has four straight top-10 results to keep him in the playoffs. He did finish fourth at Talladega earlier this year. The Stewart-Haas Racing driver has found the extra speed that had alluded him during most of the 2021 season. Now, can he keep this momentum going? Harvick starts ninth on Sunday. Aside from […]
Chris Wassel 3 years agoJoey Logano Could Be A Risk At Talladega
Joey Logano can lead laps at Talladega, but the question lately is can he finish? He has crashed out of consecutive races at the 2.66-mile track. However, he does have three wins since 2015, including two straight fall checkered flags (2015 and 2016). Logano also won the spring edition in 2018. He has led 10 […]
Chris Wassel 3 years agoBrad Keselowski Expected To Thrive At Talladega
Brad Keselowski has had an interesting run of results the past four-plus seasons at Talladega. He has two wins -- the 2017 Fall race and this year's Spring event. However, the middle has seen him finish outside the top ten each time. That includes several crashes as well. The Team Penske car is the car […]
Chris Wassel 3 years agoMartin Truex Jr. Not Recommended At Talladega
Martin Truex Jr. may be looking ahead to the Charlotte ROVAL at this point. Given how poorly Talladega has treated the Joe Gibbs Racing driver, one would understand. Truex Jr. has never finished better than fifth on the track and has not had a top ten since 2015. That includes ten consecutive outside the top-20 […]
Chris Wassel 3 years agoKyle Larson May Have Another Rough Time At Talladega
Kyle Larson never got up to full speed at Talladega in the spring. A piece of metal was stuck in the manifold near his engine. It eventually caused the engine to blow, and Larson had to retire after just three laps. Things have not gone well for the Hendrick Motorsports Racing driver at the 2.66-mile […]
Chris Wassel 3 years agoRyan Blaney A Potential Favorite At Talladega
Ryan Blaney is the last Team Penske driver to win at Talladega during the fall. That happened in 2019 when he led 35 laps. Overall, Team Penske has won nine of the last 14 races at the superspeedway. Blaney followed up the fall 2019 win with a spring 2020 repeat when he led 63 laps. […]
Chris Wassel 3 years agoChase Elliott Is A Contender At Talladega
Chase Elliott has had some mixed results at Talladega. However, he did win there one in 2019 and even had an eighth at the Fall race. The Hendrick Motorsports Racing driver has had his share of crashes and near-crashes also. There were three DNF's in all including last Spring's race. The No. 9 car was […]
Chris Wassel 3 years agoKyle Busch May Not Have Good Day At Talladega
Kyle Busch and the No. 18 M&M car will have their hands full with Talladega on Sunday afternoon. The last five Fall races have been unkind to the Joe Gibbs Racing driver. That includes two crashes, pit violations, and poor decisions. The results have been all outside the top-10. His best result in the Fall […]
Chris Wassel 3 years agoDenny Hamlin Awarded Pole Position At Talladega
Denny Hamlin, behind his two wins in four playoff races, was awarded the pole at Talladega on Sunday. His Fall race record is rather good as well. Consider the fact, the No. 11 car has finished no worse than sixth during the second Talladega race since 2017. That includes last year's win where he led […]
Chris Wassel 3 years agoGreyson Sigg Not Recommended At Sanderson Farms
Greyson Sigg could not land balls on the green well at the Fortinet Championship. There were a few too many negatives in his golf game. That bodes poorly for this week's Sanderson Farms Championship. Also, his ability to score low is hampered by the smaller and tricky greens. Sigg even probably needs 8-12 yards average […]
Chris Wassel 3 years agoLanto Griffin May Not Be A Great Option At Jackson C.C.
Lanto Griffin hit so many errant shots last time out. He gets to try to atone for the 75 on Sunday at the Fortinet Championship. However, there were just too many chances squandered. His opening round 73 gets forgotten. His approaches and strokes-gained putting are just inside the top 40 in 2021, however. It boils […]
Chris Wassel 3 years agoBrendan Steele Too Risky For C.C. Of Jackson
Brendan Steele had a horrendous weekend getting balls on the green at the Fortinet Championship. His -0.65 strokes gained were among the worst for golfers. The 2021 seasons saw Steele struggle with developing those one or two plus-level skills essential for contending in tournaments. This week, things do not bode well either. Steele ranked 142nd […]
Chris Wassel 3 years agoHarry Higgs A Questionable Option For Sanderson Farms
Harry Higgs could not put things together at the Fortinet Championship. That included missing the cut which was a bit of a surprise. The Camden, New Jersey native could not make putts at the tournament. One under par just was not cutting it when so many golfers were converting chances left and right. Higgs will […]
Chris Wassel 3 years agoGary Woodland Hoping For Good Start At Sanderson Farms
2021 just did not go quite so well overall for Gary Woodland. It is hard to believe this was the same golfer that won the 2019 US Open. Woodland struggled mightily too often with his overall game. It just seemed that Woodland could not do one thing with solid efficiency. The results spoke for themselves. […]
Chris Wassel 3 years agoChez Reavie Might Struggle At Sanderson Farms
Chez Reavie had some problems with errant shots and putting at the Fortinet Championship. If he has those same issues at Sanderson Farms, Reavie will be in deep trouble. This is a tournament that can get away quickly. All it takes is one or two wayward shots and that may be it. Reavie may struggle […]
Chris Wassel 3 years agoCharley Hoffman Has Another Chance At Sanderson Farms
Charley Hoffman gets another chance at Sanderson Farms this week. He was 73% in greens-in-regulation last week. Hoffman may have to come close to that percentage this week on the Jackson, Mississippi golf course. Again, these greens can be dicey and the approaches are important. One gets rewarded for approaching the green well. Hoffman drives […]
Chris Wassel 3 years agoSi Woo Kim Has DFS Potential At Sanderson Farms
Si Woo Kim converted a lot of birdie chances at the Fortinet Championship. There were a lot of wayward shots as well. Taking the good with the bad tends to yield a more positive outlook here. The 26-year-old Korean golfer strikes the ball just well enough to set up birdie chances. With Sanderson Farms being […]
Chris Wassel 3 years agoHarold Varner III Has Some Upside At Sanderson Farms
Harold Varner III came out swinging at the opening golf tournament for the 2022 PGA season with a 68-68 open. The problem is Varner III could not follow that up well. He ended up 70-71 on the weekend for a tied-for 16th-place result. The putter left him later in the tournament, That cannot happen on […]
Chris Wassel 3 years agoZach Johnson Should Putt Well At Sanderson Farms
Zach Johnson had a bit of an adventurous 2021 season. The one thing he did constantly well was strokes gained from putting. He ranked fifth at +0.667. That is a substantial number. If Johnson can putt that well this week, he will stay in contention in this tournament. This course rewards a golfer that can […]
Chris Wassel 3 years agoCameron Tringale Could Be Favorite At Sanderson Farms
Cameron Tringale played a better final round at the Fortinet Championship on the way to a T22 finish. His 69 was encouraging given the fact that he did not follow up his first-round 66. He made 17 birdies in all and may even be able to make a few more this week. The course sets […]
Chris Wassel 3 years agoSungjae Im Likely To Contend At Sanderson Farms
Sungjae Im played a good deal better to close out the 2021 FedEx Cup. With four straight top-25 results, including a third at the BMW Championship, the Korean golfer finally showed some consistently good form. Now, the Sanderson Farms Championship beckons. It is a tournament that shows off Im's abilities to make some putts and […]
Chris Wassel 3 years agoRyan Blaney Pulls Off Fifth Place at Las Vegas
Ryan Blaney had a bit of an up and down night at Las Vegas. All things considered, the Team Penske driver finished fifth and gained valuable playoff points. The No. 12 car was fourth after Stage 1 but 21st after Stage 2 (pit window). Blaney raced his way into the top five by the race's […]
Chris Wassel 3 years agoMartin Truex Jr. Fades Some Late, Finishes Fourth at Vegas
Martin Truex Jr. just did not have the speed late but still finished fourth at Las Vegas on Sunday night. He was fourth after Stage 2 and it looked like the No. 19 car might challenge to win. That was not the case. Truex Jr. led just one lap early in the race and that […]
Chris Wassel 3 years agoKyle Busch Ends Up on Podium at Las Vegas
While Kyle Busch expected a better result, Las Vegas was kinder to the younger Busch than Darlington was. The No. 18 car finished third more than 12 seconds behind winner Denny Hamlin on Sunday night. The stage points that Busch racked up were helpful as well. It should be enough of a boost to buoy […]
Chris Wassel 3 years agoChase Elliott Nearly Wins at Las Vegas
Chase Elliott had some excellent numbers in Las Vegas but suffered from some bad luck. On Sunday night, it was the rest of the Hendricks Motorsports Racing team that suffered while Elliott nearly rode his No. 9 car to victory. In the end, he came up just short behind the winner, Denny Hamlin. The second-place […]
Chris Wassel 3 years ago