Testing SpeedwayMedia.com

Author: Ed Coombs

  • On the Edge with Ed – Kyle Larson

    On the Edge with Ed – Kyle Larson

    I’d like to start this week’s column out with well wishes for Steve Byrnes, the host of Race Hub on FOX Sports 1. Byrnes posted on Twitter that he had developed some complications during his on-going battle with cancer. Byrnes is one of the nicest on-air celebrities I’ve had the pleasure of meeting and the outpouring of support from the NASCAR community has been huge. Keep fighting Steve, we’re all pulling for you!

    NASCAR rook the week off for Easter last week so there was no on track activity for NASCAR’s big three touring series. Many times, what drives these columns, are things going on in the sport that I have questions about. Right now the only thing I can think of that I have questions about is, what in the heck happened to Kyle Larson the Saturday before the Martinsville race? Larson fainted at the end of an autograph session and as of today, there has been no reason given as to why that happened. Larson missed the race in Martinsville because he was hospitalized until the Monday evening after.

    “After extensive testing and observation over the last few days, Kyle Larson was released from the hospital last night and has finished up final tests today,” the team said in a statement last Tuesday afternoon. “He is currently waiting for final doctor recommendations in order to clear him to return to all NASCAR related activities.”

    Thursday morning NASCAR released the followings statement, “Following a thorough review of all the test results by his attending physicians and in conjunction with the medical staff from NASCAR, Kyle Larson has been medically cleared to return to all NASCAR related activities beginning at Texas Motor Speedway next weekend, April 10-11.” The statement continued that Larson would have a media session later that day.

    “I feel great right now,” Larson started out the conference. “I felt perfectly fine shortly after I fainted the other day. But yeah, I just had to get a lot of tests run on me to make sure nothing serious was wrong with me, and all the tests came back negative. Yeah, the whole time I felt fine, and hated it that I couldn’t race this weekend in the Target Chevy, but Regan (Smith, who subbed for him in Martinsville) did a really good job, and just got to thank all the doctors and nurses for how thorough they were with me.”

    About the incident Larson said, “I got through to the end of it, and I was just talking to one more fan, the last person there really, and just started getting light‑headed and tried to lean forward and maybe see if that fixed it, and then I passed out. I don’t know, it was just kind of a weird morning just because I was almost late to practice, so I just rushed myself that morning and didn’t take very good care of myself throughout the day and just ended up dehydrating myself. Just got to do a better job of taking care of myself, and that should never happen again.”

    About the potential dehydration he said, “One of the first things they thought it was was dehydration, so they just ran a bunch of tests, like tons of tests on me just to make sure nothing else was wrong with my body.  It all kind of circled back to just being dehydrated. Yeah, I mean, I got nervous a couple times throughout. Any time you’re in a hospital you get nervous. But I was confident everything was fine, and it turned out where everything in the end was fine. Like I said, just got to make sure I hydrate myself throughout the day better than I did that day.”

    Due to the unknown reason for him fainting Larson seemed mature about missing the race in Martinsville. “It sucks any time you can’t race,” Larson said. ”But I was happy that they were taking the time to make sure there wasn’t anything major wrong. Yeah, I wasn’t upset too badly that I had to miss the race, and I guess if there’s a race you’ve got to miss, Martinsville is my least favorite track. But yeah, I would have loved to have been there. We had a really good car all weekend long.”

    When asked if he was scared Larson said, “It took me a few minutes to figure out what all had happened, and then I started piecing it all together. I don’t know, I never get scared or excited about anything, so I wasn’t too scared. I was just hoping I could get released in time to race. Yeah, I mean, there might have been a couple times I was nervous ‑‑ maybe once, but other than that, I was fine the whole time.”

    Larson is young (22 years old) and this is likely a wakeup call to take better care of himself. It’s well documented just how much exertion is expended in a race car at the Sprint Cup level. A hot day for 500 laps at the Bristol Motor Speedway can be excruciating and I’ve personally witnessed drivers being dehydrated and potentially suffering from carbon monoxide there. My main concern is for the safety of all participants including Larson. Now, there are many reasons why one becomes dehydrated, including common illnesses.

    Perhaps as Larson matures he’ll know his own body well enough to know when things are amiss. I feel pretty confident that Larson will be acutely aware of his health situation moving forward.

  • On the Edge with Ed: The Penalties Edition

    On the Edge with Ed: The Penalties Edition

    I had a feeling, and so did many others in NASCAR, that the results of the testing on tires confiscated in California would be eye opening, and they were quite eye opening. Joey Logano and Kevin Harvick, the two hottest drivers in NASCAR, had tires that were confiscated by NASCAR officials after the race at Phoenix International Raceway. Then, after the race in California several more tires were confiscated. Harvick was again a suspect and his tires were confiscated, plus tires of his teammate Kurt Busch and those of Richard Childress Racing’s Ryan Newman and Paul Menard. Shortly afterward, NASCAR Executive Vice President and Chief Racing Development Officer Steve O’Donnell, said in an appearance on SiriusXM NASCAR Radio that the “audits” were routine.

    At Martinsville during a press conference Alan Gustafson and Chad Knaus, crew chiefs of two of the most successful drivers at that track discussed the confiscation of tires.

    “In my experience there is a lot of smoke around that,” Gustafson said of the tire confiscations. “There is a lot of talk, there is a lot of dialogue and there are a lot of rumors in the garage. Yeah, I think it is obvious that some people think something is going on and is NASCAR reacting to that?  Or, do they feel uncomfortable with what is going on?  I don’t know that answer. But I do think that it is something that is on the forefront of a lot of people minds. Obviously NASCAR is trying to make sure that we are all on a level playing field and if anybody is violating that they will pay the price, which they reminded us this morning is very stiff. That is all I know. Anything beyond that is speculation, besides the fact it is a hot topic.”

    When asked if NASCAR had warned the crew chiefs he responded, “I don’t want to say warned. Warned may not be the right term, just reminded.”

    The media pressed on and asked what he thought. His response was what I would expect from a crew chief at racing’s highest level.

    “Do I think something is going on?” Gustafson said. “I mean I’m busy on Sunday’s. I don’t really watch what is going on. It’s hard for me to say. I don’t feel that I have enough information that would warrant a comment.”

    Knaus added, “I don’t know if there is anything or not. I really don’t. Like Alan said, I’m busy on Sunday and I don’t have a lot of friends in the garage. So, I don’t talk too much. I don’t talk to anybody else either so it’s okay. My friends are outside of racing. So, I don’t know what is going on.  I really don’t. I know I sent Richard Buck (Managing Director of the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series) a text and said ‘hey man could we poke holes in our tires is that okay?’  He sent me a text back and said ‘absolutely not’. So that is all I know.”

    Jeff Gordon, driver for Gustafson, was very vocal at Martinsville about tires and managing them.

    “I just found out about that this morning when I got here,” Gordon said of the confiscation of tires. “I didn’t know that it was going to the level that it’s gone to. I think a lot of us have speculated for years about different ways to bleed air from tires. I’ve been saying for years… and probably in here… that we need bleeder valves. We just do. I came from sprint cars where they’re built into the wheel. You set them. They may not be advanced enough for what we need in a Cup car and Cup tire, but it just makes sense. It’s crazy what we do with air pressures. These big heavy cars build the air pressures up so much that we’re always trying to start them real low, which causes issues for Goodyear and the teams. Then they just increase, increase, increase. So it makes sense to me that we should have bleeder valves. But because we don’t, it’s pushing the teams to do things.”

    Gordon then mentioned the infamous tire accusations when he won 13 races in 1998. “I know you threw that out about 1998,” he said. “But I can tell you that we weren’t ever doing anything like that in 1998. I know that people were speculating what we were doing, or if we were doing it, Ray (Evernham) never told me. After all these years, I think I would have known about that. I’ve heard a lot of things with valve caps and poking holes in tires for years. But I’ve never seen it done. I’ve never had proof that it was done. So it’s very interesting to me that NASCAR is investigating this further. I look forward to seeing what comes out of it. To me, if they find a way to stop that, if it’s really going on, I get excited about our chances because I know we’re not doing it so it will close the gap for us to whoever may be doing it.”

    Denny Hamlin, the eventual race winner at Martinsville had extremely strong words saying before the race, “My guess is that if they said stop then they’ve seen something. If it’s out there and they know about it, you should be gone forever. That’s a major, major thing and this isn’t like the old rodeo days of being able to go out there and run a big motor or soak the tires – this is a professional sport and people alter tires — that’s a big, big deal. Definitely no room for it in the sport, that’s for sure. Hope they clamp down on that if they do find it and if they find it multiple times with somebody, they should have a permanent vacation somewhere.”

    So when it was announced on Tuesday that NASCAR was hammering the No 31 team of Richard Childress Racing I don’t believe that anyone was surprised. A staggering 75 point penalty was assessed to driver Ryan Newman (who fell to 26th in points from 6th) and the owner of the car. His crew chief, Luke Lambert, was fined $125,000 and suspended for six races. The team’s tire technician and an engineer were also suspended and fined.

    In a prepared statement RCR said, “We understand the seriousness of the penalty. In fact, RCR has been one of the most outspoken opponents against ‘tire bleeding’ since the rumors began to surface last season. Once NASCAR provides us with the specific details of the infraction we will conduct a further internal investigation, and evaluate our options for an appeal.”

    I’m not sure how I feel about all of this. It seems as if it’s been in practice for some time, the “bleeding” of tires. My understanding is that the teams were told to stop and one didn’t and they hammered them with the equivalent of almost two full races points. Of course, if the No 31 wins, it’s likely they still make the chase where new life is given. But, make no doubt, NASCAR has spoken loud and clear that it must end. I wonder who else will get the hammer before they all listen. Let’s wait to see if RCR appeals this.

  • On the Edge with Ed – Fontana Edition

    On the Edge with Ed – Fontana Edition

    Kurt Busch. Much has been said about the 2004 champion in this early season but after being back from his suspension Busch has been all business. His first week back in his car, Busch finished fifth at Phoenix. Although behind teammate Kevin Harvick, who won the race, Busch was pretty happy.

    When they unloaded in Fontana, Busch was fast and so was Harvick and it was no surprise when they shared the front row after qualifying, just two hundredths of a second apart.

    After qualifying Busch said, “The adrenalin is going at a good pace right now and I got a good feeling from yesterday when I visited the Haas headquarters to see the employees and the different customers that came by and to feel the love from them was extra-special.”

    Busch continued to say, “And to deliver for Gene Haas today here in Southern California is special. He’s based his company here and it’s great to come to this track and produce a pole in just our second week back. It really shows the strength of the team and how we need to capitalize on it now.”

    During the race in Fontana Harvick and Busch led 99 of the 209 laps with Busch leading a race high 65 laps. At the end of the race, as cautions for wrecks, almost wrecks and debris caused numerous restarts; it seemed that it was between Busch and Harvick to settle it. Until Brad Keselowski showed up and stole the win as Greg Biffle’s car spun down the front stretch. In the past NASCAR seemed to throw a caution flag when this happened but Biffle got his car rolling and out of the way as the leaders came through the back stretch. Keselowski’s pass on the white flag lap was a heartbreaker for Busch but he took it in stride.

    “It was a fantastic day,” Busch said post race, “The Haas Automation Chevy was fast. Thanks to Monster Energy, Mobil 1, State Water Heaters, all our great sponsors. It was a solid day. I don’t know what we could have done different. We just got pinned in by the yellows and the sequence at the end on which tires we needed to have to optimize how many laps were left. We had two tires; Keselowski had four. We didn’t need that extra yellow at the end and I just got out muscled by Keselowski.”

    Busch also added, “It was fantastic to drive and the way that everybody chipped in on building the car, the pit sequence we just got hung out on the yellows at the end. When do you pit to put four tires on, when do you pit to put two tires on? That last restart I just didn’t get the job done.”

    There was much discussion post race about the fact that NASCAR did not put out a yellow and freeze the field when Biffle spun, but even if they did, it appeared that Keselowski would have been the winner, but it was close. For the previous caution, when it was Busch leading and Harvick in second, Busch simply said on his radio, “WWE,” in reference to a pro wrestling analogy.

    Richard Buck, NASCAR’s managing director of Sprint Cup Series said via Fox Sports, “We got multiple reports over the radio and confirmed it. There was a piece of material, something, in the racing groove and so we went ahead and called a caution. And by the time that we had called the caution, somebody had hit it.

    “He continued, “I don’t have it back yet (the piece of debris). I don’t have the piece back yet, but we always ask the safety and cleanup crews to return that stuff to us. But there were multiple reports.”

    I believe the piece of debris was off of Kyle Larson’s Target Chevrolet that resulted from contact as the cars jockeyed for position on a restart. I don’t believe there was a call from anyone just to keep Busch from victory lane in Fontana. It was just bad racing luck after running a great race all day. It always troubles me when fans think that NASCAR did this for excitement. The piece of debris was clearly shown on television monitors. NASCAR made the right call as far as I am concerned.

    Busch is returning to the scene of his only victory last year this weekend at Martinsville Speedway. I think that he will get his victory this season; that team has not missed a beat since his late return.

     

  • On the Edge with Ed: Kevin Harvick Edition

    On the Edge with Ed: Kevin Harvick Edition

    Last weekend, after a dominating win at the Phoenix International Raceway, Kevin Harvick’s crew chief Rodney Childers got up in front of the assembled media and said, “I know it didn’t seem this way, but we actually struggled a little bit.” Childers, who saw his driver lead 224 of the scheduled 312 lap affair continued, “Fault some of our tools and different things that weren’t matching up with the car this weekend. Finally we had to kind of wing it late model style. Finally got it going really good in Happy Hour. The guys at the shop have built great cars. You know, everything just went our way all weekend. You come to these deals, and some weekends it goes your way and sometimes it doesn’t whether you got a fast car or not.

    Childers went on to speak about the added demands of competing at Phoenix, saying, “just proud of all the guys back at the shop that have worked so hard, and of course Kevin. I think his record speaks for itself at this place. I said a minute ago, somebody asked me what was wrong with me this morning. I said that I felt more pressure to win this one race at Phoenix than I did to win the race at Homestead. When you bring him here, I think everybody expects him to win. I didn’t want it to be my fault if we didn’t. Just proud of everybody, like I said.  Just a great effort.”

    It was a great effort. The thing is Harvick has dominated the Sprint Cup Series since last season when he ended the season with two wins and the Sprint Cup championship. In fact Harvick has had seven top-two finishes in his last seven races dating back to last season. The last guy that accomplished such a feat was Richard Petty, who had 11 consecutive top-two finishes back in 1975. Harvick said after being told that fact, “When you said the Richard Petty part, that just gives me chills.”

    Runner-up in Phoenix, Jamie McMurray, said after the race, “That was a fun battle with Kevin (Harvick). Those are the kinds you wish you could do over again, because I would have slid up earlier. It’s similar to plate racing with the engine package we have now, where if you don’t get the guy cleared he can kind of stall you out a little bit. And I saw Kevin coming and I thought I could slide up in front of him, but I also knew it was for the win and that we would probably have wrecked there. But it was a good team effort with great pit stops all day. Our team is as good or better than where we left off last year, and it’s a great feeling.”

    Harvick’s teammate, Kurt Busch, racing for the first time this season due to his well documented off track problems finished fifth in Phoenix. He said about his team, his car and his owner after the race, “It means I’ve got a strong team. And personally it’s great to get back to them and produce a result like this on our first day back. It’s a quality car. Haas Automation and Gene Haas and everybody that’s there; I went over and visited the headquarters this week and I can’t thank them enough for believing in me. The truth will be shown later on. But, the way that we raced today, it was with heart. And I thought there had been enough good will in the bank to try to bring home a win. But Kevin (Harvick, race winner) was tough. Congratulations to my teammate, Kevin Harvick, for winning. We had a great day. To run up there and almost lead a lap; I was just too loose on restarts and couldn’t quite capitalize on some of those positions that I needed to gain early in a run. But thanks again to all my sponsors and Chevrolet and everybody that’s part of our team and the whole group at Stewart-Haas. Thank you.”

    Their teammates, Tony Stewart and Danica Patrick finished 39th (accident) and 26th respectively and sit 36th and 23rd in points respectively. Busch’s finish has him at 33rd in points after the Phoenix race. What is odd to me is the fact that Harvick’s dominance isn’t really odd in the sport. In 1998, on his way to his third championship Jeff Gordon tied Richard Petty, in the modern era, with 13 victories. Since then Jimmie Johnson’s dominance in the Chase secured him multiple championships, most notably in 2004 and 2007 when Johnson needed those victories to storm back from early chase mediocrity. Also, let’s not forget Tony Stewart who just weeks before the chase started in 2011 said to us in Bristol that his team was not “chase worthy” and then rattled off five victories, including a nail biter in the final race at Homestead to break a tie with Carl Edwards for his third championship.

    Some will say that Harvick’s peaking too soon this season and that there are many teams that will fill the gap before the season’s end. However, I look back to just last season, when they ran a completely different race package and the fact that Harvick dominated many races that resulted in poor finishes due to equipment failure, poor strategy or pit stops and he still won his first championship with a brand new team. Right now the usual suspects will be chasing Harvick. Jimmie Johnson, fan favorite Dale Earnhardt Jr. and even sentimental favorite Jeff Gordon should be in the mix by the time the chase starts but I fully expect that Harvick will be a factor in who wins the 2015 championship.

     

     

     

     

  • On the Edge with Ed: Kurt Busch Edition

    On the Edge with Ed: Kurt Busch Edition

    After an off week for me I decided that I could not stay out of the Kurt Busch debacle. NASCAR announced today that, according to the press release, “effectively immediately, the indefinite suspension of Kurt Busch has been lifted. He is eligible to return to NASCAR racing under indefinite probation subject to additional mandatory requirements that include but are not limited to participation in a treatment program and full compliance with any judicial requirements placed upon him. The decision to lift the suspension was made by NASCAR after Kurt Busch:

    • Complied with all requirements in its reinstatement program;
    • Completed the mandatory behavioral assessment sessions; and
    • The behavioral health care expert who conducted the sessions recommended to NASCAR that Kurt Busch be allowed to return to competition.

    Kurt Busch now will undergo additional steps to address the behavior for which he was penalized.”

    NASCAR’s Executive Vice President Steve O’Donnell said, As we stated last week, the elimination of the possibility of criminal charges removed a significant impediment to Kurt Busch’s return to full status as a NASCAR member. We therefore have decided to move him to indefinite probation and waive the Chase requirement. He has fully complied with our reinstatement program during his suspension and the health care expert who conducted his evaluation recommended his immediate return. We have made it very clear to Kurt Busch our expectations for him moving forward, which includes participation in a treatment program and full compliance with all judicial requirements as a result of his off-track behavior.”

    The same organization that reacted swiftly to a judge’s comments in a civil case between Busch and his ex-girlfriend, Patricia Driscoll, by suspending him indefinitely, just put him on probation indefinitely. It doesn’t make sense to me. If you were at Daytona International Speedway just before the Daytona 500, or in Atlanta or Las Vegas, all mentions of Kurt Busch were removed. Chevrolet, within hours of NASCAR’s announcement regarding the suspension announced that they too were disassociating themselves from Busch. No souvenirs, his name removed from the car, from the garage, from the team. He was gone. So, I need to check with the medical and psychological experts about how quickly “normal” abusers are rehabilitated, if they are at all.  I’m pretty sure that three weeks is pretty close to the record for the shortest successful rehab ever (for those wondering, please note the preceding should be in the sarcastic font).

    Chevrolet severed ties with Busch immediately after his NASCAR suspension but announced Wednesday that they would reinstate their personal services agreement with Busch.

    In a statement released by Jim Campbell, the Chevrolet vice president of performance said, “Now that Kurt Busch has been reinstated by NASCAR and is able to fulfill his obligations associated with our agreement, we have lifted our suspension and will continue to monitor the situation.”

    Driscoll, in a prepared statement said, “Even though Kurt remains on indefinite probation under this decision, I’m deeply concerned about the message NASCAR is sending by letting him compete for the championship after he was found by a judge to have committed an act of domestic violence. But I am gratified, at least, that NASCAR’s decision comes with the mandatory condition that he follow through on the treatment he so clearly needs. My work with the Armed Forces Foundation on veteran treatment courts has made me a strong believer in the rehabilitation process. But it has also taught me that rehabilitation takes time and can only come after you’ve taken full responsibility for your actions. Though this continues to be a difficult time for me, I remain committed to standing up for my integrity and seeking full justice.” Driscoll’s statement seems, to me, an appropriate response to the situation.

    Of course Busch was ecstatic at his reinstatement but he started out a press conference by denying all charges, “It means the world to me to be back in the car,” Busch said. “It’s been a tough situation the last few months, and I’ve gone through this with confidence knowing that I know the truth and that I never did any of the things that I was accused of.  It was a complete fabrication. But it’s unfortunate that my personal life crossed over and affected my business life, but I can’t wait to get to the track, to see my team, to shake their hands and say thanks for the support, and to go out there and make my first lap this weekend. But it’s unfortunate that my personal life crossed over and affected my business life, but I can’t wait to get to the track, to see my team, to shake their hands and say thanks for the support, and to go out there and make my first lap this weekend.” But Busch also noted, “What’s happened so far in court, there’s been no winners.  Everybody has lost on that portion of it.”

    Busch said he understood NASCAR actions, “This is a very serious issue.  I mean, the way that NASCAR reacted, it was different than what we had been told all along.  They were more focused on the criminal side, as were we, but the commissioner’s ruling was not necessarily what was the important factor here.  The important factor is that what I was accused of was a complete fabrication, and I never wavered through this whole process because of the confidence in the truth, and I had the support from Gene Haas and everybody at SHR, and that’s where my focus has been.  It’s been on the racing side of it, and I never lost that confidence and that drive, and so it’s a humbling experience, but it’s made me more focused and determined.”

    Busch also noted, “My reputation will iron itself out in whichever way that it is, but my focus is the race car, and as I move forward, I’m putting my signature above the door of the car, and I’m proud to have my signature on the side of a car that Gene Haas has and to carry his name into victory lane.”

    Stewart-Haas Racing executive vice president Joe Custer issued a statement on behalf of the team, saying, “We appreciate the steps Kurt Busch has made while following NASCAR’s process for reinstatement. He has taken this path seriously, which allowed him to return to our race team.”

    One thing I want to note is that there are two sides to this situation and that the truth lies somewhere in the middle. Many people, fans and media alike, have had bad experiences with Busch. I will say I never had a problem with him at all. I had a very frank conversation with him after a press conference at Watkins Glen where he was very upset with Jimmie Johnson due to some on-track incidents that led up to that race weekend. But all that many recall are his tantrums, in the car, in the garage and even in the media center. His past actions and the multiple acts of forgiveness bestowed upon him will haunt him for the rest of his career. I thought that this suspension would be the end of Kurt Busch and his racing career.  NASCAR and others made it feel that way but the fact that no criminal charges were being filed made people rethink their position. There will always be those that loathe him and those that support him. I think that everyone should give him the benefit of the doubt with this situation.

  • On the Edge with Ed

    On the Edge with Ed

    It’s time for me to get back to covering NASCAR as I have for the past 10 years. As an editor at www.speedwaymedia.com I spend a lot of time behind the scene trying to bring everyone quality coverage on all sorts of motorsports. I must note that coverage of the sport has changed significantly since I started in what was the last century.  Many print publications have gone away and with those changes we have lost some incredible talent. I can recall when internet racing sites were frowned upon by the sanctioning body, not supported by the tracks or sponsors.  So much has changed in how the fans interact with teams, sponsors and drivers. Who would have thought that you could actually get a message to a driver in just a few seconds by “tweeting” them?  So I decided that I would start up a weekly column, “On the Edge.” I will not always cover the obvious.  I may just recap, as I am this week because so much happened during 2015 Speedweeks in Daytona.

    DAYTONA RECAP: The 2015 NASCAR season roared to life just a couple of weekends ago with the Sprint Unlimited. The non-points paying event is usually chaotic and this year’s edition was no exception. The field saw at least three significant wrecks that saw only 12 survive all 75 laps of the race. Matt Kenseth won the race but there were some disgruntled drivers after the race including Kevin Harvick who felt he was run over by Joey Logano. “He just drove us straight in the fence,” Harvick said post race. Everybody is trying to be aggressive, but you still have to know when and where you can do things. You can’t just drive somebody in the fence. Whether it is an all-star race or not, it doesn’t really matter, you can’t just take your head off and throw it on the floorboard and not use your brain. Like I told him last year that kind of stuff catches up with you. It caught up with him last year and you can only do things like that so long before it catches up with you.”

    The drama just continued on the following day when it came time for the Sprint Cup cars to qualify, shoot-out style. There were multiple wrecks during the sessions and eventually team Hendrick made up the front row with Jeff Gordon taking the pole award and Jimmie Johnson taking second. Gordon had announced previously that this would be his final Daytona 500. With all the wrecked race cars many teams were unhappy with the format, including Martin Truex Jr. who said, “My thoughts are they need to do something different. I don’t know, it just doesn’t seem like it’s a good show. It’s not fun. It’s kind of chaos. I don’t know, seeing cars get tore up and other stuff. I’m not a fan of it, but hey, it is what it is. It’s fun at every other race track, it’s just plate tracks we need to figure something else out.”

    On the Monday after qualifying things began to get bizarre as NASCAR announced that they were aware of the ruling in a civil matter regarding some domestic violence allegations against beleaguered Stewart-Haas driver Kurt Busch. The announcement was they were “waiting on the full findings from the commissioner and any actions by the Attorney General.” We fast forward to Friday afternoon, when the commissioners’ findings were released, and Kurt Busch is indefinitely suspended from NASCAR participation. By Saturday he has lost all appeals and he is erased from existence in souvenir haulers and on the team cars and gear. For the record, no actions were taken by the attorney general and I am old enough to know and understand, that the reality of what happened in the privacy of that motor coach lot, lies somewhere in between the testimonies of Busch and his ex-girlfriend.

    We had on-track festivities that got out of hand, when Danica Patrick and Denny Hamlin had issues during  a practice session and more importantly the qualifying race on Thursday that had Patrick nearly missing NASCAR’s big event. Patrick was clearly upset and got in Hamlin’s face after the race but as one would expect, nothing more came of it. More significantly both the Camping World Truck Series and newly named Xfinity Series races were wreck fests that saw Sprint Cup driver Kyle Busch sent to the hospital with a compound fracture to his right leg and a left broken foot. Daytona International Speedway president Joie Chitwood took responsibility for the track not having all track walls covered with the SAFER barrier and vowed to have it fixed immediately. No timetable for Busch’s return to his No. 18 Joe Gibbs Racing team was discussed as this went to press.

    JOEY LOGANO – In 2007 I had the pleasure of meeting a young up and coming star named Joey Logano at a local track on the outskirts of the Adirondack Mountains. He was just 17 years old and had already won three races in the NASCAR Busch North Series. He was an extremely personable young man and I recall that the customary pre-race autograph session was extended due to the large crowd that was present not only to watch him race, but to meet him. During the race Logano, who started on the pole due to him being the points leader, faded back to third or fourth place as he struggled to figure out the D shaped track. He had fought his way to third when the white flag was flying and as the leaders battled side by side coming off turn four they touched and began to spin out and Logano pounced, diving low in a remarkable fashion, keeping it on the track and taking the checkered flag. I recall looking at my friend who was with me in the pits and say, like others before me, ‘that kid is the real deal!’

    In 2009 when Logano was a rookie with Joe Gibbs Racing I had an opportunity to speak with him about that race at the Adirondack Speedway. At the time Logano had a lot to say about Adirondack. “Adirondack was nowhere!” he said a bit loudly when I asked.  “It’s one of a kind.” But he also recalled it took some time to learn how to get around the place. “That was one of the most frustrating places I have been to,” he said.  “I remember we started practice there and I was off a little bit and I was mad. I mean you never stop turning. You turn the wheel here (motions to the left) and that’s it. You never get full throttle or anything. I was trying to get full throttle, I was over driving it. I came in and they’re like, ‘What’s the deal, Joey?’ and I said, ‘I don’t freaking know!’  I got out of the car and I was like, ‘I just don’t know. I don’t know what to tell you.’ I went and watched the other cars to see what the heck they were doing; I got back in the car and tried again. Qualifying rained out and I got the pole so I’m like, ‘I’m cool with that.’” Logano mentioned that Matt Kobyluck, a Busch Series East veteran, had the place figured out. “So did I by the end,” he explained. Logano’s last lap pass as the two leaders got tangled up with a lapped car coming to the checkered flag was one of the most exciting finishes of the NASCAR races held there. Logano said he looked fondly upon his days in the series and his interactions with the fans. “Of course it was all worthwhile with the fans, he said smiling. “They’re fans, real good fans. We had autograph sessions before every race. That was kind of cool, to meet the fans.”

    Things looked bleak for Logano after a few disappointing years in the No. 20 car and he needed a new home. He found it at Penske where he is teamed up with 2013 Sprint Cup champion Brad Keselowski. Logano was one of the final four cars that were in the hunt for the Sprint Cup at Homestead last November after a breakout season for him. He had five wins and led almost 1,000 laps in 2014 and he began living up to the nick-name veteran Mark Martin had given him when he was a teenager, “sliced bread.”

    One weekend into the 2015 season and Logano has secured himself in the final 16 cars that will go for the 2015 edition of the Chase for the Sprint Cup, the new playoff system that started last season and eliminates participants from contention based on performance. He did that by winning the Daytona 500, the second youngest driver ever to win it. Something that is hard to believe since he’s been driving in the Sprint Cup Series for so long.

  • Harvick Dominates Phoenix- Gets Final Spot in Championship Race

    Harvick Dominates Phoenix- Gets Final Spot in Championship Race

    Kevin Harvick continued his mastery of the Phoenix International Raceway  today,  winning the Quicken Loans 500 for Heroes. The win also secured him a spot for the championship race next Sunday at the Homestead-Miami Speedway. It was the only way Harvick could have made the finale since he was tied in points with the runner up in the race, Jeff Gordon.  Gordon was tied for fourth in points with Harvick at the end of the day but the win trumps the points thereby eliminating Gordon from the finale.

    The final four participants are Harvick, Joey Logano, Denny Hamlin and Ryan Newman.

    Harvick was quick all weekend leading  two of the three practice sessions (he was second fastest during the happy hour practice) and started third. Harvick led 264 of the scheduled 312 laps.

    “I guess that is what it feels like to hit a walk off in extra innings there,” Harvick said post race. “This thing both races here has just been bad to the bone. Everybody on our Budweiser team has done a great job and here we come Homestead.”

    
“I could tell that we were probably going to have to win,” he said, “because everybody was running up in the front of the pack that we were racing against. That was our goal coming in here and that’s really the goal every time you come to Phoenix.  This place has just been phenomenal for me personally and for this team this year. To do that in front of all your almost hometown fans and all these people who have been rooting for me since the mid-‘90’s is pretty unbelievable. Man, I think this says a lot about our team. I think we have been through a lot this year. They put our backs against the wall; we put it in Victory Lane and get to go on.”

    The final chase position was not determined until the last turn of the last lap as Ryan Newman made contact with Kyle Larson, sending him up the track thereby giving him the position and the 1 point necessary to beat Gordon.

    Newman said after the race, “I did what I had to do as clean as I could do it. I’m not the kind of guy to turn somebody, so I just drifted as much as I could to get in there.” He also indicated that he remembered when Larson moved him for a win. “But in the end we fought back hard,” he said. “Did what we had to as clean as I possibly could. I wasn’t proud of it, but I will do what I got to, to make it to this next round. That little boy (Kyle Larson) has got a lot of things coming in this sport. He used me up like that at Eldora in a truck a couple of years ago. From my standpoint I call it even, but I think if he was in my position he would have probably done the same thing.”

    Jeff Gordon said, “It’s disappointing. Kevin Harvick was in another zip code. I’m not going to wreck a guy that’s racing me clean all year long just to make it into the Chase. That’s not what it’s all about for me. You’re not going to go win the championship next week by doing that. So, it’s just unfortunate. It’s just unfortunate. We did everything so good this year. That one race, that one race is going to stick with me for a little while. I got over it this week, knowing that we could come here and compete like this. Now it makes it sting that much more. But, I couldn’t be more proud of what this team did this year. What a great season and great race cars. That’s what I’m most disappointed in. I don’t think anybody deserves to be Homestead more than this No. 24 team because of the effort that they put in and the performances that we’ve had. But, you know what? You’ve got to score the points or win the races to get in there and we didn’t do that. So now we’ll go to Homestead and battle hard to try to win that race.”

    Finale participants Joey Logano and pole sitter Denny Hamlin had rough days but managed finishes that allowed them to make the championship race. Denny Hamlin suffered from a flat tire and restarted 37th and eventually went a lap down but he managed to claw his way back through traffic to finish fifth. Logano was penalized for taking equipment from his pit stall when the gas can did not fully detach and the can slid just inches outside his pit stall. Eventually Logano went a lap down to the leader Harvick, not once, but twice. Logano was clearly frustrated when a caution came out just as Harvick put Jamie McMurray a lap down thereby giving McMurray the “lucky dog” lap back. Logano finished 6th.

    Matt Kenseth and Brad Keselowski, finished third and forth respectively and failed to make the finale as well. Kurt Busch, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Greg Biffle and Marcos Ambrose rounded out the top ten.

     

    Unofficial Results

    1. Kevin Harvick, Chevrolet,
    2. Jeff Gordon, Chevrolet,
    3. Matt Kenseth, Toyota,
    4. Brad Keselowski, Ford,
    5. Denny Hamlin, Toyota,
    6. Joey Logano, Ford,
    7. Kurt Busch, Chevrolet,
    8. Dale Earnhardt Jr. Chevrolet,
    9. Greg Biffle, Ford
    10. Marcos Ambrose, Ford,
    11. Ryan Newman, Chevrolet,
    12. Martin Truex Jr., Chevrolet,
    13. Kyle Larson, Chevrolet,
    14. Jamie McMurray, Chevrolet,
    15. Carl Edwards, Ford, .
    16. AJ Allmendinger, Chevrolet,
    17. Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Ford,.
    18. Aric Almirola, Ford,
    19. Brian Vickers, Toyota,
    20. Tony Stewart, Chevrolet,
    21. Kasey Kahne, Chevrolet,
    22. Danica Patrick, Chevrolet
    23. Paul Menard, Chevrolet
    24. David Gilliland, Ford.
    25. David Ragan, Ford,.
    26. Michael Annett, Chevrolet
    27. Ty Dillon, Chevrolet.
    28. Reed Sorenson, Chevrolet,
    29. Landon Cassill, Chevrolet
    30. J.J. Yeley, Toyota,
    31. Michael McDowell, Ford,
    32. Alex Bowman, Toyota,
    33. Joey Gase, Ford,
    34. Kyle Busch, Toyota,
    35. Casey Mears, Chevrolet
    36. Mike Wallace, Toyota,
    37. Justin Allgaier, Chevrolet.
    38. Austin Dillon, Chevrolet
    39. Jimmie Johnson, Chevrolet.
    40. Clint Bowyer, Toyota
    41. Josh Wise, Chevrolet
    42. Cole Whitt, Toyota
    43. Mike Bliss, Chevrolet,

     

  • Vickers Wins a Wild Qualifying Session at Talladega

    Vickers Wins a Wild Qualifying Session at Talladega

    Brian Vickers took the Coors Light Pole Award for Sunday’s Geico 500 at the Talladega Superspeedway in what could be described as one of the weirdest qualifying sessions ever seen for a NASCAR Sprint Cup race. “It’s crazy,” Vickers said after the third and final segment was completed.

    “I thought that coming to three (laps) to go that we had literally no shot. We were way back — like a half a straightaway behind the whole field and they all checked up and gave me a chance and gave me a run. I really get no credit for it. I just tried not to wreck.”

    With the first session being split into two five minute sessions of 23 drivers, each driver waited until the last minutes to take to the track. No one really wanted to be the person leading the pack since they’re usually the slowest car on the track. Denny Hamlin was the first one to go out and no one followed.

    “It’s kind of a dumb format”, Hamlin said after qualifying 38th, “but what can you do? I guess it’s supposed to be entertaining, but I don’t know. We just wanted to get a lap in and the object of this is to make sure we start the race with the same car we practiced.”

    When the second group of 23 went out it seemed like they’d have one more lap of running at speed when they suddenly slowed down and many drivers in the Chase failed to get to the line before time expired, therefore their last lap did not count. Times for Joey Logano, Kevin Harvick , Jeff Gordon, Kyle Larson and others were not counted.

    Harvick, who already qualified for the next round of the Chase and qualified 39th said, “This qualifying is the dumbest thing I’ve ever seen in my life. It just doesn’t work on the speedways. They all made a plan and told me to be the lead guy. I took off and no one took off with me. Then we all sat around and here we are.  You have to be at the back, but all in all they told me to be the point person and nobody followed me. So appreciate everybody’s help.”

    Jeff Gordon qualified 43rd and said, “I messed up ultimately. I just mistimed getting to the line. The whole group was going so slow I knew I had to have a gap and when I came across the line I thought I had enough to be able to complete that lap and get one more, which was the only way we were going to be able to make it. But we came up short. It’s a mess out there. It’s not easy.”

    Defending Sprint Cup champion Jimmie Johnson who qualified second said, “Having to really come through and work out for you is just the toughest thing, because 20 some guys and a lady have an idea of what is going to work and timing that right and finding what works for you is impossible.  Not impossible, just the odds very low.  Hopefully it is entertaining.  You don’t really feel like you are doing your part as a race car driver in a qualifying session like this, but it is plate racing and if it’s entertaining I guess I’m okay with it.”

    A.J. Allmendinger, Ryan Blaney and Brad Keselowski rounded out the top five. There were some surprises in the top ten that saw Michael McDowell and Travis Kvapil lining up sixth and seventh. Chase contender Kasey Kahne was eighth. Terry Labonte and Michael Annett rounded out the top ten.

    Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Justin Allgair and Reed Sorenson were the cars that were initially listed as “Did Not Qualify” but Sorenson was reinstated when it was found that the No. 87 car had an improperly sealed oil tank and was disqualified.

    GEICO 500 Lineup

    1. (55) Brian Vickers, Toyota, 196.129.
    2. (48) Jimmie Johnson, Chevrolet, 195.732.
    3. (47) AJ Allmendinger, Chevrolet, 195.496.
    4. (12) Ryan Blaney, Ford, 194.015.
    5. (2) Brad Keselowski, Ford, 194.007.
    6. (95) Michael McDowell, Ford, 193.693.
    7. (33) Travis Kvapil, Chevrolet, 193.603.
    8. (5) Kasey Kahne, Chevrolet, 193.498.
    9. (32) Terry Labonte, Ford, 193.431.
    10. (7) Michael Annett, Chevrolet, 193.162.
    11. (31) Ryan Newman, Chevrolet, 191.302.
    12. (78) Martin Truex Jr., Chevrolet, 190.981.
    13. (20) Matt Kenseth, Toyota, 193.415.
    14. (23) Alex Bowman, Toyota, 193.376.
    15. (99) Carl Edwards, Ford, 193.291.
    16. (21) Trevor Bayne, Ford, 192.401.
    17. (43) Aric Almirola, Ford, 192.278.
    18. (41) Kurt Busch, Chevrolet, 192.096.
    19. (13) Casey Mears, Chevrolet, 191.908.
    20. (27) Paul Menard, Chevrolet, 191.773.
    21. (38) David Gilliland, Ford, 190.985.
    22. (26) Cole Whitt, Toyota, 190.97.
    23. (49) Mike Wallace, Toyota, 184.729.
    24. (16) Greg Biffle, Ford, 191.577.
    25. (34) David Ragan, Ford, 191.42.
    26. (9) Marcos Ambrose, Ford, 191.214.
    27. (10) Danica Patrick, Chevrolet, 191.149.
    28. (88) Dale Earnhardt Jr., Chevrolet, 191.134.
    29. (40) Landon Cassill, Chevrolet, 191.13.
    30. (3) Austin Dillon, Chevrolet, 191.027.
    31. (1) Jamie McMurray, Chevrolet, 190.818.
    32. (83) J.J. Yeley, Toyota, 190.689.
    33. (15) Clint Bowyer, Toyota, 190.681.
    34. (66) Michael Waltrip, Toyota, 190.586.
    35. (98) Josh Wise, Ford, 190.507.
    36. (36) Reed Sorenson, Chevrolet, 189.305.
    37. (14) Tony Stewart, Chevrolet, Owner Points.
    38. (11) Denny Hamlin, Toyota, Owner Points.
    39. (4) Kevin Harvick, Chevrolet, Owner Points.
    40. (22) Joey Logano, Ford, Owner Points.
    41. (18) Kyle Busch, Toyota, Owner Points.
    42. (42) Kyle Larson, Chevrolet, Owner Points.
    43. (24) Jeff Gordon, Chevrolet, Owner Points.

     

  • FanVision and TrackScan – Just What Fans Want

    FanVision and TrackScan – Just What Fans Want

    Fans of NASCAR racing know that they can listen in on the drivers and teams communicating during the racing action via scanners that pick up the radio transmissions between driver and crew. What many people don’t realize is that the practice has gone on for many years. It isn’t just NASCAR racing that this is available; it’s available in most forms of racing. The ability to listen in on transmissions between driver, crew and officials is readily available for the taking, if you have the right equipment.

    Glen Aikenhead is from upstate N.Y. State and was working in the oil fields of Alaska in the early 1990’s when he and his friends would work for three weeks straight and then get an entire week off. This gave them the opportunity to attend IndyCar racing events at places like the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and other tracks, including California, where the Long Beach Grand Prix was held. Aikenhead had been bringing police radio scanners to the track to listen to the drivers and recalled an incident where he heard British driver, Nigel Mansel, singing an Irish ballad while running in race mode, to distract him from the pain he was in from an earlier accident. The scanners were cumbersome and finding batteries that would last an entire race was extremely difficult. Not only that, the scanners were not for the technically inept, you had to know what you were doing to get them to work.

    Aikenhead sought out ways to make the use of scanners commonplace and in order to do that it had to be friendly and intuitive for the fan to use. It was this basic premise that allowed Aikenhead, in 1993, to start TrackScan, a company dedicated to providing race fans a means to listen to the radio frequencies at the race track. This meant that he needed to procure the equipment in order to do so. While that wasn’t too difficult to do he also needed to get the suppliers to make the scanners easier to use.  Currently the company holds brand licenses with NASCAR, Indianapolis Motor Speedway and many top teams for scanner and headset products. According to Aikenhead, “TrackScan became the industry standard” for such equipment.

    So it wasn’t too long ago that NASCAR fans were able to not only have portable scanners where they could listen behind the scenes but they also had the option to use a hand held device that showed real time video and statistics. A company called FanVision provided this service and it was an immediate hit with fans and teams alike.

    On January 9, 2014 FanVision made the following announcement, “FanVision, a division of RSE Ventures, the sports, entertainment and technology company co-founded by Dolphins owner Stephen Ross, today announced the purchase of radio scanner company, Track Scan. FanVision, the complete in-venue fan enhancement service, provides fans with access to eight in-car cameras, replays, a digital scanner, while providing real-time statistics and more at every NASCAR Sprint Cup Series™ race. FanVision devices take fans out of the stands and put them directly into the driver’s seat, further enhancing the racing experience. Now, Track Scan joins the FanVision family with an eye on growth, creating a must-have product for fans at every race.”

    Aikenhead became a Vice President in the company and is focused in the NASCAR operations side of things. He said of the purchase by FanVision, “It made the best sense to move forward with a merger of the two companies. FanVision wanted to take control of the distribution of race information at the track. They looked at the products offered and TrackScan and FanVision together did everything better, it made sense to put it all together. Everything via FanVision is available for fans, a three second video replay, and statistical information live.

    The experience is so great for fans Aikenhead mentioned the FanVision Gen 3 controller and FanVision Pro which would be for the race teams and their engineers. “It’s an in-car data feed for them, there is literally no delay, it’s that quick. It’s perfect for crew chiefs and the engineers to use. ”

    For anyone that attends events at race tracks and other significant sporting events, cellular and digital services, most notably, data services are difficult to maintain with such significant draws on the network resources due to the sheer number of people there using those services. Aikenhead discussed his technical group from Montreal, Quebec saying, “It’s our own private network that we bring to the tracks. With the need for that much bandwidth it can’t be done any other way. It’s our own proprietary network system and it’s the smart way to do things.

    Aikenhead also discussed some recent news about the merger that FanVision had just last week with PrePlay, a developer of mobile games in sports entertainment. According to the press release, PrePlay develops live, mobile games that enable fans to predict events in real time, with clients and partners including MLB.com, the NHL, and the US Open Tennis Tournament. The merger allows FanVision to augment its current product with native mobile applications to bring its unique content to additional fans.” He said of the merger, “Preplay is involved in every aspect of sports entertainment. It allows gaming on Apple and Android mobile devices. Even more special is its ability to develop applications in the Android environment.”

    There is a lot of excitement at FanVision as they do their best at providing race fans with the best experiences that can be offered.

    FanVision’s press release says this about the company, “FanVision Entertainment LLC, based in New York City, is the global leader in fan-enhancement technology and the world’s leading provider of rich, in-venue content dedicated to fans. FanVision operates UHF broadcast equipment across the entire schedule of NASCAR Sprint Cup Series™ events, as well as other events, including select golf tournaments. In 2013, FanVision attended more than 40 events in the U.S. alone. The company is developing innovative solutions to enrich the in-stadium experience for sports fans that want to combine the best of live and broadcast sports. FanVision provides fans with a game-changing service in their hands at the game, race, or match. For more information about FanVision, visit http://www.fanvision.com/ .”

  • Brendan Gaughan Powers his way to the Win at Kentucky Speedway

    Brendan Gaughan Powers his way to the Win at Kentucky Speedway

    Brendan Gaughan won his second Nationwide Series race of the 2014 season passing Chase Elliott and teammate Ty Dillon for the lead late in the VisitMyrtleBeach.com 300 at the Kentucky Speedway  Saturday night. His other victory was at Road America in June. Brian Scott finished second with Dillon finishing third making a 1-2-3 sweep for Richard Childress Racing. Elliott finished fourth and Regan Smith rounded out the top five.

    Dillon was the class of the field all night leading 155 of the 200 lap race. Elliott had gained the lead from Dillon on lap 174 when Eric McClure hit the wall bringing out the caution flag. Two caution periods, one for Sam Hornish Jr., driving the No.54 Kyle Busch Motorsports entry, who hit the wall after contact with Regan Smith, and the second for debris, closed up the field with less than 20 laps to go. On the last restart, when Elliott and Dillon were battling for the lead, Gaughan pounced, passing them both and pulled away.

    “I love restarts, and when that caution came out and we were fourth, I got really excited because I knew we were on the outside and thought we had a good group, and we did,” said Gaughan.”  You have to choose a teammate, so I chose Ty and pushed him down the back straightaway, and he had a launch into turn three, but it was just too much. When they got side by side and I’ve been doing this a long time and an area opened up just enough, I couldn’t believe we were able to take off like that.”

    Scott said after the race, “I thought it was the right call to take four tires at the end. I restarted sixth and got a good restart and got up to fourth and I thought we were going to win this race. But, unfortunately, we didn’t get any long runs and our Shore Lodge Camaro was a little too tight.”

    Dillon clearly disappointed after his dominant performance said, “I spun the tires a bit there at the end and it really cost us. Elliott was able to get a nose ahead of us there before that last caution came out, and that gave our teammate with four tires a chance to get up there and take the win.”

    “It was really good, hard racing there at the end,” Dillon continued. “These cars are under-powered and aero becomes a big deal, and on the restarts, when you get the side draft on those guys and the guy behind you get such a great run, it’s hard to hold them both of them off.”

    The four cautions over the last 31 laps had significant impact on the outcome of the race but it was Gaughan’s restart and power move that won him the race.

    Elliott retains the series lead by 20 points over Regan Smith. Ty Dillon, (-38), Brian Scott (-55) and Elliott Sadler (-51) round out the top five.

    The Nationwide Series travels to Dover International Speedway September 27. The race is scheduled for 3:30 pm ET and will be televised on ESPN2.

    Complete Finishing Order:

    POS. CAR DRIVER
    1 62 Brendan Gaughan
    2 2 Brian Scott
    3 3 Ty Dillon
    4 9 Chase Elliott
    5 7 Regan Smith
    6 33 Cale Conley
    7 60 Chris Buescher
    8 22 Michael McDowell
    9 20 Justin Boston
    10 80 Ross Chastain
    11 16 Ryan Reed
    12 42 Dylan Kwasniewski
    13 11 Elliott Sadler
    14 99 James Buescher
    15 6 Trevor Bayne
    16 4 Jeffrey Earnhardt
    17 39 Ryan Sieg
    18 5 Austin Theriault
    19 43 Dakoda Armstrong
    20 31 Chase Pistone
    21 51 Jeremy Clements
    22 93 Kevin Swindell
    23 28 J.J. Yeley
    24 19 Mike Bliss
    25 44 Blake Koch
    26 40 Matt DiBenedetto
    27 55 Jamie Dick
    28 52 Joey Gase
    29 1 Landon Cassill
    30 54 Sam Hornish Jr
    31 14 Eric McClure
    32 23 Cody Ware
    33 70 Derrike Cope
    34 17 Tanner Berryhill
    35 72 Harrison Rhodes
    36 89 Morgan Shepherd
    37 87 Josh Reaume
    38 74 Mike Harmon
    39 46 Ryan Ellis
    40 10 Jeff Green