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Category: NASCAR Cup Series

NASCAR Cup Series

  • Matt Kenseth – Crown Royal Black – Texas Advance

    Matt Kenseth – NSCS ADVANCE

    Team: No. 17 Crown Royal Black Ford Fusion

    Crew Chief: Jimmy Fennig

    Chassis: Primary: RK-707 (last run at Fontana)

    Kenseth NSCS record at Texas Motor Speedway:

    Date Event S F Laps Status Earnings

    04/02/00 DirecTV 500 13 31 288/334 Crash $57,050

    04/01/01 Harrah’s 500 27 20 332/334 Running $80,700

    04/08/02 Samsung/Radio Shack 500 31 1 334/334 Running $418,275

    03/30/03 Samsung/Radio Shack 500 17 6 334/334 Running $142,950

    04/04/04 Samsung/Radio Shack 500 25 16 332/334 Running $145,103

    04/17/05 Samsung/Radio Shack 500 39 18 334/334 Running $101,625

    11/06/05 Dickies 500 3 3 334/334 Running $260,961

    04/09/06 Samsung/Radio Shack 500 6 2 334/334 Running $362,491

    11/05/06 Dickies 500 36 12 339/339 Running $152,791

    04/15/07 Samsung 500 4 2 334/334 Running $357,266

    11/04/07 Dickies 500 18 2 334/334 Running $378,041

    04/06/08 Samsung 500 8 9 339/339 Running $173,891

    11/02/08 Dickies 500 6 9 334/334 Running $170,016

    04/05/09 Samsung 500 3 5 334/334 Running $221,363

    11/08/09 Dickies 500 30 3 334/334 Running $267,515

    04/18/10 Samsung Mobile 500 28 20 332/334 Running $153,551

    Races Wins Top 5s Top 10s Poles Earnings

    Cumulative 16 1 7 10 0 $3,443,589

    Kenseth on racing at Texas Motor Speedway:

    “Texas Motor Speedway is a track I really enjoy racing at and have been fortunate enough to have put together some successful races at as well. To me, it is a track that’s more about real racing and making sure that you have a car that handles better than the rest of the guys, so that you’re the fastest car around the track every lap. Earlier this season, we got a flat tire that forced us to finish mid-pack, but our goal is to race hard and get the best finishes we can in order to finish our season strong for the Crown Royal Black team.”

    Crew chief Jimmy Fennig on racing at Texas Motor Speedway:

    “I’m looking forward to heading out to Texas this weekend because it’s really a great place to race at. After spending the last two weeks racing on a short track and a superspeedway, it will be nice to get back to racing with our intermediate track program. Matt has achieved a lot of success at Texas and our goal is to keep up with the adjustments we need, have fast pit stops, and get the best result we can on Sunday for our team.”

    FAST FACTS:

    • Kenseth has an average starting position of 18.4 and an average finishing position of 9.9 at Texas

    • In 16 starts, Kenseth has achieved one win, seven top-five and ten top-10 finishes at Texas in the Sprint Cup series

    • Kenseth has completed 5,302 of 5,354 (99.0 percent) laps at Texas and led for a total of 497 laps

    • Kenseth’s No. 17 pit crew won their fourth Tissot Pit Road Award at Talladega last weekend and are currently tied for first in the pit crew competition

    • Kenseth is tied for the most top fives (7) and the most top 10’s (10) in Cup action at Texas

    • This weekend at Texas, Kenseth will pilot the No. 17 Crown Royal Black Ford Fusion

    • Entering this weekend, Kenseth is currently eighth in the NSCS driver point standings

  • Team Lowe’s Racing – Jimmie Johnson – Texas Motor Speedway Preview

    Jimmie Johnson 

    2010   Starts: 33   Wins: 6   Top 5: 15   Top 10: 20 

    Current Driver Point Standing: 1st 

    Finish in Talladega: 7th    November 2009 Finish at Texas: 38th 

     

    RACE NOTES
    Texas Motor Speedway

    • Johnson has made 14 Sprint Cup Series starts at Texas Motor Speedway, where he has earned one win, seven top-five and 10 top-10 finishes.
    • Johnson has completed 95.6% (4482 of 4686) of competition laps at the 1.5-mile quad-oval and has led 117.
    • He has an average start and finish of 8.8 and 10.1.

    Chassis

    • Johnson will pilot chassis No. 623 in Sunday’s Sprint Cup Series race. He has only driven that car once – to a third-place finish at Charlotte Motor Speedway in October.
    • Johnson finished third in backup chassis No. 580 at Auto Club Speedway in October.


    QUOTES
    IN THE PAST GOING IN THE LAST THREE RACES OF THE YEAR YOU’VE HAD ONE GUY CHASING YOU. NOW YOU HAVE TWO. HOW DOES THAT CHANGE THE DYNAMIC FOR YOU?     “For me we’ve always really approached each race with the mentality that we needed to win. You can go back to the Texas race a few years back where I worked hard to get by Matt. We’ve been able to win at Phoenix. Our Homestead performance has been getting better and better each year. I felt last year we had a chance to run with the lead group of guys and didn’t need to, played it smart.

    “It’s really the same mentality. We need maximum points. Of course, it’s a little bit more forgiving or easy on your team and yourself with a big points lead. But we don’t have that this year. We’re going to have to race, and we’re ready for it.”

    YOU’VE SAID ALL ALONG FOR THE LAST THREE OR FOUR WEEKS, LET’S GET THROUGH TALLADEGA AND WITH THREE TO GO I’LL DEVELOP A STRATEGY. WHAT IS YOUR STRATEGY NOW? “All out. We need to be as competitive and as fast as we can possibly be at this point. We’re going to three tracks that are good for all three competitors. As Kevin (Harvick) was saying earlier, you’re going to have to run in the top five to stay in the game. Then obviously take advantage of things and win if you can. Ten extra points from first to second are going to be important. Leading laps, leading the most laps, you’re going to have to be on your A game from here on out.”

    SPRINT CUP SERIES CAREER NOTES
    Career Wins

    • Johnson has 53 wins in his Sprint Cup Series career, his most recent coming at Dover International Speedway on Sept. 26, 2010.
    • The El Cajon, Calif.-native is currently 10th on NASCAR’s all-time wins list, one victory behind Lee Petty.
    • He is second in total wins among active drivers, behind Jeff Gordon (82).
    • Johnson needed only 296 starts to hit the 50 mark. Only three drivers have reached 50 victories quicker – Gordon (232), Darrell Waltrip (278) and David Pearson (293).
    • Johnson has won at least three Cup races a season since he posted his first victory in 2002. He is the only driver in the modern era to win at least three races in each of his first eight full-time seasons.
    • Johnson has won Sprint Cup Series races at all but four (Michigan, Chicago, Watkins Glen, Homestead) of the 22 tracks on which the series competes.
    • Johnson was the first driver to win three of the first five races in The Chase.
    • Johnson’s 10 wins in 2007 was the highest number recorded in a single season since Jeff Gordon posted 13 victories in 1998.
    • The four-consecutive wins scored by the No. 48 team in the 2007 Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup ties a modern-era NASCAR record.

    Career Poles

    • Johnson has collected 25 poles in his Sprint Cup career.
    • The championship driver has earned at least one pole a year since his first full-time season in 2002.
    • He had a career-high six poles in 2008.
    • Johnson’s most recent pole position was at Dover International Speedway on Sept. 24, 2010.

    Career Starts

    • In 33 2010 starts, Johnson has collected six wins, 15 top five and 20 top-10 finishes.
    • Johnson has finished in the top five in the Sprint Cup Series point standings each year since his first full season in 2002.
    • Johnson is the only driver to qualify for the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup every year since the format was adopted in 2004.
    • In 324 Sprint Cup Series starts, Johnson has posted 132 top-five and 200 top-10 finishes.
    • He has a top-five finish at every track on the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series circuit.
    • Johnson has led a total of 10,994 laps (of 93,315) in his Sprint Cup career, covering over 125,043 miles.
    • He has finished on the lead lap 250 times.  

  • MIS featured on upcoming episode of NBC’s ‘School Pride’

    Students receive rewarding experience at MIS; episode airs this Friday at 8 p.m. ET

    BROOKLYN, Mich. ­(Nov. 2, 2010) — “Pride” is a word Michigan International Speedway is very familiar with, as thousands of race fans show their pride and passion every summer race season at the Irish Hills track.

    When NBC’s new show “School Pride” was looking for a perfect field trip location to treat the students to after working hard to rebuild their school, MIS was the perfect fit.

    “School Pride” is a proactive, alternative series that tells the stories of communities coming together to renovate their aging and broken public schools. While transforming the school, the community also restored its sense of value and school pride. The cameras followed students, teachers, parents and community members as they rolled up their sleeves and rebuilt their own schools, concluding with the unveiling of a brand-new, completely transformed school.

    In the November 5 episode, students, staff and community members from Communication and Media Arts School in Detroit visited MIS for a day of fun during the week-long renovation and rebuilding of their outdated school. Longtime track sponsor Chevrolet provided Camaros to give the students a once-in-a-lifetime high-speed thrill ride on the high banks of MIS.

    Speedway president Roger Curtis greeted the group and offered up some positive motivation for the students during their visit.

    “It was a lot of fun hosting the show here,” Curtis said. “The students that were able to visit with us were tremendous individuals who truly cared about their school and did show great pride in wanting to make it a much improved place for them to learn. We were happy to have them here and I hope they enjoyed their visit to MIS and the thrill ride they received courtesy of Chevrolet.”

    “School Pride,” from Horizon Alternative Television, airs on Fridays at 8 p.m. ET on NBC. Local affiliates include WILX TV 10 (Lansing), WNWO TV 24 (Toledo, OH), WDIV TV 4 (Detroit), WOOD TV 8 (Grand Rapids), WEYI TV 25 (Flint) and WPBN-WTOM TV 7&4 (Traverse City). The episode featuring MIS will air this Friday, Nov. 5.

    Nestled in the lush Irish Hills of Southeastern Michigan, Michigan International Speedway is the Great Escape, a venerable NASCAR national park where fans can get away and enjoy the very best in racing and camaraderie. It’s the love of racing and the thrill of a great time for race fans and drivers alike.

    The best, guaranteed lowest prices in 2011 will go to renewal customers and new customers who make a $30 goodwill deposit. Renewals are under way for 2010 ticket holders. New customers can log onto www.MISpeedway.com or call 800-354-1010 to leave a deposit. That deposit ensures race fans get the best pricing for 2011.

    Michigan International Speedway’s 2011 Schedule

    Saturday, May 21 Great Lakes Wine Fest

    Friday, June 17 ARCA Racing Series RainEater Wiper Blades 200

    Saturday, June 18 NASCAR Nationwide Series

    Sunday, June 19 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Heluva Good! Sour Cream Dips 400

    Friday, Aug. 19 Gatorade Pole Day

    Saturday, Aug. 20 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series VFW 200

    Sunday, Aug. 21 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series

  • Surprising and Not Surprising: Talladega’s Amp Energy Juice 500

    Surprising and Not Surprising: Talladega’s Amp Energy Juice 500

    At the track described as NASCAR’s ‘wild card’, famous for white knuckle racing, insanely close finishes and the infamous ‘big one’, Talladega Superspeedway’s Amp Energy Juice, run on Halloween no less, delivered on all accounts, for the most part.  Here are the surprising and not surprising tricks and treats from HallowDega:

    Surprising:  What was most surprising was the length of time that it took to finally declare the winner after yet another close finish at Talladega.  With Clint Bowyer and Kevin Harvick exchanging handshakes as they waited for what seemed like an eternity to find out which one had won, NASCAR finally declared it was Clint Bowyer after reviewing and re-reviewing the videotape.  This was Bowyer’s second Chase win and he is now left to wonder what could have been since his penalty put him dead last in the Chase race.  After thanking Juan Pablo Montoya for pushing him to a great finish, Bowyer just had two words after finally being declared the victor, “Hell yeah.”

    Not Surprising:  Kevin Harvick, with a bruised, beat up, and bear-bonded race car as a result of an early wreck, finished runner up to his Richard Childress Racing teammate.  As Harvick said, “We kept it 1, 2 in the right house and beat the guys we needed to.”  Harvick has now finished seventh, first, first, and second at this season’s restrictor plate races at Daytona, Talladega, Daytona and Talladega respectively.  Harvick is now just 38 points behind Chase leader Jimmie Johnson, tightening up the championship competition considerably.

    Surprising:  At a track that he loves and where his father had such success, Dale Earnhardt, Jr. did lead laps early in the race to the delight of the crowd, particularly Junior Nation.  But surprisingly, Junior, usually so solid in plate races, made a mistake in the draft, clipping Jeff Burton in the corner and sending the veteran for a very wild ride.  Burton was so upset, knowing that he had a good car, that in spite of his hard impact, decimated vehicle and even a brief fire, he got out and promptly kicked his race car.  Junior also sustained significant damage, and although he was able to eventually return to the track, he finished a cursed 39th in his The Legend of Hallowdega race car.

    Not Surprising:  While Junior usually loves the restrictor plate tracks, one driver in particular just hates them, especially Talladega.  So it was not surprising to hear A.J. Allmendinger declare after flying through the air and hitting the wall upside down, “I hate this place.  I always have and I always will.”  Allmendinger admitted that he has never flipped before and will most likely seek the services of his chiropractor wife Lynne for his sore neck and back.  Allmendinger finished in the 32nd position and time will tell if he will be at the next race due to the financial turmoil currently affecting his race team, Richard Petty Motorsports.

    Surprising:   At a track known for the ‘big one’, a wreck that traditionally occurs at Talladega, often taking out at least twenty race cars and a major portion of the race field, it was surprising that the ‘big one’ just did not occur.  There certainly were a few wrecks along the way, but they were more isolated instances involving just a handful of cars.  The majority of cautions were for debris on the track rather than carnage from the dreaded ‘big one’.

    Not Surprising:  Although no major wrecking occurred, there were the unbelievably frequent lead changes.  In fact, the race at Talladega this year yielded 87 lead changes, so almost every driver got their chance to be out front at one point or another.  It was also not surprising to see those infamous two-car breakaways that have also become a hallmark of Talladega, moving duos from the back to the front in the blink of an eye.  Both race winner Bowyer and runner up Harvick took advantage of the two-car hook ups with Juan Pablo Montoya and David Reutimann to thank respectively.

    Surprising:   It was surprising how depressed Denny Hamlin was after a top-ten finish at Talladega.  Hamlin stated glumly, “I wish I could have had a better show.”  Hamlin’s depression was also surprising given the championship contender battled back from being a lap down to finish in the ninth position.  Hamlin is now just 14 points behind leader Jimmie Johnson in the Chase standings, yet still in a gloomy mood.

    Not Surprising:   At one of NASCAR’s wildest and most unpredictable tracks, it was not surprising to see some non-traditional drivers lead laps and get good finishes.  Juan Pablo Montoya, who started on the pole, proved that he is quickly becoming a plate track ace with his third place finish.  David Reutimann, who studied at the feet of team owner Michael Waltrip, also had a great run, finishing fourth.  The youngster Joey Logano had a great ride, finishing fifth and scoring his first three top-10 finishes in a row in his Cup career. Reutimann’s Diamond Waltrip Racing teammate Martin Truex Jr. finished sixth and Brad Keselowski did Penske proud with his top-ten placement.

    Surprising:  It was a major surprise that after hanging in the back all race long and finally deciding to make their move to the front that teammates and four-time champions Jimmie Johnson and Jeff Gordon were not able to seal the deal.  The two hooked up late in the race and charged to the front, leading a few laps.  But Gordon seemed to just get spooked, saying his car was “blowing up”.  He fell back, leaving Johnson alone in the draft, while he tried to diagnose his issues.  Although both drivers finished well, in the seventh and eighth spots respectively, Johnson was left shaking his head after the race, saying he still did not know what was going on with his teammate.

    Not Surprising:  In spite of Gordon’s issues, Jimmie Johnson soldiered on, in spite of some damage that he sustained in one of the on-track incidents.  Johnson, apparently ditching the lucky horseshoe, credited his baby Genevieve’s Halloween costume, an angel with a halo, as his ‘Dega good luck charm.  Johnson maintains the points lead in the Chase as he continues his historic quest for a fifth consecutive championship.

    With just three races left in the season to decide the winner of the Sprint Cup, the NASCAR aces will head deep in the heart of Texas.  The AAA Texas 500 will be held at Texas Motor Speedway on Sunday, November 7th at 3:00 PM on ESPN.

  • Halloween at Talladega – We Should Have Known

    Halloween at Talladega – We Should Have Known

    Talladega has come and gone on Halloween and all that can be said is the fans got a good show. Whether it was racing is up for debate. At least the ‘big one’ never happened unless you consider A.J. Allmendinger flipping through the air at the end of the race.

    One or more things are clear. The Earnhardt-Childress engines are the class of the field. Where once Robert Yates was the power king of racing engines, that program, now known was Yates-Roush engines, now takes a back seat. It may be in third place by now with Hendrick in second, for that matter. Not one Ford qualified in the top 15 while the Chevys, Toyotas, and Dodges looked down on them. Of course, racing and qualifying are two different animals with Matt Kenseth running up front until the end, but the end result is what is important and Earnhardt-Childress engines had cars in first, second, and third place followed by two Toyota Racing engines.

    The racing, if that’s what you want to call it, was spirited. One driver called it luck that the big wreck didn’t happen, but five wide at times was flirting with disaster. And it didn’t happen. The end result was that Jimmie Johnson amazingly came out of this mess with a bigger lead. With Johnson and teammate Jeff Gordon laying back in the field for most of the race, the television network was able to hear Johnson’s crew chief, Chad Knaus, tell him it was time to go and the loyal teammate followed. It pushed the strong Hendrick engined cars to the front and in a position to win. Jeff Gordon thought he had am engine problem and got out of the draft, which proved false. That was probably the only thing that kept Johnson from winning. Gordon discovered that he didn’t have that problem and rallied back to a top ten finish.

    That’s another problem. With NASCAR’s rule that once the white flag is shown that the field is frozen on cautions, it becomes almost impossible for the fan in the stands to know who won. Heck, even the TV guys couldn’t figure it out. So, we had two drivers who were running a race having to wait until film or digital photography to determine the winner or the finishing order. In fact, Johnson was listed as the eighth finisher for some time, one place behind his main challenger. After some investigation, Johnson was determined to be the seventh finisher with Denny Hamlin two places behind him. Hamlin instantly went from only two points behind Johnson to 14 points behind. The final determinations were probably accurate, but why not just have a green-white-checker finish so that the fans can actually see who won? I guess that would be too simple.

    The argument is that we could have too many starts at a place like Talladega, but isn’t that the point? Why go through all the problem of shotgun starts and making sure folks see the race end without a caution only to have that happen in a case like this? It’s another example of faulty thinking and should be looked at for next season, but it won’t.

    Regardless, Clint Bowyer, the guy who won the first race in the playoff system won his second race without penalty and the scoring dilemma continues to exist. Nothing like progress, right?

  • Fourth Turn A Fan’s Perspective…. Hallowdega

    Fourth Turn A Fan’s Perspective…. Hallowdega

    Well The Amp Energy Juice 500 is over. Hallowdega has given way to All Saints Day and the commercial rate on ESPN has gone back to normal.

    The Amp Energy Juice 500 appeared to be an exciting race of side by side balls to the wall racing. With the top contenders not necessarily being chase drivers. Note that I said appeared to be. The reason for that is that there were no fewer than 29 sets of 6 – 8 commercials in the broadcast. Approximately every 3 minutes we went to commercial. We missed 2 restarts and 2 caution flags none of which did we get on replay. I think it’s just a shame they had to interrupt the parade of commercials to show us any of the race at all. Please note the sarcasm here.

    ESPN and ABC are the absolute worst when it comes to broadcasting NASCAR. You either wait for the football game. You wait for the baseball game. You wait for tennis, yeah tennis. Or you watch commercials more than you watch the race.

    The camera work for Talladega was horrible. Obviously most of the camera work was done from the blimp. Long range shots that made it difficult to identify cars made the race frustrating to watch. For instance, it was incredibly frustrating to try and figure out where your driver was in the line of hot wheels appearing Sprint Cup cars if he was driving a black car. The only easily identifiable black car in the field was the M&M’s Toyota and it was because from the normal camera angle that was used, it had orange polka dots on the hood.

    Come on ESPN you are suppose to be the leader in sports coverage and this is the second time that you were obviously unprepared and ill equipped to deliver a suitable broadcast that was way over funded by the amount of commercials. You didn’t have Elliott Sadler’s wreck at Pocono and the entire Talladega race was horrible. There to date has not been a replay to show what actually triggered or happened to the 43 car of A. J. Allmendinger. Other than we watched him flip wildly and the slam the wall.

    NASCAR for the last couple of years has been concerned about the drop in TV ratings and the drop in the number of tickets sold. They don’t seem to be able to come up with the reason. If I may be so bold as to suggest to them that they watch the same TV broadcast that their fans at home watch I think they might find the reason. The interruption of the broadcast of commericals for the race is minimal. No one wants to sit and watch the same commercials over and over and over. The third or fourth set people change the station. They turn to NFL coverage where there are 1/4 as many commercials.

    People are not going to buy a ticket to come and see the type of racing that they see on TV. The race itself maybe excellent if you are there in person, but what is shown on TV is so broken up and follow the leader in appearance that it’s boring. Perception is reality. And the perception is that NASCAR has become a choppy half hearted manipulated show and not a race at all. The penalties to Bowyer after Richmond only served to solidify that. Without the penalties Bowyer would be 5th in the points and still mathematically in the hunt. With the penalty it’s all Harvick, Hamlin and Jimmie.

    The appearance is that they manipulated the championship with the penalty. Especially since they claim they had warned the team numerous times. If that is the case why did you wait until the first chase race to penalize the team and take them out of contention for the championship? There was either someone you didn’t want in so you let it go so that Bowyer would get the last spot or you didn’t take him seriously until he won and you realized oops this messes up our plans. Note that I said it is the appearance. But again Perception is Reality. That reality hurts TV ratings and ticket sales. It hurts fan loyalty.

    The race itself what we saw of it was exciting. There were many stand out performances. For instance, Jeff Burton in his 31 CAT Financial Chevrolet, Burton was lightening fast and would have no doubt been a contender for the win had he not got caught up in the accident with Dale Earnhardt Jr.

    Dale Earnhardt Jr was well Dale Jr again. He was burning up the track and his competition. He was smooth. He was in control. He was calm and he was calculating. Then he misjudged Jeff Burton’s drop to the middle and caught him with a bump draft too far to the right. Taking them both out of contention for the win. But Dale Jr led 24 laps, more than any other driver. And he showed a lot of class when he exited his car and immediately went to the Infield Care Center to apologize to Jeff Burton.

    Kevin Harvick’s dramatic run for the win in a badly damaged Realtree Chevrolet was inspiring. It certainly shows he has the never say die attitude of a champion. It also shows that his pit crew and team also have that same attitude.

    Clint Bowyer has never given up. Not with the penalty. Not with the micro scrutiny. He has come to the front when he had the car and made every effort to win. His fight to the checkers attitude won him the Amp Energy Juice 500. He won by a bumper. He won in literally a photo finish.

    Jimmie Johnson and Jeff Gordon stroked their way to strong finishes. They waited around the back markers and played it safe all day long until Chad Knaus made the announcement it was time to go. Then they went to the front with Johnson pushing Gordon. When Gordon thought his engine was failing he quickly ducked out of the draft line so as not to take Jimmie with him when the engine let go. But it didn’t let go. The misinterpertation of the problem did however, end the shot at the win for both drivers.

    The Sprint Cup drivers avoided the big one for the most part. Although the wreck on the last lap came close how close we really don’t know because we didn’t actually get to see it. But at least, this time Talladega didn’t become a million dollar junkyard despite speeds in excess of 200 mph. Perhaps this should be a point of reference for Robin Pemberton and NASCAR. The drivers are capable of more than you give them credit for. And when you let go, they take off and low and behold all is well.

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

    Congratulations to Clint Bowyer on an exciting victory and to RCR for having the class of the field once again at the super speedways. Congratulations to Kyle Busch on his Camping World Truck Series win. And most of all congratulations to Dale Earnhardt Jr on showing he is every bit as talented and classy as his Jr. Nation thinks him to be.

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

  • The Final Word – Once again Talladega delivers

    The Final Word – Once again Talladega delivers

    So, what did we learn from Talladega?

    Well, we learned it still provides the most exciting racing in NASCAR. Forget about the PVR, I watch every minute, every lap, and every lead change. Who is going to win? Watch the final corner of the final lap and just maybe you might have an idea. You might even watch the end and still need a replay to figure out who finished first.

    We learned that was exactly what needed to happen Sunday afternoon as the big wreck on the final lap froze the field, but where and when? We watched as A.J. Allmendinger took flight and laid an all mighty dinger on the wall before coming to rest. We watched to see if Kevin Harvick was still in front, but when they checked the tape it was Clint Bowyer a third of a car length ahead when the caution came out.

    We learned that Bowyer didn’t need no replay to be sure he was going to be shaking the suds in Victory Lane. As the officials watched the tape, we watched Bowyer burn his donuts. For the 31 year old, it marks his fourth career win and second of the season. Sure, it may be too late for this season, but it comes as a reminder that he promises to be in the hunt again in 2011.

    We learned that Dale Earnhardt Jr could drive the big track like the Junior of old. We also learned that sometimes even masters of the bump draft can screw up, as Junior ruined his day, that of Jeff Burton, as well as Jamie McMurray’s. Oops.

    We learned that David Reutimann has become a darn good driver. He has been one to notice most of this season, and he had a whole lot of television exposure during the race last weekend. He wound up fourth, right behind Juan Pablo Montoya and the two leaders.

    We learned a cut tire early can finish you. The lack of cautions kept Tony Stewart from getting back on the lead lap until the end, where he finished 31st.

    We learned that, unless you are Stewart, you can lose the draft, fall off the lead lap, yet still manage to get things back together in the end to be ninth, two positions behind Jimmie Johnson. Denny Hamlin falls 14 points behind the defending champ, with Harvick 38 away, but things could have gone much worse for the Pied Piper. Just ask Tony.

    We learned that two car drafts was the way to go, and go they did. It provided the push that determined the top four on the day. It could have helped Johnson move further ahead, but team mate Jeff Gordon begged off, citing his engine was blowing up. It didn’t. Jeff would wind up between Johnson and Hamlin, in eighth, when it was all over.

    We learned that one may qualify 13th for Talladega, but when things get started, they get the heck out of Dodge. As they came to the line, Jeff Fuller yanked his Toyota out of line and faded to the back before the green flag waved. The Joe Nemechek owned entry only lasted two laps, leaving due to a rear end problem. Sure, I believe that. Don’t you?

    We learned that Talladega is the bull riding event of this rodeo. It is the Australian rules football game of NASCAR. It is where, when asked if they would like to participate, grown men look at each other and exclaim, “Hell no!” There is something about watching people do things we don’t have the guts to do ourselves. I’m not sure I would like to run those high banks in a go-cart all by my lonesome, never mind in the middle of a 43 car field going 200 mph with my competitors within a yard from each of my fenders. I’m just content to watch.

    We learned that you should not drive your pick-up truck with your new Speed Energy drink logos upon it to an event sponsored by Amp Energy drink. Robby Gordon did and his truck got towed off. It should be a fun time for all those Chevrolets, Dodges, and Toyotas that pull into Homestead for the Ford 400. Load ‘em up boys!

    Happy Birthday to my sons, who turn 16 on Wednesday. They have started taking their turns behind the wheel. Neither are ready yet for Talladega, but neither is their dad.

    Three races to go to determine a champion. When they were in Texas this spring, Hamlin won, Johnson was second, Harvick seventh. A year ago, Hamlin was second. In the spring of 2009, Johnson was the runner-up. Something tells me we will still have a lot yet to figure out after they get done with Texas this Sunday. Enjoy the week.

  • David Ragan – Texas Advance

    David Ragan – NSCS ADVANCE

    Team: No. 6 UPS Ford Fusion

    Crew Chief: Drew Blickensderfer

    Chassis: Primary: RK-711 Brand new chassis

    Backup: RK-620 Last ran Vegas – finished 23rd

    Ragan, NSCS at Texas Motor Speedway:

    Date Event S F Laps Led Status Money

    4-19-10 Samsung Mobile 500 13 15 333/334 0 Running $125,775

    11-8-09 Dickies 500 17 17 332/334 0 Running $114,575

    4-5-09 Samsung 500 4 37 334/293 1 Engine $94,025

    11-2-08 Dickies 500 18 11 334/334 0 Running $124,875

    4-6-08 Samsung 500 7 13 338/339 0 Running $131,125

    11-4-07 Dickies 500 33 37 222/334 0 Accident $130,825

    4-15-07 Samsung 500 19 39 239/334 0 Running $117,025

    Races Wins Top-5s Top-10s Poles Led Money

    Spring 4 0 0 0 0 1 $467,950

    Fall 3 0 0 0 0 0 $370,275

    Cumulative 7 0 0 0 0 1 $838,225

    Ragan on racing at Texas Motor Speedway:

    “After two weeks of racing on short tracks and speedways it will be fun to get back to an intermediate track, especially one we’ve had success at the in the past. Texas is one of my favorite tracks. It’s a very fast track which makes for an exciting race for all the dedicated Texas fans that come out to watch us. I’m looking forward to getting a good run in our UPS Ford this weekend.”

    Crew chief Drew Blickensderfer on racing at Texas Motor Speedway:

    “We are looking forward to Texas after running well at Kansas and Charlotte. David has had some success in the past at Texas and it’s a place that the Roush cars are generally pretty good. We’re taking a brand new chassis this weekend and we hope to get a good finish in our brown and gold UPS Ford.”

    FAST FACTS

    • Ragan has visited Texas Motor Speedway seven times in the Sprint Cup Series, with his best finish being 11th in the fall of 2008.

    • Ragan has competed seven times in the Nationwide Series at Texas Motor Speedway. He claimed the pole in the spring of 2007 and has three top-five and five top-10 finishes.

    • Ragan also has three Camping World Truck Series starts at Texas Motor Speedway. Ragan has two top-10 finishes in just those three starts. His best finish was sixth in the fall of 2007.

    • UPS Maximum Center Recognition—Texas Motor Speedway:

    The Mesquite Feeder Department (SLIC 7519) has been selected as the Maximum Center for the November 7 race in Texas as part of UPS’s Center Recognition Program. The Mesquite Feeder Department will have its number on the C-post of David Ragan’s UPS Ford throughout the weekend.

  • Josh Wise to attempt Sprint Cup Series race with R3 Motorsports at Texas

    CHINA GROVE, N.C. (Nov. 1, 2010) – R3 Motorsports has entered this weekend’s NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at Texas Motor Speedway with Josh Wise as their driver.

    Wise, who has competed mostly in the NASCAR Nationwide Series ranks the past four seasons, will be making his first NSCS qualifying effort with the team. This will be the second Cup attempt by R3 Motorsports in 2010, which is fielding the No. 23 North Texas Pipe Toyota at TMS.

    Leading the team’s NSCS effort will be veteran racer Walter Giles, who has been the crew chief for R3 Motorsports No. 23 Chevrolet in the NASCAR Nationwide Series ranks the past few weeks. Giles was a seven-time championship driver in Australia before coming to the USA to continue his motorsports career.

    With that, Steve Plattenberger will return to his crew chief duties with Robert Richardson, Jr. in the NNS race on Saturday.

    Wise, 27, is a native of Riverside, Calif. who cut his teeth in the USAC ranks becoming the series youngest champion at age 16 before making the move to full-fender cars. This year, he started out with the No. 61 Ford of Specialty Racing in Nationwide competition. He was then tapped by JR Motorsports to drive their No. 7 Chevrolet in nine races.

    Through 25 NNS starts this year, he has earned two top-10 finishes, led three laps and made three top-10 starts.

    Josh Wise quotes: “This year has been all about me gaining as much experience as possible driving everything I could at various tracks. When I got the call from Mr. Richardson of R3 Motorsports, I figured this was a good opportunity to learn something else in driving his No. 23 Toyota for the Cup race at Texas.

    “I like a big, fast track like TMS and am looking forward to working with Walter. I know Pops (Tony Eury, Sr.) and Tony Jr. from JR Motorsports worked with him during their DEI days together. So, we’ll go out there and see what we can do to make the show and have some fun.”

  • TOYOTA NASCAR Sprint Cup Series (NSCS) Post-Race Notes & Quotes Talladega Superspeedway

    David Reutimann (fourth) was the highest finishing Camry driver in Sunday’s NASCAR Sprint Cup Series (NSCS) race at Alabama’s 2.66-mile Talladega Superspeedway.  

    Joey Logano (fifth), Martin Truex Jr. (sixth) and Denny Hamlin (ninth) also finished in the top-10 for Toyota.  

    Other Camry drivers in the field included Robby Gordon (18th), Casey Mears (24th), Kyle Busch (25th), Kasey Kahne (26th), Joe Nemechek (27th), Michael Waltrip (28th), Scott Speed (29th), Marcos Ambrose (34th) and Jeff Fuller (43rd).  

    Nine Camrys took turn leading today’s 500-mile race for a total of 63 (of 188) laps.  Lap leaders included Reutimann (14 laps), Logano (eight laps), Truex (nine laps), Hamlin (four laps), Busch (20 laps), Kahne (three laps), Nemechek (one lap), Speed (three laps) and Ambrose (one lap).  

    Hamlin remains second in the unofficial NSCS point standings and trails Johnson by 14 points after seven events in the 10-race 2010 Chase for the Sprint Cup championship playoff.  Busch moved to the fifth position and is now 230 points behind Johnson.

    DAVID REUTIMANN, No. 00 Aaron’s Dream Machine Toyota Camry, Michael Waltrip Racing Finishing Position:  4th How was your car able to push and lead in the draft today? “It’s just weird, sometimes you get out behind cars and you can push them and you can move forward.  Other times you just can’t.   There’s just no rhyme or reason for it.  Had a great Aaron’s Dream Machine – great pit stops all day.  My guys did a great job – Rodney Childers (crew chief) and everybody did a fabulous job from the time we unloaded until now.  Thanks to Toyota and Toyota Racing Development – great horsepower all day.  That thing was like 280 degrees when we came back around here on water temp and they told me to keep digging.  I don’t know too many motors that will take that all the time so hats off to those guys.  Just happy to get out of here – this is probably our best speedway car and we’ve been using it quite a bit.  Thankfully we haven’t left where it’s been torn up too bad so we’ll be ready to take it back next year.”

    JOEY LOGANO, No. 20 Home Depot Toyota Camry, Joe Gibbs Racing Finishing Position:  5th Did you have any plans on who to draft with in the closing laps? “Basically it was whoever was in front of me on that last restart.  We were trying to get all three (Joe) Gibbs (Racing) cars together there for a while and it was working for us.  That caution came out and it split us all up.  At that point the 56 (Martin Truex Jr.) was in front of me, which was cool because it was a Toyota and we just hammered down.  I was just a bulldozer and kept pushing, pushing, pushing.  Was able to get the 56 up there – we were up to fourth and fifth and we were catching the first four cars there.  As soon as we got there Martin had to check up a little bit and that killed our momentum and at that point I went by him.  He tried to get back to me to push me and that was it.  I felt like if we were able to get by those guys there coming to the line there then maybe I could have pushed Martin another lap and tried to make a last lap pass for the win there.  It was fun there at the end.  I had a lot of fun in the Home Depot Toyota.  We had a good car and just had to be patient the whole race – that was the toughest part is trying to be patient and riding behind these guys and waiting to position yourself there at the end.  I was pretty comfortable when I was in the top-seven or eight there with about 20 (laps) to go.  Felt like that was where I needed to be and didn’t do anything stupid.  I just stayed in line and when it came down to it, I needed to go.  We did what the plan was today, but the plan was to win it so we almost did the plan.” Did you want to try to help Denny Hamlin when he went a lap down? “There’s not a whole bunch we could do.  You’re out there trying to get yourself to the front so it’s definitely a challenge there.   Basically if he (Denny Hamlin) was hung out then we would let him in and help him out as much as we can.  Felt like we did a good job helping him out as much as we could today.  I think he had a solid run.”

    MARTIN TRUEX JR., No. 56 NAPA Auto Parts Toyota Camry, Michael Waltrip Racing Finishing Position:  6th How do you feel about your finish at Talladega today? “We finally finished one at Talladega.  I had fun today driving the NAPA AUTO PARTS Toyota.  I had a good car all day.  Here, it is all about surviving.  We were able to survive.  Usually if you can do that, at least for me, I have a shot at winning.  I haven’t been able to get it in a Cup car, but we were close today.  We had a big run coming to the white flag.  We had good help from Joey Logano in the 20 car, but the hole closed up on us.  Logano was pushing me really, really well for the last two laps.  We had a huge run coming. If they didn’t block us, we were going to be the leader at the white flag.  I guess it wasn’t meant to be – what are you going to do?  We had a good race.”

    DENNY HAMLIN, No. 11 FedEx Freight Toyota Camry, Joe Gibbs Racing Finishing Position:  9th How was your race overall today? “It wasn’t very fun.  I didn’t get to race as hard as I would like to at times and thought I was in a good position there.  I was actually in a great position with two (laps) to go.  I had the 5 (Mark Martin) pushing me, but as soon as we passed the 48 (Jimmie Johnson) he stopped pushing and that’s teamwork.  That’s what I would expect of a teammate.  We were in a bad spot.  We weren’t around our teammates when it counted right there at the end.” How did you feel when you fell to one lap down? “I was a little disappointed.  I knew we could get it back.  I was hoping we were going to stay out and get the pass around, but Mike (Ford, crew chief) wanted to make the safe call and get the lucky dog.  We got that and just had a good car.  Just never ran all day.  I hate that I had to race like that.  Unfortunately with our points format, it’s how you have to race.  It was an up and down day.  It looked like everyone broke even.  I lost a little to the 48 (Jimmie Johnson), lost to the 29 (Kevin Harvick), but still it wasn’t anything detrimental today.” Why were you upset when you got out of the car? “I had the 48 (Jimmie Johnson) by five spots coming off the last corner and when the 5 (Mark Martin) stopped pushing me, it just killed us.  We weren’t going to go forward from that point.” How do you feel being 14 points behind Jimmie Johnson leaving Talladega? “It’s what I asked for.  I asked for nobody to really get killed here this weekend and to let us settle it on the race track where our cars and our teams can make a difference and us drivers can make a difference.  That’s what we got.  We’ve got a tight one and I’m looking forward to the last three (races).”

    ROBBY GORDON, No. 7 Speed Toyota Camry, Robby Gordon Motorsports Finishing Position:  18th

    CASEY MEARS, No. 13 GEICO Toyota Camry, Germain Racing Finishing Position:  24th

    KYLE BUSCH, No. 18 M&M’s Toyota Camry, Joe Gibbs Racing Finishing Position:  25th

    DAVE ROGERS, crew chief, No. 18 M&M’s Toyota Camry, Joe Gibbs Racing How do you feel about the race today? “This is one of those places where a lot of people leave upset and a few leave happy.  We’re pretty happy with our M&M’s Camry – it was a pretty good car.  We could lead, we could push really good, but circumstances at the end – it just didn’t work out for us.  We got hung on the bottom and the top line just freight-trained us.  We lined up behind the 00 (David Reutimann) and there was a small hole and he was able to get up top.  Then we lined up behind the 20 (Joey Logano) and there was another small hole and he was able to get up.  You can’t blame those guys – that’s what they have to do to finish ahead for themselves.  We could never find that small hole to get up – we got trapped on the bottom and we got freight-trained there.  We got a 28th-place finish out of it.  I think this team is a lot more solid than that.  That’s what’s disappointing.  One of the rewarding things of this sport is at the end of the day you always have a report card – you know how well you performed.  It stinks when your report card says you finished 28th, but you know you were a lot better than that.  We’ll lick our wounds and get ready for Texas.”

    KASEY KAHNE, No. 83 Red Bull Toyota Camry, Red Bull Racing Team Finishing Position:  26th

    JOE NEMECHEK, No. 87 Toyota Camry, NEMCO Motorsports Finishing Position:  27th

    MICHAEL WALTRIP, No. 55 Aaron’s 55th Anniversary Toyota Camry, PRISM Motorsports Finishing Position:  28th

    SCOTT SPEED, No. 82 Red Bull Toyota Camry, Red Bull Racing Team Finishing Position:  29th

    MARCOS AMBROSE, No. 47 Kleenex/Clorox Toyota Camry, JTG-Daugherty Racing Finishing Position:  34th

    JEFF FULLER, No. 97 Heatredefined.com Toyota Camry, NEMCO Motorsports Finishing Position:  43rd