Category: Flashman’s Take

Watching yesterday’s Kobalt 400 from Las Vegas Motor Speedway, it appeared from the beginning that this was a race that was supposed to be won by Hendrick Motorsports. The lineup of Kasey Kahne, Jimmie Johnson, Jeff Gordon, and Dale Earnhardt, Jr. is formidable. What more could you ask? It’s a power team if there was one, and yet, it all fell apart all because of other teams that have learned to be as tough as they are. It happened last year and it seems to be happening again.

Consider the case of Kasey Kahne or maybe even Jimmie Johnson. They dominated the event. In former years, it would have been over from the beginning, but a little bit of Joe Gibbs Racing and even Penske Racing played their cards right and the Gibbs bunch pulled off the win. It didn’t hurt that Matt Kenseth is the most underrated driver of this decade. Who can wheel a car better than Kenseth? While at Roush Fenway, he won a championship that someone in the sanctioning body thought was tainted and the horrible Chase was created, and yet he continued to be a steady winner. Two Daytona 500 wins and a championship has never given Kenseth any respect. It boggles my mind that a man who has done so much is ignored by everyone in this sport. Yes, talk about Junior or Tony or Jimmie or even Harvick ( not to mention Danica), but what about Kenseth?

You can also ask the question about our reigning champion, Brad Keselowski. While changing manufacturers, from Dodge to Ford, he has maintained a sterling fourth, fourth, and third place in finishes, second only to Johnson, but still only the only driver with three top five finishes in three races. Truth is, if you don’t drive for Hendrick Motorsports , you have to be overlooked. That organization is just too big and powerful, plus they have the power drivers – Johnson, Gordon, Earnhardt, and Kahne. They run up front and have the history behind them, but a lot of good things are happening elsewhere. Kenseth, Kyle Busch, and even controversial Denny Hamlin are a formidable team at Gibbs. No one can doubt that Edwards, Biffle, and even Stenhouse , a ten race winner, a guy who can wheel a car, and a two time champion are not junk. The reigning champ and the young prodigy at Penske (Keselowski and Logano) are not junk. Not to mention that Richard Childress Racing has the power to move its three drivers into the spotlight. And yet popularity seems to be the reason. Everyone loves a winner.

All of that said, we’ve seen three different races. The restrictor plate race that Johnson won—a crapshoot, the Phoenix race that Edwards won, and Las Vegas and the Kenseth race. Three races and three manufacturers have won. It sounds like parity to me, and yet all the talk is about four drivers who haven’t done much with one exception. It’s the way it goes.

We head to Bristol this weekend, if it doesn’t rain ( the forecast is iffy), and we’ll see what the en 6 car does there. One thing is clear. It appears that things are pretty much equal. Just

For NASCAR, the news is good. Ratings for the Daytona 500 were up 30% this season. That’s good for the sport and better for the bottom line. Final ratings are not out, though. We shall see. Regardless, even someone I respect so much, Buddy Baker, said it was not a great race. And it wasn’t. I’ve often said that a bad race is a lot better than a day a work or an NFL game or a no-hitter against your favorite team. That still stands.

After the excitement of the new car, the Gen 6 car, not much changed. The action, instead of being the “two-car tango,” became the freight train, once only seen at Martinsville and other less banked tracks. Very little passing was seen, mainly because taking a chance at moving to the inside line was instant death. There’s a lot to learn about this new car, and it will be at other tracks during the season. It’s time to be patient.

But, back on the subject of the race, I found it horribly boring. Sure, there are the pure racing fans like me, who just love the sport, but truth is, not much is different despite the new car. Chevrolet still rules, Hendrick Motorsports or Richard Childress Racing cars won everything at Daytona in a car that isn’t even available for sale until fall. The best Fords were far back and the best Toyotas, with the notable exception of Mark Martin either blew up or were not effective enough to finish. Even though the Joe Gibbs organization pointed this season toward a championship, engine and car problems led to a bad day. Same with Roush Fenway. Greg Biffle was there all day, only to be shuffled back by the combo of Dale Jr., and Mark Martin. The final determination is that Hendrick rules, as it has been for as long as I can remember. Many will point to Martin’s third place finish or Keselowski’s fourth, but neither were really a factor. Kenseth led the most laps, but wasn’t around at the end, but this is Daytona. It really doesn’t matter because the rest of the season is all that matters.

The lesson here is money rules. Hendrick has the money and the resources and everyone is trying to catch up. That’s been the rule for a long time and that isn’t a recipe for success, but it doesn’t hurt. But, it doesn’t hurt, either. Joe Gibbs and Roush Fenway are well financed for sure, but there is no doubt where the money is. Any team that can reject finances because the sponsor “doesn’t fit,” is doing well and in no need of help. Few have this liberty.

I think we’ll see a more balanced racing at Phoenix and Las Vegas. This car was made for the intermediate tracks. I expect the Chevys to dominate, as they always do and always will for the foreseeable future, but someone may sneak in and win.

As for the horrific accident on Saturday, I had to delete what I had typed Saturday night. I remember David Poole’s tirade after the Carl Edwards accident in 2009. Restrictor plate racing is the Great Satan. Many fans love it because it is exciting and keeps things close, but is not racing. I laughed at Greg Biffle when he said that he could have blocked in the 500, but it would have been the same result as in the Nationwide race on Saturday. The human condition intervenes here. That says a lot. I don’t think it’s the track as much as the competitors. Regan Smith wasn’t willing to take second place, just like Brad Keselowski wasn’t willing to in 2009. Both ended in near disaster. Can you change not? No. And so it goes. That’s racing.

Do you want predictions? I have them here. I probably will be no better than anyone else, and maybe worse, but as we begin a new season, it just seems proper to throw out a few. Having seen very little of the new Gen 6 car, it’s probably foolish, but maybe we can revise this as we go along. Or maybe we won’t.

2013 Sprint Cup Champion – Who would have predicted Brad Keselowski at the beginning of 2012? I see no hands raised. It just proves that you just never know what is going to happen. If we are to look at the results so far, it would have to be one of the Hendrick or Childress cars, but that’s fool’s gold. This is Daytona and it’s not like any other track, just like Talladega. Thus, Jimmie Johnson will be there as will Jeff Gordon, Brad Keselowski, Greg Biffle, and Matt Kenseth. Who will win? My choice is either a repeat for Keselowski, a series champion in two series Greg Biffle, or Kenseth. All are in new cars or on new teams, but I see the consistency that makes champions. Never the fastest or flashy, all these drivers have shown that they have what it takes. Sure, it’s a safe bet to go with Johnson or Gordon, but I’ve got a feeling. Having led the points most of the year, maybe it’s going to be Biffle. Finishing second in both the Unlimited and the first Duel shows the desire. I’m sure the rest of the races will favor Fords and Toyotas more than the Chevys over the long haul. We’ll see.

2013 Nationwide Series Champion – The no-brainer choice is Elliott Sadler. He’s in the most successful car in 2012. He nearly made it the last two years, but Elliott just seems to be one tick away each year. I’m betting on Austin Dillon, Sam Hornish, or Trevor Bayne. Dillon has shown that he has the equipment and the desire and the equipment. Bayne is in a car and with a team that won the last two years, but Hornish is a champion in his own right. I’m going with Hornish.

2013 Truck Series Champion – Hands down, it should be Ty Dillon. He has, once again, the equipment and the talent to win in 2013. Of course, the truck series is a crapshoot, so don’t hold me to this.

Who won’t make The Chase? – I can’t see Carl Edwards not making the Chase. Seeing all the bad luck last year and the struggles, I have to believe he will be in the mix. I see one of the Michael Waltrip Racing drivers as the one who won’t make it, probably Martin Truex, Jr. The same could be said for Jeff Gordon. Though he has been sterling at Daytona, this freak of a race is not the to be considered. Truex is the one

The Daytona 500 winner – Who knows? Harvick is a good pick as any, but with the cars so equal, it’s hard to say. I will refuse to make one, but a good bet is anyone in the field. If I had to bet, I’d go with a Chevy. Since 13 of the first 20 qualifiers were in bowties in the 500 lineup, that’s easy. I’d say Kasey Kahne.

All this is fun, but I have no crystal ball. In 2011, I predicted a Trevor Bayne win, most of it was hope and more humor, but it came to pass. I didn’t see the Keselowski championship or the failings of Johnson down the stretch. Truth is, we don’t know and never will. It’s probably best to let things play out as they will. I do know this. It’s going to be an exciting season and I’m looking forward to it.

One the eve of the Spring Unlimited, nee the Busch Clash and Budweiser Shootout, the media met with the stars of NASCAR. Never mind that only three weeks ago, they spent a whole week interviewing and questioning most of these same stars, but there was a new subject that became almost an obsession. Since during the Sprint Media Tour, there wasn’t any news about the romance between Danica Patrick and Ricky Stenhouse, Jr., every driver was asked about that. Very rarely was the 2013 season mentioned, so I plan to concentrate on the season at hand. Keep in mind that much of this is based on what I learned at the Media Tour, since little was learned today. Several questions come to mind.

1. Who will make the Chase? I really have no idea, but if I were a betting man, I would say three of the four Hendrick Motorsports drivers (with either Jeff Gordon or Dale Earnhardt, Jr. being left out), All three of the Joe Gibbs Racing drivers, two of the Roush Fenway drivers (with Stenhouse being the odd man out), Clint Bowyer from MWR, defending champ Brad Keselowski and joey Logano from Penske, and Kevin Harvick from RCR. The results of my predictions may change as the season goes along.

2. Who will win the Daytona 500? Who knows? Daytona (and Talladega) are a crapshoot. These are not normal races and have little effect on who is the power driver for most of the season. If you want a wild card, you need to look elsewhere. I used to participate in a race pool. It was a blind draw based on qualifying position. I won the pool twice on a high qualifying position. Anyone can win this race. My money’s on Casey Mears or someone like that.

3. Will RCR have a comeback year after a disastrous 2012? No one has any more resources than Richard Childress. One trip to his ballroom will tell you that, but with star driver Kevin Harvick being a lame duck and Jeff Burton being near the end of his career, not to mention Paul Menard’s uneven career, I’d guess not. Time will tell.

4. Can Penske Racing with defending champ Brad Keselowski and Joey Logano really be as successful as the 2012 championship season? One thing is for certain, this team is pumped up for 2013. It didn’t hurt anything that among the crowd at their Media Tour stop were all the Ford brass which included Ford’s Edsel Ford and Jamie Allison and many more Ford people. Ford is banking on Penske helping bring home a manufacturer championship for Ford. It’s going to be a tall order.

5. Will Chevrolet continue to dominate the Sprint Cup season? Yes. The sheer numbers are staggering. Looking at the entry list for the Daytona 500, the brand dominates the field with 13 out of the 18 entered being strong teams. Ford only has eight strong teams entered (and that’s being generous), and only six of the 12 Toyotas being in that category. Game, set, and match. Give the bowtie the championship.

6. Can Michael Waltrip Racing match the success of 2012? Never was there a season that surprised everyone as much as MWR did in 2012. Can they repeat? With few changes from last year, they have a chance, but only when the season plays out will we know. My guess is no, even if they will be strong this year.

Regardless of the new car looking like the showroom car and the renewed enthusiasm we see over the so-called Gen 6 car, things won’t change much. Daytona will be sort of a barometer, but not much of one. Matt Kenseth won last year’s 500 in a Ford and though he had a successful season, successful enough to get a new ride at Joe Gibbs Racing, we surely didn’t dominate the season. Expect that in 2013. One thing is for certain, it’s been a long winter and I’m looking forward to racing tomorrow night.

I was a rookie. It seemed strange after covering more than 200 races live and knowing many of the people at the Sprint Media Tour, I had never attended the pre-season event. I didn’t get hazed because most of the people there either knew me or had heard of me, but I learned it was at once exhilarating and fatiguing at the same time. As I look back on it, it was worth every 15-hour day. These are my reflections on what happened behind the news and a little commentary.

First, NASCAR does not take a back seat to any professional sports organization. It’s so much different when I started covering event in 1996. It’s first class all the way and a lot of that credit goes to Scott Cooper of Charlotte Motor Speedway. We were treated to luxuriously appointed meeting rooms and a schedule that would kill a horse. More on that later. The access to drivers and teams was second to none and there was always someone there to answer questions. Most days started at 8:00 AM and ended near midnight. Yeah, my advancing years were evident with that schedule.

The tour started out with the information on the Sprint Unlimited, something you started calling the Busch Clash years ago, and ended with a trip to Joe Gibbs Racing Shop in Huntersville, NC after four days. The tour brought teams to the guest hotel or the media was bussed to shops around the area. We saw Stewart-Haas, Michael Waltrip Racing, Furniture Row Racing, and had a dinner with Chevrolet and breakfast with Ford Racing. The Ford breakfast gave us access to Richard Petty Motorsports, Wood Brothers Racing, Front Row Motorsports, Germain Racing, and all their drivers. The Chevrolet dinner featured no drivers. In addition, we made trips to Richard Childress Racing, Earnhardt-Ganassi Racing, Hendrick Motorsports, Penske Racing, and Joe Gibbs Racing at their racing shops. We met with Roush-Fenway Racing at the NASCAR Hall of Fame. Meeting with the 25 top teams in Sprint Cup and many others in the Nationwide Series, was hectic but rewarding.  Attempting to grade the visits will be harder, but here goes.

Best Shop Visit – Penske Racing. No matter what anyone says, Roger Penske is the class of the circuit. All his NASCAR racers were on site and presented for everyone to see. It was even more interesting to see Ford’s racing boss, Jamie Allison there along with Edsel Ford II. It was obvious that Ford is banking a lot on Penske’s switch to Ford. Second place went to Richard Childress Racing. Even though two accidents on I-85 delayed us nearly two hours, and the program Childress had planned for us had to be abbreviated, every driver was present from Kevin Harvick, Jeff Burton, and Paul Menard to his Nationwide drivers (grandson Austin Dillon and Brian Scott) and truck campaigners Brendan Gaughan and grandson Ty Dillon).

Best Non-Shop Visit – Earnhardt-Ganassi. It was held at a hangar at Concord Regional Airport, which was confusing to some, but it became apparent once inside the hangar. Ganassi had not only his NASCAR people there, but his IndyCar and sports car racing drivers. On display were not only the No. 1 Chevrolet for Jamie McMurray and the No. 42 of Juan Pablo Montoya, but show cars and drivers for his IndyCar and sports car teams. It was an opportunity to talk with Dario Franchitti, Scott Pruett, and others. Also present was Cessna’s fantastic Citation airplane, since the company has joined EGR as a sponsor for 2013. Honorable mention was the Stewart-Haas presentation that presented the media with Danica Patrick. Amid rumors of a relationship with another driver, Patrick refused to comment and looked marvelous in her $2,000 high heels.

Best Eye-Opening Team Function – Roush-Fenway’s presentation at the Hall of Fame. After a buttoned-downed presentations featuring Greg Biffle, Carl Edwards, Trevor Bayne, Ricky Stenhouse, Jr., and Travis Pastrana, in the Hall’s theatre. Later, the drivers moved to their stations overlooking the Hall exhibits for interviews. Soon, we were told to move to the outside plaza for the Ford event. The event was each Ford team would be driving their 2013 cars through the streets of Charlotte. One by one, the new Fusions came out of the garage under the Hall—Biffle was first followed by Keselowski, Logano, Edwards, Stenhouse, Bayne, David Ragan, David Gilliland, and Casey Mears. An F-150 truck of photographers and a production Fusion led the parade with drivers doing burnouts and generally having fun. Crowds lined the streets of Charlotte and gathered at the plaza where fans could get autographs and take pictures of each team with driver and car owner present. It was something to see and created a lot of attention. Edsel Ford II and Jamie Allison also appeared to put the exclamation point on the exercise. I’ve never seen anything like it. No honorable mention. Nothing compared to that.

It was a glorious week that included two stops at Charlotte Motor Speedway and wonderful food. Would I do it again? You bet. I’m now ready for the season to start. To a team, everyone was optimistic about 2013, but baseball Spring Training brings out the same attitudes. It’s just time to get racing going again. The Rolex race this weekend got me going. With 19 days until the Sprint Unlimited and only 27 until the Great American Race, it’s time to be looking forward to a new season of racing. I’m fired up. Are you?

The final day of the Sprint Media Tour had it all—announcements, fireworks, and humor at Joe Gibbs Racing. The first stop was the Ford breakfast where all the Ford teams with the notable exception of Roush-Fenway were represented. After a short introduction, drivers were given designated places for interviews. Drivers and officials from Richard Petty Motorsports, Front Row Motorsports, Germain Racing, and Wood Brothers Racing were in attendance along with Ford’s Edsel Ford and Jamie Allison.

The only major announcement was that Smithfield Foods had announced an expansion of its partnership with RPM. This extension will include being primary sponsor on the famous No. 43 Ford Fusion in 25 events during the 2013 season. Those brands include Eckrich, Farmland, Gwaltney, and Smithfield and all will appear on the car. Aric Amirola will continue to drive the No. 43 as announced earlier. Smithfield Packing will be the sponsor at Daytona in February.

Next, the media headed to Uptown Charlotte to the NASCAR Hall of Fame for the Roush-Fenway presentation. The 2013 drivers were announced and included Greg Biffle, Carl Edwards, and Ricky Stenhouse, Jr. in Sprint Cup. Trevor Bayne will pilot the No. 6 Mustang in the Nationwide Series while Travis Pastrana will drive the No. 60 Mustang.

Pastrana said he was humbled to be with Roush-Fenway.

“I’ve always wanted to be with a team that has won championships and knew what takes to win. I’m there now,” Pastrana said. “I’m in awe of that No. 60 Ford and all the success it has had.”

Robbie Reiser was promoted from General Manager to Vice President of Competition. “That’s the job he was doing anyway,” Roush said. Roger Penske said Wednesday night that their main contact with RFR was Reiser, but Roush said that “they have a dramatically different car than our car. The underbody and the suspension do not relate.”

Roush said he was looking to add a fourth team as soon as possible. The driver of that car would be Trevor Bayne. Regardless, Bayne said to this writer, “All I have so far is the Nationwide Series and Cup with the Wood Brothers. I hope someday to run Cup. That’s what I want.”

Roush said they were able to renew nine sponsorships even with the tough economic times. When asked about the No. 17 to be driven by Stenhouse, he commented that there was sponsorship available to run the entire season there.

The most spectacular end to the visit was when all the Ford Cup cars paraded around Uptown Charlotte in their new 2013 Fusion race cars. Biffle, Edwards, and Stenhouse from RFR, Ambrose and Almirola from RPM, Keselowski and Logano from Penske, Casey Mears from Germain Racing, and David Ragan and David Gilliland from Front Row Motorsports took a wild run through the streets of the Queen City with a police escort. During the run, the drivers had fun with the photographer’s F-150 truck just ahead of the cars, nearly touching the truck at times.

“It was a lot of fun,” said Keselowski. “I hope we didn’t get into trouble and we might have.” When told that he had scared the photographers, Keselowski said, “That’s what we intended to do.” The cars made the trip around two city blocks and came back to the plaza of the Hall of Fame for pictures with drivers and car owners, as well as Edsel Ford.

The final stop on the Tour was Joe Gibbs Racing where the driver lineup of Kyle Busch, Denny Hamlin, Matt Kenseth, and Brian Vickers were introduced. Elliott Sadler was testing and couldn’t attend. It was a light-hearted affair with Kenseth and Busch throwing jabs at each other. At one point, Kenseth told the crowd that Busch had told him not to be disappointed in their restrictor plate performance because it wasn’t too good. Kenseth was fast off the truck at Daytona. Later on Busch proclaimed his desire to be a Sprint Cup Champion, and hoped to challenge Hamlin in that race in 2013. Gibbs said, “What about that guy,” pointing at Kenseth. “He already has his,” Busch said.

Gibbs announced a multi-year extension with Busch.

“I’ve always wanted to be here,” Busch said. I love Joe Gibbs and J.D. and he work so well together, Busch said. “That’s not always the case with a father and son as I can tell you about my father and me.” When asked if he wanted to end his career at Gibbs, Busch said he would never say never, but for now, it’s a perfect fit for him.

It was also announced that Busch would once again be driving in 25 Nationwide Series races for JGR. He will drive the No.94 Toyota Camry along with Matt Kenseth.