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  • Ryan Newman Quietly Having Good Season in Owner’s Shadow

    Ryan Newman Quietly Having Good Season in Owner’s Shadow

    [media-credit id=24 align=”alignright” width=”226″][/media-credit]While the spotlight may be on Tony Stewart, his Stewart-Haas Racing teammate Ryan Newman is quietly having a good season so far as he sits 12th in points.

    “We didn’t have the car that we had at Daytona last year but at Phoenix, I put ourselves in a bad situation by crashing the primary car,” he says. “Then we got crashed going for fifth in the race with 50-some laps to go. I think our cars have been good. We’ve got the monkey off our back, so to speak, at Vegas with a lucky chance to get up there in fourth and with the No. 17 (Matt Kenseth) and the No. 5 (Kasey Kahne) having their situation.

    At the end of the 500 laps at Bristol Motor Speedway, Newman came home in the 12th position to match his spot in points.

    “I’m just really proud of the guys,” he says. “They’ve worked really hard. It’s obviously been a very hectic start to the season with some rain delays and west coast trips and things like that. But they’ve done an excellent job.”

    While teams are continuing to look for advantage, NASCAR has thoughts of closing that up by releasing the EFI data to race teams. Newman says that in the past, it’s been easy for NASCAR to keep it simple and old school.

    “The EFI opens up a lot of doors,” he says. “They’ve given us a couple of channels to be able to review when it comes to brake-pressure and throttle position. It’s nice to see those things to compare, but like you said; it does have a catch-22 side to it and that’s the fact that if it is a secret, then it’s no longer; and if it is an advantage, it may not be anymore.”

    Newman says that drivers can look at the data to see the differences, but putting it to practical use, it may not be as easy.

    “I can look at Tony Stewart’s curve and try to match it and I can’t do it with my race car or with the line I’m running or whatever,” he says. “It’s not so much as simple as that as it is as it is that it just gives us an idea of what to maybe change or try at different race tracks. And obviously, that’s going to change as we go into the second race after we can look at some data; it’s all new to us right now. So, it’s an interesting perspective on a change when it comes to technology.”

    As Newman heads to Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, California, it will be another chance to emerge from the boss’ shadow. It won’t be easy as Newman’s average finish at California is 14.4. However, Newman may choose to keep himself hidden as that way it gives him the chance to sneak up and pounce on the competition.

  • Excuses Aside, It’s Not the Economy

    Excuses Aside, It’s Not the Economy

    It started on I-64 shortly after leaving Beckley, West Virginia. The trip to Bristol Motor speedway is only 180 miles, the second closest track (to Martinsville) from my home in rural West Virginia. Stopping at a restaurant in Princeton was all talk about the race coming up in two days. It was Friday and many were traveling to the race. Cars with plates as far away at New York were there, and on a quick trip to the restroom, I got my first feedback.

    “This is my last trip to Bristol. I’ve given up my season tickets,” said John from Pennsylvania. “They ruined the track. Used to be the survival of the fittest and now it’s more like the half-miles we see all the time. I may go back to the night race after this year, but they can have the spring race.”

    From Scott from Ohio, I heard, “this whole coliseum thing and all the hype is just so sad. When they changed the track, it took away Bristol. Sure there were wrecks and cautions, but it was exciting and it’s not exciting today.” Scott is also giving up his tickets. He plans to go to Charlotte instead. “At least it’s easier to get in and out of that track.”

    Finally, I talked to my campground neighbors. One of them, Barry from Georgia, was distraught about how boring both races were. “I love racing,” he said. “The problem with this race is that it’s only 250 miles and used to be lots of action. In the Busch race, it was follow the leader and in the big race, it was the same. The drivers love it, but I don’t. I’m going back to Atlanta. I heard so much about this place and started coming in 2006. I can only afford a couple of these a year and this is not a good value.”

    And so it goes. The most discussed topic on NASCAR radio today was “Old Bristol” vs. “New Bristol.” The reason was the lack of fannies in the seats at both the Nationwide and Sprint Cup races. Last year, it was appalling, but this year was worse. No matter what the projections of attendance was, the place looked empty. I know there are 160,000 seats there, but it looked like only a few were there on Saturday and only a few more on Sunday. In fact, friends told me that they had their pick of seats both days. The concourses, once full of people, were sparse and traffic resembled a minor league baseball game. Why has Bristol fallen so far?

    Apparently, the track knew what was going to happen. Articles in local papers proclaimed that the economy was the culprit, according to those stories. Yes, the local economy, though bad, is no worse than anyplace else. According to those that know, many suites that corporate sponsors had taken for years were cancelled. Add to that the total dissatisfaction with product among the core fans and you get this reaction. The night race will always be fascinating, but the other races? Not so much. Locals stayed away, but many others did too.

    One of the basic principles of entertainment is you have to give the people what they want. You can’t run hundreds of commercials talking about how this is the toughest place to run and then watch two and three wide racing. You cannot let the NASCAR media people, many who depend on the sport for a living, to keep telling fans that this is racing as it was meant to me, and not a demolition derby like we had. Folks, the people paying the bills, liked it the way it was and no matter how much the people at Speedway Motorsports and the talking heads want to spin how wonderful Bristol was since 2009, the fans disagree and they are the ones who pay the bills. If they aren’t happy, nobody’s happy. Brad Keselowski’s proclamation that things change is a typical response from someone who hasn’t studied history. You might say if it isn’t broke don’t fix it. They fixed it and thousands of fans decided it wasn’t worth it. The track won’t change and the crowds will probably be the same as we saw this weekend. What could have been…

    So Bristol is over and we head to another track that no one cares about, seemingly even the people of Southern California. We’ll see three-wide racing and a lot of racing like we saw this weekend at Bristol. My heart aches. Once upon a time it was different. We had the bullrings and the speedways and for one moment, someone thought we had to make Bristol like the speedways. And it was a mistake. At least in these old eyes. But there is a silver lining to all of this. I wrote a column last year that said that Martinsville is the new Bristol. I stand by that. It’s a shame that we couldn’t have had two of those, but then again, it’s been the way things have been going for some time.

  • NATIONAL STOCK CAR RACING CHIEF APPELLATE OFFICER STATEMENT

    NATIONAL STOCK CAR RACING CHIEF APPELLATE OFFICER STATEMENT

    [media-credit id=24 align=”alignright” width=”196″][/media-credit]On March 20, 2012, the Chief Appellate Officer heard and considered the appeal of the penalties resulting from the #48 Hendrick Motorsports NASCAR Sprint Cup Series team. This stemmed from an opening day inspection for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series at Daytona International Speedway on February 17, 2012.

    The penalties concern Section 12-1 of the NASCAR Rule Book “Actions detrimental to stock car racing;” Section 12-4(J): “Any determination by NASCAR Officials that the Race Equipment used in the Event does not conform to NASCAR rules detailed in Section 20 of the NASCAR Rule Book, or has not been approved by NASCAR prior to the Event;” and Section 20-2.1(E): “If in the judgment of NASCAR Officials, any part or component of the car not previously approved by NASCAR that has been installed or modified to enhance aerodynamic performance, will not be permitted: Unapproved car body modifications.”

    The results of the appeal hearing were as follows:

    – Rescinding the loss of 25 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Championship Car Owner points (for Jeff Gordon).

    – Rescinding the loss of 25 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Championship Driver points (for Jimmie Johnson).

    – Rescinding the six (6) NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Championship Events suspension for the Crew Chief (Chad Knaus) and Car Chief (Ron Malec), however both will remain on NASCAR probation until May 9, 2012.

    – $100,000 fine remains in place for the Crew Chief (Chad Knaus).

    John Middlebrook – Chief Appellate Officer

  • The Final Word – Bristol was just nice, but we will settle for just nice from Fontana

    The Final Word – Bristol was just nice, but we will settle for just nice from Fontana

    [media-credit id=24 align=”alignright” width=”222″][/media-credit]Bristol is a place where bashing and banging is expected, yet while there was some of that going on, it proved to be just nice to watch last Sunday. Unfortunately, it was not exactly a hang on to your seat kind of affair. I guess having Brad Keselowski well out in front ahead of Matt Kenseth in the late stages had a lot to do with it. Keselowski claimed his second straight at the track, going back to last August, while Kenseth has a runner-up finish to go with his Daytona victory. Not great racing as far as the fans go, but nice.

    Nice is being able to run more than 5% of the race without being beat to a pulp. So, it was not so nice for Kasey Kahne, Marcos Ambrose, Kyle Busch, and Carl Edwards who all fell within the 32nd to 39th place spots when it was all over.

    Nice is not having your team mate brush by, taking out your rear tire with his exhaust pipes. So, it was not so nice for Jeff Gordon, who immediately saw his car back end into the wall to leave him crumpled in 35th. Dale Earnhardt Jr will have to make amends, and maybe work on his pit road speed while he is at it as a late miscue left him in 15th. Not great, but nice enough.

    Next stop is Fontana, where we have seen a few nice races. Too bad about all the brutally boring presentations we have witnessed there. For seven seasons the Cup boys visited the track in California twice in the campaign. That stopped last year. Nice. Kevin Harvick won there in 2011, but Kyle Busch has won five of the last six Nationwide contests on that track. Nice, but it would be even nicer if he could pull off that kind of dominance on the Cup side.

    As I write this, the penalties for Jimmie Johnson’s team remain intact, though he leaves Bristol with a Top Ten and just 24 points out of a Chase place. He is 18th in the standings, which is nice for now, with 22 races left to get to where he needs to be.

    History has shown us that with two races on the schedule, the attendance at Fontana plummets. Sometimes it gets too hot, sometimes too wet, and too often this race becomes an example of just a bunch of guys turning left. With the speeds generated there, it should be more exciting. Gil de Ferran set a lap record in CART at 241 mph, and an IndyCar race once averaged out at a world record 207 mph. Wouldn’t it be nice if we got that kind of excitement on Sunday? Hell, I would settle for just nice.

    This week, my niece Tess turns 15 and my dad celebrates his 79th birthday. May they, and you, have a nice and enjoyable week.

  • Brad Keselowski: Car is best car I’ve ever had in Cup

    Brad Keselowski: Car is best car I’ve ever had in Cup

    [media-credit name=”Brad Keppel” align=”alignright” width=”213″][/media-credit]On Saturday, Brad Keselowski tweeted “Cup car for 2morrow is best car i’ve ever had in cup.” Many questioned Keselowski’s attitude in approaching that, saying it was cocky, or could jinx him.

    “I’m always mindful of jinxing it,” he said after the Bristol race when asked. “I felt it was the best car we ever had.  I just say what I think is real.  If I think it’s the best car I ever had, I’ll tell them.  If I think I have a s*** box, I’ll tell (Crew Chief) Paul (Wolfe), You got to fix this.  Some people appreciate that and respect it.  Other people make a big deal and say, You’re being negative, you’re being cocky.  How about just being truthful?”

    In the end, Keselowski was being truthful as he led 232 laps on his way to winning his second race in a row at Bristol Motor Speedway.

    For Keselowski, it was a really good day at a track that he really likes.

    “I love Bristol and Bristol loves me,” he says. “It’s a great track that really demands a hundred percent out of a driver and out of a team.  Today my team certainly delivered.  You could probably argue whether or not I did (smiling).  But it was good. Great pit stops.  Had a little bit of damage early on in the race, got it fixed.  Nobody panicked.  It’s tough racing that requires so much discipline mixed in with some aggression obviously.”

    The win wasn’t easy for the Penske Racing team as they were involved in a wreck early on lap 24 that was triggered when Kasey Kahne cut across Regan Smith’s bumper.

    “I certainly ran into the back of the 78 car,” Keselowski comments. “Then as Kasey spun down the track, barely nudged him, as well. Just a bit of contact there, enough to certainly do some damage.”

    For the second win in a row, it was with a different car than the car used last season. Crew Chief Paul Wolfe says that’s a key as they don’t rest, always trying to build quicker racecars.

    “There was no way we could bring back the same racecar and setup we won with in the fall and expect the same result,” Wolfe says.

    Keselowski had also come back to Bristol with something to prove. After playing the pit road speeding lines to his advantage last year, critics were saying it was the only reason that he won.

    “I do enjoy the challenge, for sure,” he says of proving people wrong. “That’s what I like about racing in general. I tell this all the time. Racing’s the one thing – Paul (Wolfe) could probably get a pretty good laugh out of this – is the one thing that makes me get up in the morning.  That’s how I know it’s special.  Maybe not on his timeline, but I still get up earlier than noon.  I may get up at 9 a.m.  That’s because it’s special.  I love the challenge, I love the fight that you have to put up, the man versus machine or man with machine, against other machines and men.  It’s cool as hell to me.

    “When somebody challenges me, whether it’s fans, media, other drivers, I think that I have the desire beforehand, but it helps me focus in for sure.  Of course, it means nothing if you don’t have a great team that you’re surrounded by.  I feel very fortunate to have that as well.”

    A win at Bristol means a lot to Keselowski as he says this is a track that only champions seem to win at.

    “I think it speaks volumes for this track and what it means to your career,” he says. “There’s other places that perhaps have a little more prestige, and I said that last year as well, but this place defines a race team.”

    He adds that each aspect of the weekend really tests a team in how they are able to deal with the elements.

    “I think the teams that come out on top, whether it’s driver or whatever, I think they show that they’ve got what it takes to overcome adversity,” he continues. “To win championships, you have to be able to overcome adversity.  I think it’s very much a defining racetrack in that sense.”

    For Keselowski, he attests his experience from running the Nationwide Series as being an important contributor to being successful at the Sprint Cup level.

    “I was very fortunate, and I know I was very fortunate, when I got the ride to drive for Dale Earnhardt, Jr. in the Nationwide Series,” he says. “I spent two seasons in that series as a partial Cup competitor and full-time Nationwide competitor. During that time span, I was very fortunate to race with some of the best.  I don’t think we’ve seen a system that’s existed like that in decades past.”

    He says that racing against Sprint Cup competitors in the series allowed him to grow as a driver.

    “It obviously frustrates me a little bit when I take some heat, any Cup driver takes some heat from the press, media, fans, whatever, about running the Nationwide Series, because it’s really a character builder,” he continues. “If you can run well over there, you can come here and get the job done. That series helped me build a lot of character.  It helped me learn in a smaller spotlight.  I feel like when I got over here that the learning process was a lot quicker.  It just came down to getting with the right team that I gelled with and that believed in me.”

    Keselowski’s popularity has exploded this year virtue of what he has been able to do with social media. At Daytona International Speedway under the red flag, he tweeted a picture from inside the racecar. After he won at Bristol, he attempted to send a picture from victory lane, that showed up a little late.

    “It’s something I thought would be really cool to do, for sure,” he says. “Certainly in our generation, timeliness is of extreme importance. I’d like to see that process obviously get a little bit faster, and the right people are working on it to make it happen.”

    Moving forward beyond Bristol, Keselowski is looking success this season, hoping his team can deliver more strong cars this season.

    “I’ve said pre-season this year that the goal here at Penske Racing is to win a Sprint Cup championship,” he says. “That’s where we’re all pushing. One win certainly doesn’t achieve that, but it’s a great step. I know I’m committed to it.”

  • HOORAHS AND WAZZUPS: THE BRISTOL WEEKEND WAS ACTUALLY VERY POLITE, BUT VERY GOOD, RACING

    HOORAHS AND WAZZUPS: THE BRISTOL WEEKEND WAS ACTUALLY VERY POLITE, BUT VERY GOOD, RACING

    [media-credit id=24 align=”alignright” width=”206″][/media-credit]As a general rule, anytime you place 43 full sized stock cars on a half mile oval race track you have to be thinking about yellow caution flags and how many times you’re going to see them. When that half mile oval happens to be the Bristol Motor Speedway, then we’re really expecting to see some yellow flags.

    The potential circumstances being what they were, the NASCAR weekend at Bristol, featuring the Nationwide and Sprint Cup Series races, was actually very polite, but very good, racing. With that thought in mind, let’s begin with:

    HOORAH to Brad Keselowski for an outstanding winning performance during the Food City 500 at Bristol. The Penske Racing Dodge driver led a race high 232 laps on the way to his first win of the season, his fifth career Sprint Cup win, his second consecutive win at Bristol and the tenth Bristol win for team owner Roger Penske.

    Whether or not this next item is a HOORAH or a WAZZUP depends on how you feel about the current state of racing at Bristol Motor Speedway. It was deemed by many that both the Nationwide Series’ Ford EcoBoost 300 and the Sprint Cup’s Food City 500 featured both polite and very good racing. There was no display of the high speed demolition derby we used to see at this race track. The combined races ran a total of 800 laps and there were nine caution flags that consumed 79 laps of the two races. The race winner probably put it best when he said “Bristol racing ain’t what it used to be and that’s true: it’s better than it used to be.” You’re right, it’s easy to say that when you’re the one standing in victory lane holding the big trophy.

    HOORAH to the competitive variety we’ve seen so far in NASCAR Sprint Cup racing. The first four races have turned up four different winners from four different teams representing four different auto manufacturers. There has also been four different drivers setting fast time in qualifying. Now that’s a level playing field.

    HOORAH to Matt Kenseth for his hard charging second place finish after leading 45 laps of the race. He’s now third in the points standings and only 12 markers out of first.

    HOORAH to Michael Waltrip Racing for an outstanding day at Bristol. Drivers Martin Truex Jr, Cling Bowyer and Brian Vickers finished second through fourth in a strong effort that was overdue for these teams.

    Vickers especially deserves these accolades after leading 125 laps of the race. Vickers will be driving a total of six selected races for MWR in the #55 Toyota normally occupied by Mark Martin. After spending nearly all of the 2010 season recovering from a very serious illness, he returned in 2011 only to cope with his team, Red Bull Racing, shutting down. Sunday’s Bristol performance was a major audition for Vickers towards finding a quality ride for next year. He did a good job impressing us all by leading more laps during this race than he has over the last two years.

    HOORAH for Jimmie Johnson. Why does he deserve that for a ninth place finish in a race that he really wasn’t a factor in? It’s because of this team’s refusal to bow down to adversity. Between an early race crash at Daytona, combined with the loss of championship points from a high profile failed tech inspection, Johnson’s team left the first race of the season ranked 44th in the standings. Three consecutive top ten finishes later, the team has elevated themselves to 17th. This is how five time champions roll.

    WAZZUP with that lap 25 accident that wadded up seven race cars some, of which, were pre-race favorites? Kasey Kahne was told that he had Regan Smith cleared, heading into turn one, only to find out that wasn’t necessarily the case. The cars of Carl Edwards, Kyle Busch, Marcus Ambrose and Kevin Harvick also sustained moderate to major damage.

    WAZZUP with that level of aggressive driving so early in a 500 lap race?

    WAZZUP with a frustrated Kasey Kahne and the horrible racing luck he’s enduring so early in the season. There was high anticipation for the newest member of Hendrick Motorsports prior to the start of the season. So far expectations have not materialized. In the first four races of the season, Kahne has finishes of 29th, 34th, 19th and 37th and has now fallen to 32nd in the points. Following his latest round of bad luck, during the Bristol race, a clearly frustrated Kahne said “I guess I listen to my spotter too much.”

    HOORAH to Kevin Harvick’s Budweiser/Richard Childress Racing team for their pit road performance following this crash. Through a series of nine successive pit stops, during the yellow flag laps, this team made massive repairs to the front of their car and kept their driver on the lead lap. He finished 11th which elevated him to second in the points standings only nine markers from the leader. This is how future champions roll.

    WAZZUP with that contact between team mates Jeff Gordon and Dale Earnhardt Jr that sent Gordon’s car spinning backwards into the wall?

    WAZZUP with the masses, from television broadcasters to fans on race blogs, claiming it’s a deterioration of the relationship between team mates? Following some extremely light contact between the cars, the sheet metal side skirts on Earnhardt’s Chevrolet, that surrounds the exhaust pipes, cut Gordon’s tire. Perhaps the conspiracy theorists read too much into Gordon’s radio comments when he said “thanks you Junior, I appreciate it buddy. I was going to give it, (the track position), to them anyway.” Afterwards, a seemingly calm Gordon said “it wasn’t intentional, but it sure ruined out day.” Earnhardt immediately came over his car radio to forward his apologies for the crash even though he actually did nothing wrong and later said he really felt bad for Jeff. Let’s stop the conspiracy, these guys are just fine. They will not be treated to milk and cookies in Mr Hendrick’s office over this incident. It’s just a racing deal that unfortunately sometimes happens.

    However, Earnhardt wound up with a bigger problem later in this race.

    WAZZUP with a solid top ten finish being eradicated by, of all things, speeding on pit road? The penalty came late in the race, during a caution flag, and there really wasn’t enough laps left to recover from the damage. Earnhardt had to settle for a 15th place finish and dropped to sixth in the points standings.

    WAZZUP with driver Matt Kenseth arriving at the start/finish line ahead of the race leader following a double file restart? Normally that would have resulted in a drive through penalty because the rules clearly states that the race leader has to cross the line first before another driver can make a move to advance his position.

    HOORAH to NASCAR officials for making quick work of resolving this issue. They checked the video and determined that race leader, Brad Keselowski, failed to hit his throttle fast enough, in the official designated restart zone, and it wasn’t Kenseth’s fault that he arrive at the line first.

    **************

    HOORAH to Elliot Sadler for winning the Ford EcoBoost 300 NASCAR Nationwide Series race at Bristol. He’s now won two of the four races so far this season. Sadler has established a very interesting pattern in the Nationwide Series so far. In four races he has finished third, first, third and first. According to the pattern, look for him to finish third next Saturday in Fontana-California.

    HOORAH to winning crew chief Luke Lambert for making that gutsy call that kept his driver on the track during a final round of available pit stops during a caution flag. The track position gained from this decision turned out to be the race winning move.

    HOORAH to Sadler for showing us that he’s very good at multi-tasking. After the race he removed his helmet and neck device while in the midst of doing a victory burn out.

    HOORAH to Sadler’s parents who visited their son in victory lane for the first time ever. The sight of Mom Sadler hugging her son and screaming “that’s my baby !” was just precious.

    WAZZUP with an unusual pit road miscue that made life difficult for driver Kasey Kahne? Doing double duty in the Nationwide Series for Turner Motorsports, Kahne came over his radio late in the race and said “the car is terrible and getting worse.” It was a mystery to his crew who had made adjustments on the car during two previous pit stops. Crew chief Mike Shiplett wisely checked the pit road video tapes and discovered that, during one of the stops, the adjustment wrench had been turned in the wrong direction.

    HOORAH for crew chief Mike Shiplett for also making the gutsy call to keep his driver on the track during the final yellow flag of the race. That decision led to a second place finish in the final results. That’s what we call making chicken salad out of chicken do do.

    HOORAH to the current Nationwide Series box score: series regulars four, Cup visitors zero. All of a sudden the Cup visitors, with their high dollar teams, seem to be taking a back seat to the talents of the series regulars. The last time Nationwide Series regulars won the first four races of the season was back in 1995.

    WAZZUP with that crew member being hit on pit road? The tightly packed action on Bristol’s narrow pit road can often get as intense as the racing on the track. During the early stages of the Nationwide Series’ race, the teams were on pit road following a yellow caution flag. Driver Sam Hornish Jr exited his pit stall and accidentally struck the rear tire changer, from the #08 Randy Hill Racing entry, who was completing pit service directly in front of the Hornish Dodge. The crew member did a forward flip and bounced off of the front fender of the oncoming Dodge. Despite a hard landing on the Bristol pit road, the crew member was not hurt but there was a large dent in the fender of the Hornish car.

    First off, apologies to this man for not being to locate his name and, believe me, I tried. That’s because he deserves a HOORAH for his pit road performance. Following the forward somersault and the crash landing, he jumped to his feet, ran to the right side of his race car and completed the pit road service. You just can’t say enough about the dedication of these over the wall guys.

    ************

    In some final thoughts: WAZZUP with Robby Gordon Motorsports having to withdraw their entry from the Bristol Cup race? The RGM Dodge suffered a “massive” electrical failure and the team simply couldn’t get the engine to start. The car never made it onto the track for even one lap of practice. This is just another example of the racing luck this team has endured so far in 2012. It’s really amazing when you consider how successful RGM has been in its off road racing endeavors.

    With the NASCAR weekend at Bristol also landing on St Patrick’s Day Saturday you had to expect there would be a lot of “luck of the Irish” references. Danica Patrick’s Nationwide Series ride was even adorned with shamrocks on her bright green Go Daddy Chevrolet. But WAZZUP with any fan who truly believes that St Patrick’s Day has anything to do with Danica? You fans on the racing blogs and “Twitter” really crack me up sometimes.

    Speaking of racing blogs, the final HOORAH of the week goes to “Gerald” for a March 14th comment posted on “Race Central’s Whine Cellar,” an extremely popular racing forum headquartered in San Bernardino-California. His comment said: “coming to a show room near you…..the 2013 Chevrolet Cheater. (It comes) with the Knaus Package, a set of extra C posts, special “Infineon” fenders and an adjustable rear window. (it) even has the enhanced three year warranty with unlimited appeals.”

    Now that’s a case of LMAO.

  • Surprising and Not Surprising: Bristol Food City 500

    Surprising and Not Surprising: Bristol Food City 500

    [media-credit name=”Credit: John Harrelson/Getty Images for NASCAR” align=”alignright” width=”252″][/media-credit]After the morning downpour stopped and the track quickly dried, the green flag flew at Bristol Motor Speedway. Here is what was surprising and not surprising in the 52nd running of the Food City 500.

    Surprising:  With Brian Vickers ride-less as of last season, it was most surprising to see the ‘Sheriff’ back in town, leading 125 laps and finishing fifth in his first race back in the 2012 season.

    Vickers was back, this year behind the wheel of the No. 55 Aaron’s Dream Machine Toyota for Michael Waltrip Racing. Vickers will share the No. 55 ride for a select number of races with veteran Mark Martin for the remainder of the season.

    “It felt really good when we were out there leading,” Vickers said. “It would have been awesome to hold onto that, but it’s the first time back so I can’t complain.”

    “When it’s your only one, you have to make it count,” Vickers continued. “What an exciting day.”

    Not Surprising:  It was not surprising to see the Blue Deuce, with 28 year old Brad Keselowski behind the wheel, again “close the deal” at Bristol Motor Speedway. This was team owner Roger Penske’s tenth win with the Blue Deuce at BMS.

    This was also Keselowski’s first win of the 2012 season and his fifth victory in 93 Cup Series races. He led a race and career high 232 laps.

    “I’m thrilled to death to be in Victory Lane,” Keselowski said. “I knew this Blue Deuce was fast enough to win.”

    “This car here, a brand new car that Penske built, everybody back in the shop did a phenomenal job,” Keselowski continued. “I knew we had a shot at winning and we closed the deal.”

    Surprising:  It was surprising to see so many good cars collected in a wreck so early in the race, in fact on lap 24. That early melee involved Kasey Kahne, Kevin Harvick, Marcos Ambrose, Carl Edwards and Kyle Busch on the front stretch going into Turn One.

    The driver of the No. 5 Farmer’s Insurance Chevrolet, Kasey Kahne, was the most upset by the incident.

    “My Famer’s Insurance Chevrolet was the fastest car here,” Kahne said. “It’s disappointing to have that good of a car and be out that early. I had an awesome and I have nothing to show for it.”

    While Kyle Busch, the driver of the No. 18 Doublemint Toyota, shared Kahne’s frustration, pounding his fist on the car in the garage, his crew chief Dave Rogers was a bit more philosophical.

    “It’s short track racing,” Rogers said simply. “I think the No. 5 (Kasey Kahne) got messing with the No. 78 (Regan Smith). Or maybe the No. 78 got messing with the No. 5.”

    “However you want to look at it, we got caught up in it,” Rogers continued. “It was just racing.”

    Carl Edwards, driver of the No. 99 Kellogg’s Ford Fusion, was also surprisingly philosophical about the early wreck, taking full advantage of the situation to also put in a plug for his sponsor.

    “I was feeling good this morning and had my Frosted Flakes,” Edwards said. “We all saw it and were on the brakes but Kasey’s (Kahne) car came up across the race track and ruined our day.”

    “I can’t tell you how disappointed I am.”

    Not Surprising:  No one is ever surprised when the calm, mild-mannered Matt Kenseth, driver of the No. 17 Ford, has a good run at Bristol. So, not surprisingly, Kenseth, with his methodical approach, scored a runner up finish in the Food City 500.

    This was Kenseth’s 17th top-10 finish in 25 races at Bristol Motor Speedway. It was his second top-10 finish in 2012, putting him third in the point standings.

    “Overall, I was pretty happy with my car,” Kenseth said. “The last 15 laps of the run, we were better than Brad (Keselowski) was.”

    “Then we started that last run and got out in the lead and got air in the nose, plus we picked up something, and I just got too loose,” Kenseth continued. “I knew that I wasn’t going to have enough traction to hold him off.”

    Surprising:  In addition to Brian Vickers having a triumphant return, it was surprising how well the rest of the Michael Waltrip Racing team fared at Bristol. In fact, all three MWR drivers, Martin Truex, Jr., Clint Bowyer and Brian Vickers, scored top-five finishes, the first time the team has ever placed so well overall.

    “I’m so proud of the team,” Martin Truex, Jr., driver of the No. 56 NAPA Auto Parts Toyota, said. “We were all up front all day long and this just says a lot about everything that everybody at MWR has done over the off season.”

    “Heck of a day for MWR.”

    Not Surprising:   While it seemed that A.J. Allmendinger was just about to find his groove, starting on the outside pole in his No. 22 Pennzoil Dodge, and leading laps early in the race, it was not surprising that his luck ran out yet again.

    The ‘Dinger and his team struggled to keep up with the ever-changing Bristol track, finally finishing the race in the 17th position.

    “The car was very good early,” Allmendinger said. “But then it got real loose.”

    “We lost track position,” Allmendinger continued. “We never got it tightened up for the rest of the race. Not the finish we wanted to have after starting out so strong.”

    Surprising:  While the young season has borne witness to teammates tangling on the track, it was surprising to see Hendrick Motrosports teammates Jeff Gordon and Dale Earnhardt, Jr. get into it in Bristol.

    After a fierce back and forth battle for position, the driver of the No. 88 National Guard/Diet Mountain Dew Chevrolet nicked the left rear tire of the No. 24 Drive to End Hunger Chevrolet with his tail pipe.

    Gordon tire went down and he went for a spin, ending up in the wall. After spending time in the garage for repairs, Gordon finished a miserable 35th, relegating him to 23rd in the point standings.

    “Just hard racing here at Bristol,” Gordon said. “Junior got underneath me and when he got into me, it looked like the tail pipe just caught the left rear tire and cut it down.”

    “I knew it immediately and I tried to keep it off the wall but there was no chance,” Gordon continued. “Hate it for this team.”

    Earnhardt, Jr., on the other hand, salvaged a 15th place finish, even with a pit road speeding penalty toward the race end. Junior dropped two spots in the point standings, currently sitting in sixth.

    “I’m sorry about that,” Junior said after the incident. “Well, at least they won’t have to talk about me and Mark Martin anymore.”

    Not Surprising:  After the craziness of the start of the 2012 season, including the infamous Daytona jet dryer experience for one of the Earnhardt Ganassi Racing pilots Juan Pablo Montoya, it was not surprising to see both EGR teammates finally pull off good finishes.

    Jamie McMurray, driving the No. 1 EGR McDonald’s Chevrolet, scored a seventh place finish, while teammate Juan Pablo Montoya, behind the wheel of the No. 42 Target Chevrolet, came in eighth.

    Both Earnhardt Ganassi Racing drivers had their best runs of the 2012 season to date.

     

  • Kenseth and Keselowski Both say No Harm, No Foul on Restarts

    Kenseth and Keselowski Both say No Harm, No Foul on Restarts

    [media-credit name=”Credit: Justin Edmonds/Getty Images for NASCAR” align=”alignright” width=”247″][/media-credit]To leave the Bristol Motor Speedway without some form of controversy is unheard of.

    The Tennessee short track advertising controversy, with beating and banging making the half-mile what it is. Feelings get hurt here and some of the sports most memorable moments happen on the BMS high banks.

    The last two Bristol races however, have brought forth controversy of a different kind. Last August it was the scoring lines on pit road that some drivers cried foul over, saying the lines were too far apart and it allowed drivers such as Brad Keselowski and Matt Kenseth to speed past.

    Keselowski, who went on to win that race, took exception, saying that wasn’t the reason he had won. This time around Keselowski won in spite of the controversy that was on everyone’s mind: restarts.

    Keselowski and Matt Kenseth raced each other hard and clean the last half of the Food City 500, trading the lead back and forth. On a late restart though a video review showed Kenseth, running second, had beaten Keselowski to the start-finish line.

    By rule, the second place driver is not to beat the leader on the restart. Many watching went into an uproar and called for Kenseth to be black-flagged. NASCAR stayed silent and let them race, something that both drivers were thankful for afterwards.

    “I knew it was close,” said Kenseth. “But here is the thing. When you get to the second line, they say the race is on. I know we took off a little bit early. Quarter throttle, I’m waiting for him [Keselowski]. NASCAR actually has the data, you can look at it, kind of cool.”

    Kenseth was referring to the restart lines posted on the wall. It provides drivers with a visual of where they can start accelerating. When Keselowski didn’t get up to speed fast enough in the restart zone it was fair game for Kenseth to beat him to the start-finish line, which he did and ended up taking the lead.

    “I didn’t floor it till I got to the start-finish line,” said Kenseth. “I don’t know if he was trying to let me beat him on purpose. I was half throttle for five car lengths. I was finally, I got to go or Martin [Truex] or whoever was behind me was going to go around me.

    “It was way past that line and we still weren’t wide open. I think he was just playing a little game, trying to get me out there so I had to brake check. I just watched him and tried to get to the line barely behind him.”

    Compared to how badly some drivers have beaten the leader to the line in the past, Kenseth nudging past Keselowski by a few inches wasn’t so bad. Of course, a rule is a rule as they say and many wanted to see it enforced.

    Keselowski though, wasn’t among them. He, like Kenseth, didn’t see anything wrong with what had happened, knowing that the restart was very close. According to Keselowski, the driver who restarts second, if he does it right, can have an advantage.

    “It’s such a ball strike call, I don’t know,” he said. “I hate to be on NASCAR’s side that he beat you to the start-finish line. I can tell you there’s two yellow lines on the wall. Visually you can’t tell if somebody goes 50 foot before ‘em or right at ‘em. It’s damn near impossible to visually tell that.

    “Even if you had telemetry, it’s hard to tell it. It’s very subjective. I think when things are as subjective as that is, a ‘no’ call is a right call.”

    With no penalties applied Keselowski went on to win his first race of the year, fifth career and second straight at Bristol. Kenseth finished second, his second top 10 of the season.

    And just as they did last fall, they both will leave others to debate the day’s events as they move on and prepare for the upcoming week. According to the two of them, what happened Sunday was a non-issue.

    “I know I’ve seen moves on restarts, without picking any one particular guy, where guys have jumped it by a mile, I mean a hundred some foot,” said Keselowski. “You watch it on TV. I know what I saw in the car. I go back and watch it on TV and it doesn’t look it.

    “I can’t imagine that the perspective of an official up in the pit box or press box, wherever they’re at, or even TV, from what I can tell, can pick that stuff out. I think there has to be some leniency. If a guy beats you by a full car length to the start-finish line, something is going on.

    “I don’t think we’re seeing that. I think if you’re close, NASCAR has been cool enough about it to let it go, and I respect that.”

  • Food City 500 Review: Rough Starts And Hot Streaks

    Food City 500 Review: Rough Starts And Hot Streaks

    At Bristol Motor Speedway last August, Brad Keselowski earned his most laps led in a single race, with 83 laps. He almost tripled that number at BMS Sunday, leading 232 laps. Keselowski tweeted this weekend that this was the best race car he has ever had, and he proved that Sunday at Bristol.

    He started the race in fifth position and was a top contender all day long. On Lap 23, Keselowski narrowly escaped a multi-car pile up and his day only got better from that point on. Keselowski took the lead for the first time on Lap 217, passing Brian Vickers for the position. Daytona 500 winner Matt Kenseth, who he battled for the lead with for most of the race, took the lead from him on on the restart at Lap 347.

    Although there was skepticism on whether Kenseth jumped the restart, NASCAR said that Kenseth legally beat Keselowski to the line. On Lap 400, Keselowski stole the lead back from Kenseth and held on to it for the next 100 laps to win the Food City 500. Keselowski gained eight positions in points standings, rising to 13th position.

    Kasey Kahne Off To a Rough Start

    Kasey Kahne started the race in 10th position and had high hopes for the race at Bristol. Unfortunately, those high hopes were lost on the first caution of the day on Lap 23. Kahne was coming out of the turn and thought he was clear of Regan Smith who was on the outside. Kahne however, was not clear and clipped the front end of Smith’s car, sending himself and others into the wall.

    [media-credit name=”By Chris Trotman, Getty Images” align=”alignright” width=”272″][/media-credit]”There is no reason to force the issue at all,” Kahne said. “I’m under Regan Smith, as slow as he was — I knew when my spotter cleared me — I’d be clear on exit (of the corner). (Smith) was there on exit. I listened too much to my spotter, I guess.”

    The wreck collected Kahne, as well as Kyle Busch, Carl Edwards, and Marcos Ambrose.  They were all forced to take their cars to the garage for repairs. In the first four races of the season Kahne has finished 29th, 34th, 19th, and 37th position at Bristol. Kahne is now 32nd in point’s standings, 100 points behind the leader.

    Matt Kenseth Continues Hot Streak

    Matt Kenseth started the Food City 500 in 21st position and was in the Top 10 by lap 115. At the halfway mark in the race, Kenseth had put himself in the third position and was having a three-wide battle for the lead with Keselowski and Jeff Gordon. On the restart on Lap 347, Kenseth passed Keselowski and put his Best Buy Ford in the lead position. About 40 laps later, Keselowski took the lead back from Kenseth, leaving Kenseth to finish the race in second position.

    Kenseth gained two positions in point’s standings, moving to third position, just 12 points behind leader and teammate Greg Biffle.

    Brian Vickers Proves He Belongs

    Brian Vickers drove the No. 55 car at Bristol on a six-race basis for Michael Waltrip Racing, in an effort to gain a full-time ride in the Cup Series. After qualifying in 25th position, Vickers stayed on the track during the first caution on Lap 23 to put himself in fourth position on the restart. On Lap 96, Vickers took the lead of the race from AJ Allmendinger, who also stayed out on the track during the restart on Lap 23. Vickers led a total of 125 laps during the race and came home with a fifth place finish.

    In Vickers’ 14 previous starts at BMS he has led a total of one lap and has never finished better than 12th. In the 2011 season alone, Vickers led a total of 135 laps. As for the rest of Michael Watrip Racing, Martin Truex Jr finished in third position and Clint Bowyer finished in fourth. In all of Michael Waltrip Racing’s starts, they have never put all three cars in the top five in a single race.

    Next week we head to the 2-mile D-shaped oval of Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, California. Last season, Kevin Harvick took the victory at this track. However, home-town boy Jimmie Johnson has won five races at this track and would love to win there to make up his point’s deficit, where he currently sits in 17th position. Tune into FOX next Sunday to see who takes the victory in the fifth race of the season.

  • Martin Truex Jr. and MWR Continuing to prove Hard Work Prevails

    Martin Truex Jr. and MWR Continuing to prove Hard Work Prevails

    [media-credit name=”Credit: Justin Edmonds/Getty Images for NASCAR” align=”alignright” width=”225″][/media-credit]It wouldn’t surprise anyone if Michael Waltrip Racing said over the last year they’ve changed everything but the kitchen sink in their organization. After all, the company has struggled so bad at times, a do over looked needed.

    Sunday in Bristol driver Martin Truex Jr. led the charge of the three MWR drivers, as they continue reward the company for their efforts.

    On a mission was the No. 56 NAPA team, looking for more of the success they had at the short track last fall when they finished second to Brad Keselowski. Starting the Food City 500 from the 15th position they quickly found a comfortable spot in the top 10 and went to work keeping the car in one piece and being around at the finish.

    The New Jersey native did just that, battling in the top five with teammate Clint Bowyer and Brian Vickers along the way before eventually finishing in the third position.

    “It was a good day for obviously the whole company,” said the Michael Waltrip Racing driver afterwards. “Really good weekend for all of us. We’ve had good speed in our cars all weekend. I was a little bit worried coming into the race today. We weren’t exactly where we wanted to be at the end of Happy Hour.

    “Chad [Johnston, crew chief] made some changes last night. We weren’t perfect throughout the day but we worked it really hard. In the middle part of the race we were off a little bit, pretty loose. Of course, at the end staying out really paid off for us. We picked up I think five spots.

    “Overall just a good day for the NAPA Toyota. We were second here in the fall. Hoped to have a shot at winning today. We just fought track position too much. I felt at times we were as fast as anyone. Overall a great day, great call by Chad to stay out at the end, and good job by the team and the pit crew.”

    It was a solid finish for a driver who has become known for starting strong but sputtering at the finish. Truex has led and been in contention for wins the last few seasons, only to have them slip away.

    On Sunday his team was right there from start to finish, providing MWR with plenty to be happy about. Bowyer finished fourth in a trouble free race, Vickers led 125 laps and finished fifth. And  according to Bowyer the company as a whole has been getting better ever since Truex started finding consistency near the end of 2011.

    But like many around the garage MWR wasn’t immune to making changes. From hiring new drivers, crew chiefs and changing personnel, Scott Miller left Richard Childress Racing in September to be the new executive vice president of competition.

    Johnston joined the 56 team midway through 2011 as well, and Truex said it took him time to build his own confidence and to learn what Truex liked and didn’t liked in the cars.

    Then came the hiring of Mark Martin to drive a limited schedule in the No. 55. That move was a boost to not only that team, but the company as a whole said Truex. It gave them more confidence and a swagger to have a driver of Martin’s stature say that he liked what he saw.

    “He went to Phoenix and Daytona and Vegas, all three places he was very happy and very complimentary of the team and the direction they were heading,” said Truex of Martin.

    “I think that gives the team a lot of confidence, that’s something he definitely brought. Just his experience … he can get in anything and go fast. When he says you got good racecars, he gives your team good direction, good direction to head in when they’re not great. He’s definitely brought a lot to the team.”

    Whether it’s Martin’s influence or the changes made to the 56 team, perhaps both, it has Truex leading the MWR charge. He sits fourth in points heading into California next weekend and he’s looking better than ever to snap his winless streak.

    It’s a long way from last year when it seemed the team couldn’t do anything right. The luck wasn’t there, the speed wasn’t enough and anything that Truex could get caught up in, he did.

    Now the correct pieces have been put in place with new parts and equipment finally heading to the racetrack and making a difference.

    “We started building some new cars, TRD [Toyota Racing Development] was giving us a lot of input,” Truex said of all the changes. “Toyota had a lot of influence on the direction we headed. Really kind of started from scratch almost.

    “There was a while there last year where we were building new stuff. It felt like we were going to the racetrack without using any of our new stuff because it wasn’t ready yet. It kind of took a while to get everything put in place to make sure that it was going to be good. Once we started bringing new cars out, Scott coming onboard, it’s just been a constant evolution throughout the middle of last year and towards the end of the year we started having good runs, having consistently.”

    The work hasn’t stopped for MWR and as the season goes on, it probably won’t. Truex and Bowyer could put MWR in the Chase for the Sprint Cup for the first time and all the MWR drivers want to be the first to put the company back in victory lane since July of 2010.

    “We just got a good organization right now, a good bunch of people,” said Truex. “We got three cars that seem to go to the racetrack and run really well each week. We’re able to feed off each other. We really showed that today, all running up front at different parts of the day. All season our cars have been strong.

    “Across the board it’s been a lot of hard work and dedication by the team. In the end, all the people doing the jobs the best they can do and things have been working out for us.”