Author: Ron Thornton

Denny Hamlin wins his 17th Cup victory at Michigan…yaaa. I mean, Yaaaah! Oh, who am I kidding? There are some you love, some you don’t mind, and there are some days you wouldn’t mind if the television went out. Sunday was one of those days.

[media-credit name=”CIA Stock Photo” align=”alignright” width=”238″][/media-credit]Still, 17 wins is not bad territory for a 30 year old driver to find himself. I mean, he is just one back of Dale Earnhardt, Jr, tied with Kevin Harvick, and one better than Greg Biffle on the career ladder, a trio of guys who have made a much bigger imprint on the NASCAR landscape. I mean, has anyone ever seen anybody standing up and cheering “Denny, Denny.” Okay, maybe family members, but when it comes to terms of endearment, Hamlin is no Rory McIlroy. Still, you don’t have to be popular to outrun Matt Kenseth to the stripe, just talented. For trivia lovers, the win moved the #11 to within one (198-197) of the famed #43 for the winningest car number in NASCAR history. Hamlin shares his wins with the likes of Darrell Waltrip and Cale Yarborough, who claimed 84 wins between them in that auto. Can’t remember who that guy was who drove for most of the #43 victories, but I’m sure it will come to me.

It is too early to get too warm and fuzzy about the points, with 11 races to go before the invites to the ball go out. Even leader Carl Edwards is not yet a sure thing. However, the win moves Hamlin into the top ten, and a spot in the Chase, with that victory all important should he slide out by the time they leave Richmond in September. As things stand today, Clint Bowyer holds down tenth, Jeff Gordon sits with the first wild card placing, and Brad Keselowski would have the other. With this new format for those wishing to contend for a title run, a win is a really big deal leading to the deadline.

So, if Michigan didn’t set my heart a flutter, what are the chances this weekend might? Well, they have some right to go along with the left as they hit the road course at Sonoma, just north of San Francisco. In 22 races, there has never been a winner there that I could not appreciate. Last year it was Jimmie Johnson, five times it was Jeff Gordon, and Dale Earnhardt claimed it back in 1995. So, what are the chances Hamlin will win even there? He was 34th last year, but 5th in 2009. Who knows, maybe I’ll embrace the boy to my bosom yet. Maybe I’ll reach six feet, my hair will return, Bill Gates will have cause to ask me for a loan, Richard Childress will ask me to be the new driver of the #3…

Richard Petty (200 Cup wins), David Pearson (105), Bobby Allison (84), Darryl Waltrip (84), and Jeff Gordon (84). Three Hall of Famers, one who soon will be, and the winner of the last race at Pocono. Yes, Mr. Gordon is among some fine company.

[media-credit name=”CIA Stock Photo” align=”alignright” width=”250″][/media-credit]In his 19 full seasons in NASCAR, Jeff Gordon has accomplished all that a driver can, other than maybe winning three more championships to tie the seven of Petty and Dale Earnhardt in that category. The odometer turns 40 in August, yet it would seem that Gordon could have another decade in him if he so chooses. He has piled up his victories by averaging between four and five per year, and he has been in the Top Ten in more than 60% of all the races he has run.

Still, some think the man is on the downside of his career. We can all wish our twilight years could be so bright. Gordon’s 50th victory came at Talladega more than 11 years ago, almost a decade has gone by since his fourth title, and last year he tied for his second worst finish in the standings. Of course, we are talking about Gordon, who calls a bad season one where he finishes 14th, as in his rookie year (1993), and 11th in 2005 and 2010. Since the last time he was king, he still has won 26 events. Only two drivers have won more over that time, five-time champ Jimmie Johnson (54) and Tony Stewart (27) with only twenty other drivers in Cup history even able to claim to have won more than 25 races over their entire career.

While he remains outside the Top Ten, and an automatic berth in the dash for the crown, his two victories this season should almost give him a lock on one of the two wild card invites. I think the odds are high that Rick Hendrick will once again be the championship car owner, however there remains an argument as to which of his top two performers over the years will provide that honor. We were witness to that last Sunday at Pocono.

[media-credit name=”Brad Keppel” align=”alignright” width=”232″][/media-credit]You would think the story of the week would have something to do with Dale Earnhardt Jr finishing second for a second straight week. Maybe the big item would be Brad Keselowski taking the second Cup victory of his career. Nope to both. Instead, it is all about the second Busch brother getting a beat down from a guy old enough to be his dad…or maybe grandpa, in the latest case.

It would seem Kyle brushed up against the truck owned by Richard Childress, driven by Joey Coulter, on the cool down lap at the end of the Craftsman series event at Kansas over the weekend. Childress approached Rowdy in the garage area, punched him, the two got to jawing as they were separated, then the 65-year old put the 26-year in a headlock and nailed him again. Why does Nolan Ryan come to mind?

Of course, we can’t have senior citizens kicking the crap out of one of NASCAR’s brightest stars. Well, bright as in he wins a lot, not bright as in how he thinks things through, like when he test drives a car for example. You know Childress was going to get slapped by the sanctioning body (that being NASCAR, not the WBA, WBC, or WWE) for beating on the poor, young, defenceless driver for no good reason. No, just because the boy is one irritating little a**hole does not give one the right to tune him in. It didn’t work for Jimmy Spencer, it won’t work for Richard Childress. In fact, it just cost Childress $150,000 for the privilege.

If you remember, Kurt and his boss, at the time, Jack Roush missed some key points in relating the course of events that led to the altercation with Mr. Spencer a few years back. That, more than anything else, caused the public to react rather unfavorably to the whiney little twerp, prompting his eventual rehabilitation and personality overhaul. Kyle seems to be now displaying some similar traits. If he had commented afterwards that “it appears I must have upset Mr. Childress” and smiled, we might have all smiled along with him. Instead, he talked about how he was just minding his own business, heading to his camper, feeding the hungry, taking in the homeless, and doing the things saints such as Kyle would have been doing before being mysteriously attacked. He gave us the same line last month when Childress driver Kevin Harvick tried to introduce his fist to Busch’s head after a race.

To be honest, Coulter did not seem in the least upset with Busch after the race, but he doesn’t have to pay for the repairs to the truck. The fact Childress, or anyone else for that matter, wants to take a swing at Busch isn’t really all that mysterious. When you rattle someone’s cage, sometimes they reach out to grab you. Guys like Dale Earnhardt, and Harvick today, have been known to upset a few folks along the way, even talked about their innocence, but the grins on their faces let us know that they already knew what we also knew. It might have been bull crap, but it was entertaining bull crap.

All of us have at some time met a Kyle Busch out on the playground, the fellow who stirs up trouble but goes running off to seek sympathy to the injustice of it all when the manure finally hits the ventilator. Sure, the chap who takes the poke winds up in the principal’s office, but he is the one who winds up with the sympathy and the understanding. If Kyle does not believe that, all he has to do is ask his brother.

Dover was all about two drivers, at least for much of it. Jimmie Johnson and Carl Edwards. They took turns taking the lead, at least they did until Clint Bowyer joined the party. Round and round they went, three cars, Bowyer, Edwards, and Johnson, one destined to be the victor at Dover. Then came a caution with 35 laps to go, and what was was no longer. This script underwent a complete rewrite quicker than an upcoming episode of Two and a Half Men. Charlie was gone, along with Clint, Carl, and Jimmie, and a new cast of characters led the parade.

[media-credit name=”Barry Albert” align=”alignright” width=”235″][/media-credit]After the caution, and thanks to a two tire stop, Matt Kenseth was the one in a rocket. He charged to the front and went on to take his 20th career Cup victory with nary a challenger. It would appear what happened in Vegas did not need to stay there, but could migrate to the Monster Mile. For Kenseth, it marked his second win of the season, and placed him 6th in the standings. Things are looking good for the 39-year old former champ.

52-year old Mark Martin has yet to win a title and never did visit the pits for new rubber when most of the rest did. He saved a few bucks and gained a bunch of positions, moving from 14th to first by staying out, and only allowing Kenseth to make the pass. That pit strategy now has him sitting 11th on the leaderboard, just four points, four positions, on the outside looking in. It would seem the only way to keep Martin out of the season’s Top Twenty is to leave him sitting for ten races a season. He may already have the rocking chair, but it doesn’t appear to be using it quite yet.

As for the trio who had their run of the place until near the end, Bowyer, Edwards, and Johnson finished 6th, 7th, and 9th. Their cars looked pretty fancy with their near new four Goodyears, but the decision to slip on those four skins, to the surprise of many, slipped them out of a shot to win. Johnson actually led more than half the 400 circuits. Oh, well, they all looked pretty sporty, just not over the final 35 miles.

This is a week for a good ole Canadian boy to celebrate. My Mom turned 75, while Saturday sees my brother Grant turning 52, the in-laws celebrating their 53rd anniversary, my boys playing in a Midget baseball tournament, and the stars of NASCAR in Charlotte for the all-star race. All this on a long weekend we Canucks refer to as Victoria Day. Hey, when a lady is Queen for 63 years (1837 – 1901) she should get her own special day.

Her grandmother, the wife of King George III, is the namesake for the city that will be hosting NASCAR’s feature race on Saturday. For 27 years they have ran this classic event at Charlotte, with Darrell Waltrip the first winner back in 1985. Three time winners include Dale Earnhardt and Jeff Gordon, with Mark Martin and Jimmie Johnson set to join them should good fortune smile their way on Saturday. Kurt Busch is the defending champion, with four other active drivers looking for their second trip to Victory Lane, including Matt Kenseth.

Whomever claims the million bucks this weekend, I expect we will be royally entertained.

[media-credit name=”Barry Albert” align=”alignright” width=”214″][/media-credit]Kyle Busch sits in the corner of the room, chanting “Redrum. Redrum. Redrum.” Meanwhile, someone is hacking at the door, splinters fly, and finally the hole is big enough for a familiar, smiling face to appear.

“Here’s Kevin!”

Once again, Busch awakens from the nightmare that has been his since Darlington. You can argue that Kevin Harvick started things Saturday night with a bump to the rear bumper, but no one can doubt that it was Busch who purposely spun the 29 even as Clint Bowyer was still bouncing off the inside wall. When Harvick wanted to play, Busch stayed in his car. When Harvick came out to punch, Busch hit the gas, hit Harvick’s now empty car to send it rolling into the pit row wall, and took off for healthier climes.

It kind of reminded me of August 17, 2003. One talented, but very mouthy, driver was taunting a bear, only to have a big paw reach in and shut that mouth up, if only for a moment. Jimmy Spencer might have gotten suspended from the next race at Bristol, the big mouth might have won that next week but, after all the whining and playing loose with the truth about the incident, the fans turned ugly on Kurt Busch. So much so, the boy underwent a bit of a transformation to eventually become a man. Me thinks his little brother is cruising for a similar bruising.

Kevin Harvick. Of all the guys to tangle with, Busch the Younger takes on the man with the smile that makes even Jack Nicholson stand back. At least Montoya had the brains to take on a Ryan Newman, take a punch, and carry on. Is Harvick tough? Ask Carl Edwards. Payback is a bitch, and she is coming.

If it wasn’t the feud, the story at Darlington was a call for no tires, no pit stop, and a Southern 500 win for Regan Smith. It was the first Cup win for the 2008 Rookie of the Year, and the first in 137 races for the Colorado-based Furniture Row Racing, running just its second full-time schedule. A one car team that finally made good, keeping a charging Carl Edwards at bay as the boys had at ‘er behind him. Smith was right when he commented on the four crown jewels of Cup racing; the Daytona 500, the Brickyard 400, the World 600, and the Southern 500 at Darlington, and he claimed one of the big ones.

You might argue that any race at Daytona, Charlotte, Talladega, or Bristol should be added to that list, but when it comes to places that get the juices flowing, Dover is not one of them. They head to Delaware this Sunday afternoon, where Jimmie Johnson (15th at Darlington) has won three of the last four. Kyle Busch was the winner there last spring, but he might be listening for footsteps most of the day.

They have been coming here since 1969, a track where Richard Petty claimed seven victories, and Kyle Petty one. Ken Schrader won there, as did Benny Parsons. Even the first dozen races were won by future Hall of Famers, or will be after Cale Yarborough joins Petty, Allison, and Pearson next year. Well, look at that. I just got my juices flowing. The action begins on FOX, starting at 1pm, Eastern, this Sunday afternoon.

[media-credit name=”Barry Albert” align=”alignright” width=”233″][/media-credit]These southern belles have attitude. Next week, the Lady in Black will get her turn in Darlington, not allowing the boys much time to recover after dancing with that gal in Richmond. Last Saturday night, she had a shine for the Gibbs boys, as Kyle Busch won his 21st Cup race to give himself an early 26th birthday present. If it wasn’t him, then team mate Denny Hamlin would have claimed the prize. The pair pretty much dominated this thing from start to finish.

Every four or five years, somebody not considered one of NASCAR’s stars actually wins at Richmond. That sure didn’t happen this time out, as Busch won his third straight spring race there. However, for a time in the latter stages there was some cause for doubt.

At the start, the FOX crew was telling us not to expect too many cautions. I guess they didn’t turn the page to read how this script would turn out at the end. We had wrecks, we had pit strategy, and we had folks coming and going. Then some of them simply were gone.

Jeff Gordon thought he had favored status as well, and for quite some time he did. However, it appears the object of his desires turned fickle on him, and the California boy found himself smacked against the inside wall of the Virginia track in the late going. It was Richmond’s version of the big one that caught Gordon with a hundred laps to go. At least the others involved came back to limp around, but Gordon was done and finished 39th.

If the track didn’t get them, there were always boys being boys. Ryan Newman’s little tap send Juan Pablo Montoya into the fence and tore up his hind quarters to ruin his day. Later, the Columbian had Newman say hello to his little friend to manage a little payback. Montoya finished 29th while Newman flirted with salvaging a good day before his need for fuel left him in 20th.

Carl Edwards and Jimmie Johnson came in leading the way, and after Top Tens Saturday night they continue to do so. Kasey Kahne, David Ragan, and Brian Vickers needed to do well, and did. Along with Gordon, David Reutimann and Paul Menard found themselves outside the Top 30 and picking up mere chump change to add to their point totals.

Still, there are 17 races to go before the Chase invitations are handed out, so lots of time yet for good and bad things to happen. Darlington has a reputation of being down right ornery to some, but she has had her favorites over the years. She might be the track too tough to tame, but she has no shortage of five time winners. Among them are Bill Elliott, Bobby Allison, Cale Yarborough, Dale Earnhardt (9 times), Darrell Waltrip, David Pearson (10 victories) and Jeff Gordon, who will be seeking his eighth trip to Victory Lane. Hey, if Richmond wasn’t going to give ole Jeff a little sugar, maybe Darlington might. After last week, he could use a little loving this Saturday evening.

Denny Hamlin has one Darlington win, claiming the Southern 500 a year ago. As close as he came last week, he sure could use another one about now.

Richmond. What a strange track that is. Cars going round and round separately, not tied together like conjoined twins, as was the case at Talladega. Oh, how will we deal with the spectacle?

[media-credit name=”Brad Keppel” align=”alignright” width=”225″][/media-credit]My guess is we’ll do just fine. So should the trio of Kyle Busch, Denny Hamlin, and Jeff Gordon. Looking back over the past three years, and six Richmond races, you could say the trio has been rather proficient in the Old Dominion. Gordon has five Top Tens, with 12th his worst over the time period. Hamlin has won twice there, including the past two fall races, while Busch has 2 wins, was the runner-up twice, a total of 5 Top Fives in his last six attempts.

Friday marks the Intimidator’s 60th birthday. Did you know that of the 62 Cup championships claimed since 1949, 34 of them went to one of just eight drivers? Earnhardt and Richard Petty had seven each, with Jimmie Johnson the past five. Jeff Gordon has four, with three each won by Lee Petty, David Pearson, Cale Yarborough, and Darrell Waltrip. In case you were wondering, two remain active, two are already in the Hall of Fame, two more enter in May, and those other two should get their invitations in time to party next January.

All eight of NASCAR’s most decorated champions have had success at Richmond. The King won there 13 times between 1961 and 1975. Waltrip and Pearson were six time winners, Earnhardt had five. Yarborough and Johnson (the last in 2008) had three, with Lee Petty and Gordon (1996, 2000) a pair each.

The great ones have found a way to win at Richmond, and more than once. Along with the six mentioned above, three time winners also include such legends and current stars as Hall of Famer Bobby Allison (7 times), Rusty Wallace (6 times), Joe Weatherly, Terry Labonte, Tony Stewart (last time in 2002), and Dale Earnhardt Jr (who claimed his third in the spring of 2006). Few who win at Richmond have done so without having an impressive resume, or who are in the midst of building one. Don’t expect to be overly surprised by who shows up in Victory Lane Saturday night.

In fact, only 10 drivers have won at Richmond who did not eventually wind up with at least 15 career victories. One, ironically enough, was Tim Richmond while another is four time winner Clint Bowyer. Of the other eight, Cotton Owens and Dave Marcis won only 14 times between them, but they both won on this track twice.

As for the car of choice, Chevy leads Ford 34-26, but Toyota has won the last four races run at Richmond. Meanwhile, between 1955 and 2002, twenty-eight were won by makes no longer running in NASCAR. That last one was Tony Stewart’s third win there in a Pontiac.

Noah, Talladega, and Daytona did things two-by-two. Richmond will be a different animal altogether this weekend.