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  • Joey Logano Wins The Subway Jalapeno 250 at Daytona After Spinning Out

    Joey Logano Wins The Subway Jalapeno 250 at Daytona After Spinning Out

    After spinning on lap 26, Joey Logano came back to through the field with a mass of different partners and hooked up with teammate Kyle Busch at the end to win the race.

    [media-credit id=22 align=”alignright” width=”228″][/media-credit]”Man, its great to be on the other side of the fence,” Logano said in victory lane. “This is Daytona; I am totally pumped. Gotta thank Kyle for pushing. I could him calling 8 back, 6 back – I knew we had to go. Both spotters did good today.”

    The win marks the first win for Logano at Daytona after pushing numerous drivers to wins.

    “To win here at Daytona is the coolest win of my life,” Logano added. “For me personally, I really needed a win and that is going to help us.”

    With a couple laps to go, Logano and Busch found a way around Elliott Sadler and Tony Stewart. They pulled out to a lead and then lost it near the end as Jason Leftler and Reed Sorenson caught them, but couldn’t get by. Leftler was credited with second, with Sorenson getting third and Busch in fourth.

    The third-place finish for Sorenson allows him to extend his points to eight points over Sadler while winning the Nationwide Dash for Cash $1000 bonus.

    “At the end, I didn’t know where we were going,” Sorenson said. “Gotta thank Jason for coming and getting me as we were stuck back there. We talked about that before the race. I didn’t know where we were going but we had a run. It had to be close at the end for Jason.”

    Justin Allgaier finished fifth while a crashed happened as everybody was racing for sixth on back that began with contact between Mike Wallace and Danica Patrick in the middle of a three/four-wide battle.

    Michael Annett was credited with sixth while Kenny Wallace slid through the grass to finish seventh. Sadler got eighth, followed by Aric Almirola and Patrick.

    Making her 19th NASCAR start, Patrick led 13 laps and was up front all night before being collected in the wreck at the end.

    “Got disconnected about half a lap to go and dropped back to get reconnected with Aric,” she said after scoring the third top 10 of her NASCAR career. “It looked like Mike was struggling there. I kept the car straight and my foot in it, probably not the right thing to do in a wreck.

    “I learned a lot out there. I was glad I got to push a bit as I was thinking, ‘Am I only good as a leader?’.” But the guys did a good job on the Go Daddy Chevrolet.

    Numerous drivers were involved in the wreck, including Steven Wallace who came to rest on pit road and was credited with 11th.

    “It was just a tough day,” he said. “Me and Michael had a shot to win that race and the water temperature kept going up. The motor blew up and all hell broke loose on the front stretch. That’s just craziness at Daytona.”

    A couple of different minor wrecks happened throughout the night involving a couple different drivers. One of the worst wrecks involved Eric McClure, who was transferred to Halifax Medical Centre for precautionary further evaluation.

     

    Unofficial Race Results
    Subway Jalapeno 250, Daytona International Speedway
    http://www.speedwaymedia.com/n2s/race.php?race=17
    =========================================
    Pos. No. Driver Make Points
    =========================================
    1 18 20 Joey Logano Toyota 0
    2 15 38 Jason Leffler Chevrolet 42
    3 9 32 Reed Sorenson Chevrolet 42
    4 14 18 Kyle Busch Toyota 0
    5 10 31 Justin Allgaier Chevrolet 39
    6 22 62 Michael Annett Toyota 38
    7 42 9 Kenny Wallace Toyota 37
    8 3 2 Elliott Sadler Chevrolet 38
    9 13 88 Aric Almirola Chevrolet 36
    10 7 7 Danica Patrick Chevrolet 35
    11 19 66 Steve Wallace Toyota 33
    12 17 11 Brian Scott Toyota 32
    13 2 9 Tony Stewart Chevrolet 0
    14 8 60 Carl Edwards Ford 0
    15 21 1 Mike Wallace Chevrolet 29
    16 6 1 Jamie McMurray Chevrolet 0
    17 11 22 Brad Keselowski Dodge 0
    18 1 4 Kevin Harvick Chevrolet 0
    19 27 141 Jeffrey Earnhardt Chevrolet 0
    20 32 19 Mike Bliss Chevrolet 24
    21 16 21 Tim George Jr. Chevrolet 24
    22 5 16 Trevor Bayne Ford 22
    23 25 15 Timmy Hill * Ford 21
    24 35 39 Josh Wise Ford 20
    25 24 87 Kevin Conway Toyota 19
    26 23 97 Joe Nemechek Toyota 18
    27 12 6 Ricky Stenhouse Jr. Ford 18
    28 30 81 Blake Koch * Dodge 16
    29 39 28 Derrike Cope Chevrolet 15
    30 43 107 Danny Efland Chevrolet 14
    31 26 23 Robert Richardson Jr. Dodge 13
    32 36 51 Jeremy Clements Chevrolet 12
    33 40 52 Kevin Lepage Chevrolet 11
    34 4 33 Clint Bowyer Chevrolet 0
    35 41 70 Dennis Setzer Dodge 9
    36 33 113 Jennifer Jo Cobb * Ford 8
    37 37 14 Eric McClure Chevrolet 7
    38 34 89 Morgan Shepherd Chevrolet 6
    39 20 30 Ricky Carmichael Chevrolet 0
    40 38 40 Charles Lewandoski * Chevrolet 4
    41 29 174 Mike Harmon Chevrolet 3
    42 31 168 Carl Long Chevrolet 2
    43 28 44 Jeff Green Chevrolet 1
  • NASCAR K&N West Series: Jason Fensler Ready For Return Trip To Irwindale

    NASCAR K&N West Series: Jason Fensler Ready For Return Trip To Irwindale

    What a difference a year has made, but the results are continuing to prove what an underfunded can do when team chemistry plays a major role starting with the driver, crew chief, and spotter combination. When the green flag waves for this weekend’s Southern California Toyota Dealers 200 at Toyota Speedway at Irwindale, the distant memory of Auggie Vidovich crossing the finish after leading the last 141 laps will be remembered by those who were involved in the team’s first win.

    [media-credit id=50 align=”alignright” width=”200″][/media-credit]A lot has changed since that memorable win back in 2010, with the most notable being the driver who was replaced when the team ran out of money to run the rest of the season. There comes a time in almost every team owner’s life when they have to sit back and evaluate what is more important, to continue to race, or have a roof over their head and food on the table. During the months leading up to January and the 2011 Toyota All-Star Showdown, the team regrouped and team owners Jim and Terri Cass let the team know they were ready to fire up the car to make another run at the 2011 season.

    After spending countless hours searching for a driver who could put the team back into victory lane, Jim and Terri found Wilton, California’s Jason Fensler, who had already tasted the fruits of victory in NASCAR’s K&N Pro Series West division back in 2008. Fensler made his first start for the team driving the No. 50 TCR sponsored Chevrolet, in the season opening All-Star Showdown which is a non-points event. As luck would have it, an accident with 20 laps left ended Fensler’s night pre-maturely and the team would finish the race 28th.

    The night was not a total loss when Fensler said, “The car was strong there for the Showdown. Roger Bracken and the team have done an excellent job all year preparing great cars,” which gave the team a new found hope for the remainder of the season. Fensler would prove to the team they made the right decision by hiring him, when he took them to victory lane in his first points paying race at his home track in Roseville, California.

    Even though Fensler only led the last eight laps, it was enough to give the team their second consecutive victory when the car number was changed from 50 to the 59. Jim and Terri felt the number change was needed, since the No. 50 only had one top-five finish in nine starts, and seemed to be bringing the team bad luck. Fensler’s third start netted him an impressive third place finish at the Bullring in Las Vegas, after getting turned around on lap 124 from contact with 16-year-old Dylan Kwasniewski and David Mayhew.

    Once NASCAR lifted the red flag because of Mayhew’s wadded up race car, Fensler would restart the race 13th on lap 129, and methodically work his way up to his third place finishing position. Saturday night’s start at Toyota Speedway at Irwindale will mark Fensler’s fourth official start for the team, and his second at this progressively banked half-mile.

    Team Cass Racing is hoping to carry the momentum from their third place finish at the Bullring into Saturday nights 200 lap feature race, which will be run along with the King Taco Super Trucks, and the Langers Juice S2 division.

    “Irwindale, being a home track for Jim and Terri Cass as well as the entire Cass family, would be a great place to give them another victory. I truly look forward to seeing all of the supporters and fans of Team Cass Racing at Toyota Speedway at Irwindale,” said Fensler about Saturday night’s return to Irwindale.

  • Mark Martin Scores 50th Career Pole With Coke Zero 400 at Daytona

    Mark Martin Scores 50th Career Pole With Coke Zero 400 at Daytona

    At the end of qualifying for the Coke Zero 400, it was 52-year old Mark Martin scoring his 50th career pole as he put the No. 5 on the pole.

    [media-credit id=22 align=”alignright” width=”221″][/media-credit]”Oh, this is awesome. I need to thank Hendrick Motorsports and just everybody. The CARQUEST Auto Parts colors are beautiful and I can’t wait to get out there tomorrow night. We’ve had a good run at Talladega with Jeff (Gordon) and we’re looking forward to tomorrow night.” Martin said.

    Martin qualified with a lap of 182.065mph (49.433 seconds) for Hendrick Motorsports’ third restrictor plate pole in a row. Dale Earnhardt Jr. won the pole for the Daytona 500 while Jeff Gordon won the pole at Talladega.

    “We keep sharing these poles on these speedways for Hendrick Motorsports. So great run for Mark (Martin) and a really good run for us and our PepsiMax Chevrolet.” Gordon said.

    Trevor Bayne, the youngest Daytona 500 winner at the age of 20, qualified second (182.002 mph), followed by Clint Bowyer (181.624), Gordon (181.583mph) and Ragan.

    Earnhardt Jr. qualified sixth, followed by Andy Lally, Jimmie Johnson, A.J. Allmendinger and Paul Menard.

    Points Leader Carl Edwards, meanwhile, qualified 14th.

    The only drivers missing the show were Tony Raines and J.J. Yeley.

    Starting Lineup
    Coke Zero 400, Daytona International Speedway
    http://www.speedwaymedia.com/Cup/qual.php?race=17
    ===========================================
    Pos. No. Driver Make Speed Time
    ===========================================
    1 5 Mark Martin Chevrolet 182.065 49.433
    2 21 Trevor Bayne Ford 182.002 49.45
    3 33 Clint Bowyer Chevrolet 181.624 49.553
    4 24 Jeff Gordon Chevrolet 181.583 49.564
    5 6 David Ragan Ford 181.32 49.636
    6 88 Dale Earnhardt Jr. Chevrolet 181.24 49.658
    7 71 Andy Lally* Ford 181.039 49.713
    8 48 Jimmie Johnson Chevrolet 180.995 49.725
    9 43 A.J. Allmendinger Ford 180.948 49.738
    10 27 Paul Menard Chevrolet 180.934 49.742
    11 39 Ryan Newman Chevrolet 180.894 49.753
    12 31 Jeff Burton Chevrolet 180.781 49.784
    13 4 Kasey Kahne Toyota 180.752 49.792
    14 99 Carl Edwards Ford 180.748 49.793
    15 9 Marcos Ambrose Ford 180.745 49.794
    16 17 Matt Kenseth Ford 180.661 49.817
    17 16 Greg Biffle Ford 180.581 49.839
    18 1 Jamie McMurray Chevrolet 180.571 49.842
    19 14 Tony Stewart Chevrolet 180.549 49.848
    20 83 Brian Vickers Toyota 180.469 49.87
    21 51 Landon Cassill Chevrolet 180.343 49.905
    22 97 Kevin Conway Toyota 180.31 49.914
    23 0 David Reutimann Toyota 180.296 49.918
    24 47 Bobby Labonte Toyota 180.242 49.933
    25 22 Kurt Busch Dodge 180.173 49.952
    26 2 Brad Keselowski Dodge 180.04 49.989
    27 38 Travis Kvapil Ford 179.856 50.04
    28 78 Regan Smith Chevrolet 179.852 50.041
    29 60 Mike Skinner Toyota 179.784 50.06
    30 42 Juan Montoya Chevrolet 179.734 50.074
    31 29 Kevin Harvick Chevrolet 179.652 50.097
    32 13 Casey Mears Toyota 179.616 50.107
    33 66 Michael McDowell Toyota 179.605 50.11
    34 56 Martin Truex Jr. Toyota 179.433 50.158
    35 135 Geoff Bodine Chevrolet 179.261 50.206
    36 11 Denny Hamlin Toyota 179.229 50.215
    37 20 Joey Logano Toyota 179.083 50.256
    38 18 Kyle Busch Toyota 178.855 50.32
    39 34 David Gilliland Ford 178.646 50.379
    40 36 Dave Blaney Chevrolet 178.617 50.387
    41 32 Terry Labonte Ford 178.586 50.396
    42 7 Mike Bliss+ Dodge 177.904 50.589
    43 87 Joe Nemechek Toyota 179.087 50.255
  • Dan Wheldon and Bryan Herta Autosport To Test New IZOD IndyCar Chassis

    Dan Wheldon and Bryan Herta Autosport To Test New IZOD IndyCar Chassis

    IndyCar officials announced last week that Bryan Herta Autosport has been selected as the testing organization for the 2012 IZOD IndyCar Series project with Dan Wheldon as the lead test driver.

    [media-credit name=”indycar.com” align=”alignright” width=”258″][/media-credit]”I think it’s super important,” Bryan Herta, co-owner of Bryan Herta Autosport, said of the team’s role in testing the car in last week’s teleconference. “We all ‑‑ everybody’s excited about the new car, what it’s going to look like, how fast is it going to be, you know, there’s going to be different engines going into it.

    “So it’s important for us to make sure that the car is fast, reliable, safe, all those things, so that by the time it’s out on track and the public is seeing it, that it’s a finished product and something that everybody’s going to want to come out and watch racing next year.”

    The team will begin testing in August and September, with all teams recieving the new chassis on December 15th.

    Wheldon, who won the 100th Anniversary Indianapolis 500 last month, has been involved in testing situations like this before as he used to be a test driver for Honda.

    “I think with something as serious as this, it’s not about achieving goals for yourself, it’s about achieving goals for everybody involved,” he said. “It’s, for me, a job that I’m going to take very, very seriously.I’m thankful to the IndyCar Series for giving me the opportunity.But there’s a lot you have to undertake.We need to make sure that the product that the IndyCar Series puts out towards the end of this year, beginning of 2012, is something that primarily the fans get very excited about, but also the teams and drivers. And obviously we want to make sure that the product we put out is incredibly safe. So it’s not, I would say, about achieving goals for myself, it’s more about achieving everything the manufacturers associated with the program want to achieve.

    “And I think that’s why it’s very good to have Bryan Herta Autosport involved.We saw the job they were able to do at the Indianapolis 500.It’s great that Dalara are involved. They’ve put together a great car, and the car that we’ve been using for a long time now has produced incredibly great racing.It’s been very close but also from a safety standpoint it’s been good. And we’ve also got the involvement with Honda and Firestone.So everybody involved, I think, has goals to achieve and my job is about helping them achieve them.”

    The team’s co-owners also have experience with being a part of test teams as Steve Newey, the other co-owner, was involved in setting up the Firestone test team back in the mid-nineties when they were talking about coming back into the series. With the past experience, they know the challenges that they’re facing.

    “Well, some of the challenges, you know, are very similar to what a race team faces every race weekend or every test event,” Newey said. “And that is conducting the testing in a very practical manner, first of all, and conducting it in such a way that all the various invested parties get what they’re looking for in terms of results.

    “So it’s a very tedious process.It can be at times it can be downright boring, frankly, because you’re not out there competing and racing against other teams and other drivers. So it’s about accumulating miles and confirming the structural integrity of all the components that are highly stressed and it’s a very methodical approach, and we’ve got a great team put together.

    And I think I’m looking forward to it and it reminds me a lot of the program we did put together for Firestone back in 1994, and I might add that was a very successful program. And we’re taking this very serious, as Bryan said, and we’re looking forward to the challenge in providing each constituent that’s involved in the testing program with the conclusion that they’re looking for.”

    Herta went on to say that the testing set to take place will be extensive as they play to visiting tracks weekly through the two months, including all different types of circuits. He added that it will be done with the new V6 motor, also, starting with Honda’s entry as it’ll be the first one ready, though other manufactures will have to chance to be tested throughout the two months.

    Bryan Herta Autosport has been a team that has always fielded full-time Firestone Indy Lights entries, though never stepped up it up that much for the top level. With the win, they are now looking towards the future in what that could bring them.

    “We’re looking forward to what that means for the future of our organization,” Herta said. “It’s no secret that we’re very happy with Dan, that our goal is to race full season in 2012, that all things being equal we’d love to do that with Dan.So I think we’re working in that direction. I think being part of this test program and the continuity that we bring over from the Indy 500, it’s the same group of guys, same driver, same people involved.We can transition seamlessly into the test program.Ideally out of the test program we’ll be able to transition into a full season program for next year.

    “In terms of racing for this year, you know, theoretically right now on the schedule we’d be done in time to get to Vegas for the finale.And it’s something we’ve talked about, but our focus is on make prognosis sure we do a good job for this test program and really trying to gear up for next season.”

    This year, Bryan Herta Autorsport has been working with Duarte Ferriera and getting him up to speed with the open-wheel cars.

    “He’s done a great job for us,” Newey said of him. “And he’s progressed significantly from early this year when we started testing with him, and especially on the ovals.  He’s performed like he’s been racing on ovals all his life. And he’s just taken to it like a duck in water, because he’s very aggressive on the ovals when he needs to be, and he’s smart when he’s in traffic, and he’s been able to generate his best finish of the year so far last race at Iowa he finished fifth.

    “And we’re very pleased with his performance.He’s a very dedicated driver.His fitness regimen is more difficult and more stringent than many drivers I’ve been associated with in the past, and he’s got a bright future ahead of him and we’re real glad to have him, and we’re expecting bigger and better things out of him as the season progresses.”

    The win is also been a key marker for Wheldon to speak of after coming into the year without having a ride and now maybe having the Indianapolis 500 win to lay back on for 2012.

    “I was very confident at the end of last year that I would actually get something full time for this year,” he spoke of during the teleconference. “And that didn’t pan out.So I really don’t like to speculate on that stuff anymore, because clearly I’m not very good at that. But, you know, I will say:I think for me to come back for the Indianapolis 500 and have such a successful month and also a very enjoyable month with everybody from Bryan Herta Autosport, it’s really made me desperate to get back on the grid, but it’s got to be in the right situation.

    “For me, I would love to be able to continue with Bryan and that’s what we’re all working towards, but we’ll just have to wait to see if that pans out in the future. But I certainly don’t think it’s hurt my chances, but in terms of am I confident that I will secure something for 2012, I think we’ll just to wait and see right now.”

    Another advantage for Wheldon as he is looking for a ride in 2012 will be the laps under his belt with the new car.

    “Well, I think it’s going to give me, I think, extensive mileage in the car,” he said of the testing. “You know, is that an advantage? Yes, probably. But for me, it’s not about getting an advantage over everybody else to be in a car for 2012. I think, as you know, I’ve done this kind of thing before with Honda, and it’s something that I took very seriously.

    “I think if you know my personality you know how serious I would take it. It’s about ‑‑ I want to come out of this test program with everybody saying: You know what, Dan was extremely disciplined and did a great job. And if ever we do something like this again ‑‑ and this goes for all the manufacturers involved, we’d love to have him do it. That’s the kind of job that I want to do.  And, yeah, I think obviously with the amount of mileage people are expected to do, it’s track time in a new car that no one else would have been in.

    “So for sure it’s an advantage.But by the same token, from what I understand, it’s going to be pretty much open testing until St. Pete. So that will get swallowed up pretty quickly. It’s about being in a car as well for me.I haven’t been in one since Indianapolis, and I’m pretty desperate to get back in one.”

  • ARCA: Max Gresham Tests at Lucas Oil Raceway For Venturini Motorsports

    ARCA: Max Gresham Tests at Lucas Oil Raceway For Venturini Motorsports

    In anticipation for the Ansell Protect Gloves 200 at Lucas Oil Raceway on Thursday July 28th, Max Gresham took some time to test and get a feel for the track.

    [media-credit name=”arcaracing.com” align=”alignright” width=”300″][/media-credit]”We really sucked the first four hours of the test,” Gresham said. “We were horrible. The car wasn’t anywhere I needed it to be. Everyone was working really hard to get it close and we just weren’t getting it.

    “Then (team manager) Billy Venturini and (crew chief) Kevin Caldwell put their heads together and figured out what we needed. Once they got things worked out, the car really came alive. We picked up a full second on old tires. It was great to make some fast times, especially on old tires. I know Billy and the crew will work this piece and get it even better for when we come back for the race. They always do.”

    Gresham, who finished second in the last ARCA start at Michigan International Speedway last month, will be one of the drivers who will participate in the first ARCA race at the 0.686-mile raceway since 1985. It marks the eighth race there in ARCA history and will be televised live on SPEED.

    “It’s going to be a first for everyone,” Gresham said. “I believe it’s going to be an eye-opener for everyone. I think everyone is going to be surprised how different this track is and what it takes to get around it.

    “This is by far one of the most unique short tracks that I have been to. I’ve never been to a short track as flat as this one is and run right up against the wall. That makes it different, an animal all its own. You’ll never find another track like this one anywhere. I’m definitely looking forward to racing here.”

    The next race for the ARCA Series is Saturday July 9th at Berlin Raceway for the Hantz Group 200, where Gresham will be behind the wheel of the No. 25 for Venturini Motorsports. Live timing and scoring coverage for the 10th race of the season will be available through ARCARacing.com beginning at 8:30pm.

    ARCA Racing Series practice begins at 2:30 p.m., and will last for 90 minutes. Menards Pole Qualifying presented by Ansell follows at 5, and the ARCA Racing Series drivers will participate in an autograph session at 6:15, just before the race. ARCARacing.com will feature live timing and scoring coverage of all events.

  • Matty’s Picks Vol. 8 – Daytona – COKE ZERO 400 Powered By Coca-Cola – July 2, 2011

    Matty’s Picks Vol. 8 – Daytona – COKE ZERO 400 Powered By Coca-Cola – July 2, 2011

    It’s time to head back to “The World’s Most Famous Beach”!! We head back to the birthplace of stock car racing this weekend – where the top speed 100 years ago in 1902 was a blistering 57 MPH – just a hair over this weekend’s Pit Road speed.

    [media-credit name=”Daytonainternationalspeedway.com” align=”alignright” width=”225″][/media-credit]Daytona Beach has been the site of a few milestones in the respect of land speed records. British fighter pilot Henry Segrave drove the first car to break the 200 MPH milestone in 1927. On March 29, Segrave piloted his Sunbeam 1000 HP down the beaches of Daytona, setting the new land speed record of 203.79 MPH, the first time a car had traveled over the 200 MPH mark. Nowadays, 200MPH is the standard at the 2.5 mile high-banks of the Daytona International Speedway.

    Sonoma Recap

    Before I get into how excited I am for the next 8 days, I’ll start, as always, with a very brief recap of my picks last week.

    For my Dark Horse, I picked Clint Bowyer last week at Infineon. Now, after watching the race Sunday, I’m not sure that Bowyer will be eligible for a Dark Horse pick in August when the Cup Series visits Watkins Glen International. I think that with his performance not only in the race on Sunday, but with his qualifying efforts on Friday, Bowyer is a force to be watched on road courses. He might be the most underrated road course driver in the Sprint Cup Series. Bowyer ran 87 percent of the 110 at Infineon in the Top 15, leading a lap in the meantime. With a gamble to stay out and not come to Pit Road mid-race, Bowyer would start 19th on the last restart with as many laps left in the race. Bowyer would gain 15 positions in the last 19 laps to finish fourth, netting me double points for a Top 5 Dark Horse Pick.

    I thought my winner pick was a shoe-in. I did squeak out a Top 5 with my winner pick who fought a car lacking in forward bite the whole day. Ambrose moved from his eighth starting spot all the way to third place by lap 15. Ambrose dropped out of the Top 10 only once around lap 50, but quickly moved back into the top 10 before his final pit stop during the fifth and final caution of the day. He would restart out of the Top 10 with 19 laps left and would also use fresh tires to his advantage to drive towards the front in the final laps. Ambrose netted me points for his Top 5 Winner Pick at Infineon.

    Daytona Picks

    For my Dark Horse pick this week, I’m going with a Ford Racing Driver that started 15th in the Daytona 500. He was second quick in practice yesterday while running with his Richard Petty Motorsports teammate in the two-car push. A.J. Allmendinger is currently 15th in Sprint Cup Points and has a certain swagger about him this season. He ran 28 laps in practice and also had the second quick 10 Consecutive Lap Average Thursday in the only practice session of the day. Allmendinger does have a third place finish at Daytona and he is my Dark Horse for the COKE ZERO 400 this weekend.

    My winner pick this week is a guy that has 6 wins at Daytona in his career. He finished third last season at July’s race at Daytona, and boasts twenty wins on Superspeedways in his storied NASCAR Career. Jeff Gordon was 5th quickest in practice yesterday in his PepsiMAX Chevy boasting a speed of 198.085. He ran 15 laps with his teammate Mark Martin yesterday in practice. Jeff Gordon is a seasoned veteran of the high banks and high speeds of Daytona and will keep his car clean on his way to a strong finish Saturday night.

    I would like to wish everyone a very happy and safe 4th of July this weekend. I would also like to take a brief moment and thank all the service men and women serving in the United States Armed Forces that make NASCAR racing possible for all the fans around the world. Stay safe out there, and I’ll be thinking of you watching the fireworks unfold at Daytona Saturday Night!

    Until next week’s overenthusiastic volume of Matty’s Picks… You stay classy NASCAR NATION.

  • Daytona Marks the Start of the ‘Road to Richmond’ and Making the Chase

    Daytona Marks the Start of the ‘Road to Richmond’ and Making the Chase

    Starting Saturday night in Daytona there will be just 10 races left before the 2011 Chase for the Sprint Cup kicks off in Chicago. Over that time the phrase “Road to Richmond” will be heard throughout as Richmond International Raceway promotes the last race to get into the Chase.

    [media-credit id=22 align=”alignright” width=”219″][/media-credit]“’The Road to Richmond’ is a great opportunity for us to remind race fans that Richmond hosts the ‘One Last Race to Make The Chase’ and to promote the new Chase format,” said Richmond’s president Doug Fritz. “And the fact that everything that happens from Daytona on leads to what you’ll see at Richmond International Raceway on Saturday night, September 10.”

    Along with Fritz, Virginia native Denny Hamlin spoke about the next few weeks. Hamlin has been in the Chase every year since he began competing in the Cup Series in 2006. He’s currently the only rookie to ever have qualified for the Chase.

    This season with NASCAR’s new wildcard format, Hamlin is a believer that not only will the next 10 weeks be important for drivers looking to win but says that race day in Richmond will be fun for the fans to watch. Drivers have already turned the energy and racing level up, with rough racing and paybacks being seen on many occasions already this year.

    Richmond is now in prime position to add to that. Saturday night and under the lights, it’s bound to be short track racing at its best and with a lot on the line.

    “Hectic” Hamlin said of what the Richmond race will be like. He believes drivers who know they need to either win or race their way in are going to be more aggressive, wanting to hold onto their track position or go for more.

    Currently sitting 11th in points with one win, Hamlin doesn’t want to have to fallback on the wildcard position or having to race his way in. In fact, when it was brought up he sat and shook his head no repeatedly. Hamlin’s already done that before and prefers to never to have to experience it again.

    Running with only seven cylinders in 2006, Hamlin told his team over the radio that their season was over. Instead they fought their way to a 15th place finish and into the Chase. More, of what could be expected later this season.

    Richmond has become known for drivers bumping in and out of the Chase. Jeremy Mayfield won at RIR in 2004 to get in the Chase. Kasey Kahne knocked Tony Stewart out in 2006 and in 2009 it was Brian Vickers would race into the Chase on the last lap and kept Kyle Busch out.

    This year though what has the potential to be the big story are the aforementioned wildcard spots. Winning has had an emphasis placed on it when NASCAR announced in the pre-season that only the top 10 will be locked into the Chase with the 11 and 12th place drivers being placed by wins. Drivers who sit 11-20 in points have the chance to get in the Chase if they win a race.

    Heading into Daytona there’s only one driver in that position, Tony Stewart in 11th, but there are two others who have wins that are sitting outside the top 20. Both Brad Keselowski and Regan Smith found victory lane early this season but sit 22nd and 28th in points respectively. Their goal going forward is to win as much as they can before Richmond or at Richmond, making the last race to get into the Chase a hot ticket.

    “This year’s format has the making of one of, if not the most epic ‘One Last Race to Make The Chase’ events,” Fritz believes. “With the two wild card drivers racing their way in, there could potentially be more drivers than ever having a shot at racing their way into The Chase.”

    “The Road to Richmond” goes through Daytona, Kentucky, New Hampshire, Indianapolis, Pocono, Watkins Glen, Michigan, Bristol and Atlanta before heading to Richmond.

    Tickets are still available for the September 10 race. Race fans can purchase tickets through the RIR website, www.rir.com, or by calling 866-455-7223.

  • J. J. Yeley Has One Word for Daytona: Impressive

    J. J. Yeley will be back on track this July 4th weekend for the Coke Zero 400 at Daytona International Speedway. As he pilots the No. 46 Red Line Oil Chevrolet Impala for Whitney Motorsports, the driver has just one word for the superspeedway: ‘impressive.’

    “I will always remember the first time I went to Daytona International Speedway,” Yeley said. “I couldn’t believe that the race track was right in the middle of town.”

     

    [media-credit name=”J.J. Yeley Official Facebook Page” align=”alignright” width=”200″][/media-credit]


    “It’s such a magnificent facility,” Yeley continued. “The fact that this city has grown up around the track and has supported it like they do is what makes it so special.”

     

    “It’s a place that takes your breath away.”

    One thing that Yeley knows for sure is that he will have to have a qualifying lap that will take his breath away at Daytona. He is in the unenviable position of being a ‘go or go homer’ for this race.

    “When you come to a place like this, you’ve got what you got,” Yeley said. “We’ll tune on the engine as best we can and hope that the new body that we’ve put on this car is streamlined enough to make us fast enough to qualify in.”

    “It’s a horrible position honestly to have to be in, especially when you come to a restrictor plate track,” Yeley continued. “It’s tough because there is nothing that I can do as a driver to help make the car go faster.  But if we can make it into the race, we’ll be pretty excited about it.”

    While Yeley is not terribly fond of the two-car tandem racing that has become the norm at Daytona, he is still excited about trying to find that partner to hook up with to go to the front.

    “As long as you have a partner, it’s kind of exciting,” Yeley said with a chuckle. “The problem is there are 43 cars that start the race so someone is going to be left out.”

    “The toughest part is the vision,” Yeley continued. “If you are the car that is pushing, you really are limited in what you can see. For the most part, you’re just looking at the back of the car in front of you, hoping that wherever he is going to lead you is a safe place.”

    Yeley, like so many of the other Cup drivers, already has a partner in mind with whom he would like to race. But he also realizes that he may have to have a backup plan, a particularly difficult situation for a single car team.

    “Everyone knows who they are going to work with at the start of the race,” Yeley said. “I worked with Terry Labonte a bunch at Talladega and we worked very well together, but then he had an engine problem.”

    “Unfortunately, we don’t have others on speed dial,” Yeley continued. “Being a single car team, it’s not going to be as easy to have other guys on the same system, like the Hendrick guys.”

    “We’ll sit down and talk and go through the scenarios,” Yeley said. “We know the single car teams that also need help.”

    “There’s guys that you want to work with and guys that you want to stay away as far as you possibly can,” Yeley continued. “Hopefully, we can hook up with Terry Labonte again and can get to the front.”

    Yeley is looking forward not only to partnering with other drivers for the Daytona race but also is seeking sponsorship partners so that he can race more this season.

    “We have run five races so far this year,” Yeley said. “We’ve had to start and park the rest of them.”

    “This is one of the races on our schedule where we will run the entire race.”

    While looking forward to running the full race, Yeley is also strangely looking forward to ‘silly season,’ a time when drivers and teams start making changes. And he is making sure that he is at the track and keeping his name out there as part of the ‘silly season’ mix.

    “Right now, we’re getting into ‘silly season’ and there’s a lot of teams looking to make changes,” Yeley said. “I’m trying to be a part of those discussions. The biggest thing for me is to qualify and be competitive with the equipment that I have so we can prove to people that this is where we belong.”

    Another way that Yeley is keeping his name out in front, as well as connecting with his fans, is through the use of social media.  He has concocted interesting games and promotions, from ‘Speed Dice’ on his Facebook page to ‘Pay it Forward Friday’ on his Twitter account.

    “Obviously, this is the time and age of technology,” Yeley said. “So, you have to take advantage of everything you can.”

    “I’ve been on Twitter for a year and a half and now Facebook,” Yeley continued. “It’s a way you can really communicate with fans one on one.”

    Yeley hopes that all fans, including his Facebook friends and Twitter followers, will be watching him not only as he qualifies his way into the Coke Zero 400 but also as he races toward the checkered flag. What are Yeley’s predictions for the big race?

    “If I could look into my crystal ball and we were able to come out of Daytona with a top-10, that would be very special for this team and myself,” Yeley said. “For a team with one car and one speedway engine, that would be great and is very doable.”

  • Denny Hamlin Says Kyle Busch Aggressive But Not an Instigator

    Denny Hamlin Says Kyle Busch Aggressive But Not an Instigator

    Even though Denny Hamlin had not seen the handshake between his Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Kyle Busch and Richard Childress Racing’s Kevin Harvick, he still had plenty to say about it.

    [media-credit name=”Kirk Schroll” align=”alignright” width=”240″][/media-credit]“I would consider it genuine,” Hamlin said Thursday at Daytona. “Kyle’s just not a head games type of guy, I don’t believe. In 2008 when he was winning a lot of races I remember a race throughout the season where a lot of emphasis was being put on Kyle and different things that he was doing and I remember a lot of teams going after them as far as playing heads games and stuff. But Kyle never really responds to that, I don’t feel like.”

    Harvick and his supporters would disagree. At Darlington in May, Busch hooked Harvick under a caution flag after the two raced hard a few laps before. Their actions carried over to pit road and led to NASCAR placing them on probation until June 15.

    Probation or not, the two never stopped racing each other as hard as they did before. Just days before their probation period was to be over, Harvick ran Busch down the frontstretch at Pocono and said afterwards Busch knows he has one coming. Harvick sounding as though Busch started it and he was going to finish it.

    It made Hamlin’s comments on Thursday particularly interesting. According to Hamlin his teammate is tough but not dirty.

    “He [Busch] never really does anything on-track to instigate it. I feel like he’s one of the most fair racers really out there. Even though he’s aggressive at times, he does a pretty good job of keeping it relatively safe for other drivers. I would consider it something that is sincere.”

    When asked directly about last weekend Busch said, “I felt like we had a really good race with each other. So, I just wanted to let him know that. We gave each other great room and raced each other hard and clean. And, that’s all there is to it.” Adding that those around the sport looked too much into it.

    Harvick on the other hand was confused by what took place. He didn’t know where it came from and said things between he and Busch aren’t necessarily fine because they only raced each other for half a lap.

    But for Hamlin, having been involved in altercations with Harvick last season, he has a different view. The two traded words and paint in the Chase at Dover after taking shots at each other’s organizations. Harvick had also previously been involved in incidents with another JGR driver, Joey Logano, making it three for three with the Gibbs team. All of which taught Hamlin a lesson.

    “As far as Harvick, that’s just kind of the team make-up I believe,” said Hamlin. “Whether it’s back to the old 3 car or anything like that, that team has always kind of been in those situations. When they’re racing for championships, that’s part of their game that they play.”

    Ones Hamlin fell for last season, something he acknowledges, while also saying some drivers are better at staying away from altercations than others. There are too many personalities in this sport for them all to fit on one track.

    Harvick and Busch, or Childress and Busch have plenty of personality to go around. While Hamlin has nothing but praise for his teammate and his driving style, team owner Richard Childress isn’t a fan. He made that known in Kansas a few weeks ago.

    In Hamlin’s mind though, the feud between the two organizations or any two drivers blow over in time. Something yet to be seen in this instance.

    “A lot of times they don’t mesh well together and we saw that with the 29 and the 18 this year,” said Hamlin. “In general, everyone is going to work it out in time. Even though you consider yourself the toughest of rivals we still do a lot of things together that kind of patch that up.”

  • Predicting A Winner At Daytona Takes More Luck Than Ever

    Predicting A Winner At Daytona Takes More Luck Than Ever

    This past February, all of we NASCAR fans were treated to the biggest surprise that the sport as a whole as ever seen as Trevor Bayne won the Daytona 500 in his first attempt and his second start overall tying Jamie McMurray for that feat when he won UAW-GM Quality 500 in 2002.

    [media-credit name=”David Yeazell” align=”alignright” width=”281″][/media-credit]As we come to the Coke Zero 400, what are some things we need to look out for and what are some things that we shouldn’t look out for? Well, #1 would be Michael Waltrip because he isn’t racing this weekend. That will bring a sigh of relief to many drivers as he caused two wrecks that day including the one that took out most of the top contenders. 2. A person who usually wins a lot. This race will come down to the wire and you never know who will win until that one car crosses the finish line. Sure, Johnson won at Talladega, but that was just luck.

    Another thing we used to see at just Talladega and now appears in both is hanging out in the back until a certain amount of laps to go. Jeff Gordon and Jimmie Johnson are pretty notorious for doing so and in 2007 they got the job done at Talladega. However; you can’t lose your draft partner otherwise it’s going to be a long night for many Sprint Cup Series drivers.

    I know that I talked about surprises, but I’ll have to pick the driver who has the most momentum coming into Daytona. It is a toss up between Jeff Gordon and Kurt Busch, but I have to go with the 24. Reason? He’s actually won a plate race and Busch hasn’t yet, but who knows! Busch may surprise me, but it takes experience and strategy to win this race! Who are you guys picking? Comment below!