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Mike Conway Wins Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach, Completes Comeback

Last year after Mike Conway suffered a severe back and leg injury after a crash at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, he was determined to get back in a car. He hooked up with Andretti Autosport and completed the comeback today as he won the race.

Conway took the lead from Ryan Briscoe in turn six of the 1.968-mile, 11 turn Long Beach street circuit, on lap 72 of 85.

“I made the same move on Dario (Franchitti),” Conway said. “It was like they were struggling to get temperature in the tires. My car was good to go. I just took my time and picked my point, and was able to pull away.

“As soon as I got in the lead, I was thinking of winning already. But I knew I had to forget about it and get with the job at hand. The car was great. I could push all the time and control the gap. I made a mistake on a pit stop when I locked up. I thought our day might be done, but we had to hang in there and push all the way. On the restarts the car was awesome and it just came to life.”

This marked the first victory for Andretti Autosport’s first victory since June at Iowa Speedway.

“His comeback is now complete,” team owner Michael Andretti said. “The first time we put him in a race car, I could tell he had potential. I’m just so happy he was able to (win) this early and win one of the greatest races here in Long Beach. I’m just so proud of him and the whole Window World Cares team.”

Briscoe, who led practice, finished second while reigning series champion Dario Franchitti finished third.

In only his second start, James Hinchcliffe finished fourth while Alex Tagliani finished fifth.

“The guys did such a good job getting the back-up car going this afternoon,” said Hinchcliffe, the 2010 Firestone Indy Lights championship runner-up. “We were able to save fuel when we needed to, push when we needed to.”

Orio Servia manged to finished sixth after avoiding contact on the final restart.

“We had a strong performance the whole weekend and the team keeps moving forward,” Servia said. “But I do have a bit of a bad taste in my mouth because this was probably the best race car I have ever had in a race and a podium was within reach.

“I had to do a little bit of a circus maneuver to get back on track and that obviously cost us the podium there but we finished sixth and it could have been a lot worse.”

Danica Patrick finished seventh, followed by Tony Kanaan, Victor Meira and Will Power.

Power got caught back in the field after being bumped from behind by teammate Helio Castroneves in turn one on lap 66.

“I’m not really sure what happened on the restart,” Power said. “I got hit from behind by Helio but sometimes that’s what happens in racing – especially close racing like this with the double-file restarts. It wasn’t a great day for points, but Verizon Team Penske will keep working hard and move forward.”

Castroneves, meanwhile, finished 12th.

“I’m really not sure what to say,” Castroneves said. “I feel terrible for Will. I wasn’t even trying to pass, but we just made contact. Will is my teammate, and of course you just can’t take each other out. It’s just very unfortunate and I have to say I’m sorry to the team.”

Last year’s winner Ryan Hunter-Reay finished 23rd after falling off the pace on lap 70 and pitting.

“Basically, we couldn’t shift,” Hunter-Reay said. “It’s frustrating because the DHL/Sun Drop car was running strong and challenging for the lead. I really think we could have gotten Briscoe once his tires started falling off. I was hoping for a second win here.”

April 18, 2011
Clint Bowyer Says Forget the Racing Because ‘You’re Crazy’ If You Didn’t Like Sunday’s Finish

[media-credit name=”(c) CIA Stock Photo” align=”alignright” width=”236″][/media-credit]Clint Bowyer was inches away from making it back-to-back victories at Talladega Super Speedway in Sunday’s photo finish. Thanks to the new two-car tangos though, it was Jimmie Johnson pushed by teammate Dale Earnhardt Jr. at the finish line first.

For Bowyer there is no solace in the fact that he was apart of NASCAR history. The finish between Johnson’s No. 48 Lowe’s Chevrolet and Bowyer’s No. 33 BB&T Chevrolet ties the finish at Darlington in 2003 as the closest in history. Sunday the margin of victory was marked at 0.02 seconds, the closest finish since the sport went to electronic scoring.

“Hell, no, that sucks,” he said laughing. “It’s never very good to know you made NASCAR history by losing. Sooner or later I need to start making history by winning.”

While Bowyer wasn’t happy he didn’t win, he was apart of what helped make those watching walk away from the day a little happier. It’s hard to find anyone who is a fan of the Noah’s Ark racing as it’s been called where drivers pair up in twos. Gone are the days of the big packs and racing three or four wide.

Trying to win at Daytona or Talladega is not in the driver’s hands anymore, they don’t control their own destiny. It’s about finding a partner and sticking with them all day and hoping they don’t mess up and take both cars out. Then at the end, hope you’re being the driver pushed to the finish line.

It’s what occurred throughout Speedweeks at Daytona in both the Nationwide and Sprint Cup race. It occurred again this past weekend in both races. In two of the four plate races in the 2011 season, between Nationwide and Cup, the winner was determined by a photo finish. Yesterday’s Nationwide race could have been had the caution not come out on the final lap as Kyle Busch and Joe Nemecheck ran side-by-side coming off turn four.

“Here is the thing,” said Bowyer, “It doesn’t matter what happened throughout that race or what your thought was. If you didn’t like that finish and it didn’t make you forget about the race, you’re crazy.”

He continued, “Something about that, it just makes you forget about it and makes it — if it was a problem, it ain’t a problem anymore. You know, it always seems to fix itself at the end of these restrictor plate races. It doesn’t matter who is up there. You know, whether it’s ten cars or 43 cars left, it’s always a hell of a finish at these plate races, and always comes right down to the wire for whatever reason. You know, that wasn’t a green-and-white checkered; you thought it was going to be. I thought it was going to be, and it never presented it receive. But it was still, you know, an unbelievable finish.”

Jeff Gordon, who finished third, said that when the new car was created and because of how much boxier it is the end result became this new racing. He also said that two-car drafting won’t be going away any time soon and he like Dale Earnhardt Jr. say they aren’t engineers and don’t know what could be done to change it.

“I thought that was pretty fun there at the end, whether I was pushing or being pushed,” Gordon said. “Those last ten, 15 laps are fun from a driver standpoint.”

Coming down to the finish line and determining the winner by a photograph and/or slow motion is the only thing keeping the fans watching. Unfortunately for NASCAR, rumblings have already started from some who say they won’t be renewing their tickets for the next restrictor plate race. Or after attending one race in the weekend didn’t go back for the following day’s event.

Plate racing is not as it once was and believe it or not, they actually now prefer the big pack racing. Two-by two, they say, is just not worth spending the money or the travel time on.

Throughout Sunday’s broadcast it was easy to see and hear their displeasure. Having to sit in front of the TV for three hours and watching two car hookups did not bring out the excited race fan that plate racing normally does. From the TV announcers trying to name the new racing to what some believed was very little excitement; fans weren’t having any of it and are screaming for NASCAR to do something.

Those are the fans that even bothered to continue watching. Others reported they tuned in to the start of the event then went about their business until they end when they came back to see who won. Two-by-two racing isn’t the in thing in 2011. They don’t like, don’t want it and don’t mind saying so.

They aren’t the only ones. Drivers, most notably Dale Earnhardt Jr., have been very vocal about the racing. Early this weekend the five-time Talladega winner said the racing was garbage. During the Sunday’s Aaron’s 499 radio communication between drivers included words like ‘crazy,’ ‘stupid’ and ‘idiotic’ when describing what they were going through.

In the end it was all worth it though, even if the racing wasn’t. The finish was one for the record books, already has everyone talking and gives high hopes for a repeat at Daytona in July. The race also tied the Sprint Cup Series record for number of lead changes with 88, the final lead change coming on the last lap at the finish line.

“Pretty damn good race,” said winner Johnson.

April 17, 2011
Looking at the Aaron’s 499 through the Rear View Mirror!

Wow!!! What else can anyone truly say? Today’s finish of the Aaron’s 499 from Talladega, ties the closest finish since electronic scoring came to be in 1993. This leaves us with the same “gut feeling” of the 2003 Darlington race, where Kurt Busch and Ricky Craven battled to the line (both races were separated by .002 sec). As Mike Joy said in the Television booth, “what other sport can you say, you can’t tell who won, when you’re only 100 feet away?”

[media-credit name=”(c) CIA Stock Photo” align=”alignright” width=”255″][/media-credit]More than anything, Hendrick Motorsports needed this performance today. All 4 cars were there as they crossed the line, more so than any other race team. Not to mention, to start the Aaron’s 499, all 4 Hendrick car’s were in the top 4 as well.

What surprised me were the lack of cautions. Granted we did have some today, and 2 that come to mind took out some really good cars, but we didn’t see the “Big One” that we typically see at the Superspeedway tracks.

There wasn’t a single car that totally dominated this week, unlike last weeks shellacking Kenseth put on the field. All this does is add to the excitement of a NASCAR season where in 8 races, we have had 7 different winners. Most of the cars that ran toward the front all day, had great drafting help. I couldn’t help but be reminded of when Kenseth and Ragan hooked up for the first half of the race. They were one of the few pair-ups that seemed to stick toward the front.

Talladega was just one of those places that you really couldn’t pick a single driver to win, being that it is so unpredictable, and everyone has a shot to win. Who would have thought that out of Tommy Baldwin’s Racing team, Dave Blaney would be leading with just under 5 laps to go? Or how about David Gilliland’s P9 finish. This is what makes Talladega so great, it’s not the 2 car drafts we hate so much, but the great runs these drivers have, when they typically wouldn’t have them.

Only one more race before we close out April, and head into “All-Star Month”. There are plenty of great races, with great race cars ahead, and what NASCAR fan couldn’t be more excited about that?

Next Week: Off week for Easter (Nationwide Series at Nashville Saturday)

As we enjoy a week off, let’s get prepared for what is before us: Richmond, Darlington, Dover, All-Star race, and Charlotte to close out May!

Until next time~ “Let’s go racin’ boys!” -DW

April 17, 2011
Johnson holds off Bowyer by 0.002 seconds for first win of the season

(c) CIA Stock Photo

Jimmie Johnson edged Clint Bowyer by 0.002 seconds, about a foot, on Sunday to win the Aaron’s 499 at Talladega Superspeedway. This also ties the closest finish in NASCAR Sprint Cup history (2003 at Darlington).

“We were just the lucky guy at the end with a good run. We had some big mo on our side, and off we went.” Johnson said.

This was Johnson’s first win of the season and 54th of his Sprint Cup career.

Johnson and teammate Dale Earnhardt Jr. laid back most of the day but made their move coming out of the fourth turn on the final lap. They passed Hendrick Motorsports teammates Jeff Gordon and Mark Martin. With just enough of a push from Earnhardt Jr., Johnson stayed just in front of Clint Bowyer to win.

“I can’t thank Junior enough. He made the decision that my car was faster leading. And the way these things are finishing up, the lead car’s going to get the win.” Johnson said.

Bowyer finished second, Gordon third, Earnhardt Jr. fourth and Kevin Harvick finished fifth.

“With as crazy as it gets in these closing laps, sometimes a third is almost like a victory at these type of race tracks.” Gordon said.

The race had 26 leaders with 88 lead changes, tying the record set in last year’s spring race at Talladega.

Unofficial Race Results
Aaron’s 499, Talladega Superspeedway
April 15, 2011, Race 8 of 36
============================
Pos. Driver Make Pts.
============================
1 Jimmie Johnson Chevrolet 47
2 Clint Bowyer Chevrolet 44
3 Jeff Gordon Chevrolet 42
4 Dale Earnhardt Jr. Chevrolet 41
5 Kevin Harvick Chevrolet 40
6 Carl Edwards Ford 39
7 Greg Biffle Ford 38
8 Mark Martin Chevrolet 37
9 David Gilliland Ford 35
10 Joey Logano Toyota 35
11 A.J. Allmendinger Ford 33
12 Paul Menard Chevrolet 33
13 Martin Truex Jr. Toyota 32
14 David Reutimann Toyota 30
15 Regan Smith Chevrolet 30
16 Jeff Burton Chevrolet 29
17 Tony Stewart Chevrolet 27
18 Kurt Busch Dodge 27
19 Andy Lally * Ford 25
20 Robby Gordon Dodge 24
21 Jamie McMurray Chevrolet 24
22 Casey Mears Toyota 23
23 Denny Hamlin Toyota 21
24 Bobby Labonte Toyota 21
25 Ryan Newman Chevrolet 20
26 Bill Elliott Chevrolet 18
27 Dave Blaney Chevrolet 18
28 Michael Waltrip Toyota 16
29 Travis Kvapil Ford 0
30 Juan Montoya Chevrolet 14
31 Landon Cassill Chevrolet 0
32 Marcos Ambrose Ford 13
33 Brad Keselowski Dodge 12
34 Terry Labonte Ford 10
35 Kyle Busch Toyota 10
36 Matt Kenseth Ford 9
37 Kasey Kahne Toyota 8
38 Brian Vickers Toyota 6
39 David Ragan Ford 6
40 Trevor Bayne Ford 0
41 Joe Nemechek Toyota 0
42 Steve Park Chevrolet 0
43 Kevin Conway Toyota 0

April 17, 2011
Aaron’s 499; Hendrick’s Dueling Duos

In Daytona it was the Daytona Duos, in Talladega it was Dueling Duos that won the race for Jimmie Johnson and Hendrick Motorsports. With big help from wingman and team mate Dale Earnhardt Jr., Johnson got the push he needed to win the Aaron’s 499 today.

[media-credit name=”(c) CIA Stock Photo” align=”alignright” width=”267″][/media-credit]The race started off with Hendrick power that filled the front two rows with pole sitter Jeff Gordon and Johnson on the front row. Mark Martin started third, Earnhardt Jr. fourth. Those positions left Martin pushing Gordon and Earnhardt Jr. pushing Johnson when the green flag flew.

The racing looks to be duos from now on with the aero package and engines that are being used at both of the plate Superspeedways. To be in front of the field, you had to be a two driver team to keep up the speed. The race started off with the Hendrick drivers working together and that’s how they ended the race was in the same position.

Gordon was fighting an illness but it did not seem to slow him down. The team of Martin and Gordon ran mid pack or even back of the pack for the majority of the race while Johnson and Earnhardt Jr. ran the front for a number of laps, but they too joined Gordon and Martin in the back to avoid any incidents during the course of the race.

The two driver method, with drivers that could work with each other, proved to be the essential key today. You could see a team start four to six seconds back and with the draft from the other teams in front of them, sent them like a rocket to suck them forward into the lead.

The strong teams would see 88 lead changes. Hendrick and Richard Childress Racing would be the most dominant teams on the track, while Roush and Gibbs could not yet find the right match to have strong consistent runs during the race.

Clint Bowyer with teammates Kevin Harvick, Jeff Burton and Paul Menard would advance to the front many times where Bowyer led the most laps with 38. The fans would also see many unusual combinations of Dave Blaney and Kevin Harvick work together several times to run up front as well as Kurt and Kyle Busch.

Regan Smith, Trevor Bayne, Ryan Newman, Martin Truex Jr. would hook up with several different drivers during the race. The key though was working within your own teams’ race shop. Gordon and Martin never left each other during the entire race which was the case with Johnson and Earnhardt Jr.

Bowyer worked with Burton for most of the race. Butin the end he would team up with Harvick. They seemed to be making the move for the win at the end but Johnson just had too much of a run. During the race, a team could power away from the field if you did not stay glued to each other on the track. Three to four distinct packs ran the track today. Some would be the front runners that would want to remain in front, the first middle group that would be the drivers who swapped front and rear positions to not overheat the cars.

The third group were those waiting for the big one or waiting for the last laps of the race to make a move. In the back were drivers that really did not have someone to draft with.

The end of the race would be the most exciting as Gordon/Martin passed Edwards/Biffle who were running in front on the last lap. On the back stretch Bowyer and Harvick ran the high line while Gordon/Martin are next to the yellow line. Johnson/Earnhardt power start to close in on the top four as they entered turn three.

By turn three Johnson/Earnhardt shoot to the middle to make something happen, but they cannot move forward. Coming out of turn four Johnson/Earnhardt drop to the yellow line with enough room to grab the inside where Gordon/Martin could not make a move.

In the tri-oval Johnson/Earnhardt start to muscle their way inch by inch to the front. Its three wide two team driving as all six drivers are side by side. It appeared that Johnson’s move past Martin may have been below the line. NASCAR officials said there was no violation.

At the line, by .002 seconds, Johnson wins the race in front of Bowyer. Gordon takes third, Earnhardt fourth, Harvick fifth. Martin was shuffled back to eighth as Edwards and Biffle made a comeback on the outside of Bowyer and Harvick to take sixth and seventh.

Johnson would take home his 54th victory in 335 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races. This was Johnson’s second win at Talladega and his first for the year.

The 88 lead changes ties an all-time NSCS record set back at this track a year ago.

Carl Edwards is your unofficial points leader by 5 points over Johnson.

Lap-By-Lap coverage

Talladega Tandem, Dega Duo, Two for Two, whatever you call it, that is going to be the big story for the day. The fans saw the most lead changes in the Nationwide race yesterday, I know we will see it happen today.

Hendrick Motorsports heads the first two rows as Jeff Gordon and Jimmie Johnson are on the front row with Mark Martin and Dale Earnhardt Jr. rule the second row. The Hendrick drivers have the duo aspect covered for us at the start, we will see how long that holds up.

Lap 14 Johnson with Earnhardt’s pushing takes the lead for the first time today. They have been hooked up for the entire time so far. Lap 16 the two swap for the second time and drop back to 14th and 15th within ten seconds.

Lap 18 Bowyer and Waltrip are on point, Kahne and Vickers , Cassill and Kurt Busch, Burton and Kenseth are the main groups are front.

Lap 21 Kyle Busch and Joey Logano are teamed up. We have a twelve car breakaway at the moment. Lap 22 Kurt Busch has Cassill pushing him to the lead. Vickers and Kahne are teamed up. Waltrip is pushing Bower, Ragan has Menard for his help.

Lap 25 Kyle Busch and Logano are the leaders with Ragan/Menard second.

YELLOW FLAG lap 27 in turn two as Kurt Busch is offset from Cassill which sends him into the team of Kahne and Vickers. One Red Bull car of Vickers heads into the outside wall while the other Red Bull of Kahne heads to the infield while others scatter. With the scattering we see some collateral damage between the duos being nose to tail. All the drivers head to pit road. Bowyer, Waltrip, Burton, Kyle Busch and Menard are the top five. Vickers heads to the garage .

GREEN FLAG lap 32 as Childress teammates of Bowyer and Burton are hooked up take the lead. Kurt Busch and Brad Keselowski are teamed up to move up towards the front. Lap 37 a noteworthy move sees Trevor Bayne and Carl Edwards rocketing to the front, but only for a short time as the drivers have to swap for clean air.

Lap 39 Kenseth has help from Ragan with Logano and Kyle Busch close in on the front. Lap 40 Burton pushed by Bowyer, Kenseth by Ragan with a majority of the field teamed up. Kahne is hooked up with a lap down driver of David Gilliland to hold third.

Lap 45 Regan Smith is Menard is in front. Lap 46 Burton and Bowyer are back in front.

Lap 50 your top twenty drivers are Kenseth, Ragan, Keselowski, Kurt Busch, Burton, Bowyer, Allmendinger, Reutimann, Biffle, Bayne, Earnhardt Jr., Johnson, Kahne, Bobby Labonte, Truex Jr., Kyle Busch, Logano, Ryan Newman, Hamlin and Smith.

Lap 54 Earnhardt and Johnson take the lead. Lap 55 it’s Earnhardt / Johnson versus Biffle / Kenseth for the lead. Lap 57 there are several distinct pack in the field.

Lap 59 Biffle / Bayne run the front with Kenseth / Ragan, Earnhardt / Johnson, Kurt Busch / Keselowski, Bowyer / Burton in tow. Lap 62 the top seven groups are within 1 second of each other. Keselowski / Kurt Busch are two seconds back then it’s another two seconds to the next group of four teams. The front row of Martin and Gordon run 25th and 26th run ten seconds from the second group.

Lap 67 Earnhardt / Johnson are back in front. So far there have been 36 lead changes. We are about 5 laps away from green flag stops. Lap 69 Robby Gordon and Casey Mears come into pit road followed by Edwards and Marcos Ambrose, Juan Palo Montoya and Jamie McMurray.

Lap 71 Logano and Kyle Busch are in. Lap 72 Earnhardt and Johnson are in. Lap 73 Bayne, Biffle, Martin Truex Jr. and another are in. Martin and Jeff Gordon are in. The big thing is with the team pitting it kind of throws off the other team racers near the entrance to pit road, causing the at speed drivers to scatter to the middle of the track. Lap 75 Bowyer and Burton are in for a stop.

Lap 75 your top five groups are Johnson / Earnhardt Jr., Ryan Newman / Kyle Busch, Bobby Labonte / Truex Jr., Kenseth / Ragan and Smith / Menard. The field is spread out by a huge margin. The top six groups are spread out by four seconds.

Lap 80 David Reutimann and A.J. Allmendinger come up through the ranks where Burton and Bowyer take advantage of their run. To move up and push Johnson / Earnhardt Jr. back to 7th and 8th.

YELLOW FLAG lap 90 in turn three as Kurt Busch is offset into the back of Keselowski to send him into the outside line and the back of Ambrose against the wall. For some weird reason Ragan was locking up his car behind Kenseth then looks like his car burst into flames for a few seconds. Keselowski comes down sideways, just missing Ragan causing him to spin in a reaction to the crash. Kahne has all the action pop up in front of him where he nails one of the cars. Kahne’s car is engulfed in flames as he heads down the apron of turn four.

The field heads to pit road for the third stop of the day. Out of the pits we see Menard, Kurt Busch, Smith, Kyle Busch and Bowyer are the first five back to the track.

GREEN FLAG lap 97 and on the backstretch we see Bowyer and Burton pull to the lead. Lap 98 brothers Kurt and Kyle Busch hop into the lead. Lap 99 Hamlin / Logano are in the mix. Lap 100 new players in the mix are Dave Blaney / Kevin Harvick that move into the lead. Lap 101 Edwards moves into the lead with help from Biffle.

Lap 105 your top twenty drivers are Reutimann, Kurt Busch, Allmendinger, Kyle Busch, Edwards, Biffle, Mears, Smith, Menard, Bowyer, Burton, Harvick, Bobby Labonte, Yeley, Terry Labonte, Newman, Kenseth, Truex Jr. and Waltrip. So far there have been 50, yes 50 lead changes so far and we still have 83 laps to go. 2 cautions have been on the track for about 6 laps. The 50 lead changes have been among 22 leaders.

Lap 110 Kurt Busch and Kyle Busch jump back into the lead while Bobby Labonte and Truex Jr. are in the mix. Bill Elliott who started the race has J.J. Yeley driving the car with help from Terry Labonte who is pushing from behind, now join the action in front.

Lap 118 (70 to go) it’s Childress racing versus Gibbs racing for the lead and up in the middle come Blaney and Harvick for the lead. Lap 125 we see a five team race in the front. Two seconds back we see another five pack with a small separation to 21st place Bobby Labonte leading a large pack of drivers that has a mix of teams and singles.

YELLOW FLAG lap 127 for debris. Robby Gordon is the lucky dog. 28 lead lap drivers will head into pit road. Smith, Menard, Bowyer, Allmendinger, Kyle Busch, Reutimann, Blaney and Harvick are in the top ten. 62 lead changes so far.

GREEN FLAG lap 132 as we see six of the two groups work on each other for the lead. Lap 135 (53 to go) Blaney and Harvick lead Kyle Busch and Logano. Lap 138 Waltrip almost tags Johnson in turn two.

YELLOW FLAG lap 139 as Logano pushes Kyle Busch from behind too hard which sends Busch into Kenseth in the path of Newman, Allmendinger, Reutimann, Hamlin Bobby Labonte and McMurray. All the drivers scatter to avoid the spinning Kyle Busch and Kenseth.

From pit road we see Harvick, Burton, Bowyer, Menard and Kurt Busch in front.

GREEN FLAG lap 144 and 44 to go. By turn three Harvick and Bowyer take off from the field for a few seconds. 41 to go as Menard is offset from Burton which Burton is on the apron and a big, huge save.

39 to go it looks like somebody hit the let’s go switch up front as we see Truex Jr. with help from Reutimann score the front point with Harvick and Bowyer on the outside followed by Burton Menard, Kurt Busch / Logano, Blaney and Smith and three other two driver packs.

35 to go as McMurray / Montoya battle with Blaney / Smith for the lead. 33 to go as Blaney / Smith lead Bowyer / Harvick and Montoya / McMurray with Burton / Menard and Kurt Busch / Logano.

30 to go Bowyer / Harvick lead. 29 to go Truex Jr. / Reutimann challenge for the lead. Martin / Jeff Gordon have moved past Johnson / Earnhardt Jr. into 16th and 17th.

YELLOW FLAG 25 to go for debris. Bowyer and Harvick lead.

GREEN FLAG with 20 to go and into 19 to go Bowyer and Burton have the lead followed by Smith and Menard, Montoya / McMurray who pass Bowyer and Burton.

18 to go Newman / Hamlin make a move to the front and as they do in turn three, Hamlin turns Newman into Montoya where Montoya holds his car in place and the dirt track skills of Newman saves a big wreck. Montoya has major damage to the right side of his car.

YELLOW FLAG and 14 to go as it looks like the front left tire might have let go from Newman’s car coming out of turn two. Another big save by Newman and he does not hit the inside wall. Montoya brings his car to pit road and the tire is so bent in that on the yellow flag lap you can see the tire start to peel away causing a long string of the tire is flapping in the air. No takers to pit road from the front of the field. Newman remains on the lead lap.

GREEN FLAG with 11 to go and the front row starter of Jeff Gordon and wingman Mark Martin had the lead for a moment.

9 to go as Harvick and Bowyer are on the outside with Johnson / Earnhardt in tow.

8 to go Blaney and Kurt Busch followed by Jeff Gordon and Martin, Truex Jr. and Reutimann.

7 to go we have 20 drivers within two seconds of a gap.

6 to go Blaney / Kurt Busch, Truex Jr . / Reutimann, Johnson / Earnhardt Jr.

5 to go it’s big time game on with 5 packs of two drivers led by Edwards and Biffle.

4 to go Edwards / Biffle, Bowyer / Harvick, Earnhardt / Johnson, Jeff Gordon / Martin

2 to go Bowyer and Harvick on the outside of Edwards / Biffle

WHITE FLAG as Gordon / Martin pass Edwards / Biffle. On the back stretch Bowyer and Harvick run the high line while Gordon and Martin are next to the yellow line. Johnson with Earnhardt power start to close in on the top four as they enter turn three.

By turn three Johnson / Earnhardt shoot to the middle to make something happen, but they cannot move forward, so coming out of turn four Johnson / Earnhardt drop to the yellow line with enough room to grab the inside where Gordon / Martin cannot make a move.

In the tri-oval Johnson and Earnhardt start to muscle their way inch by inch to the front. It’s three wide two team driving as all six drivers are side by side. Earnhardt taps the door of Martin and they all keep going.

At the line by 1/1000th of a second, Johnson wins the race in front of Bowyer. Gordon takes third, Earnhardt fourth, Harvick fifth. Martin was shuffled back to eighth as Edwards and Biffle made a comeback on the outside of Bowyer and Harvick to take sixth and seventh.

David Gilliland and Logano round out your top ten.

The race lasted for over three hours. We saw 88 lead changes among 27 drivers. 6 cautions came out.

April 17, 2011
Talladega’s Spring Homecoming

Even a Tornado didn’t phase Talladega. She stood through the wind and the rain with her ever foreboding presence. She set the example for those that would compete on her legendary high banks over the next two days; the howling wind seemed to echo the secret of success here, as it blew down her straight a ways. Never give up. No Hesitation. No Fear.

[media-credit name=”(c) CIA Stock Photo” align=”alignright” width=”229″][/media-credit]Although Friday night saw the drivers coach area evacuated to storm shelters at the track, Saturday morning brought Alabama Blue Skies and a day full of racing. The ARCA race would find a long time favorite coming oh so close to victory and losing it by a nose to ARCA rookie Ty Dillion, but Frank Kimmel showed the dominance on the day until the final 1000 yards.

The Cup qualifying would show historical milestone achieved with 1 through 4 starting positions for Hendrick Motorsports. It was only the third time in history that a single team would lock up the top spots to start a race. Owner Pete DePaolo’s cars started 1-5 at Concord, N.C., in 1956; cars owned by Jack Roush claimed the top four spots on the grid at Fontana in 2005, and now Talladega in 2011 with HMS.

Pole sitter Jeff Gordon stated that qualifying was a “snoozer” and that he could have walked faster than he qualified. The field would not break 180 mph in qualifying at NASCAR’s fastest track.

The Nationwide Series race would go off as scheduled on Saturday afternoon. It would be nothing more than a long drawn out wreck fest that would see an unlikely winner in Kyle Busch. Busch’s car which had been severely damaged in a lap 88 on track altercation had very little right rear quarter panel left on it and it was battered at both ends. The car in victory lane looked more like it had survived a short track race than won a super speedway race.

Second place Joey Logano, stated after the race, “I don’t know why we even go to the wind tunnel when we end up with cars that look like this.” Third place Joe Nemecheck laughed and said, “I haven’t been to the wind tunnel in 3 years.”

The race saw some very surprising finishers with Nemecheck and Mike Wallace leading for a short while at the end of the race. Wallace would end up on his roof and landing on all four wheels at the last “green -white -checkered” finish. Wallace said he wasn’t going to quit so he re-fired the car and drove around to an 18^th place lead lap finish.

Wallace’s roll over would bring out the final caution on the white flag lap allowing Kyle Busch to win the race at the timing line just past the accident. Busch was leading at the time of the caution and the field by NASCAR rules is frozen by the yellow.

The race was a display of the two car draft and what can happen within it. The race was stopped twice for red flags and major accidents. Including the big one which saw 21 cars involved on lap 88.

The race on Sunday was more of the same with less wrecks. It’s finish was exciting and dynamic with Jimmie Johnson taking the lead half way through the tri -oval with a push from team mate Dale Earnhardt Jr. The finish which was the closest in NASCAR history saw the 48 beat Clint Bowyer by .002 seconds. The 4 pairs of cars wide finish was one of the most exciting in the history of the sport without exception.

Johnson who said he didn’t lift after the start finish line because he didn’t know whether it was the checkered flag lap or not found out he won when team mate Dale Jr came over the radio and said, “Damn I think the 48 won it.” Johnson who gave the checkered flag of the race to team mate Dale Jr whom he worked with all day as a tandem, said Dale didn’t want to take the flag but did so reluctantly on pit road. “We definitely wouldn’t have won the race without Dale.”

Clint Bowyer finished second in the BB&T Chevrolet said, “We did everything we could do. The BB&T Chevrolet, she did everything she could do.” When asked if it was good to be second in the closest finish in NASCAR history Bowyer replied, “Hell, no, that sucks (laughing). It’s never very good to know you made NASCAR history by losing. Sooner or later I need to start making history by winning. (JJ’s) won enough (more laughing).”

Jeff Gordon who finished third stated, “The race is really only about 25 laps long. You spend the rest of the day setting up the finish.” Gordon who ran in the back with team mate Mark Martin for most of the day made his charge to the front with 22 laps to go and was leading on the back stretch of the final lap. He was passed by the tandem of Bowyer and Harvick out of three with Carl Edwards/Greg Biffle coming quickly on the outside setting up the dramatic finish at the line.

The race was not without it’s controversy. This one started and encouraged and in fact fueled by a member of the press. It would seem that it was felt by some that Jimmie Johnson passed Mark Martin below the yellow line in the process of taking the lead. Photo’s from AP photographer, Butch Dill, show the 48 and the 88 with left side tires on the yellow line. Neither car is below the double yellow line but both are on the double yellow line.

In post race media conference Johnson was asked about the situation, He said he was not even aware that they were that close to the yellow line and that he had been told before entering the media center about it. He stated that he had asked NASCAR and been told, “we were clear.” NASCAR Vice President Steve Odonnell stated on Twitter, “Great finish, we don’t see any evidence of 48 gaining a position below yellow, Car needs to be below and tires are not even below, this is not close.”

Interestingly enough the controversy was spurred not by a fellow competitor but by a member of the media. It is interesting that in the unbiased can not applaud or shake hands with a winner world of “professional” journalism that one individual would go to such great lengths to try to discredit the win of a 5 time champion. This rule has been debated ad nauseum since it’s inception. We have seen it’s bad side. We have seen it’s good side. Not once has NASCAR ever hesitated to call the yellow line rule. Not for anyone. So it seems strange that they would be questioned to the extent of searching out photo’s to prove the reporter right.

The real story of Talladega had nothing to do with the finish but in truth the other 350 laps of Surrey racing with cars. Drivers from Jeff Gordon to Dale Jr and Kevin Harvick all expressed their dislike for the new two car draft. Dale Earnhardt Jr went so far as to call it, “crap” . In post race Jimmie Johnson said, “It was fun. But if I had been in a wreck I would probably be bitching and moaning about it.”

The truth is honestly how safe is it to drive 180 mph with 42 other cars while driving blind folded? That is essentially what these guys were doing. You can not legally text and drive due to the dangers of accidents while you do it. But these drivers are trying to change radio channels and talk to different drivers and spotters and drive blind half the time.

When you add in to the mix the instability of the race cars themselves when being pushed down the straightaways and tri ovals you have a disaster waiting to happen.

Constantly we will hear about the 88 lead changes and the closest finish in history, but in truth those statements and results are skewed. There were 88 lead changes between two car tandems so realistically you must actually divide that number by two.

The closest finish in history was very exciting yes. But the finish doesn’t make for a good race in it’s entirety. Frankly, it was a snoozer to borrow Jeff Gordon’s word for the first 320 laps. Cars were strung out in 2 car pairs. And most passing was as the cars switched positions and went backwards because of the lift factor to allow the pass. The pass has to be made to avoid blowing an engine up due to over heating because of the NASCAR grill mandates.

Then lets add the smaller restrictor plate. Frankly, Big Bill built Talladega to be the fastest track in the world. This weekend he would have been looking for a fix because the laps turned at Texas, where the pole speed was 189.820 mph, were in a lot of cases faster than the laps turned at Talladega, The world center of speed, where Jeff Gordon’s pole speed was 178.248 mph.

When we add all these things together, the common denominator is NASCAR. Again it appears that there are attempts to manipulate the competition and then tell us this is better. “You must not be a race fan if that finish didn’t excite you.” The finish did excite me. It was the rest of the race that was the problem.

“How can you not like 43 cars changing positions at 180 mph?” I do like to see cars making passes for position at 180 mph. But these passes are meaningless passes of survival.

Fox TV called it one of the most exciting races in NASCAR history. Really? For the last 22 laps it was pretty good. But it wasn’t as good as Richmond in 1991 when DW and Rusty Wallace raced side by side for the last 32 laps without ever touching one another. That was exciting. It wasn’t the 1998 Daytona 500 when the Intimidator finally won the big one. It wasn’t even as exciting as Bristol in 1991 when Rusty Wallace came from 4 laps down to win from the pole. Yes 4 laps down and there was no lucky dog. That was racing. That was exciting. This is surrey racing with cars. This is a winner who by himself would finish last.

Dale Jarrett said it best, “You can’t really race you have to have a dancing partner.” But this is not prom. These are not young men on shaky knees asking a pretty young girl to dance. These are 43 of the greatest stock car drivers in the world. And they need to be able to see where they are going. NASCAR would never let a blind man race. But they blind good men and ask them to dance in pairs at high speed. This is not racing. This is manipulation and a poor solution to ratings, empty seats and a kit car that the more changes they make to it the worse it becomes. NASCAR can measure a chassis that is off as close to half the thickness of a quarter, but they can’t seem to see where the real problem is. I guess there is truth to the cliché of the blind leading the blind. The problem is the teams, drivers, engineers and fans are not all blind.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ **** ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Congratulations to Ty Dillion on his first career ARCA win. Congratulations to the pairing of Kyle Busch/Joey Logano of JGR on their NNS win. Congratulations to Jimmie Johnson/Dale Earnhardt Jr on their Sprint Cup Victory for Hendrick Motorsports. Also congratulations to HMS team on making history with their 1 – 4 starting positions for the race. Especially congratulations to the Spotters on the roof who guided two car teams to the best of their ability without being able to remotely control the cars. You may not be driving them, but you did an awesome job of guiding them.

That said, to all the competitors in all the series thanks for giving us everything you have to give, you are our heroes. Most importantly, thanks to all the families who shared their loved ones with us so we could cheer our favorite driver and favorite teams. You are the true heroes of the sport and we are forever in your debt.

April 17, 2011
All Eyes on the Aaron’s 499

NASCAR.com

Finally, it’s time for the Aaron’s 499 from Talladega Superspeedway! This track is exciting, but always tends to leave us with a reminder of how tough it is to win at the Superspeedway tracks. The big key to having a decent finish here, is not necessarily running up front the entire race, but trying to stay out of trouble.

In 2005, Dale Jarrett did just that. It was Dale’s last win as a Cup driver, ending his NASCAR Hall of Fame career victorious in a track that is too tough to tame! No one knows whether the big one will come in the beginning of the race or the end, which is tormenting for some drivers.

The biggest question I have going into the Aaron’s 499, “will this be another Daytona 500?” I think it will. As in most cases, I believe NASCAR will always have the fan’s interest, but at the same time, create a safe working environment for their drivers. NASCAR has once again regulated the restrictor plate size for Talladega, something that will drastically change the racing style here. The new plate is 3 sizes smaller than the old plate, which is less power than the previous races. The ARCA, and Nationwide series now has more power at Talladega, than the Sprint Cup Series, which I personally think is wrong. I want these drivers to remain safe, and they have been safe since the tragedy that took place in Daytona back in 2001, but at the same time, the previous races at Talladega has been pure excitement! I have a feeling that this race will once again be 2 car pair-up’s, and the key to getting to the front is finding that fast car. Will the Ford’s new FR9 engine allow them to push as well as they did in Daytona? This remains as a great question that will probably be answered sometime during Happy Hour.

When picking drivers at the Talladega Superspeedway, you may have better luck drawing names out of a hat. I didn’t do so bad last week, picking Matt Kenseth to win the Samsung Mobile 500. So, here are my picks for the Aaron’s 499:

Fantasy Picks:

Target: Kevin Harvick, Jamie McMurray, Clint Bowyer, Dale Earnhardt Jr., David Ragan, Carl Edwards

Avoid: Ryan Newman, Matt Kenseth (although i’m not sold having him in the “avoid” .. might be a bargain pick)

Analysis: In the last 10 Talladega races, there have been nine different winners. Kenseth hasn’t had a top-10 since 2006, but don’t count him out, he has certainly turned a bunch of heads this year. Kyle Busch leads laps at Talladega, but doesn’t have the finishes to show it.

Bargain: Regan Smith should have won here in 2008 and Brad Keselowski did in 2009. The latter has three top-10 finishes in four starts.

Talladega Sprint Cup Schedule:

Friday 2pm~ Practice
Friday 3:30pm~ Practice
Saturday 11:30am~ Qualifying
Sunday 1pm~ Aaron’s 499

This track has the reputation of having “jaw-dropping” pure excitement, and I wouldn’t bet against that happening again this week.

Next Race: April 30th~ Richmond International Speedway

Until next time~ “Let’s go racin’ boys!”-DW

April 17, 2011
Rain Wind Tornados Don’t Stop Fans at Talladega

NASCAR fans and the mail service have a few things in common, a little wind,rain, and tornado warnings/watches don’t keep them “under weather”. Yesterday was short day of on-track activities for the fans at Talladega Superspeedway, with the final practice for the NSCS being cut short and the ARCA 3 Amigos 250 being rescheduled until today.

[media-credit id=19 align=”alignright” width=”225″][/media-credit]
Josh Morgan of DeRidder, LA riding out the storm.
I saw firsthand that this does not keep the fans who are in the campground from coming out and having a good time. NASCAR fans from DeRidder, LA about nine hours away from TSS were out and about having a good time. E.B. and Barb Boss of DeRidder have not missed a spring race at TSS for the past 17 years, they rode the storms out last year and were not going to let these keep them down. “This is what makes Talladega, what it is” said Josh Morgan also of DeRidder.

With the tornado sirens going off in the background and the warnings on the radio many fans camping at TSS continued their “hurricane parties”.

One fan had to say “We did not drive 14 hours to pack up and stop now”. Some fans campground had been flooded, lost ice chests, cars stuck, and tents under water but everyone of them had a smile. Because “This is Talladega”.

April 16, 2011
This week in NASCAR: STP Returns; Bayne secures sponsorship

Returning to the sport:

The STP brand will be returning to racing. The No. 43 STP Ford Fusion will be a modern replica of the 1972 paint scheme featuring the original Petty Blue and STP Day-Glo Red at Kansas Speedway in June.

STP will also continue sponsorship of Tony Stewart Racing and a multi-year track sponsorship with ISC properties including Daytona, Talladega, Richmond, Darlington, Michigan, Chicagoland and Kansas.

Bayne secures sponsorship for All-Star Race:

Daytona 500 winner Trevor Bayne earned a spot in the Sprint All-Star Race next month at Charlotte Motor Speedway by winning the series opening Daytona 500 in February.

But Wood Brothers Racing didn’t have sponsorship until Tuesday April 12. Good Sam Club, a sister company of Camping World will sponsor Bayne in both the May 21 All-Star race and at Talladega Superspeedway.

Also Bayne has fully recovered from a reaction to an insect bite on his elbow two weeks ago. He had developed a rash and experienced numbness in his arm during Saturday race at Texas.

Biffle stays at Roush Fenway Racing:

According to the Charlotte Observer, Greg Biffle has agreed to a contract extension with Roush Fenway Racing. No word on the terms of the agreement.

Harvick delivers beer:

For a promotion of his new sponsor, Kevin Harvick rode in a Budweiser delivery truck and rolled a dolly of beer into a Wal-Mart storage area on Wednesday in South Carolina. Harvick unloaded cases of beer, swapped out the older beer and continued stacking until every open space was filled.

Record-Setting Pace Continues in 2011 Sprint Fan Vote:

Sprint (NYSE:S) announced today an updated list of top vote recipients and a continued record-setting pace in the 2011 Sprint Fan Vote.

FULL PR: http://www.speedwaymedia.com/?p=9330

Kyle Petty Charity Ride Launches Text to Pledge Campaign:

Fans and Supporters Can Text RIDE to 27722 to Make $10 Donation from Mobile Phones. Fans and supporters of the Kyle Petty Charity Ride Across America will have a new way of making an impact this year. Beginning today, the public can make a $10 donation by texting RIDE to 27722 from their mobile phones. Funds raised will support the children’s charities the Ride benefits, including Victory Junction, a camp for chronically ill children founded by Kyle and Pattie Petty in honor of their late son Adam.

Full PR: http://www.speedwaymedia.com/?p=9364

Race Fans Can Register to Win a Corvette Starting April 15:

Race fans can enter for a chance to win a 2012 Chevrolet Corvette Grand Sport Convertible and a trip to Le Mans, France, for the 2012 24 Hours of Le Mans by entering the “Race To Win Corvette” promotion at www.racetowincorvette.com now through June 30, 2011.

April 16, 2011
Winning has a new feeling as droughts end in the Sprint Cup Series

Jimmie Johnson said he’s unfazed by his now 15 race winless drought. For the defending Sprint Cup Series champion not going to victory on any particular Sunday is nothing more than a bad day, which won’t last long. With 53 career wins and five championships, Johnson doesn’t have to think too hard or worry too much about when the next checkered flag is going to be thrown his way.

[media-credit name=”Brad Keppel” align=”alignright” width=”180″][/media-credit]Drivers like Jeff Burton and Dale Earnhardt Jr. would love to have Johnson’s attitude. Until recently so would Jeff Gordon and Matt Kenseth. Fortunately for their teams they are the two recent drivers who have ended their own personal droughts in a NASCAR season that is quickly becoming one of resurgence.

Trevor Bayne didn’t know how to get to victory lane after winning the Daytona 500 of if he was even supposed to be there. A 20-year-old kid driving for one of the most famous teams in NASCAR and winning the biggest race of the season was just what NASCAR needed to begin a new year.

Bayne didn’t end a winless drought, he had never won a race in any of NASCAR’s series, but he did end a stream of the same faces in victory lane. This became a year of fresh faces and fresh optimism.

The following week it was a four-time champion who couldn’t believe he had won a race. Jeff Gordon, one of the most successful drivers in the sport, was in awe and shouted, “Are you kidding me?” in Phoenix. A 66-race losing streak was over. Never let it be said that even those who know what success tastes and feels like will get used to it and become immune to excitement.

“Pinch me, man. Pinch me,” said Gordon. “God, it feels so amazing … I’m going to savor this one so much.”

NASCAR is a sport where one must become accustomed to losing. In order to survive in this sport one must learn how to lose, not just win. Baseball, basketball, hockey or even football – as hard as the Detroit Lions tried – never will teams go a complete year without winning.

In NASCAR with 43 drivers, 36 races the odds aren’t always going to be in your favor. It’s not hard to favorites to go from heroes to zeros quickly and then go through team changes to try and recapture the magic. It’s all about winning in NASCAR, doing as much of it as you can, and celebrating as long as you can because it’s over in a day or two when prepared for the next week begins.

It’s why much has been made of Kyle Busch and his reactions to let a race slip through his fingers. No matter how many he has won, 91 over NASCAR’s top three series, he knows like any driver that his last win could be any given Sunday.

Another champion, Matt Kenseth, discussed his win on Saturday night in Texas like it was any other day at the office. But it was clear that the weight had been lifted off his shoulders after two years of going winless. After coming up short for 76 races Kenseth said he wondered if he’d ever get to celebrate again and said, “show me where to park this thing” in victory lane.

With Kenseth out of the way drivers like the aforementioned Burton and Earnhardt Jr. who are ready to end their 84 and 100 winless droughts respectively, are ready to be next. It was Charlotte in October of 2008 that Burton last saw victory lane while Earnhardt Jr.’s drought goes back to Michigan in June of that same year.

If 2011 continues to parody in its winners, there have six different winners in the seven races this season, as well as drivers who are ending their slumps Burton and Earnhardt Jr. are running in positions to do the same. Their fans keep waiting, circling races on their calendars and ready to all but tear their house or grandstands down when that driver wins.

While much as been discussed about his move from Richard Petty Motorsports to a one-year stop at Red Bull Racing before continuing on to Hendrick Motorsports, Kasey Kahne hasn’t won in 54 races. He’s another big name with another big streak no one wants.

Once that first win is finally captured the hope is for a Carl Edwards like comeback. Edwards returned to victory lane at Phoenix in November of last season ending a 70-race streak, then won again the following weekend at Homestead-Miami. He won again in the third race of the 2011 season. Going three for his last five races and he’s now the point leader.

Along with Burton, Earnhardt Jr., and Kahne other drivers looking to snap are Bobby Labonte, 259 races, and Martin Truex Jr. at 138 races. Talladega looms where anything can happen and it’s a wide-open for anyone in the field to have a shot. And whether it’s another veteran whose welcomed back to the winner’s circle or a Bayne like day, it will be different.

Winning in 2011 just seems to have a new feeling and meaning than years past. As if they’re doing it for the very first time.

April 15, 2011