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Author: Tucker White

  • Danica Patrick Chimes in on NASCAR not Punishing Austin Dillon

    Danica Patrick Chimes in on NASCAR not Punishing Austin Dillon

    NASCAR elected not to punish Austin Dillon for his actions against Cole Custer in last weekend’s XFINITY Series race at Phoenix International Raceway in which Dillon ran his car into Custer’s under caution as retaliation for contact just minutes prior.

    The no penalty decision raised eyebrows as just the day prior, NASCAR Executive Vice President and Chief Racing Development Officer Steve O’Donnell said that NASCAR wouldn’t allow drivers to use cars as a weapon.

    It came after a meeting with Kyle Busch and Joey Logano, who were involved in a post-race brawl on pit road the preceding week at Las Vegas Motor Speedway where the former punched the latter in the face, and NASCAR chose not to fine either for their involvement.

    The driver most vocal about NASCAR’s ruling was Danica Patrick, saying NASCAR should “Give me my money back.”

    Last year, she was hooked into the outside wall by Kasey Kahne and fined for walking onto the apron to show her displeasure to him.

    “I also got fined here last year for Kasey Kahne right-rearing me on the front straightaway at 215 miles an hour and I gave him this sign, and I got fined for that, too,” she said.

    Patrick was upset about NASCAR’s ambiguous rules, but she was more concerned about fining drivers for actions that “makes for good TV.”

    “I think NASCAR makes a really big mistake of fining for some stuff, especially something that happens in the car because it makes for good TV – just like fights and all that stuff,” she said. “We can handle it. I think it’s a mistake. I might be speaking too much, but I’ve been fined a few times and I think that it makes for good TV and I think that we handle it out on the track ourselves.”

    Patrick said she’s fine with NASCAR having not fined drivers in the last few weeks, she wishes that they were consistent in that regard and asked where the fine money goes to.

    “Yeah, I’d rather that be the standard,” she added. “I mean, what does that really do? I’m not gonna not go on vacation. I would actually rather know what it did. I would actually love to see like the playground that got built for it, or homeless people that got food. I would like to see actually what the money does for fines because it’s supposed to go to charity, right? So what does it really do? I would like to see that.”

  • Hendrick Teammates Have Differing Views on Plates at Indy

    Hendrick Teammates Have Differing Views on Plates at Indy

    For the last few years, attendance at The Brickyard for NASCAR events has dwindled and the sanctioning body is looking for any measure to rectify the racing. Their solution, slap restrictor plates on the cars.

    Last week, Michael Knight of The Arizona Republic reported on Twitter that NASCAR would run restrictor plates in the XFINITY Series race at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. On Monday, Nate Ryan of NBC Sports confirmed Knight’s story after speaking to an unnamed NASCAR official. Yesterday, NASCAR officially announced that it was, in fact, running restrictor plates in the XFINITY Series race at The Brickyard.

    The XFINITY cars will run a 7/8 inch plate, the same sized plate run at Daytona International Speedway and Talladega Superspeedway, a taller rear spoiler and splitter and aeroducts on the lower front bumper area.

    The aero ducts give the trailing car more of an advantage so that they don’t hit a “wall of air” when attempting to pass the leading car.

    It’s the restrictor plates that’s raised most eyebrows, given that NASCAR tried them before at New Hampshire Motor Speedway in September of 2000. Jeff Burton led all 300 laps on his way to victory that day, the third and, to date, the last time a driver has led every lap of a Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race.

    The incorporation of plates won’t lead to the big packs that we see at Daytona and Talladega — according to Gene Stefanyshyn, NASCAR senior vice president of innovation and racing development, but you’ll most likely see groups of five or six cars “and in each of those groupings, we’re hoping to see passing on the straightaways.”

    Dale Earnhardt Jr., while not sure if restrictor plates at The Brickyard will work, said on Friday at Auto Club Speedway, that he’s open to it.

    “That race is really suffering as far as the show and how entertaining I think it is to watch,” Earnhardt said. “I don’t really know what the answer is to make it more exciting, but I think this is a great opportunity to find out if this is the direction to go. I am all for it. And I like the idea of trying it in the Xfinity Series or the Truck Series or what have you whatever track it is at to try it in that feeder series. That is an opportunity to see if we can get it right without ruining anything for the Cup guys. Hopefully, I think NASCAR watches the Indy 500 and they see those guys drafting and passing and they are competitive. They have to try to put on that type of show if not better at that race track. It is not good in conversation to have the IndyCar race be more exciting to watch than the NASCAR race there. That is just business. I think it’s great for them to be aggressive. We tried something last year in the Cup cars with the big spoilers and all that drag, didn’t work, but I’m good with it.”

    He also touched on how it’s in the best interest of NASCAR to make Indianapolis work for the XFINITY Series, from his perspective as co-owner of JR Motorsports in the XFINITY Series, rather than take it back to Lucas Oil Raceway Park across town.

    “I really think it’s easy to say ‘hey man let’s go back to IRP (Indianapolis Raceway Park, now Lucas Oil Raceway Park) for the Xfinity guys,” he added. “But how do you fix the Cup race? You want to fix the Cup race too. You want to try to improve Cup racing there if you can. We would love to keep the Xfinity Series at Indy if we can. If we can make that exciting that is where they belong. It’s great for our company. It’s great for us as owners to have that big marquee event and it’s a race that is easier to sell than maybe a Road America or something like that for sponsors. It’s a big deal. We want to be there. I would love to race at IRP. I would love to see a race at IRP, but it’s good for owners to be at Indy. If we can make that work that’s great. I’m open to trying anything.”

    His Hendrick Motorsports teammate Jimmie Johnson isn’t convinced it’s the best idea. Saying on Friday at Auto Club Speedway when he heard the news of plates being used at Indianapolis for the first time that he doesn’t “see really any upside to it.”

    “We are out of the gas so long there and brake for two of the four corners. I don’t see how it’s going to help,” Johnson said. “I guess it would put a bit more of an emphasis on the draft down the straight, but the corners are so challenging. I am not confident we will create the competitive passes that I assume they are looking for. You need multiple lanes to create passes and that track just doesn’t provide that. So, I think taking horsepower away you know if you are held up in the turn the less power the less of an opportunity to run up on somebody and to make the pass on one of those long straightaways. I would fear that it would go the other direction.”

  • Larson Fastest in First Cup Practice

    Larson Fastest in First Cup Practice

    Kyle Larson topped the chart in first Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series practice at Auto Club Speedway.

    The driver of the No. 42 Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet was the fastest with a time of 38.081 and a speed of 189.071 mph. Denny Hamlin was second in his No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota with a time of 38.204 and a speed of 188.462 mph. Kevin Harvick was third in his No. 4 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford with a time of 38.228 and a speed of 188.344 mph.

    Jamie McMurray was fourth in his No. 1 Ganassi Chevrolet with a time of 38.310 and a speed of 187.940 mph. Joey Logano rounded out the top-five in his No. 22 Team Penske Ford with a time of 38.382 and a speed of 187.588 mph.

    Larson posted the fastest 10 consecutive lap average at a speed of 182.404 mph.

    Jimmie Johnson went to a backup car after spinning out in Turn 4 and digging his splitter into the infield grass.

    The session was stopped once for a live owl on the frontstretch.

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  • The White Zone: Some good things in NASCAR right now

    The White Zone: Some good things in NASCAR right now

    As much as I harp on NASCAR for getting things wrong and continuously point out the serious problems within it, I think it’s only fair to also give them their due when they get things right and point out the fantastic aspects in the sport at the moment.

    Let me be clear. This isn’t me playing Ms. Pauliana, trying to brush a coat of gilded-color paint to cover up serious problems bubbling under the surface. In what I consider a make or break year for NASCAR with a decade of declining ratings and signing Monster Energy as the new title sponsor of the Cup Series, it’s not off to a hot start in the ratings and viewership department. The ratings for NASCAR this season, compared to last season so far are flat in ratings but up five percent in viewership (Daytona), down seven percent in ratings and three percent in viewership (Atlanta), down 18 percent in ratings and 17 percent in viewership (Las Vegas) and down 18 percent in ratings and 19 percent in viewership (Phoenix).

    But while I find more wrong with the sport at the moment, I decided to do a column listing just a few items I believe show NASCAR is on course for better days when they also fix the bigger problems.

    Without further adieu, here’s just a few things I feel are right with NASCAR at the moment.

    1: Restrictor plate racing

    I’m not talking about the “bet on disappointment” XFINITY Series race at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway this coming July where NASCAR is going to use restrictor plates. I’m talking about the events of Speedweeks.

    During The Clash on a Sunday afternoon, Brad Keselowski and Joey Logano worked together to breakup the Toyota contingent commanding the lead in the closing laps one by one until Denny Hamlin was left all by himself. When Hamlin tried to block Keselowski’s advance in Turn 1, he got loose and turned himself sideways. Logano drove to the high side of them and won the race.

    Granted, the current restrictor plate aero package still gives too great of an advantage to the leader, especially when it allows them to block any advancing lane and not lose said aero advantage, and that is the most frustrating aspect of plate racing today. But it was less prevalent during the Daytona 500, thanks largely to NASCAR Chairman and CEO Brian France telling the drivers in the drivers meeting don’t look to NASCAR “when you block somebody out there.”

    “When you block somebody out there — and it’s going to happen today — it causes almost all the big incidents — do not look for NASCAR,” he said. “You’d better hope there’s a Good Samaritan behind you who is going to accept that block, because they have that lane.”

    Considering the carnage in the XFINITY Series race the day before, France’s comments weren’t so out of left field. But given most of the wrecks were the result of the close nature of plate racing and bump drafting, his comments still left more questions than answers.

    Regardless, this running of the Daytona 500 was entertaining from start to finish. It wasn’t next to impossible to pass for the lead and unlike the XFINITY race the day prior, the carnage didn’t start until halfway through. Breaking from what’s become the norm of plate races, there wasn’t a caution in the closing laps. Instead, the race went straight to the green on the last 47 laps. In the closing laps, Chase Elliott ran out of gas while leading, Martin Truex Jr. ran out while leading and Kyle Larson ran out while leading. Kurt Busch took the lead exiting Turn 2 and won the Daytona 500.

    If we get a race similar in entertainment while at Talladega, plate racing in NASCAR will finally be back to a great place.

    2: The young guns

    This season might be the true start of the youth takeover of the Cup Series in NASCAR.

    After four races, Larson is riding a streak of three consecutive runner-up finishes. Even though he’s led just 26 laps, he’s leading the points thanks to those runner-up finishes and finishing top-10 in every stage segment so far this season, minus the final stage of the Daytona 500 where he finished 12th. While he’s yet to earn a playoff point, his consistent stage finishes demonstrate the importance of running well the entire race and not just at the end.

    Compare this to Kevin Harvick who had dominant runs in the Daytona 500, winning the second stage, and Atlanta, winning the first and second stage, but an early exit at Las Vegas and another non-factor day at Phoenix has dropped him from the points lead to seventh.

    Other impressive “young whipper-snappers” so far includes Elliott. He was a few gallons short of possibly winning his first NASCAR race in the Daytona 500 and led over 100 laps in a disappointing 12th-place finish at Phoenix.

    Ryan Blaney is also making good of his runner-up finish in the Daytona 500, sitting sixth in points.

    Erik Jones and Daniel Suarez quietly earned their first top-10’s in the Cup Series this past weekend at Phoenix.

    Austin Dillon is off to a slow start, currently sitting 25th. But it’s too early in the season to write them off.

    3. The finishes so far

    So far, the racing this season isn’t good. It’s just where we left off with 2016, serviceable to mediocre on most weekends. The finishes have been the saving grace to each of these races: last lap pass for the win at Daytona, closing laps pass for the win at Atlanta, Truex passes Keselowski for the win with two to go at Las Vegas and Ryan Newman stays out on final caution to win at Phoenix.

    The way these races have finished this season have somewhat made up for the fact the races haven’t been that good. Truth be told, the stage breaks and stage racing are the only things that’s made the racing this year tolerable to watch.

    Jeff Gluck and I were talking on the exit of pit road at Atlanta after the Cup race ended and he asked me what I thought of the race. I told him I thought it was average for a race at Atlanta, and that was with the way it ended. I added that if you took Harvick’s speeding penalty out of the equation and he won, it doesn’t register. Gluck responds, “Oh agreed. It’s basically Truex at Charlotte if Harvick won.” We also talked about how this race was a race to “adjust our expectations” after Daytona. I told him while I know Daytona is its own animal, I thought the stage racing contributed to making the race far more intense and made passing at a track where it’s been next to impossible in the past easier. I thought if that’s what we got at Daytona, imagine what we’ll get at Atlanta where passing is much easier. But halfway through, I realized we were going to get the same kind of racing we got last season. The only difference is we have stages to break them up.

    Yes, stage racing is contrived and cautions at the end of the stages are more contrived. I’m still skeptical as to whether the stage racing concept NASCAR has devised will stem the decade slide in television ratings it’s experienced. As I pointed out in the beginning of this piece, that doesn’t seem the case.

    But the bottom line is these races outside of Daytona would’ve been far less interesting without the stage racing. However, we’ve only raced at downforce centered tracks so far. So that could change.

    CONCLUSION:

    There’s a lot wrong with NASCAR today, but these three huge things show this sport is set to head in the right direction if it fixes its other problems. If NASCAR does something about the quality of the racing and the XFINITY Series, it will find itself in a much better state.

  • Bristol Short Tracking or Charlotte All-Star?

    Bristol Short Tracking or Charlotte All-Star?

    BRISTOL, Tenn. — For three days in mid-May, hundreds of race cars will take to the high banks of Thunder Valley.

    May 19 through May 21, Bristol Motor Speedway will host the first annual Short Track U.S. Nationals in which over 500 races cars of various short track racing classes will compete on the .533-mile short track that’s known as “The Last Great Coliseum.”

    But it’s also running on the same weekend as the Monster Energy NASCAR All-Star Race at Charlotte Motor Speedway. To facilitate those who can’t make it to the event, Bristol and Speed51.com partnered together to announce that they’ll carry the Short Track Nationals on the latter’s website as a PPV event.

    “With the NASCAR All-Star weekend taking place at Charlotte Motor Speedway, we’ve looked for ways to give those who can’t attend the Short Track U.S. Nationals an opportunity to still enjoy the world’s largest short track race and glad we were able to partner with a leader like Speed51.com,” said Jerry Caldwell, executive vice president and general manager of Bristol Motor Speedway.

    Fans are also encouraged to attend both the All-Star Race and the Short Track Nationals since the All-Star Race is on May 20 and the main races for the Short Track Nationals don’t start until the next day.

  • The White Zone: It’s time NASCAR leave The Brickyard

    The White Zone: It’s time NASCAR leave The Brickyard

    NASCAR, stop fooling yourself into thinking stock cars at Indianapolis can work.

    Why do we continue this charade of “NASCAR belongs at The Brickyard” and “shares in its prestigious history?”

    We don’t belong.

    Last year’s Brickyard 400 drew an estimated 50,000 people to a venue that holds 250,000 last year. This supposed “crown jewel” race only filled up 20 percent of the seats. Meanwhile, last year’s Indianapolis 500 was run in front of a sold-out crowd.

    The attendance is a joke. We don’t attract sellout crowds to Indianapolis Motor Speedway anymore, and haven’t done so for a number of years.

    The racing is atrocious. The low banking of the turns and lack of horsepower in the cars makes passing another car on track next to impossible. The cars aren’t heavy enough with downforce that they can just slingshot around another like IndyCar drivers do in the Indianapolis 500 and don’t have the throttle response to complement the low downforce on the cars now.

    I can’t think of one standout race that was fantastic through the overall running and didn’t just have a memorable finish. But I can think of awful races over the years. There was the tire-debacle race of 2008 where tires blew out every 10 laps, the high-downforce disaster of 2015 and last year’s snoozer.

    There was talk of putting the cars on the infield road course at Indianapolis, but that was killed about a week ago. Now NASCAR is going with a new gimmick for a sacred venue like The Brickyard, restrictor plates. That’s right, instead of more throttle response, we’re going to try even less. And they’re not even doing it for safety reasons like at Daytona and Talladega, and Loudon in 2000. This is to “enhance” the competition. I’m not a fan of contrived measures to “enhance” the competition.

    They’ll use the XFINITY Series race as a guinea pig to see how it plays out. If it works, it’s coming to the Cup level for Indy next year.

    And since I brought it up, let’s talk about the pathetic joke that is the XFINITY Series at The Brickyard. NASCAR left great short track racing at Lucas Oil Raceway Park right across town and replaced it with follow the leader, unwatchable garbage. Why? Because Indy pays a larger purse and they could afford to pay NASCAR’s expensive sanctioning fees.

    In other words, chasing after the money is what got us here. To hell with what produces great racing, let’s take a series already losing any identity it once had away from yet another short track and to yet another downforce-centric track just because it pays more money.

    Now if this does work, I’ll happily eat my words. Feel free to cc this to Freezing Cold Takes (@OldTakesExposed) when the XFINITY Series race concludes if plates make it better. But past history at Loudon in 2000 and IROC at Indianapolis tells me I’d be safe betting on not likely.

    Bottom line: The attendance is abysmal and the racing is dreadful. NASCAR isn’t adding to the legacy of The Brickyard. If anything, NASCAR is tainting it by putting on such horrendous racing. Let’s cut our losses, leave Indianapolis and find another race track that’s more suited for stock car racing.

    That’s my take for what it’s worth.

  • Mixed-Bag Day for Dominant Drivers in Phoenix

    Mixed-Bag Day for Dominant Drivers in Phoenix

    The three drivers who combined to lead the most laps in the Valley of the Sun finished across the board on Sunday.

    Joey Logano’s weekend started strong with a pole run on Friday, leading 82 laps and winning the first stage of the Camping World 500. But he lost the lead on the restart following the stage break and was busted for speeding under the fifth caution on lap 120.

    To add insult to injury, he suffered a right-front tire blowout and slammed the wall in Turn 1 with six laps to go. The blowout was due to a melted bead caused by excessive brake heat, not uncommon at tracks such as Phoenix.

    “The brakes are fine, we just blew a right front,” Logano said. “Probably just overheated the bead,” he said after the race. “I am sure that is what it was. There is not much you can do when the right front blows out. We had a good car in the beginning of the race and then just fell off and got a pit road speeding penalty and it was hard to get back up there. We were getting closer but out long run speed was off. We have to figure out how to get faster here on the long run.”

    He finished 31st.

    Chase Elliott took over the lead from Logano on the restart after the stage break, dominated the second stage and won it.

    He said the move that got him the lead early in the race was “momentum. Just had momentum and basically knew that if you fall back in line second you are probably not going to pass them. You have to be night and day better than somebody to get by them under green or they have to have a problem or something. That was the biggest thing was just realizing that hey you’ve got a lap, so you either get the lead then or you don’t. Fortunately, we got it then, but didn’t keep it when it counted.”

    He held the lead until Matt Kenseth brought out the caution with 120 to go, for slamming the wall after suffering a tire blowout, Busch beat him off pit road.

    “Even the really good cars had a really hard time getting to somebody, so track position was big as it always is every week, everywhere we go and that will continue to be the case throughout the year,” Elliott said. “So, if you don’t have it at the end of the race it is going to be an uphill battle I feel like throughout this season. That is going to be a big trend.”

    While not suffering the same fate as Logano, he faded from the conversation and came home 12th, having led 106 laps.

    Finally, Busch took command of the race with 120 to go and led a race-high of 114 laps. The race was his to lose until Logano’s wreck with six to go brought out the final caution and brought all but Ryan Newman to pit road. Kyle Larson exited ahead of him.

    He came home third.

  • Newman Ends Winless Drought in Arizona

    Newman Ends Winless Drought in Arizona

    Ryan Newman’s winless drought that stretched over 100 races came to an end at Phoenix International Raceway, thanks to an overtime restart involving Kyle Larson and Ricky Stenhouse Jr.

    Newman took the lead by electing not to pit under the final caution of the race with six laps to go. On the restart in overtime, he got out in front of Larson going into Turn 1. Larson came down across the nose of Stenhouse and got loose. This allowed Newman to drive away and win the Camping World 500.

    “What a gutsy call by (crew chief) Luke (Lambert),” he said in victory lane. “I called for two tires and he called for none. I’ve won more races with no tires than I have with four. I’m just proud of these guys. We had a good car all day. We kept it out of trouble and collected in the end.”

    It’s Newman’s 18th career victory and ends a 127-race winless streak.

    “I’ve lost count; that’s how long it’s been,” he said when asked how good it felt being back in victory lane.

    Larson finished runner-up for the third week in a row. Kyle Busch rounded out the podium after leading a race high of 114 laps. Stenhouse and Brad Keselowski rounded out the top-five.

    Kevin Harvick, Daniel Suarez, Erik Jones, Jimmie Johnson and Denny Hamlin round out the top-10.

    Chase Elliott finished 12th after leading 106 laps. Joey Logano finished 31st, out for an accident, after leading 82 laps.

    Logano led the race from the start to the end of the first stage, of which he won. It was only interrupted by Corey LaJoie slamming the wall in the dogleg on lap 26.

    He lost the lead on the restart to Elliott, who himself kept it all the way through the second stage. It too was only interrupted by a LaJoie wreck in Turn 1 on lap 118.

    Matt Kenseth suffered a right-front tire blowout and slammed the wall in Turn 4, bringing out the fifth caution with 120 to go. Busch exited pit road with the race lead. He maintained the lead all the way through the next 114 laps.

    Aside from a two-car wreck in Turn 1 involving David Ragan and Gray Gaulding with 108 to go, and Cole Whitt slamming the wall in Turn 2 with 55 to go, it was smooth sailing from the time Busch took the lead to the closing laps.

    With six to go, however, Logano suffered a tire blowout and slammed the wall in Turn 1, bringing out the final caution and setting up the overtime restart.

    “The brakes are fine, we just blew a right front. Probably just overheated the bead,” he said. “I am sure that is what it was. There is not much you can do when the right front blows out. We had a good car in the beginning of the race and then just fell off and got a pit road speeding penalty and it was hard to get back up there. We were getting closer but out long run speed was off. We have to figure out how to get faster here on the long run.”

    The race lasted three hours and 41 seconds at an average speed of 104.271 mph. There were 15 lead changes among eight different drivers and eight cautions for 45 laps.

    Larson leaves Phoenix with a six-point lead over Keselowski.

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  • Logano Fastest in Final Phoenix Practice

    Logano Fastest in Final Phoenix Practice

    Joey Logano topped the chart in the final Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series practice at Phoenix International Raceway.

    The driver of the No. 22 Team Penske Ford was the fastest with a time of 26.719 and a speed of 134.736 mph. Matt Kenseth was second in his No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota with a time of 26.762 and a speed of 134.519 mph. Kyle Busch was third in his No. 18 JGR Toyota with a time of 26.786 and a speed of 134.399 mph. Brad Keselowski was fourth in his No. 2 Penske Ford with a time of 26.789 and a speed of 134.384 mph. Jimmie Johnson rounded out the top-five in his No. 48 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet with a time of 26.792 and a speed of 134.368 mph.

    Busch posted the fastest 10 consecutive lap average at a speed of 134.094 mph.

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  • Elliott Fastest in Second Cup Practice at Phoenix

    Elliott Fastest in Second Cup Practice at Phoenix

    Chase Elliott topped the chart in second Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series practice at Phoenix International Raceway.

    The driver of the No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet was the fastest with a time of 26.475 and a speed of 135.977 mph. Joey Logano was second in his No. 22 Team Penske Ford with a time of 26.575 and a speed of 135.466 mph. Kyle Larson was third in his No. 42 Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet with a time of 26.603 and a speed of 135.323 mph. Martin Truex Jr. was fourth in his No. 78 Furniture Row Racing Toyota with a time of 26.626 and a speed of 135.206 mph. Brad Keselowski rounded out the top-five in his No. 2 Team Penske Ford with a time of 26.633 and a speed of 135.171 mph.

    Truex posted the fastest 10 consecutive lap average at a speed of 134.525 mph.

    Ricky Stenhouse Jr. hit the wall in Turn 1 due to what he described as a “brake problem.” The damage wasn’t significant enough to force switching to a backup car.

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