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  • Surprising and Not Surprising: Richmond Wonderful Pistachios 400

    Surprising and Not Surprising: Richmond Wonderful Pistachios 400

    [media-credit name=”Ted Seminara” align=”alignright” width=”231″][/media-credit]With tributes to the troops, America and to all lost on September 11th, NASCAR’s finest took to the Richmond International Raceway to determine the twelve who will Chase for the Championship. Here is what was surprising and not surprising from the 54th annual Wonderful Pistachios 400.

    Surprising:  The unhappiness of this driver with his car at the beginning of the race contrasted starkly with his surprisingly overwhelming joy and happiness in Victory Lane. And yet even in victory, the winner of the race stopped to pay tribute to those who serve and to the country, as well as to his mother on her birthday.

    Kevin Harvick, driver of the No. 29 Budweiser Chevrolet, claimed his fourth victory of the 2011 season and his second victory in 22 races at Richmond, locking him into a tie for the top seed in the Chase.

    “This is pretty awesome,” Harvick said as he climbed out of the car to cheers and spraying of the sponsor’s product. “First thing I want to do is thank all of our troops for everything they do for us. This is a special weekend.”

    “And I want to say ‘happy birthday’ to my mom tomorrow,” Harvick continued. “This is just a great night and a great weekend.”

    Not Surprising:  Although getting in by the skin of their teeth, Tony Stewart, Dale Earnhardt, Jr., and Denny Hamlin overcame problems during the race to finish seventh, sixteenth, and ninth respectively, establishing their places in the Chase, ninth, tenth and twelfth respectively.

    “I’m probably most proud of the fact that we’ve had six opportunities to be in the Chase and we’ve made it five out of the six,” Stewart, driver of the No. 14 Office Depot/Mobil 1 Chevrolet, said. “We’re able to sit up here tonight and say we’ve made this thing.”

    “I wouldn’t have predicted it halfway through the year with the way our season was going, but real appreciative of our guys who kept their heads up and kept working really hard.”

    “Well we just kept working and trying to fix the car,” Dale Earnhardt, Jr. said of his No. 88 Amp Energy/National Guard Chevrolet. “We were tore up pretty bad in the front end and was just really loose in. We worked on it and worked on it and fought for everything we could.”

    “It was an unbelievable comeback,” Hamlin, behind the wheel of the No. 11 FedEx Express Toyota. “This car really is destroyed and it’s amazing how fast we got this car considering the circumstances.”

    “We were just able to motor up through there.”

    Surprising:  Although Richmond is a short track and tempers traditionally run hot, it was surprising the intensity of the feelings between one-time champion Kurt Busch and five-time champion Jimmie Johnson, who managed to find one another yet again to bring out the eleventh caution of the race.

    “We raced down into Turn One and I locked up the left front trying to avoid him,” Busch, driver of the No. 22 Shell/Pennzoil Dodge, said of Johnson. “When he came back to us, you could see it coming.”

    “That’s not something you see from Jimmie Johnson every day,” Busch continued. “So I know we’re in his head.”

    “He’s got to learn to race,” Busch said. “He’s been able to beat guys the last five years just by out driving them just what he has for equipment.”

    “I’m going to beat him fair and square with my Penske Dodge.”

    “I got run over going into (Turn) One,” Johnson, driver of the No. 48 Lowe’s/Power of Pride Chevrolet, said after the race. “If you’re going to spin me out, I’m going to spin you out.”

    “It’s just part of it,” Johnson continued. “I’m sure I’ll go find him and talk to him and he’ll run his mouth and we’ll go from there.”

    “I’ve worked very hard to not have any contact with him,” Johnson said. “I made a move to break the draft and I didn’t touch his car.”

    “He instigated it and ran into the side of me,” Johnson continued. “If he can stop running into my Lowe’s Chevrolet, everything will be just fine.”

    Busch finished fifth in the race and, in stark contrast, Johnson finished 31st. Johnson, however, now becomes the only driver to qualify for each of the eight Chase competitions, from 2004 to 2010.

    Johnson is seeded sixth in the Chase and Busch is ironically right behind him in the seventh spot.

    Not Surprising:  In contrast to the hot tempers, three drivers in particular remained calm, cool and collected to not only finish the race with top ten finishes, but secure their places firmly in the Chase.

    Carl Edwards, driver of the No. 99 Kellogg’s/Cheez-It Ford, almost caught winner Kevin Harvick in the final laps of the race, settling instead for a second place finish. This was Edwards’ seventh top-10 finish in 15 races at Richmond and his 17th top -10 finish this season.

    “Well, once I get over the frustration of not winning this thing, I am going to be really excited about how fast our team is,” Edwards said. “We really turned things around tonight.”

    “That is the best we have run on a short track in years,” Edwards continued. “That was huge. I had a good time and I am ready to go get this Chase on.”

    Jeff Gordon, driver of the No. 24 Drive to End Hunger Chevrolet, was bitten by the final caution to score a third place finish. This was, however, Gordon’s 24th top-10 finish in 38 races at Richmond.

    “That definitely did not fall our way, but that was a great battle,” Gordon said. “That was fun.”

    “This team has got me excited and they’re on fire,” Gordon continued. “To be up there to take the lead and have a shot at winning that thing was awesome. We’re very excited.”

    And Kyle Busch, behind the wheel of his No. 18 M&Ms Toyota, decked out in a red, white and blue 9/11 tribute paint scheme, scored a sixth place finish after recovering from losing a lap due to a loose wheel.

    “It was just a hard-fought battle tonight, and certainly we had to battle through more adversity than we would have like to,” Busch said. “But that’s what’s going to make us better.”

    “We fought through everything it seemed,” Busch continued. “It was fun to drive that thing.”

    Surprising:  Red Bull Racing had a surprisingly bad day, with Kasey Kahne, behind the wheel of the No. 4 Red Bull Toyota, wrecking twice, once with a tire going down and once into his own teammate Brian Vickers, behind the wheel of the No. 83 Red Bull Toyota, as a result of contact with Marcos Ambrose.

    “I just know I started to turn when the 83 hit me hard,” Kahne said. “It was a weird deal.”

    Vickers had an even stronger reaction, expressing his anger both on and off the track at Ambrose. Although speculation had it that Vickers had been parked by NASCAR, he ended up spending a great deal of time on pit road attempting to repair the car before visiting the NASCAR hauler after the race.

    Not Surprising:  It was not surprising that several drivers just out of the top twelve came oh, so close to making their Chase dreams a possibility.

    A.J. Allmendinger, behind the wheel of the No. 43 Best Buy Ford, had a great run, finishing 11th. Yet he still came up short, remaining in the 13th position in the point standings.

    Clint Bowyer, driving the No. 33 Cheerios/Hamburger Helper Chevrolet, also gave it his best college try, only to finish 22nd after a difficult run, including losing his air conditioning ten laps into the race and tangling with fellow competitor David Ragan, also trying to  make the Chase in his No. 6 UPS ‘We Love Logistics’ Ford.

    “I got under David and I didn’t get any room left and spun myself out,” Bowyer said. “I drove as hard as I could and gambled and did what we could to try to win the race.”

    “Nothing’s gone our way since Charlotte half way through our season,” Bowyer continued. “There’s always next year.”

    Surprising:  Stephen Leicht, in only his second career race, had a good run for the No. 36 Golden Corral Chevrolet. Although Leicht finished 24th, he was in contention throughout, demonstrating that his time away from the sport has not hurt his abilities behind the wheel.

    Not Surprising:  Brad Keselowski, again showing that he is NASCAR’s hottest driver, brought the Blue Deuce to the checkered flag in the 12th position. ‘Kes’ has now cemented his place firmly in the Chase seeded 11th.

    “We just didn’t give up,” Keselowski said. “We got a little momentum going.”

    “When the Chase comes you’ve got to out-finish what you have for a car and we’re doing that,” Keselowski continued. “It’s Chase time and we’ve got the Blue Deuce in it.”

  • Even with an Extra $100,000 Ricky Stenhouse Jr. Finds Little Solace in Third Place Finish

    Even with an Extra $100,000 Ricky Stenhouse Jr. Finds Little Solace in Third Place Finish

    Ricky Stenhouse Jr. won an extra $100,000 on Friday night and extended his championship point lead but he was still disappointed.

    [media-credit name=”CIA Stock Photo” align=”alignright” width=”235″][/media-credit]After finishing third in his Fastenal Ford, Stenhouse didn’t hide the fact that he wanted more. Never leading a lap Friday night but coming close battling with the leaders like teammate Carl Edwards and eventual winner Kyle Busch, the Tennessee driver has come a long way in order to be upset with a top five finish.

    “It was a great race for us,” Stenhouse said. “We worked hard on it all night. We struggled a lot more than we expected to. We felt like the past couple of races here we had something that could win the race but we struggled with our Fastenal Mustang a little bit.”

    Stenhouse’s performance bagged him the aforementioned $100,000 from Nationwide’s “Dash 4 Cash” program. He was the highest finishing driver of those eligible and the win puts him in the running for another $100,000 payday at Charlotte next month. It was an added reward for the 6 team after a solid performance Friday night.

    “That was a great points day for us and all the Roush cars were fast,” Stenhouse said. “We have to keep doing this every week. We didn’t make mistakes tonight, I don’t think we had one area that we made a mistake in, other than not getting our racecar where we needed it to be. Other than that, we have to stay positive. We have been running really well and go on to Chicago.”

    Entering Chicago and the final seven races of the 2011 NNS season, Stenhouse holds a 16 point lead over Elliott Sadler and a 45 point lead on third place Reed Sorenson. With two victories this season, the most of any NNS regular, Stenhouse can’t find much to be upset with, except whom he’s been finishing behind lately.

    “It is definitely frustrating,” Stenhouse said about Cup drivers Busch and Edwards beating him. “I wanted to be a little more excited about winning that Dash 4 Cash. Finishing third makes it tough to do that.”

    During portions of the race Stenhouse felt he had a car capable of running with Busch. For 10 laps Stenhouse would run some of the fastest laps on the track before starting to fall off. The car would get tight and he would be spinning the tires.

    “It is disappointing to finish third but then again it is good to be up there racing with those guys,” Stenhouse said. “They are champions and win a lot of races, so to be in contention to win is a good thing in this series.”

    Stenhouse’s two victories came by overtaking the Cup drivers. At Iowa in May he bested teammate Edwards and Brad Keselowski. Then at the same track last month he again bested Edwards in a fantastic finish. Cup drivers have won 23 of 27 NNS races this season with Busch taking home eight trophies and Edwards six.

    Following in their tire tracks though has been the resurgent Stenhouse and company. Friday night he was best in class for the NNS regulars, unable to catch the powerhouses in front of him. Stenhouse said he struggled in turns three and four, which allowed Busch and Edwards to pull away from him down the frontstretch.

    “I would gain on them in one and two and then we were a little too tight in three and four,” Stenhouse said. “I would have to basically stop the car to get it to turn and go the other way. That is really what we struggled with all night.”

    As Stenhouse moves forward he knows where he can do better and it comes from in the driver’s seat. Drivers like Busch and Edwards know exactly what they need and how to communicate with their team.

    “Sometimes I think I struggle with that,” Stenhouse revealed. “Telling them exactly what I need to make my car faster. Kyle made his better and he normally makes it better every pit stop it seems like. Carl was better at the beginning and was catching him at the end, he just ran out of time I think.”

    While crew chief Mike Kelley and the No. 6 team made Stenhouse’s car better on Friday, they too ran out of time. Moving forward for the team as they chase their first championship, being able to make the car better will be an important key to success.

    Said Stenhouse, “We just tried something to get us a little bit extra and go after those guys and it just didn’t work for us.”

  • Despite Recent Struggles Dale Earnhardt Jr. Excited and Positive Entering the Chase

    Despite Recent Struggles Dale Earnhardt Jr. Excited and Positive Entering the Chase

    He still hasn’t won a race but for the first time in three years Dale Earnhardt Jr. has ended a streak, he’s back in the Chase for the Championship.

    Saturday night in Richmond the No. 88 AMP Energy / National Guard team battle back from a lap eight accident they were collected in to officially secure their spot. Going down a lap on multiple occasions and making over 10 pit stops, Earnhardt Jr. and company brought home a racecar that looked as though it went 10 rounds at Martinsville to a 16th place finish.

    [media-credit name=”Ted Seminara” align=”alignright” width=”225″][/media-credit]“We had a pretty good year,” Earnhardt Jr. said afterwards. “Tonight didn’t start off too good. We got in a little bit of a crash there. The 33 [Clint Bowyer] spun out early and I think everybody back there behind him was alerted of the accident except for one or two guys and they come through there and drove a few of us into it.”

    Earnhardt Jr. hit Bowyer square with his nose, severely damaging his Chevy. Afraid of lifting the hood in case it wouldn’t shut, the team decided to work around the damage by pulling out and taping what they could. The car ran fine for about ten laps Earnhardt Jr. said before the right front tire started showing wear and tear.

    “We got lucky, got the lucky dog a bunch and ended up finishing [16th] somehow” said Earnhardt Jr. “I was disappointed we didn’t get to show how good a car we had because I thought we had a good one yesterday in practice and it’s all over with now. We’ll just see how we can do in the Chase.”

    Dropping to 10th in points, Earnhardt Jr. will stay seeded there as the Chase starts next week in Chicago. When it does all the positive energy and confidence he had when his team was running top five in points earlier this season will be back. Making the Chase was something Earnhardt Jr. has felt his team was capable of doing all year long and there’s enough relief to go around that he has.

    “’I’m proud to be in the Chase,” he said. “I feel like I’m a good enough driver to be in the Chase, my team is good enough to be there. As a group I think we’re good enough to be in the top 10, and I can look back over the season and just as easily think of several instances where we cost ourselves 10 or 15 points and made this situation difficult this weekend. But we’re a good team and I’m proud to carry my sponsors and HMS in the Chase and represent them in the Chase and hopefully we’re going to work real hard. Hopefully we do a good job.”

    A good job much like Saturday when the 88 team refused to go down easily. Steve Letarte led the team with his calm, cheerleading attitude and made sure they had a plan. Every chance they got the car was repaired and adjustments were made as they worked their way through the field. While Junior Nation sat on the edge of their seats for 400 laps, Earnhardt Jr. never blinked.

    “No, I wasn’t worried at all,” he said. “I had seen racecars run good at short tracks before and I figured we had all night to fix it. I felt like if we were a good enough team, we’d get the job done. Brad had to run his ass off to win the race, to run in the top five to make it tough on us. He almost did that, but I felt good. I knew my team could fix the car good enough and if everything fell the right way for us as far as cautions and getting them lucky dogs, getting an opportunity to work on the car, we’d be fine.”

    The final 100 laps it became easier to breathe. Earnhardt Jr. climbed into the top 20 where he needed to finish to clinch his Chase spot, regardless of what his competitors did. Now in, Earnhardt Jr. can start thinking about the future.

    “We’ve got to turn a different setup than what we ran tonight and in the last six weeks frankly,” he said about the Chase. “But we had a pretty good run at it going the first 15 races and for whatever reason we sort of fell off and forgot some things or over-engineered something. But we need to look hard at what we’re doing, what we’ve been doing.”

    Earnhardt Jr. would like to go back to running how he did in those first 15 races. He was third in points for many weeks and was coming ever so close to finding victory lane before things started going downhill entering the summer. Now though, all Chase drivers will start with a fresh slate.

    “Steve has told me he’s been kind of conservative,” Earnhardt Jr. said. “But we’ve been conservative on the motor and a couple of other things the last several weeks to make sure we don’t have any problems like engine failure and there’s some other things on the engineer’s side. We’ll just see. I don’t think any of that stuff is really going to make us faster but we’ll go in there with a good attitude.”

    Right now though, life is good in the Earnhardt camp. He’s back in the Chase, he’s confident and he’s ready to go forward.

    “I’m in the Chase and I’ve got an opportunity to run for the championship,” he said late Saturday night. “I’ve got an opportunity to compete and improve my points position and improve the overall payout. I’ve still got a race to run … I think it does validate our team. I think it says a lot about our team and I’ve always felt like this team was good enough to be in the top 10 and I feel like tonight, we almost gave it away. We got outrun all year long several different times but we almost gave it away a few times too. So, I’m proud of what we’ve been able to do all year.”

  • As Expected, Earnhardt Jr., Stewart and Hamlin All Make the Chase, But Went Through Hell to Get There

    As Expected, Earnhardt Jr., Stewart and Hamlin All Make the Chase, But Went Through Hell to Get There

    The day started off well, beautiful blue sunny skies complimented an emotional tribute to the tenth anniversary of 9/11, which included a planned moment of silence from laps nine through 11 to honor the victims, survivors and those who served in response to the attacks. Danny Rodriguez, the “singing New York City policeman sang “God Bless America, the 29th Infantry Division Band played the National Anthem and R. Lee Ermey, retired US Marine, Actor and Wonderful Pistachios spokesman gave the command, “Drivers let’s get crackin! Drivers, start your engines!”

    [media-credit name=”CIA Stock Photo” align=”alignright” width=”230″][/media-credit]The cars rolled off the track at 7:46 pm and Wonderful Pistachios 400 began with three warm-up laps behind the pace car before Pole Sitter, David Reutimann brought the field to green. That’s where things started to get a little weird. Jaime McMurray quickly took over the lead, followed by Jimmie Johnson who then stole Reuity’s second place position.

    Then came lap two where all hell just broke loose and never stopped.

    The first caution of the night flew on lap two after Andy Lally got into the wall. No one hit pit road except Mike Bliss because well, the race just started ¾ miles earlier. McMurray led the field to green on lap six, with Johnson, Reutimann, Mark Martin and Clint Bowyer rounding up the top-five.

    And then bam, another caution just two laps later after Bowyer and Reutimann got together in turn four, spinning Bowyer’s No. 33 Chevy and collecting Denny Hamlin, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Scott Speed , Robby Gordon,  Matt Kenseth, Martin Truex Jr. Casey Mears, Marcos Ambrose, , David Gilliland and Travis Kvapil.

    Seriously? Seriously! Two of the three hopefuls to make the Chase involved in a wreck! Gasps could be heard track wide as hearts immediately sank and speculation began. Could NASCAR’s most popular driver Earnhardt Jr. and his crew bandage his broken racecar enough to get him a 20th place finish? How about Richmond’s hometown boy Hamlin? Did he even stand a chance or we’re all hopes dashed at that very moment?

    Both drivers took to pit road on lap 12. Hamlin for front and left sided damage, Earnhardt Jr. for serious front-end damage. Junior was back on pit road on lap 13, as were Kenseth, Truex and Mears. On lap 14 Hamlin went a lap down for an extended pit stop.

    Lap 15 saw crash victims, Earnhardt Jr., Kenseth, Truex and Bowyer back on pit road for repair. Lap 16 brought Kenseth back again and Hamlin with his hood up; possibly dashing his chances of making the Chase.  Lap 17 brought back Earnhardt Jr. and Kenseth and Hamlin once more on lap 18.

    The green flag flew on lap 19 with McMurray in the lead, only to be taken over by Johnson on lap 20, but Kasey Kahne shook things up after a hard hit in turn two bringing out caution number three. The green flag waved four laps later with Johnson leading the pack.

    Yellow flag number four flew on lap 37 after Earnhardt Jr. got into the back of Marco Ambrose, crashing him in the backstretch. Hamlin was the “lucky dog” putting the No. 11 Toyota back on the lead lap. At lap 40 both Ambrose and Hamlin were on pit road. Johnson once again led the field to green on lap 43.

    Lap 51 brought out the fifth caution of the night and ended Kahne’s night after wrecking into the outside and inside wall. Kahne was three-wide with teammate Brian Vickers and Ambrose when Kahne and Vickers got together.  Vickers expressed his displeasure with Ambrose on lap 53 by intentionally wrecking him under caution by slamming Ambrose’s No .9 Ford and blocking his entrance to pit road with his No. 83 Toyota. Vickers is told by NASCAR to park his Red Bull machine in the garage until further notice.

     

    Kenseth stayed out on the track and took the lead on lap 61 before the restart. Lap 69 brought an unexpected pit stop for Kyle Busch, who thought he had a loose wheel, putting him a lap down and in the 33rd position.  Harvick took over the lead position on lap 73 and by lap 93 was closing in on a 28th place Earnhardt Jr, about to put the No. 88 Chevy a lap down. Three laps later Harvick made that happen.

    On lap 103 Tony Stewart quietly clinched his place in the Chase by riding in the 13th position. Earnhardt Jr. sits in 10th place but just 12 points ahead of Keselowski. Mike Bliss brings of the yellow flag for the sixth time on lap 116, nailing the wall in turn two after a tire goes down.

    Vickers returned to the track on lap 120 after sitting in the garage for 68 laps. Harvick led the green flag restart on lap 122. Earnhardt Jr. delivered some earlier payback to Travis Kvapil on lap 152 sending him into the wall in turn two and bringing out the seventh caution of the evening. NASCAR deems Earnhardt Jr. responsible for the accident and did not grant him the free pass to get back onto the lead lap.

    New leader Greg Biffle led the field to green on lap 160 but of course that was short lived because in just two short laps later as Harvick was passing the Biff on the frontstretch, you guessed it another caution! Landon Cassill spun on the frontstretch and the yellow flag flew for the eighth time. Earnhardt Jr. is the “lucky dog” for the second time. Harvick led the pack out again on lap 168.

    History repeated itself again and again. Caution came out again on lap 172 as Paul Menard made hard contact with the wall and sent to the garage, ending his hopes to make the Chase. In a separate incident on the same lap, Regan Smith spun out but was able to keep it off the wall. Lap 185 we saw yellow again for the 10th time as Johnson spun in turn two after making contact with Kurt Busch. Montoya’s No. 42 Chevy was also involved.

    Harvick once again led the field to green on lap 190 with Edwards in second, looking for a dog fight and overtook the lead on lap 201. By lap 224 it was looking a little bleak for Earnhardt Jr. has he rode in the 24th position and Keselowski took over the second spot, threatening to move from his Wild Card place in the Chase to a legit top 10, which in effect would have ended Earnhardt’s chances of making the Chase.

    Edwards in the meantime is pecking off drivers one by one, putting Ambrose a lap down at 237 and Earnhardt Jr. down again at 242. But hey, guess what? Another caution came out on lap 246, number 11, after Johnson and Kurt Busch got together again in turn two. Busch spun out, Johnson hit the wall and sent the No. 48 Chevy to the garage. Earnhardt Jr. got lucky for the third time and got the free pass to get back on the lead lap. Green flag flew on lap 253 with Edwards in the lead.

    And then something magical happened, the race made it 30 laps without incident, but on lap 284 Jeff Burton spun in turn three, slamming into the wall. It happened again on lap 296 for the 13th time as it’s Ambrose’s turn to take a spin. On lap 297 Joey Logano’s engine blew, forcing him to the garage. Edwards lead the field again on lap 301 as the race went green.

    Eight laps later, yep, another caution, we’re up to 14 folks! Reutimann sustained heavy damage after contact with Bowyer and sending him into the wall. Lap 313 Edwards led the field again. Feels a little like “Groundhog Day” doesn’t it?  Harvick stole the lead from Edwards on lap 314 and it went down hill from there for him as he started to slip back in the pack and then on lap 355 was told that he would be ten laps short on fuel.

    Harvick fights to keep the lead as Jeff Gordon makes a hard charge for first place on lap 366. Gordon makes the pass on lap 378 and took over the lead. Earnhardt Jr. went a lap down at 381…again. Just when we thought we’d make it to the end without another caution…surprise! Caution 15 came out on lap 384 as Menard, who returned to the track on lap 254, 79 laps down, spun on the frontstretch and with that, Earnhardt Jr. got lucky once again with the free pass.

    Harvick won the race off of pit road, with Edwards, Gordon and Kyle Busch holding up the rear. Harvick held Edwards off to the finish line and won this emotional, roller coaster of a race in what felt like a fairy tale ending, everything fell into place exactly as predicted. Despite the many hardships that each of the drivers endured during the Wonderful Pistachios 400, some more than other; Dale Earnhardt Jr., Tony Stewart and Denny Hamlin made the Sprint Cup Chase and we all lived happily ever after.

    Earnhardt Jr. moved up to 17th position at lap 327, enough to lock him into the Chase.

    Unofficial Race Results
    Wonderful Pistachios 400, Richmond International Raceway
    http://www.speedwaymedia.com/Cup/race.php?race=26
    =========================================
    Pos. St. No. Driver Make Points
    =========================================
    1 7 29 Kevin Harvick Chevrolet 48
    2 8 99 Carl Edwards Ford 43
    3 17 24 Jeff Gordon Chevrolet 42
    4 20 6 David Ragan Ford 40
    5 11 22 Kurt Busch Dodge 40
    6 13 18 Kyle Busch Toyota 39
    7 22 14 Tony Stewart Chevrolet 37
    8 18 39 Ryan Newman Chevrolet 36
    9 28 11 Denny Hamlin Toyota 35
    10 4 5 Mark Martin Chevrolet 34
    11 9 43 A.J. Allmendinger Ford 33
    12 19 2 Brad Keselowski Dodge 32
    13 14 16 Greg Biffle Ford 32
    14 2 1 Jamie McMurray Chevrolet 31
    15 10 42 Juan Montoya Chevrolet 29
    16 27 88 Dale Earnhardt Jr. Chevrolet 28
    17 30 13 Casey Mears Toyota 27
    18 23 78 Regan Smith Chevrolet 26
    19 34 135 Dave Blaney Chevrolet 25
    20 32 47 Bobby Labonte Toyota 24
    21 33 9 Marcos Ambrose Ford 23
    22 5 33 Clint Bowyer Chevrolet 22
    23 25 17 Matt Kenseth Ford 22
    24 40 36 Stephen Leicht Chevrolet 20
    25 21 51 Landon Cassill Chevrolet 0
    26 1 0 David Reutimann Toyota 18
    27 36 34 David Gilliland Ford 17
    28 35 38 Travis Kvapil Ford 0
    29 6 31 Jeff Burton Chevrolet 15
    30 29 56 Martin Truex Jr. Toyota 14
    31 3 48 Jimmie Johnson Chevrolet 14
    32 38 71 Andy Lally * Ford 12
    33 24 83 Brian Vickers Toyota 11
    34 15 27 Paul Menard Chevrolet 10
    35 16 20 Joey Logano Toyota 9
    36 42 32 Mike Bliss Ford 0
    37 37 7 Robby Gordon Dodge 7
    38 12 4 Kasey Kahne Toyota 6
    39 31 66 Michael McDowell Toyota 5
    40 26 30 David Stremme Chevrolet 4
    41 39 87 Joe Nemechek Toyota 0
    42 43 55 J.J. Yeley Ford 2
    43 41 46 Scott Speed Ford 0
  • 2001; A Year That NASCAR Fans And America Wish Never Happened

    2001; A Year That NASCAR Fans And America Wish Never Happened

    Feb. 18, 2001.

    Expectations run high, as each driver comes out of their off-season slumber to get ready for the biggest race of the year. Daytona has always been a track that not only challenges the driver’s mentality, but also their keen sense of judgment and their hunger to take the risky chances knowing that a victory here is worth its weight in gold.

    Daytona has always been a track that takes disappointment in a very personal way, and this year would be no different. What was about to transpire on this very typical race day, would always be remembered as one of the most shocking and saddest days in all of NASCAR history. Daytona has always been the center of attention whenever the word NASCAR is mentioned, and it’s for good reason because of the rich history that she has left us in her wake.

    As we cheered and stood on our feet along with the 200,000 plus fans that were watching in amazement, it was because Daytona was about to give a driver the biggest thrill of his life, while at the same time bringing the entire NASCAR world to a standstill in a matter of a few short seconds. It was on this day that Daytona would be generous enough to give a driver who had gone win less his whole career, the chance to shine and be able to stand above the rest.

    Michael Waltrip would finally take center stage, and capture his first Winston cup win after 400+ win less starts. The words of his brother Darrell, crying as he announced the last lap told the whole story of the many years that the Waltrip family had patiently waited for. Those were certainly tears of joy and not sorrow.

    Tears of many years while watching his younger brother make start after start, while racing his heart out trying desperately to get his first NASCAR win. But today would finally be Mikey’s day; a day when the Waltrip family would get their chance to celebrate one of the most important wins known to any NASCAR driver, A Daytona 500 Victory.

    To the Waltrip family and the fans who were watching, this day is what racing is all about, and it was time to start the celebrations-so they thought. The fans were cheering as Waltrip pulled his car around to victory lane, while at the same time his brother Darrell kept repeating that, “He finally did it!” Within a few moments notice, and  before anyone knew what was happening, Darrell’s joy changed to disbelief. “Is he alright,” were his words? “Somebody check to make sure Dale is okay.”

    But it was the solemn look on Kenny Schrader’s face as he walked away from the wreckage, while signaling for the EMT’s that almost confirmed what the racing was not hoping for. As Dale Jr climbed out of his race car, what would happen next is something that none of us would ever hope to have to ever encounter. Especially when it was just moments earlier that Dale Jr. was watching his dad in his rearview mirror doing what he had never done before – blocking, so that he and Mikey could race for the win.

    And now here he was looking at his dad’s lifeless body, just lying there instead of celebrating in victory lane the biggest win that any team owner could ever imagine. Then to the shock of the entire racing community came the words that all auto racing fans, as well as drivers would hope they would never have to hear. They were the words of Mike Helton telling the auto racing world, “Undoubtedly this is one of the toughest announcements I’ve personally had to make. After the accident in Turn four at the end of the Daytona 500, today we have lost a legend. NASCAR has lost Dale Earnhardt Sr.”

    The asphalt monster took one of NASCAR’s biggest stars, in a wicked display of selfishness; Daytona would have it no other way when she took the life of Dale Earnhardt Sr. For some unseen reason, Daytona felt that no other track would have the honor of gobbling up the sports biggest star.

    Fans around the world would go into shock and mourning. We couldn’t believe that NASCAR had finally made it to National T.V., and was about to flow into the mainstream of our everyday lives. But now the sports biggest star was gone. In the twinkling of an eye, Dale Earnhardt Sr would no longer be part of the big picture. It would have been the biggest news story of the year – no other news story came close until…..

    September, 11, 2001.

    Just when the racing world was beginning to come to grips over the death of Dale Earnhardt Sr. life as most of us fans know it would continue, even though the sport was without its biggest star and the American people who enjoyed the sport, would begin to look for the next driver that we could call our hero since to some of us Earnhardt was that driver.

    So news story after news story continued to plague our television airwaves, as was the norm while living in the United States of America. There was always something going on, and our faithful news crews always seemed to know exactly where to be in order to bring us the best coverage possible. Day in and day we got up, went to work or tended to our daily chores and basically went about our daily lives.

    But once again not only would this news event shock the racing world, but it would reach the ends of the earth while shaking up the entire world that we live in. What transpired on this very gruesome and tragic day, was an act that not even Hollywood itself could have scripted. Not only would this be the biggest news story of the year, but it would easily be remembered for years to come as the biggest story of the century.

    Many people who never knew what was happening – normal everyday working class citizens, doing what they were used to, minding their own business thinking that the day would be just like the rest. But little did they know that this would be a day that our President would take to the airwaves with this horrifying message; “Fellow Americans” were the Presidents words. “The World Trade Center has just been terrorized. Two commercial airplanes have just flown through them”.

    Just the thought of not only hearing these words, but also watching the attacks’ as they were shown time after time on television, was enough to set off a time bomb of hatred toward those who were involved. But at the same time, many Americans took the time to say “I love you” to those friends and family members realizing just how precious our time is here on earth. On this very tragic day, not just one life was lost, but instead MANY innocent lives were lost and all of this for the sake of terrorism, jealousy, but most of all for the sake of hatred towards mankind.

    It was the day that the world stood still. Not only was the World Trade Center destroyed, but the Pentagon was also attacked, along with a fourth plane when the crew as well as some of the passengers attempted to retake control of the plane which eventually crashed in a Pennsylvania. The fourth plane was headed towards Washington D.C., but thanks to the many heroes’ that were on board, it never reached its destination even though it cost them their lives.

    This was a very tragic day when for a few moments, While looking back since today is the eight year anniversary of the attacks, try to remember the ones who paid with there lives. The ones who never knew that this day would be their last, that this day would forever be remembered as a day that terrorism ran rampant around our country.

    But most of all it would be remembered as a day to honor the heroes, who without fear and not knowing, went in to save those that they never even knew. In a moments notice, one act of evil thinking quickly changed into an act of kindness, courage, and love towards fellow man. The N.Y.F.D. who lost many, as well as the brave men and woman who tried desperately to rescue those people, which were most likely complete strangers.

    But to them the only thing that mattered was there were human lives that needed to be rescued, lives of those who would never again get to see their loved ones. They paid the ultimate price which was more precious than gold itself. They paid with their lives never knowing the buildings would eventually collapse, and all that was left was a huge concrete morgue, encased with the remains of the human race.

    There were many nations that were portrayed in that building all working together, towards world peace. And by the evil act of one person, it was all taken away. On that dreadful day we lost Our Nation, and some our biggest stars who gave their lives so that we as a Nation could live on having to live in fear again. So as NASCAR nation, lets give it up today for the fallen heroes, to those who lost there lives doing the unthinkable while putting aside all their differences for the sake of mankind.

    GOD BLESS AMERICA AND ITS SURROUNDING NATIONS

  • Clint Bowyer Reflects on Season and Says ‘I’m Ready to Start Over’

    A few weeks ago Clint Bowyer said he was optimistic about his Chase chances. Times have changed and lately Bowyer isn’t very optimistic about anything. From the Chase to his contract and even his racing luck, Bowyer said it just hasn’t been his year.

    [media-credit id=43 align=”alignright” width=”213″][/media-credit]Friday in Richmond he stated he was ready to start over, everything over. That’s because Bowyer hasn’t had much success this season and he needs a lot of luck in Richmond in order to make NASCAR’s postseason. He sits 14th in points after a wreck last week in Atlanta knocked him out of top 10 contention.

    Now it’s either win and you’re in or hope for the best. And the best isn’t exactly easy to figure out.

    “We had an interesting situation where we had all the scenarios here,” said Bowyer. “Some mathematician is getting very smart in all the scenarios that he had worked out for the press conference [Thursday].”

    Bowyer then joked that if his competitors “fell over dead” and he could win the race and then he would get into the Chase. Silly, is how Bowyer described the weekend but said that he doesn’t feel the pressure of it. Instead, the focus is on not only winning Saturday night but the rest of the season.

    “I’m here to win the race and if something crazy happens and crazy things happen in this world of racing, I’ll be glad to be a part of it,” he said of the Chase.

    If not, Bowyer has plenty of other things to worry about. His team for one, which he says has been struggling for weeks and frustrations mounting. With only weeks left in the 2011 season, Bowyer’s ready to put it to bed.

    “It just wasn’t our year,” he said. “We didn’t do a good enough job and it’s up to us to cap off the season well. We’re not finished with the season. Just because you’re not part of the Chase doesn’t mean you don’t go out and try to end the season on a positive note. That’s important to me and it’s important to our race team and it’s important to our sponsors.”

    Making the Chase, going to the season ending banquet and taking part in the festivities of Champion’s week is something Bowyer loves to do. He wants to do it again this December but says it won’t be the end of the world if he doesn’t. Sometime down the road he’ll have another opportunity but the question has become where he’ll do that.

    While he says he won’t deal with the pressure of the championship he has been dealing with trying to put together a new contract. Not immune to the rumors that are running rampant about his future, recent comments by team owner Richard Childress have only made things worse.

    Is he going – as some have read into – or is he staying as Bowyer says he wants to? Working toward a new deal and finalizing it has been more difficult and extended than Bowyer would have liked.

    “There’s a lot of pressure,” he said about his upcoming decision. “Unfortunately it all comes together at once. It would have been nice to have the future out of the way three months ago, but it’s just not the case. It’s tough in today’s world and you’ve got to be tough as well. You’ve just got to get through it and it is what it is.”

    When the deal gets done, relief will be felt all around. Focus will go back on what matters most, on track. For now though, Bowyer doesn’t want to think about what could be.

    “Oh, it would be heartbreaking, a tough deal,” he said about going to a new team. “That’s family to me and it means a lot to me. I don’t forget where I was standing when I got a phone call to get me this opportunity and change my life. It would be big. But the world goes on. You have to make decisions and those are performance-driven, business driven, life, family, everything. It’s just a lot of decisions you go through and everybody goes through those in life. Us racers are no different.”

    For as hard as things have been on the Cup side, he also hasn’t had much luck behind the wheel of his teammates equipment either. Running select races in the Camping World Truck Series for KHI and the No. 2 it appears to be the only place that he’s having fun and where things have been going right.

    Well, sort of. Bowyer still laughed when talking about it, however.

    “Surprise wasn’t there,” said Bowyer about Harvick’s announcement of shutting the truck team down. “But I’m bummed out, man. That No. 2 truck, I’m having a lot of fun in that thing this year! Again, it just kind of shows you the way my year is going. You can have a dominant truck, as dominant as we were last Friday night in Atlanta and we still lost. I’m just telling you; it’s just not my year. I’m ready to start over!”

  • Kyle Busch Steals a Nationwide Win from Edwards in the Virginia 529 College Savings 250

    Kyle Busch Steals a Nationwide Win from Edwards in the Virginia 529 College Savings 250

    The Virginia 529 College Savings 250 at Richmond International Raceway Friday night was pretty much Carl Edwards’ for the taking, after dominating most of the race. The fateful blow came when Edwards lost three positions during the final round of pit stops under caution.

    [media-credit name=”Ted Seminara” align=”alignright” width=”242″][/media-credit]Kyle Busch won his 51st Nationwide race of his career, his eighth this season in 19 starts by edging Edwards out at the finish line by just .696 seconds., followed by Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Ryan Truex and Kenny Wallace rounding out the Top-five.

    “Carl was certainly really, really god there, and I thought at first we were probably a third- or fourth-place car, and then kind of worked on it and made it a second- or third-place car,” Busch said. “We were keeping up with Carl, and then, on that final pit stop, my guys really put the pressure on, knowing how quick they’d been on pit road all night — and they did it once again.

    “We were able to get off first, and I think Carl came off fourth, so when we had the restart there, he got mired up in traffic there, and that gave us some room to get out … [crew chief] Jason [Ratcliff] and these guys made some awesome adjustments all night, making the car a little bit better — just be able to make it a little more drivable. Every run we got closer, and then, there on that last run, we had track position and a good car.”

    The battle between Edwards and Busch started on lap three as the two battled for second place behind race leader Brad Keselowski. By lap seven Edwards took over the lead and left the other drivers in his dust.

    The first caution flew at lap 65 after Black Koch spun on the frontstretch after a nudge from Aric Amirola. Edwards resumed his lead on lap 79 as the green flag restarted the race. Brad Keselowski, Kyle Busch, Trevor Bayne and Steve Wallace rolled out 2nd through fifth respectively.

    The second caution waved on the very same lap of the restart as Keselowski brushed the wall, followed by a crash in turns three and four between Kevin Harvick and Jason Leffler.

    Busch took the lead coming off pit road on lap 85 with Edwards behind in second place. Edwards took back his lead position on lap 87. Daytona 500 winner Trevor Bayne takes the second position from Busch on lap 114 and has his sights on Edwards.

    The yellow flag flew for the third time after Danica Patrick locked up her breaks heading into turn three and spinning Keselowski in the process. The race restarted on lap 143 only to have the caution flag thrown again on the same lap for the second time in the race after Brian Scott and Michael Annett crash in turns three and four. Scott’s car was turned by Amirola, who proved to be none to pleased and attempted to make his way towards Amirola’s car before being retained by a NASCAR official.

    Busch retook the lead off of pit road on lap 153, followed once again by a second place Edwards. Just six laps later the yellow flag flew for the fifth time after Eric McClure hot the wall. Busch reigned supreme by taking the lead from Edwards once again on lap 170 but Edwards would not go quietly and reclaimed his number one spot on lap 175.

    Kevin Harvick slammed Tevor Bayne, crashing him on the backstretch bring out the race’s sixth caution on lap 209. Busch once again exited pit road in the lead on lap 220, Edwards however exits fourth behind Stenhouse Jr. and Truex. With just 30 laps to go, Edwards would have to give it everything he got to try to regain his lead.

    Edwards’ hard charge looked promising as he moved into the top three by lap 226. By lap 235, he dove under Stenhouse Jr. in turn two to move into the second position. It looked as if Edwards would catch Busch as the margin between them whittled down to about eighth tenth of a second by lap 239, but in the end Edwards’ car would not sustain the power to propel him to the finish line first.

    Busch celebrated in victory lane, scoring his 51st Nationwide Series win, extending the driver’s own record for the most in the division’s history. All eyes should be on Busch for the Sprint Cup race Saturday night. He won it last year and is a favorite to sweep the weekend at RIR.

     

    Unofficial Race Results
    Virginia 529 College Savings 250, Richmond International Raceway
    http://www.speedwaymedia.com/n2s/race.php?race=27
    =========================================
    Pos. No. Driver Make Points
    =========================================
    1 3 18 Kyle Busch Toyota 0
    2 2 60 Carl Edwards Ford 0
    3 6 6 Ricky Stenhouse Jr. Ford 41
    4 10 20 Ryan Truex * Toyota 40
    5 5 9 Kenny Wallace Toyota 39
    6 8 2 Elliott Sadler Chevrolet 38
    7 16 88 Aric Almirola Chevrolet 37
    8 17 32 Reed Sorenson Chevrolet 36
    9 22 31 Justin Allgaier Chevrolet 35
    10 15 87 Joe Nemechek Toyota 34
    11 26 62 Michael Annett Toyota 33
    12 18 19 Mike Bliss Chevrolet 32
    13 14 70 David Stremme Chevrolet 0
    14 28 51 Jeremy Clements Chevrolet 31
    15 24 1 Mike Wallace Chevrolet 29
    16 7 66 Steve Wallace Toyota 28
    17 38 15 Timmy Hill * Ford 27
    18 32 7 Danica Patrick Chevrolet 26
    19 1 22 Brad Keselowski Dodge 0
    20 13 33 Kevin Harvick Chevrolet 0
    21 37 28 Derrike Cope Chevrolet 23
    22 39 23 Robert Richardson Jr. Chevrolet 22
    23 40 52 Kevin Lepage Chevrolet 21
    24 41 89 Morgan Shepherd Chevrolet 20
    25 42 39 Luis Martinez Jr. Ford 19
    26 27 30 Ricky Carmichael Chevrolet 0
    27 35 81 Blake Koch * Dodge 17
    28 4 16 Trevor Bayne Ford 16
    29 11 38 Jason Leffler Chevrolet 15
    30 20 14 Eric McClure Chevrolet 14
    31 9 1 Jamie McMurray Chevrolet 0
    32 12 11 Brian Scott Toyota 12
    33 21 40 Josh Wise Chevrolet 11
    34 25 141 Johnny Chapman Chevrolet 10
    35 30 171 Matthew Carter Ford 9
    36 23 44 Jeff Green Chevrolet 8
    37 36 175 Carl Long Ford 7
    38 43 142 Tim Andrews Chevrolet 6
    39 34 248 Dennis Setzer Chevrolet 5
    40 19 49 Mark Green Chevrolet 4
    41 31 103 Scott Riggs Chevrolet 3
    42 33 146 Chase Miller Chevrolet 2
    43 29 147 Brian Keselowski Chevrolet 0
  • Kyle Busch Holds On To Win At Richmond, Again

    Kyle Busch Holds On To Win At Richmond, Again

    If I were to tell you Kyle Busch would go on to win at Richmond, out of all places, would you believe me? Probably the most dominant driver in the last five years at Richmond International Raceway, Busch went on to secure yet another NASCAR Nationwide Series win Friday night.

  • NASCAR Pays Tribute by ‘Honoring Our Heroes’ with Special Paint Schemes and Remembrance

    NASCAR Pays Tribute by ‘Honoring Our Heroes’ with Special Paint Schemes and Remembrance

    If there is a NASCAR race being run in Richmond, you will generally find me in the Media Center moonlighting from my “day job.” It allows me to put on a different hat for a couple of days and see the world in a completely different light. Writing about NASCAR is not only a passion, but, at times, a much needed distraction from my full-time career. I am a Paramedic with a background in firefighting. Rarely do my worlds collide, but this weekend, commemorating the tenth anniversary of 9/11 at the track, they did just that.

    I listened to drivers share their personal accounts of where they were on Sept. 11, 2001. Denny Hamlin was putting an exhaust on a new car, Kurt Busch was testing in South Carolina and Ryan Newman was listening to a waterproof radio that hung from the shower head while he was bathing that morning. You can’t help but be transported right back to where each of us was that day.

    I lived in Arlington, directly across from the Pentagon, I watched it all play out in real time before my eyes. Not knowing what could possibly happen next, I choked back tears as I said my “good-byes” and “I love yous” to my parents on the phone that morning. It seems almost melodramatic now but at the time I was terrified and truly unsure if I’d make it out alive. The anniversary brings back painful memories for me. It remains the worst day of my life.

    [media-credit name=”CIA Stock Photo” align=”alignright” width=”234″][/media-credit]Today in the Media Center I was reminded of loss, as Mary Siller Scullin recounted her brother’s life, a New York Firefighter who died on Sept. 11, 2001. Stephen Siller was off that day preparing for a game of golf with friends when he heard the news that the World Trade Center had been attacked. Instinctively, he grabbed his gear, threw it into his truck and made his way towards the burning towers. When he arrived at the Brooklyn Battery Tunnel, it had already been closed to vehicular traffic, so Siller put his 75 pound gear on his back and ran through the tunnel to the towers to help  rescue his fellow New Yorkers.

    Siller lost his life when the towers collapsed leaving behind his wife, five children and five siblings to carry on his memory and share his story. The Stephen Siller Tunnel to Towers Foundation, was started by his brother Frank to honor his fallen sibling. It is a charitable organization set up to follow in the footsteps of this true American hero.

    Drivers David Gilliland, Danica Patrick, Greg Biffle, Trevor Bayne and Ricky Stenhouse Jr. joined Howard Hitchcock, Vice President of Lionel NASCAR Collectibles, to present a $125 thousand dollar check to Mary Suller Scullin, Vice President of the Stephen Siller Tunnel to Towers Foundation.

    One of the primary missions of the Foundation is to help military members who have been seriously injured and sacrificed the quality of their lives in the line of duty.  The Foundation is currently in the process of building “smart homes” for three servicemen who suffered the loss of both arms and legs during combat but lived to share their stories.

    Two of the three gentlemen were on hand, US Army Specialist Brendan Marrocco and USMC Corporal Todd Nicely. Scullin earmarked the donation to be used for the construction of a customized home for Nicely. Marrocco’s home was finished in June.

    “It’s not every day that you get to do something so important for America’s finest heroes on an anniversary that’s so meaningful to our country,” said Hitchcock. “I’m proud of our team, we worked extremely hard to put the Honoring Our Heroes program together and we hope this donation and the funds that follow it will go a long way towards finishing Todd’s new home. “

    The check was the first installment of the proceeds from Lionel NASCAR Collectibles “Honoring Our Heroes” die-cast program.  Eight drivers will run a special “Honoring Our Heroes” pain scheme this weekend. Each of those cars will honor those who lost their lives in the 9/11 attack as well as our nation’s military heroes. During the Nationwide race, look for the special paint schemes on the cars of Danica Patrick, Carl Edwards, Trevor Bayne and Ricky Stenhouse Jr.. David Gilliland, Greg Biffle, Tony Stewart and Jamie McMurray will their “Honoring Our Heroes” cars on Saturday night’s Sprint Cup race.

    “When we first talked to Lional NASCAR about the possibility of drivers racing with out Foundation’s name on the cars, we had no idea it would be this big,” said Scullin. “Today, as I see these drivers and all these cars I am overwhelmed with emotion. On September 11, 2001, my brother Stephen sacrificed his life for his fellow Americans and he would be honored to know that his legacy is making such a difference in the lives of young men like Brendan and Todd.”

    After the presentation of the check, Scullin presented each of the drivers a small piece of metal from the World Trade Center stamped with the words “W.T.C. 9/11 Never Forget” and the number 343 in honor of the 343 firefighters who died that day.  She reminded the drivers that the metal was special because her brother’s body was never recovered, so each piece of that metal held a piece of Stephen’s spirit and hoped that it would help to keep each of them safe.

    Each of the drivers acknowledged the “gift” with great humility and thanks. They not only recognized the lives lost, but applauded the fact that even though all those firefighters lost their lives running into the face of danger, the disabled servicemen who sat before them knew that they could face death or dismemberment but they still signed up to simply “do their jobs” and if given the chance would do it all again.

    It is refreshing to see that our NASCAR heroes have heroes of their own.

  • Matty’s Picks: Wonderful Pistachios 400 Vol. 17 – Richmond – September 10, 2011

    Matty’s Picks: Wonderful Pistachios 400 Vol. 17 – Richmond – September 10, 2011

    [media-credit id=18 align=”alignright” width=”225″][/media-credit]It all comes down to this! The regular season will officially come to a close and the post-season will officially begin after the dust settles Saturday Night.

    Officially, nine of 12 tickets to this year’s Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup have been given out, with a record 14 drivers still in the hunt for one of the three remaining spots in The Chase. Previously, the most drivers mathematically eligible for one of the unclaimed spots in The Chase for the Sprint Cup heading into Richmond was seven, dating back to 2005.

    If you’re wondering if your driver has a guaranteed spot on The Chase stage, Jimmie Johnson, Kyle Busch, Carl Edwards, Matt Kenseth, Jeff Gordon, Kevin Harvick, Kurt Busch, and Ryan Newman are all guaranteed spots in the Top-10 for the first race of the 2011 Chase. These drivers will also receive bonus points in The Chase for their winning efforts during the first 26 races of the season.

    The other driver who has a guarantee from NASCAR to put his toys in the box this year is Brad Keselowski. Keselowski has made his position known by way of his three wins on the season, two of which coming in the last five races. In the words of my high school wrestling coach, “Matty, it’s not always about being good all the time, but being good at the RIGHT time.” Keselowski has been on a roll heading into The Chase, finishing outside the top-three just once in the past five races.

    Atlanta Recap

    Rain, Rain, Go Away! was the tune sang last week in Atlanta, after the Sprint Cup race had to be postponed from Sunday evening until Tuesday morning. At a racetrack known for close finishes, the race Tuesday was nothing short of what was expected out of a race at Atlanta Motor Speedway.

    My winner pick fought diligently to take the lead about ¾ through the race, but fell a half-second short of victory to race-winner Jeff Gordon on lap 325. Jimmie Johnson rolled off the starting grid in 17th place on Tuesday, and threw the book at his car in an effort to make it drive better.

    “The first two runs the car was pretty bad. And Chad made some great adjustments on pit road to get the car in the track to where I could carry any speed in and through the center and then use the throttle off. Before that I was on ice and couldn’t drive the car” said Johnson following his runner-up finish.

    Johnson was even in the lead with 50 to go, but finally surrendered the lead to a charging Jeff Gordon, who really had the car to beat on Tuesday Afternoon. Still, I can not complain about a second-place finish following my blunder just two weeks ago at Bristol.

    My Dark Horse pick handed me my worst finish of the year on Tuesday. A 36th place finish was what I had to show for a Dark Horse pick last week due to an accident involving Juan Montoya and my pick, Clint Bowyer on lap 243.

    Bowyer earned his career-best starting position for the race Tuesday morning by laying down an absolutely flawless lap on Saturday, good enough to start second. For the majority of the first half of the race, Bowyer was a staple in the Top-10, but after contact with Montoya on lap 243, Bowyer found himself waiting in the garage while the “Helping Hands” pit crew worked diligently to get the No. 33 Chevrolet back in racing order.

    Bowyer had this to say about the incident with Montoya: “We had a really good Cheerios/Hamburger Helper Chevrolet today and got wrecked by another competitor who was racing stupid and not showing any patience. It sounds like we are going to have to win next week to make the Chase for (the NASCAR Sprint Cup) and we run well in Richmond. We had a top-10 car this weekend and I expect us to have one in Richmond. This team isn’t going down without a fight.”

    Richmond Picks

    This week, I will do something I’ve yet to do this season with Matty’s picks…pick a driver two weeks in a row. I might get some backlash for doing it, but its really the right thing to do this week.

    Winner Pick

    My winner pick this week was my Dark Horse last week and is the guy to beat this week not only because of his history at RIR, but for the passion he will be driving with on Saturday night.

    Clint Bowyer stands on the outside looking in on The Chase for the Sprint Cup now in 14th place heading into the race Saturday Night. He lost two spots with his finish last week at Atlanta and is hungry to show that he deserves to race for the Sprint Cup this year. He needs to win Saturday night to make the last 10 races meaningful this season, and needs help (not in a positive way) from Denny Hamlin if he has any chance of making The Chase.

    6th place seems to be Bowyer’s favorite finishing spot the past few years at RIR, with three 6th place finishes in the past four races at the track. He did have the opportunity to visit Victory Lane at Richmond in May of 2009, and boasts a 9.5 average finish at RIR.

    Bowyer may be a ringer pick for the race Saturday night, and judging by his practice speeds earlier today, he will make things interesting not only in the 400-lap race, but for the last few covenanted spots in The Chase.

    Dark Horse Pick

    My Dark Horse pick is also a guy who needs a win plus some help from other drivers to make the 2011 Chase field. Marcos Ambrose has one win this year already, and sits just outside the Top-20 in points in 21st position.

    In order to be a part of the Chase field, Marcos Ambrose would have to win the Wonderful Pistachios 400 Saturday Night, but also enter the Top-20 in the points standings to seal up the second and final Wild Card spot this season.

    Now, the driver sitting 20th in points seems to be little to no threat to win Saturday night, as he has yet to finish any better than 16th at the D-shaped short-track, a positive statistic for Ambrose. Marcos Ambrose sits seven points behind Menard in 21st, but a win out of him and an average finish from Paul Menard would give him enough of a points gain to end up in a Wild Card spot for The Chase.

    Ambrose is hungry to show he belongs among NASCAR’s elite with a spot in the 2011 Chase for the Sprint Cup. He does have two Top-10’s at Richmond, including a 5th-place finish last year in this exact race. I know it may seem like a real long-shot, but I’ve seen stranger things happen…

    This wraps up the regular season for Matty’s Picks, but stay tuned next week for my thoughts on the start of the Chase and my picks for Chicagoland.

    Until Next Time…You Stay Classy NASCAR NATION!