Testing SpeedwayMedia.com

Author: Joseph Shelton

One-on-One with Bill McAnally

Known as the namesake for Bill McAnally Racing, Bill McAnally is no stranger to success. Aside from being the owner of a seven-time K&N Pro Series West-championship organization, McAnally also teamed up with two-time Pro Series West champion (both titles were won with McAnally) Brendan Gaughan and his father Michael Gaughan to win two Camping World Truck Series races and the Rookie of the Year honors in 2002.

Aside from also winning the 1990 NASCAR Whelen All-American Late Model championship at Roseville Speedway as a driver, McAnally has also fielded cars in the K&N Pro Series for several drivers such as Austin Cameron, Clint Bowyer, and Gaughan. McAnally also holds one of the longest sponsorship associations in motorsports, as his teams have been sponsored by NAPA Auto Parts for 27 years.

What is it regarding the K&N Pro Series that has helped your organization thrive?

BM: Well, we worked our way up through NASCAR’s weekly series, and actually captured a championship back when I was driving, and it was just the next step in the progression. Back then it was just known as the NASCAR Winston West Series, and I bought a Winston West car and the thing that I found about the NASCAR regional touring series is that it was easier to find support to get into some of the markets, especially on the west coast. I mean, we’d get into very popular markets like Spokane, Washington; Seattle, Washington; Denver, Colorado; that have no NASCAR racing at all, so when we come in we’re a real good sales tool for our partners in having a NASCAR race.

So I was able to find support; at the regional level it’s much more hands-on if you get your sponsors in and up-close. We were just at Greenville-Pickens Speedway in South Carolina, and it’s just a lot more that can fill ownership of it, so much better. The customers from NAPA Auto Parts, the shop owners, the store owners, the Toyota dealers and their employees and their key customers; they can just get in and fill ownership and get so much closer to it.

After several years in the K&N Pro Series that have seen your organization win multiple championships, what is it that keeps you in that division?

BM: It’s a very rewarding series to help develop the young drivers that are coming up. It’s a lot of fun for me because it’s a great series where you can work weekends, and you aren’t traveling as much as you do with the national touring series.

I got to build a Camping World Truck Series team back from 2000 to 2002 for Brendan Gaughan, and we ran trucks there for several years. We got Rookie of the Year in 2002 and won both races at Texas our rookie year. But there was just so much traveling and you were gone so long that you couldn’t have the family time and tend to my other business.

Brendan Gaughan celebrates a Winston West (now K&N Pro Series West) victory at Auto Club with his Bill McAnally Racing crew in 2001.
Courtesy: Bill McAnally Racing

So the K&N Pro Series, there are less races, especially here in the west and the traveling is fairly close so you don’t spend so much time on the road. It’s a fun series, helping these young drivers achieve their dreams and moving up the latter. We’ve had amazing drivers over the years, Brendan Gaughan, we’ve worked with Clint Bowyer, Sarah Fisher, Cole Custer, currently Todd Gilliland, just a lot of great, young drivers trying to achieve their dreams and it’s fun to be able to help them do that along with the crew members who have gone through our programs and get jobs at the national touring series level in NASCAR. To walk through the garage area and see all the guys living their dream that actually used our program as one of those steps is very rewarding.

As a K&N Pro Series owner, do you feel that the lack of a gimmick (Playoffs, stage-racing) in this division helps it maintain a separate identity from the other divisions?

BM: Yeah, I mean it definitely has it’s own identity. It’s gotten to the point now that drivers are stepping through it so quick. In years past, you’d have drivers that would run the series such as Andy Santerre, Doug Fadden, Matt Kobyluck, and out here in the west you had guys like Austin Cameron and Eric Holmes who were just staples in the series. Back in the day you had Ron Hornaday and Rick Carelli; they were here and that’s what they did.

Now, today where they’ve changed their rules and allowed 15-year-old drivers to get into the series, they’re here and gone before anybody could learn who Daniel Suarez was or Kyle Larson was, or the people who used the series recently as a stepping stone, they’re now out of the series before they could really get a fan following. So it’s definitely changed a lot.

How do you feel about the competition product that the K&N Pro Series puts out at each event?

BM: It’s amazing. Every year it’s a challenge to be competitive and to contend for the championship. About the time I think it’s going to be easy because somebody’s moved on or moved up there’s always somebody else that steps up and makes it a challenge that you’re battling to win races and championships.

With the current state of change in NASCAR, do you feel that the K&N Pro Series could use similar changes?

BM: Yeah, I mean, they’re continually changing things; we’re making changes, not at the level of the national touring series, but we are making changes such as spec engines and a new body. These changes help strengthen the series and make it better all the time.

Considering that the K&N Pro Series visits the smaller, older home tracks that were popular during NASCAR’s Golden Age in the 60s’ and 70s’, are there any tracks you feel the division could benefit from visiting?

BM: It’s funny you ask that because it is a double edged sword. It’s amazing that we get into markets like Spokane, Washington, Seattle, Washington, and Denver, Colorado because no other NASCAR touring series goes through those markets, even though they’re very strong markets. It’s great that we get into those markets as well as for the sponsors that we have (NAPA Auto Parts, Toyota, etc.), corporations that support our racing efforts, love that we get into those markets that have no other form of NASCAR touring racing.

But when you’re developing drivers you like to develop them on the national touring tracks. So like I said it’s a double-edged sword. Developing a driver, I would love to be taking them to [Auto Club] Speedway, get them out here on the west coast; Chicagoland, you know, take them to Kansas City, run the tracks they’re going to run as they move up the ladder and gain some more experience on the national touring tracks.

But then again, like I said it’s a double-edged sword. It’s just so great that we get into these markets and we have such a hands-on, up-close series that our sponsors can utilize and use us as a marketing tool in areas that have no other form of NASCAR racing.

What is it about Bill McAnally Racing that has kept it as the premiere organization in this series?

BM: It’s the people. We’ve got a great bunch of people and we’ve been very fortunate through the years to keep a great group of people and they care, and they do what it takes to be the best. They’re willing to work hard and put in what it takes to be competitive week in and week out, and that’s what it takes. It takes great people and we’re fortunate to have them.

There’s also the great sponsors that give us what we need to go promote them and be able to race, to live the dream. If we didn’t have the great people and we didn’t have the sponsorship support, it wouldn’t be happening.

Todd Gilliland wins his third K&N Pro Series West race of 2017 at Irwindale Speedway.
Photo Courtesy: Bill McAnally Racing

With the success you’ve had this season and last with Todd Gilliland, is there any other driver that you’ve worked with that you can compare him to, or is he in a league all his own?

BM: We’ve been fortunate to have a lot of great drivers, and Todd is just, for his age, I’ve never had a driver with the experience, the knowledge, the know of what he wants out of a race car. Not just to qualify, but what he needs in the race car 100 laps into the race to have the car good. Todd’s just got an amazing knowledge of that at his young age.

At his age, I had Cameron Hayley for awhile at the age of 15, but Todd is one of the youngest drivers that I’ve ever had, and his knowledge compares to drivers who have been driving race cars at this level for many years. He’s very special, unique, and he’s got a very bright future in front of him.

Speaking of, how would you describe the chemistry between the three of your drivers (Gilliland, Chris Eggleston, Derek Kraus)?

BM: We’re one corporation, one company, and we all work together. The drivers, the crew chiefs, every team member, we work together to be the very best that we can be. That goes for the drivers too. Anything they can do help each other, they’re more than willing to work together.

You’ve brought in a lot of young, great talent, some of which have gone on to accomplish a lot in the sport. How do you feel about BMR’s position as a stepping stone for some of those up-and-coming drivers?

BM: Personally, I feel we’re one of the best in the business, and it’s because of the people we have. Not only do we help you develop on the racetrack and learn the skills that veteran drivers, (three-time K&N Pro Series champion) Eric Holmes works for me as a spotter and a driver coach. We surround our drivers with people who can help them develop as quick as possible not just on the racetrack but with their marketing, speaking in front of sponsors, and even doing autograph sessions. We have show car and driver appearances, interviewed on radio and television, we work really hard to put our drivers in position so they can also develop their public relations skills and working with the media while working on their driving skills.

We just try to give them a well-rounded development program as a whole, and I don’t think there is a better place to develop a driver in the NASCAR ranks, in the K&N Pro Series level, than at BMR.

Thank you to BIll McAnally and Kevin Green of Bill McAnally Racing.

May 5, 2017
Observations From My Daughter’s First NASCAR Race

Every father who is a NASCAR fan can agree with me on this. You want to pass that love down to your children. You want them to be able to revel in it the way you do. You want them to enjoy the noise, the commotion, the fight of it all. You want them to understand those weekends where you were in front of the television, reading the magazines, or talking about it with your buddies. In short, you want to see them become a fan.

Last year, I wrote about my time covering the June Camping World Truck Series race at Texas Motor Speedway and how huge it was for me. How it was a dream come true to be able to go down there and experience being on the front lines as a reporter. It was at that time I started considering taking my oldest daughter, Meredith, along for the ride the next time I went. November was a no-go, sadly, due to threatening weather, but with the April 2017 race weekend looking promising, I enlisted the assistance of my father to come along with us and keep an eye on Meredith.

Another reason I wanted Meredith to come along was that it was her birthday weekend. Her birthday is April 11, so this weekend was close enough I figured I could do double duty; gather content and enjoy the day with her. It didn’t hurt that Disney was bringing their Cars 3 tour to the track. I figured she’d get a kick out of that. All said, it was looking like a full day was in store for her.

My dad showed up late the night before. Meredith’s two younger siblings, Aeris and Dexter, were already fast asleep so greetings were short and sweet. Meredith was happy to see her Grandpa Don, but with an early day the next day we all rushed quickly to bed. At 6:30 the next morning the three of us were up, and an hour later, following a stop for goodies at Walmart and a McDonald’s breakfast, we were on the road.

Meredith sat in the back, at first talking Grandpa’s ear off. Any notion I had of her not being excited went out the window. Thing is, Meredith isn’t a sports fan. She knows enough to know who Jimmie Johnson is and who Danica Patrick is, and if a driver wins they do a large, smoky burnout, but other than yet I’m the only sports person in our household.

Meredith was bright-eyed and bushy-tailed for the day.
Photo Courtesy: Joseph Shelton

But on this trip, she unleashed a barrage few nine-year-olds have been able to achieve, firing off a rapid-fire barrage of news, jokes, and questions about the day, making it obvious she was in fact excited for the race. At first, I thought Grandpa Don would be overwhelmed, but if anything, he seemed to be enjoying it, matching her laugh for laugh and joke for joke. If there is any cosmic truth out there regarding grandparents and grandkids, it’s this. There is nothing too much for grandparents to handle. Anything grandkids have to offer, grandparents take it with ease.

After awhile the conversation lapsed into the usual with me and my father while Meredith returned to her iPad. My father backed my brief racing career in high school, so we talked about old faces, old friends, the competition at Thunder Valley Raceway Park in Noble, Oklahoma, things like that. But once we left 287 for 114 East in Rhome, the excitement started taking over. Before too long we could see the speedway looming on the horizon, a high-speed Valhalla for fan and competitor alike. So many variables were at play on the day. The stage racing, the new repave, all of which were looking like it was going to make for an interesting day.

I gave directions to my father on the easiest way to get to the credential office. Race day traffic is not fun, as many fans may know. But somehow, it seems that in Fort Worth they make traffic mixups an art. Shove the traffic one way and let them figure it out themselves. Oh, you need to go east? Well go west, young man, and figure it out! I’m almost positive Edward Scissorhands designed the traffic plans for race day.

We did something of a bell end. We got onto I-35 and made like we were going to Fort Worth proper. Afterward, we turned around and went the other way on I-35. The trick is to avoid the congestion where the gas stations are at and get onto the overpass near Turn 3 of the speedway. Once you make it across and take a left, go to the first entrance to the campgrounds and use that road to the credential office. Took 10 minutes instead of 40, and saved several tense moments full of swearing and single-digit salutes.

Meredith was happy to be out of the truck after the ride, and while I received my credentials she went with Grandpa Don to get her wristbands for the infield. Maybe it helps that the ticket office has a souvenir shop; she ended up with a No. 48 diecast among other things. That’s another thing I noted. When someone isn’t a complete NASCAR fan, they stick with what they know. It’s natural and hopefully a good first step to NASCAR fandom.

We had our souvenirs, we had our credentials and wristbands, and we had our Paddock Parking Pass. A brief drive took us into the Paddock Parking, where my father parked his pickup in between the first and second turns, with a stellar view of the action in the corners. I had to go get set up, so I left Meredith and Grandpa Don and made my way to the Press Box high above the speedway. Meredith had been looking forward to going to see the Cars 3 exhibit, and before this day was done I had every intention of taking her there. But first, a detour down pit road and the garage to see if anything big was going on. Afterward a trip onto the frontstretch to see how the new repave looked.

Smooth as glass.
Photo courtesy: Joseph Shelton

While I did all of this, Meredith and Grandpa Don hung out and seemed to have a good time. At one point as I walked toward the track I looked back and saw them on the cab of the truck, both knocking back a Dr. Pepper. I felt a sense of relief at that. My father and I are both NASCAR fans, veterans of many race trips. But with us, we had someone who wasn’t really a fan. When that’s the case you have to tread lightly sometimes; a good time at a race could become a bad time. Seeing my daughter having a good time with her grandpa made that weight a little easier to deal with.

Once settled in the Press Box I hooked up my computer at my perch close to the window just to see if I could see them near the entrance tunnel to the speedway. Just barely: Two black dots atop a gold pickup. They hadn’t left their perch, and that said I felt a lot more at ease. She was having a good time and her Grandpa Don was keeping pace with her. So I waited a bit before I went down there. Fort Worth’s the home to some of the best barbecue in Texas, Hard Eight. They did the catering there two of the three times I’ve been there as part of the media, so a quick glance in the conference room of the Press Box yielded several plates of that manna from heaven. I scarfed down a plate before heading back there. It was time to take her down the Fan Zone.

To say that I’m grateful that the walk from where they were parked to the Fan Zone was short is an understatement. I was pretty happy to see the first exhibit we came across was the Cars 3 exhibit. What I should’ve known though was that the line wrapped almost around the exhibit and toward one of the gates to the stands. The exhibit wasn’t going to be a free-roam exhibit; rather, it was a long, ridiculous line in the hot son. Meredith and I both agreed to come back later.

From there it was off to the Team Chevy exhibit. We got pictures of Justin Allgaier’s car (“I don’t know who that is.”), Austin Dillon’s car (“Isn’t he the guy who landed upside down that one time?”), and Jimmie Johnson’s car (“Is he going to drive that back into the track here in a minute?”). My father and I took shots of the 454-cubic inch display motor they had on hand as well as the 383 Stroker motor, but once we got over our essential gearheadedness we took shots of Meredith behind the wheel of the Corvette they had on hand.

“Think Mom will be up for getting me one of these when I turn 16?”
Photo Courtesy: Joseph Shelton

From there, it was off to the Coca-Cola exhibit, then off to the AAA Insurance exhibit, where a spin of the wheel netted her some more swag. Before long she was carrying a decent-sized grab bag with junk from various vendors. But it wasn’t long before we needed to be back for the green flag. We made our way back to the truck, almost stopping at the Cars 3 exhibit again when we saw that the line had shortened considerably. We decided against stopping, a decision that would bite us in the end.

We got back in time to catch the National Anthem, where Meredith got the surprise of her young life when the flyover happened, almost splitting her eardrums. She made it a point to screw in her ear plugs while Grandpa Don searched for a good spot along the fence to get a good view of the cars barreling into the corner.

This was the moment I had been waiting for. Race fans who have been to multiple races know that sensation, of the cars going through the gears when the flag drops. Of the rising scream that shakes the world both outside of you and inside. Of that crescendo that blocks all coherent thought and understanding, that leaves you helpless to it.

As a father and a fan, I wanted Meredith to feel that. I figured if she felt that and experienced that, she would understand why I do what I do, why I watch it and keep track of it, so on and so forth. Can you blame me? As a parent, could you understand why I was wanting to bring her into the fold?

We made our way into between a couple of motorhomes and up to the fence as the cars pulled onto the track. Meredith was quick to point out Jimmie Johnson to me, jumping up and down with excitement as she saw his No. 48 car pulling onto the banking. I got my camera ready because not only did I want to get the cars, I wanted to get her reaction as well.

Before the storm.
Photo Courtesy: Joseph Shelton

The green flag dropped, we could hear the rise of the sound as they tore into the first turn. I turned to her to get her reaction and…

…meh.

I leaned in closer to make sure I got her reaction right. Sure enough, her reaction was “meh.” A litany of questions came to mind. Does she not like it? Is she not having fun? Is she bored? A quick grin from her assured me she was still having a good time but just didn’t feel that rush. I figured, hey, she’s just a kid. Give her a few years.

We went back to the truck and I promised her and Grandpa Don I’d be back later, but now I was off to the Press Box. There was more barbecue waiting when I got back, and considering in Texas you never turn down good barbecue, I dug into plate number two. I sporadically checked where my father and Meredith were sitting, and I saw both of them perched back on the cab of the truck, no doubt digging into the Pringles and knocking back some Dr. Pepper as promised. I watched from the Press Box, keeping an eye on the action as well and watching Ryan Blaney run away with the lead. I was also keeping an eye on the clock because come whatever may, Meredith was going to get to visit the Cars 3 exhibit.

Not long after the start of the second stage, I stepped out to take her over there. Well, by the time we got there the line was back to its normal length – which was an absurd length. We ended up spending the majority of the second stage of the race and well into the beginning of the third stage in the line to get our pictures with the cast of Cars 3. Honestly speaking, Disney could have done better regarding line control. We spent a little over 100 laps in this line, both Meredith’s patience and my own being tested. Didn’t help that we were slowly turning into lobsters by the sun.

We were finally let in and joined the line to get pictures with the cars, FaceTiming Meredith’s younger sister Aeris, who is obsessed with all things Cars related, so the wait wasn’t a total loss. We spoke with a Disney worker who told us about the cars being actual race cars at one point, as well as why they had to stop it being an open exhibit (something regarding minor cosmetic damage to the cars). After the pictures, we skipped out on the theater exhibit which was showing the first 12 minutes of the movie, but we did get our picture taken at the Crest toothpaste portion of the exhibit and Meredith did get a birthday smoothie, so her mood was starting to rise again. The visit wasn’t a complete loss at all in that case.

Photo Courtesy: Crest + Oral-B, Cars 3 exhibit

We got back to the truck with less than 100 laps to go. Grandpa Don had acquired a couple of guests at the truck, a young tattooed couple who were lost and attending their first NASCAR race. My father has always been a helpful guy, and as a result, they were more than happy to share their beer with him and myself. He gleefully accepted while I turned down the beer and instead took Meredith on a quick run to Fuzzy’s Taco Shop in the infield. We live near a Fuzzy’s, so it’s something of a thing for us. Meredith loves her usual chips and queso, which in Fuzzy’s case we’re pretty sure is heaven sent.

Afterward, she was dropped with Grandpa Don for the final time, where she resumed her perch on the cab of the truck while I went back to grab my stuff from the Press Box (but not before stopping there to load up a plate with nachos and cheese). After I left I made my way to pit road for the end of the race.

The finish was undoubtedly everything the track was looking for. It was a good race at the end, with Johnson taking the checkered. I was able to snap off some shots at his pit stall while his crew celebrated and he celebrated on the frontstretch. I was also hoping that with the No. 48 taking the checkered Meredith was taking note, hopefully enjoying the fact that the driver she picked ended up winning.

An attempt to get some interviews on pit road didn’t pan out as I had hoped, so a quick stop in the Media Center and a write-up on the race capped off the day. I joined Meredith and Grandpa Don in the truck, where Meredith was casually playing with her No. 48 car and I told Grandpa Don about the post-race.

Now, you may think our adventures were over at this point, but once again, it’s all but a given that Elmer Fudd designed the post-race traffic control. That’s not to say I don’t like Fort Worth PD by any means. I respect the badge. I don’t respect the efforts to just shove the traffic in one direction and hope for the best. So for several colorful minutes and many colorful miles, our frustration became a running joke between us three as we chose different words for the situation and several possible ideas as to who could have come up with the traffic plans. Frustrated words became giggles and laughs among us three as Meredith (at this point highly sugared up) and Grandpa Don traded jokes back and forth.

I couldn’t help but notice that despite some of the day’s setbacks, Meredith was in pretty high spirits. Therefore I took the time to talk to her about the day.

“I’d give the day a six on a scale of one to 10,” she told me from the back seat once we were finally back on 287. It was a rating I still found decent for her first time. “I didn’t like waiting in the line at the Cars 3 exhibit (her red complexion backing up that statement). But I did like that the cars weren’t that loud. I also liked that we had Fuzzy’s in the infield. But I really liked that Jimmie Johnson won.”

I took that and held onto it. She wasn’t sitting in the truck griping or complaining. If anything I took her comments to be indicative of a good time. I couldn’t help but ask the next question I had on my mind. “Would you come with me again?” I asked her.

She gave me a perfect little goofy nine-year-old grin. “Yeah.”

April 10, 2017
Johnson Wins at Texas; Dominant Blaney Finishes 12th

Jimmie Johnson took his seventh Texas Motor Speedway victory and his first victory of 2017 on Sunday, holding off Kyle Larson by 0.340 seconds to win the O’Reilly Auto Parts 500. Johnson, who has struggled mightily in the 2017 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series season, also earned his second top-10 of the season.

“I guess I remembered how to drive, and I guess this team remembered how to do it! I’m just real proud of this team. What a tough track and tough conditions. We were really in our wheelhouse and we were just able to execute all day. Thanks to everybody at Lowe’s and Chevy and the fans and a ton of sponsors,” Johnson said.

Although the Chad Knaus-led No. 48 crew wound up in Victory Lane, it was the No. 21 Ford of Ryan Blaney who was the dominant car of the day, leading 148 laps and winning the first two stages of the day. However, Blaney was only able to manage a 12th-place at the end of the race after being penalized for sliding through his pit box during his final pit stop.

“Our car today was really strong,” said Blaney. “We made really good adjustments to get our car to where we needed it to be. If you would have asked me yesterday if our car would have been so great during the first couple of stages, I wouldn’t have thought so.”

On sliding through his pit box, he said, “It was kind of an unfortunate deal. We were pinned between the 4 and the 88 at a weird angle, and I hurt us on that one for sure and we weren’t able to pass anyone after that.

Blaney’s Team Penske Brother-In-Arms Joey Logano managed a gutsy pit play and finished third, while polesitter Kevin Harvick finished fourth and Dale Earnhardt Jr. finished fifth for his first top-10 of the season.

Brad Keselowski finished in sixth, while Jamie McMurray earned a seventh-place run. Martin Truex Jr. had a strong car early on as well, leading 49 laps, but faded back to eighth at the end. Chase Elliott and Kurt Busch rounded out the top-10.

Eight cautions slowed down the race for the day, with the most serious being on lap 11, a three-car accident involving Reed Sorenson, Gray Gaulding, and Jeffrey Earnhardt in Turn 2, with Earnhardt receiving the brunt of the accident by backing into the wall hard and ending his day.

Larson’s runner-up finish maintained his point lead over Chase Elliott by 17 points.

Ty Dillon was the highest-finishing rookie of the race, finishing in 17th, while Daniel Suarez took his No. 19 Toyota in the 19th-position as the second-highest rookie.

The next race will be on April 23, at Bristol Motor Speedway.

Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Race – O’Reilly Auto Parts 500
Texas Motor Speedway
Fort Worth, Texas
Sunday, April 9, 2017
1. (24) Jimmie Johnson, Chevrolet, 334.
2. (32) Kyle Larson, Chevrolet, 334.
3. (4) Joey Logano, Ford, 334.
4. (1) Kevin Harvick, Ford, 334.
5. (37) Dale Earnhardt Jr., Chevrolet, 334.
6. (5) Brad Keselowski, Ford, 334.
7. (6) Jamie McMurray, Chevrolet, 334.
8. (7) Martin Truex Jr., Toyota, 334.
9. (33) Chase Elliott, Chevrolet, 334.
10. (10) Kurt Busch, Ford, 334.
11. (3) Clint Bowyer, Ford, 334.
12. (2) Ryan Blaney, Ford, 334.
13. (12) Trevor Bayne, Ford, 334.
14. (11) Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Ford, 334.
15. (34) Kyle Busch, Toyota, 334.
16. (8) Matt Kenseth, Toyota, 334.
17. (14) Ty Dillon #, Chevrolet, 334.
18. (18) Aric Almirola, Ford, 334.
19. (20) Daniel Suarez #, Toyota, 334.
20. (16) AJ Allmendinger, Chevrolet, 334.
21. (38) Chris Buescher, Chevrolet, 333.
22. (36) Erik Jones #, Toyota, 333.
23. (13) Michael McDowell, Chevrolet, 333.
24. (19) Danica Patrick, Ford, 333.
25. (17) Denny Hamlin, Toyota, 333.
26. (9) Ryan Newman, Chevrolet, 332.
27. (27) * JJ Yeley(i), Chevrolet, 330.
28. (21) David Ragan, Ford, 329.
29. (15) Landon Cassill, Ford, 329.
30. (28) Cole Whitt, Chevrolet, 327.
31. (26) Matt DiBenedetto, Ford, 327.
32. (23) * Corey LaJoie #, Toyota, 326.
33. (25) Austin Dillon, Chevrolet, 322.
34. (29) Gray Gaulding #, Toyota, 322.
35. (30) Reed Sorenson, Chevrolet, 319.
36. (22) Paul Menard, Chevrolet, 314.
37. (40) * Derrike Cope, Toyota, 313.
38. (35) Kasey Kahne, Chevrolet, 303.
39. (39) * Timmy Hill(i), Chevrolet, Engine, 104.
40. (31) Jeffrey Earnhardt, Chevrolet, Accident, 9.

Average Speed of Race Winner: 147.137 mph.
Time of Race: 3 Hrs, 24 Mins, 18 Secs. Margin of Victory: 0.340 Seconds.
Caution Flags: 8 for 35 laps.
Lead Changes: 16 among 6 drivers.
Lap Leaders: K. Harvick 1-15; R. Blaney 16-32; K. Harvick 33-36; R. Blaney 37-88; M. Truex Jr. 89-92; R. Blaney 93-125; M. Truex Jr. 126; R. Blaney 127-172; K. Harvick 173-219; B. Keselowski 220-223; J. Logano 224-228; M. Truex Jr. 229-272; J. Johnson 273; J. Logano 274-290; K. Harvick 291-301; J. Logano 302-317; J. Johnson 318-334.
Leaders Summary (Driver, Times Lead, Laps Led): R. Blaney 4 times for 148 laps; K. Harvick 4 times for 77 laps; M. Truex Jr. 3 times for 49 laps; J. Logano 3 times for 38 laps; J. Johnson 2 times for 18 laps; B. Keselowski 1 time for 4 laps.
Stage #1 Top Ten: 21,78,1,4,2,42,14,17,22,18
Stage #2 Top Ten: 21,48,1,42,24,41,4,2,88,78

April 9, 2017
One on One with XFINITY Series Driver Ryan Reed

With a win to start off the 2017 NASCAR XFINITY Series, Roush-Fenway Racing driver Ryan Reed is currently fourth in points and in position to make a run for his first series championship in his fourth full season. Reed, 23, has two XFINITY wins to his credit, both at Daytona, but has had strong showings at several other tracks, scoring top-10s last season at Iowa, Watkins Glen, and Kentucky.

The Bakersfield, California native took the time to talk with SpeedwayMedia.com about his 2017 season and life as an XFINITY Series driver.

You’ve had a fairly consistent start to your 2017 season, with a win and two top-10s already. How do you feel your results compare to your team’s effort this year?

Ryan Reed: Obviously, the win was phenomenal. Starting the year getting us locked into the playoffs with a win was so important and takes a lot of pressure off us throughout the year; we are in a really good position. We want to knock down more top-10s, we feel we’re in a much better place than 2016 not just because of Daytona, but with overall speed. If you look at our average finish we are leaps and bounds ahead of a year ago.

You have two wins at Daytona, undoubtedly one of racing’s most hallowed grounds. It’s easy to say one win at Daytona is luck or happenstance. But to have two wins at Daytona does show a bit of mastery. How do you feel about having two major wins at Daytona?

RR: I certainly think, especially the second win, was a lot harder. The first one, I ran a good consistent race and was in the right place at the right time on the last lap. The second one, we had to fight for and overcome two wrecks and at the end of the race I took the lead with five or six to go and had to hold off Kasey Kahne, Brad Keselowski, Austin Dillon, a bunch of good Cup guys. I don’t think I was in the place two years to hold those guys off, but I’ve learned a lot over the last two years. Running a Cup race at Talladega helped a lot. I’m proud of the win.

Aside from restrictor-plate racing, where do you feel you perform your strongest? Which tracks do you feel you need the most work done?

RR: I think we are really strong on road courses. I think our mile-and-a-half package is getting better and the two-mile tracks are really good for us too. Michigan and Fontana have always been two of our best race tracks even if the stats don’t show it, those are the tracks we’ve had the most speed. We’ve got to figure out how to close out the races better. Tracks I need to get better at are probably Bristol and Dover. Both of those really high-banked concrete racetracks. I don’t know if that says something. The concrete surface has not suited my driving style as well. Those are sort of my calendar as places to get better at. I’ve definitely gotten better throughout the years, I finished ninth at Dover last year and I think we’ve improved, but those are tracks where I can improve as a driver.

It’s evident that you’ve improved over your XFINITY career. To what do you credit that to?

RR: I don’t know if it’s just one area, it’s getting better in a lot of areas, but I think to get better in those areas I had to definitely commit myself to learning. I had to humble myself and open myself up to advice from a lot of people and be okay with struggling in areas and asking for advice. I think as a race car driver it can be a little defeating sometimes to admit you need help, but I’ve learned how to do that and it’s made me a much better driver. I also think battling through adversity, the days that are tough and frustrating, being able to salvage those and not let those days turns into 20th-place finishes, instead you get a 13th-place finish. It’s still not a great day, but it could have been a lot worse. As a driver, I’ve learned to battle and get a little more out of the every week and especially on the weeks we aren’t doing so hot.

Last year you made your Cup debut at Talladega in the No. 99 Ford. Where would you like to make your next Cup start? With the success that the No. 99 has seen over the years as a Roush team, did you feel like you had any expectations to live up to at Talladega?

RR: I absolutely want to get to the Cup level and I want to be racing on Sunday every week. That’s been my goal since I was a little kid and that continues to be my goal today. Talladega was a tough race for a lot of reasons. Talladega is a tough race track and it was my first start so there were a lot of nerves, it was the middle of the Chase and an elimination race. So there were a lot of challenges, but for me, it was about going in there and running all the laps so I could learn and also to not cause a problem for any of the Chase guys and taking someone out of contention for a Championship. Those guys worked all season long and I was just coming in for one race. I just tried to stay out of trouble and learn.

How would you describe your relationship with your teammate Bubba Wallace? Where does he help you the most? Where do you help him the most?

RR: Bubba and I make good teammates. We each have strengths and weaknesses and we communicate well. We are both very dedicated to getting better, whether that means the race team or ourselves as race car drivers. We try and give as much feedback as possible to the race team and each other. I don’t know that there’s necessarily one place where I’m better or he’s better, one week he might be a little better than I am and the next I might be a little better than him. So we try to communicate what it is that we think we are doing better than the other so the other person can get better.

2017’s NASCAR season is still fairly new. What are your expectations for the rest of the season?

RR: I think for me I’ve got my sights set on a Championship and my team does as well. We’ll just do whatever we can to learn throughout the summer. We are going to enjoy being locked into the playoffs, which takes a lot of pressure off. Try and knock out a few more wins and get more bonus points.

With the recent news that NASCAR plans to implement restrictor plates at Indianapolis Motor Speedway for this year’s XFINITY event, how do you feel that affects you as a competitor?

RR: I’m not sure, I think testing there might help me a little bit, have a little bit of experience, but it’s going to be a very tough race. Having practice knowing that we’ll be wide open, but then also, too, you’ll also have some aero sensitive situation since the track is so flat and we are going to be running in a pack. It’s going to be interesting, I don’t know what to expect. I don’t know what it will be like when we get 40 cars out there.

There’s a large debate among NASCAR fans and personalities that there is not enough parity in the XFINITY Series; in 2015 Cup drivers won 23 of 33 races, while in 2016 they won 20 races. Do you think that NASCAR should do even more to make the XFINITY Series a division where “names are made,” like the PR campaign states?

RR: As a driver, you’re never going to tell me the reason I didn’t win was because there’s another driver too good out there or has too much experience. I want to win no matter who’s out there. No matter if it’s my teammate Bubba Wallace, or Kyle Busch, Brad Keselowski, or anyone else. Definitely beating those guys makes it way more special for sure. When you win on a day you have a lot of Cup guys out there, you know you did something special. At the same time, I can see from a fans perspective that you are watching Cup guys win on Saturday and Sunday a lot.

Does the XFINITY Series need more stand-alone events? If so, what type of tracks should be on the circuit?

RR: I think the stand-alone races are great. Iowa is always a lot of fun; it’s a really cool race track. Selfishly, I love short track racing so I would love to see them go to more short tracks. I think Indianapolis Motor Speedway is unbelievable to go to and race at, but the short track just outside of there is a really cool race track and I’d love to go there. We have great partners that need to be represented at these amazing facilities, and I think Indy is one of them, so I’m proud we get to go there and race at a track like that.

The Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series has the annual All-Star event at Charlotte. The Camping World Truck Series has the Mudsummer Classic at Eldora. What should the XFINITY Series add to its schedule that would equal those two events?

RR: Those are two of the coolest races around. The All-Star race is a staple for any major sporting league to have an all-star type event, so that race is very special. The trucks have really nailed it with going to Eldora. The fans love it and drivers love it. In the XFINITY Series, we do some more road course racing than either of those series and that’s really cool to go to some road courses like Road America and Mid-Ohio that are unbelievable places. With the way the Final Four is now, Homestead is becoming a very special race and this year we will not have any Cup guys so it’s going to be a much different race than you’ve ever seen. It’s going to be a unique race and maybe Homestead can be that race for us.

Special thanks to Ryan Reed and Nancy Padula

March 31, 2017
Dispute Between Henderson, Drivers Regarding ARCA Testing

A dispute developed during January’s ARCA tests at Daytona International Speedway between a group of drivers and an owner, and now the group is seeking legal action. According to driver Kevin Fontana, driver Russell Henderson told multiple drivers that he would have a couple of cars ready for Daytona testing. However, upon arrival to the speedway, Fontana says that the drivers found that Henderson had, in fact, failed to bring any equipment for testing despite the drivers already paying him for the opportunity to drive.

Fontana alleges that he had found an ad that Henderson had posted for Daytona testing and contacted him in hopes of getting his ARCA license. In order to get approved for the superspeedways, Fontana had to test at Daytona. After exchanging information with Henderson via email, Fontana stated that he learned about the equipment that Henderson had, where he claimed to have two race-ready Chevrolets with SB2 engines. Henderson further claimed that one of the cars had won at Daytona two years ago and the other car had been purchased from GMS Racing, a championship organization in the ARCA racing series, having won the 2015 championship with Grant Enfinger as well as nine ARCA victories overall.

Fontana went on to say that Henderson further backed up his claim by sending him photos of the equipment. Following this exchange, he did some research into Henderson, and everything came back positive. Fontana said that he then sent Henderson $2,500 to secure his seat for testing at Daytona.

“Next,” Fontana told me, “I began to ask questions about the seat and car set up, and so on. “At this point, I started to get varied responses. Instead of the cars being [Henderson’s], it now changed and he said he was partnering with Mike Affarano whose shop is in Spencer, North Carolina, and that I needed to contact him about seeing the cars.”

“I contacted Affarano about the cars, and [Affarano] told me to contact his crew chief, Dave McClure,” he added. “[McClure] then told me that the cars were being worked on in Concord, North Carolina, which is where my residence is. I visited the shop where the cars were being worked on, where I saw that instead of two well-built Chevrolets there was only one Dodge Charger without a seat or a drive train. I asked Chris [Lafferty], who was at the shop, about the two Chevys Henderson was talking about, and he had no idea what I was talking about. He said that this was the car that he was told to get ready but he was still waiting on payment.”

“I was never told that Russell had contracted a third person to get the cars ready.”

According to a press release by Affarano, Henderson had contacted Affarano via Facebook back in November in order to determine the cost to rent a vehicle as he was interested in gathering a team of drivers to test at Daytona in January. Henderson was told by Affarano’s shop that they would have to update their vehicle by ARCA’s standards, and that they would require a total of $10,000 from him, with the majority of the money going into making sure that the vehicle was able to meet safety measures and requirements as enforced by ARCA and that they wouldn’t begin work until the payment was received. Furthermore, since the majority of the money was going into parts and labor in preparing the vehicle, it was to be non-refundable. According to Affarano, Henderson agreed to these terms.

Affarano confirmed that the first payment from Henderson totaled $2,200 and wasn’t received until December 28, 2016. After repeated attempts to contact Henderson for the remaining balance due of $7,800, Henderson sent another $2,200 on January 5, a week before Daytona testing. Affarano’s team continued to try and obtain the outstanding balance from Henderson, however, according to Affarano’s statement, they determined that either he had already spent the money he had received from the drivers or failed to obtain the remaining $5,600 needed to finish the car.

Fontana later contacted Henderson about the cars and attests that Henderson began changing his answers again and started blaming Affarano and Lafferty, saying that he had paid them to have the cars ready and that they should have been ready.

These Chevrolet ARCA bodies were the pictures sent to Kevin and Michelle Fontana, but upon further investigation, it was discovered that these cars weren’t in Russell Henderson’s possession. Photo Courtesy: Kevin and Michelle Fontana

Fontana was able to contact another driver who was supposed to test for Henderson at Daytona, DL Wilson, and asserts that the two exchanged information about what they had been told. They established that they had been told the same story regarding equipment and both had done research on Henderson that had yielded positive feedback, including a call to ARCA headquarters. According to Wilson, he too had received photos of the same Chevy race cars and was unaware of any other parties in the deal with Henderson.

According to both Fontana and Wilson, at this point, they felt that it seemed unlikely that Henderson would be providing any cars to test at Daytona. Considering they had already paid and made arrangements for their Daytona trip, they could only hope Henderson would somehow make things right.

Both Fontana and Wilson stress that they continued to make calls to Henderson, who told them that of the five drivers scheduled to test for him, only they (Wilson and Fontana) had paid and that the money was given to Affarano to get the car ready. Affarano, on the other hand, told them that he couldn’t finish the car until Henderson paid him the remaining balance.

Fontana and Wilson both state that considering that the original agreement reached was with Henderson, with no third parties specified and Henderson initially claiming that he owned the cars, they decided to deal directly with Henderson who began telling them that he would do what he could to get them in a car for Daytona. He then told them that they would be able to test with Hixson Motorsports and Andy Hillenburg, a claim that was later proven false after Fontana and Wilson made calls to both organizations.

Instead, upon arrival at Affarano’s shop, Montana found this shell of an ARCA Dodge body. Photo courtesy: Kevin and Michelle Fontana

Upon arriving in Daytona, Wilson and Fontana stated that they were able to find two other drivers at the driver’s meeting that were scheduled to test for Henderson. The other two drivers claimed to have been given similar information to what Wilson and Fontana were given, including the same picture of the two Chevrolets. Fontana discovered that the other two drivers had no idea of how the situation with Henderson was panning out and that they were surprised there was no car waiting for them in the garage.

According to Wilson and Fontana, they also found out that although Henderson had said they were the only two to pay, the other drivers had paid months before. Fontana ascertained that all the drivers had paid a total of $10,500, yet they were without a team or a car. Fontana also stated that when Henderson showed up, however, he asked the drivers to pay the $300 test fee. Fontana further alleges that when an ARCA official asked the drivers what the car number was and who the owner was, it became clear that Henderson had not even registered the car or paid the fee. Meanwhile, a fifth driver had shown up, but upon learning there was no car, quickly left.

Wilson and Fontana, despite Henderson promising to get them in a car, confirmed that he soon left the drivers and tried to avoid them. Fontana and their group notified ARCA of what was happening since they (ARCA) had vouched for Henderson on at least two separate occasions.

“After the testing session was over, our group spoke with Joe Wells (Director of Race Operations and Administration for ARCA), who made a call to Henderson later that night to try and make things right,” said Fontana. “[Henderson] instead left the speedway, although he maintained an active presence on Facebook in the days to follow, posting several pictures of his family vacation in Daytona.”

Fontana said that he wasn’t able to set foot in a racecar during testing, but Wilson stated that he was able to log enough laps with Andy Hillenburg’s team to earn his license. A third driver originally scheduled to test for Henderson, Jeffery MacZink, was able to test for Mullins Racing to get his speedway license, according to Wilson. Meanwhile, Henderson couldn’t be reached for comment.

“Considering Henderson is already a convicted felon, I wish we would have found out about that sooner, or that ARCA would have been vetting these people,” said Fontana’s wife, Michelle. Henderson has previously faced charges ranging from burglary and forgery to criminal trespass and assault, according to court records. “That way, convicted felons wouldn’t be allowed to compete in the sport.”

Although ARCA isn’t able to do much, as owners are listed as independent contractors, ARCA president Ron Drager said that recent incidents such as this most recent one at Daytona as well as with Roger Carter in 2015 and Bobby Hamilton Jr. in 2016 could lead to the sanctioning body getting involved.

“We certainly don’t condone anything that ends up having a result that’s less than positive,” said Drager. “So we’re certainly aware of this and it’s something we’re going to look into and see if there’s anything we can do and help with and go forward.”

“We always encourage people who are considering entering into [ARCA] to communicate with us and to give us an opportunity to give them a sense of if they want to vet something or check into the history of an existing team or sponsor or anything like that; we’ll do our best,” he added. “Our goal is to have people come in here and have a positive experience, and it does no one any good to come in here and have a less-than-positive experience.”

Meanwhile, Wilson, who is a Law Enforcement Officer in Texas, confirmed that Henderson now has a Felony Theft warrant for his arrest in Texas, with North Carolina and Michigan soon to follow on behalf of the affected drivers.

March 23, 2017
Winless Streak Doesn’t Define Wallace’s, Roush-Fenway’s Effort

When Darrell Wallace Jr. signed with Roush-Fenway Racing for his rookie campaign in the XFINITY Series in 2015, many felt he’d carry his winning ways over to the No. 6 Mustang that Trevor Bayne was vacating. Wallace has proved to be a strong driver the year before, winning four Camping World Truck Series races for Kyle Busch Motorsports and finishing third in points. On top of that, the Roush-Fenway XFINITY group happens to be one of the stoutest organizations in the XFINITY Series garage, with multiple series championships and victories under its belt. Without a doubt, Wallace was going to be a champion.

Two years later, his former KBM teammate Erik Jones is now a Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Rookie of the Year contender, while his best friend Ryan Blaney is growing steadily as a competitive Cup Series driver. Meanwhile, Wallace continues to pilot the No. 6 RFR Mustang in the XFINITY Series, continuing his hunt for that elusive first series victory.

It will happen.

RFR and NASCAR both hold a lot of stock in Wallace. Both believe in his talents and his affability. On top of that, Wallace has shown that he can carry his fair share of NASCAR’s weight on his shoulders and continues to help the sport’s brand expand. He’s done television work for the sport, he’s making his motion picture debut in Disney/Pixar’s Cars 3 June 16, and his escapades with Blaney are as humorous as they are insightful when shared with the fans.

But don’t count out his driving ability. In 2015, his first season in the No. 6, he scored a pole, three top fives, and 14 top 10s on the way to a seventh-place points finish. Granted, he was a rookie, and Cup drivers did win 23 of 33 races that year. But he did have an average finish of 11.8 to be proud of.

2016 could be credited to a sophomore slump, which doesn’t happen often for drivers on their way up through the XFINITY Series, to be honest. With three top fives and nine top 10s, a ninth-place points run wasn’t indicative of the effort the group put in; still, outside of a runner-up finish to Erik Jones at Dover in May, Wallace’s No. 6 Ford just didn’t have the strength to hang with the rest of the competition.

But in 2017, Wallace has been quietly consistent. Sure, a large crash at Daytona derailed his day after 28 laps, but the No. 6 has placed sixth in the three races since and sits comfortably in fifth in the points. A year ago at this point, he was sitting 10th in points with a sixth at Daytona to show for it. In 2015 he was a little stronger; four-straight top-15s with a seventh-place at Las Vegas had Wallace firmly in the fourth-place points slot. Statistically speaking, he is doing better than he ever has in 2017, and considering he finished third at Fontana a year ago he could very well use that quiet strength of his and become the third XFINITY Series regular to win a race this season.

Wallace will have plenty of opportunities as his No. 6 Mustang has had plenty of speed this year. He’s no longer a rookie, he’s no stranger to Victory Lane, and considering his status as one of NASCAR’s new breed, it will be huge for the sport as well as Wallace and his crew when he nabs that first of many wins.

March 21, 2017
Restrictor Plates at Indianapolis Motor Speedway May Be Less than Ideal

As recently confirmed by Nate Ryan at NBC Sports, NASCAR will be utilizing restrictor plates at Indianapolis for the XFINITY race on July 22. This comes after a test last year with the plates, where NASCAR was reportedly pleased with the results. According to the article, if all goes well, the plates could be used in 2018 for the Brickyard 400. The package is also being considered for Pocono and Michigan as well.

On one hand, this could be a way to inject life into a series of less than stellar events by slowing the cars down and encouraging more action on the track. NASCAR is doing what they can to bring about parity in these events as well as encourage a better product in an otherwise failing division.

Yet at the same time, it’s a risky matter. With the restrictor plates being used at another speedway besides Daytona and Talladega since 2000, it could showcase why the plates should only be used on superspeedways where pack racing is prevalent.

On one hand, recall the Fall 2000 race at New Hampshire where Jeff Burton won after leading all 300 laps. Of course, this was the year that saw two fatalities in a matter of months at the speedway, and the plates were used as a precautionary method. Still, it was one of the most boring, if not the safest, NASCAR race in history. Same goes for the restrictor plates used by IROC at Indianapolis, which were nothing more than high-speed freight trains, with hardly any passing and zero action.

That’s not to say this experience couldn’t be fruitful, but at the same time, the precedent previously set all those years ago does not bode well now. Sure, many things have changed, and it’s not to say that it isn’t a touch gratifying to see drivers dominate a race every so often.

But as previously mentioned, there has been a lack of parity in the XFINITY Series, with some drivers dominating more than others. This experiment could be a way to fix the XFINITY Series product and possibly revitalize the division. Time will tell, but although the rules package is different, and stage racing is now a thing, it’d still be wise not to go into July’s race with high hopes regarding the racing product.

March 20, 2017
Newman’s Win Shows Old Guard Still Strong

It’s odd identifying Ryan Newman with the old guard in NASCAR today. It does not seem that long ago that he and Jimmie Johnson were vying for the 2002 Rookie of the Year award, with Newman fresh off of a stellar limited campaign in 2001. Newman was set to be the top dog for Penske Racing then, with many certain that he’d bring them a Winston Cup championship.

Well, it’s 2017, Winston Cup is now the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series, Penske Racing is now Team Penske, and Newman is now a Richard Childress Racing driver who hasn’t been claiming poles or wins like he once did, way back in 2003. But as of March 19, 2017, he’s still proving that he can win and take NASCAR’s young blood to task, as he held off a Kyle Larson (who so happens to be having a stellar stretch in his No. 42) to win the Good Sam 500 at Phoenix Raceway.

Since joining RCR in 2014, Newman has made the playoffs a couple of times (2014, 2015), with his ’14 effort culminating in a narrow championship miss, finishing second to Kevin Harvick in the standings. But he went winless that year, the next year, and the year after in 2016. Although he’s no stranger to Victory Lane with 18 wins under his belt (including the 2008 Daytona 500), his runner-up points finish was only his third top-10 points effort since 2009.

That said, it’s easy to count Newman out in this day and age when compared to a driver like Larson, whose 2017 finishes in four races are 12th, second, second, second (compared to Newman’s 2017 stats of 21st, 35th, 17th, and first). Or a driver like Joey Logano, for that matter, whose 2017 stats are sixth, sixth, sixth, and 31st (a late-race crash at Phoenix negated a pole and 82 laps led).

With a winless drought broken at 127 races, the win is huge for him and crew chief Luke Lambert, who made the call Sunday to stay out on old tires.

“It’s sweet for so many reasons. I said that when I won the Brickyard. I said that when I won at Daytona. This has been the longest drought I’ve ever been in. Even in Phoenix, the runners up suck,” said Newman. “It’s just a hard-fought race, a hard-fought battle, a hard-fought four years. I got to thank Richard and Judy, everybody at RCR, ECR, for not only giving me the opportunity to drive the racecar but giving me a racecar that’s in contention to win a race.”

On that note, when it comes to the old guard, there are few teams that are as old school as RCR. Winless since Phoenix in the Fall of 2013, RCR has been around since 1969. With 106 Cup wins to their credit, Sunday’s win indeed was a step in a direction that the championship organization was more used to.

It’s been a long hard road for both Newman and RCR in the meanwhile, and understandably, many were quick to write them off. They hadn’t won. They weren’t contending and dominating like they once were. With guys like Larson, Logano and Chase Elliott coming along, we’ll be seeing more of them and less of guys like Newman.

Those were arguments that we’ve made throughout Newman’s drought, but if the win yesterday proved anything, it’s that the old guard isn’t ready to move out of the way just yet.

March 20, 2017
Busch’s Daytona 500 Win Ideal Comeback Story for NASCAR

Undoubtedly, this year’s edition of Speedweeks had everything a race fan could ask for. There were Cinderella stories, with Kaz Grala the titular belle of the ball Friday night when he won a wild Camping World Truck Series season opener. There were underdog stories, as Ryan Reed showed a level of maturity behind the wheel he only recently came into by running a near perfect race and winning Saturday’s XFINITY Series season-opener. Sunday’s Daytona 500 was all about new beginnings, with a new series title sponsor in Monster Energy, new formats in both points and racing, and the return of Dale Earnhardt Jr. following a lengthy hiatus from behind the wheel.

At the end of it all, Kurt Busch pulled his battered and beaten Stewart-Haas Ford into Victory Lane, turning over another leaf in his already storied career. Competitors and fans alike were quick to congratulate Busch on his win in his 16th attempt in the Great American Race.

Couldn’t it have been left at that?

An article published by USA Today columnist Brant James stresses that while the win was hard-earned by Busch, his win in the 500 wasn’t what NASCAR needed, especially considering declining attendance, sponsorship issues, and a scathing article recently published by the Wall Street Journal. James goes on to reiterate that it would have been better if Kyle Larson had won after leading late, or if polesitter Chase Elliott had been able to hang on to the lead. But definitely not Busch.

What’s wrong with that assessment? Everything.

First, to address the idea of Larson, Elliott, or even runner-up Ryan Blaney taking the checkered instead of Busch. Had they done so, great. Excellent. It would have been hard-fought and earned. It would have been a huge boost to their individual careers and NASCAR would have undoubtedly had a field day. Those drivers are extremely talented and the future of our sport, with plenty of trophies, are waiting to be claimed by them.

But they didn’t win. They weren’t the fortunate ones to cross under that checkered flag first and claim the trophy. It was the No. 41 Ford of Busch that did that. Furthermore, James’s assessment essentially claims that those drivers have already achieved larger-than-life status in the sport. James puts their status as larger than the 500, with the race itself nothing more than a milestone to be achieved in the sport. But, if James truly knew the sport, he would understand that no driver, male or female, is larger than the Daytona 500. Not event Dale Earnhardt Sr., who struggled mightily to win the event.

Moving on to his assessment of Busch’s win in the 500, it’s easy to assume Busch has already reached the pinnacle of the sport because he has. Thirteen years ago, as a matter of fact, when he won the 2004 Cup Series championship. Going into Sunday’s race he had already won 28 races on various types of speedways, not to mention the 2011 edition of Daytona’s Clash event, a qualifying race later that week, as well as the 2010 All-Star event at Charlotte Motor Speedway. He has wins in both trucks and XFINITY. He’s raced in the Indianapolis 500. He’s driven a rally car. He’s even driven an NHRA Pro Stock Dodge at Gainesville in 2011. Busch is a wheelman who is no stranger to success. So of course, what’s a win in the 500 supposed to mean to a guy with his record?

Everything. It wasn’t that long ago that Busch was at the bottom of the sport.

Here’s a guy who started out with a bright star at Roush Racing (now Roush-Fenway), winning 14 races in his No. 97 Ford as well as the ’04 championship. However, with his temper came repercussions; a well-publicized feud with one of NASCAR’s veterans in Jimmy Spencer that ended with a broken nose on Busch’s part and a suspension following a run-in with the law in Arizona.

A transfer to Penske Racing didn’t improve his temper much. Sure, there was success. But there were also repeated profanity-filled tirades over the radio as Busch berated his crew, competitors and NASCAR itself. At Richmond in September 2011, Busch traded spins with his then-nemesis Jimmie Johnson, had to be restrained after exchanging words with a journalist, then ripped up another journalist’s notes in the media center. Two weeks later at Loudon, he berated an ESPN journalist after his car didn’t pass pre-race inspection. At the season finale in Homestead, Busch launched into another tirade towards ESPN reporter Dr. Jerry Punch. This tirade was put on YouTube, and not long after he and Penske split, with Busch going to a second-rate team in Phoenix Racing, where his struggles began in earnest.

Radio tirades. A spat with Ryan Newman’s crew at Darlington. Another suspension after berating journalist Bob Pockrass at Dover. Weekly struggles in sub-par equipment, offset with only a ninth-place at Fontana and a third-place at Sonoma to show for his efforts. The No. 51 team had reached the bottom with a championship-caliber driver. This was in stark contrast to the beginning of the 2012 season when many claimed Busch was going to put Phoenix Racing on the map.

A move to the No. 78 Furniture Row team in 2013 showed promise of a comeback, but no wins. 2014 brought a win and a playoff appearance, but Busch struggled getting acclimated with his new Stewart-Haas Racing team and was eliminated in the first round of eliminations that Fall.

Then 2015 came around and saw allegations of assault from Busch’s ex-girlfriend Patricia Driscoll. These allegations led to an indefinite suspension of Busch, with many under the impression that this was it; Busch was done for in NASCAR.

During the 59th Annual DAYTONA 500 at Daytona International Speedway on February 26, 2017 in Daytona Beach, Florida. Photo Credit: Jonathan Ferrey/Getty Images

While this was going on, NASCAR was moving on without him, kicking its schedule into high gear. But when it came out that Busch wasn’t going to be charged for assault, NASCAR was quick to reinstate him, complete with a playoff waiver so he could contend for a championship. Busch wrapped up the ’15 season with two wins and an eighth-place in points, topped in ’16 with a seventh-place points finish and a win at Pocono in June.

To top it all off, Busch finally came through Sunday by winning the Daytona 500, the biggest race in all of stock car racing. The crown jewel of NASCAR and Busch completed his road from the bottom to the top by winning the Great American Race.

The Busch America saw in Victory Lane Sunday was the best of both worlds. He was the exuberant kid from Las Vegas we all saw at Roush, but he was also the grizzled vet who bore the weight of a thousand losses and setbacks over the course of the years on his shoulders. Only this time, that weight was completely lifted.

Mr. James says Busch’s win does nothing for NASCAR, that Busch’s win lacks magnitude. On the contrary; for someone like Busch, who has experienced the highest of highs and the lowest of lows, this was the culmination of a long and painful road back to the top. That’s what Busch’s win means for NASCAR; the ultimate comeback story.

February 27, 2017
NASCAR’s Format Changes Almost Ideal

During Monday’s announcement by NASCAR regarding the format changes for 2017, everyone from fan to competitor to media member was ready to fly into an outrage. Solid evolutionary changes have not been the sport’s bread-and-butter in recent years, although some changes have since been accepted, like the Chase playoff format and the “Lucky Dog” rule. With that in mind, everyone was ready to fly into a rage.

But after the announcements, in a shocking turn of events, people actually praised the upcoming changes and applauded the direction they carried the sport for the upcoming 2017 season. Maybe it helped that there were multiple drivers involved in the decision, maybe it helped that they came up with a format that places added emphasis on every race this season from Daytona to Pocono. Maybe it helps that these changes will more than likely increase the quality of product that the drivers put on every race.

Any way you look at it, there’s no way NASCAR can lose in 2017, a season that promises to be rife with change and expansion. But a few of these expected changes, it’s hard to see one side without seeing the other. I’m not talking about drivers not gaining bonus points for laps led, making the Daytona Duels points races for the first time since the ’70s, or even the possible elimination of repaired race cars clogging up the racing lane. I’m talking changes like segmenting the races, for example. On one hand, it’ll be fun and interesting to see how the strategies will play out for each segment, as segment winners will get points for each segment win. Also, it’s a good way to make sure the action on the track stays fresh and good. It’s not like the Caution Clock that NASCAR implemented in 2016 for the Camping World Truck Series, so we can be grateful for that.

But at the same time, it’s almost like the entire season is going to be like Charlotte’s All-Star event, only sans field inversion and fan vote. Also, call me a purist, but when a race is advertised as a 400-mile or 500-mile event, shouldn’t it carry on as such? Isn’t the endurance factor one of racing’s biggest draws? Hopefully, they’ll at least just throw a competition caution after each segment instead of just pulling the cars to pit road for a few minutes.

Let’s also look at the points. As mentioned before, it’s great how drivers will now have to race for every point at every race instead of just using the regular season as a science project instead of going out there and fighting for every spot. It robs the sport of its integrity when you have a guy who has already won this season turn into a stroker in order to experiment with the car.

Now, we’ll have one point for the segment winner, five points for the race winner (first-place earning a maximum of 15 points per race), second-place earning nine points (a maximum of 10 points to earn), and third through 10th a one-point deficit from eight points all the way to one point. It still implies that when all is said and done, the best driver will still win the championship even with the playoff system (“Chase for the Cup” is no longer a valid term) in place.

But if I’m understanding this right (correct me if I’m wrong, please), we could look at situations where the biggest point winner wasn’t the race winner, and to me that makes no sense. To the victor should go the spoils. It’s their day. Why should the big winner by the guy in third? It doesn’t make any sense except for in a championship finale situation. Otherwise, why?

Those are just two things that raise questions, and to be quite honest…they’re the only two things. Even then, they have potential to bring NASCAR back to being a bare-bones sport, where racers can do what they’re paid to do, and that’s win. Not to experiment, not to stroke, but to go for the win and that’s what should make up a motorsport.

The collaboration that took place to get these changes into fruition was unprecedented. Drivers, owners, sponsors, track owners, television networks, and NASCAR brass all put their heads together and came up with some simple ideas that could benefit the sport and bring up the viewership ratings. It’s a win-win situation, and we’ll see just how big of an impact these changes will make starting in February.

So for all this complaining and all this caterwauling, my only advice is to wait until the green flag drops at Daytona before a judgement call is made. Don’t make empty threats to leave the sport, don’t turn that dial, don’t burn your merchandise. We’re fortunate enough right now to see the evolution of NASCAR taking place right this very moment, and that’s not something to take lightly.

January 24, 2017