CUP: Predictions - Hamlin, Johnson Up Front At Phoenix

Sprint Cup

CUP: Predictions - Hamlin, Johnson Up Front At Phoenix

Denny Hamlin and Jimmie Johnson head the list of predicted winners heading into Sunday’s Kobalt Tools 500 at PIR...

SceneDaily.com | Posted November 14, 2010 Avondale, AZ

Jimmie Johnson, Kyle Busch, Denny Hamlin and Kurt Busch are some of the favorites on Sunday at Phoenix International Raceway. (Photo: LAT Photographic)

It’s only appropriate that Denny Hamlin and Jimmie Johnson head the list of our predicted winners heading into Sunday’s Kobalt Tools 500 at Phoenix International Raceway.

After what transpired at Texas – Hamlin winning and crew chief Mike Ford questioning the four-time defending championship team’s mettle – we’ve got an old-school tussle on our hands.

The same really can’t be said in SceneDaily.com’s championship chase as Kris Johnson holds a commanding lead over Jeff Owens.

Meanwhile, Bob Pockrass notched his panel-best fourth victory of the season last week when he rode with Hamlin at Texas. Veteran scribe Kenny Bruce has two more opportunities to register his first win of the season. Bruce, who has favored a contrarian approach in making his selections this year, could very well do so in picking Kurt Busch to win Sunday’s slugfest in the desert.

Here are the full slate of selections for Phoenix:

Kris Johnson
Wins: 3
Top-5s: 56
Last week’s pick: Kurt Busch
Last week’s points: 91
Total points: 4,630

THIS WEEK’S WINNER: Denny Hamlin - Nice to see Owens has finally come to his senses by choosing the favorite at Phoenix. Unfortunately, for him, it’s too late. With a 156-point cushion in the standings, it will take a calamity of epic proportions to fritter away such a sizable lead. It’s not happening. Go ahead and hand me the crown now. Whoa, who am I...Mike Ford? Hamlin’s crew chief threw down the gauntlet with his tough talk for the No. 48 bunch after a big victory at Texas. Now he and Hamlin need to back it up. Full disclosure: I think there are better choices here, but like any writer hoping for the best story, it behooves me to pick Hamlin and hope that he and Johnson will be battling for the win tomorrow. As in golf, sometimes you just have to hit it and hope. Here’s hoping Hamlin wins tomorrow and puts this SceneDaily.com contest completely out of reach heading into Homestead.

Top Five:
1. Denny Hamlin
2. Jimmie Johnson
3. Carl Edwards
4. Kevin Harvick
5. Mark Martin

VIDEO: Cup Qualifying Phoenix International Raceway Carl Edwards wins PIR pole. (Image: SPEED)

Jeff Owens
Wins: 3
Top-5s: 61
Last week’s pick: Jeff Gordon
Last week’s points: 52
Total points: 4,474

THIS WEEK’S WINNER: Jimmie Johnson - Told ya. I pick Jeff Gordon at Texas and he not only wrecks, but gets in a fight. Just my luck. Such picks are why I’m in second. I am sooooo done with him. With just two races left, I’m going with the safe – and smart – bet. After Denny Hamlin’s dramatic victory at Texas, I’m betting we’ll see a role reversal at Phoenix. With Gordon’s pit crew, Johnson will win the Chase race there for the fourth straight year to close in on Hamlin and make it a tight points race heading into the season finale. Take that Gordon.

Top Five:
1. Jimmie Johnson
2. Kevin Harvick
3. Kyle Busch
4. Ryan Newman
5. Denny Hamlin

Bob Pockrass
Wins: 4
Top-5s: 49
Last week’s pick: Denny Hamlin
Last week’s points: 190
Total points: 4,197

THIS WEEK’S WINNER: Kyle Busch - Kyle Busch is going to win. He’s No. 1 after all. That’s what he told everyone last week. I think that’s what he meant. The dude is good at Phoenix and he obviously has nothing to lose. He knows he needs to redeem himself after last week, and winning will go a long way to appeasing those upset with him after he lost his cool at Texas. Busch qualified seventh and he was a contender at Phoenix in April until a late pit call ended up going the wrong way. He led 113 laps here in the spring and ended up eighth. He might not lead 113 laps Sunday, but he’ll end up first.

Top Five:
1. Kyle Busch
2. Kevin Harvick
3. Kurt Busch
4. David Reutimann
5. Denny Hamlin

Kenny Bruce
Wins: 0
Top-5s: 46
Last week’s pick: Dale Earnhardt Jr.
Last week’s points: 88
Total points: 3,809

THIS WEEK’S WINNER: Kurt Busch - This team is too good, and the driver too talented, to continue to struggle. Seven races removed from his last top-10, Kurt Busch, who will start third, would like nothing better than to get back on track as the season winds down. One of 11 active winners in Sunday’s field, Busch has four top-five and eight top-10 finishes at PIR. Prior to a 35th-place finish here in the spring, he had finished sixth or better in three consecutive races and led 60 or more laps in each.

Top Five:
1. Kurt Busch
2. Carl Edwards
3. Kevin Harvick
4. Jamie McMurray
5. Clint Bowyer

SceneDaily.com • FEUD OF THE WEEK: Jeff Gordon vs. Jeff Burton