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  • Ricky Stenhouse, Jr. and Timmy Hill Both Pursue Nationwide Dreams

    Ricky Stenhouse, Jr., driver of the No. 6 Blackwell Angus/Cargill Ford Mustang for Roush Fenway Racing, and Timmy Hill, behind the wheel of No. 15 Poynt.com Ford Mustang for Rick Ware Racing, have more than just driving for the same manufacturer in common.

    [media-credit id=62 align=”alignright” width=”237″][/media-credit]Both young, up and coming drivers are pursuing their NASCAR dreams, one for a Nationwide championship and the other for the youngest ever Nationwide Rookie of the Year title.

    Stenhouse Jr., who won the Nationwide ROTY honors last year, is 23 years old while Hill is just 18 years of age, with his highest achievement being the Allison Legacy Series Championship.

    For Stenhouse, the achievement of the NASCAR Nationwide championship would be a dream come true.

    “It would mean a lot,” Stenhouse said. “It would definitely be my biggest accomplishment ever in my racing career.”

    “After the way last year went, struggling so bad the first part of the year and turning it around at the end of the year, it really makes you appreciate where we are right now as a race team,” Stenhouse continued.

    “We came into the year thinking that we were gonna be able to run for it and now that we’ve got six races left and have a shot at it, it’s exactly where we need to be.”

    Similarly for Hill, the Nationwide Rookie of the Year title would be just as good as the championship would be to Stenhouse, Jr. And if he won those coveted rookie honors, Hill would make history as the youngest ROTY at the tender age of 18 years.

    “It would be awesome for me to be the youngest one to do it,” Hill said. “We just hoped at this time in the year to have a shot at the Rookie of the Year and everything has worked out.”

    “We’re leading now by just two points.”

    For both drivers, achieving their respective dreams will be tough, especially with the level of competition. Stenhouse, Jr. is battling veteran Elliott Sadler, driver of the No. 2 OneMain Financial Chevrolet, for the Nationwide title, while Hill is battling Blake Koch, driver of the No. 81 DayStar.com Dodge, for the ROTY honors.

    “I think you have to be on your game,” Stenhouse, Jr. said. “You have to go out and try to win because Elliott Sadler is not gonna finish outside of the top 10.”

    “So, you’ve got to do something better to beat him in this championship.”

    “It’s close,” Hill echoed. “Blake has been right there and we’ve been right beside each other almost every race.”

    “It’s a real tight battle, but hopefully we can hang on to it,” Hill continued. “We hope to finish that deal out.”

    Both dream chasing drivers share a very similar background, having started in go-kart racing, as well as continuing through the ARCA ReMax Racing Series. Hill, in particular, has racing in his blood from watching his father, Jerry Hill, race in the Truck Series for many years.

    “My dad ran Truck Series and the Busch Series back then, Nationwide Series now,” Hill said. “He ran a full season of Trucks in 2003 and that was his last season.”

    “I kept bugging him when I was a kid that I wanted to race,” Hill continued. “Finally he said OK and he put me in a go kart and let me try it out.”

    “The first race, I loved it and I was instantly hooked.”

    One interesting thing that the two drivers on their dream quests share, however, is actually a person. Both have ties to Cup Chase contender Carl Edwards.

    For Stenhouse, Jr. his tie to Carl is that of teammates both seeking a championship. As Stenhouse chases the Nationwide championship, he is also cognizant of getting Edwards, in the No. 60 Fastenal Ford, the owner championship for Jack Roush.

    “Jamie Allison from Ford came in this week and we’ve got a lot of things going,” Stenhouse, Jr. said. “We’re obviously going for the driver’s championship.”

    “We’ve got to get Carl the owner’s championship and then we’ve got to get Ford the manufacturer’s championship,” Stenhouse continued. “Ford is putting a lot of effort into it and we’ve got a lot of things to accomplish this year and I think we can do it as a race team.”

    For Hill, Carl Edwards is not teammate but hero.

    “A guy I like to pattern myself after is Carl Edwards,” Hill said. “He handles himself real well and I like the way he treats his fans.”

    “Almost everything he does I like to pattern myself after.”

    The two young up and comers also share one unfortunate aspect to their careers. They both are uncertain of what their future holds.

    “Right now, my biggest focus is this Nationwide championship,” Stenhouse, Jr. said. “I think I’ve always said after running a couple of years in Nationwide I would like to run maybe a partial schedule or something just to kind of get my feet wet.”

    “But I don’t want to jump into things too quick.”

    “I may go to college next year,” Hill said, who just graduated high school. “I just want to focus on racing. I just want to keep my focus right now on the Rookie of the Year battle.”

    So, for now, both Stenhouse, Jr. and Hill realize that the road to achieving their dreams runs straight through the Monster Mile at Dover this weekend. Not unexpectedly, both drivers are confident that they will conquer the concrete track.

    “For us, every time I’ve come to Dover, we’ve had a better finish,” Stenhouse, Jr. said. “We finished fourth the last race here and had a really fast Mustang.”

    “I think, obviously, we’ll have a good race here.”

    “This is my second time here since the spring race,” Hill said. “So, we’ve got the experience and we’ve got the feel.”

    “The banking and the way it drops off makes it a monster,” Hill continued. “It’s a wild ride.”

     

  • Mark Martin Ever Humble, Always Blessed

    Mark Martin, currently behind the wheel of the No. 5 GoDaddy.com Chevrolet for Hendrick Motorsports, has had one of the most storied careers in NASCAR, including 40 wins, 266 top-fives, 437 top-tens, and 50 poles to date.

    [media-credit id=62 align=”alignright” width=”241″][/media-credit]And yet, the driver whose career has spanned almost thirty years racing a stock car at the Cup level, remains ever humble, as well as considering himself very blessed.

    Martin, as one would expect, humbly credits one person, team owner Jack Roush, as being the most influential person throughout his racing career.

    “I spent nineteen years with him,” Martin said of his mentor and team owner Roush. “He was someone that was wiser and more experienced in many ways than I was.”

    “He was more experienced in life,” Martin continued. “So, that one is easy to answer.”

    In fact, Martin’s most memorable car, one that he hopes may one day accompany him to the Hall of Fame, is that No. 6 car that he drove for his mentor Jack Roush.

    “The No. 6 car is most representative of my career,” Martin said. “That and my time with Jack Roush.”

    “That’s the core and foundation of my career.”

    In addition to Jack Roush, Martin credits having chemistry with his various teams over the years as another key to his success. And according to Martin, it all starts with the relationship between driver and crew chief.

    “I believe in team chemistry,” Martin said emphatically. “It’s sort of intangible. But it does help spawn better results.”

    “It’s the whole team but it really starts with the crew chief,” Martin said. “It’s like a number of other things in life, like a relationship or a marriage or anything else.”

    “There are good ones and there are bad ones and there’s all in between,” Martin continued. “You have to work hard on it but the very best ones require no effort.”

    As effortless as it might seem, Martin said that team chemistry cannot be forced, an experience that he has had several times throughout his career.

    “It’s not something that you can force to happen,” Martin said. “It just does.”

    “It happens or it doesn’t or it falls somewhere in between,” Martin continued. “I’ve had a lot of that.”

    “I’ve been very fortunate to have been in very few poor situations, “Martin said. “I’ve been in a lot of great situations and I’ve been really, really blessed.”

    Although Martin has been credited as a mentor to many throughout his racing tenure, he humbly declines to discuss even one of those that he has helped in their career development.

    “I haven’t had the kind of influence on young people that people give me credit for,” Martin said humbly. “I certainly don’t take credit for that.”

    While Martin has seen competitors come and go throughout his years on the track, he acknowledged only one change in competition as the most significant in the sport.

    “The number of competitive cars and the discrepancy between the slow and the fast cars is the most competitive change I have seen,” Martin said. “This has changed the face of NASCAR racing forever.”

    Is the veteran driver bothered by all the talk of late of fuel mileage and its place in the competition of the sport? For Martin, the fuel mileage discussion is all about ‘been there, done that.’

    “It’s not new by any means,” Martin said. “I feel like I’ve lost probably forty races to fuel mileage in my career. So, certainly, it’s not new.”

    “We might have went through a spell where we had less of it then we used to and now we’re having more than we used to,” Martin continued. “Some of that is just coincidence.”

    “I don’t think it’s bad for the sport because you don’t know who is going to win until the leader comes off Turn Four,” Martin said. “Isn’t that the whole appeal of racing?”

    “I wouldn’t want to see it ever leave because I think it brings drama to our sport.”

    Martin himself is no stranger to the drama that stock car racing often entails. While he has experienced his share of the low points, he also has had many memorable moments.

    “Winning Phoenix in the No. 5 car was my most memorable moment,” Martin said. “It was pretty incredible.”

    Martin, 50 years old at the time, started the 2009 Phoenix Subway Fresh Fit 500 from the pole and never looked back. With that win, Martin became the fourth driver to win a Cup race after turning 50, joining the ranks of Bobby Allison, Morgan Shepherd and Harry Gant.

    That victory snapped a 97-race winless streak that went all the way back to 2005. After the win, Martin paid tribute to one of his dear friends Alan Kulwicki by doing the ‘Polish Victory Lap’.

    “I don’t have words to describe it because I never thought I’d win again,” Martin said humbly. “And I think most of the competitors thought so too. They all seemed to receive it really well.”

    “It was a big win,” Martin continued. “I didn’t know if I’d ever get to experience that feeling again.”

    One of the feelings that Martin experiences over and over again is the adoration of his large fan base. And without a doubt, his most memorable moments with his fan posse are the interactions he has with them during his annual fan appreciation event in Batesville, Arkansas.

    “I’ve been incredibly blessed with support and a lot of fans with a lot of love,” Martin said.

    “My favorite part of my fan event is the Q&A,” Martin continued. “That’s the part when you get the one and one and the personalities come out. The people get to ask what they really want to know.”

    “And they get answers from somebody in a peaceful setting so there is no pressure, time pressures or limitations.”

    That peaceful setting is another one of the goals that Martin has been continually seeking, both on and off the track. He also has been practicing the art of trying more diligently to balance his career with his home and family life.

    “I’ve got some experience at it,” Martin said of his work/life balancing act. “Through the middle stages of my NASCAR career, I didn’t manage it as well as I needed to.”

    “I worked really, really hard and gave everything that I had and the problem I had was that I brought home my frustrations, disappointments and pressures,” Martin continued. “That affected the vibe around me.”

    “And I hated that,” Martin said. “I thought it was just because I was extremely intense.”

    “But I’m still extremely intense and I do a better job of isolating my personal life.”

    Of all of the many experiences throughout his career, the ever humble Martin struggles to single out one that he would like to do over.

    “I don’t do those things,” Martin said. “I’m not into it. It’s not me.”

    “There are too many great experiences in life to say one tops it all.”

     

  • Matty’s Picks Vol. 20 – Dover – AAA 400 – October 2, 2011

    Matty’s Picks Vol. 20 – Dover – AAA 400 – October 2, 2011

    The Monster-Mile! Dover International Speedway is one of my favorite tracks on the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series schedule, so yes I will watch the race this Sunday for the first time in three weeks.

    [media-credit name=”doverspeedway.com” align=”alignright” width=”254″][/media-credit]A short 6-hour trek from where I grew up, Dover has been a popular destination for vacations of my family and friends. Dover’s high concrete banking offers endless passing potential, high speeds, and even a spot to pay for your trip in the casino located along the backstretch of the 1-mile concrete oval.

    I was lucky enough, two years ago, to have the opportunity to ride shotgun in a two-seater, NASCAR Stock Car around the high-banks of Dover International Speedway. Monster Driving School offered members of the media complementary rides in the two-seater stock cars at the Monster Mile, and in turn gave me the utmost respect for stock car drivers. The experience is one that I will never forget and made my interest level in NASCAR go from insane to outright ridiculous.

    Now for anyone out there that thinks the 43 guys that strap into the 750-horsepower stock cars each week are not actual athletes, THINK AGAIN. I had the opportunity to take 8-laps around the Monster Mile, and I will tell you I had all I could do to walk straight when I climbed out of the car. The exuberant amount of adrenaline I had flowing through my veins that day was the only thing aiding my head to stay straight and remotely close to my body. I have the utmost respect for those guys now after just 8-laps, I can’t fathom the physical strain 3.5 hours of petal to the metal action puts on a driver’s body.

    So if you’re one of those people who think NASCAR isn’t a sport, I challenge you to climb into one of those 750-horsepower stock cars and THEN see what you think.

    Loudon Recap

    If I had fifty-cents for every time one of my picks ran out of gas in the past two weeks, I would have enough for one double cheeseburger at McDonalds. (My roommates’ favorite snack in college)

    It was another terrible week for me in New England last week (even though I got my revenge by my Bills taking it to Tom Brady and the Patriots last week), marking my worst combined total finish in the 19 editions of Matty’s Picks.

    Ryan Newman was my winner pick last week, and yes I did make the pick before the dramatic qualifying session that ensued last week, resulting with Newman starting on the pole for last Sunday’s Sylvania 300.

    Newman led the following 62 laps, when a miscue on pit-road sent him back in the field, never to reach the lead again. The bad news continued to roll in for Newman when he cut a tire down late in the race while running in the top-10 with just five laps remaining. The catastrophe cost Newman an imminent top-10 finish, and a boost in the points standings as well. Instead, the misfortune caused Newman to drop from 8th to 12th in points.

    Newman spoke earlier this week about his misfortune in the first two races of The Chase “The results have not equaled the performances for our team at the past two races,” said Newman. “We’ve put ourselves in a hole, but the good news is that we still have eight races to go to make up the difference. We’ve been known for our comebacks and the way we fight through adversity. One thing you always hear from our Soldiers is that you never quit and you complete the mission. That’s what this Army race team has done and will always continue to do.”

    As for my Dark Horse pick, Clint Bowyer was poised to win the race Sunday but his gas tank did not agree with him winning the race.

    After starting 11th, Bowyer wasted no time in breaking into the top 10 and was shown in 8th-place around the midway point in the race. It was at that time when crew chief Shane Wilson came over the radio and told Bowyer to save as much fuel as he could for the end of the race.

    Bowyer flexed his muscles after a round of pit-stops near lap 250 when he took the lead, conserving fuel all the way. He was ahead of race-winner Tony Stewart by half a second when his engine was finally starved of fuel with just three laps remaining. Bowyer’s day ended on pit-road with a 26th-place result and he was short when speaking with the media following the race “It’s just not our year. I’m proud of this team. What a great car. It just didn’t turn out the way we wanted it to.”

    Even Stewart had sympathy for fellow Chevy driver Clint Bowyer following his win last Sunday “I know exactly what that feels like. I know exactly how he feels (Clint Bowyer) right now. I saw him slow down the back and I thought ‘Oh, no, you’re kiddin’ me’. That is not the way you want to win it for sure.”

    Dover Picks

    The spring race at Dover back in May marked the debut of Matty’s Picks, and laid the groundwork for a successful regular season of picks this year. I am looking to rebound off the past two weeks of miserable picks and get back into championship contention down the stretch here in the final 8 editions of Matty’s Picks.

    Considering five drivers (Jimmie Johnson, Ryan Newman, Greg Biffle, Kyle Busch, and Matt Kenseth) have combined to win 15 of the last 19 races at the Monster Mile, it leaves little for question this week.

    Winner Pick

    Jimmie Johnson sits 10th in points going into Sunday’s race, a position he is fairly unfamiliar with this far into the Sprint Cup Schedule.

    He leads all active drivers with 6 wins at the Monster Mile, including three of the last five after sweeping both races in 2009 and taking the fall race last year in Dover. The concrete mile has been kind to Johnson throughout the years (something that doesn’t always happen when your tires break loose due to the severe banking all around the track), making one of the most incredible saves in NASCAR history back in his 2006 qualifying efforts.

    Johnson has an average finish of 9.6 at Dover, and sitting 10th in points is nowhere he wants to be for any period of time. “New Hampshire obviously wasn’t the finish we were looking for especially with how good we were throughout the weekend. I’m really looking forward to this weekend though. Dover has always been a good place for the 48 team and I really enjoy racing there. I’m not really sure why, but it has always just kind of suited my driving style” said the five-time champ earlier this week about his chances this weekend.

    Jimmie Johnson’s quest for 6 in a row is underway, and now the time to make his statement, a win will do it.

    Dark Horse Pick

    Since the other four drivers are in The Chase that are a part of the statistic above pertaining to the past 19-races at Dover, I have to go with the only driver without a shot at claiming the Sprint Cup this year.

    Greg Biffle’s trends at Dover have been rather interesting to look at this afternoon. It seems like he is more back and forth than a ping-pong match. In the past 5 races at the Monster Mile, Biffle’s finishes have been: 19th, 6th, 19th, 3rd, and 16th. In the 5 races prior to the start of the 2009 season, Biffle’s finishes were: 1st, 3rd, 6th, 2nd, and 8th.

    Now, Biffle is not in the Chase, but is a serious contender to take the checkered this Sunday. His average career finish across 18 races is 11.4 and he currently sits 13th on the speed charts in Sprint Cup Final practice.

    The Biff is also coming of an impressive third-place finish last week at Loudon, and sits just three points out of the top Non-Chaser points in 14th. Biff spoke about his success at Dover this week “I’ve had some success at Dover and it would be great to get the 3M Ford Fusion in victory lane there this weekend. It’s been a pretty up and down season for us so far but I feel like we’re moving in the right direction. A win would definitely keep the momentum going though. As a driver, you have to be on your toes in Dover. You want your car to be a little loose but at the same time, it can’t be too loose. I have high expectations for this weekend.”

    That’s all for this week as I look forward to watching my first Chase race this season on Sunday afternoon because my Buffalo Bills are on the road this week in Cincinnati.

    Until next time…You Stay Classy NASCAR NATION!

  • NOTES FROM THE NASCAR NATION: WHO WILL MILES THE MONSTER SMILE AT?

    The NASCAR Sprint Cup Chase For The Championship rolls onto the Dover International Raceway for Sunday’s running of the A A A 400 on a one mile, concrete laden, speedway known as the Monster Mile. The official mascot for this speedway is a large, angry looking, concrete monster named Miles. Over the years Miles, with his threatening red eyes, has been known to create havoc with the Sprint Cup competitors who dare to enter his domain.

    [media-credit id=62 align=”alignright” width=”249″][/media-credit]That may, or may not, be good news for the 12 drivers in the Chase line up. The teams located in the top half of the Chase standings will be jockeying for position to strengthen their chances of taking the coveted Sprint Cup home in November. The teams in the bottom half of the standings will also be jockeying for positions in order to rekindle their Chase hopes.

    Who will Miles the Monster smile on? Who will feel his wrath? We’ll have to wait until Sunday evening to find out. It should be interesting.

    THE VEGAS BREAKDOWN

    To get a clear picture of which driver is capable of taming the Monster Mile, we again turn to the professionals from the Las Vegas based World Sports Exchange, (WSE), who has generated a very interesting set of numbers.

    Jimmie Johnson is sitting on top of the WSE’s list this week at 7 to 1 odds. We all watched what happened to the Lowes #48 team last weekend in New Hampshire. The team simply couldn’t overcome the car’s handling problems. There was even a moment of in car radio discord between the dynamic duo of Johnson and crew chief Chad Knaus. The team left New Hampshire tenth in the standings and 29 points out of first.

    So how does this free fall translate into the number one seed on the WSE’s list? That simple. Johnson has amazing numbers at Dover that includes a series high six wins, eight top five finishes, 13 top tens along with an average finish ratio, (AFR), of 9.6. That’s the type of strong numbers that places you on top of any one’s list.

    Also ranked 7 to 1 is Kyle Busch who is currently sixth in the Chase rankings and 26 points from the top. Busch is a two time winner at Dover with seven top fives and a 13.8 AFR. Many NASCAR observers will tell you that this team seems to be in some sort of free fall. The truth of the matter is: in the first two Chase events Busch has fallen from first to sixth. However, if the car is right Busch could turn out to be a major player in the Dover race. This driver is always a rock solid wager consideration.

    At 8 to 1 odds you will find “Concrete” Carl Edwards. When it comes to race tracks with a concrete surface, Edwards just seems to excel at them. He’s currently a rock steady fourth in the Chase standings and only 14 points away from the top. He’s a previous race winner at Dover with six top five finishes and has an excellent 7.6 AFR.

    At 9 to 1 you will find the tandem of Jeff Gordon and Tony Stewart. Despite a rough start to the Chase at Chicago, Gordon rebounded at New Hampshire and is now fifth in the standings and 23 points away. He’s a four time Dover winner, with a 12.2 AFR, so he understands how to get the job done at this race track. His drive for a fifth Sprint Cup title is definitely on track and he’s also a solid wager consideration for next Sunday.

    The same goes for the red hot Tony Stewart. Two consecutive Chase wins has him on top of the standings. Stewart is a two time Dover winner with a healthy 12.5 AFR. Whether or not it’s realistic that he will win three Chase events in a row remains to be seen. However he will be the one man the competition will be gunning for at Dover.

    At 10 to 1 is Matt Kenseth who has two wins, including the spring race last May, along with 11 top fives and a 12.4 AFR at Dover. This track is special to Kenseth because it was the scene of his first ever Sprint Cup start. If the car’s handling package is right, he could do that quiet Kenseth thing for much of the race and then turn into a major player at the end.

    The once Chase contender everyone is keeping a sharp eye on is Kevin Harvick who’s currently second in the standing and only seven points behind Tony Stewart. However his driver stats at Dover are not very strong. Harvick is still looking for that first Dover win in 21 starts. He only has two top five finishes there and a hefty 17.0 AFR. However if all of the needed racing elements are in place for Harvick, he could turn into a long shot winner and surprise everyone.

    The WSE has Roger Penske Racing listed at 15 to 1 this week. A rather unhappy Kurt Busch finds himself ninth in the standings and 28 points away from first. He’s has a fond memory connected to Dover, it was the scene of his first ever Sprint Cup start. However, he still seeking his first win there and has an 18.7 AFR. It might be another long afternoon for Kurt Busch at Dover.

    Meanwhile Penske team mate Brad Keselowski is also winless at Dover, has no top fives, no top tens and a 17.7 AFR. Despite those numbers, he’s still an outstanding long shot bet to win on Sunday. Keselowski is like a really great poker player, you just can’t read him. He wasn’t expected to make the Chase line up but drove his way into championship contention anyway. Next, no one expected him to make a solid run for the title but there he is: third in the standings only 11 points from the top.

    At 18 to 1 you will find Greg Biffle who is a two time Dover winner with a healthy 11.4 AFR. It’s hardly a secret that Biffle has had a very disappointing season and probably can’t wait for 2012. But he looked strong last weekend at New Hampshire and he could be playing the role of spoiler at Dover. This is a rather interesting long shot wager.

    At 20 to 1 is another disappointed driver: Denny Hamlin. A pre season Chase favorite, Hamlin finds himself languishing in 12th in the Chase rankings and a whopping 66 points out of first. Well aware that his championship hopes are virtually gone, Hamlin recently said his focus was now all about winning races. Don’t look for him to start that trend at Dover. He’s winless there with a 20.9 AFR and he’s never actually led a lap on the Monster Mile. Hamlin may indeed light a fire under his post season effort in the near future but don’t expect it to start this Sunday.

    The WSE has drivers Clint Bowyer and Mark Martin ranked at 25 to 1 for the Dover race. Bowyer is still seeking a win, as well as a top five finish, at Dover and has a 14.8 AFR. Despite that he still has the potential of being a spoiler next Sunday.

    Mark Martin has excellent driver stats at Dover that includes four wins, a series high 23 top fives and 31 top tens along with a healthy 12.3 AFR. That’s the good news. The bad news is: those outstanding numbers were compiled quite some time ago.

    At 30 to 1 you will find the trio of Dale Earnhardt Jr, Kasey Kahne and Ryan Newman. Earnhardt is currently eighth in the Chase rankings, 26 points away. He’s a former Dover winner with a 17.8 AFR there. However he has not scored a top ten finish at Dover in his last seven starts. It might turn out to be another long Sunday for the Junior Nation.

    Kasey Kahne would love to get Red Bull Racing a win this season before he moves on to Hendrick Motorsports next year. Sadly, it may not happen at Dover where Kahne has no wins or top fives and a hefty AFR of 23.8.

    Ryan Newman is 11th in the Chase standings and 34 points away. If all of the racing components falls into place this Sunday he could turn out to be a long shot surprise. He’s a three time Dover winner with six top fives and a very healthy AFR of 10.9.

    Concluding the WSE list this week, at 35 to 1, are drivers Jeff Burton, A J Allmendinger and Martin Truex Jr who scored his first Cup win at Dover. Joey Logano concludes the list at 40 to 1. Any driver not on the WSE list are automatically rated at 10 to 1 odds.

    Now for the disclaimer: NASCAR wants us to remind you that these numbers should be viewed for informational and entertainment purposes. They neither encourage nor condone the placing of wagers on their events. But if you’re going to spread a few Benjamins around anyway then take a good look at the top five names on the WSE list. They’re all rock solid wagers.

    THE RACE BREAKDOWN

    The A A A 400 is 400 laps/400 miles around the Dover International Speedway’s one mile concrete oval.

    The race has 44 entries vying for the 43 starting positions. Nine of those entries are on the go or go home list meaning they are not guaranteed a starting berth because they are currently outside of NASCAR’s top 35 in owner’s points. These teams will have to rely on qualifying speed to make the race.

    The Dover International Speedway was opened in 1969. The first NASCAR Sprint Cup race was held in July of 1969 and was won by Richard Petty. Since that time the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series has ran 83 races at Dover that has sent 32 different drivers to victory lane.

    Bobby Allison and Richard Petty leads the all time Dover win list with seven trips each to victory lane. Jimmie Johnson leads the modern era drivers with six wins. Hendrick Motorsports leads the team win category with 12. Chevrolet leads the manufacturer’s category with 31 wins.

    The track qualifying record, 161.522 MPH, was set by Jeremy Mayfield back in June of 2004. There has been 35 different pole winners at Dover led by Hall of Fame member David Pearson who has six. Over the years 13 Dover events have been won from the pole position. 50 races have been won from the top five starting berths but only 18 races have been won from outside of the top ten.

    The Dover International Speedway’s one mile surface was converted from asphalt to concrete in 1995. The turns have 24 degrees of banking while the straightaways, each measuring 1,076 feet, are banked nine degrees. The speedway currently has seating for 135,000 fans. The speedway’s pit road has 43 stalls measuring 15 feet wide by 32 feet long. The pit road speed is 35 MPH. The pit window is 72 to 76 laps based on the team’s individual fuel mileage stats.

    Weather could possibly hamper Friday practice sessions. The Dover forecast calls for cloudy skies and a 20 percent chance of showers and a daytime high of 75 degrees. Saturday’s forecast calls for light clouds and 61 degrees while Sunday race day weather will be partly sunny conditions and 60 degrees. In the event of rain, the speedway has four jet dryers that can dry the track is about 90 minutes.

    Sunday’s A A A 400 will be broadcast live by ESPN at 2 pm eastern time. The race re airs will be on Monday morning, 1230 am et, on ESPN 2 and on Wednesday, October 5th, on SPEED at 12 pm et.

  • Surprising and Not Surprising: Loudon Sylvania 300

    Surprising and Not Surprising: Loudon Sylvania 300

    While rain played a factor earlier in the race weekend, New Hampshire Motor Speedway was not only bathed in sunshine, but was hot enough to boil a lobster for the running of the 15th annual Sylvania 300. Here is what was surprising and not surprising from the track dubbed the ‘Magic Mile’.

    [media-credit name=”Credit: Gregg Ellman-Pool/Getty Images” align=”alignright” width=”228″][/media-credit]Surprising:  While one five-time champion usually peaks in performance during the Chase competition, it was most surprising to see another driver, one who deemed himself unworthy of even being in the Chase, win his second race in a row.

    Tony Stewart, behind the wheel of the No. 14 Mobil 1/Office Depot Chevrolet, took the checkered flag, giving him a perfect Chase record to date. This was Smoke’s 41st Cup Series win and put him in the lead dog position in the point standings.

    “I’ll be honest, we were about a 10th place car the majority of the day,” Stewart said. “The closer to the front we got, the better it drove.”

    “Man, what a day to win it,” Stewart continued. “Such an irony from last year where we ran out of gas coming to the white.”

    Not Surprising:  Speaking of fuel mileage racing, which happened all weekend long, it was not surprising to see this come into play yet again at the ‘Magic Mile.’ In fact, fuel mileage cost one driver the race and another Chase driver a possible win as well.

    Most affected by the fuel mileage gremlin was Clint Bowyer, driver of the No. 33 Cheerios/Hamburger Helper Chevrolet. Bowyer ran out of fuel with just three laps to go, allowing Smoke to blow by him for the win.

    “It’s just not our year,” Bowyer said. “What a great car. It just didn’t turn out the way we wanted it to.”

    The other driver who struggled with fuel mileage was Jeff Gordon, driver of the No. 24 Dupont Chevrolet. As Gordon was moving forward at race end, his crew chief Alan Gustafson advised him that there had been a problem while fueling that may have resulted in his tank not being completely packed full.

    Gordon immediately went into conservation mode, letting many of his competitors blow by him. Gordon finished fourth in the race and move dup in the point standings to the fifth spot.

    “It is tough conditions to race in,” Gordon said. “I don’t think that we wanted to see back-to-back fuel mileage races like this, but it is kind of the name of the game these days.”

    “We were just setting the pace so it is unfortunate that that happened,” Gordon continued. “It is something we need to be better at.”

    Surprising:  Although battling tire camber troubles all race long, Dale Earnhardt, Jr. and his ever positive crew chief Steve Letarte seemed surprisingly pleased with their 17th place finish with the No. 88 Diet Mountain Dew/National Guard Chevrolet. Earnhardt, Jr. fell three spots in the points, from fifth to eighth.

    “We had a flat tire there at the end,” Junior said. “We had a fast car all day.”

    “I was real happy with the car,” Earnhardt, Jr. continued. “We were real competitive. And I got to race up front.”

    “I had an awesome car all day long and I’m happy about what my guys did.”

    Not Surprising:  After starting the race fuming because he his car was stuck in NASCAR technical inspection during the pre-race festivities, Kurt Busch continued his ‘Drive for Anger’ campaign in his No. 22 Shell Pennzoil Dodge.

    Busch was so annoyed when he finally did get in the car to race that team ‘Captain’ Roger Penske had to come on the radio, telling his driver to “Keep your head in this.”

    “It was a frustrating day,” Busch said. “We were late going through inspection and that set the tone for the day.”

    “NASCAR wasn’t 100% happy with what they saw on one of their gauges,” Travis Geisler, Director of Competition for Penske Racing, said of the inspection delay. “So, we had to do a little work on it.”

    Busch finished 22nd, making him also the official ‘Biggest Loser’ in the points, falling from fourth to ninth.

    Surprising:  As a result of the Sylvania 300, three surprising basement dwellers emerged. Five-time champ Jimmie Johnson, driver of the No. 48 Lowes Chevrolet, was the first, finishing 18th and falling to tenth in points.

    In addition to his struggles on the track, Johnson also had some harsh exchanges with his crew chief, Chad Knaus, who goaded his drive to ‘prove’ that he could drive the car.

    “Yeah, it wasn’t what we thought it was going to be,” Johnson said. “We just didn’t have the breaks go right and really get the track position as we needed it throughout the day.”

    “I’m going 100 percent regardless of what’s being said on the radio,” Johnson continued. “I think he (Knaus) was just being optimistic there about what was left in my back pocket; but my suit doesn’t have any back pockets.”

    Ryan Newman, driver of the No. 39 Haas Automation Chevrolet, also became an official basement dweller. Newman, who started the race from the pole, finished 25th and fell four spots to 11th in the points.

    “We just had a tough day,” Newman said. “We had a couple of slow pit stops and then we had a tire go down at the end.”

    “It was just a disappointing day for us.”

    Finally, it has been surprisingly painful to watch the ongoing implosion of Denny Hamlin and company. The driver of the No. 11 FedEx Ground Toyota, finished 29th, remaining in the 12th Chase spot.

    “It was another tough day for us,” Hamlin said. “We’re just figuring out what we need to do to be a little bit more competitive.”

    Not Surprising:  To no one’s surprise, the ascent of the Keselowski continued at the ‘Magic Mile’. The driver of the No. 2 Miller Lite Dodge Charger finished second to Stewart and catapulted himself to third in points.

    “I feel really good about this one,” Keselowski said. “We struggled a little bit this weekend, but we executed and that’s what these races are about.”

    “It’s been a good roll.”

    Surprising:  Mark Martin, behind the wheel of the No. 5 GoDaddy.com Chevrolet, looked surprisingly like the driver of old. Martin led a total of 46 laps, almost two times more than he had led all season.

    Not Surprising:  David Ragan’s ‘Drive for a Sponsor’ continued behind the wheel of the No. 6 UPS Ford. The young driver overcame being a lap down with the ‘lucky dog’ to finish seventh.

    “We didn’t have the best of cars today but we showed that with some hard work and good strategy, we could overcome that,” Ragan said. “It feels good for the UPS team to get a top 10.”

    “So it was a good job by everybody and now it’s on to Dover.”

  • SOME COMMENTS DESERVE TO BE REPEATED: NEW HAMPSHIRE NUGGETS

    SOME COMMENTS DESERVE TO BE REPEATED: NEW HAMPSHIRE NUGGETS

    NASCAR’s weekend in New Hampshire left us several nuggets worthy of Monday morning fan conservations in the employee break room. From deadly serious crew chiefs attempting to be cheerleaders, drivers shedding dead weight and even revelations regarding the installation of hair plugs there were plenty of comments that deserved to be repeated.

    [media-credit name=”Ed Coombs” align=”alignright” width=”216″][/media-credit]I’ve always had a great deal respect for crew chief Chad Knaus. His accomplishments, on behalf of driver Jimmie Johnson and team owner Rick Hendrick, over the past five years alone says he deserves our respect. But his knowledge and talent while sitting on top of the pit box doesn’t automatically make him a cheerleader. Knaus is very stoic. You can practically hear the wheels turning in his head over the roar of the race cars on the track.

    New Hampshire was not a great race for this team. The car’s handling was off all day and not even Knaus could seem to find something in his bag of tricks to make it right. So when Knaus felt the need to attempt the cheerleader role he received a rather surprising rebuttal from Johnson who said ” dude your cheer leading is terrible. I’ve been driving my ass off. Don’t sweat it. It’s actually annoying more than helping so just let me go do my thing.”

    The long day in New Hampshire resulted in an 18th place finish and a drop to tenth in the points. There is already talk regarding “the championship string is broken” or “the dynasty has crumbled.” Blah, Blah, Blah. It way too early in the Chase to be making those announcements. No one on the track runs a Chase scenario better than these guys and their season is far from over. Johnson probably put it best in a Monday “Twitter” message that read “that really sucked-on to Dover.”

    Regarding the cheer leading gig, perhaps Chad Knaus could borrow some notes from his Hendrick Motorsports colleague Steve Letarte. Now there’s a natural born cheerleader/crew chief.

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

    On the subject of New Hampshire nuggets, here’s one from a racing veteran who knows how to dispense nuggets: Larry McReynolds. During an appearance on the Monday edition of the SPEED Channel’s “Race Hub” program, McReynolds was engaged in a conversation regarding the Chase hopes of driver Kyle Busch.

    In the first two races of the Chase Busch, and his Joe Gibbs Racing team, has fallen from first to sixth in the standings. That in turn has led to speculation as to whether this factor will be another disappointing Chase run for this team. McReynolds raised an interesting question when he asked: “do you know how you can tell the fall season is here? The leaves fall off of the Busch.”

    Related to this topic was a survey presented by ESPN during their New Hampshire pre race show. The divers in the Chase were asked to rate their competitors. When Kevin Harvick was asked about the merits of Kyle Busch he quickly replied “I never think about Kyle Busch because, (pausing), I just don’t.”

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

    When it comes to the 2011 NASCAR Sprint Cup Chase For The Championship no one is hotter right now than Tony “Smoke” Stewart. It was just a short matter of weeks ago when we were wondering if this team was going to make the Chase line up at all. Now he’s won both Chase events so far and sits on top of the points standings.

    Apparently he accomplished this feat by shedding some dead weight. During the New Hampshire victory lane interview Stewart said “we got rid of some dead weight earlier this week. So, it made it a lot easier. It’s been a big weight pulled off of our shoulders. Just, sometimes you have to make adjustments in your life and we did that. It definitely helped this weekend for sure.”

    Needless to say the NASCAR media was completely baffled by this unusual statement. It’s not the first time Stewart has said or done something that left us all baffled. It’s not even the first time this month for that matter. When asked exactly what he meant, Stewart made it clear that he would not elaborate. In a transcript of the post race press conference, provided by “Team Chevy” Stewart said “we’re going to leave it at that. You can’t ask anything. It is what it is. That’s all it was is what you said. That’s where we’ll leave it.”

    (WHAT???). Since the New Hampshire press conference there has now been speculation that says these comments made be centered around the driver’s personal life. If that’s true then we should respect Stewart’s wishes and “leave it.” Also, if the speculation is again true, then Stewart also needs to “leave it” and let it remain in his private life.

    This appears to be something usually covered by those trashy tabloid magazines and the NASCAR media doesn’t need to go there. There’s only one way I would actually read a story like this one from a tabloid: it would give me something to do while I’m spending way too much time standing in a long check out line at my local supermarket.

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

    Send some good thoughts to Katie Kenseth, the wife of NASCAR Sprint Cup champion Matt Kenseth, who was injured last Monday while practicing for a charity race scheduled for October 15th on the quarter mile oval located within the Charlotte Motor Speedway. The event, titled “The Better Half Dash”, will feature the wives and girlfriends of Sprint Cup drivers racing small Bandolero cars.

    During the practice session Kenseth crashed her car and suffered a broken scapula, shoulder blade, along with scrapes and bruises. However the incident didn’t impact the Kenseth’s sense of humor. In a “Twitter” message, Katie Kenseth wrote: “that didn’t turn out so well, that was the shortest racing career in history.” Matt Kenseth sent a “Twitter” message thanking everyone for their concern and support and added: “Katie is feeling much better and I learned something new: how to put a bra on.”

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

    Apparently some NASCAR fans noticed that Nationwide Series driver, and SPEED Channel host, Kenny Wallace’s hair line seemed different and asked him about it. In a series of short “Twitter” messages, the always candid Wallace wrote: “I have had three hair transplants done by Bosley. I want you all to know. I show all my friends my scars on the back of my head from the transplants. I guess I’m scarred for life, ha ha ha. I spent 18 thousand dollars on three transplants, split it up three ways. Kind of like girls getting boob jobs, ha ha ha.”

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

    Item last is a daily affirmation, sent via “Twitter”, from Delana Harvick who wrote: “nothing says welcome back, we missed you like a big dog poop on the floor.”

    That’s so true, the love of a fine dog is unconditional. It’s also a comment that deserved to be repeated.

  • NASCAR Top-10 Power Rankings: New Hampshire

    NASCAR Top-10 Power Rankings: New Hampshire

    Note: The quotes in this article are fictional.

    [media-credit name=”CIA Stock Photo” align=”alignright” width=”238″][/media-credit]1. Tony Stewart: Stewart zoomed past Clint Bowyer’s sputtering No. 33 Chevrolet with two laps to go at New Hampshire, capturing his second-straight win and moving to the top of the Sprint Cup point standings. Stewart is 2 for 2 in the Chase and now leads Kevin Harvick by seven points.

    “I was past Bowyer in a flash,” Stewart said. “I saw ‘Cheerios’ then said my ‘bye bye’s.’ I left Bowyer faster than Richard Childress.

    “As I cryptically stated before, we turned things around by unloading some ‘dead weight.’ A Stewart-Haas press release states that no further clarification of what or who ‘dead weight’ is or was is forthcoming. The ‘weight’ is over, and as soon as I have a bad finish and need a convenient scapegoat, the ‘wait’ will be over, and I’ll name names.”

    2. Brad Keselowski: Keselowski charged late to finish second in theSylvania300, earning his fifth finish of third of better in the last eight races. He leaped three spots in the point standings to third, and now trails Tony Stewart by 11.

    “I’m just curious,” Keselowski said. “If I win a race in the Chase, do I get credit for it?

    “Anyway, for anyone who’s doubted my ability as a viable championship contender, this should prove once and for all that I can win it all. I’m no longer just a ‘Cinderella’ story, but I’ve ‘made believers’ out of many.”

    3. Jeff Gordon: Gordon led a race-high 78 laps, and looked to be on his way to the win before a problem on a gas can exchange on his final pit stop dropped him back in the field. He finished third and vaulted six spots in the point standings to fifth, 23 out of first.

    “If it’s not another team sabotaging a sure win,” Gordon said, “it’s my own. When you have a car as good as the No. 24 Chevy was on Sunday, you should ‘get more out’ of it than a third place. By that same token, my re-fuelers should ‘get more in.’”

    4. Carl Edwards: Edwards finished eighth at New Hampshire, posting his series-best 19th top-10 result of the year, and second of the Chase. He sits fourth in the point standings, 14 out of first.

    “Tony Stewart and the No. 14 team are peaking at the right time,” Edwards said, “which happens to be six months later than I did.”

    5. Kevin Harvick: Harvick finished a disappointing12th in the Sylvania 300, as a stop for fuel left him mired in traffic and unable to make a run towards the front. He dropped out of the lead in the point standings, but trails new leader Tony Stewart by only seven points.

    “I really could have used a teammate’s spin,” Harvick said, “but I think it would have been too much to ask Clint Bowyer to spin while he was leading the race. Clint, understandably, isn’t willing to ‘take one for the team’ because Richard Childress is willing to ‘take one from the team.’”

    6. Kyle Busch: Busch finished a lackluster 11th at Loudon, as an ill-handling car left him frustrated. After entering the Chase For The Cup on top of the standings, he’s fallen into a tie for sixth, 26 out of first.

    “I’m running myself right out of championship contention,” Busch said. “I ‘took a bow’ four times during the regular season. I think I’ve got one more in my. That would be my ‘final bow,’ because it’s ‘curtains’ for my title hopes.”

    7. Matt Kenseth: Kenseth finished a solid sixth at Loudon as all four Roush Fenway cars cracked the top 10. Kenseth jumped four spots in the standings and is now tied for sixth, 26 behind Tony Stewart.

    “Roush Fenway has two cars in the Chase,” Kenseth said, “and two cars out of the Chase. And four cars with no chance of winning the Sprint Cup.”

    8. Jimmie Johnson: Johnson was competitive early in the Sylvania300, but faded late after contact with Kyle Busch. He finished 18th and tumbled two places to tenth in the point standings. It’s the first time Johnson has ever been lower than ninth in the Chase standings.

    “Most people are saying it’s time to show ‘what we’re made of,’” Johnson said. “That’s wrong. I know what we’re made of—five Cups of championship.”

    9. Ryan Newman: Newman started from the pole and led the first 62 laps at Loudon, only to see a solid finish derailed by a loose right front wheel five laps from the end. He finished a lap down in 25th and dropped five places in the points to 11th.

    “Me and Tony finished 1-2 here back in July,” Newman said. “I guess I didn’t hold up my end of the bargain this time. I felt like the ‘third wheel’ this time, thanks to my fourth wheel.”

    10. Kurt Busch: Busch’s No. 22 Shell/Pennzoil Dodge failed pre-race inspection and was late to pit road before the start of the Sylvania300. He finished 22nd and dropped five places to ninth in the point standings.

    “You heard right,” Busch said. “The ‘F’ word was uttered on live television—the ‘fail’ word. NASCAR said the car’s rear-end housing didn’t fit the templates. It was too high. I’ll tell what’s not too high—my opinion of this team.”

  • HOORAHS AND WAZZUPS: A ‘FUELISH’ SUNDAY AFTERNOON IN LOUDON, NEW HAMPSHIRE

    HOORAHS AND WAZZUPS: A ‘FUELISH’ SUNDAY AFTERNOON IN LOUDON, NEW HAMPSHIRE

    During the previous NASCAR weekend at New Hampshire we witnessed yet another race that was impacted by fuel mileage. We pondered the theory of how losing “dead weight” could lead to two, consecutive, Chase wins. We were surprised to learn that a championship crew chief is actually a lousy cheerleader and we learned the importance of punctuality on race day morning. With those thoughts in mind, let’s begin with:

    [media-credit name=”CIA Stock Photo” align=”alignright” width=”241″][/media-credit]HOORAH to Tony Stewart, and everyone from Stewart-Haas Racing, for winning the Sylvania 300 at the New Hampshire Motor Speedway. The event marked Stewart’s second, consecutive, win in six days. Of equal importance is the fact that Stewart is now on top of the Chase standings with a seven point lead over Kevin Harvick.

    WAZZUP with the Sylvania 300 becoming another NASCAR fuel mileage race? Stewart claimed the win after race leader Clint Bowyer ran out of gas with two laps remaining. The ending of this race was a simple case of reversal of fortune. Last year it was Stewart who ran out of gas at the end the race and handed the win to Bowyer.

    HOORAH to Bowyer for meeting Stewart, at the entry road to victory lane, to shake his hand and congratulate him. It was a very classy thing to do.

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

    WAZZUP with that odd comment the race winner made but refused to explain? In a post race television interview Stewart announced that he had managed to recently ‘get rid of some dead weight” and that was a factor in his New Hampshire win. Later, during the post race press conference in the media center, Stewart refused to explain what the comment meant and made it clear he had nothing further to say on the issue. Afterwards there was some speculation that he may have been referring to a personal matter. If that’s the case then the media should drop it and move on. However, if it’s indeed a personal matter then WAZZUP with those personal comments being made on live television? Stewart surely must have known that a comment like that was going to raise the curiosity of the media.

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

    On the topic of curious comments, WAZZUP with that in car radio comment by Jimmie Johnson when he told crew chief Chad Knaus that his efforts at cheer leading were “terrible” and “annoying”? Despite being heavily favored to win this race,Johnson and company had a less than stellar day with a car that just wouldn’t handle properly. A late race fender collision with Kyle Busch’s car didn’t help the matter either. The team finished 18th and dropped to tenth in the Chase standings.

    WAZZUP with all of that post race speculation that claims Chase tension has now created a riff between the dynamic duo of Johnson and Knaus? WAZZUP with speculation that claims their drive for a sixth, consecutive, championship has been derailed? Does anyone really believe that at this early point in time? I don’t.

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

    WAZZUP with that eyebrow raising pre race inspection scenario involving Kurt Busch’s Penske Racing Dodge? During a final pre race inspection, NASCAR tech officials determined that the rear end housing was out of line and required an adjustment. This was a relatively quick fix but, much to the amazement of the team, NASCAR held the car at the tech center until approximately ten minutes prior to the time to start the engines for the race.

    HOORAH to NASCAR for making that call. It seems that the Penske #22 team recently has developed a bad habit of showing up late for inspections with a car that sometimes requires time consuming adjustments. NASCAR decided it was time to teach this team a lesson. There will be no penaltys regarding this matter according to NASCAR officials. The embarrassment of the incident was plenty and team owner Roger Penske has already said it won’t happen again.

    WAZZUP with the #22 team literally having to push their car to the pit road starting grid at a full running gallop? Talk about speeding on pit road.

    WAZZUP with the frequently tempestuous Kurt Busch, lighting up his famous short fuse, while waiting for his car to arrive? When approached by a pit road ESPN camera crew and reporter for a comment, Busch waved them off and followed that up with a rude tirade that found its way to a live television microphone. Busch’s tirade reportedly contained a certain word that begins with the letter F. That led to a public apology, rendered by Alan Beswick from the ESPN broadcast booth, for offensive language that went out over the air. But, WAZZUP with the strange timing of that apology? From the time the words were said to the time of the apology a full three hours had gone by.

    WAZZUP with a still angry Busch performing his usual live on the air show, via his in car radio system, where once again he began verbally abusing his team about the state of his car? He finished 22nd and dropped to ninth in the Chase standings. I can’t imagine what it must be like at times working for this driver.

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

    On a much brighter note for Penske Racing, HOORAH to Brad Keselowski, and his Paul Wolfe led Miller Lite team, for their second place finish at New Hampshire. The combination of good calls from the pit box, good pit stops and even better fuel mileage led to that finish. A team that was never expected to make the Chase line up at all is now third in the standings and only 11 points from the top. Do you think that Keselowski’s hot summer streak is perhaps sticking in team mate Kurt Busch’s craw just a little? Yeah, I do too.

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

    HOORAH to Chase contender Jeff Gordon for a fourth place finish that came following trying circumstances. At lap 70 Gordon came down pit road rolling silent and completely out of gas. The lengthy pit stop cost him a ton of track position. With 35 laps remaining, Gordon was told he had to conserve fuel reportedly because the exchange of the team’s gas cans didn’t quite fill the car’s gas tank during the previous pit stop. Despite those distractions, Gordon still managed to finish fourth and elevate himself to fifth in the Chase standings. It appears that the four time Sprint Cup champion’s drive for five is still strong.

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

    WAZZUP with the performances of the two Chase contenders from Joe Gibbs Racing? Both Kyle Busch and Denny Hamlin were considered to be pre race favorites to take the win at New Hampshire. Busch’s Toyota was never really a factor and finished 11th without so much as leading a single lap. In the two Chase races, Busch has now dropped from first to sixth in the standings. The speculation regarding this team’s tendency to choke during the Chase has already begun.

    After a devastating finish last week in Chicago, Hamlin seriously needed a good run in New Hampshire to reaffirm his Chase hopes. He had one in the making and was running in the top ten when he had to come to pit road out of gas with only five laps in the race. He remains last in the 12 man Chase standings and any hopes for a championship are virtually gone.

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

    HOORAH to Kyle Busch for a stunning win in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series event at New Hampshire. Busch led 165 laps, of the F W Webb 175, in a dominant performance that literally stunk up the live SPEED Channel broadcast. The win was his sixth of the season and 30th in his truck career.

    HOORAH to Austin Dillon whose second place finish in this race allowed him to take over the lead in the series’ point standings. Dillon holds a very slim three point advantage over James Buescher in a championship run that is expected to go down to the final race of the season.

    WAZZUP with the pit road woes of Joey Coulter during the New Hampshire truck race? The young development driver, for Richard Childress Racing, was running third when he came down pit road for his final stop. Unfortunately he was caught speeding on pit road and had to come back to serve a penalty. Then he was penalized again for, you guessed it, speeding while exiting pit road. You live and learn.

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

    In some final thoughts, HOORAH to Mother Nature for allowing us to return to NASCAR Sprint Cup racing on Sundays again. We were beginning to wonder if we were ever going to see that again.

    HOORAH to NASCAR’s Whelen Modified Racing Series for an outstanding race on Saturday morning which was won by Ronnie Silk. This event was, hands down, the class act of the entire New Hampshire racing weekend. I’d really like to see more of this series on national television.

    The final WAZZUP goes the stressed out Sprint Cup crew chiefs who found themselves, once again, having to deal with the massive tension that comes with a fuel mileage race. Judging from the video shots of them sitting on their pit boxes, it appeared that they were suffering from the pain of constipation. That’s yet another reason why fuel mileage races are a bad situation.

  • The Final Word from Deadwood…er… New Hampshire

    The Final Word from Deadwood…er… New Hampshire

    In watching NASCAR we tend to learn stuff. For example, after being winless the entire season Tony Stewart taught us that one can open the Chase with two straight victories after he claimed the prize again at Loudon, New Hampshire.

    [media-credit name=”CIA Stock Photo” align=”alignright” width=”247″][/media-credit]It helps when one is surrounded by those who can contribute to making such good things happen. Tony recently jettisoned some deadwood to help things along, though he did not go into detail when pressed by the press.

    Stewart leads Kevin Harvick by seven points, 11 up on Sunday’s runner-up Brad Keselowski, and fourteen ahead of Carl Edwards. Everyone else is more than 20 points away, including Jimmie Johnson, who is 29 off the pace.

    By the way, Deadwood is a city in South Dakota best known for being the resting place of Wild Bill Hickok and Calamity Jane. No Cup drivers hail from Deadwood.

    A good day can go terribly bad, as both Hickok and Dale Earnhardt Jr can attest. Tire problems killed what had been a good day for Junior. He is 26 points behind Stewart, tied with Matt Kenseth and Kyle Busch. They are three back of Jeff Gordon, and one ahead of Johnson.

    Still there are a lot of miles yet to travel before this is done. It is also darn near a thousand miles between Columbus, Indiana, the hometown of Tony Stewart, and Deadwood. Deadwood is usually cooler, but not this week.

    Denny Hamlin is not hot. In fact, even if Hamlin dominates and wins this weekend at Dover while the other Chasers stayed home, he would remain at least 18 points out of top spot.

    A top modified driver is Jessica Zemken, a 25-year old blonde out of New York state who has stated that her favorite track is Eldora Raceway in Ohio. It is the track owned by Tony Stewart. To the best of my knowledge, she has never raced in Deadwood.

    This spring, Matt Kenseth won at Dover. Kyle Busch won the year before, while Johnson has won three of the past five events run there. In fact, he has claimed six on the Monster Mile since 2002. Tony Stewart last won up in Delaware when he swept the two races in 2000.

    There are people who look hot, and there are those who say things when they are hot. It was hot when we visited Deadwood in 2009, and even hotter when we were at the Custer Battlefield in Montana. As my boys did not have a real appreciation for either locale, no doubt due to having not watched Little Big Man, I’m glad Vince Welch did not stick a microphone in their faces to ask them what they thought. They might have said something inappropriate.

    Deadwood is 50 miles from Mount Rushmore, but the sculpture on the minds of Cup drivers this week is the one handed out at the Monster Mile in Dover. If there was a track on which Johnson might rebound to challenge for his sixth straight title, it would be there. Failing that, the crown could be bound for one who has worn it twice before. I wonder what he would have to say about that. Enjoy the week!

  • Scott Speed Back at the Track and Still Laid Back, In Every Way but One

    Scott Speed, now driving the No. 46 Red Line Oil Ford for Whitney Motor Sports, is back at the track after being losing his Red Bull ride to Kasey Kahne last year.

    [media-credit id=62 align=”alignright” width=”216″][/media-credit]Yet in spite of being back in the competition fray, the 28 year old former Formula 1 driver seems unfazed, still maintaining his laid back, mellow persona, at least in every way but one.

    Speed definitely is laid back as far as being at the track. Yet he has also missed much when he was away, more than he even realized.

    “It feels great to be back here,” Speed said. “It certainly gives us something to do on the weekends.”

    “I have a lot of friends out here,” Speed continued. “I forgot how many actually.”

    “There are a lot of people here and I know a lot of them,” Speed said. “And to be back in sort of a routine that’s normal for me is for sure nice.”

    Speed is back in the race saddle thanks to a thirteen race Cup deal with Whitney Motorsports, driving for owner Dusty Whitney.

    “I really like Dusty and his guys,” Speed said. “They work really hard with the little amount they have.”

    “There’s a lot of passion over here and I love how tight a group we are,” Speed continued “We’re the underdogs and I love it.”

    “We’re going to run a couple more full races and start and park the rest,” Speed said. “We’ll just keep trying to build it.”

    “We have so little people, and help and money,” Speed said. “We’re just trying to make it by in this tough economy.”

    For Speed, getting back behind the wheel of a stock car proved easier than he had anticipated. And as usual, Speed approached getting back at it with his typical laid back style.

    “I felt like I might be a little rusty, but we were still pretty quick right away,” Speed said. “It’s one of those things where I don’t think you forget.”

    Did Speed learn any lessons on his hiatus away from the track?

    “You learn a little bit every day,” Speed said. “Nothing really sticks out that I can recall. I don’t take anything for granted but then again I never have.”

    Speed has, however been keeping himself occupied throughout his time away by pursuing one of his primary passions, golf, as well as picking up a new hobby or two.

    “I’m still golfing and still getting better,” Speed said “And I’ve been cycling a lot.”

    “Me and Josh Wise have been riding our bikes around Charlotte,” Speed continued. “Just staying fit and staying busy.”

    Speed is also doing some mentoring of his own, taking fellow up and comer Josh Wise under his wing. Wise made his second Cup start at Loudon behind the wheel of the No. 37 Front Row Motorsports Ford.

    “He’s doing good,” Speed said of Wise. “We’re good buddies. We’re kind of teammates at the moment. I help him out as much as I can.”

    Although he maintains a good relationship with his former team, Red Bull, Speed is also laid back about his continuing legal battles with them. In spite of that unfolding drama, he remains relatively unfazed.

    “I have a good relationship with a lot of the guys there,” Speed said. “We’re still in the law suit. It’s going slowly but surely.”

    “And it’s all looking really good at the moment,” Speed continued. “I couldn’t be happier at this point.”

    Although Speed is set for this season, his future plans remain unsettled. Yet again, he tries not to stress about that.

    “I don’t know,” Speed said of his future. “Right now I hope we can grow this into something that’s better for next year where we can run more races and be more competitive. That would be the best thing.”

    While Speed is laid back about most everything else, there is one thing that revs him up significantly. He cannot wait for his wife Amanda to have their daughter Juliet, due at any minute.

    “The baby is coming Monday at the latest,” Speed said. “We’ll be induced. Amanda’s doctor is good and has been able to schedule it for us.”

    Will Speed be a laid back new father? And will he still be behind the wheel of a race car as their child grows up?

    “Hopefully, I’ll be just like my dad,” Speed said. “But I don’t plan on being the dad that when my daughter is at that age of ten to thirteen and starts to be really be active and do sports, I won’t still be racing.”

    “I can’t miss every single weekend of my child’s life doing what I want to do,” Speed continued. “My dad did that for me and I’ll do that for my daughter for sure.”

    Speed is also not laid back about pressuring his child to pursue a career in any form of racing, no matter how athletic or competitive she turns out to be.

    “No, absolutely not,” Speed said when asked about racing as a future for his daughter. “I would push her the other way.”

    “It would take me a lot to put her in a car,” Speed continued. “I know how it is. I’m not rich. I don’t have a dad that can sponsor me halfway up, which is what you need to have these days.”

    “I got really lucky to make it from what we had. I’ll push my daughter into something more reasonable like tennis or golf,” Speed said. “I’m sure she’s going to be really athletic and competitive knowing myself and Amanda.”

    “So, if she wants to do that, then sure,” Speed continued. “It’s whatever she wants. I’m certainly not going to push her.”

    While Scott may be laid back in his approach to all things racing, there is one thing that he is most passionate about, greeting his soon-to-be daddy’s little girl.

    “I’m sure that’s how it will be.”