Testing SpeedwayMedia.com

Category: Flashman’s Take

Fleshman’s take on NASCAR

  • Penske Looks to Continue Its Success in 2015

    Penske Looks to Continue Its Success in 2015

    Charlotte, NC – Coming off the best season they’ve ever had, Team Penske is reaching for higher accomplishments than even 2014 could bring them. With 11 victories from drivers Brad Keselowski and Joey Logano plus Logano’s attempt in the Final Four at Miami-Homestead, the organization found themselves at not only the top of NASCAR’s Sprint Cup Series, but tops at Ford, too.

    “When I think about 2014 it was a year we’ll really remember because it’s probably the most successful season we’ve had, both on the NASCAR side and on the Indy Car side with a total of 22 wins, Roger Penske said. “But, to me, the key thing was the continuity, the drivers, the crew chiefs, the team and the sponsors that you saw. We need that as we go forward. I think we’re strong as we go into 2015. It’s amazing in this world today that we can say that all of our sponsors have renewed with us to go forward on multiple year contracts, which gives us a great base to build on as we go into the future.

    “Great wins, some tough racing, both cars right down to the end there as far as the Chase. Joey got in and obviously we didn’t get what we wanted, but I thought the format was outstanding. The numbers that I’ve seen from NASCAR on the media and also the fan base have just been outstanding, so, for me, a great year for Team Penske and no question for our partner at Ford. Think about it, we’ve been with them two years now and we have over 15 wins each year with the Ford Motor Company. That’s a pretty good start for us. We have a lot to live up to as we go forward next year.”

    Team Penske also has formed an alliance with Wood Brothers Racing. Former Team Penske driver Ryan Blaney will pilot the legendary No. 21 Ford Fusion and Team Penske will provide technical support.

    “We’re really looking forward to this association, not only with the team but with the personalities there with Eddie and Len, Glen, of course, and Leonard we’ve known for a long time,” Penske said. “We really view this as an opportunity to enhance the overall technical prowess of both teams. We’ll be sharing a lot of technical information, working with them clearly with Jeremy and Corey Tuckey, who will be the car chief and has also been with Team Penske. The shock person has also been associated with us, Darcy, so we see a very clear avenue channel of communication with both of them communications with both of them enhancing both teams and overall enhancing the Ford effort on the race track.”

    Brad Keselowski will once again drive the No. 2 Miller Lite Ford—the car that won six races in 2014. Keselowski became controversial with his driving style last year, but has no intention of changing what he does.

    “It’s been a tremendous ride and I’m looking forward to the years to come. All of us driver lineup-wise, I think, are setup to be here for years to come and it’s been a heck of a ride with winning championships, winning races,” Keselowski said. “I remember when I walked in the door at Team Penske in the fall of 2009; Penske had three teams at the time with the 2, the 77 and the 12. I remember seeing three cars parked separate from each other and all the teams were different. One team was in the Chase and the other two weren’t and now here we are we have all of our teams working together very closely. We certainly have more wins than I think we’ve had in a long time as a team, and probably the best relationships inside the company that I would say probably ever and I’m just thrilled to be a part of that.

    “You know you’re doing something right in this sport when you’re racing the establishment and you make them upset,” Keselowski, 30, said Wednesday. “When you make them upset under the terms that I did – I made guys mad racing for the win, it wasn’t racing for 20th. If you get in a wreck and a fight racing for 20th, that doesn’t make SportsCenter. You get in a wreck and a fight with a previous champion racing for a championship, going for a win then you’re probably doing the right things.”

    Joey Logano will continue to race in the No. 22 Pennzoil Ford for 2015. Logano won five races and was in the Final Four for the championship. He is a newlywed, getting married in the off-season. He told a story on how his lost his wedding ring on his Honeymoon, but getting back to racing; he was as enthusiastic as any young driver with his resume could be.

    “Last year we didn’t really have any changes on our 22 team and I think just being able to build on the relationship that Todd and I have, and throughout the whole 22 team, I think myself learning more of what Team Penske is like and how they go about things and building those relationships up we were able to use that to our advantage this year,” Logano said. “It took the first year to kind of understand all that and this year we were able to go in there knowing what we were going to be up against and came awfully close to winning the championship. It’s something to be proud of for sure. It’s an amazing opportunity to be there at Homestead and have a shot at a championship. I feel like we can take a lot out of that experience, a lot of positives, and we learned a lot that we can hopefully be in the same boat this year, but a lot more prepared in knowing what we’re getting ourselves into once we get there.”

    While Ryan Blaney will be driving the Wood Brothers No. 21 Ford in Sprint Cup this season for 18 races, he will also see duty in the No. 22 Discount Tire Ford Mustang in the Xfinity Series for Team Penske.

    “We’ve been fortunate to get a great amount of races this year in all the series, announcing that we’re gonna run six more with the Wood Brothers, bringing us up to 18, and we’ll run a lot of XFINITY races coming up this year, and then a handful for Brad,” Blaney said. “It’s nothing full, but they all add up and it’s pretty much a full schedule, so I’m fortunate to be with great teams.”

    “Mr. Penske and Walt and Tim allowing all of us – myself and Jeremy and Corey Tucker to go to the Wood Brothers and have their support over there and for me to get a lot of Cup experience and to have Brad and Joey that I can lean on a little bit for these Cup races. So I’m just really fortunate to be with such a great team and great organization that will let me go do this stuff as well as running the XFINITY races too. So I’m really excited for this year with a lot of racing and hopefully we can make the best of it.”

  • Roush Fenway Looks to “Tweak” Their Way Back to Winning

    Roush Fenway Looks to “Tweak” Their Way Back to Winning

    Charlotte, NC – Wednesday was Ford Day at the Charlotte Motor Speedway Media Tour and it began bright and early with Roush Fenway Racing. Although the team won two races in 2014, they both came from Carl Edwards who now resides at Joe Gibbs Racing. Other than those two wins, there wasn’t much to shout about for Jack Roush’s team. That’s something they are trying to correct and hopefully very quickly.

    All teams use simulation programs to help set up cars for certain tracks and team owner Jack Roush discovered that the program that the team was using was not accurate. Roush then went to work to correct the problem.

    “Jack really imparted to Robbie Reiser, myself and the rest of the management team that we have to embrace change and figure out what we needed to do to get our team back on top,” said RFR President Steve Newmark. “That is what we did beginning the middle of last year. We made a lot of changes, some of them hard decisions. I will mention a few of them. You will hear a lot about it from these guys. Some of the things, fortunately we have a great partner in Ford that stood behind us and worked tirelessly as we tried to replace our simulation program.”

    It didn’t stop there. RFR added engineers Mark McCardell, Kevin Kidd, Phil Gould and others. They feel like that is a real position of strength for them going forward. They did all of that and kept the anchors of the organization that gave them so much success in the past. Robbie Reiser, Bob Osborne and Jimmy Fennig are all still there, and Newmark says you can feel the energy in the building.

    “If you go through the halls of Roush now I think it is more energetic than I have ever seen it,” Newmark added. “There is a lot of excitement about the direction we are heading. We understand that hope springs eternal for all teams at this point and that we are going to be judged ultimately by the performance on the track but are extremely confident we have made significant improvements with the help of Ford to get us where we need to go.”

    In addition, Roush Fenway added Elliott Sadler and rising star Darrell Wallace Jr. to the Xfinity side of the organization made up of Greg Biffle, Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Trevor Bayne, Ryan Reed, Chris Beuscher, Wallace, and Sadler.

    Stenhouse had a dismal season, missing a race at Talladega and running in the second pack all year. He credits his optimism for 2015 with the return of Jimmie Fennig, Carl Edwards’ crew chief the last two years.

    “We have some new changes on our team and a lot of the guys are working really hard in the shop. Nick Sandler has moved over from Carl’s engineer from last year and learned a lot from Jimmy Fennig,” Stenhouse said. “Mike (Kelly) is still a big part of our team and that was really important for me to have him stick around. It means a lot to me personally but also to the team. He sets a great example to our crew guys and we have some younger crew guys that really look up to him. I think everyone really appreciates his dedication. With Nick and Mike working together and with leadership from Jimmy I think we will have a great season. I am ready to get it going.”

    Greg Biffle had a less than satisfactory season last year. Biffle stayed with Roush, despite offers from other teams, and looks to improve in 2015.

    “You know, as everyone knows and Steve mentioned earlier, last year was certainly a tough season for us. I will tell you that this off season and the no testing that has gone on, we have really kind of agonized over things but I really feel like it has been a turning point for Roush Fenway because it has given us the down time and opportunities to step back and look at potentially where we had made the wrong turn in the road at,” Biffle said.

    “We have some new people in and when you are racing every week and trying to do this and testing and over at Nashville and doing all these things, you are looking at the problem down low. It wasn’t until we got up higher and really looked at the landscape we decided we made some wrong decisions back possibly over a year ago on the direction with our cars. We really feel like we have found some things we have done wrong. We feel we have righted those things.

    “I appreciate what Ford has done for us. They have really put their nose to the grind stone and provided everything, especially with the new alliance they have created. I am excited about it. I am ready to go.”

    Trevor Bayne is no stranger to fans. He won the 2011 Daytona 500 for the Wood Brothers, but hasn’t won since. Still, he says he is “pumped up” for the new season.

    “I get to drive for Jack, the man I signed up to drive for six years ago in the Cup Series with the 6 car, said Bayne. “What an opportunity it is to bring that back, especially with a full time sponsor with AdvoCare. To make that step and be full time at the Cup level, I can’t think of many sponsors that make that step. What a great year we have to look forward to.”

    Finally, Roush is energized, even at age 73. Instead of calling the new people “changes”, he prefers to call them, well, something else entirely. He praises the three wins the organization had last year, two on road courses with Edwards and Beuscher, and one short track also with Edwards, but acknowledges that the 1.5-mile tracks, which make up a majority of the circuit were RFR’s Kryptonite.

    “I characterize our changes as tweaks. We looked at a number of things on the 1.5 mile cars and Mark McCardell and Kevin Kidd have given us some new perspective on some things that have gone on in the industry beyond the vision of myself and Robbie Reiser,” Roush said. “We made our tweaks and have a strong lineup of partners.”

    “The support from Ford has been good, the partnership has been good,” he continued. “We need to maintain our position with our road racing prowess and superspeedway prowess and pick up on the 1.5 and two-mile tracks. I am anxious to do that. I have never been more excited about our lineup of drivers. Greg Biffle and Elliott Sadler being the senior group – not senior like myself but seniors in terms of drivers – and the rookies, we don’t have any rank rookies but Ryan Reed with his second year and Chris Buescher in his second year and as a ARCA champion as well and there is an expectation of what will happen with Chris Buescher and Bubba Wallace. I couldn’t be happier with our XFINITY program and we just have to go to the race track with our Cup cars and see what we can do on these 1.5 mile race tracks.”

  • Stewart Haas Racing – Looking For Less Controversy and a Healthy Tony Stewart

    Stewart Haas Racing – Looking For Less Controversy and a Healthy Tony Stewart

    Charlotte, NC – Kevin Harvick is ready to defend his first Sprint Cup Championship title. The assembled media met with Stewart-Haas Racing drivers on Tuesday afternoon and the defending champion was confident and ready to start the 2015 season. After 13 years of frustration, Harvick can relax, but not too much.

    “The pressure’s definitely off,” Harvick said. “There’s not that pressure of being that guy who was so close to winning championships and had not won one. To be able to accomplish that and take that pressure off is a really good thing because that’s really what we wanted to accomplish in coming over here. So to be fortunate enough to be able to do that is definitely a sense of relief, and now you’ve been through it, you understand it, you know the feelings, the emotions and the things that you’ve been through, and hopefully that leads to that chest full of experience that you carry around with you to just put another tool in that chest to hopefully win more.”

    Harvick came to Stewart-Haas from Richard Childress Racing. Though he is nicknamed “Happy,” the frustration of his last year there reared its ugly head during the 2013 season. At a Camping World Truck race at Martinsville, Harvick got in some on-track beating and banging with Ty Dillon, Childress’ grandson, and made some comments that weren’t complimentary to Dillon. He left RCR on good terms, but wasn’t interested in being comfortable after making the change

    “I didn’t want to be comfortable,” Harvick said. “I wanted to experience what we experienced last year, and sometimes you have to make some bold or hard decisions in order to make things like this happen. So for me, I’m as comfortable as I’ve ever been.”

    Team co-owner Tony Stewart has faced adversity over the last two years. First a sprint car accident that left him with a broken leg and a shortened season, then the poor performance on track and the horrible accident in another sprint car in New York in which a young man died. From the looks of things, Stewart was more himself which has to be good news for the organization.

    “As soon as the calendar flipped to 2015, I put the rest of it behind me and I’m not looking back,” Stewart said. “I’m not looking back at all. I’m looking forward and focused on what we’ve got coming up. Physically, even after the surgery Dec. 1, this is the best I’ve felt since the accident two years ago,” Stewart said.

    The big question for all the drivers, Stewart included, is how the new rules package will feel to them when in the cockpit. Stewart had no answer.

    “I have no idea if it’s going to feel better or worse,” Stewart said. “But you know what? I go back to all the years we’ve raced so many different types of cars. You were always having to adapt to it, anyways. So I don’t think this is going to be any different than what we’ve done in the past. It’s just a matter of finding out that feel that we want in the car right away.”

    Kurt Busch said he was eager to start the season and have the best run of his life. He also wants to get the domestic violence case behind him so he can concentrate on racing.

    “I feel like 2015 can be the best year that I have ever had with the situation with (crew chief) Tony Gibson and being the second year with the team,” Busch said. “My years of experience with teams in the second year have always produced the best result.”

    Whether Busch is allowed to race this season will likely depend on the outcome of the case. Gene Haas, who handpicked Busch to drive a car sponsored by Haas, said he believes Busch’s testimony and that he will be exonerated. Haas said he hasn’t considered suspending his driver.

    “Domestic violence is very serious, but at the same time I do believe in due process,” team co-owner Gene Haas said. “At the same time, I feel there can be abuses to the system, too.”

  • Joe Gibbs Racing Looks Forward to a Better Season in 2015

    Joe Gibbs Racing Looks Forward to a Better Season in 2015

    Charlotte, NC – The Charlotte Motor Speedway Media Tour’s second stop was Joe Gibbs Racing. There are lots of changes at JGR, most notably the addition of Carl Edwards in the No. 19 Toyota, but it was Denny Hamlin who spoke first.

    Hamlin was a notable participant with other drivers in what became a feud with Team Penske’s Brad Keselowski in 2014. Hamlin now says that he has moved on from 2014, and feels like he and Keselowski are in a good place for 2015.

    “I think as drivers, we’re becoming a tighter-knit group,” Hamlin said. “I think really, it doesn’t take long for stuff like that to kind of wash itself under the bridge. I think that any incidents with myself, or Kevin, or Jeff or anyone who may have had an issue with Brad, it’s in the past and you’ve got to move on.

    “It’s hard to hold grudges because they take up so much effort to keep them going. As drivers, you just don’t have time.”

    Hamlin, who chased Keselowski through the garage area after a racing incident at Charlotte on the final restart, says the intensity of the final 10 races led to that incident, something that maybe drivers are going to handle better the second time around.

    “Jeff (Gordon), he probably knew that was a great opportunity for him to win a championship before he retires, that probably ramped up his intensity,” Hamlin said. “For those other moments, we’re all trying to make it to the next round. If you feel like someone causes you to miss it, you are really, really angry. It’s part of racing.”

    Kyle Busch had to answer questions about his brother, Kurt Busch and domestic violence. Busch said Monday that he has steered clear of involving himself in older brother Kurt’s recent legal issues, even though reporting mistakes have confused the two. Busch said he had not spoken to his older brother about the alleged incident.

    “Haven’t spoken to him,” Busch said. “Don’t know nothing and I’m trying to stay away from it all and let him handle his business.”

    Carl Edwards, the star of the show, was his usual optimistic self. Edwards is probably looking at the success of his former and current teammate, Matt Kenseth, for inspiration. During his first season after leaving Roush Fenway Racing, Kenseth won seven races and Edwards is hoping for the same in 2015, and not looking back.

    “This year’s a little bit different,” Edwards said Monday during the Charlotte Motor Speedway NASCAR Media Tour. “It reminds me of my first year full time in the Cup Series. I feel like I’ve really got to prove myself. I feel a little anxious; a little nervous about it. It’s nice. I haven’t had that feeling for a long time and it’s a motivator. I’m as focused as I’ve ever been and I’m excited as I’ve ever been. This is a neat opportunity for me.

    “I’m just excited to get to learn from these guys and get to race under the JGR banner for Toyota. We had a great test at Charlotte and I’m really ready to go. I’ve been wearing my driver’s suit a lot.”

    Kenseth went from riches to rags in 2014 by not winning a single race in his second season at JGR.

    “It’s probably a little bit different of a situation because it’s starting a whole new team for Carl, but he’s a guy who’s been in one place for a while and is making a jump,” Kenseth said. “That’s never easy to do, to leave some place where you’re comfortable and you understand how it works and you’ve won some races. I know what it feels like.”

    Time will tell, but Edwards is confident and with Darian Grubb as his Crew Chief, success should come to the kid from Missouri who handed out business cards early in his career while trying to find a ride.

  • France Says the State of the Sport is Good

    France Says the State of the Sport is Good

    CHARLOTTE, NC – January 19, 2014 – The 2015 Charlotte Motor Speedway Sprint Cup Media Tour kicked off today with Brian France’s State of the Sport report. France outlined topics that NASCAR is working on as well as answered questions from the assembled media. A rosy picture was painted as the sanctioning body had one of its best seasons in recent memory.

    The early part of the program was led by Steve O’Donnell, Executive Vice President of NASCAR. O’Donnell introduced France to the group, along with some opening remarks. He mentioned that NASCAR was proud of the technical changes for 2015 and how it was released early so that teams could adapt and prepare for the new season. The biggest question answered by O’Donnell was on the subject of side skirts.

    Many fans noticed that some of the cars had bulging side skirts over both rear and front during pit stops. Many felt it was a competitive aerodynamic advantage. That will change in 2015.

    “This year, we will attempt by any means possible to review this practice,” O’Donnell said. “When found, we will have the cars come back to the pits to correct this.”

    For the first time, NASCAR officials will use tablet computers to keep data to police parts used by the teams. It will allow keeping of more information and help with the part approval process as well as make sure the playing field level is fair and equal.

    France stepped to the podium to discuss the major accomplishments of 2014 and the outlook for 2015. As mentioned earlier, it was a look back at last year and an optimistic look at the future which included the following:

    – The 10-year contract with Comcast’s Xfinity service to sponsor the former Nationwide Series, citing the belief that the sanctioning body’s desire to make partners feel comfortable that the technology level was at a point where they felt comfortable doing business.
    – NASCAR’s ongoing concern with environmental issues had gained momentum and that this would continue for the foreseeable future.
    – Communication with drivers, teams, and tracks would continue so that every stakeholder had a place at the table.
    – Meetings with car manufacturers would continue, mentioning a meeting with all three at the recent car show in Detroit. Reinforced how vital they were to they were to the sport’s health. Mentioned there was a lot of give and take in these discussions, as there should be.
    – Wished Jeff Gordon well on his retirement and congratulations on his strong season.

    A question and answer session followed. When asked if there was a single greatest issue facing NASCAR, France pointed at the success of 2014 and said that he saw no glaring weaknesses. He was confident that the new rules were needed.

    Asking a personal question didn’t seem to bother France. When asked if his leadership style was like that of his grandfather (Big Bill France) or his father (Bill France Jr.) he responded by saying while his grandfather led by consensus, his father was hands-on every day. France said that his style was different that either predecessor. He commented on the complexity of the job today with so many more talented people and complex issues.

    When asked about in-season rules changes, France said, “Well, we try not to do too many in-season tweaks to any rules package unless there’s a safety concern because of cost. We judge it quite simply by lead changes, how close race winning is, how many different winners, how each car manufacturer is able to have a fair shot at competing, and there’s plenty of data to help us with that.” He continued saying, “It’s close, tight competition.”

    France did say that every season could see some changes. “It’ll always evolve,” he said. Our job is to make sure that the playing field is level and that more teams have a good shot at competing at a high level, and given that it always changes, we have to change, too, and circumstances change.”

    When asked about the Kurt Busch domestic violence issue, France was clear on NASCAR’s position on this important issue.

    “We want to wait until all the facts are in. Every sport has the issue of domestic violence. You’re going to see us having much more severe action in dealing with that.”

  • The New Chase Format – What Do You Think?

    The New Chase Format – What Do You Think?

    The 2014 NASCAR season is officially over with the notable exception of the Championship Banquet. What kind of year was it? With the multitudes on talk radio praising the new format for determining a champion, what does the rest of NASCAR Nation think? This reporter has a “wait and see” attitude on the format, but that comes later.

    The season saw some of the hardest racing we’ve seen in some time. For the first time in ages, we saw some real competition between brands and teams. Hendrick Motorsports did not dominate the sport because it had company with Team Penske. If you will notice, just like in olden times, it was Chevrolet versus Ford. HMS came through with 13 wins, most in the season, as usual. Team Penske was second with 11 wins; Stewart-Haas Racing had six, two each for Joe Gibbs Racing and Roush Fenway Racing, and one each for Richard Petty Motorsports and JTG Daugherty Racing. That left the score at 20 wins for Chevrolet, 14 for Ford, and two lonely wins for Toyota. It’s almost strange that the final four to go for the championship kind of looked like that with Kevin Harvick and Ryan Newman representing Chevrolet, Joey Logano representing Ford and Denny Hamlin representing Toyota. Good competition among brands is always good for NASCAR.

    The new format had its detractors, though. Fans of certain drivers and even the drivers themselves were critical when the favored driver didn’t make the cut. The loudest were Dale Earnhardt Jr. fans, Jimmie Johnson fans and Jeff Gordon fans. Even Gordon got into the act by proposing changes to the format that would have put him in the Final Four. Apparently Gordon forgot that his failure to pass Earnhardt at Martinsville just might have had something to do with that one-point deficit.

    Tempers flared and we had a couple of pretty good post-race skirmishes. Out came the hatred for Brad Keselowski. Fans will boo him and maybe they will leave Kyle Busch alone for awhile. Drivers say they don’t like his attitude. Having been around this sport for a long time, I wonder if this young bunch could even fathom the fallout from drivers like Dale Earnhardt Sr., Darrell Waltrip, Cale Yarborough or Bobby Allison. They raced like Keselowski, but boys will be boys. I doubt it’s a long time before anyone hits anyone in a melee with a closed fist again. Of course when the team owner pays your fine we may see more of these post-race antics.

    After all of this, I say leave it alone for next year. The first attempt had its moments and it seemed to get fans fired up about something. My opinion from the start has been a true champion is exemplary over the entire season. It’s one of the main reasons that I don’t watch the baseball playoffs or the NFL playoffs. How about the Super Bowl? I haven’t watched it in years. Sometimes teams who have done nothing get hot for the playoffs. When they end up in the World Series or the Super Bowl, I lose interest, but for some strange reason since two of the Final Four had won nine races during the season, it held my interest. I’m sure it won’t always be that way, but I’m willing to see what happens next year.

    In the end, it came down to who made the least mistakes. Logano and Hamlin lost because their teams let them down. Newman was just overmatched all season and that left Harvick. Sort of like those baseball and football playoffs, but with a worthy team winning. I hate the Chase and I don’t like this format, but the people have spoken and we will see what happens in 2015.

  • Jeff vs. Brad – One Theory

    Jeff vs. Brad – One Theory

    It was a wild night in the Fort Worth area. Eliminated Jimmie Johnson won a race, thus allowing three drivers to enter the championship winner-take-all race at Homestead and get in on points. Brad Keselowski, fighting for his racing life tried to split Jeff Gordon and Jimmie Johnson but made contact with Gordon. Gordon cut a tire and tires were in short supply. Gordon finished 29th and wasn’t happy. Gordon said on his radio, “I’m gonna beat his ass.” He confronted Keselowski on pit road (sound familiar?), a crowd followed, and a melee began.

    Gordon and Keselowski, well maybe just Gordon, were yelling at each other when Kevin Harvick pushed Keselowski from behind telling him to get involved in the fight, “and if you’re going to drive like that…” You get the picture. All manners of Hades broke loose. One crew member from the No. 5 Chevrolet of Kasey Kahne appeared to be laying haymakers everywhere. Gordon even threw a punch that was intercepted by Keselowski. Both Gordon and Keselowski came away bloody and probably not from each other. I have a theory on this. Hang with me for a moment.

    In the past few years, Hendrick Motorsports and Joe Gibbs Racing were the top dogs in the Sprint Cup Series (and you can arguably add the Nationwide Series to that too). Though HMS cars have won the most races this year, they have only one car left, Gordon’s No. 24, that is eligible for the Final Four at Homestead. This year, Team Penske cars have won 11 races with a two car team. This must be frustrating to them. Joe Gibbs Racing has only won two races after winning in double figures in 2013. Frustration has to be big there. Add to that the new NASCAR Chase format and dynamite is exploding, and it goes deeper than the two drivers that got into an altercation tonight.

    I don’t recall any other altercations with drivers on the track, but it all seemed to explode at Charlotte a couple of weeks ago. Here’s Brad getting pushed around on a restart by Matt Kenseth and Denny Hamlin, so he retaliates against those two and ended up tapping the back end of Tony Stewart. Stewart retaliates by spinning his tires and backing into Keselowski. Seeing that he’s in trouble, Keselowski drives through the garage area with Hamlin in tow. Kenseth finally puts him in a headlock and the thing is over quickly. Keselowski must have broken some secret rule because now everyone hates him. Or is it now? Maybe it’s always been that way.

    Remember how Brad drove in the Nationwide Series? It got Carl Edwards so mad, he went after him. Remember Brad punting Edwards nearly into the stands at Talladega? Maybe no one has forgotten those days. That’s part of it, but it goes deeper. Remember Joey Logano punting Hamlin and causing him to miss almost all of a season. Remember? These were all racing accidents—the kind we see every race, but it’s more than that.

    Today’s NASCAR, unlike a few years ago, has a group of drivers who want to act gentlemanly on the track. Don’t take a chance to win; just settle for what you have. If you’re running in second and you have to rub to try to get a win, it’s a no-no. With the new rules, just settle for not making the Final Four and leave it to the proper folks. Trouble is, guys like Brad and Joey don’t race that way. They race more like they did in the day. Win at any cost. Sort of like Dale Earnhardt, David Pearson, and Bobby Allison. Let us not forget Cale Yarborough. This newer generation doesn’t like it. That’s why guys like Hamlin, Harvick, Stewart, Gordon and others are expressing hatred for the Penske boys. They’re running better on some days and winning more. What’s not to hate? So if Brad touches one of them, all of the teams’ crews come out to participate in the beating of Brad or Joey if they get touched. I watched tonight a crew member from Kasey Khane’s crew get in the fray and throw punch after punch. NASCAR may have created a monster.

    The worst thing about all of this is the fan reaction. Twitter is filled with hate messages from fans who now “hate” Keselowski. He was called names I can’t even write here. One tweet even went as far as to say a hit man is needed to “take care of him.” Huh? I have to imagine the late Dale Earnhardt, sitting in Heaven is having a good laugh about this. I can imagine what he would say at this point, but it’s not printable either. It’s almost like the sport morphed into that fighting organization where Harvick manages some of the participants, or the WWE. Many think this is the greatest thing, but it embarrasses me. I hope NASCAR acts appropriately.

  • What’s Next — Charlotte Race Recap

    What’s Next — Charlotte Race Recap

    I’ve always said that Charlotte Motor Speedway is the crown palace of NASCAR. The track sits in the sleepy town of Concord, NC (some say it’s closer to Harrisburg, but locals say Concord), and has plenty of camping and lots of trams and golf carts to get you around the 1.5-mile racetrack in quick order. Most of the seats are chair seats, which is good if you’ve ever sat on those aluminum bleachers and had to sit beside an unusually large person. I like the place. The only trouble is that the racing is usually tepid.

    Normally, the race belongs to Hendrick Motorsports and that was pretty much the case on Saturday night. If you’re a fan of that organization, it’s almost a party just waiting to see which of Rick’s car will win. Brad Keselowski ruined that last year coming from behind in the October race. It was not to be this year. In fact, as much as he probably hated it, he stole the show this time, too. In the meantime, you could see the yawns in the crowd—big yawns. The racing was good back in the pack, but Kevin Harvick dominated the event with a little help from Kyle Busch and Jeff Gordon. Harvick, you know, drives for Stewart-Haas Racing, pretty much a satellite of Rick Hendrick’s empire, so it was all in the family, especially since HMS’s Jeff Gordon finished second. As usual.

    The big surprise is that usual Charlotte master Jimmie Johnson couldn’t get it in gear and a series of misfortunes found fan-favorite Dale Earnhardt, Jr. having shifter trouble. Both finished poorly, which led to one fan saying Junior would win at Talladega and another saying it would be Johnson, and you know the rest. Needless to say, the faithful were pretty upset at this revolting development. So much so, that a real fight broke out in the Chrysler section which resulted in several fans being led out by police. Then the drivers got into the act, and Twitter and Facebook blew up.

    It’s almost funny how NASCAR fans turn on drivers. The usual victims are the Busch brothers. The boos from the stands tell that story, but on this night everything was about Keselowski. He used his car as a weapon, as if that hasn’t been done before. Matt Kenseth whipped his, uh, bottom. It looked a lot like Jeff Gordon’s right hook at Jeff Burton and his shoving Matt Kenseth at Bristol. Tony Stewart did a full reverse burnout into Keselowski’s car—no reaction. Never mind that under caution, Keselowski lost the right front of his car to Kenseth or well, too many things to recount. One thing fans must remember, it’s not the first time it’s happened and won’t be the last as long as guys who win all year get eliminated like Johnson, Earnhardt and Keselowski (10 wins from those three). Win and in? Not this year.

    Talladega will be it’s usual, two abreast dance with a few coming up to the front late after the two big wrecks. If Keselowski, Johnson, and Junior aren’t at the front, expect more fireworks after the race. It sounded like a good idea to emphasize winning, but I wonder how this will work out? It should be interesting.

  • Richmond Wasn’t What Was Advertised

    Richmond Wasn’t What Was Advertised

    Many fans seem to be disappointed in what they saw at Richmond over the weekend. Yes, we had two runaway races—Kyle Busch in the Nationwide race and Brad Keselowski in the Cup race, but there is a reason for that and it is something that many fail to understand. There are the haves and the have nots. The haves always win unless you’re at a road course or Daytona.

    Today’s NASCAR is made up of three super teams. Those super teams are Hendrick Motorsports, Team Penske, Roush Fenway Racing, and Joe Gibbs Racing. Those teams have accounted for 23 of the 26 wins this season. Of those teams, every one of them was qualified for the race before they got there, Only Ricky Stenhouse, Jr., Matt Kenseth, Tony Stewart, and Danica Patrick were left to fight for a win—the only way they could be part of the Chase. Sure, there was the MWR team, weakened by last year’s fiasco at Richmond and Furniture Row Racing’s Martin Truex, Jr., but to be honest only the super teams had any chance of being competitive enough to win at Richmond, especially when Team Penske nailed the setup and ran away with the win.

    As the television networks and the media always want to paint a picture of a rough and rowdy race at the end of the regular season or the final race at Homestead, it’s just never going to happen. The teams with the most resources will win the most races and one of those teams will hit the setup to win it all.

    It didn’t used to be that way. In the history of NASCAR, especially in the days when they ran a lot of races, many different teams won (most were single car teams) and the manufacturers were all involved. Today, Chevrolet dominates with 14 wins this year with Ford getting 10, and Toyota two. Of 26 races, we had only 11 winners. It doesn’t take a genius to understand that we won’t have a crash fest at the last race before the Chase. It also doesn’t take a genius to understand that only the final race of the Chase might create that, but my guess is it won’t. If you don’t have a car good enough to keep up with the front runners, you certainly won’t at Richmond or Homestead.

    I’m sure the story will be the elimination at three, nine and at the end (or whatever it is), but I’d bet the retirement fund that the final four will come from the final four teams (and I include, once again, SHR in the Hendrick camp). Spin it any way you want, but the drama will only come when the final four is evident, and maybe not then. Just like Brad K hit the setup on Saturday night, the great teams have a way of running away with it.

  • The No. 43 in Victory Lane – Tradition on a Non-Traditional Day

    The No. 43 in Victory Lane – Tradition on a Non-Traditional Day

    Mother Nature didn’t smile on Daytona International Speedway this weekend, but we did get to see two races, even if the Sprint Cup Race was only a 280- mile event. Though this writer is not a fan of restrictor plate racing, I’ve come to expect the carnage here and at Talladega, and grown to accept it. I do not think that is a good thing. Neither is the weather a good thing for fans, tracks, and participants. I cannot criticize NASCAR for what they did once the race was scheduled. I do have some thoughts on the matter, but that’s another column for another time.

    It’s always awesome to see the No. 43 in Victory Lane, even though it took 15 years to see it there. Aric Almirola has been hinting at a win for two years and he finally got his first NASCAR Sprint Cup win and a ticket for the Chase. Petty’s organizations have won races, most notably Marcos Ambrose’s victories at Watkins Glen in 2011 and 2012, but they were both in the No.9 car out of the Petty stables. Kasey Kahne also won a Daytona qualifying race in 2011 in the No.9, but that’s not the same as having the 43 in victory lane. I hesitate to say it, but even though Petty had more wins, more was made of the No. 3 returning to action than the win of the No.43. Why is that? Maybe it is because Petty hasn’t had much success lately or the glory days were more than 40 years ago, but I don’t know.

    Regardless, the race finally was run and although 120 miles shorter than planned, but that was because of the nasty weather. When I first started following the sport, the Firecracker 400 was a race run on July 4th and mostly at 10:00 or 11:00 AM. The track used the sales line, “come to the race in the cool morning and enjoy the beach in the afternoon.” Of course, things have changed. Now, many more people come to the event, and the beach is not so much a destination as it used to be back in prior decades. Still, the fact remains that having a race in July at night in a tropical climate is a crapshoot. Daytona President Joie Chitwood III called it bad luck. Rain also delayed February’s Daytona 500.

    Tradition is very sacred to NASCAR fans, especially the older ones who actually have the money to spend on a race. I hear a lot of talk about how they took away the Labor Day Southern 500, the second Darlington race, Rockingham, the first Atlanta race, North Wilkesboro, and replaced them with venues that do not offer better racing. Rumblings today seem to indicate that the traditional July 4th date is just another nail in the coffin of NASCAR fans that have problems with high ticket prices, outrageous motel costs, and what they consider races that are not very competitive.

    Now rumors are circulating around Daytona that Darlington may become the second race on the schedule in 2015, which would be in the midst of winter. It could be just another rumor, but it also could be another nail in the coffin. I guess the line of thinking is if that doesn’t kill it, nothing will. Having scraped snow off the bleachers at Rockingham in February and Rockingham being only a few miles to the north, I fear the worst. Hopefully, the Darlington rumor is just that—a rumor.

    For now, the celebration must be in order for Richard Petty Motorsports and Aric Almirola. Since Petty spun off his relationship with George Gillette and formed one with Ford, he has now won three races in four years. As he is always saying, that’s not enough, but it is better than many others in the same time period. He now has a car and driver close to being locked into the Chase and an organization that gets better every year since 2011. It was a fitting birthday present for Petty who turned 77 earlier this week, but he didn’t get to see the victory in person.

    Petty had been at the track with his two daughters on Saturday, but left early on Sunday morning to head home. It was ironic he was watching the race on television and “reading the funny papers,” according to his teleconference done by phone in the media center.

    So, a NASCAR tradition has been revived with the No. 43 appearing in Victory Lane. I know NASCAR has nothing to do with who wins the races, but on a day when tradition seemed to be shoved to the back burner, tradition was front and center. The fans roared and Petty smiled that big smile he is famous for. We just couldn’t see it.