Juniors Dickies
Juniors Dickies
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US $14.98
Three to go.
If there was a wreck heading into this weekend's race at Texas Motor Speedway, the 2006 Nextel Cup season would have to head to a green-white-checkers finish.
Five drivers now have anything resembling a shot to win the '06 Cup. The heavy favorites are Matt Kenseth and Jimmie Johnson, who are separated by 26 points atop the standings. Rookie Denny Hamlin is 65 in back of Kenseth, and both Jeff Burton and Dale Earnhardt Jr. are 84 back. And that's it. The other five Chasers are done.
So if you want to figure out who'll win the championship, I guess the best thing to do is look at the final three tracks: Texas, Phoenix and Miami. Here are our five contenders' recent and average finishes at these three tracks:
Kenseth
Texas four-year average: 7.7
Texas 2006: 2nd
Phoenix four-year average: 20
Phoenix 2006: 3rd
Miami three-year average (since track reconfiguration): 22
Miami 2005: 3rd
Johnson
Texas four-year average: 7
Texas 2006: 11th
Phoenix four-year average: 8.7
Phoenix 2006: 7th
Miami three-year average: 15
Miami 2005: 40th
Hamlin
Texas two-year average: 5.5
Texas 2006: 4th
Phoenix two-year average: 23.5
Phoenix 2006: 34th
Miami one-year average: 30
Miami 2005: 30th
Burton
Texas four-year average: 22.3
Texas 2006: 6th
Phoenix four-year average: 9.7
Phoenix 2006: 9th
Miami three-year average: 25
Miami 2005: 25th
Earnhardt Jr.
Texas four-year average: 12.8
Texas 2006: 12th
Phoenix four-year average: 23
Phoenix 2006: 12th
Miami three-year average: 22
Miami 2005: 19th
Judging by this season's results, it should be Kenseth in a walkover for his second career Nextel Cup series win. But if it comes down to Homestead (which is most assuredly will), Johnson has had an advantage over just about everyone else at the high-banked unrestricted superspeedways this year. It really does seem like it'll come down to these two fellas, though Junior loves both Texas and Phoenix, and has logged wins on both. Let's take a look at the first step, this weekend in Texas.
Last Week: Drat. Kasey Kahne was bad early, but was making his way to the front when he suffered a brain cramp that really put a cramp in my style. His spotter told him that David Stremme was on his outside but, according to Kahne, "I forgot." Kahne rammed Stremme, they both were wrecked out of the race, and my straight-up favorite and head-to-head win went to pot. I still had a chance with Johnson over Tony Stewart, but Smoke was able to hold off J.J. For the week, then, we lost 1.5 units, which puts us at a net positive 19.95 units for the season.
Kasey Kahne (5-1), 1/6th unit. Undeterred, I still proclaim that Kahne is the best 1.5-miler, high-banked-track driver of 2006, and that last week at Atlanta was an anomaly. Yes, the #9 team did struggle to find speed through much of practice and the early parts of the race, but according to Kahne the track was coming to them, which meant as it cooled down, his car tightened up and was moving to the front. Then he had his brush with stupidity, and all was lost. Still, I think Kahne deserves to be the race favorite this weekend; he's still got a finishing average of 8.4 (with four wins) at this track style this year, and he won here with relative ease in the spring.
Jimmie Johnson (6-1), 1/6th unit. Johnson finished second at both Charlotte and Atlanta, which has done wonders for his chances for his first-ever points title, but hasn't brought his backers much joy. Things may not change this week in Texas, considering Johnson has never won at this track. He has, however, posted seven consecutive finishes inside the top 11, and the similarity of this track's configuration to Atlanta's and Charlotte's implies that he's extraordinarily due. It was clear last weekend that Johnson saw no point in pushing it once he had second place locked up, but if Matt Kenseth (8-1) is on his tail this weekend, one wonders if he'll be able to keep himself in check.
Tony Stewart (8-1), 1/6th unit. If you can't beat 'em, join 'em. Stewart was the 'loser' side of my head-to-head selection last weekend, and that didn't work out so well, considering Smoke won the race. Oops. The fact is, his Atlanta victory wasn't a shock in the scheme of his career (it was his second win at the lightning-fast Georgia venue), but given that he's outside the Chase and his teammate, Denny Hamlin (13-1) is getting most of the attention and resources at Gibbs Racing, it was something of a surprise. What won't be a surprise is to see Stewart take the exact same package with which he won last weekend, and slap it on his car again here at Texas. Clearly, Smoke did a phenomenal job adjusting as day turned to night in Atlanta; if he can do the same thing in the warmer Texas air, he's got a chance to upset the apple cart yet again.
Christopher Harris is a featured writer for the Professional Handicappers League. Read all of his articles at http://www.procappers.com
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Juniors Flat Front Pant by Dickies $38 Flat front, straight leg pant with rear pockets and a mid-rise fit. Made of 97% Cotton, 3% Spandex. Hand wash in cold water, hang to dry. Available in Black or Khaki. Sizes 1-17. Click on Alternate Views to see additional colors, detail. Limited quantities - while supplies last. Not available in all sizes and colors. |
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Juniors Twill Skinny Pant by Dickies $38 5 pocket stretch twill skinny leg pant. 7% Cotton, 3% Spandex hand wash. Available in Black or Khaki. Size 9. Click on Alternate View to see additional color. Limited quantities - while supplies last. Not available in all sizes and colors. |
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Juniors Short Sleeve Pique Polo by Dickies $20 Short sleeve pique knit polo shirt features a 2 button-up front. 95% cotton, 5% spandex, machine washable. Available in Purple, Lipstick Pink, Cobalt Blue, Baby Blue, Burgundy and Hunter Green. Sizes S-XL. Click on Alternate Views to see additional colors. Limited quantities - while supplies last. Not available in all sizes and colors. |
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Juniors 5 Pocket Straight Leg Pant by Dickies $38 5 Pocket, straight leg pant features a stretch fit, low rise and a 33 inch inseam. 97% Cotton, 3% Spandex. Hand wash, hang to dry. Available in Black or Khaki. Sizes 3,7,9. Click on Alternate View to see additional colors. Limited quantities - while supplies last. Not available in all sizes and colors. |
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Juniors Rule! $10 Juniors Rule! |
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Buddy & The Juniors $11.49 Buddy & The Juniors |
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