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First, the Gatorade Duels are today, which will determine the rest of the starting field for Sunday. In the first heat race, I predict Tony Stewart as the winner and Jeff Burton in the second race. Watch out for Kevin Harvick in that first duel race and Kyle Busch in the second one as well. As for the 500, there is a lot of things that can go right or wrong in just a moments notice at Daytona.
I believe wrecks will be a major player, primarily due to the sensitivity of locking onto the back bumpers in the draft. Don’t get me wrong, it’s going to be a different type of racing then in recent years. From what I watched on Saturday night in the Bud Shootout, the angles at which you bump another car from behind may cause more mayhem then anything in the two-car drafts.
Pit stops could be critical, especially if a caution flag flies with 10 laps to go or the last stop is under green, which could change the strategy of someone further behind completely. The fact that I believe this race will be spread out more into packs this year versus just one big group allows this situation to become a possible issue.
In coming down to the end--the when, where and how to pass in the final “lap” should be a ton of fun to see. Dale Earnhardt Jr. won the pole this past Sunday for the event and my gut says it will be the #88 in victory lane with Jamie McMurray and Kevin Harvick in the mix.
Predicting the Chasers: 12.Jamie McMurray, 11. Jeff Burton, 10.Kurt Busch, 9. Kyle Busch, 8.Greg Biffle, 7.Tony Stewart, 6.Clint Bowyer, 5.Jeff Gordon, 4.Kevin Harvick, 3.Carl Edwards, 2.Jimmie Johnson, 1.Denny Hamlin. And six area teams should get invitations to the hoops playoffs on Saturday. Chase boys and girls can only make the postseason now by winning the SMAC tournament this week.
First round playoff match ups look like this for next week: East Rutherford boys will host Draughn in the 2A West. If they win the first two rounds, the Cavs would likely encounter undefeated Smoky Mountain led by Jackson Simmons in the third round on the road.
R-S Central, who has battled well down the stretch visits powerful, Hickory in the 3A West. In the 1A West, Thomas Jefferson should get the nod as a wildcard in their first ever hoops postseason experience. But whether the Gryphons will travel to Hiwassee Dam, Hendersonville, or face a really talented Cherryville club is anybody’s guess at this point.
As for the girls, R-S Central will be the #1 or #2 seed and that will be decided on how tonight’s game with Freedom goes. If they win, they get the #1 seed and play Hibriten. If the Lady Hilltoppers lose, they fall to #2 and face Ashbrook Either way, Central will be the host.
East Rutherford has to visit Brevard, while Thomas Jefferson heads to either Robbinsville or Murphy. Focusing on another matter at hand, East Rutherford’s Devince Boykins could land a spectacular stat as his high school hoops career winds down. Although, it’s probably not going to happen, Boykins is over the 1,000-point mark, but sits at 876 rebounds.
The Cavalier senior missed 18 games over the course of his career. His freshman year, he suffered a broken arm as the quarterback of the football team. And there is no doubt, he would have met that outstanding 1,000/1,000 accomplishment, if not for missed time.
