Testing SpeedwayMedia.com

Author: SM Staff

  • Travis Pastrana, Danica Patrick and Kimi Raikkonen Face Common NASCAR Choice

    Travis Pastrana, Danica Patrick and Kimi Raikkonen have one thing in common, that of dabbling in a variety of NASCAR Series racing while still maintaining careers in other racing and sports endeavors.

    [media-credit id=62 align=”alignright” width=”221″][/media-credit]Yet at some point, all three of these talents, one from Rally and X Games fame, one from IndyCar Racing, and the other a Formula One champ, must make an important choice. They must decide if they will give their all to focus on making it in the realm of stock car racing.

    Unfortunately, Travis Pastrana had his choice made for him this weekend. Instead of participating in “Pastranathon”, competing in the X Games as well as making his NASCAR Nationwide debut at Lucas Oil Raceway in Indianapolis, Pastrana broke his right foot and ankle while attempting a double ‘TP Roll’ on his motorcycle in X Game competition.

    “I’m disappointed in myself for letting everyone down,” Pastrana said. “I can’t tell you how sorry and how disappointed I am that I messed that trip to Indy up.”

    Because of Pastrana’s injuries, including not only his leg and foot injury as well as an injury to his hand that he sustained in practice, the 27 year old driver’s choice as far as NASCAR competition has been made at least until next year.

    “I have surgery scheduled for Tuesday,” Pastrana said. “I have to get my hand pinned and plated, my right leg pinned and plated, and my right foot pinned and plated. So unfortunately I won’t be up for about two months.”

    “I’m definitely hoping to get back as fast as possible and get as much time in that car as possible and go have some fun,” Pastrana continued. “I look forward to being in NASCAR next year.”

    Pastrana’s team owner, Michael Waltrip, was also disappointed that his driver’s choice was made for him as far as his Nationwide racing debut.

    “Like fans everywhere we were so excited about Travis’ debut,” Waltrip said. “We have a long-term vision with Travis which includes lots of NASCAR.”

    “We can’t wait to get him healed and in our race cars,” Waltrip continued. “We’ve waited a long time for someone like Travis Pastrana. I guess we’ll just have to wait a little bit longer.”

    While Pastrana had his choice made for him regarding NASCAR, IndyCar Racing driver Danica Patrick still has a major choice before her. She must decide soon what her future will be in both or either of these racing series.

    This year, Patrick, while maintaining her IndyCar Racing obligations, has also been racing select Nationwide races under the JR Motorsports banner.

    Rumors have, of course, been rampant about her racing future in 2012. Many have speculated that she will run a full-time Nationwide schedule, as well as a handful of Cup starts.

    Yet even her team owner Dale Earnhardt, Jr. is uncertain as to the choice she will make about competing in stock car racing full-time.

    “I haven’t heard anything,” Dale Junior said. “I think things are looking positive for us to put something together.”

    “I would like for her to run full-time,” Junior continued. “I’m sure she is considering that and I think she would enjoy it.”

    “She seems to really enjoy driving stock cars and racing in the Nationwide Series,” Earnhardt, Jr. said of Patrick. “We just have to see but I haven’t heard anything about it.”

    While Dale Earnhardt, Jr. may be excited about Danica Patrick’s future in NASCAR, one other driver, a Formula 1 champion, has virtually disappeared from the NASCAR scene. After trying his hand at both the Truck and Nationwide Series, Kimi Raikkonen has seemingly not chosen the stock car scene.

    Raikkonen started out both NASCAR runs, including the Truck Series and the Nationwide Series, with high hopes and good feelings.

    “Everybody’s been very nice and very welcome,” the ‘Iceman’ said of his NASCAR foray. “It’s a nice atmosphere, very relaxed.”

    Unfortunately, Raikkonen struggled and finished the Top Gear 300 at Charlotte Motor Speedway in 27th place, several laps down.

    “It was nice in the beginning but it turned out to be really bad,” Raikkonen said. “Once it got difficult, you cannot race and you really try to survive. Up until that point, it was fun.”

    But when asked if the race was fun enough to return to the NASCAR scene, the Finland native said simply, “I don’t know yet.”

    And that seems to sum it up for all three of these drivers. Their NASCAR futures are simply uncertain.

    One final commonality, however, remains for all three of these racing stars in their own rights. Each one, Pastrana, Patrick and Raikkonen, must eventually not only choose to race in the world of stock cars, but in order to be successful, they will also have to choose to make it their first, and potentially, their only priority.

  • Kyle Busch is a Big Name But He Hasn’t Won the Big Races

    Kyle Busch is a Big Name But He Hasn’t Won the Big Races

    Kyle Busch has won a lot of races. One hundred to be exact, across NASCAR’s top three series.

    [media-credit name=”Brian Douglas” align=”alignright” width=”246″][/media-credit]Looking through that long list of wins though, there are accomplishments that are notably absent when it comes to the Sprint Cup Series. Of Busch’s 22 career NSCS wins, he has yet to win at any of the marquee events or win a championship. Friday at Indianapolis, the site of one of NASCAR’s biggest races, Busch said a driver doesn’t necessarily need wins at Indy or Daytona but it makes them look good.

    “I don’t know that you need them, but certainly it helps the prestige of your career a little bit more,” said Busch about the big races.

    “I feel like Daytona is number one, Indy is number two, Charlotte I would go with number three. I haven’t won at any of the big three yet. I’m certainly looking forward to the day that I can.”

    Busch has come close in each of those races and says that he would like to win one of them sooner rather than later. For all the Richmond and Bristol races that he’s won, Busch has sat on the sidelines as others have celebrated what some consider the most important victories.

    “It’s something that I’ve really looked towards trying to win those races since I was a young guy and even before I started here,” said Busch on Friday. “You watch guys like Jeff Gordon and Dale Earnhardt and Rusty Wallace and those guys work so hard to win these races. It only comes around once a year so it takes you 365 more days before you get your next opportunity.”

    Sunday will be Busch’s seventh attempt to win the Brickyard 400 where his best finish is fourth in 2007. Last year he finished eighth after spinning early and on Sunday he’ll start from the 29th position.

    When it comes to Daytona and Charlotte, where he’s 0-6 and 0-8 respectively, Busch has been much closer to victory lane. On a few different occasions he’s had the car to beat in the Daytona 500 but fell victim to big wrecks or bad drafting. At Charlotte the problem hasn’t been the car but pit stops and rain.

    At this point being close is better than being way off the mark. Considering that it took Dale Earnhardt 20 years to win the Daytona 500, Busch doesn’t have to get caught in the numbers or what races he has yet to win. His time will come.

    Yet because he is said to have the talent of a Jeff Gordon or Jimmie Johnson and hasn’t been able to match them, it’s been an interesting story. Gordon and Johnson have won all three of NASCAR’s premiere races as well as a championship. Busch’s former teammate, Tony Stewart, has won at the Brickyard and won a championship but hasn’t won the Daytona 500 or at Charlotte.

    Busch though doesn’t believe that a Daytona win or championship defines a career. For instance his older brother Kurt has won both a championship and at Charlotte but hasn’t won the Daytona 500 at or Indy. He though, is a champion whereas Kyle only has a Nationwide Series title to his name.

    That’s not too shabby but when his name is mentioned so are all the accolades and praise. It’s Kyle Busch that’s constantly being compared to the greats in the sport and the talks are all about how many races he could win.

    When Busch’s career is complete he’ll have won plenty of races, but it has yet to be seen if he’ll be a champion of the big ones. Winning those races just sets a driver apart from the rest, it adds to the resumes and their value. Some would say it even puts them among the greats, where Busch hopes to be.

    “Certainly there’s drivers that have won the Daytona 500 that characterize themselves as a Daytona 500 champion,” said Busch.

    “Guys that have won a Brickyard 400 title clarify themselves the same way. Or a NASCAR championship and in this case, a Sprint Cup champion, they call themselves a champion. I’ve got a Nationwide Series championship and obviously, that’s about all I’ve got to my credit right now. One day I would like to have all of those.”

  • Ragan grabs Brickyard 400 pole

    Ragan grabs Brickyard 400 pole

    David Ragan won the pole for the Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway with a lap of 182.994 mph (49.182 seconds).

    [media-credit name=”CIA Stock Photo” align=”alignright” width=”231″][/media-credit]“We need to get that win for Ned (Jarrett). He’s been a great ambassador to this sport and we couldn’t be more proud to have his colors on our UPS Ford this weekend. I’m looking forward to a good race on Sunday. Our Ford has been fast. A lot changes between now and the race on Sunday, so we’ve got our work cut out for ourselves, but we look forward to the challenge.” Ragan said.

    This was Ragan’s second career pole, the first came at Texas Motor Speedway in April.

    Kasey Kahne qualified second, Jimmie Johnson third, Kurt Busch fourth and Brad Keselowski qualified fifth.

    “I slipped, but I never had to come off the gas. I just drifted up through it. I don’t think it slowed me down much. If it slowed me down anything, it wasn’t enough to get the pole and it was that close.” Kahne said.

     

    Starting Lineup
    Brickyard 400, Indianapolis Motor Speedway
    http://www.speedwaymedia.com/Cup/qual.php?race=20
    ===========================================
    Pos. No. Driver Make Speed Time
    ===========================================
    1 6 David Ragan Ford 182.994 49.182
    2 4 Kasey Kahne Toyota 182.927 49.2
    3 48 Jimmie Johnson Chevrolet 182.801 49.234
    4 22 Kurt Busch Dodge 182.671 49.269
    5 2 Brad Keselowski Dodge 182.556 49.3
    6 43 A.J. Allmendinger Ford 182.445 49.33
    7 42 Juan Montoya Chevrolet 182.367 49.351
    8 24 Jeff Gordon Chevrolet 182.242 49.385
    9 17 Matt Kenseth Ford 182.216 49.392
    10 99 Carl Edwards Ford 182.05 49.437
    11 13 Casey Mears Toyota 182.024 49.444
    12 5 Mark Martin Chevrolet 181.969 49.459
    13 31 Jeff Burton Chevrolet 181.895 49.479
    14 11 Denny Hamlin Toyota 181.892 49.48
    15 27 Paul Menard Chevrolet 181.87 49.486
    16 1 Jamie McMurray Chevrolet 181.848 49.492
    17 47 Bobby Labonte Toyota 181.715 49.528
    18 16 Greg Biffle Ford 181.682 49.537
    19 29 Kevin Harvick Chevrolet 181.635 49.55
    20 20 Joey Logano Toyota 181.422 49.608
    21 9 Marcos Ambrose Ford 181.389 49.617
    22 88 Dale Earnhardt Jr. Chevrolet 181.335 49.632
    23 39 Ryan Newman Chevrolet 181.32 49.636
    24 14 Tony Stewart Chevrolet 181.251 49.655
    25 21 Trevor Bayne Ford 181.134 49.687
    26 33 Clint Bowyer Chevrolet 180.981 49.729
    27 78 Regan Smith Chevrolet 180.926 49.744
    28 0 David Reutimann Toyota 180.912 49.748
    29 18 Kyle Busch Toyota 180.854 49.764
    30 56 Martin Truex Jr. Toyota 180.618 49.829
    31 83 Brian Vickers Toyota 180.611 49.831
    32 51 Landon Cassill Chevrolet 180.133 49.963
    33 36 Dave Blaney Chevrolet 179.924 50.021
    34 37 Scott Speed Ford 179.548 50.126
    35 66 Michael McDowell Toyota 179.451 50.153
    36 87 Joe Nemechek Toyota 179.297 50.196
    37 34 David Gilliland Ford 179.276 50.202
    38 60 Mike Skinner Toyota 178.99 50.282
    39 71 Andy Lally* Ford 178.926 50.3
    40 150 T.J. Bell* Chevrolet 177.992 50.564
    41 7 Robby Gordon Dodge 177.866 50.6
    42 32 Mike Bliss+ Ford 177.862 50.601
    43 223 Terry Labonte Ford 0 0
  • WRC – Loeb/Elena win Rally Finland

    WRC – Loeb/Elena win Rally Finland

    The Citroën Total World Rally Team crew of Sébastien Loeb and Daniel Elena took victory in Rally Finland today, the eighth round of the FIA World Rally Championship.

     

  • Keys for Success — Brickyard 400

    Keys for Success — Brickyard 400

    Saturday, July 30, 2011

    Dodge Motorsports PR

    Indianapolis Motor Speedway

    Brickyard 400

    NASCAR Sprint Cup Series

    KEYS FOR SUCCESS: Brickyard 400

    SPEEDWAY, Ind. (Saturday, July 30, 2011) – Each race weekend, selected Dodge Motorsports engineers, Penske Racing engineers and crew chiefs, drivers or engine specialists give their insight on the ‘Keys for Success’ for the upcoming race. This week, Howard Comstock, Dodge Motorsports Engineering, provides the keys for Sunday’s Sprint Cup race.

    Track: Indianapolis Motor Speedway (Race 20 of 36 in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series)

    Race: Brickyard 400 (160 laps / 400 miles)

    Trivia Question: The first race in Indiana in what is now the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series was in 1950 at what track?

    HOWARD COMSTOCK (Dodge Motorsports Engineering)

    Track Position: “There are three keys for success at Indianapolis, track position, track position and track position. We’ve seen the No. 42 team have the dominant car the last two years. A pit road infraction likely cost them the race in 2009 and a four-tire pit call at the end of last year’s race likely cost them a chance at a win. It’s hard to pass at Indianapolis. It’s especially hard to pass in the closing stages of the race because of the track’s heat and the amount of oil and rubber built up on the racing surface. Teams will have to think long and hard about their pit strategy at the end of this race. It will determine their success.”

    Late Green Flag Pit Stops: “While we’re talking about track position, the one thing that teams will be considering is that the lap times here are lengthy. If you’re close enough to the leader, you can duck into the pits under green, make the stop, return to the track and still be on the lead lap. That’s going to be an important element for teams to consider if the field is bunched up toward the end of the race and you need one more pit stop. If you’re close enough to the leader late in the race, you’re going to be able to treat this like a road course, stop under green and if the caution comes out, other cars will have to pit and you will be able to skip that stop and gain all that track position.”

    Trivia Question Answer: Winchester Speedway, a .5-mile dirt track. The race, a 200-lap event, was won by Lloyd Moore. His winnings, $1,000.

  • Peters wins the NCWTS AAA Insurance 200 at LOR

    Peters wins the NCWTS AAA Insurance 200 at LOR

    Timothy Peters passed James Buescher for the lead with six laps to go and went on to win Friday night’s NASCAR Camping World Truck Series (NCWTS) AAA Insurance 200 at Lucas Oil Raceway.

    “I can’t say enough about the guys on this Red Horse Racing Toyota Tundra in victory lane tonight. We had a tire coming apart. I spun out over here in turns one and two and came down pit road. Butch Hylton (crew chief) made a great call to put four tires on. But the guys do a phenomenal job. We had a little hiccup last week, but they made up for it this week. Like I said last week, I love my guys.  They get me on and off pit road well.” Peters said.

    [media-credit name=”Jason Smith/Getty Images for NASCAR” align=”alignright” width=”225″][/media-credit]Peters started 16th and spun just before the halfway point when a tire went down. “I went down in the corner and I had good grip, and all of a sudden, I lost it.” Peters said.

    But Peters battled back to second place with 20-laps remaining. He slowly closed the gap on Buescher and made the pass to win what might be the final truck series race at the speedway. “I was trying to be patient, trying to be patient with the throttle, and it paid off.” Peters said. “I hope that they bring the trucks back here, and I hope that I’m not the last winner here. But if they do take it away, I can sit back home in my La-Z-Boy one day, retired, and say I won the last race there. That’s pretty cool.”

    Buescher led 97 laps and finished second, David Starr third, rookie Miguel Paludo tied his best-career finished, fourth (Daytona in February) and Ron Hornaday finished fifth.

    “We were running good sometimes and something happens. I’m really proud of my guys. We’re a little bit off in practice, like three-tenths and they made changes. It was better for qualifying and race trim was a tick better. Our first pit, Rick (Gay, crew chief) did an awesome call and we were good — we were really consistent. Congrats to Timothy (Peters) for the win and our two (Red Horse Racing) trucks in the top-four is pretty good.” Paludo said.

    Johnny Sauter leads the series standings by 4-points over Austin Dillon.

    The series heads to Pocono Raceway on August 6th for the Good Sam RV Emergency Road Service 125.

     

    Unofficial Race Results
    AAA Insurance 200, Lucas Oil Raceway
    http://www.speedwaymedia.com/truckseries/race.php?race=13
    ==============================================
    Pos. St. No. Driver Make Points
    ==============================================
    1 16 17 Timothy Peters Toyota 47
    2 7 31 James Buescher Chevrolet 44
    3 12 81 David Starr Toyota 41
    4 17 7 Miguel Paludo * Toyota 40
    5 5 33 Ron Hornaday Chevrolet 39
    6 8 88 Matt Crafton Chevrolet 38
    7 3 22 Joey Coulter * Chevrolet 37
    8 9 60 Cole Whitt * Chevrolet 36
    9 1 3 Austin Dillon Chevrolet 36
    10 15 66 Ross Chastain Chevrolet 34
    11 6 29 Parker Kligerman * Dodge 34
    12 18 5 Todd Bodine Toyota 33
    13 19 32 Steve Arpin Chevrolet 31
    14 11 8 Nelson Piquet Jr. * Chevrolet 30
    15 22 92 Clay Rogers Chevrolet 29
    16 10 62 Brendan Gaughan Toyota 28
    17 13 20 Johanna Long * Toyota 27
    18 29 9 Max Papis Toyota 26
    19 27 4 Ricky Carmichael Chevrolet 25
    20 24 6 Justin Lofton Toyota 24
    21 21 98 Dakoda Armstrong Chevrolet 23
    22 25 18 Josh Richards Toyota 22
    23 4 13 Johnny Sauter Chevrolet 22
    24 2 2 Elliott Sadler Chevrolet 0
    25 28 101 Jake Crum Chevrolet 19
    26 14 23 Jason White Chevrolet 18
    27 32 296 Todd Peck Chevrolet 0
    28 26 63 Jack Smith Ford 16
    29 20 39 Ryan Sieg Chevrolet 15
    30 34 7 Ricky Moxley Chevrolet 14
    31 33 57 Norm Benning Chevrolet 13
    32 36 10 Jennifer Jo Cobb Ford 0
    33 30 142 Tommy Joe Martins Dodge 11
    34 35 100 Brad Queen Chevrolet 10
    35 23 93 Shane Sieg Chevrolet 9
    36 31 138 Mike Garvey Chevrolet 8
  • F1 – Hungarian G.P. Preview

    F1 – Hungarian G.P. Preview

    The 2011 FIA Formula One World Championship enters its ‘second half’ as teams and drivers arrive in Hungary for round 11 of the 19-race calendar.

     

  • Montoya Says He Won’t Apologize While Johnson Doesn’t Want to Hear It

    Montoya Says He Won’t Apologize While Johnson Doesn’t Want to Hear It

    Juan Pablo Montoya said he doesn’t believe he owes Jimmie Johnson an apology but should he see him he’ll offer one anyway.

    [media-credit name=”Barry Albert” align=”alignright” width=”225″][/media-credit]The reason is that two weeks ago in New Hampshire the two again made contact, which Johnson again got the worst off as he spun. Montoya told Johnson’s crew chief Chad Knaus he was sorry but thought he left Johnson plenty of room.

    Friday in Indianapolis Johnson didn’t hold back, saying he was tired of his run-ins with Montoya and he was especially tired of hearing the same two words over and over again. According to the five-time and defending Sprint Cup Series champion, enough is enough.

    “Definitely upset,” said Johnson. “What it really boils down to, I don’t feel at least two of the three things that have happened are intentional, they were racing instances. But there’s a point where you’ve got to respect the people you’re racing around and also respect a driver you have had some run-ins with.”

    This isn’t the first time that Montoya and Johnson have run into each other. Last August in Bristol, Montoya hooked Johnson in the right rear and sent the 48 head on into the backstretch wall. This past May, Montoya spun Johnson entering turn one after Johnson had passed him down the frontstretch at Darlington.

    It was that incident where Johnson could at least offer a smile while revealing how Montoya apologized.

    “I’m in my motorhome showering, he walked into my bus and into my shower to apologize,” said Johnson. “Then he told me I’m naked. I said, ‘Of course I am, I’m in the shower.’ There’s some times when you can understand, but after three times being turned around, hearing ‘I’m sorry,’ it can’t happen.”

    As far as Johnson’s concerned, Montoya can hold his apologies going forward. He knows that every time the two are around each other he gets the short end of the stick, just as he did in New Hampshire. While he didn’t sustain any damage and was able to rebound for a fifth place finish, Johnson said the accident put him in a bad position.

    “Juan and I have a friendship, we get along great,” Johnson said. “After three times of me getting turned around, hearing apologies, I’m tired of hearing apologies. I don’t want the contact; I don’t want to be raced that way. We can do it for different parts of the race but towards the end of an event I find myself spun around. I’ve certainly had my fair share. It certainly can’t happen again.”

    They’ll most likely talk sometime soon Johnson believes, because they always do. Except just as Johnson is done hearing apologies, Montoya is done talking and said that the only reason he would apologize is for his own good.

    “You don’t want to have problems with people here that you don’t need to,” said Montoya. “It’s to avoid future confrontations. It’s being smart.”

    If Johnson was asked he’d probably say if Montoya were smart they wouldn’t be in their current situation. Instead, the two are at odds in their opinions of what actually happened. Johnson believes he again got hit for no reason while Montoya believes Johnson did it to himself.

    “If you really look at it he had plenty of race track at the bottom,” said Montoya. “So, do I apologize? No. I think the other time that I hit him he actually run into the wall and I decided not to hit the wall and hit him. It all depends on how you see it. His point of view and my point of view are very different.”

  • Matty’s Picks Vol. 11 – Indianapolis – July 31, 2011

    Matty’s Picks Vol. 11 – Indianapolis – July 31, 2011

    Its time for the Brickyard! The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series makes its annual stop at the one and only racing facility to be designated a National Historic Landmark. IMS was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1975, so as everyone knows IMS boasts a plethora of racing history.

    [media-credit name=”Indianapolismotorspeedway.com” align=”alignright” width=”300″][/media-credit]Following the drivers and teams this week via Twitter has really opened my eyes as to how much the drivers really enjoy the once-a-year trip to Indianapolis.

    After spending his off week in France, Jimmie Johnson tweeted Wednesday “It’s one of a few tracks where you truly feel the history of motorsports.” This was one of the infinite number of comments about traveling to IMS this weekend, all eager to strap in and get on the track today.

    10-Pick Recap

    During my week off from Matty’s Picks, I was able to compile the results of the 10 previous race weekends that I have submitted picks for. I have actually made 15 ‘Winner Picks’ so far this season (including the Sprint Showdown, All-Star Race, All Star Race – Fan Favorite, Indy 500 and occasional Camping World Truck Series, and Nationwide Series Winner Picks). By the numbers:

    Winner Picks
    4 – Wins
    5 – Top 5’s
    1 – Top 10’s
    4 – Outside Top 10 picks worth zero points
    6.8 – Average finish

    It’s been since June 19th that I have gone without a Winner Pick in the Top 10, stringing together 6-straight, with just one finish outside the Top 5. My current hot streak of Winner Picks includes two wins – both at Kentucky Speedway and both courtesy of Kyle Busch.

    Dark Horse Picks
    0 – Wins
    2 – Top 5’s
    2 – Top 10’s
    6 – Outside Top 10 worth zip
    16.1 – Average finish

    When I compiled the numbers, I thought initially that my Dark Horse average was less than impressive – with an average finish of 16.1. I went back and examined some similar numbers such as Jimmie Johnson’s Career average finish of 11.7, Dale Jr’s average finish this season at 14.0, and even Fireball Roberts’ career average finish of 13.2 and determined that if I want to become the ‘Nostradamus of NASCAR’, I’ve still got some work to do.

    All in all, I am not having a bad rookie season of Matty’s Picks but there is surely some room for improvement – particularly with my Dark Horse picks. I am excited to begin re-visiting tracks for the second time in the 2011 Sprint Cup Schedule, with the goal of learning from my mistakes earlier in the season.

    Brickyard 400 Picks

    Closely examining historical statistics this week for both my Dark Horse and Winner Picks, I have decided to follow the Chevrolet trend at IMS. With the last 8 races being won by a driver in a Chevrolet in Indianapolis, the stats speak for themselves. Furthermore, 12 of the 17 NASCAR Sprint Cup Races at the Brickyard have been won by Chevys. How can I bet against them?

    Dark Horse Pick

    My Dark Horse Pick this week has drank the milk in Victory Lane at IMS, but has never felt the warm rubber and salty taste of the Yard of Bricks against his lips.

    He led 86 laps last year and a record-setting 116 laps in 2009, the most ever by any non-winner at Indianapolis. In the 2009 Allstate 400 at the Brickyard, Juan Pablo Montoya was running away with victory, leading 90 of 91 laps when a pit-road speeding penalty crushed all chances of victory. Last Year, Montoya lead a race-high 85 laps before a collision with Dale Jr on lap 146 ended his chances for victory in a stock-car at IMS.

    With his storied history at IMS, Montoya seems more like a Winner Pick to me this week, but never having won on an oval, JPM qualifies for my Dark Horse pick for purposes of this column. The 2000 Indy 500 winner has victory within his grasp this year and will break through for his first oval win of his stock car racing career on Sunday.

    Winner Pick

    After compiling the data, I must admit that I am astounded that in 15 Winner Picks, I have not picked him as the winner yet. (Already making strides at becoming ‘The Nostradamus of NASCAR’) This is probably why my Winner Pick average is not inside the Top 5…

    My goal this week is to earn some brownie points with my girlfriend by picking her favorite driver; and not by coincidence is he more deserving of a Winner Pick this week.

    Jimmie Johnson has compiled 3 wins at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, winning all 3 in the past 5 races. He started second last year, and judging by his practice speeds, Ol’ 5-Time will have a decent starting spot again this year at a track where the race-winner averages a starting spot of 9.4. Only 3 times has the winner of the Brickyard 400 come from the 20th starting spot or worse, meaning IMS does not foster a fair amount of passing.

    Following the moderate blow up at New Hampshire, Chad Knaus has the #48 crew whipped into shape and ready to go mistake-free on Sunday afternoon. Watch for the #48 team to redeem themselves from their mishaps at Loudon and help to put Jimmie Johnson in Victory Lane at the Brickyard.

    I do enjoy following @JimmieJohnson on #Twitter. I’ve learned by following him about a 3-drink Twitter rule imposed on him, which I’ve found he tends to violate from time to time. If you don’t follow Jimmie or don’t have a Twitter account, I suggest you look into it as it adds a bit of a joy to my life.

    It’s a little tough picking against a guy that has won 4 times and holds records for most wins (4), most poles (3), most Top 5’s (9), most Top 10’s (13), and most laps led (440) in Jeff Gordon (thanks for the advice Uncle Ed, but you can only lead a horse to water). But, I have gained my brownie points for the week and will be interested to see the comments from the few “regular” Matty’s Picks readers I do have.

    I am excited to start the stretch towards the Chase and improve upon my less than impressive stats as ‘The Nostradamus of NASCAR’.

    Until next time…You stay classy NASCAR NATION!

  • Dale Earnhardt Jr. Finds Himself Needing A Touch Of Lady Luck These Next Three Races

    Dale Earnhardt Jr. Finds Himself Needing A Touch Of Lady Luck These Next Three Races

    With seven races remaining until the start of the 2011 chase for the Sprint Cup Championship, it’s beginning to look like déjà vu once again for NASCAR’s most popular driver, and time has been slowly creeping on him. No longer is Hendrick Motorsports driver Dale Earnhardt Jr. comfortably sitting within the top-10 in points, instead he finds himself fighting to hold on to the final position until the green flag waves in Chicago to start the chase.

    [media-credit name=”Greg Author” align=”alignright” width=”225″][/media-credit]A mere seven points is the lifeline between another disappointing season, or in his case a possible major fail when you look back to five races ago when he was on top of the world sitting third in the point standings. The 51 point lead was enough to keep his fans planning ahead for a possible return to the post season party, which he hasn’t been a part of since 2008.

    The roller coaster ride that Earnhardt has endured while driving for one of NASCAR’s most successful organizations, is enough to give his legion of fans an ulcer the size of the heart this 36 year-old Kannapolis, North Carolina native drives with. Fan loyalty, along with anyone else who has taken an interest trying to dissect what is happening with Earnhardt, have come up with some pretty good explanations as to why he is having so much trouble trying to get win No. 19 along with a possible championship.

    There will always be those who will either show some compassion for what he is going through, and just like a double edged sword where the sharpest edge is the one that does the most damage, which comes in the form of the harsh comments from the nay-sayers. It’s not hard to look around and see that Earnhardt is NASCAR’s most popular driver, but the only advantage with that accolade was the fact he got a free entry into this season’s all-star race.

    Other than that it hasn’t helped him to add to his win column, or more importantly get the consistency back he had while driving in the early years for Dale Earnhardt Inc.  A lot has changed since Earnhardt came over to HMS, along with the excuses why this third generation driver can’t put together a solid season and prove that he is legitimate championship contender.

    In reality there is no magic wand that can be waved over his team, and sugar coating is no longer an option, as well as the hypothetical scenarios that are talked about each time Earnhardt finishes outside the top-10. Hendrick Motorsports has given Earnhardt the ingredients he needs to succeed in the sports top tier series, and how many drivers in the sport today have gone through three crew chiefs in the past four seasons to try and help improve their driver?

    Possibly the only ingredient missing that Hendrick cannot give him is luck, and now is the time Earnhardt needs to borrow the lucky horseshoe from his teammate Jimmie Johnson that Kevin Harvick so reluctantly said he has hiding where the sun doesn’t shine. Heading into Indianapolis Motor Speedway this weekend, Earnhardt will need as much help as he can get whether it be in the form of a horseshoe, or asking lady luck to shower him with a special blessing.

    Either way something good needs to come within reach of the team in order to keep him from falling outside the top-10, and a possible chase berth, which could go a long way in putting into perspective the success he had earlier in the season. “We’ve got good cars. We’ve got a really really good team. We should be running better than we have been the last couple of week and we know it. We are just going to try and work really hard to get back where we were earlier in the season. It shouldn’t be that difficult,” Earnhardt said at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.

    With only two top-10 finishes, and a best finish of sixth in 2006 in 11 starts, crew chief Steve Letarte has his work cut-out if he expects to keep his driver focused enough to get past these next three races. “Dale (Earnhardt Jr.) runs well there, but the big thing we need to do is qualify better. The track is very, very hard to pass at.,” Letarte said during this week’s pre-race media release.

    Letarte also added that, “Hopefully the tire will hold on. Pit strategy will be important. Indy is kind of like Daytona (Fla.) and Talladega (Ala.).” If you aren’t fast when you come off the truck, it’s very frustrating. It’s hard to find speed there. So we are trying to find some speed and make sure we are fast. We need to qualify well and start towards the front of the pack.”

    Without being the breaker of bad news, stats or past performances don’t lie, and the next three races are crucial if Earnhardt expects to regain the momentum he had before his last five finishes of 21st, 41st, 19th, 30th, and 15th almost knocked him out of the top-10 in points. In 23 starts at Pocono, Earnhardt only has five top-five, and seven top-10 finishes, and Watkins Glen is no better with two top-five, and three top-10 finishes in 11 starts.

    One race at a time and a touch from Lady luck could bring the Nation to their feet, and give them the hope they have been waiting for since his last chase appearance three seasons ago.