Category: Featured Stories

For literally decades a well known tourism promo has been telling us that “Virginia is for lovers.” However the state is also about auto racing and fans who support it. Virginia has played a pivotal role in the past, present and future of NASCAR. This is especially true of the Richmond International Raceway who will host the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series this Saturday night.

[media-credit name=”Brad Keppel” align=”alignright” width=”225″][/media-credit]Often described as “the short track that thinks it’s a super speedway,” this three quarter mile, D shaped, oval has for many years been the scene of some very exciting racing often treating its fans to close and surprising finishes. To sum it up, Saturday night is expected to be another awesome race night in Virginia.

THE STORY BREAKDOWN

Throughout the Richmond weekend you’re going to hear a lot about rumors that says there may be a major crew chief swap involving two teams from Joe Gibbs Racing. Despite a recent fervent denial from the organization’s President, J D Gibbs, those rumors state that Mike Ford, the crew chief for Denny Hamlin’s #11 Fed Ex Toyota team, and Greg Zippadelli, the leader of Joey Logano’s #20 Home Depot team, are going to swap positions.

This is reportedly based on an unexpected turn in team performance levels through the first eight races of the 2011 season. Considered a pre season Sprint Cup championship favorite, Hamlin is 17th in the points standings, 100 points out of first. He was expected to be a race winner by now but has only managed just one top ten finish during the first eight events and has an average finish ratio of 20.1.

The numbers aren’t any better for Logano’s team whom many felt was going to experience a break out season this year. Logano also only has one top ten finish, an average finish ratio of 21.8 and is ranked 24th in the championship standings 116 points out of first.

Despite Wednesday’s denial from Gibbs, this Sprint Cup garage rumor seems to continue to gather steam. If the alleged swap is going to happen, then it will likely be officially announced within the next few weeks.

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You’re going to hear a lot about parity regarding the first eight races of the 2011 season this weekend. That’s very appropriate because the NASCAR Sprint Cup season is off to a very competitive start. We’ve watched seven different drivers park their cars in victory lane during the last eight events with only Kevin Harvick being the lone double winner. It’s the best sense of balance that the series has displayed since the 2003 season.

Four of the eight races set lead change records including the last event at Talladega which tied an all time Sprint Cup record of 88 lead changes. So far we’ve seen an average of 14.6 leaders per race which is the most for eight events in NASCAR history. There has also been a series high 54 green flag passes for the lead with a series high average of 38.5 per race. We’ve also seen an average of 4,511 green flag passes for position during the course of these eight races. Now that’s parity.

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It’s always nice to report good fortune for a struggling, yet deserving, race team and the news was very good last Wednesday for Tommy Baldwin Racing and their driver Dave Blaney. During the Talladega race, Blaney’s #36 TBR Chevrolet was a major player during the late moments of the race and he led a total of 21 laps. It appeared that a true Cinderella story was in the making before Blaney was hit in the rear bumper and sent spinning through the infield grass. Despite the disappointing 27th place finish, the financially strapped team still managed to collect $99,333 in prize money which was enough to keep the car on the track for at least two more races.

At Talladega TBR was sponsored, on a one race basis, by the Golden Corral Restaurant chain. Apparently they liked what they saw because they announced a new deal last Wednesday that said they are going to be the team’s primary sponsor for 19 of the remaining 28 races and will be an associate sponsor for the remaining nine events. The TBR Chevrolet will promote the restaurant’s “Racing For America’s Families” campaign. Each time Blaney finishes in the top ten kids will eat for free at Golden Corral on the Monday following the race.

On the very same day there was a second press release from TBR announcing that Big Red Inc, the makers of one of the fastest growing soft drinks in the country, will be the team’s primary sponsor for five Sprint Cup races this year. Good news indeed for a hard working and most deserving organization.

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By now many race fans may be wondering about the unique, not to mention lengthy, name of Saturday night’s Sprint Cup race at Richmond: Crown Royal presents the Matthew and Daniel Hansen 400. The name comes from the Crown Royal Your Name Here program which honors deserving members of our armed forces.

A member of the U.S. Marine Corp, currently stationed in San Marcos-California, Matthew Hanson was chosen from a group of five finalists nominated by their family and friends for their ability to demonstrate the core values of the military in performing a selfless act that made them a hero. Matthew Hanson’s God Mother nominated him for amazing service during three deployments to Iraq and for continuing to serve with amazing courage and faith after losing his twin brother, best friend and fellow Marine Daniel.

Matthew Hansen joined the Marines in 2002. Through his work in logistics, he deployed as part of Operation Iraqi Freedom three times. Due to injury from that experience, he now works at the San Marcos base but hopes to return overseas again.

Daniel Hanson also joined the Marines in 2002 approximately two weeks after his twin brother. He was hand picked to guard former President George W Bush at Camp David in 2004 and later Lt General Richard Zilmer while in Iraq. Tragically, Daniel Hanson was killed by a roadside bomb while supporting operations in the Farah Province of Afghanistan.

There just simply not enough ways to say thank you to the dedication displayed by each member of our armed forces. A tip of the racing hat goes to Crown Royal for creating and sponsoring this outstanding program.

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THE VEGAS BREAKDOWN

To no real surprise the Las Vegas based World Sports Exchange, WSE, has stacked their deck with the names of former Richmond winners, with past success on short tracks, at the top of their list. Kyle Busch is on top of that list at 4 to 1 odds. That’s perfectly natural. Anytime this driver straps on a helmet he automatically becomes a pre race favorite. Busch is a two time winner at Richmond and is also the defending race champion after winning the May 2010 race from the pole position. He also has ten top five finishes there along with an average finish ratio of 5.2. His driver numbers also indicates a great deal of efficiency on the short tracks currently on the Sprint Cup schedule. Those numbers include seven wins, 23 top fives and a finish ratio of 10.0. It’s hard to argue against numbers like that.

Next in line, at 6 to 1, is Jimmie Johnson. He will be arriving at Richmond second in the championship standings, five points from the top, and it appears that “Jimmie Five Time” is on track for his next championship which would make him “Jimmie Six Pack.” He has three wins, and six top fives, at Richmond. His short track numbers are also quite good and includes ten wins along with 23 top five finishes.

At 7 to 1 odds is the aforementioned Denny Hamlin. If there’s just one track available for Hamlin to redirect a dismal season start, then Richmond is it. He’s a two time winner there, including last September’s race, and has five top five finishes along with an 8.0 finish average. He’s another ace on NASCAR’s short tracks with six wins. There’s also a strong emotional tie for Hamlin Saturday night. The Virginia native’s home town is a short freeway ride from Richmond and the element of family and friends in the grandstand is always a plus.

Carl Edwards is listed at 8 to 1 for the Richmond race. The current Sprint Cup points leader is still looking for his first Richmond win, but he does have a top five finish along with five top tens there. The top dog of the Roush Fenway Racing group is a potential solid wager.

At 9 to 1 are a trio of drivers worthy of your gambling budget with Tony Stewart leading this group. “Smoke” is smoking hot at Richmond with three wins, nine top fives, 15 top tens and a finish ratio of 11.1. Four time series champion Jeff Gordon is a double winner at Richmond while backing that up with 14 top fives, 23 top tens and a 14.1 finish ratio. Also in this group is Kevin Harvick who is another previous winner at Richmond. Harvick also has five top fives, 13 top tens and a healthy average finish of 11.9.

Clint Bowyer, a veteran of short track racing, is listed at 15 to 1 this week and is also worthy of a long shot consideration. He’s also a former winner at Richmond with a finish ratio of 9.8. Also in this group is Kurt Busch who is another former race winner. The elder Busch brother is experiencing somewhat of a roller coaster ride in the team performance levels but he is a seven time winner on NASCAR’s short tracks and that makes him worthy of consideration.

Now we arrive at a really interesting long shot consideration: that would be Dale Earnhardt Jr at 18 to 1 odds. Okay, you don’t have to remind me that he hasn’t won a race since the summer of 2008. We all know that story. This Hendrick Motorsports team, led by new crew chief Steve Letarte, is revitalized and Earnhardt seems to be driving with the heart and soul of a champion. Everyone is already amazed that he’s currently third in the championship standings and only 19 points from first. His Richmond numbers are quite good going into Saturday night’s race. He’s a three time winner there with eight top five finishes. By the way, it just occurred to me that the lady of the house, the card carrying member of the Junior Nation fan club, is going to be very proud of this paragraph. Either that or she’s going to wonder who wrote it for me.

In the WSE’s 20 to 1 group you will find Roush Fenway Racing drivers Matt Kenseth and Greg Biffle. Kenseth, a former Richmond winner, could turn out to be an interesting long shot wager. His primary sponsor, Crown Royal, is also the race sponsor and that’s always an additional incentive.

Looking at the bottom of this week’s WSE rankings we have former Richmond race winners Mark Martin, Jeff Burton, and Ryan Newman listed at 30 to 1. Also in this group are divers Juan Pablo Montoya and Joey Logano. Closing out the list at 40 to 1 are Michael Waltrip Racing team mates David Reutimann and Martin Truex Jr along with Jamie McMurray and Kasey Kahne.

Now for the disclaimer: NASCAR wants us to remind you that these numbers are for information and entertainment purposes. They neither encourage or condone the placing of wagers on their races. I totally understand, and respect, that position. But at the same time I’m seeing a revitalized Dale Junior at 18 to 1 long shot odds. As soon as the battery recharges on the cell phone I’m calling Las Vegas.

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THE RACE BREAKDOWN

Saturday night’s Crown Royal Presents the Matthew and Daniel Hanson 400 is 400 laps/300 miles around the Richmond International Raceway’s .075 mile D shaped oval.

The race has 44 entries vying for the 43 starting positions and the winner’s share of the posted $4.9 million purse. Nine of those entries are on the go or go home list meaning these teams do not have a guaranteed start in the race because they are currently outside of NASCAR’s top 35 in owner’s points. These teams will have to make the race based on their qualifying speeds.

The impressive history of this facility dates back to its first race in 1946 when it was one half mile dirt track known as the Atlantic Rural Exposition Fairgrounds. The raceway was paved in 1968 and then reconfigured to its present size and shape in 1988. There is presently seating for 97,912 fans.

The Richmond International Raceway is 60 feet wide with a ten foot apron. The four turns each have 14 degrees of banking. The front stretch, measuring 1,290 feet, has eight degrees of banking but the back stretch, 860 feet long, only has two degrees. The pit area is 64 feet wide with the stalls measuring 28 by 19 feet. The pit road speed is 45 MPH. The pit window for Saturday night’s race is 95 to 100 laps.

The first NASCAR Sprint Cup race was held there in April of 1953 and was won by new NASCAR Hall Of Fame member Lee Petty. Keeping it all in the family, Richard Petty tops the raceway’s all time win list with 13. Kyle Petty became NASCAR’s first ever third generation winner by scoring his first ever Cup win at Richmond back in 1986. Needless to say, Petty Enterprises tops the team win category at 15. Since that time there has been a total of 109 NASCAR Sprint Cup races held at Richmond that has sent 47 different winners to victory lane.

Creating and maintaining good track position at Richmond is crucial. Kyle Busch won last year’s race from the pole position. 63 of the 109 races there has been won from the top five starting berths. That places increased importance on qualifying day. The track qualifying record, 129.843 MPH, was set by Brian Vickers back in the spring of 2004. The racing at Richmond is also highly competitive. Five of the last six events has an average margin of victory of less than one second.

Weather should not be that big of an issue during Friday’s practice and qualifying session. The forecast for the Richmond area calls for partly sunny skies, west winds 10 to 15 MPH and highs in the mid seventies. Saturday’s forecast is going to be sunny and in the upper seventies. However this is a night race and the temperature will be sliding towards the predicted over night low in the mid fifties. That means the track temperature is going to change, the handling package of the cars will need to be changed and the crew chiefs will be really earning their paychecks Saturday night.

The Crown Royal Presents The Matthew and Daniel Hanson 400 will be broadcast live by Fox Sports with the pre race show beginning at 7 pm eastern time. The race will be re broadcast by the SPEED Channel on Wednesday, May 4th, at 12 pm eastern.

Richmond. What a strange track that is. Cars going round and round separately, not tied together like conjoined twins, as was the case at Talladega. Oh, how will we deal with the spectacle?

[media-credit name=”Brad Keppel” align=”alignright” width=”225″][/media-credit]My guess is we’ll do just fine. So should the trio of Kyle Busch, Denny Hamlin, and Jeff Gordon. Looking back over the past three years, and six Richmond races, you could say the trio has been rather proficient in the Old Dominion. Gordon has five Top Tens, with 12th his worst over the time period. Hamlin has won twice there, including the past two fall races, while Busch has 2 wins, was the runner-up twice, a total of 5 Top Fives in his last six attempts.

Friday marks the Intimidator’s 60th birthday. Did you know that of the 62 Cup championships claimed since 1949, 34 of them went to one of just eight drivers? Earnhardt and Richard Petty had seven each, with Jimmie Johnson the past five. Jeff Gordon has four, with three each won by Lee Petty, David Pearson, Cale Yarborough, and Darrell Waltrip. In case you were wondering, two remain active, two are already in the Hall of Fame, two more enter in May, and those other two should get their invitations in time to party next January.

All eight of NASCAR’s most decorated champions have had success at Richmond. The King won there 13 times between 1961 and 1975. Waltrip and Pearson were six time winners, Earnhardt had five. Yarborough and Johnson (the last in 2008) had three, with Lee Petty and Gordon (1996, 2000) a pair each.

The great ones have found a way to win at Richmond, and more than once. Along with the six mentioned above, three time winners also include such legends and current stars as Hall of Famer Bobby Allison (7 times), Rusty Wallace (6 times), Joe Weatherly, Terry Labonte, Tony Stewart (last time in 2002), and Dale Earnhardt Jr (who claimed his third in the spring of 2006). Few who win at Richmond have done so without having an impressive resume, or who are in the midst of building one. Don’t expect to be overly surprised by who shows up in Victory Lane Saturday night.

In fact, only 10 drivers have won at Richmond who did not eventually wind up with at least 15 career victories. One, ironically enough, was Tim Richmond while another is four time winner Clint Bowyer. Of the other eight, Cotton Owens and Dave Marcis won only 14 times between them, but they both won on this track twice.

As for the car of choice, Chevy leads Ford 34-26, but Toyota has won the last four races run at Richmond. Meanwhile, between 1955 and 2002, twenty-eight were won by makes no longer running in NASCAR. That last one was Tony Stewart’s third win there in a Pontiac.

Noah, Talladega, and Daytona did things two-by-two. Richmond will be a different animal altogether this weekend.

[media-credit name=”Brad Keppel” align=”alignright” width=”225″][/media-credit]After a week off in the NASCAR circuit, it’s back to racing at the Richmond International Raceway. If you aren’t too excited about heading into Richmond this week, someone might want to check your pulse! The 2 race teams that seem to understand what it takes to win here are Denny Hamlin, and Kyle Busch. Each of these drivers have won 2 in the last 2 years, the last different driver to win here, Jimmie Johnson in 2008.

What makes this track so unique? It’s only 3/4 of a mile long, with 14° turns, and only an 8° frontstretch. The Crown Royal Presents The Matthew & Daniel Hanson 400 is only 300 miles long, one of the shorter races of the year. But after all of these unique characteristics, my favorite is that it is Saturday night! Usually I don’t like Saturday races, being that there is nothing to look forward to on Sunday, but who doesn’t like short track racing on Saturday night?

I have done pretty decent in my picks in the previous weeks, with it being such a strange year thus far, I think that says a lot! Here are my 2011 Crown Royal Presents 400 Fantasy Picks:

Target: Denny Hamlin, Kyle Busch, Jeff Gordon, Kevin Harvick, and Ryan Newman

Avoid: Any Roush Driver, Jamie McMurray, and AJ Allmendinger

Analysis: Four of the last five races have been won by Joe Gibbs Racing cars. Ryan Newman isn’t a threat to win, but is a consistent top-10 finisher.

Bargain: Brad Keselowski had two top-15 finishes in 2010, and Marcos Ambrose finished P5 in the Fall race.

I anticipate this week’s race to be filled with lot’s of action, and even more drama as we look ahead onto the “Lady in Black” next week!

This week’s NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Schedule:

Practice~ (Friday 12pm, 2:30pm)     Qualifying (Friday 5:30pm)     Race (Saturday 7:30pm) all times are EST

Until we meet again, “Let’s go racing boys!”- DW

[media-credit name=”Barry Albert” align=”alignright” width=”246″][/media-credit]Clint Bowyer wasn’t supposed to win at Richmond in May of 2008. Sometimes though, things just fall into a driver’s lap and on that night it was Bowyer’s turn.

The Richard Childress Racing driver had just won his second career race and it was a weight lifted off his shoulders. While many say once the first win has been checked off the rest will come easy. But that’s not always the case as there’s pressure and need to win again in order to show the first one wasn’t a fluke.

“Well, that was probably the biggest thing and to be honest with you, it was a surprise,” said Bowyer on Tuesday afternoon about his Richmond victory. “Kyle got into Dale Jr. and it opened the door up for me to win that race. Usually I don’t ever get one – that was the first race that I would say that I got handed to me.”

“Usually, you know, you have a good feeling throughout the race, you have a good feeling the night before,” he continued. “You were faster than the field, with 30 to go you were maybe a second ahead and that’s how the normal win happens. You feel it, you know it, and you make it happen.”

Such as Bowyer did in 2007 at New Hampshire. After qualifying for the Chase without winning a race, he dominated the first Chase race. He led 222 of 300 laps on his way to his first career win. In September of 2010 Bowyer again said he had that feeling as went out and won after leading 177 of 300 laps.

“That one [2008] was just completely shocked me, and it was out of the blue, and it was one that was so much fun to celebrate because it was such a surprise.”

As Bowyer celebrated others were left standing with their jaws dropped and arms outstretched. Wondering what had just happened.

After leading 381 of 400 laps it appeared that just as quickly as he had things in control, Denny Hamlin was taken out of contention. Dale Earnhardt Jr. inherited the lead with 20 laps to go before his shot at victory was also taken away. It wasn’t from a deflated tire like Hamlin, it was his from the front bumper of Hamlin’s teammate Kyle Busch.

That’s where Bowyer entered the picture. He snuck past the carnage left by Earnhardt Jr. and Busch in turn three as the caution came out. He then ended up in victory lane after a green-white-checkered finish.

While Bowyer calls the win shocking, in a way it wasn’t. For one thing his Chevrolet had been fast all evening. Richmond is also one of Bowyer’s favorite racetracks and for good reason. One year before winning the Cup race, he celebrated after winning the 2007 Nationwide Series race at RIR, giving him victories at the track in NASCAR top two series.

In 10 Cup starts Bowyer has an average finish of 9.8 with the aforementioned win and 57 laps led. He also holds the title of starting the furthest back in the field and winning, 31st, and has a driver rating of 96.6 at the track.

Should he win again maybe fans will remember it this time. The fireworks following the Busch and Earnhardt Jr. accident have some forgetting there even was a winner in 2008. Instead extra security was being called for Busch who from that day forward became public enemy No. 1 for Junior Nation. Hamlin was left explaining to NASCAR why he stopped on track to being out the caution.

Bowyer’s win that night was just a blip on the radar but wouldn’t be this time around. This weekend BB&T, whom ironically were on the car for both his Richmond wins, will be his primary sponsor in the Matthew & Daniel Hensen 400. He would love to steal another victory, which would be his first of the 2011 season after finishing second the last two weeks.

And as far as Bowyer is concerned whether or not his 2008 win was overshadowed or not makes no difference to him.

“I don’t care,” he said laughing. “I don’t know if it is or isn’t. I darn sure don’t care though. I know where that trophy is at and that’s the main goal there.”

[media-credit name=”Brad Keppel” align=”alignright” width=”231″][/media-credit]Did you know that once during a race, Kyle Busch stopped his car to save a litter of kittens from a burning building, yet was able to continue on and win the race? Or that he once raced a three wheeled stock car, with one arm, from the back of the field to take the victory?

Ridiculous? Maybe so, but that in the age of perpetual media hype it is something that is not terribly difficult to imagine being stated.

Let’s get something out of the way, Kyle Busch is one hell of a driver. Few drivers, in any NASCAR series, possess his raw driving ability and at times he performs truly remarkable feats. It is quite clear that he is rightfully listed as one of the top drivers in the Sprint Cup Series.

Now that being said, we have to begin to question if Busch is really as good as we are repeatedly told. If one is to listen to the gushings of some race announcers, it would seem as if Busch is one of the greatest humans to ever wheel a race car. In reading articles about Busch, we may find that his tears are being investigated as a possible cure for cancer.

Ok, maybe that last one is a stretch, but you get the idea.

And with Busch being named the First Quarter Driver of the Year, that question is further inflamed. How can a driver, currently residing sixth in Spring Cup points and who is clearly not in the top three drivers in the pinnacle of NASCAR series, be considered the First Quarter Driver of the Year?

The answer is quite simple, skewed statistics.

For instance, one does not hear that Brett Farve has accumulated 560 TD passes and 230 game wins across 346 football starts in his career as a cachet for him being a great NFL, and football, player. Why? Because when comparing the greatness of players who have reached the pinnacle of their sport, you do not directly count what had occurred in a lesser series.

Those who are great are judged by their success, or lack thereof, against the best of the best. One does not count the successes if talented athletes when they challenge lesser or immature opponents. To use a common phrase, it is simply not a fair fight.

Consider this, as a pharmacy student I could enroll in an undergrad freshman chemistry course and earn an A for a grade.  Does that therefore make me the smartest student in the class and/or of all time? Of course not, I have more experience with the topic and I know how and where to apply material. It’s not fair to judge my six years of extensive chemistry experience to those who are merely starting out.

So why are we repeatedly inundated with facts such as “Kyle Busch has 93 victories across the NASCAR National Series” as justification for his greatness?

The more interesting fact is that prior to Busch’s ‘greatness’ we never saw stats like that. No one measured success in that manner because it’s ultimately meaningless, especially if those victories are accumulated after already reaching the upper echelon of the sport.

This is not to say that Cup drivers should be barred from racing in lower series entirely. In doing so it gives newer and younger drivers something the strive for and compete against. It is something which has been occurring since the inception of the Sportsman Series many years ago, and is something which will remain a part of it for years to come. What has changed, which is a completely separate topic, is the ferocity in which Cup drivers compete in the series.

And that’s where Busch’s inflated statistics come into play. How a driver, with just one points finish higher than 8th in the final Cup standings across six seasons, is one of the best drivers ever in the sport is beyond me.

If I were Carl Edwards or Kevin Harvick, as Cup representatives for the award, I would feel slighted. Ricky Stenhouse, a driver most had written off last year, is keeping pace with Busch and Carl Edwards and is something that is far more impressive than any number of victories Busch may acquire this year.

Yet Kyle Busch is considered to be the First Quarter Driver of the Year?

Please.