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Author: SM Staff

  • The Kyle Busch Show: Kyle Busch Wins The Lucas Oil 150

    The Kyle Busch Show: Kyle Busch Wins The Lucas Oil 150

    The past three years at Phoenix International Raceway, Kevin Harvick Incorporated (KHI) has won with Kyle Busch second. Going into this year, Busch said no more as he brought a brand new truck, set to take down KHI.

    “Big thanks to the guys in the chassis shop,” crew chief Eric Phillips said afterwards. “They put their heads together on building a brand new truck – its not like anything in the shop.”

    On lap 43, Busch came down pit road second to KHI driver Clint Bowyer, though with a quick stop from his pit crew, Busch gained the lead and never looked back as he led the final 50 laps on his way to victory. The win gave Busch his 25th Camping World Truck Series victory and 50th top five in 87 starts.

    “It’s pretty amazing and its been that way for a long time,” Busch said in victory lane. “I’ve had a lot of awesome people stand behind me all the way. Man, I was scared there near the end thinking Clint was going to walk the dog there but Eric’s made some awesome changes on these trucks.”

    The Kyle Busch-KHI one-two finish show kept going as it was Bowyer who finished second.

    “I knew once he beat us out of the pits,” Bowyer said. “You know, in clean air, once you drive off and leave them you’re a tenth better than the field. Its like when we won in the Fall. I knew in practice that he’d be the one to beat.”

    In the last 50 laps, Bowyer had multiple chances to get Busch on the restart, but he could never get that run.

    “One time I’d spin the tires; the next time I’d hit the REV limiter,” Bowyer said. “These things hit the REV limiter quicker than the Cup cars do.”

    His teammate Ron Hornaday finished third while Johnny Sauter and Austin Dillon rounded out the top five. Rookie Cole Whitt finished sixth for his first truck series top 10, followed by Matt Crafton, Justin Johnson, Joey Coulter and Jason White.

    The first 43 laps went green, though the final 100 laps saw eight cautions as multiple trucks found themselves in trouble.

    With his seventh place finish, Matt Crafton takes over the points lead by one point over Clay Rogers. Clay Rogers, who was the points leader coming into the weekend, finished 16th.

    Unofficial Race results

    Pos. St. No. Driver Make Pts. Bon. Laps Status
    1 3 18 Kyle Busch Toyota 0 0 150 Running
    2 1 2 Clint Bowyer Chevrolet 0 0 150 Running
    3 4 33 Ron Hornaday Chevrolet 41 0 150 Running
    4 8 13 Johnny Sauter Chevrolet 40 0 150 Running
    5 2 3 Austin Dillon Chevrolet 39 0 150 Running
    6 9 60 Cole Whitt * Chevrolet 38 0 150 Running
    7 6 88 Matt Crafton Chevrolet 37 0 150 Running
    8 14 51 Justin Johnson* Toyota 36 0 150 Running
    9 10 22 Joey Coulter * Chevrolet 35 0 150 Running
    10 17 23 Jason White Chevrolet 34 0 150 Running
    11 21 32 Brad Sweet Chevrolet 33 0 150 Running
    12 11 17 Timothy Peters Toyota 32 0 150 Running
    13 22 8 Nelson Piquet Jr. * Chevrolet 31 0 150 Running
    14 7 30 Todd Bodine Toyota 30 0 150 Running
    15 18 9 Max Papis Toyota 29 0 150 Running
    16 13 92 Clay Rogers Chevrolet 28 0 150 Running
    17 12 62 Brendan Gaughan Toyota 27 0 149 Running
    18 27 66 Justin Marks Chevrolet 26 0 148 Running
    19 29 1 Jeffrey Earnhardt * Chevrolet 25 0 148 Running
    20 25 20 Johanna Long * Toyota 24 0 148 Running
    21 23 39 Ryan Sieg Chevrolet 23 0 148 Running
    22 30 93 Shane Sieg Chevrolet 22 0 148 Running
    23 31 46 Craig Goess * Toyota 21 0 148 Running
    24 36 45 Mike Skinner Toyota 20 0 148 Running
    25 28 7 Miguel Paludo * Toyota 19 0 147 Running
    26 19 15 Dusty Davis* Toyota 18 0 145 Running
    27 35 57 Norm Benning Chevrolet 17 0 145 Running
    28 16 244 Greg Pursley Chevrolet 16 0 144 Running
    29 5 119 David Mayhew Chevrolet 15 0 143 F. Pump
    30 24 77 Justin Lofton Toyota 14 0 139 Running
    31 26 4 Ricky Carmichael Chevrolet 13 0 132 Accident
    32 20 29 Parker Kligerman * Dodge 12 0 132 Accident
    33 34 10 Chase Mattioli * Ford 11 0 128 Running
    34 15 81 David Starr Toyota 10 0 112 Accident
    35 32 7 B.J. McLeod Chevrolet 9 0 104 Accident
    36 33 5 Travis Kvapil Toyota 8 0 99 Accident
  • SM Pick ‘Em: Subway Fresh Fit 500

    SM Pick ‘Em: Subway Fresh Fit 500

    The two Kyles were the only writers able to pick top-ten finishing drivers at the Daytona 500.  Kyle Ocker earned ten points for correctly picking Trevor Bayne as the winner (his dark horse pick) and Kyle Brandt earned six points for his dark horse pick Juan Pablo Montoya finishing sixth.

    UPDATED POINTS AFTER DAYTONA 500 PICKS: Kyle Ocker 11; Kyle Brandt 7; Jeffrey Boswell 1; Mark Odor 1; Ashley McCubbin 0; Barry Albert 0; Ben Gunby 0; Ed Coombs 0; Matt LaFlair 0; Roberta Cowan 0.

    Matt LaFlair

    WHO I REALLY THINK WILL WIN: Carl Edwards

    Edwards set fast lap in November at Phoenix last year and I believe he is going  to lay down about 300 fast laps on Sunday. Edwards will carry momentum from his 2nd place finish at Daytona into defending his win from November of last year.

    MY DARK HORSE PICK: Clint Bowyer

    Chevys have pretty much cleaned up here as of late. Outside of Edwards, I do not  see anyone changing the trend. Watch for Bowyer to be towards the front when the  checkers fly Sunday Afternoon.

    Kyle Brandt

    Who I think will win: Jimmie Johnson

    Jimmie has the best average finish at Phoenix (3.25), and has logged top-ten finishes in each of his 4 starts there since February of 2009, leading 27% of
    the total laps in that timeframe.

    Dark Horse: Ryan Newman

    Ryan has a strong track record at Phoenix, having logged top-ten finishes in two of the four races at the track since 2009, and the fourth best average among
    active drivers at the track (9.75). Having a win during the Spring 2010 race at the diamond in the desert makes his stock a lot stronger.

    Jeffrey Boswell

    Who I Really Think Will Win: Jimmie Johnson

    My Dark Horse Pick:A.J. Allmendinger

    Comments: Johnson and Carl Edwards battle down the stretch, both refusing to concede an inch. Johnson nips Edwards at the line, and the two exchange heated words afterwards, and Johnson boasts of his choke hold on the Sprint Cup.

    Mark Odor

    WIN: Jeff Gordon
    MY DARK HORSE PICK: Brad Keselowski

    Ed Coombs

    WHO I REALLY THINK WILL WIN: Jimmie Johnson

    MY DARK HORSE PICK: Dale Earnhardt Jr

    COMMENTS: I’m thinking Johnson will make a statement in Phoenix by taking charge and dominating this race. No one really knows how the teams are doing because they’ve only tested at Daytona so its  anon plate track. I am going to think nothings really changed since last season.

    Barry Albert

    WHO I REALLY THINK WILL WIN: Jimmie Johnson
    MY DARK HORSE PICK: Carl Edwards

    Roberta Cowan

    WHO I REALLY THINK WILL WIN: Jimmie Johnson

    MY DARK HORSE PICK: Kevin Harvick

    Kyle Ocker

    WHO I REALLY THINK WILL WIN: Carl Edwards

    MY DARK HORSE PICK: Regan Smith

    COMMENTS: I’m just glad that I was one of the only people in the world who picked Trevor Bayne to win the Daytona 500, albeit as my dark horse. Still right.

  • Michael Bay to make new disaster movie based off of last weekend’s Daytona 500

    Michael Bay to make new disaster movie based off of last weekend’s Daytona 500

    With enough crashes to cause H.B. Halicki, director of the original ‘Gone In 60 Seconds’, to do barrel rolls in his grave, this last Sunday’s Daytona 500 (Brought to you by AAA Roadside Assistance, because if you’re racing at Daytona, you’re gonna need a tow-truck) transcended heretofore unbelievable levels of stupidity, and was quite possibly the poster child for how not to run a racing series.

    [media-credit name=”David Yeazell” align=”alignright” width=”225″][/media-credit]With a record-setting 146,890 cautions, 4 million lead changes, and the race running 87,053 laps over the scheduled 200 due to engines blowing up, drivers unable to grasp the simple concept of ‘try not to hit the wall’, alien invasion, Suicide Nerf-Batters attempting to bludgeon people to death in the stands, the Public Beer Hot Dog and Popcorn Vendor Employees Union (local 743) starting several riots in and around the track and up in Wisconsin, and the general foolishness of having the racing itself degrade to ‘Obamacare’ levels of morbidity. This event is a stellar example of showing what happens when you redesign the nose of an aging, overpriced turd of a race car (that nobody likes) and fail miserably when it can’t maintain race speeds unless another car is pushing it in a continuous state of bump-drafting….depending on who you talk to, the Super (toilet) Bowl of stock-car racing either crashed-and-burned like John Denver in an experimental airplane, or it was the greatest event in automotive history simply due to the amazing amount of highlight-reel-worthy crash footage it generated in the 4-freaking-hour-long-monument-to-how-people-who-think-they-are-smarter-than-everyone-else-can-truly-screw-things-up-in-an-almost-glorious-manner.

    Add to that Molotov-cocktail-mix (no offense to V.M. Molotov, by the way) the inability of The France Cartel to leave the cars alone for the week preceding the Daytona 500, and their innate ability to indeed screw things up more than was thought logically possible, after being teased with some darn good racing during the Bud Shootout, apparently, the racing just wasn’t stupid enough for Those Who Rule in Daytona, no, we had to slow the cars down (as if an extra 5 miles an hour is going to kill anyone that much more) so they would stay together longer in gigantic, TV-worthy, crash-and-highlight-reel-producing packs, oh, and that simply didn’t lower the IQ level enough for the race fan at home, no, they also had to disable cooling equipment under the hood of those same vehicles so they wouldn’t be tempted to actually race their cars around the track for any prolonged length of time….which, in my opinion, attributed to the several engine failures experienced by teams who don’t typically have engine failures….

    The horror, the horror.

    We now have, due to the abundance of TV coverage that’s always present at the Daytona 500 (Remember, it’s THE stock car event of the season), there is a lot more scrutiny covering what goes on both off and on the track, and in addition, with it being live entertainment, they can’t really edit out any mistakes or disasters in the making….so we get to see everything, and watch those in the commentary booth try to gloss over just how bad this particular sport has gotten. In addition, NASCAR, Fox, and any other sports reporting agency covering this event publicly admits just how sad everything was when Dale Sr. bought it on the final lap of the 2001 Daytona 500, it’s a bit interesting that they sure do replay that horrific accident over and over, don’t they? And they’d gladly donate their children to science to be the first to cover another, gloriously-presented fatality on the track….the truth is, with the 500-mile-long, 240-minute demolition derby that posed as a superspeedway event on Sunday, It might be possible that this race revealed just how pointless professional stock car racing has truly become.

    The bad part?

    I’ve never been as excited about a NASCAR race as I was when Trevor Bayne crossed the finish line in first.…just like in a cheesy, overproduced, short-on-plot-but-long-on-special-effects Michael Bay movie, the unknown little twerp that everyone usually steps on somehow emerges victorious at the end….the only thing missing was a spectacular battle involving transforming robots who weigh several tons, but fight and move just as quickly as Kung-Fu warriors who only weigh a buck-five, and do somersaults and acrobatics like the tiniest of female gymnasts….

    Whatever wasn’t included, Hell yeah. The kid won it.

    In a Ford.

    With a team that has been competing in NASCAR since the beginning.

    And hasn’t won in ten years.

    Now that my slap at Chevy, Dodge, and Toyota is out of the way, however, this last Sunday, I pissed away four hours of my life that I’m never going to get back, to see the most horrible race I’ve ever had the misfortune to view (and this is coming from someone who watched last-year’s pothole-marked event), in my lifetime….I’m considering reporting NASCAR to the United Nations for crimes-against-motorsport-humanity violations due to the Geneva Convention-level-torture that I endured watching that race, with the Daytona 500, somehow, mysteriously, on the last lap, developing into quite possibly the most tremendous finish I’ve seen in all my years of watching NASCAR races. Think of it as watching 3:59 hours of the worst-directed Three Stooges flick ever created (unseating ‘Ishtar’, ‘An Inconvenient Truth’, ‘The Fast and the Furious’ franchise, ‘Elizabethville’, and other similar bombs as the worst movies ever made), only to have the last minute be worthy of a lifetime Oscar award for the best ending ever in a movie.

    Essentially, the Wood Brothers win was a positive glimpse into what NASCAR could be. This win could be the swift kick in the rear that NASCAR needs to get some of the older fan base back to the track, or at least back to the TV set, but with how expensive it has become to field a competitive entry, for 36 freaking races, all across the United States, and with the Brian Trust in charge and not doing a single thing to limit the costs to the teams, or punish those who spend bazillions of dollars on testing equipment that drives privateer teams out of the sport, the problem here is that it won’t happen again, until The France Cartel returns to Daytona later this year, as the ‘anyone could truly win’ mantra usually only applies at the Florida superspeedway, and occasionally at Talladega….

    There Will Be Hype.

    And then it will die.

    We will then return to the same two or three mega-teams winning everything in sight, and have the same driver win his sixth Sprint Cup Championship at the end of the 2011 season.

    And more fans will be lost.

    Me, personally? I’ve had more disasters in my personal life over the last year than most people go through in twenty. Watching a race is supposed to be an escape from the train wrecks and carnage that occur in everyday life, not be a continuation of it. I see stupidity at least a dozen times a day simply on my drive to, and home from work, it’s amazing how many incompetent drivers are on the road these days, and how these intellectual troglodytes clog up our nation’s roadways, not to mention create emotional and physical pain and suffering (don’t forget the fatalities) when the nation’s vehicularly-retarded get behind the wheel and cause accidents….however, when you tune into the biggest, and most popular racing series in the United States, you don’t see polish, you don’t see excellence, no, NASCAR has devolved into resembling just how inept a large, governmental (key word being ‘mental’) body can be when it has no competition for the goods or services it provides….

    Fortunately, there is another stock-car racing organization out there. It’s called the Australian V8 Supercar series, hopefully coming to an American racetrack near you. As it is now, it’s only available in the states via’ Speedtv….however, for some, strange reason, I can’t turn off the NASCAR train wreck….it provides too much comedic material to work with, and I’m hoping something eventually changes….

    See you next time….And if at first you don’t succeed, call it the ‘Car of Tomorrow’.

  • David Ragan: I Will Think About It the Rest of My Life

    David Ragan: I Will Think About It the Rest of My Life

    Even as David Ragan, driver of the No. 6 UPS Ford for Roush Fenway Racing, prepares for the upcoming Phoenix race, Daytona is still on his mind.

    In the final laps of the Daytona 500, Ragan was in charge, working with Trevor Bayne in tandem and leading the pack. Yet on the final green, white, checkered restart, Ragan made a major mistake, changing lanes before the start finish line.

    [media-credit name=”CIA Stock Photo” align=”alignright” width=”300″][/media-credit]Ragan was black flagged and his error cost him the victory in one of NASCAR’s most prestigious event.

    “I absolutely thought we were going to win,” Ragan said. “We had a great car all day and we had an opportunity there at the end.  The violation, the black flag, took the wind out of our sails.”

    “I didn’t want to believe it at first,” Ragan continued. “I felt like the black flag was for Tony Stewart for passing on the outside.”

    “I knew that I had started to make my way toward the bottom but didn’t feel like that I changed lanes to improve my position because I was the leader,” Ragan said. “So, I didn’t fully interpret the rule like NASCAR did. Therefore, I didn’t think we did anything wrong.”

    “I thought they were warning us or that the black flag was for someone else,” Ragan continued. “So, I denied it for a lap or so.  Then I finally realized this is really happening.”

    Ragan still does not fully understand the interpretation of the rule that resulted in the penalty. After the race, he said that he most definitely wanted to seek out Mike Helton, President of NASCAR, to further discuss the situation.

    “I haven’t talked to him yet,” Ragan said of Helton. “I’ll catch him in Phoenix. I understand what the deal is but I’d like to hear it from those guys as well.”

    In spite of finishing top 15 and currently being 13th in the Sprint Cup standings, his mistake, the black flag and his win slipping away from him will always haunt him.

    “I’ll always think about it, I’m sure, the rest of my life,” Ragan said. “Until we get another opportunity to win another Daytona 500 or another Sprint Cup race, I’ll always think about it.”

    “But we have to stay focused on what’s in front of us,” Ragan continued. “We learn from the past.  Of course, you’ll never completely forget about it but we’ll take from that day and hopefully it will make us stronger.”

    Now that Ragan has also had a few days to reflect, he has realized that there were many positives for him and his team to take forward from his experience.

    “Throughout the whole race, we put ourselves in position to win,” Ragan said.  “We didn’t make any mistakes on pit road.  I did a nice job on the race track not getting caught up in any of the wrecks.”

    “So, those are some positives to look at,” Ragan continued.  “And then the last call, I’ll always make sure now that on any restart that I’m aware of the rules and the way that the governing body interprets them.”

    Ragan also could not be more pleased for Trevor Bayne, NASCAR’s youngest Daytona 500 winner.

    “I’m happy for Trevor,” Ragan said.  “If our UPS team couldn’t win it, I couldn’t think of any other guy to do it.”

    “The Wood Brothers deserve the win, and Ford Racing, and this kid, I say a kid even though he’s just a few years younger than me, he promotes believing in the Lord and I think that’s great,” Ragan continued. “It’s good for NASCAR.”

    “I’m not going to lie, I wish I were there,” Ragan said of his missed chance to be in Victory Lane.  “But if we couldn’t do it, I’m proud for Trevor and I feel like we played a part in getting him there.”

    Having said that, however, Ragan acknowledged that he is more than ready to put the Daytona finish in his rear view mirror and move forward.

    “If we can go to Phoenix, if we can lead some laps and run in the top ten throughout the race, I would be happy with that,” Ragan said. “I have a lot of confidence in our team.”

    “The sooner that we can get there, the sooner we can forget about this one,” Ragan said. “It’s a long season.  I have to keep my head up and keep our eyes on the prize.”

  • NOTES FROM THE NASCAR NATION: It’s time to return to ‘regular’ racing

    NOTES FROM THE NASCAR NATION: It’s time to return to ‘regular’ racing

    Remember last Sunday when 15.6 million television viewers, and 182,000 spectators, watched the Daytona 500 in awe stuck wonder over a form of NASCAR Sprint Cup racing we had never seen before? We all marveled at the two car drafts, the elaborate radio communications to set up driver partnerships and the changes NASCAR had to implement to keep their Sprint Cup cars under the 200 MPH zone.

    [media-credit name=”David Yeazell” align=”alignright” width=”225″][/media-credit]Forget about that for the time being. It’s time to return to regular racing. The elite of the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series will be doing some good old fashioned flat track racing at the Phoenix International Raceway this Sunday with the running of the Subway Fresh Fit 500 (K). Sunday’s race is going to be about which team has the best handling, and the best car balance, while negotiating a one mile oval that basically has no banking at all. There’s also the element of passing for position at Phoenix: it’s not that easy and has to be carefully negotiated.

    THE STORY BREAKDOWN

    One of the more obvious story lines will involve the element of redemption. There are a lot of high profile Sprint Cup teams who left Daytona last weekend with disappointing finishes which in turn placed them between a rock and hard place in the early season championship standings. This is especially true of the teams who found themselves caught up in the early race, 17 car, “big one.” It also applies to Richard Childress Racing drivers Kevin Harvick and Jeff Burton. Both were considered pre season Chase contenders and both exited the Daytona 500 with uncharacteristic blown engines.

    **************

    Then there’s the matter of Daytona 500 champion Trevor Bayne. With winning the great American race comes a media and public relations blitz that would wear out even a healthy 20 year old. Bayne literally spent this week criss crossing the country while doing telephone interviews in between personal appearances.

    Bayne also had a big decision to make this week regarding which NASCAR championship he would be running for in 2011. Recent changes in NASCAR policy states that a driver can only declare to seek just one of their big three national touring titles. Bayne, scheduled to race the full time NASCAR Nationwide Series for Roush Fenway Racing, had originally declared to run for that title. But after the Daytona Cup win he was presented with an offer to change his option for the Chase title.

    In what is considered to be a very wise move, Bayne chose to stick to his original option and seek the Nationwide title. While the sponsorship profile for his Roush Fenway Ford is still rather tentative at this point, the effort is being backed by one of the more powerful teams in NASCAR who will insure the car is entered in every one of the events on the Nationwide schedule.

    On the Sprint Cup side, Bayne’s tenure with Wood Brothers Racing was originally set for a part time schedule of 17 sponsored races. That number was bumped to 18 events after the team decided to use a portion of the Daytona winnings to add the Martinsville race to their schedule. While it’s extremely possible that the team’s Daytona performance could attract new sponsorships, there is no real guarantee the offers will be enough to cover the expenses of all 36 races.

    Again, Bayne made a wise choice that was likely aided by some sage advice from the likes of Jack Roush.

    **************

    Also this weekend you will hear a lot about the lawsuit issued by former NASCAR Sprint Cup team owner Ray Evernham against his former partner George Gillette Jr. The suit is seeking damages of $19.3 million and was filed this past Tuesday at the North Carolina Superior Court in Mecklenburg County. The specific defendants are the Gillette owned Booth Creek Management and Gillette GEMS LLC.

    Evernham, who created the team, that is now known as Richard Petty Motorsports, sold the majority interest to Gillette back in 2007. After some extreme problems in his financial profile, Gillette sold the operation to a group of businessmen, including Richard Petty, late last year. Evernham claims that he was never paid for his former 20% interest in the team and Gillette is in breach of their contract.

    *************

    A God bless and welcome goes to the newest member of the NASCAR nation. Sprint Cup driver Matt Kenseth and his wife Katie welcomed the arrival of their new baby daughter this week. Grace Katherine Kenseth arrived at 3:49 am Tuesday morning weighing seven pounds eight ounces. Mom and daughter are reported to be doing just fine. The new baby joins her sister Kaylin and brother Ross.

    **************

    Over the past several years we’ve all witnessed Sprint Cup driver Carl Edwards do his signature back flip off of his car after winning a race. I’ve often wondered if team owner Jack Roush was a little nervous over this maneuver due to the high possibility of a bad landing and driver injury.

    If a back flip worries Roush then you have to wonder about his feelings regarding what his dare devil driver did on Thursday in Las Vegas. Edwards was in town to help promote the March 6th Sprint Cup race at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Apparently he thought it would really cool to visit the Stratosphere Hotel and Casino and take in their “Sky Jump Las Vegas.” This is a controlled free fall plummet of 885 feet at approximately 40 MPH.

    The good news is the fall offers a breath taking, panoramic, view of the Las Vegas Strip. The bad news is it’s a little nerve racking for NASCAR team owners to learn that their driver is the one doing the free fall.

    **************

    THE VEGAS BREAKDOWN

    The Las Vegas based World Sports Exchange, (WSE), has placed driver Denny Hamlin on top of their list to win Sunday’s race and they’re backing it with 5 to 1 odds. This is a most interesting proposition. Hamlin is still seeking his first win at Phoenix, but he does have a previous track record of five top five finishes, six top tens along with an average finish of 11.6 at the track.

    Second on the WSE list this week is a wager that makes a lot more sense. It’s Jimmie Johnson who practically rules the important categories at the Phoenix International Raceway. Johnson has a series high four wins there along with ten top five finishes and 13 top tens. He also has a series high average finish ratio of 4.9.

    Next in line, at 13 to 2, is Carl Edwards which is another worthy consideration. Edwards won the second Phoenix event last November in a very dominating fashion. Also bear in mind that there is a huge momentum swing at Roush Fenway Racing and the Roush Yates Engines program, with the Ford FR9 engines, seems to be running at full strength.

    At seven to one you will find former Phoenix winner Kyle Busch who is always a threat to find victory lane on any given weekend. Next is a trio of drivers, led by two time race winner Kevin Harvick, at 12 to 1. Harvick is joined by former Phoenix winners Tony Stewart and Jeff Gordon in this category.

    At 18 to 1 you will find drivers Kurt Busch and Greg Biffle. Busch is a former Phoenix winner. You also have to factor the Penske Racing operation’s strong presence during Daytona Speedweeks. Biffle is another driver from the Roush Fenway Ford stable and, at 18 to 1, is a wager well worth considering.

    Clint Bowyer, and his Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet, is rated 20 to 1 this week followed by Roush Fenway Ford driver Matt Kenseth at 21 to 1 odds. But it’s the driver at 22 to 1 odds that could be the strongest consideration for those of you who don’t mind long shot wagers. That would be Mark Martin whose Phoenix stats includes two wins, a series high 12 top fives and 19 top ten finishes. Martin also has a very healthy average finish ratio of 8.5 at Phoenix.

    Also a worthy long shot consideration is two time Phoenix winner Jeff Burton along with Ryan Newman, who won last year’s April race. Both drivers are listed at 23 to 1 odds this week.

    At the bottom half of the WSE listing this week you will find Juan Pablo Montoya at 30 to 1. At 40 to 1 is a quartet of drivers featuring Dale Earnhardt Jr, Joey Logano, Martin Truex Jr and David Reutimann. Finally the WSE doesn’t seem to have a lot of faith in the Red Bull Racing Toyotas this week. They have their drivers, Kasey Kahne and Brian Vickers, listed at 50 and 55 to 1.

    Now for the disclaimer. NASCAR wants us to remind you that these numbers are for information and entertainment purposes. They neither encourage nor condone the placing of wagers on their races. For those of you who may feel guilty about going against their wishes, then send the money to me and I’ll place the bet for you. (Yeah Right !)

    ************

    THE RACE BREAKDOWN

    The Subway Fresh Fit 500 (K) is 312 laps, 312 miles/500 km, around the Phoenix International Raceway’s one mile oval.

    The race has 45 entries vying for the 43 starting berths. Ten of those entries are on the go or go home list. This means these teams do not have a guaranteed start because they are currently outside of the top 35 in NASCAR owner’s points. These teams will have to rely on qualifying speed to make the race.

    That could pose a problem for the go or go home teams due to the weather. The Saturday forecast calls for rain in the Phoenix area which could wash out qualifying. It could also hamper the running of the NASCAR Nationwide Series scheduled for Saturday evening. Sunday’s forecast calls for clearing skies with some variable high clouds and a daytime high of 65 degrees.

    Opened in 1964, the Phoenix International Raceway complex features a one mile oval connected to a 2.5 mile road course. The track is a prominent challenge to drivers because of its flat nature. There are only 11 degrees banking in turns one and two and nine degrees in turns three and four. The frontstretch, 1,179 feet, only has three degrees banking while the backstretch, 1,551 feet, is banked nine degrees. The pit road speed is 45 MPH. The speedway presently has seating for 76,812 fans.

    The late Alan Kulwicki won the first NASCAR Sprint Cup race at Phoenix back in 1988. Since that time the series has raced there 29 times with 21 different drivers parking their cars in victory lane.

    Carl Edwards holds the track qualifying record, 136.389 MPH, set in November of last year.

    The Subway Fresh Fit 500 (K) will be broadcast live by Fox Sports with the pre race show beginning at 230 pm eastern time. The replay will be broadcast by the SPEED Channel on Wednesday, March 2nd, beginning at 12 pm eastern.

  • Trevor Bayne’s Bandwagon: Custom Made or Mass Produced?

    Trevor Bayne’s Bandwagon: Custom Made or Mass Produced?

    Bandwagons are illus ional mysteries.

    There are no definitive pictures, sketches or photos. Anyone can be a part of the bandwagon.

    The only requirement is that you must jump on.

    During a race weekend the Sprint Cup garage is truly where the action is.

    At any given moment you can stop, look around, and be treated to a panorama of today’s NASCAR.

    A simple check of visual acuity will tell you who the reigning Sprint Cup Champion is, where each driver stacks up in points, and which drivers carry the burden of go-or-go home.

    During speed weeks at Daytona, a trip through the back side of the Sprint Cup garage is where you would find the go-or-go home rides of Derrick Cope, Joe Nemechek, Michael Waltrip, Casey Mears and the car of a young kid named Trevor Bayne.

    Bayne made it clear during qualifying that he wasn’t going home. Running a fast lap of 185.445 mph secured the outside of row 1, until Dale Earnhardt Jr. bumped him to third.

    After finishing 19th because of a last lap crash in his Gatorade Duel, Bayne would settle for a 32nd starting position in the Daytona 500.

    By now just about everyone around the world has heard the news about the outcome of the Great American Race.

    Winning the Daytona 500 is the difference between I am here and here I am!

    Construction of the Trevor Bayne bandwagon began right about the time the checkered flag waved.

    It’s quite possible the shape and size was determined by the amount of space occupied by friends, media, sponsors and fans.

    Who, or what, drives the bandwagon can also be considered an anomaly. Those entities driving the positive side are almost certainly jockeying for position with those driving the negative side. For Trevor Bayne, both carriages will carry many occupants.

    No matter which bandwagon carries the majority, it doesn’t mean it’s the right one for the bandwagon namesake.

    In this case, Trevor Bayne, his handlers, or advisors, have many options and many decisions to make in the coming weeks. Those decisions have to be what’s best for him, and may not be what’s popular with the bandwagon construction crew.

    Being thrust into a career change because of one successful event can be very costly and damaging, especially if the one being thrust is not ready, or even worse, not capable of handling it.

    Previous Daytona 500 winner Derrick Cope, and Sprint Cup single event winner Brad Kezelowski had similar bandwagons constructed for them.

    Bandwagons are a dime a dozen, made of opinionated materials and painted with water colors.

    Unfortunately, bandwagons also come without warranties.

    [media-credit id=22 align=”alignright” width=”133″][/media-credit]Winning a single race only proves you can win; it doesn’t make you a proven winner.

    NASCAR will head out to Phoenix in a few short days. Construction on the next bandwagon begins soon.

  • NASCAR’s Savior. Is it Trevor Bayne? Or Is That a Dream?

    NASCAR’s Savior. Is it Trevor Bayne? Or Is That a Dream?

    As Trevor Bayne makes his victory tour this week, the question remains. Is he the savior of NASCAR or will the throngs be disappointed as he struggles through the next few races finding his way? Truth is, Daytona (and Talladega—both restrictor plate tracks) seem to create different kinds of winners. You can go down the list—Cope, Hamilton, Lund, Michael Waltrip, and many others. Guys who are competent drivers, but who didn’t do much outside of the two plate tracks. Yes, there is evidence that Bayne is the real deal, but is he?

    [media-credit name=”CIA Stock Photo” align=”alignright” width=”300″][/media-credit]Another factor to consider is the Wood Brothers, or in this case, the Wood cousins. Eddie Wood and Len Wood are the sons of Glen and Leonard Wood. They are old school and as much as I want them to dominate the series once again, that is not likely for various reasons. I listened to Buddy Baker talk about the Woods tonight on Sirius radio. His comment that an owner with a wrench in his pocket (speaking of Eddie Wood) is admirable and what I think the sport is, or at least was, all about may not be realistic in 2011. With all my being, I hope it is relevant, but I have my doubts. And I hate that I have doubts.

    The first hurdle that the Woods have to jump is that Trevor Bayne is contracted to Roush-Fenway Racing. There is no doubt that at some point that Bayne will appear in a RFR car at some point, leaving the Woods high and dry. The agreement the Woods have is similar to the one Richard Petty Motorsports have with RFR. Roush supplies the chassis and engines for their cars and prepare the cars. Part of the deal for 2011 included Bayne for as many races as the Woods could get sponsorship (and you have to wonder what part Roush had in getting those points for the first five races had to do with RFR’s alliance with Richard Petty Motorsports). That said, with David Ragan on shaky ground at RFR and contract negotiations ongoing with Greg Biffle and Carl Edwards, who’s to say that Bayne could end up in one of those cars sooner than later? And that would leave the Woods to sign Ragan or another has-been driver. I shudder at the thought.

    The best case scenario is that Bayne continues his brilliance at Phoenix, Las Vegas, Bristol, and Martinsville, and the Woods get enough sponsorship to continue. The Wood Brothers deserve it and the Sprint Cup series could reach a new level.

    For so long I’ve heard the rumbling from fans. Yes, many adore Jimmie Johnson, Jeff Gordon, Mark Martin, and certainly Dale Earnhardt, Jr. Others like Jeff Burton, Kevin Harvick, and Clint Bowyer. The same could be said for Kyle Busch, Denny Hamlin, and Joey Logano, as well as Jamie McMurray, but for so long, while Hendrick Motorsports fans, Richard Childress Racing fans, and Joe Gibbs Racing fans have been happy, the great silent majority wants to see someone else win. Trevor Bayne gave everyone a chance to cheer on February 20th, much like Jamie McMurray did in 2010, but it has to continue. If the sport is to flourish like it did in days past, it must happen beyond Roush-Fenway Racing, Richard Childress Racing, Hendrick Motorsports, and Joe Gibbs Racing. The future of NASCAR depends on it.

  • SpeedwayMedia News and Bits

    SpeedwayMedia News and Bits

    NASCAR Sprint Cup Series

    * This week Subway Fresh Fit 500 will be held at the one-mile oval Phoenix international Raceway, the raceway was carved out of the foothills of the Estrella Mountains. It was intended to be a new jewel in the crown of American open-wheel racing

    [media-credit name=”CIA Stock Photo” align=”alignright” width=”275″][/media-credit]But it wasn’t until 1988, when NASCAR’s Cup Series racing came to PIR, that auto racing in Phoenix really became a major sporting attraction for the Valley of the Sun. New racing legends and legends-in-the-making like Davey Allison, Richard Petty, Dale Earnhardt, Rusty Wallace and the rest of the Cup stars found out firsthand what their Champ Car brethren had known for years: Phoenix International Raceway is truly a great place to race, both for the drivers and especially the fans.

    This weeks Schedule:

    Practice
    – 2:30 p.m. ET Fri. on Speed

    Practice
    – 6 p.m. ET Fri. on Speed

    Qualifying
    – 3:30 p.m. ET Sat. on Speed

    Race
    – 3 p.m ET Sun on Fox and Sirius XM 128 and MRN

    * Trevor Bayne made history Sunday winning the Daytona 500:
    – He became the youngest Daytona 500 winner in history, by a ways (Jeff Gordon previously held that crown, winning the 500 in 1997 at the age of 25.)
    – He became one of the seven drivers whose first series points-race win was the Daytona 500.
    – He became the second-youngest winner in series history.

    * New Qualifying Rules Begin This Weekend
    Starting this weekend in Phoenix, if bad weather cancels qualifying, the final starting lineup will be determined by practice speeds. The same rule book procedures will be used to determine eligibility to start a race. If weather cancels practice sessions, then the starting lineup will be set by points, per the rulebook. Also, the qualifying order will be set based upon slowest to fastest practice speeds.

    *Last Race On Old Surface
    This weekend’s race will be the last on a surface that has hosted NASCAR Sprint Cup Series since the inaugural race there in 1988. After Sunday’s event, workers will lay down new asphalt, and the blueprint calls for a few design wrinkles that will promote side-by-side racing.

    Some of the principles:
    – Widen the front stretch from 52 to 62 feet
    – Reconfigure pit road with the installation of concrete pit stalls
    – Push the dog-leg curve between Turn 2 and Turn 3 out 95 feet
    – Tighten the turn radius of the dog-leg from 800 to 500 feet
    – Implement variable banking to ensure the immediate use of two racing grooves, including 10-11 degree banking between Turn 1 and Turn 2; 10-11 degree banking in the apex of the dog-leg; and 8-9 degree banking in Turn.

    * Second’s In First
    Because Trevor Bayne elected to earn championship points in the NASCAR Nationwide Series, Daytona 500 runner-up Carl Edwards is the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series points leader.

    Here is the rest of the top 15 Drivers after week 1 0f 36

    Position Driver Points
    1 Carl Edwards 42
    2 David Gilliland 41
    3 Bobby Labonte 41
    4 Kurt Busch 40
    5 Juan Montoya 39
    6 Regan Smith 38
    7 Kyle Busch 37
    8 Paul Menard 36
    9 Mark Martin 34
    10 Aj Allmendinger 34
    11 Bill Elliott 32
    12 Tony Stewart 31
    13 David Regan 31
    14 Terry Labonte 30
    15 Robby Gordon 29

    • Other notables but outside of the top 15:
    22. Dale Earnhardt Jr
    25. Jimmie Johnson
    26. Jeff Gordon
    33. Jeff Burton
    37. Kevin Harvick

  • Daytona 500 Square-Dance: Strategy Comes To The Forefront Of 500

    Daytona 500 Square-Dance: Strategy Comes To The Forefront Of 500

    This year’s Daytona 500 brought forth a whole new type of racing that fans have been trying to figure out whether if it is good or bad.

    On track, arguments have persuaded if fans like the way it looks and if they agree with the type of presence it has taken.

    Though beyond what is seen on track is the type of strategy that is needed to be employed for this form of racing to work, and that my friends is why this form of racing is interesting.

    [media-credit name=”David Yeazell” align=”alignright” width=”225″][/media-credit]If you listened to radios, you would have heard some interesting conversations between drivers, you’d be intrigued to the type of conversations that they were having.

    For example, when the caution came out early in the Daytona 500, Marcos Ambrose and David Ragan spoke of how they were going to get lined up on the restart.

    Ambrose: I’m with you, David.
    Ragan: 10-4, we’ll just stay up high here for a little while.

    Some of the conversations at time got kind of awkward as when Jeff Gordon worked with Kasey Kahne, he said, “We had a good first date.” Gordon’s spotter, Jeff Dickerson, added to the fray when Gordon got lined up with Bayne, saying, “True love never dies.” in reference to how they worked together during the Duel. One of the most awkward was during the Nationwide race with Kyle Busch and Joey Logano.

    Busch: Hey, hey, look whose back.
    Logano: I like you.
    Busch: I love you…..I’ll give you the outside to make the switch.

    Due to the amount of different driver conversations and trying to achieve the best conversation, drivers even had huge switch pads to where they could switch to their teammate’s channel, but also other driver’s channels. This act of drivers having to work together had some frustrated, including Dale Earnhardt Jr.

    “If I just had to worry about my own (stuff), I’d be leading or top three,” Earnhardt Jr. said on the radio at one point. “But you gotta have someone w/you all the f@#$ng time.”

    The frustration with the style of racing for Earnhardt Jr. also led to some more comments later on in the race.

    “I think everybody’s brains fried,” Earnhardt said. “They can’t hardly pay attention. This style of racing man, it’s tough on your head. Let’s sit back and kill some laps. I don’t want to be pushed in the s&#$. Just seems like guys should be more cool. If we can’t beat the leader, I don’t want to race three-wide for f@#$ing fourth. You’d think guys would be more cool. The race is at the end, man. They’re going to knock some more s@#$ out of the race. They’re going to hit the wall a little more.”

    This frustration brought forth drivers trying to work out how they would work together, hence the conversation that took place between Kahne and crew chief Kenny Francis after Earnhardt’s comments.

    Kahne: So he (Earnhardt Jr.) just doesn’t want to be part of three-wide?
    Francis: Yeah, I think he’s just trying to be conservative there.

    In all, drivers were finding the need to find someone who was okay with their style of racing and didn’t mind being that partner. Earnhardt Jr. found that when he paired up with Tony Stewart.

    Earnhardt Jr.: I just wanna to stay outta the s@#$.
    Stewart: You read my mind, man.

    Even drivers that had been wrecked and we’re just trying to make laps found issues with finding that partner. Jeff Gordon was trying to ride around to log laps and gain positions when his partner Brian Vickers was not doing as he’d requested. Gordon came on the radio and said, “I’m tired of messing with the #83 if he keeps trying to push us too close to the pack I’m going to brake check him.”

    Sometimes, there’d be multiple drivers who had requests set forth to work with one another. Carl Edwards requested to dance with Kyle Busch; however Busch politely declined as Bayne had shown up first

    When communication was going well, it seemed to bring forth a certain chemistry that you normally don’t see. However, a failure communicate was not a good situation to have. One failure brought forth one of the wrecks during the day as David Reuitmann didn’t give Michael Waltrip a good enough warning before they approached a pack of cars.

    “Michael was pushing me and I don’t think I anticipated the guys in front of me and I don’t think I warned him quick enough,” Reuitmann said.

    The good thing about the quick communication is it allowed drivers to be able to quickly apologize to each other for accidents. After Juan Pablo Montoya spun, McMurray got on the radio to apologize.

    Montoya: I just kept getting loose.
    McMurray: Didn’t mean to spin you out, Juan. Sorry about that.
    Montoya: Don’t worry. No big deal.

    This communication also involved strategy in how to time the switch perfectly via making sure not to get your own motor hot, which brought forth communication through drivers and through the spotters. An example would be Montoya and McMurray trying to hook up correctly.

    Montoya: Dude, I tried so hard to back off
    McMurray: They kept getting on my outside and I just tried to get up to your bumper and they were there, Juan. It’s just so hard to get it.

    Kyle Busch and Denny Hamlin also talked together about when to make the switch as when Hamlin pushing wasn’t working, Busch suggested, “Try to go by me. My (motor) is pretty cool. I’ll push you.”

    In the Nationwide race, Busch worked with Logano and also played giving him suggestions on how to make the switch better, saying, “Hey Joe, when we switch, drag the break a little more so slow the slowdown. When we get out there, I just hit a wall of air.”

    Then it involved the strategy of making sure to pit together, as shown through Steve LeTarte, Earnhardt Jr.’s crew chief, passing on a message to Stewart.

    LeTarte: Hey Smoke, its Stevie. We’re going to get gas only if you can tell Darian.
    Stewart: All right, I’ll switch over.

    Beyond the drivers and crews, if you would have heard the spotters, at times they sounded like air traffic controllers with how they were working to make sure people didn’t wreck. This was needed as the driver who was pushing wasn’t able to see what was going on in front of the car he was pushing.

    “I’m driving blind,” Earnhardt Jr. told his spotter TJ Majors at one point. “I might as well not have any f@#$ing sight behind him. I know it’s hard to believe, but it’s true.”

    If you were up on the spotter’s stand with them, you would’ve seen how they were working to get partners to work with on track. It would’ve looked like a dance with how they were swinging between partners to pair up. As Brett Griffin, spotter for Jeff Burton said, “It’s like a square dace on the roof. Yellow comes out we scramble to find a new partner!”

    Even Majors made jokes with Earnhardt Jr. when he was trying to make a partnership between Earnhardt and Waltrip during the Nationwide race.

    Majors: I see Ty (Norris, spotter for Michael) up here. Got anything I can bribe him with?
    Earnhardt Jr.: I think I got a picture of him in drag somewhere.

    The strategy was so complex in how to run it that at lap 60, Steve LeTarte said over the radio, “We have not even run a 150-mile qualifying race yet. My head hurts.”

    In all, the race brought forth a new meaning to one of Darrell Waltrip’s favorite words – co-opetition. Now what is that? As Waltrip defines it, it is working with your competition for the benefit of yourself.

    Trevor Bayne did that best as he worked with Jeff Gordon on Thursday to learn the ways of drafting and many other different drivers on Sunday to stay up front and be there to win.

  • Jay Howard and Sam Schmidt Motorsports to Attempt Indianapolis 500

    Jay Howard and Sam Schmidt Motorsports to Attempt Indianapolis 500

    After missing the field last year, Jay Howard will team up with Sam Schmidt to attempt to qualify for the 100th anniversary running of the Indianapolis 500.

    They have worked together in the past as in 2006, Howard won the Firestone Indy Lights Championship by winning two races and getting five top-five finishes. Since that championship, its been a tough road for Howard in finding the right team to run with.  

    “With the success we had as a team in 2006, I can’t wait until May gets here,” said Howard. “SSM puts together a great race car and I like my chances for racing in this historic Indianapolis 500. I definitely have some unfinished business at Indy.”

    Howard fell short last year on making his first Indy 500 as he was knocked out of the field in the final few minutes by Takuma Sato.

    “I remember watching that final hour of qualifying from our garage in Gasoline Alley last year,” said Schmidt. “I felt sorry for Jay, knowing him personally and how bad he wanted it, but that is part of the drama of Indy. This year, it is our goal to provide the best possible equipment and personnel to allow Jay to show his true potential to everyone.”

    Schmidt has visited victory lane 37 times as a car owner in Firestone Indy Lights, — including five times at Indianapolis — and this will be his team’s 10th anniversary of fielding a car in the Indianapolis 500.