Jeff Gordon

Jeff Zell asked:


In baseball, it has come close (see 2005 San Diego Padres, 1973 NY Mets). In the NFL, only two .500 teams have made the playoffs since 1991 (1991 NYJ, 2004 STL). In the NBA, however, it has been the norm to find teams with a losing record compete in late April and into May.

Below, a table of the number of .500 win percentage teams, the number of first round games they have won, and the number of series they have gone on to win.

First Round Playoff Stats Last 10 Years

Year Teams at .500 or under Total first round games won Series Won

1996 2 2 0

1997 3 2 0

1998 1 2 0

1999 1 1 0

2000 0 0 0

2001 1 1 0

2002 0 0 0
2003 0 0 0

2004 4 4 0

2005 0 0 0

2006 3

Courtesy: Basketball-Reference.com

Parody just hasn’t existed in the NBA playoffs. These 15 teams in the last 10 years have combined to win just 12 playoff games and have never advanced. In 2004, four teams in the East had the shot and surely one could pull off the upset? Not even the four vs. five could do it.

The last time a team with a losing record entered the playoffs and won a Series was 1988. Then, the Seattle Supersonics boasted a 39-43 record as the 7-seed and made it all the way to the conference finals. They upset both Dallas and Houston, before being swept by Pat Riley’s Los Angeles Lakers. Since Seattle, a total of 31 teams have entered the playoffs with a record at or below .500. And these teams are 0-31 in playoff series.

So, how good of a chance do Milwaukee (40-42), Chicago (41-41) and Indiana (41-41) have this year? I’m not going to say “none,” because that’s why they play the game—but let’s delve into these match-ups.

(1) Detroit vs. (8) Milwaukee

One-seeds haven’t lost since 1999. But there was a technicality about that year: First, 1999 was the NBA lockout year, and only 50 regular season games were played. Second, three other teams had the same 33-17 record, but Miami won by a tiebreaker.

In a full 82-game season, it was the 1994 Denver Nuggets who upset the top-seeded Supersonics to advance to the second round.

With Flip Saunders at the helm, we’ve seen the Pistons play looser offensively, but still maintaining impressive defense—leading them to their best regular season record ever (64-18). Don’t worry about the nonsense concerning Ben Wallace not getting along with Flip: This team is focused when it comes to the playoffs.

Having said this, Milwaukee has their hands full. Let’s just look at player vs. player matchups.

Detroit Milwaukee Advantage

PG Billups Ford Detroit

SG Hamilton Redd Detroit

SF Prince Simmons Detroit

PF R. Wallace Bogut Detroit

C B. Wallace Magloire Detroit

Billups will substitute size for speed and can dominate Ford. Hamilton is a workhorse. Prince is undoubtedly better than Simmons. And I’ll just point out the experience from the front court to suffice my argument for the Wallaces.

To make matters worse, the only type of success they had against Detroit was when they played Toni Kukoc at the three. Kukoc is already banged up and will miss the first game, so his health will be a definite factor.

Prediction: Pistons in a sweep

(2) Miami vs. (7) Chicago

Chicago is the hottest of the East’s bottom-3, finishing 12-2 in their final 14 to slip into the show. They had a similar run in the final month of the season last year, winning 15 of their last 19 games. The Bulls’ only win against the Heat in the regular season came back on April 15 when the Heat rested most of their stars.

In the playoffs, it comes down to defense and though the “Baby Bulls” are young, they do buckle down, leading the NBA for the second straight season in defensive field-goal percentage (.426).

Offensively, the Bulls’ patented “drive-and-kick” out game has given opposing teams a hard time. Ben Gordon ranks 2nd in the Eastern Conference, hitting 43.9-percent from 3-point land, and point-guard Kirk Hinrich has shot 42.9-percent from behind the arc in his last five games.

Although the Heat have been locked into the No. 2 spot since basically January, I don’t see them having trouble kicking into high gear. Even when the Bulls shut down Wade in their meetings this year (12.3 ppg), the Heat have found a way to win.

The Bulls have no answer for Shaq, who had 14 points and 6 rebounds in just 20 minutes of action on April 15.

Prediction: Heat in 5

(3) New Jersey vs. (6) Indiana

This might very well be the best shot for a team at the .500 mark in the regular season to win a Series. The Nets came from the weak Atlantic Division that sent no other teams beside themselves to the playoffs. The two teams have similar defensive work ethics, as they are 5th and 6th in points allowed, respectively, in the NBA. The interesting thing about this series is the way they view each other: New Jersey players have said the Pacers are a good transition and look to slow it down, while Indiana players have said the exact same thing about the Nets! Wow, this should be a fun series to watch!

Jermaine O’Neal looks to be healthy into the playoffs, having played 30-plus minutes in his final 11 regular season games, but I don’t foresee him being the difference. The difference must come from the defense side of the ball, in particular, the ability to stop Vince Carter.

Peja Stojakovic and Stephen Jackson must play top-notch to pull the upset.

I have a feeling this series will go seven. The Nets were 29-12 at home, fourth-best home record in the Eastern conference, so that’s the way I lean.

Prediction: Nets in 7

Bet the NBA Playoffs @ WagerWeb.com Sportsbook

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FRANCIS

Greg Black asked:


Private jets no luxury for NASCAR teams

Business travel can be a grind, But for NASCAR drivers and race teams who are on the road for 36 races per year travel is unavoidable.

If these teams had to rely on commercial airline schedules travel would be a nightmare, if not a logistical impossibility. That’s why most of the top tier drivers own private jets, and race teams operate fleets of small aircraft to transport pit crew members and team executives to the racetrack each week.

Dale Earnhardt, Jr. owns a LearJet 60, which is the top of the LearJet line, and their largest jet. It’s a business jet that can seat up to 10 passengers.

Thanks to the jet Earnhardt can leave his home in North Carolina and be at the racetrack in Daytona or Texas a couple of hours later — about the time it would take to drive to a major airport and clear security.

NASCAR rookie and former Formula One driver Juan Pablo Montoya also owns a LearJet 60. 2006 champion Jimmie Johnson owns a Learjet 31A, and Jeff Gordon owns a British Aerospace Hawker 800.

Most of the drivers leave the flying to professional pilots, but Mark Martin is a licensed pilot who often pilots his own Cessna Citation. Martin lives in a unique community near Daytona Beach called Spruce Creek. It’s a fly in community with it’s own airport. Residents have aircraft hangars in the yard where most of us have garages. Martin can literally park his jet in the garage.

The race teams operate larger planes to ferry the pit crews and team executives to the track. Roush Racing operates a fleet of planes, including a Boeing 737 and several smaller business jets. Dale Earnhardt, Inc. flies it’s pit crew on an Embraer 120, a mid-size turbo-prop that seats 30 passengers.

While cars have vanity license plates, NASCAR teams have vanity aircraft registration numbers. Dale Jr’s Learjet is N8JR, and Jeff Gordon’s Hawker is N24JG. The corporate Embraer at Dale Earnhardt, Inc. is N500DE.

NASCAR has come to rely on private jet travel so much that many tracks are located right next to airports. Daytona International Speedway is located right next to Daytona Beach International Airport where private jets and commercial flights arrive daily.

While most tracks are not located so close to a major international airport, some tracks have built their own airports. Right next to Atlanta Motor Speedway sits Tara Field, a small general aviation airstrip that sees little traffic until race week, when more than 600 planes descend on this tiny airfield.

However, some tracks are not as convenient, but when that happens expect the NASCAR drivers to come up with a solution. When NASCAR descends on a track like Dover Delaware some drivers like Dale Earnhardt bypass race traffic by flying from the airport to the racetrack in a chartered helicopter, landing directly in he infield.

Some people consider private air travel a luxury, but with the hectic schedule of today’s drivers it is a necessity. Following a Sunday afternoon race a driver can hop on his jet and be home by Sunday night. This means they can meet with the crew chiefs and team owners Monday morning to review the previous race, and develop a strategy for the following race. During the week drivers are often on the jet again, meeting with sponsors, shooting TV commercials, making public appearances, and testing. Without a jet this schedule would be impossible. Most drivers agree that having a private jet gives them one to two days per week of productive time, or just allows an occasional day off.

You can see pictures of these jets at JetJit.com and get more detailed information on each airplane.

See photos of these jets and more at JetJit.com



MOHAMMED

Alex D asked:


Jeff Gordon is my favorite driver and im wonderin why people **** him all the earnhardt fans are like he wrecks people but look at dale sr. he wrecked twice as many people as gordon.
so if u **** gordon please tell me why.

BUFORD

Dr. Ecto 1 asked:


say like Jeff Gordon took over Quarterback position for the Green Bay Packers, and Brett Favre took over for Gordon’s 24 Dupont and became a nascar drive. how do you think both would do?

JOEY

Dr. Ecto 1 asked:


if Gordon’s contract were to ever expire, and Gordon didn’t resign with Hendrick, who would he race for? where would he fit in better with? would he start his own team?

DUSTIN

Adam S asked:


ok….Jeff gordon won at talledaga and that was good cause im a gordon fan and a hendrick motorsports fan…and when dale jr heads to HMS in 2008 i think he is goin to be great and since he is goin to be goin there ill be a fan of him like gordon johnson and mears…and i noticed when gordon won yesterday the fans were goin crazy over the win and notin was thrown out on the track at him is that because JR is goin to be his teammate next year

ABE

Jeremy Dunn asked:


Fans, get used to it. Jimmie Johnson is expected to complete the four-peat, four consecutive championships. At least that is what the odds-makers are saying. Is it really a surprise that a driver who has won twenty-two races in the last three years is expected to win the championship? When does it stop, right?

Eventually, his championship run has to end. Realistically, we all know that, including the odds makers. However, with that said, the odds makers must formulate their odds based on probability, and all they have to go by is what has taken place. Jimmie Johnson has dominated the Sprint Cup Series over the past three years, so naturally, he is the favorite to capture the championship, and a smart bettor would shy away from betting against the three-time defending champion.

Initially, Jimmie Johnson has 4-1 odds to win the 2009 Sprint Cup championship. Nine-time race winner . In 2008, Carl Edwards, has 9-2 odds to win his first Sprint Cup title. Edwards will likely emerge as the trendy pick when the early preview guides are released in January.

Kyle Busch, who tallied eight total victories in 2008, has 5-1 odds to win his first Sprint Cup championship. Busch dominated the first 26 races of the 2008 season, only to crumple in the final ten. Nevertheless, if Busch is as stout as he was for most of 2008, do not anticipate another late-season collapse.

Greg Biffle was the surprise championship contender in 2008; however, he will no longer sneak up on anyone in 2009. Experts predict another solid season for Biffle, who is listed as 10-1 odds to win his first championship. Biffle has emerged as a veteran leader in Sprint Cup, and is getting better with age.

NASCAR’s. Favorite son, Dale Earnhardt Jr, is listed at 12-1 odds. Earnhardt Jr’s odds have plunged since last year, following a perceived disappointing season. However, Earnhardt, Jr. was solid for most of the season. Jeff Gordon and Denny Hamlin are listed as 13-1 odds. Gordon and Hamlin produced one victory between them, and it was not Gordon that enjoyed the victory lane celebration.

Mark Martin, now a member of the Hendrick Motorsports cronies, is listed as 18-1 odds, along with his former protégé Matt Kenseth, who is the 2003 champion. Kenseth failed to win a race in 2008, his first winless season since 2001, which was also the last time he finished outside the top ten in the championship standings.

Richard Childress Racing teammates Jeff Burton and Kevin Harvick are listed as 20-1 odds and 22-1 odds respectively. Burton is still searching for championship number uno, as is Harvick; however, Harvick would be happy just to rekindle his once close relationship with victory lane.

Listed at 30-1 odds are Tony Stewart, Clint Bowyer, Kurt Busch, and David Ragan. Stewart is in the midst of a new endeavor, as he will run his own Chevrolet operation. Obviously, his championship odds are significantly lower than they were while he was with Joe Gibbs Racing. Bowyer will begin the 2009 season with a brand new team, still in the Richard Childress Racing organization.Kurt Busch hopes to rebound from perhaps the worst season of his career. Ragan is the up and comer of the group.

Kasey Kahne and Jamie McMurray are listed as 40-1 odds. Kahne won twice in 2008, but stammered in the latter half of the season. McMurray was only getting started as the season ended. Rookie Joey Logano is also listed at 40-1 odds. However, this is a bit of an overrate. Logano struggled mightily in 2008 in his handful of starts. You mean to tell me that he has a better shot at the championship than Ryan Newman, Martin Truex Jr, or even Juan Pablo Montoya?

Obviously, the odds are subject to change as the 2009 season approaches, but this is just a taste of what to expect in the looming season.



MICHAEL

KatieJones asked:


The Citizens Bank 400, the fifteenth race of the 2007 Nextel Cup Series, is just around the corner and talks in the paddocks revolve around Chevrolet’s winless streak. The winless streak, of course, does not point out to the current season because Chevy teams have been dominating the season so far. To date, Chevrolet Impalas has already won thirteen of the fourteen races this season.

The winless streak is about Chevy teams not being able to win at the Michigan International Speedway where the next race will take place. The last driver to win at the MIS driving a Chevrolet is Jeff Gordon who posted a win at the circuit on June 10, 2001. From that time onwards, either a Dodge or a Ford has won at the Michigan track.

With history against them, Chevrolet teams need a boost which J.J. Yeley gladly gave them. The 30-year old NASCAR driver won the pole position which means he will start at the front row come raceday on Sunday. Yeley drives the Number 18 Chevy Impala for Joe Gibbs Racing. Another Chevy car will be starting alongside Yeley on the front row. Defending champion Jimmie Johnson recorded the second fastest lap time in the qualifying round to secure a front row start.

Kyle Busch, another Chevrolet Impala driver, will start on the second row after he qualified at the third spot. He will start alongside the Number 12 Dodge of Ryan Newman. Newman drives the only non-Chevy car in the top nine spots. His teammate Kurt Busch will start tenth on the grid.

While Chevrolet cars have dominated the season, drivers are talking about the MIS being a Ford track because it seems to favor Ford cars in recent years. Jimmie Johnson expressed his feelings towards the track saying: “It’s weird how certain tracks favor certain teams.” This consensus among NASCAR drivers is based on the fact that Ford cars have won three out of the previous five races at the MIS. In 2002, Matt Kenseth won the Sirius Satellite Radio 400 while in 2003 Kurt Busch won the Sirius 400. In 2005, Greg Biffle won the Batman Begins 400.

“Manufacturers, unfortunately, have their hands tied and can’t do a lot,” says Johnson. “It really revolves around the teams. And this has been a Roush track, for whatever reason. I know Jeff (Gordon) has won here… but it kind of falls into being a Roush track. They carry the Ford logo, so thus it’s been considered a Ford track, too.”

With their NASCAR Chevrolet Impalas engineered for high level of performance which leaves no room for components such as Chevy window motors, Chevrolet teams have performed well at the MIS in the past only to falter during the later stages of the race.

“I think that the Chevy teams have been close here,” says Johnson. “I know from my own experience, we were running up front in the fall here and had a flat tire. I’ve personally had a lot of crazy things happened to me late in races here, whether it’s strategy, running out of fuel, tire failures. We just haven’t had the finishes we thought we would. But if you look at the statistics probably up to the two-thirds mark, Chevy teams are in contention - but when the checkered falls, weird things happen. I don’t know why, but the statistics certainly show that Ford camp seems to rule here.”



DOUG