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Category: NASCAR Cup Series

NASCAR Cup Series

  • Heluva Good! Sour Cream Dips at The Glen; Montoya wins

    Road racing at its finest. Describing the race today here at Watkins Glen. Today’s race was full of action and extraordinary weather. This capped off once of the nicest race weekends I can remember here at Watkins Glen.

    Juan Pablo Montoya claimed victory in the Sprint Cup Series for just his second time in 131 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series starts. It was not for lack of effort as Montoya had been close to victory in a few races this season, most notably last month in Indianapolis at the Brickyard. His victory breaks a 113-race winless drought as his last victory came at the second road-course that the Sprint Cup Series visits at Infineon Raceway in 2007.

    Pole-sitter Carl Edwards did not last long at the front of the field as Jamie McMurray slid past for the lead on lap number two. McMurray was also the next driver to see only a brief stint at the front of the field, as Juan Pablo Montoya wasted no time showing that his car was the one to beat today. Montoya made a pass on McMurray to gain the lead on only lap number five. The 42 car had all but checked out in the first stint as the race as other pre-race favorites like Marcos Ambrose and Tony Stewart were caught in traffic behind Montoya.

    Road course pit strategy started around lap 27 when Montoya pitted from the lead for four tires and fuel. The field followed pace with leader Montoya the following lap where Ambrose, Stewart and Carl Edwards all came to the pit lane under green for four tires and fuel.

    A Caution on lap 29 bunched the field up and was the first time where we saw that there was more than one car that could win. When the green flew on lap 31, Marcos Ambrose made it a statement that his car was good enough to win, passing Carl Edwards for second and keeping pace with Montoya at the point.

    It took around nine laps for Ambrose to finally make a move on Montoya for the lead, gaining the top spot on lap 40. This move, like many others here at Watkins Glen came as a dive-bomb into the right hand turn one, out-breaking Montoya for the lead.

    Just after Ambrose took the lead, the caution flag waived for the second time as Bobby Labonte was sidetracked in the Inner Loop. During the caution, Crew Chief for Juan Montoya told his driver to “Drive it like a maniac”. And drive like a maniac did Juan as the green flew again on lap 46, as Ambrose and Montoya made it to Turn 1, Montoya trapped Ambrose on the bottom and drove off with the lead.

    The field went single file with a few changes, but the mix came on lap 60 when Montoya hit pit road for tires and fuel, followed by Ambrose. Again, the leaders caught a break when the third yellow flag of the race came out for debris on lap 62. When the dust settled from that yellow, Juan Montoya and Marcos Ambrose were shown at the top of the leaderboards.

    The next news came from defending Sprint Cup Champion Jimmie Johnson on lap 70, when he spun in Turn 7, sending he and Denny Hamlin into the outside wall. The wreck collected two of this years Chase contenders out for the win here as Hamlin later stated that drivers were “dive-bombing” each other when racing for position.

    When the field took the green with 15 laps to go on lap 75, the top two spots had remained stagnant. Montoya leading Ambrose, Kurt Busch, A.J. Allmendinger, and Jamie McMurray into Turn 1 following the fifth caution of the day.

    From then on it was smooth sailing for Montoya at the front of the field as he stretched his lead to over four seconds over Kurt Busch by the time the checkered flag flew on lap 90. Montoya had lead an amazing 74 laps when his Chevy crossed the stripe, winning the Heluva Good! Sour Cream Dips at The Glen in commanding fashion.

    The rest of the top five looked like this; Kurt Busch in second, yesterday’s winner in the Zippo 200 Nationwide Series race here at Watkins Glen – Marcos Ambrose in third, AJ Almendinger in fourth, and pole-sitter Carl Edwards in fifth.

    In the points, Denny Hamlin took the biggest hit out of all the Chase contenders dropping three spots to sixth, where Kurt Busch did the opposite and gained three spots with his second place finish. Mark Martin traded places with Clint Bowyer for the twelfth and final spot in the Chase for the Sprint Cup. The top twelve after today’s race looks like this:

    Kevin Harvick

    Jeff Gordon

    Jeff Burton

    Kurt Busch

    Jimmie Johnson

    Denny Hamlin

    Kyle Busch

    Tony Stewart

    Carl Edwards

    Matt Kenseth

    Greg Biffle

    Mark Martin

    Another successful weekend comes to a close here at Watkins Glen, and again I have to give Kudos to the staff at Watkins Glen International for treating all the members of the media to the always-delicious fare of Dinosaur Barbeque.

  • AJ Allmendinger New Alpha Dog at Richard Petty Motorsports

    With the signing of AJ Allmendinger to a multi-year contract, the driver of the infamous No. 43 Petty blue race car officially becomes the lead alpha dog at Richard Petty Motorsports.

    In fact, Allmendinger may be the only dog left at RPM, with Kasey Kahne and Elliott Sadler both announcing plans to leave after the close of the 2010 season. Even Paul Menard is rumored to be taking his family sponsorship elsewhere, most likely to Richard Childress Racing.

    Given those circumstances, with drivers and sponsors alike apparently jumping the RPM ship, Allmendinger was skeptical about re-upping with the ‘King’. In fact, it was not so long ago that the two had a very heated exchange with one another after a particularly disappointing day on the track.

    “We have potential here,” Allmendinger. “But I needed the right answers. In the end, we got the answers we wanted, that this is a stable place and a place where we can build the future.”

    “It excites me to know I can the ‘the guy’ here,” Allmendinger said. “That was another huge selling point.”

    RPM principal Foster Gillett was a major playing in selling Allmendinger on the concept of staying with the company and being the lead dog in the RPM pack.

    “AJ has a passion for the sport,” Gillett said. “That’s obvious. He is in our shop daily and knows every single person on our team. Our guys root for him.”

    “One of the great moments for an athlete is the chance to choose what team he wants to be with,” Gillett continued. “We wanted AJ to choose the right reasons to be here. AJ is a big part of what we do and a bigger part of the future.”

    Allmendinger acknowledged that he did talk to several other teams before deciding that he would re-up with Richard Petty Motorsports. He cited not only the ability to be that ‘alpha dog’ but also the potential he sees in his team as reasons for staying.

    And quite frankly, the ‘Dinger, at age 28 years, just did not want to have to start over with a new group at this stage in his career.

    “For me, it was tough to go out there and know everything that we’ve built up and maybe go to a different team and just completely start over,” Allmendinger said. “You look at all the great teams and they’re not one or two-year teams, they’ve been around five, six, seven years and I look at that and it just made it easy to know that we had potential here. That’s all I wanted to see.”

    One of the other major factors in Allmendinger’s decision to stay with RPM was the support that Ford has provided, particularly with the new engine. The ‘Dinger shared that the proof of that was seeing Greg Biffle in victory lane at Pocono Raceway last weekend with the new Ford engine under the hood.

    “Ford gives us all the tools that we could ask for to go out there and have a chance to win races every weekend,” Allmendinger said. “Obviously the new motor is getting better and it was great to see Ford finally back in Victory Lane last week with the new engine.”

    Allmendinger joined Richard Petty Motorsports late in the 2008 season after a tumultuous period in his career, especially his time at Red Bull Racing. In his four year NASCAR Cup career, he has one top-five, eleven top-tens, and one pole.

    With the ability to now build upon this record, Allmendinger may not only be the alpha dog at RPM, but he may be the savior of the team as well. And he may just be the one that attracts other drivers, perhaps even Marcos Ambrose who is now homeless after leaving JTG Daugherty Racing, and new potential sponsors to replace the most likely outgoing Budweiser.

    When asked about these possibilities, the ‘King’ just smiled mysteriously and said that future announcements would be forthcoming.

    “We have a lot more good news coming as an organization in a few weeks,” Gillett said. “I think AJ saw how committed we are. And we have some partners that will continue to support us. Some things already are done. Things are very good here.”

    For Allmendinger, who just marked the milestone of his 100th career start in the Brickyard 400 at Indy, his RPM contract extension also seems to have settled him.

    “It’s the first time in my career I can say I’m in a place where I can build something special,” Allmendinger said. “A lot of great things are happening at Richard Petty Motorsports.”

    “We’re not where we want to be, but I see the potential to get better and contend for victories and ultimately win a championship. It’s a good energy here. Hopefully this is the start of great things.”

    “I am ready to be a leader of this race team,” Allmendinger said. “It is something that I thrive on and excites me every day to know that I can be the guy. I have the confidence in myself to know I can lead this team and represent it to the best of its abilities.”

    Alpha dog Allmendinger will race this weekend in the Heluva Good! Sour Cream Dips at the Glen on the road course at Watkins Glen. The ‘Dinger was eighth in first practice and ninth in second Cup practice at the Glen.

  • Straight from The Glen: Friday

    The talk in the garage today focused on the news of Atlanta Motor Speedway losing one of its two NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races starting in the 2011 season. Drivers reactions were mixed as news came from Atlanta that one of its two Cup Series bids would possibly be moved to the Cincinnati area’s Kentucky Speedway.

    Jeff Gordon was disappointed to see Atlanta have one race removed, but also was excited to have an opportunity to experience new horizons. “I’m a big fan of Atlanta. I love going to Atlanta. You hate to see a race go, but you also have to understand the business of the sport. When we go to Atlanta and they’re having a hard time selling it out, and there’s an opportunity to go somewhere and grow our fan base, and take the series somewhere they’ve never been before, which is potentially what’s going to happen, I think that’s exciting and a good move.”

    Sprint Cup Series points leader Kevin Harvick was also enthused to experience a new track, and referencing NASCAR’s expansion in 2001 to Chicagoland Speedway and Kansas Speedway. “The biggest boom we have ever seen in this sport came in 2001 when we went to new venues in Chicago; we went to new venues in Kansas and you had all this movement with the schedule and you created all these new fans. Sometimes things become stale. It is a constantly evolving sport… This sport is too popular to not go to new venues that are not sold out. If its not sold out, you need to be held accountable as a race track.”

    17-year NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Veteran, Jeff Burton was also on board for the change of venues. “I’m not a big believer that change is good, I’m a believer that good change is good. We’ve seen in Atlanta some good racing, but we haven’t really seen the crowds there… If race tracks aren’t supported by the fans then we’re going to see those tracks moved somewhere else where the fans are going to support it… If there’s another venue where more people can come in and more people can enjoy it then that’s where you can expect the show to be going.”

    On the contrary, many drivers in the garage are upset that one race at Atlanta Motor Speedway is being removed from the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Schedule. Carl Edwards talked of the sadness associated with losing a race at the track where he tallied his first two Cup Series wins. “I think Atlanta is one of, if not the greatest oval that we go to. I think that track has all of the things that make racing fun. It has history and a surface that is really fun to race on. The fans there are very knowledgeable about racing and it is a very grueling race. It is fast and exciting, so to lose a race there to me is a little sad. I love that place and every time I come through the gates reminds me of my weekend that I won my first to races in this series.”

    Also displeased with the removal of one race weekend at Atlanta was Clint Bowyer. “I don’t mind a schedule change. I think it is probably time. Some races make sense; some of them don’t in my opinion. Losing Atlanta is a disappointment to me. I think there are a couple of other tracks that have two races that I would have my rather of, if it was my pick, of going once… I think its going to be sad to lose Atlanta, I think that is one of every driver’s favorite race tracks and if we do lose it, its going to be a bummer.”

    We have to look back at what drives this sport or ANY sport for that matter. The single most important element that keeps these drivers in the cockpits of these Stock Cars is the fans. Without the fans this sport will eventually flounder. NASCAR has the opportunity to expand its horizons and reach out to new fan bases.

    In another sense, is it time to reward other tracks that pack fans in the grandstands year in and year out? Take for instance our fans north of the border. They have been enthusiastically attending the NASCAR Nationwide Series races at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve for 3 years now and will likewise be sold-out again later this month. Is it time NASCAR truly rewarded tracks with Sprint Cup Series races that year-after-year sell out the grandstands?

  • On Pit Road: Yes for Kentucky, No for Indy

    It really came as no surprise to anyone that follows NASCAR Thursday, when Atlanta Motor Speedway President Ed Clark announced that the track would cut back to a single NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race for 2011.

    Ever since Speedway Motorsports Inc. signed the deal to buy Kentucky Speedway in 2009, everyone anticipated a Cup date moving to Cincinnati area track. There was a lot of speculation about just where that date would come from. The guessing grew more varied after O. Bruton Smith and SMI later purchased New Hampshire International Speedway. But if you were among the media, or the few fans that were present at the spring Atlanta race, the handwriting was on the wall.

    I spoke with Smith last year at Kentucky and although he would not commit to the source, he made it clear that an SMI race would move to Kentucky Motor Speedway in 2010 or 2011. When the track didn’t get a race date in 2010, due to the unsettled litigation with the former owners, Smith began talking about changes coming to KMS. In June of this year Smith was at the track for the NASCAR Nationwide Series race and he talked openly about leveling the infield and rebuilding it to mirror the new infield at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

    When Smith spoke openly about his displeasure with the security cost at his newly acquired New Hampshire Motor Speedway, many fans felt it was a signal that NHMS would indeed be losing a date to KMS, but that was never considered a serious by most of the media. Remember folks, NHMS does have a ‘Chase’ date and Smith has again been very vocal about wanting a second Cup date for Las Vegas, and also his desire to make that the final race on the schedule. So, if we do see a second date at LVMS soon, it probably will come via NHMS.

    On the NASCAR Nationwide Series schedule, the folks at Indianapolis Motor Speedway went public last month suggesting that they were actively pursuing the NNS race date now held by O’Reilly Raceway Park. Never mind that ORP has hosted that race for 28 years and it is an extremely popular race weekend that also includes a NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race, and a night of USAC open wheel cars, it is a fan favorite weekend.

    This comment by IMS CEO Jeff Belskus was not accepted well by the folks over at the NHRA (owners of ORP) and they quickly pounced on NASCAR to keep the date safe. The IMS move came about as the track has seen their attendance figures plummeting over the past few years. Going from about 300,000 fans a few years ago for the Brickyard 400 to a reported 140,000 this year, says a lot about the track itself and the racing that it provides. Although all NASCAR tracks have suffered attendance problems for 2009 and 2010, none have seen the drastic cut that IMS has. All the while, just down the road at ORP, they are still selling out on the same weekend.

    Hats off to NASCAR for not letting this one drag out as only three days after the IMS announcement, they contacted NHRA to assure them that the NNS date will indeed stay at ORP. In other news, SPEEDTV reports that Chicagoland Speedway will host the first Chase race in 2011 while New Hampshire motor Speedway will move one week to the second Chase race.

  • Speedway Media News and Bits NASCAR Sprint Cup Series

    NASCAR News and Notes 8-04-2010.

    • We will see a new and improved track this weekend at Watkins Glen.

    Several significant track improvement await drives at Watkins Glen for this weekends’, Helluva Good! Sour Cream Dips at the Glen. These improvements have come during the off-season, which included paving over gravel traps, installing SAFER barriers, new run-off areas, and rumble strips in specific places.

    In turn 5 (known as the Carousel) we will see a new run-off area, rumble strip and adjusted guardrail, in turn 7 we will see a new SAFER barrier, run-off area, rumble strip and partially paved gravel trap, and finally in turn 6 we will see a new SAFER barrier on the drivers right side, plus a paved-over gravel trap, in the inner loop.

    These changes have come inpart, due to an incident last year with Jeff Gordon, Sam hornish Jr., Kasey Kahne, Joey Logano, Jeff Burton, and Andy Lally, who were involved in a frighting crash in turn 5 the Carousel, last year. During a tire test earlier this season, Gordan had this to say of the track. “I love what they have done with the pavement.” “I think you’re going to see a race that is more entertaining because we don’t have to sit there and pull cars out of the sand trap”.

    • There will be several Milestones at this weeks race at the Glen.

    Dale Earnhardt Jr. will make his 500th national-series start Sunday at Watkins Glen. All of them are in the NASCAR Sprint Cup and NASCAR Nationwide Series competitions. He has 384 in the former and 115 in latter. Earnhardt is also a two-time NASCAR Nationwide Series Champion in 1998and ’99.

    Also, Kurt Busch will make his 350th series start Sunday. Whiles Martin Truex Jr. will make his 175th Series start.

    • Watkins Glen to celebrate Silver Anniversary.

    This weekend will mark the 25th consecutive NASCAR Sprint Cup Series event at Watkins Glen. The Glen’s first race was in 1957, won by NASCAR Hall of Fame nominee Buck Baker,  who won from the pole. the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series didn’t return again until 1964 and 1965. Billy Wade won the race in 1964, and Marvin Panch in 1965.

    • Driver’s Currently in the Chase and those n the Bubble coming into Watkins Glen.
    Position Driver Points Points Behind
    1 Kevin Harvick 3,080 0
    2 Jeff Gordon 2,891 189
    3 Denny Hamlin 2,829 260
    4 Jimmie Johnson 2,803 277
    5 Jeff Burton 2,757 323
    6 Kyle Busch 2,724 356
    7 Kurt Busch 2,722 358
    8 Tony Stewart 2,719 361
    9 Matt Kenseth 2,682 398
    10 Carl Edwards 2,666 414
    11 Greg Biffle 2,652 428
    12 Clint Bowyer 2,564 516
    13 Mark Martin 2,530 550
    14 Dale Earnhardt Jr 2,435 645
    15 Ryan Newman 2,426 654
  • How ‘Radioman’ Doug Taylor Saved Mark Martin’s Life

    How ‘Radioman’ Doug Taylor Saved Mark Martin’s Life

    Stock car racing has always been a team sport. Each person in the organization plays a key role in the success of the team.  One minor mistake can ruin a driver’s day and the smallest thing can often make the biggest impact.

    Just ask Doug Taylor.

    After a brief career in the Air Force that taught him electronics, Taylor was looking for a new direction when he heard that 2-way radios were being used in Indy and stock cars. He began to focus on developing a better system for in-car communications.

    At first only a few drivers were interested but through word of mouth advertising, more and more seemed to take notice. In 1974 things began to come together when Junior Johnson became his first customer.

    You might recognize a few of the legendary names he has worked with in his 25-year long career. They include A.J. Foyt, Benny Parsons, Darrell Waltrip, the Woods Brothers, Paul Newman and many more.

    Taylor has lived a diverse life including a short stint as a driver. He’s also had his share of ups and downs. His biggest contribution to the sport was the development of “The Earmold” which is still used in racing today. Unfortunately, he was never able to procure a worthwhile patent on it.

    Before Taylor’s innovation the in-car radios only worked during cautions. His new design ushered in a new era where crew chiefs were able to talk to their drivers under green flag conditions.

    Talking with Taylor is like talking to a walking encyclopedia of racing. He also has some great stories to tell. This is just one of many.

    He began telling me about the Mark Martin he met in the 1970’s as a driver in the American Speed Association where Martin went on to capture four championships.

    Taylor likens the young Martin’s driving style to that of Kyle Busch. This was well before Martin evolved into one of the most respected and cleanest drivers in NASCAR today.

    But there is one race at Winchester Speedway in Indiana that is one of Taylor’s most vivid memories of Mark Martin.

    Martin was competing against driver Mike Eddy for the win.

    Eddy, who went on to become a seven-time National ASA champion, was well known for his pedal to the medal driving style. He was feared on the track and was known to many as the “Polar Bear.”

    It was on lap 391 of the 1980 Winchester 400 when the trouble began. Martin and Eddy were both going for the win with Eddy in first place and Martin right behind him in second.

    Suddenly Martin got under Eddy and they raced side by side until Martin’s car broke loose. His car slid up the track into the side of Eddy who bounced off the wall and back into Martin. The wreck took them both out of the race.

    After the race, Taylor walked by Eddy who was talking to several drivers about the race. He saw Taylor, pointed at him, and said, “There’s the guy that saved Martin’s life.”

    Everyone turned to look at Taylor who was standing there with his mouth open and no idea of what was coming next.

    Eddy continued with the story saying that when he got out of his car, there was only one thing on his mind. He was going to go find Martin and “kill” that kid.

    But, as he was getting out of the car, he felt a tug on his helmet and realized that his radio was still attached to his helmet. He remembered how Taylor had always told the drivers that they needed to be careful with their radios and pull the connector apart with their hands, not by jerking on the cord.

    Eddy paused for a few seconds to take the time to disconnect his radio properly. That brief moment took his mind off Martin just long enough for him to calm down.

    “If it wasn’t for Doug,” Eddy said, there’s no telling what I would have done.”

    Taylor chuckles as he tells the story and says he’s happy he could play a small part in helping Mark Martin live to become the icon he is today.

    For more information about Doug Taylor, please visit his website at http://taylorscommunicationsracing.com/

  • McMurray wins Indy; Ganassi claims triple

    Team owner Chip Ganassi claimed NASCAR’s version of the Triple Crown on Sunday as his driver, Jamie McMurray, won the Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis. With the win Ganassi became the first car owner to win the Daytona 500, Indianapolis 500 and Brickyard 400 in the same year.

    “I’m the luckiest guy on the planet,” Ganassi said. “You wouldn’t dare to dream this. You wouldn’t dare to dream this kind of year.”

    McMurray became just the third driver in NASCAR history to win the Daytona 500 and Brickyard 400 in the same year. The last driver was Jimmie Johnson in 2006. Dale Jarrett was the first driver in 1996.

    Dario Franchitti won the Indianapolis 500 IndyCar Series race earlier this year in Ganassi’s Target car.

    McMurray took the lead from Kevin Harvick on the final restart with 11 laps to go and went on to win the race by 1.391-seconds.

    “I’m running the last 10 laps of this thing and just praying every lap there isn’t going to be a caution and that my car was going to have the grip I need,” McMurray recalled. “It is remarkable to be put in this position. Honestly, I’m in shock right now.

    Harvick had just taken the lead when the caution came out on lap 167 to set up a double-file restart and an 11-lap shootout.

    After the race Harvick, who finished second, said his car didn’t show the muster it had to pass McMurray before the caution.

    “I got tight going into turn one there in the middle and just had to wait on my car and Jaime was able to carry the momentum around on the outside,” Harvick said. “The first restart my car actually took off and we were able to get by him but my car never acted like that again but it was a good day for our Shell-Pennzoil Chevy and everybody did a great job just putting us in position. I felt like we had a top-five car but we didn’t have a winning car and we had a chance to win there at the end but just came up a little short.”

    Harvick, Greg Biffle, Clint Bowyer and Tony Stewart rounded out the top-five finishers as Jeff Burton, Carl Edwards, Kyle Busch, Joey Logano and Kurt Busch filled in the rest of the top-ten positions.

    Kyle Busch was involved in a seven-car accident in turn two on the opening lap of the race. However, he sustained only minimal damage to his No. 18 Toyota and drove his car up through the field through the race.

    “I don’t know what happened there on the opening lap,” Busch said after the race. “I just lost it, I guess. It just went around. I had trouble every restart really trying to get going, especially through (turns) one and two. I had trouble getting going on restarts. All in all, we came back and bounced back solidly, so that was good. We needed a good run — it’s been a while.”

    Mark Martin finished 11th and was the only Hendrick Motorsports driver to finish inside of the top-20 at Indianapolis. Jeff Gordon, who was looking for his fifth Brickyard 400 victory, finished 23rd after battling with a tight-handling car throughout the race.

    Jimmie Johnson, who was running for a third-consecutive Indy victory and the fourth of his career, started off the race strong and ran in the top-five for the first 47 laps of the race. Johnson was tenth when the caution came out on lap 66. On lap 69, Johnson’s crew chief Chad Knaus decided to keep Johnson on pit road for a long stop to make adjustments to the car, leaving Johnson to restart 22nd on lap 70.

    Johnson continued to drop after the stop and spent more time on pit road during the fourth caution of the race on lap 120 to change shocks. He would later go a lap down while on pit road.

    Johnson later finished 22nd, but made it back to the lead lap.

    Dale Earnhardt Jr. was running the top-15 before he was involved in a crash with Juan Pablo Montoya. Earnhardt was an innocent bystander when Montoya got loose off of turn 4 on lap 147.

    “The car was really good,” Earnhardt said. “Right in the middle of the race, it got real tight, then we fixed it. I felt like we were pretty good coming up through there. Right at the end, I felt like we had a good car, a good top-ten car. Montoya got in the fence there and just kind of pulled down and stopped in front of us. I was side-by-side with somebody (Marcos Ambrose).

    “I didn’t even see him hit the wall, I didn’t even know there was a car in the wall until he came across the No. 47 (Ambrose) hood and there he was, I ran right in the back of him. Nowhere to go.”

    Montoya would head straight to the garage and would go on to finish 32nd after leading 86 laps. Earnhardt did receive major damage to his left front, but continued and finished 27th, two laps down.

    Montoya had the dominate car for the second year in a row only to finish outside of the top-ten. Last year, Montoya led 116 laps but picked up a pit road speeding penalty from NASCAR in the closing laps to finish 11th.

    It was a call for four tires for the then race leader Montoya, as his teammate and a handful of other cars took two tires that put Montoya further back in the pack.

    “Bad call,” Montoya’s crew chief Brian Pattie said. “Crew chief error. We should have taken two tires.”

    Notes: The 16 laps led by McMurray were the second-least amount led by an eventual Brickyard 400. Jarrett led only 11 laps in his 1996 victory. … The race saw 14 lead changes among 10 drivers. … The race had six cautions for 25 laps. Four of those cautions were for debris, on laps 16, 67, 118 and 139. The other two were for accidents, one on the first lap and the other on lap 147. … Harvick leads Gordon by 184 points heading into Pocono with six races left until the chase cutoff at Richmond.

  • Gordon looking to break winless streak at Indy

    Former Sprint Cup Series champion Jeff Gordon is looking to finally break his winless streak, which has accumulated to 48 races as the series heads to Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The “speedway” is like a home away from home for Gordon, who is the only NASCAR driver to have claimed four wins at the historic 2.5-mile racetrack. The first of those four victories came in the inaugural Sprint Cup Series event at the track in 1994.

    While Gordon’s hometown is Vallejo, Calif., he spent many years living and growing up in Indiana and says his win in the inaugural race is among his highest accomplishments.

    “Living in Indiana, racing around Indiana, Indianapolis Raceway Park, the fairgrounds, Bloomington, all over the place, it was every short-track, open-wheel, (NASCAR) Sprint Cup driver’s dream to race at Indianapolis one day,” Gordon said. “To be able to do that in the very first ever NASCAR stock-car race there in 1994, win it, then go on to win it three more times is some-thing that I probably put up as the highest accomplishments of my career.”

    Gordon currently sits second in points, trailing points leader Kevin Harvick by 103 points as the start of the Chase for the Sprint Cup and the final race to qualify for the top-12 sits seven weeks away.

    In 16 Sprint Cup Series starts at Indianapolis, Gordon has nine top-five and 13 top-ten finishes, holding an average finish of 8.6.

    According to NASCAR’s loop data reports, Gordon is the best closer in the last five races at IMS, which means he has gained more positions in the last ten-percent of the race than drivers with more than five starts. Gordon is also fifth in the field in the driving rating category, with a 96.2 average rating over the last five races at the track.

    Gordon is looking to keep his Hendrick Motorsports teammate Jimmie Johnson from capturing his third straight victory at IMS, and from earning his fourth career victory at the track, which would move the two into a tie for most Cup Series wins at Indy, with four each.

    “Everybody goes all out for this event,” Gordon said. “I believe this DuPont team has a great package for this event. We’ve been working really, really hard on every aspect to find speed. “We’ve got some things up our sleeve for Indy.”

    Despite going winless thus far in 2010, Gordon has scored more top-five finishes than any other driver, currently with ten. Gordon finished ninth in his event last year.

    Notebook:

    — Juan Pablo Montoya and wife Connie welcomed the birth of their third child this weekend. Their second girl, Manuela Montoya Freydell, was born on July 19 and joins their other two children, Sebastian, age five and sister Paulina, age three. Montoya’s spokesperson said mother and baby are doing well.

    — Chip Ganassi could become the first team owner to perform a triple crown by winning the Daytona 500, Indy 500 and Brickyard 400 all in the same year. Ganassi owns two cars entered in the field this weekend. The No. 1 car driven by Jamie McMurray (who won the Daytona 500) and the No. 42 car, driven by Juan Pablo Montoya.

    — Jacques Villeneuve will attempt to qualify for the Brickyard 400 with Braun Racing’s No. 32 Toyota. Villeneuve is a winner of the 1995 Indianapolis 500 in the IndyCar Series.

    — Bobby Labonte is making his 600th consecutive Sprint Cup Series start this weekend at Indianapolis. Labonte also announced this week that he will be returning to TRG Motorsports for four Cup Series races — Pocono, Michigan, Atlanta and Texas. All four races will be sponsored by TaxSlayer.com. Labonte will drive the No. 09 Phoenix Racing Chevrolet this weekend.

    Quotes:

    — Dale Earnhardt Jr: “When somebody asks me what it would feel like to win here, I think about the open-wheel history of this track, and I think about drivers like (Mario) Andretti and (A.J.) Foyt and the guys even before them. I think about the history of this track and how it’s survived the war and closed down and opened back up and everything that it’s been through. When they first brought stock cars here to practice, it was a realization for a lot of people, including myself, being an aspiring driver at the time, that I may have a chance one day to race at Indianapolis that I otherwise didn’t think that I would have unless I was to go in the open-wheel series.”

    — Denny Hamlin: “There is so much history here and I think every driver wants to win here and be a part of that history. I had the chance to visit the museum here a few years ago and to see all of the race-winning cars and the people who made racing here what it is today was really cool. This track has seen it all. Indy is a lot like Daytona because winning means so much at those places that it almost lives outside of the schedule and points, and thinking about the Chase. I know I how I felt winning at Richmond, and I know from talking to Tony (Stewart) and Mike (Ford) what Indy means to them. This is definitely one I want to win for this team.”

    — Joey Logano: “Indy is a tough place to pass, that I remember well. We started dead last in 2009 because we changed engines in The Home Depot Toyota and it was not easy to move through the field. I finished 12th, but did all my passing on the restarts and luckily had a good enough car to do that. I don’t know what the spoiler is going to do to the cars this year, but I am sure qualifying is going to be really important again. We need to get some momentum going, and I think we have some solid tracks for the team coming up starting with Indy. I know we finished 12th last year, but I felt like our car was better than that.”

    The Race: Brickyard 400
    The Place: Indianapolis Motor Speedway (2.5-mile rectangle)
    The Date: Sunday, July 25
    The Time: 1 p.m. (ET)
    Race Distance: 160 laps/400 miles
    TV: ESPN, Noon (ET)
    Radio: IMS & Sirius NASCAR Radio Channel 128.
    2009 Polesitter: Mark Martin
    2009 Winner: Jimmie Johnson
    Schedule Prior To Race Day: Friday—Practice, 2-3 p.m. and 3:30-4:30 p.m. Saturday — Qualifying, 10:10 a.m.; Practice, 2-3 p.m. and 3:30-4:30 p.m.

  • Edwards and Keselowski – Seen through a Child’s Eyes

    Edwards and Keselowski – Seen through a Child’s Eyes

    It suddenly occurred to me that the Edwards/Keselowski situation reminded me of two guys fighting at school surrounded by a crowd of excited onlookers. Half of them are screaming “Let the boys fight,” while the other half are saying “Someone stop them please. “

    I really felt like I was a kid again when I started reading the varied opinions and I couldn’t help but reflect back to lessons learned as a child.
    The arguments have gone something like this.
    “There’s nothing wrong with what happened.”
    “Why?”
    “Because.”
    “Because why?”
    “It’s just racing.”
    “But couldn’t someone get hurt?”
    “Yes but everyone is doing it.”
    “Well if everyone jumped off a cliff, would you?”
    “No, but Brad hit Carl first.”
    “Don’t you know that two wrongs don’t make a right?”
    “But I have to stand up to the bullies or they won’t respect me.”
    “Haven’t I told you to treat others like you want to be treated?”
    “But what about the “have at it boys” policy?”
    “Everything in moderation.”
    “Well now I’m confused.”
    “Don’t feel bad, we all are.”
  • Spectator vs. Spotter: LifeLock.com 400 Edition from Chicagoland

    Spectator vs. Spotter: LifeLock.com 400 Edition from Chicagoland

    For an age Route 66 has been a legend among motorists that travel this great nation. Once a year those “kicks” seeking fans of the famed highway join NASCAR spectators in Joliet IL., for the thrill of stock car racing.

    The fan friendly facility ,that was built as an answer to the demands of the fans that had cried out for more of the popular and exciting sport, has been a yearly stop on the circuit since 2001. Seven drivers have had the honor of winning in the nine race history at the 1.5 mile oval, among them only two have been able to repeat their success.

    This week’s guest has been to Chicagoland Speedway for each of its Cup Series events. Mike Calinoff, spotter for the No. 17 Crown Royal Black Ford of Matt Kenseth, hopes he can guide his driver to the long awaited first victory here.

    Kenseth is ranked seventh among all active drivers at the Illinois track, finishing as high as second. The team hopes that this is the year they pull off the win.

    “Chicagoland is really good. A relatively newer track, but it’s got a lot of room.” Calinoff began.

    “The spotter stand gets a little loud here sometimes. The tracks P.A. system is really close to us and it gets a little scrappy sometimes because you can hear the race broadcast in the background when we speak.” Calinoff explained.

    “I like spotting here a lot. I know we run well here, so that’s a plus.” He continued.

    Kenseth has run well at this track. Since the inaugural race he and his team have recorded two top five’s, four top ten’s, and seven top 20 finishes. His average finish is 11.22 and he has finished as runner up twice. With no DNF’s and no finish here worse than 23rd it is a good track for Kenseth and crew.

    With statistics like those of the Roush-Fenway Fords there was no surprise that Calinoff had a firm grasps on the unique challenges this track poses to a team as a whole.

    “The track changes a lot with temperature. When we first started out here it was a one-groove racetrack. It took it a while to become two-groove. Now we have two really good distinct grooves which make for really good racing now.” Calinoff said.

    Just like most tracks on the circuit Chicagoland Speedway is all about the right set up for the pending weather.

    As a veteran spotter coming to a place like Chicagoland, I asked Calinoff about his personal favorites about the area, and the track.

    “I like the restaurants in the area. There are a couple really good steak places downtown we like to go to.  I really like coming here I hope they get a second date. I know Kansas might get a second date and Kansas is a really similar track with very similar night life. I always look forward to coming here.” Calinoff said. Competitively speaking his favorite thing about the track in Joliet, “we run well.” Calinoff said. “Not just us,” Calinoff continued, “but a really good track for all the Roush guys. We all know we have a pretty good fighting chance when we get here.”

    “You can’t really say anything negative about this place.” Calinoff said. “I like that it’s a Saturday night race, get Sunday all to myself. The racing is good; the stand is good with a good view, no real blind spots. I really don’t have any least favorites when it comes to being out here.” Calinoff looks forward to the weekend ahead as he guides Kenseth and the Crown Royal Black, Roush Ford are the 1.5 mile oval at Chicagoland.

    Keep an eye on the No. 17 as it tries to best it’s runner up finishes of the past and see if Kenseth with be this year’s “Romeo” in Joliet.