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  • Jeff Gordon Can’t Wait to Leave Dover and Get to Kansas

    Jeff Gordon Can’t Wait to Leave Dover and Get to Kansas

    As the inaugural winner of the Kansas Speedway’s first two races in 2001 and 2002, it’s not surprising that four-time champion Jeff Gordon enjoys heading to the Midwest.

    In 2001 he led 53 laps in route to his 58th career victory and eventual fourth championship eight weeks later. Gordon then returned in 2002 where he dominated by leading 116 laps before battling Ryan Newman late. It was Gordon’s 61st career win. If career win No. 83 should come this weekend, don’t be surprised if Gordon has another one of those days.

    At Dover last weekend, Gordon relieved his Kansas victories.

    “I think everybody wants to go to a track, a new market, and win that race,” he said. “I know that certainly was the case for us, we went there excited about a new racetrack and wanting to be the team to figure it out the best and fastest and we did that.”

    As the Chase for the Sprint Cup begins to get heated, Kansas will play host to race No. 3. For Gordon it can’t come quick enough as he looks to one of his favorite places to help his Chase chances.

    “When you go to a track, a new track, and you win the first two races there it certainly gives you a lot of confidence and makes it one of your favorites right away,” Gordon said.

    When the No. 24 DuPont Chevrolet team heads to a speedway this weekend though, they’ll be doing so looking for another first: a win in 2010. They started the season in championship form, running and finishing up front even though numerous wins slipped through their fingers.

    Currently sitting eighth in points, 83 behind leader Denny Hamlin, Gordon’s ready to make a big statement at a track he says seems like just yesterday opened and is still new to him. The “Drive for Five,” as his fans have adapted to calling it since 2001, is well in reach but Gordon needs to win and win soon if he really wants to apply the pressure to the point leaders.

    “I like Kansas, I know that,” Gordon said. “I feel like our mile and a half program is really strong this year. When I look at the 10 races in the Chase, Kansas is one that stands out as one we’re looking forward to going to.”

    Good news for Gordon is a performance he had in July at Chicagoland. Chicago is well worth mentioning for two reasons. A sister track to Kansas, success at Chicago can set the bar for a good run later in the year at KS. Gordon was one of the dominant cars in Chicago and was leading late in the going. David Reutimann took the lead and the win from Gordon with 54 laps to go as Gordon finished third.

    “We ran well at Chicago and it’s probably the closest track to Kansas on the circuit,” Gordon continued. “I feel like other than Charlotte we’ve been really good on the mile and half’s this year. We recognize we got to get better at Charlotte, but hey I can’t wait to get to Kansas.”

    Excitement about going to Kansas is evident in Gordon’s words and face and for good reason. While winning would certainly be great and is the ultimate goal, it’s not the only thing that has gotten the job done for Gordon.

    Since Kansas opened, Gordon has scored the most points of any driver with 1,314. Behind Gordon is Tony Stewart with 1,199 points. Stewart is also the only driver besides Gordon who has won multiple races at Kansas.

    Heading into the weekend Gordon is sure to be listed as a favorite. In nine races he’s led 157 laps, won twice, has six top fives and seven top 10s. Gordon’s average start is a 9.9 while his average finish is 8.9.

    Will this be the time “Big Daddy” strikes big in the Chase? Not that he needs anything else in his favor, Gordon will also enter the weekend with three straight top five finishes at Kansas.

    “Even when we’re not at our best it seems to be one of our good tracks,” said Gordon. “I think we’re much better this year than what we’ve been the last couple years.”

    The confidence and statistics are clear, all that’s left if for the No. 24 team to do is execute. Throughout the garage drivers readily admit that they run well at tracks they love and for Gordon has played that hand well.

    When informed that Kansas would be receiving two dates in 2011 Gordon replied, “Even better,” before lobbying that both races should be in the Chase. One thing at a time however, just as Gordon will take it one race at a time.

    Kansas though, could end up being one big race for Gordon and company.

  • Dillon wins at Las Vegas Motor Speedway

    Dillon wins at Las Vegas Motor Speedway

    Austin Dillon, grandson of NASCAR owner Richard Childress, led 93 of 146 laps, including the final 35 laps on Saturday night at Las Vegas Motor Speedway and won his second Camping World Truck Series race of the season.

    “My grandfather and dad had a very rough week,” Dillon said. “I think it was the roughest week of my dad’s career at RCR. My dad said that after the week he had that I had to come down here and win it. To come out here and do it is pretty awesome.” Dillion said.

    Dillion also became the youngest winner in all three national NASCAR series at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

    Johnny Sauter finished second, James Buescher third, Todd Bodine fourth and Matt Crafton finished fifth.

    Bodine’s fourth place finish increases his series standings to 262 points over Aric Almirola.

    “We didn’t win but it’s a good day for points because everybody we needed to worry about was behind us.  We’ll just go on to the next one in.” Bodine said.

    Crafton finished his eleventh consecutive top-ten finish of the season

    “It’s a great night for the entire team whenever we can both finish in the top five.  I didn’t want to come out here and finish second, especially to Johnny. I told him in the conference call this week if I was leading not to try to pass me on the outside because I’d make my truck awfully wide.” Crafton said.

    The second place finish marks the eighth top-five finish for Sauter in the last eleven races.

    “I hate finishing second.  We’re here to win, and to be that close and not get it done is frustrating. We’d have liked to win back-to-back races out here. We just missed out on it but we have some really good tracks coming up still.” Sauter said.

    Up next on the schedule, Martinsville Speedway on October 23.

    Unofficial Results

    Pos. St. No. Driver Make Pts. Bon. Laps Status
    1 1 3 Austin Dillon * Chevrolet 195 10 146 Running
    2 4 13 Johnny Sauter Chevrolet 170 0 146 Running
    3 2 31 James Buescher Chevrolet 170 5 146 Running
    4 5 30 Todd Bodine Toyota 160 0 146 Running
    5 3 88 Matt Crafton Chevrolet 155 0 146 Running
    6 13 51 Aric Almirola Toyota 155 5 146 Running
    7 9 18 Brian Ickler Toyota 146 0 146 Running
    8 17 7 Justin Lofton * Toyota 142 0 146 Running
    9 8 4 Ricky Carmichael Chevrolet 143 5 146 Running
    10 6 2 Ken Schrader Chevrolet 134 0 146 Running
    11 7 33 Ron Hornaday Chevrolet 135 5 146 Running
    12 29 181 David Starr Toyota 132 5 146 Running
    13 12 125 Tayler Malsam Toyota 124 0 146 Running
    14 15 23 Jason White Dodge 121 0 146 Running
    15 23 119 David Mayhew Chevrolet 123 5 146 Running
    16 20 177 Jason Bowles Toyota 115 0 146 Running
    17 25 7 Tony Jackson Jr. Chevrolet 112 0 146 Running
    18 19 47 Jeffrey Earnhardt Chevrolet 109 0 145 Running
    19 26 12 Mario Gosselin Chevrolet 106 0 145 Running
    20 24 15 Nelson Piquet Jr. Toyota 103 0 144 Running
    21 32 10 Jennifer Jo Cobb * Ford 100 0 144 Running
    22 34 1 Carl Long Chevrolet 97 0 143 Running
    23 30 46 Clay Greenfield Dodge 94 0 142 Running
    24 11 5 Mike Skinner Toyota 91 0 141 Running
    25 10 39 Ryan Sieg Chevrolet 93 5 136 Running
    26 18 17 Timothy Peters Toyota 90 5 135 Running
    27 28 60 Narain Karthikeyan Chevrolet 82 0 108 Accident
    28 21 90 Donny Lia Toyota 79 0 84 Engine
    29 31 85 Brent Raymer Ford 76 0 80 Over Heating
    30 35 57 Norm Benning Chevrolet 73 0 67 Wheel Bearing
    31 33 6 Lance Fenton Chevrolet 70 0 61 Susp.
    32 22 173 Rick Crawford Chevrolet 67 0 60 Over Heating
    33 14 162 Greg Pursley Chevrolet 64 0 10 Radiator
    34 27 93 Mike Garvey Chevrolet 61 0 8 Over Heating
    35 36 9 Justin Hobgood Toyota 58 0 3 Ignition
    36 16 120 Johanna Long Toyota 55 0 0 Transmission
  • Greg Biffle, Office Depot and Mike Pagano Attempt To Solve New Jersey’s Fiscal Crisis

    Greg Biffle, Office Depot and Mike Pagano Attempt To Solve New Jersey’s Fiscal Crisis

    What do NASCAR Chase competitor Greg Biffle, Office Depot and Mike Pagano, proprietor of PaganoPhoto, have to do with potentially solving New Jersey’s fiscal crisis? Well, if Greg Biffle wins the AAA 400 race at the Monster Mile in Dover, Delaware this weekend, Office Depot will make Mike Pagano, a new Jersey small businessman, a millionaire, bringing some much needed income tax revenue to the coffers of New Jersey Governor Christie.

    Pagano, who works full-time for the State of New Jersey in the Department of Environmental Protection by day, has been using his evenings, weekends and furlough days to turn his photography hobby into a business. On a lark after listening to an interview with Cup driver Greg Biffle, Pagano entered the Office Depot’s ‘Official Small Business of NASCAR’ Sweepstakes, hoping to bring home the million dollar grand prize.

    “Greg Biffle was on the radio talking about this contest going on and said that someone could win a million dollars,” Pagano said. “I was driving down the road but that perked my ears up. I thought ‘I like contests and I’d sure like a million dollars’ so let me look into this.”

    “When I got home that day I went on the Office Depot website and signed up for it,” Pagano said. “I sent notes to all my friends on Facebook to nominate me and here I am.”

    Pagano is one of two finalists for the Office Depot Small Business of NASCAR award. His competitor for the million dollar grand prize is Rose Berger, owner of Professional Cleaning Service in Greer, South Carolina.

    Both finalists have been having the NASCAR time of their lives prior to the second Chase race at Dover International Speedway. The pre-race festivities have been especially enjoyable for Pagano, who has been a NASCAR fan for quite some time.

    “The original interest in NASCAR came from our son, who is a high school junior now, back when he was in kindergarten,” Pagano said. “He had a Jeff Gordon little plastic lunch pail and started watching the races. We started watching the races with him and within a couple of years, we were hooked and going to races at Pocono and Dover.”

    Pagano, however, has had to switch his allegiance from Jeff Gordon to Greg Biffle as his primary driver. Not only did Biffle’s interview convince him to enter the contest, but Pagano is also paired with Biffle for the contest, who will make Pagano a millionaire if he wins the Dover race.

    “It was a random pairing,” Pagano said of his match with Biffle. The other finalist is paired with Tony Stewart and whichever driver finishes ahead of the other will make their small business the final winner.

    Biffle, who had dinner with both finalists, as well as Tony Stewart, was pretty stoked about the contest as well.

    “This weekend is going to be pretty exciting because Office Depot and 3M have created an incredible opportunity with this year’s ‘Official Small Business of NASCAR’ sweepstakes,” Biffle said. “As a small business owner myself, I want to do a great job for PaganoPhoto, the small business featured on my car, and hopefully give them a shot at the $1 million prize.”

    Pagano has been busy prior to the race weekend, appearing on SPEED TV’s NASCAR Race Hub show, as well as visiting the new NASCAR Hall of Fame in Charlotte, North Carolina.

    “We were at the NASCAR Hall of Fame and we saw a few videos,” Pagano said. “Every one of the videos was of Greg winning a race so that’s a good sign. Also the last time we were at Dover, Greg won. So I told him at dinner that I was his good luck charm at Dover.”

    Pagano and his fellow Small Business finalist will also have some surprises in store at the Monster Mile.

    “It’s been a whirlwind,” Pagano said. “All they told me is that we’re watching Nationwide and the Cup race. The rest of the details are hush, hush for now.”

    The bottom line, however, is that if Greg Biffle crosses the finish line and takes the checkered flag, Mike Pagano will be $1 million richer. His wife and children will also be joining Pagano for the race experience, although they will be trading their Jeff Gordon gear in for Biffle T-shirts and caps.

    “This is as close to a million dollars that I’ve ever been,” Pagano said. If he wins that prize, Pagano plans to sink all of the money back into his photography business, enhancing his digital computer capabilities, as well as increasing the income tax coffers of the State of New Jersey.

    While only one small business owner will walk away with the big bucks, both Pagano and Berger are set to receive a $10,000 small business makeover from Office Depot. Each competitor also gets the name of their small business on the back of Biffle’s and Stewart’s race car respectively.

    “That was really a cool thing to see,” Pagano said after getting a preview glimpse of his business’ name on Biffle’s car. “I saw a tear in my wife’s eye.”

    While Pagano is enthusiastically pulling for Biffle to be in victory lane, Tony Stewart, racing for Rose Berger and her cleaning business is stoked for the competition.

    “Building a successful small business takes a lot of hard work,” Stewart, a NASCAR small businessman himself, said. “It’s great to be able to reward small business owners for their dedication.”

    “Greg (Biffle) and I are definitely ready to battle it out this weekend on their behalf,” Stewart said. “We both want to deliver the $1 million prize with a win and the bragging rights that come with it.”

  • NASCAR Defies Adage That Any Publicity Is Good Publicity

    NASCAR Defies Adage That Any Publicity Is Good Publicity

    The powers that be at NASCAR must surely be shaking their heads at the current state of affairs in the sport, at least from the public relations perspective.

    In spite of all the changes that have been made, from double file restarts, ‘boys have at it’ to green-white-checkered finishes, as well as one of the most competitive, wide-open Chase battles ever this year, the negative publicity continues to pile up, taking away attention of all the good things happening in the sport.

    It all started in the last few weeks with NASCAR went into the Chase with their top twelve championship competitors set. The sport was ready to wow the media in one of the biggest public relations venues, New York City.

    Yet, while the elite drivers blitzed various media outlets, from print to television to the internet, the tough New York media needle barely moved. In fact, very few stories were even picked up by the major New York papers, save for one focused story on Jeff Gordon in the New York Times.

    Putting the best face possible on the limited coverage and questions asked by media who were clueless about the sport and passing on an opportunity to have their championship contenders throw eggs at one another on the Regis and Kelly show, NASCAR fled from the City to the Granite state in hopes of churning up some good publicity for the first race of the Chase.

    That goal was actually achieved, with a Cinderella-like ending for barely-in-the-Chase driver Clint Bowyer, who ended up in victory lane. The competition was intense throughout most of the race and the finish was dramatic, with Tony Stewart running out of gas, allowing Bowyer to take the win and rocket to the second position in the Chase standings.

    For that brief and shining moment, NASCAR was on top of the publicity world and even some of the media outlets back in New York City and the tri-state area took notice. Yet, the bad publicity would soon yet again take over all of the good that had been the previous week’s focus.

    First up in the negative public relations realm was the continuing story of sponsorship struggles. Penske Racing made headlines with the announcement that their Cup driver, Sam Hornish Jr., and their Nationwide up and comer. Justin Allgaier. were free to look elsewhere for rides as their sponsors, Mobil 1 and Verizon respectively, were leaving the sport.

    The ‘Captain’ Roger Penske summed it up best. “You can’t race without funding,” Penske said. “We’re certainly not going to stand in their way as far as furthering their careers.”

    NASCAR was dealt another public relations blow when the deal that Hendrick Motorsports had been working on with Wal-mart to sponsor four-time champion Jeff Gordon’s car fell through. NASCAR had reportedly been wooing Wal-mart for many years without success and felt that this option might just one to bring the mega-company to the table.

    “The Wal-Mart thing was a little disappointing because I feel like everybody was wanting to see that company in this sport for a long time and we would have loved to have represented them,” Jeff Gordon said. Gordon’s primary sponsor for years, Dupont, will be leaving the Hendrick team and his car next year.

    All of these sponsor woes, as well as sponsors like Old Spice leaving Tony Stewart’s team, led to headlines in a local paper that NASCAR no doubt never wanted to see. One story headlined “NASCAR Corporate Sponsors Sought,” read like a help wanted or real estate for sale advertisement.

    The article, attributed to the Associated Press, stated, “For sale, prime real estate on cars driven by former Sprint Cup champions Tony Stewart and Jeff Gordon. Gordon and Stewart who have six championships between them are NASCAR’s two biggest stars looking for additional sponsorship next season. They’re chasing corporate dollars just as much as they’re driving for a title over the 10-race Chase for the Sprint Cup.”

    With NASCAR no doubt cringing after reading this headline and story smack dab in the middle of Chase promotion, its first race story-book ending also fell apart this week. After warning the Richard Childress Race team that Clint Bowyer’s Richmond car was dangerously close to illegality, NASCAR determined that Bowyer’s winning car from New Hampshire was definitely over the edge and he and the team were severely penalized.

    While NASCAR did not take away Bowyer’s win, they did levy a 150 points penalty, dropping the team from second back to last in the twelve Chase racer standings. They also suspended Bowyer’s crew and car chief for six weeks, with probation for the rest of the season.

    “We don’t consider taking away the win,” Robin Pemberton, NASCAR’s Vice President of Competition, said of the penalties. “We try to be consistent throughout the year and the Chase.”

    With NASCAR no doubt hoping that penalty would be it and the sport could move on to this weekend’s second Chase race at the Monster Mile in Dover, Delaware, word came shortly after the sanctioning body’s announcement that Richard Childress would be appealing this decision.

    “We feel certain that the cause of the car being out of tolerance happened as a result of the wrecker hitting the rear bumper when it pushed the car into winner’s circle,” Childress said. “The rear bumper was also hit on the cool-down lap by other drivers congratulating Clint on his victory. That’s the only logical way that the left rear of the car was found to be high at the tech center.”

    With the knowledge that this controversy would not go away soon, NASCAR was then dealt one more public relations blow this past week. They received the television ratings from the New Hampshire race and they were definitely not good news.

    As reported by SceneDaily.com staff, “the telecast of the first race in the Chase for The Sprint Cup, the Sylvania 300 from New Hampshire Motor Speedway, earned a 2.3 national rating on ESPN, down 28 percent from a 3.2 on ABC a year ago.”

    This drop of 28 percent was the second biggest drop of the year, rivaling only the 32 percent drop for the Las Vegas race earlier in the season. The Cup races have been averaging a national rating of somewhere around the 4.0 percent mark, but even that has been dropping recently, leaving NASCAR, the NASCAR media corps, and fans simply scratching their heads.

    While the old adage of ‘any publicity is good publicity’ may be true in other venues, this is most certainly not true in the world of NASCAR. The sport desperately needs some good public relations to head its way, especially in what many deem as its ‘play off’ season.

    Yet if the bad publicity continues to overshadow the good, the sport may be in true trouble. And the spiral of shrinking corporate dollars, fewer fans in the seats, and drivers pursuing other ways to make a living may just continue to grow, leaving NASCAR leadership and all involved in decision-making in the sport wondering just what has to be done to turn the once great buzz about the fastest growing sport in America back around.

  • NOTES FROM THE NASCAR NATION: Who’s going to tame Miles the monster?

    NOTES FROM THE NASCAR NATION: Who’s going to tame Miles the monster?

    Round two of NASCAR’s 2010 Chase for the Sprint Cup Championship moves on to the Dover International Raceway this Sunday. This one mile concrete oval is governed by a large concrete mascot, with bright red eyes, known as Miles the Monster. Like its racing mascot, this track is known for aggressive behavior. The one mile oval has all of the short track characteristics of a half mile counterpart. Drivers have to pass carefully and if they take too long with the process race traffic behind them will quickly pull up on their bumpers. It’s also a track that is physically and mentally demanding on the drivers as well as a good source for road rage. Add the element of the Chase into the mix and the AAA 400 has all the makings of a highly entertaining Sunday afternoon.

    THE STORY BREAKDOWN

    We all know what “THE STORY” of the week is. It’s of course Wednesday’s announcement by NASCAR that said Clint Bowyer’s #33 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet failed to pass an additional inspection at their R&D Center following last weekend’s New Hampshire race. The left rear of the car was reported to be too high, a mere sixty one thousandths of an inch to be exact.

    The punishment for the crime was harsh. Crew chief Shane Wilson was fined $150,000 and suspended for the next six Sprint Cup races. Additionally Wilson was prohibited from participating in any NASCAR sanctioned events until November 3d and was also placed on probation until December 31st. Chad Haney, the team’s car chief, didn’t receive a monetary fine but was suspended under the same terms as Wilson. Bowyer and Childress were docked 150 driver and owner points respectively.

    But what is most interesting here is the statement released by team owner Richard Childress Wednesday afternoon. The statement began with the obligatory apology to the team’s sponsors, fans and RCR employees. Childress also stated that his racing teams, and the people behind them, has a long standing reputation of integrity as well as obeying the rules.

    Childress went on the say that the team was actually warned that the rear of the #33 Chevrolet was very close to being in violation approximately two weeks ago. “NASCAR informed us after the Richmond race that we were very close to maximum tolerances. They also told us they were going to take our New Hampshire car to the NASCAR Technical Center after that race. It doesn’t make any sense at all that we would send a car to New Hampshire that wasn’t within NASCAR tolerances. I am confident that we fixed the area of concern and the New Hampshire car left the shop well within the tolerances required by NASCAR,” Childress said.

    Childress also shared a very interesting theory regarding how the rear of his car failed to pass inspection and said “we feel certain that the cause of the car being out of tolerance by sixty one thousandths of an inch, less than one sixteenth of an inch, happened as a result of the wrecker hitting the bumper when it was pushed to the winner’s circle, (after the car ran out of fuel). The rear bumper was also hit during the cool down lap by other drivers congratulating Clint on his victory. That’s the only logical way that the left rear of the car was found to be too high at the Technical Center.” Childress also announced that he intended to pursue the full appeal process available to him.

    On Wednesday Robin Pemberton, NASCAR Vice President of Competition, discounted the theory that it was the wrecker that raised the rear of the Bowyer car. The following day NASCAR officials said they would not be making any further comments on the matter pending the completion of the appeal process.

    The theory regarding the wrecker pushing the Bowyer car, as well as the congratulatory bumps, is most interesting and we can all expect to hear a lot of lively debate on this issue from the television coverage during the Dover weekend.

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

    After winning at New Hampshire Bowyer vaulted from 12th to second in the Chase standings. Wednesday’s loss of championship points returns him to 12th. There has already been speculation that says any driver 100 or more points out of first is already eliminated as a championship contender. Mathematically that’s really not true. But, realistically speaking, you have to consider the theory as being a valid point.

    In addition to Clint Bowyer, drivers Greg Biffle, Jeff Burton, Tony Stewart and Matt Kenseth are 100 or more points from the top of the standings. Stewart and Biffle understand how to find victory lane at Dover. They been there two times each. Burton and Kenseth are also previous winners there. Look for this group to charge hard next Sunday in an effort to dig themselves out of the points hole they’re currently in.

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

    THE VEGAS BREAKDOWN

    The Las Vegas based WSE-World Sports Exchange, has two drivers at the top of their rankings for Sunday’s race at Dover at 4 to 1 odds. The first is Kyle Busch. The driver of the #18 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota is a two time winner at Dover including the spring race earlier this year. That means he’s be looking for a sweep. Joining him at 4 to 1 is the heavily favored Jimmie Johnson and his #48 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet. Johnson is a five time Dover winner and is also the defending race champion which he won last year from the pole position.

    At 10 to 1 this week you’ll will find two representatives from Roush Fenway Racing. Carl Edwards is a former race winner and has an outstanding record on concrete based race tracks. In fact, one of his many nicknames is “Concrete Carl.” Greg Biffle is a two time winner at Dover and is expected to be a major player during Sunday’s race.

    The WSE has a large group of drivers ranked at 15 to 1 this week. This group is led by four time race winner Jeff Gordon and two time winner Tony Stewart as well as former race winners Matt Kenseth and Jeff Burton. Also in this group are Kurt Busch, Kevin Harvick and Denny Hamlin.

    All by himself, at 18 to 1, is Clint Bowyer a driver that everyone is going to be watching this Sunday. Also in the middle tier this week, at 20 to 1, are Earnhardt Ganassi Racing team mates Juan Pablo Montoya and Jamie McMurray.

    At the lower end of the WSE list this week are drivers Kasey Kahne and David Reutimann at 25 to 1. At 30 to 1 is Martin Truex Jr a former race winner who considers Dover his home track. Ryan Newman and Joey Logano complete the list at 35 to 1. Newman might make an interesting long shot wager because he’s a three time Dover winner.

    Another long shot bet is Mark Martin. It’s no secret that his #5 Hendrick Motorsports team has been wading through the frustration of a very disappointing season. But if there was a race track where this team can find their mojo again it’s Dover. Martin is a four time winner there. He also owns the track record for top five finishes, at 22, as well as top tens at 30. Martin is not ranked on the WSE’s official list this week. That means he’s included in the category known as “all others” which comes with 15 to 1 odds.

    When it comes to the 2010 Sprint Cup Championship, the WSE has had Jimmie Johnson on top of their favorites list since January. Interestingly enough, that all changed this week. Denny Hamlin is now topping the WSE list at 3 to 1 odds followed by Kevin Harvick- 7 to 2, Jimmie Johnson- 4 to 1, Kyle Busch- 7 to 1 along with Tony Stewart and Clint Bowyer at 8 to 1. The rankings for the remainder of the 12 Chase contenders are Jeff Gordon- 12 to 1, Kurt Busch- 18 to 1, Carl Edwards and Jeff Burton- 20 to 1, Greg Biffle- 30 to 1 and Matt Kenseth- 50 to 1.

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

    THE RACE BREAKDOWN

    The AAA 400 is 400 laps around the Dover International Raceway’s one mile concrete oval.

    The race has 46 entries vying for the 43 starting berths.

    11 of those entries are on the go or go home list meaning these teams do not have a guaranteed starting berth in the race because they are currently outside of NASCAR’s top 35 in owner’s points. These teams will have to rely on qualifying speeds to make the race.

    The track record for most wins is shared by NASCAR legends Richard Petty and Bobby Allison at seven each.

    Chevrolet leads the manufacturer’s Dover win list at 30. Hendrick Motorsports tops the team wins category at 12.

    The track opened in 1969. The first NASCAR Sprint Cup race was held there in July of 1969 and was won by Richard Petty. Since that time there has been 81 Cup races there that has sent 32 different winners to victory lane.

    Jeremy Mayfield holds the track qualifying record, 161.522 MPH, set in June of 2004. David Pearson holds the track record for the most poles at six. Among active drivers Ryan Newman, Mark Martin and Jeff Gordon has won the pole four times each. 12 Dover races has been won from the pole.

    NASCAR veteran Dick May holds the record for driving the most cars during a single race at Dover. In May of 1975 May parked his permanent ride, owned by Richard Childress, for a 35th finish early in the race. During the course of the day he performed relief driver duties for four other teams.

    The Dover International Raceway’s one mile oval was changed to its present concrete surface in 1995.

    The turns have 24 degrees banking while the straights are banked nine degrees. The front and back stretch each measure 1,076 feet.

    The pit road speed is 35 MPH.

    The track presently has seating for 135,000.

    The weather could turn out to be an interesting dilemma for crew chiefs. The Saturday forecast for Dover calls for sunny skies and 87 degrees. However Sunday’s forecast calls for extreme clouds and 75 degrees. That’s going to mean cooler track temperatures that could impact tire grip and handling.

    The AAA 400 will be broadcast live by the ESPN2 Network beginning at 12 pm eastern time. The re airs are scheduled for Monday, 330 am et on ESPN2, and on Wednesday, 12 pm et on SPEED.

  • Isn’t It Time That NASCAR Took Away Victories?

    Isn’t It Time That NASCAR Took Away Victories?

    It’s almost time for the engines to roar at Dover in the second race of the Sprint cup race and we’re still talking about New Hampshire. Of course, that’s because NASCAR has accused Richard Childress Racing of cheating at the New Hampshire race. The chassis tolerances were not up to NASCAR’s standards and driver Clint Bowyer and car owner Childress were docked 150 championship points and the crew chief on the team was fined $150, 000. And yet, the win stands for Bowyer. It makes no sense to me.

    It’s a long standing tradition or rule that goes back to the beginnings of NASCAR. Big Bill France, the founder of the sanctioning body that has become an American staple, thought that fans at the track should know when they left who was the winner. Those being the case, victories are never taken away even if a rules infraction is discovered. On Sunday, that meant that Clint Bowyer got the win regardless of whether his car was illegal or not. Bowyer’s No. 33 Chevy has been hot the last two races. In fact, the car was so hot that NASCAR began to look a little closer at the team. Warnings went out after Richmond that the car was so close to being illegal that a meeting was held with Childress and the team. I found this interesting. RCR was given notice that they should clean up their act. Then the teams headed to the New Hampshire race. Post race inspection showed the car to not be within the tolerances of the rule book, and a penalty was assessed three days after the race. Bowyer kept the win, but lost most of the points he had earned, leaving him back in last place after ascending to second on race day.

    I find this unusual, even though I’ve know this most of my adult life. Why should any team retain a victory if they had cheated? I understand the logic that Big Bill prescribed to. The fans at the track left knowing Bowyer had won the race, but does it make it right that his team did it by not following the rules? It has happened so often in the history of this sport that it probably is not on the mind of most fans, but does that make it right?

    Since NASCAR wants to follow the stick and ball sports in their playoff system, why don’t they follow those sports in policing cheaters? Recently, the NCAA stripped a Heisman Trophy from Southern Cal start Reggie Busch because he had broken the rules. High school and college programs have always forfeited victories when cheating is discovered, taking away championships and wins. And yet, we live with this antiquated rule that says if you finish first in a race, even if you didn’t follow the rules, you still get the victory. Sure, they essentially took away the points from the victory, but forevermore the record will show Clint Bowyer as the winner on Sunday.

    It’s time for NASCAR to get tougher. I know that Childress has appealed the decision saying that the tow truck probably knocked the car out of specs when pushing it back to victory lane after the car ran out of fuel. But is that going to fly with the appeals board? It usually doesn’t. In my memory I cannot remember a NASCAR decision being overturned (notice I said in my memory, which isn’t so good these days). My guess is NASCAR’s decision will be upheld. So where does that leave us? It’s time for NASCAR to simply not grant any points for the car that they have determined was not playing by the rules, eliminate all points, and grant the victory to the second place car. Nothing else makes any sense. If I were in charge, I’d get on that immediately, but I doubt that will happen. It’s tradition you know.

  • Dover’s Biggest Upset, Blurred by Controversy

    Dover’s Biggest Upset, Blurred by Controversy

    Dover Downs has had some upsets in its days. In 1990 Derrike Cope won his second career race proving to the NASCAR world his Daytona 500 victory was no fluke. In 1995 Kyle Petty won in surprising fashion after starting 37th on the field. Martin Truex, Jr won his first race in 2007, showing the world he was in NASCAR to belong.

    None of those races even come close to the 1981 Mason-Dixon 500 at Dover. That’s when a veteran car owner with a veteran driver tasted the sweet taste of victory lane for the first time, giving Dover Downs International Raceway, its biggest upset.

    The 1981 Mason-Dixon 500 had everything a big race needed to have in the Winston Cup Series. Youngsters and veterans scattered through the field with the names of Pearson, Shepherd, Bonnett and Waltrip setting the pace for the field in the first two rows.

    Early on in the day you knew it was going to be a crazy race. On lap 1 two time Dover winner Benny Parsons and Dave Marcis got together, damaging both racecars and forcing both drivers to retire. Early on it was pole sitter David Pearson, who was setting a blistering pace. However, Pearson’s engine started to show signs of fatigue and was passed by Neil Bonnett for the lead, shortly after Pearson went to the garage for engine trouble.

    Neil Bonnett set the pace from there. His No. 21 Purolator Ford was the class of the field, with 40 laps to go Bonnett had a commanding two lap lead over second place Cale Yarborough.

    Then suddenly without warning, Bonnett’s engine blew. It was the break Cale Yarborough and his No. 27 M.C. Anderson team needed.

    Yarborough was cruising. Meanwhile, Jody Ridley was having a career day. His Truexmore/ Sunny King Ford was running in second place. Ridley came into the event seventh in the standings, yet he hadn’t had a top five yet.  

    A win however seemed to be out of reach. Yarborough was dominating. The 40,000 people who packed  Dover Downs International Raceway that day, began to think that this was Yarborough’s race. Then without warning smoke came out of the rear of Yarborough’s car. Yarborough’s engine had blown, giving the lead Jody Ridley, who was two days shy of his 39th birthday.

    Ridley’s No. 90 Ford took the lead from the departed Yarborough on lap 480. Now all Ridley had to do was make it to the finish. Ridley a long time short track star, and car owner Junie Donlavey had taken their first checkered flags in NASCAR history.

    Donlavey had little help and little sponsor and it was good to see the little guy win, but not everyone was happy with the victory. “I know we won that race,” said Harry Rainer, owner of Bobby Allison’s No. 28 Ford. “There’s no doubt about it.”

    Several times during the late stages of the race, NASCAR’s scoring was messed up. This was long before electric tonic scoring, so many time human error was the cause for the mistakes. D.K. Ulrich who ended up fourth was listed nine laps down one lap and then five the next lap and on lap 480, NASCAR had no rundown at all on the scoreboard.

    Whatever prove or suspension Rainer and the NASCAR community had about the race, there was nothing that persuaded NASCAR to overturn their decision. Jody Ridley had won his first career race, and to this day it remains one of the biggest upset in Dover Downs history.

  • Marc Davis, Chase Elliott and Johanna Long: NASCAR’s Newest Talent Triumvirate

    Marc Davis, Chase Elliott and Johanna Long: NASCAR’s Newest Talent Triumvirate

    While the trio of Cup drivers atop the newly revised point standings, including Denny Hamlin, Kevin Harvick and Kyle Busch, battle it out for this year’s NASCAR championship, three new, young drivers, Marc Davis, Johanna Long and Chase Elliott, are well on their way to becoming the sport’s newest talent triumvirate.

    These three upstarts are taking the sport by storm, each excelling in various racing series throughout the country this weekend. With their skills and talents, as well as their family ties, they may just become NASCAR’s newest talent trio, poised to take the next step up the racing ladder.

    Marc Davis, son of the late Harry Davis, will be making his Nationwide debut this weekend at the Monster Mile in Dover, Delaware. Davis, at age 20, will return to the track with R3 Motorsports and will pilot the No. 23 WHUR 96.3 FM sponsored Chevrolet.

    This past year has been a tumultuous one for Davis. The death of his father not only hit him hard personally, but he also inherited the management of his family’s race team, now named Marc Davis Motorsports.

    “It’s been an interesting year so far,” Davis said with some sadness in his voice. “This is what my dad and I worked for; to achieve my dream of having a successful and competitive NASCAR career.”

    Davis, a former Joe Gibbs Racing development driver, has most recently been behind the wheel in the inaugural Free State 500 in South Africa. He competed in that American Speed Association Race in January, scoring a top five finish as he took the checkered flag in the third position.

    When his father passed away, Davis was thrust from the driver’s seat into the command position with the race team that now bears his name, becoming one of the youngest team owners in the sport. Davis also is one of the few minority team owners, a mantle that he wears proudly, serving as a role model for others of diverse backgrounds in racing.

    The young driver caught the eye of R3 Motorsports team owner Robert Richardson, Sr. after a previous good run at Dover International Speedway. While other drivers, including Coleman Pressley, Alex Kennedy and Johnny Sauter, have driven the No. 23, Richardson knew that Davis was the driver for the final Nationwide race at Dover this year.

    “We saw how well Marc has done at Dover in the past,” Richardson said. “When this opportunity came up, we knew it would be good for everyone.”

    Davis acknowledges that Dover has been a good track for him, running the 2007 and 2008 East Series races there. “It’s a good place for us,” Davis said. “It suits my driving style a lot. I’m pretty confident that we’ll have a good run.”

    While Davis is thrilled to return to the track, he will no doubt do so with a heavy heart. But the young man also feels that he will be driving the challenging concrete track with an angel on his shoulder.

    “Every race this year has been dedicated to him,” Davis said of his father. “I know that he’d be proud of what we’re doing now.”

    Another up and coming driver, Chase Elliott, has family that is proud of him as well, namely his father Bill Elliott and his late grandfather George Elliott. Chase, the 14 year old son of ‘Awesome’ Bill, ran this past weekend at Gresham Motorsports Park, a track that his grandfather helped run, and led every lap of the 100 lap George Elliott Memorial.

    While Chase Elliott never got to experience his grandfather’s racing passion firsthand as he was only three years old when his Papa George passed away, he knew of the stories his father told him, particularly of his grandfather’s devotion to the Ford brand.

    “I just remember Papa George’s strong conviction for being a Ford Driver,” Elliott said. “And there was one special little red airplane that he gave me that the propeller would crank up and spin.”

    The race was also special for Chase’s father Bill, who had once worked at that race track selling hot dogs and tickets. That was also the site of Bill Elliott’s first major stock car win in the mid-1970’s when he was making his own way up the NASCAR ladder.

    “It was a special evening for me because Daddy’s sister Ethel and his first cousin Thelma were able to come,” Bill Elliott said. “They were able to see Chase race and win for the first time.”

    Chase Elliott, now part of the Red Bull team family, has been taking the south by storm, following in the footsteps of his father. He had a top five finish at Bristol and won at the first race of the newly re-opened North Wilkesboro track. Elliott will next compete in the championship finale this weekend at Five Flags Speedway in Pensacola, Florida.

    The final member of the up and coming NASCAR triumvirate is Johanna Long, an 18 year old racer who has just announced that she will be dipping her toes more deeply into the Truck Series waters. Long plans to run at the Truck race this weekend with a new team, Panhandle Motorsports, making its debut at Las Vegas this weekend.

    Although Long has four starts in the Truck Series, three with Billy Ballew Motorsports, this will be her inaugural run with her new family team and her first time ever foray into the Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Long has two top 20 finishes in her Truck career so far and is hoping to continue learning more and gaining valuable seat time.

    “I’m looking forward to getting to know the track at Las Vegas,” Long said. “I’m grateful to have the opportunity to run with my family’s team, but our ultimate goal is to have the track performance over time to become a driver for another competitive team. Every race I enter, I learn, but I also get a chance to hone my skills to keep moving forward with my driving.”

    Long also has a long racing resume, tearing up the track in late models and serving as the youngest and first woman to claim the Pro Late Model title at Five Flags Speedway, taking that honor at the tender age of 15. With 19 starts so far in 2010 in various series, she has scored five top-five finishes and ten top-10 finishes.

    Just like Davis and Elliott, Long has also followed in her family’s racing footsteps. In her case, she has modeled her career after her father Donald, who raced with great success in the All Pro Series in the southeast.

    While these three racers have strong family ties in common, the tie that binds them most as they compete in various venues this weekend is their desire to learn so they can continue to hone their crafts and move forward in their racing careers.

    Johanna Long sums it up best. “I have a lot to learn,” Long said. “Every step that you go up, you have to learn a lot more. I’m just going to go out there and do the best I can and learn as much as I can.”

    With that learning attitude at the forefront, all three drivers, Davis, Elliott and Long, will no doubt continue their climb up the racing career ladder. These drivers’ ultimate hopes, however, will be to become NASCAR’s next talent triumvirate, ultimately competing for the sport’s highest honor, the Cup championship.

  • NASCAR: Michael McDowell and Whitney Motorsports Penalized After New Hampshire

    NASCAR: Michael McDowell and Whitney Motorsports Penalized After New Hampshire

    The No. 46 Dodge of Whitney Motorsports, drive by Michael McDowell, was penalized after failing post-race inspection at New Hampshire Motor Speedway this past weekend.

    The penalty stands as 50 driver points, 50 owner points and crew chief Jeremy LaFaver was suspended from NASCAR competition for six weeks after the valves in the engine were below mandated weight.

    “I stand by NASCAR’s decision in that they give us a box to work within and as competitors we are all expected to work within that box,” Dusty Whitney, owner of Whitney Motorsports, said in a press release. “However, I am extremely disappointed in that as a small team we outsource our engine building and we entrust our engine builder to ensure we meet the NASCAR parameters and engine requirements. By entrusting a third party that did not perform to NASCAR’s standards our team is not only suffering a hefty financial penalty but we are also losing a valuable member of our team for six races along with a substantial loss of owner and driver points. We expect all of our vendors and outsourced suppliers to perform within the guidelines established by Whitney Motorsports and NASCAR and it is extremely unfortunate and costly when they do not.”

    Whitney Motorsports said in their press release that they got the motor from Gillette-Evernham Motorsports and got it rebuilt and updated by Arrington Engines.

    On the surface, this could look like an error on one of the parties’ parts. However, could this dig deeper? With Gillette-Evernham having this connection, could they had been trying something when they were running dodges last year and it slipped through when they were selling their old motors off?

  • James Buescher Experiences the Agony of Defeat in New Hampshire

    James Buescher Experiences the Agony of Defeat in New Hampshire

    Kyle Busch continues to make friends wherever he goes. A few weeks ago it was Todd Bodine calling him dirty. Before that, Brad Keselowski announced that Busch was an a** over the PA system of the Bristol Motor Speedway. Even mild-manner Jeff Burton became red in the face because of Busch earlier this year in Charlotte.

    And the fans, well they’re never at a loss of opinions for Rowdy. He’s talented and competitive and for some it rubs off the wrong way. Whether he’s being cheered or booed, Busch won’t complain, he just loves the attention.

    Following Saturday’s RacedayRaffleseries.com 175 Busch can add two more drivers that were giving him plenty of attention: James Buescher and Austin Dillon. The two had just finished second and fifth respectively as Busch was celebrating his fifth win of the year in the Camping World Truck Series.

    “We had a really good shot at victory lane today,” said Buescher. “Everybody on this Wolfpack Rentals team did a great job.”

    The source of Buescher’s frustration was the way in which the victory got away. After chasing the dominant trucks of Busch and Kevin Harvick all afternoon, Buescher took advantage when the two got together in turn one. With six laps remaining the caution came out, setting up a final restart that saw Busch drive up and over the nose of Buescher’s No. 31 Chevrolet.

    Even after hitting the wall, Busch still went on to win. Buescher settled for his fourth top five, sixth top 10 finish of the season. On the cool-down lap Busch gave the Texan the middle finger.

    “He just drove us dirty and got the win and we hung in for a second place finish,” said Buescher.

    Dillon on the other hand, conceited Buescher’s points. He was not only rooting for Buescher to beat the two Cup Series drivers but said Busch’s tactics are predictable. Dillon followed it up and noted that Buescher should just wreck him [Busch] next time.

    “Kyle [Busch] doesn’t really give you any room,” said Dillon. “If he’s inside of you he’s going to come on in for some reason. He did it to me in Michigan too and I had to check. It’s just how he drives. It’ll all come around, world’s round.”

    For Buescher it was another bright moment and impressive stat in the aforementioned columns. Since returning to the NCWTS, Buescher has been one of their brightest stars. He sits 13th in points even though he’s only run 13 of the 18 events.

    It’s a wonder what where Buescher would be sitting had he run the full schedule.

    The 2010 season started with Buescher in the Nationwide Series for Phoenix Racing and what was expected to be a full-time gig. While he did run the first 10 races, with a best finish of eighth at Daytona in February, he soon departed and headed back to the NCWTS. A great relationship with Turner Motorsports put him in a decent seat and he’s done the rest.

    Buescher’s now one of the most consistent drivers on the circuit and pounding on victory lane’s door. Saturday was one of his best shots to do so but it slipped through his fingers.

    “There’s definitely mixed emotions,” Buescher said. “Being that close is one thing but getting it taken away from you like that is a totally different thing. If you’re faster, you’re going to pass him but you don’t have to race him dirty and flat out try to wreck you to get the lead and that’s what he did.”

    Even at the tender age of 20 Buescher isn’t intimidated by a veteran like Busch. A second place finish is nothing to sneeze at, however Buescher knows that sometimes second isn’t good enough when you should be holding the trophy. Doesn’t matter whether it was bad boy Kyle Busch or four-time champion Ron Hornaday Jr., it still hurt.

    A day after the finish Buescher appeared on Speed Freaks radio where he again reiterated that Busch used dirty tactics. Then declared had there been one more lap he would have not only caught Busch, but pulled a move similar to what the driver of the No. 18 had done.

    I’m going to win Las Vegas, Buescher then told the audience as he had done after Saturday’s race. Whether it was the frustration of coming so close to getting to victory lane or just losing to Busch, there’s no denying that Buescher is more determined than ever.

    He’s young, talented and his career hasn’t even begun to take off yet. If the pairing of Buescher and Turner Motorsports sticks for years to come there’s no doubt that they’ll be in victory lane and eventually the head table of the season ending banquet.

    Buescher’s been a quick study and the next time around he’ll know what to do differently. Losing makes a driver hungrier to end up in victory lane. With a team that has been running up front week in and week out, their time is coming.

    Don’t be surprised if Buescher does go and win in Las Vegas, he’s got a big enough chip on his shoulder pushing him toward accomplish it.