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Category: The Final Word

Thornton’s final word

  • The Final Word – Talladega; what could possibly go wrong?

    The Final Word – Talladega; what could possibly go wrong?

    Bad things happen at Talladega. If you are not barrel rolling or wall smacking, you just had yourself a nice, pleasant day in Alabama. That kind of thing, in fact, can get you a win, as was the case with Brad Keselowski on Sunday. The White Deux actually looked pretty good at the end, as the 2012 champ won his 19th career race, and second of the season. When all the smoke had cleared, the driver leading the most laps was leading the last one.

    For some, things did not quite work out. Dale Earnhardt Jr. is always seen as a favorite, but after the 50th lap, not so much. He lost control, collected teammate Kasey Kahne, and they went back to check out the snacks available in the garage.

    Tony Stewart, under doctor’s orders to protect his back, used the caution to crawl out and let Ty Dillon take that ride home. A seventh place finish proved that they had a plan that worked. Most planned to stay on all four tires, but that idea went tumbling down the track for Chris Buescher who did a few barrel rolls after being caught up in some four-wide racing.

    Good news for Junior and Kahne fans, as both returned. Maybe that was bad news. Earnhardt actually had his steering wheel come off under caution and did some shaft driving before he reattached it. This is after he helped Carl Edwards avoid the wall when Edwards shot up the track and sandwiched Junior to a merciful conclusion. A few laps later, Kahne could no longer handle his car, which also shot up into the outside wall and he was finally done, too. At least both Hendrick boys got, not just one but, two post-wreck interviews. You got to keep them sponsors happy.

    With less than thirty to go, we managed to rid ourselves of yet another Hendrick car. Kurt Busch influenced Jimmie Johnson to move up to take out fellow Top Ten driver Paul Menard in a mishap that involved 17 drivers. Yet, a less numerous yet more spectacular meeting of the metal took place about 20 laps later when Danica Patrick got turned to the inside and invited Matt Kenseth to space camp, who exposed the bottom of his car to the television viewers as it launched. Patrick, meanwhile, made some solid contact with the wall to feel the agony of de fence. Both were done as another half dozen cars got bent out of shape to some degree in that one.

    If you thought we were done, you were just ignoring your inner Ricky Bobby. As Keselowski thundered to the line, with Kyle Busch, Austin Dillon, Chase Elliott, and Jamie McMurray behind him, more boys were beating the stuffings out of their boogity boogities. Kevin Harvick, who almost went wheels up, A.J. Allmendinger, Ricky Stenhouse Jr., and Martin Truex Jr. were among those making mangled metallic memories.

    Seven of the Top Ten at Talladega currently hold down a Chase place. Ryan Blaney is just nine points out while Stewart returns to the driver’s seat this Saturday night in Kansas. Thanks to his relief driver, he only has to make up 61 points and pick up a win, to claim a Chase place. Clint Bowyer had a Top Ten and a win still gets him in, or he has 68 points to make up on 16th place. When you think on it, the odds still might favor Stewart. Bowyer has gone winless in 15 attempts in Kansas, and considering the quality of cars he has been blessed with this season, his odds are definitely not terribly high on Saturday.

  • The Final Word – A funny thing happened on the way to Kyle’s Richmond celebration

    The Final Word – A funny thing happened on the way to Kyle’s Richmond celebration

    Hey, what is a little bump and run between teammates, eh? Down to the final laps at Richmond, Kyle Busch had it won. Even Carl Edwards thought he had it. However, Rowdy became a bit conservative, or maybe his tires wore down. Just maybe, he thought he had a teammate behind him and could just cruise to the finish line. Obviously, Kyle forgot that this particular teammate has been known wander off his meds on rare occasions. Sometimes Cousin Carl can turn into a doll named Chucky. Just ask Matt Kenseth.

    On the final lap, Edwards cut low and stuck. Coming off the final turn, he cut low again and when Busch did the same, out came the fender horn. Kyle got loose, Carl went by for the win. No doubt Carl just hated for that to happen. You could tell how sad he was in celebrating the victory. Sad, my ass. His second of the season was the 27th of his career, marking the first time in 120 races that a last-lap pass for the win took place at Richmond. Mind you, with two wins already to his credit, I think Kyle will be just fine, though I am not so sure his wife will be as forgiving.

    Just being back was some kind of victory for Tony Stewart. After missing the first eight of the season mending, now we have to see if he can replicate the kind of campaign that led Busch to a championship a year ago. Stewart was 19th on Sunday, and to make the Chase he now has to win a race and make up the 101 points between himself and 30th place. He has 17 attempts to make it happen.

    Edwards and Busch were not alone up front, at least they were not early on. Jimmie Johnson, who finished third, led early while the fourth place finishing Kevin Harvick was a factor for the most part. Denny Hamlin was the victim of a runaway tire in the pits that took him out of it, but he recovered to finish nicely in fifth. Kurt Busch was another we saw lots of, though he faded back to 10th by the time his brother got bumped.

    Kasey Kahne did not have a great day, but he got into the mix late to finish third, which keeps him with a Chase place. Top Tens also went to the likes of Kenseth, Joey Logano, and Martin Truex Jr. As for Clint Bowyer, Stewart cannot get out of his ride fast enough to make room for him. Once again, his current ride remains not ready for prime time as he came home 33rd to sit 29th in points. He desperately needs a win, and I would not mind having my hair back. Some things are just too much to ask for.

    However, asking for excitement next Sunday at Talladega is not one of them. It is almost a guarantee that fans will be riding by the seat of their pants in the grandstands and in their easy chairs at home, a lot like the drivers they will be cheering on. Will Dale Earnhardt Jr. add to his total of six career wins there, or might Brad Keselowski add another to his three previous wins? Who will make the race, Michael Waltrip or David Gilliland? Who will be involved in the Big One? The answers will come our way this Sunday from Talladega.

  • The Final Word – Sunday was a strange, strange day at Bristol

    The Final Word – Sunday was a strange, strange day at Bristol

    There are ways to describe Sunday’s action in Bristol, but to do it justice one would need a blow-by-blow analysis of most of the competitors to figure out what happened, and how it happened. Let us begin with what we know.

    We know that Carl Edwards had one of the most dominant cars on the day. So did Matt Kenseth, while Kurt Busch (third) and Kevin Harvick (seventh) gave Edwards some company up front. Still, it was Cousin Carl who persevered, at the beginning, in the middle, and right to the end when he was putting some distance between himself and the field. Wheels that went straight, tires that kept inflated, walls that did not bite him, and the speed to see him lead a majority of the 500 laps allowed him to gather up his 26th career victory, his fourth at Bristol. That we know.

    What happened to his Joe Gibbs teammates is a little tougher to analyze. All four entries started in the first five positions, but 20th by Denny Hamlin was the best the rest could do after he sustained some damage in a pit road collision. Kenseth led for 142 laps, but the snake came back to bite him yet again this season. While running first, he lost his right front but found the fence. When he found it again later on, for the same reason, he was done in 36th. It could have been worse.

    Kyle Busch had been making a habit of winning lately, after consecutive triumphs at Martinsville and Texas. He took the drama out of it early, losing his right front and slamming the wall just 50 laps in. Sixty laps later, he got tagged from behind by Chris Buescher and went for a spin. Seventy laps further on, he got a pit road penalty. Seventy laps later, he lost another right front, found another fence, and finally put the car out of its misery, finishing 38th. Maybe too much camber angle proved to be the culprit.

    Some had bad tidings, but good results. Dale Earnhardt Jr. could not even get up to speed on the green flag lap to start, and was down two laps in no time. At least he did it with 500 laps to go, and due to some good fortune popped up in the end to run second. Even Junior thought he had, at best, a Top 15 ride. Chase Elliott had a tire issue, fell back to 31st by the 200th lap, but was fourth when they waved the checkered. Then there was Joey Logano. He finished 10th, despite an early green flag stop for a vibration that got costlier when their tire rolled away in the pits to sit even one behind Elliott at the time.

    Not enough great days for some others this season, but a few had one on Sunday. Trevor Bayne and Matt DiBenedetto were fifth and sixth at Bristol while Clint Bowyer had a Top Ten. Not so for Kyle Larson, as he dropped from third to a good 60 laps in arrears when his track bar broke. Cars seemed to get into trouble, rise out of the ashes, only to have their hopes dashed later on. Danica Patrick was 29th on Lap 200, fourth on Lap 275, and by Lap 435 she was barely in the Top Thirty. The Danica Line at Bristol was 27th, just one back of Austin Dillon and one up on Cole Whitt.

    On Sunday, there was no Big One, just a bunch of nasty Little Ones. However, as Talladega promises to do on May 1, that short track in Tennessee messed with people, including the minds of fans trying to keep track of the comers and goers, the heartbreakers and the heartbroken. It was not a boring 3.5-hours.

    Before they get to Alabama, they have a Sunday date in Richmond. Despite all his woes this year, Kenseth remains just five points out of a Chase place. Another win, like the one he celebrated last autumn at Richmond, would for all intents and purposes lock him into the championship hunt. Up to now, Kenseth has run well but always waiting for that black cloud to roll in to ruin his day. A single win and he is back to rainbows and blue skies. Funny, blue skies is exactly the weather they are calling for this Sunday.

  • The Final Word – The best little race car in Texas was not the one that won

    The Final Word – The best little race car in Texas was not the one that won

    Watching NASCAR is very much akin to viewing a bunch of toddlers race each other. Little Johnny might take off early, get within a few feet of the finish line, then that damn butterfly takes all his attention and he swerves right and off the course. Saturday night in Texas was a lot like that.

    If you tuned in early, you saw rain for two hours. Not the beginning they had hoped for, but for others the rain on their parade would come later. In the beginning, it was pole sitter Carl Edwards dueling Martin Truex Jr. for the lead. If it was not one, it was the other. That is how it went for 200 laps, then came the butterfly. Actually, then came a loose lug nut on the right front after a pit miscue, and Edwards went from leading 124 laps to fighting just to get close enough to finish seventh.

    That left Truex. He led 141 laps. He was leading with just over 30 laps to go. Truex did not wander anywhere, but he should have. When most came to the pits for tires under caution, the team threw caution to the wind, and Truex under the bus. Sometimes Little Johnny needs to come in for a change, but the call from Cole Pearn to dive into the pits came too late for the driver to do so, and they were left with a soiled diaper.

    Some wore their big boy pants, again. If you tuned in when things turned green, you would have thought Kyle Busch had one hell of a day. He immediately charged past Truex, who finished sixth, and that was it. Rowdy was literally off to the races to claim his second straight Cup victory, the 36th of his career. While Busch was near the front for the latter half of the event, Dale Earnhardt Jr. made a few cameos but only in the late stages did he emerge to claim the runner-up spot. Joey Logano, Jimmie Johnson and Chase Elliott rounded out the top five.

    Matt Kenseth was a factor early, but you just knew something had to go wrong. It always does this season. Look, a butterfly. Eleventh proved to be a good result after a flying lug nut in the pits got caught behind a new tire and prevented the crew from tightening the replacement. Greg Biffle is having a sad season, and after hitting the wall he got even sadder. The Biff was boffed, to finish 39th, just one behind Clint Bowyer. Driving for Harry Scott this season as he awaits Tony Stewart’s retirement is not proving to be much fun.

    In fact, you probably did not notice Bowyer much out on the playground, at least not until late. With 40 laps left, Austin Dillon tried to fit into a spot ahead of Johnson, but there was not enough room and soon enough not enough air on the rear spoiler. Dillon lost control, hit the wall, and came back across the track to clip the inside fence. Meanwhile, the checkers behind him became wreckers, with Bowyer and Brian Vickers ending their day as a host of other cars received a dent or five in the mishap. Hard to watch for butterflies when someone just kicked open a hornets nest.

    The Danica Patrick Line was set this week at 21st in Texas, just ahead of Ty Dillon and one up on A.J. Allmendinger. The trio were all a lap off the pace and nowhere near the front the entire day. As much as I wish for her better things, this fourth season appears a be a lot like the previous three. Patrick sits, as per usual, 24th in the rankings. If we are asking too much of her, at what time should we?

    Any butterflies at Bristol this Sunday probably will come in the form of a similar looking vehicle doing things to make a driver’s auto look less similar. Six drivers come in with at least a pair of victories there, but no one could use another more than four-time winner Matt Kenseth. He comes in as the Food City 500’s defending champion. Just as long as those Busch toddlers are not so spoiled as to add to the 10 they have already split between them.

    I just do not think you can rely on their sharing natures at Bristol over the past five years to continue. The younger one has been exceptionally greedy as of late.

  • The Final Word – It was a John Wayne kind of day for Mr. Busch at Martinsville

    The Final Word – It was a John Wayne kind of day for Mr. Busch at Martinsville

    Martinsville has been on the NASCAR calendar since 1948, the year before John Wayne truly hit it big in Hollywood. Both showcased a great cast of supporting characters over the years, and both have been synonymous with action. Sunday was no different.

    If Martinsville was The Searchers from 1956, Kyle Busch was its Ethan Edwards, the Wayne character who was determined, diligent, and successful in his quest. In the end, he crossed his arms and headed out into the sunset with his 35th career victory in a dominant performance that saw our defending champion up front for 70 percent of the picture.

    Kevin Harvick was a featured performer. He arrived a bit late, stayed near the front for a time, but in the end, he had to be content with 17th. You might remember Wayne’s 1962 picture The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance. In the end, Jimmy Stewart rode off in a train, while Wayne’s Tom Doniphon, who actually shot the title character, was last seen in a pine box. Come to think of it, ole Tom was in that box when they started that film, so maybe Harvick got the best of it.

    There was 1972’s The Cowboys, with the Matt Kenseth version of Wil Anderson also a force to be reckoned with for 90 percent of the movie. Then things went bad for our hero, another hole got dug, and the cattle drive was left to others to decide as Matt finished 15th.

    John Wayne began his movie career in a 1926 silent called Brown of Harvard. The Duke played an uncredited role as a Yale player. Dale Earnhardt Jr. mattered for five laps, cut a tire and spun out, and went down a lap. It took him 300 laps to get it back, and the best he could do was 14th. Like Wayne, Junior was in the film, but you had to keep an eye out in order to catch him.

    The Greatest Story Ever Told was an epic 1965 story on Christ. It featured the likes of Max von Sydow, Charlton Heston, Jose Ferrer, and Telly Savalas. Then, after the Crucifixion scene, a centurion utters the words, “Truly this man was the Son of God” in a very familiar drawling voice. My God, it was John Wayne, in a skirt. At the end, some said the same thing when A.J. Allmendinger showed up in the runner-up spot, except for the skirt part. At least, we noticed the Dinger was in the vicinity, so it probably came as less of a shock.

    In 1949, Wayne played Captain Nathan Brittles in She Tied a Yellow Ribbon. He was an aging officer near retirement. Ben Johnson and Harry Carey, Jr. played Tyree and Pennell, a pair of up and comers of the next generation. They remind me of a pair who represent the future in this modern calvary, played Sunday by the fourth and fifth place finishers, Kyle Larson and Austin Dillon.

    Another driver had an interesting day. He got caught speeding early, managed to crumple up his hood a bit later, but in the end, he still managed a Top Five. Brad Keselowski took his lumps but came away with a decent result. This Rooster Cogburn displayed some True Grit (1968).

    Then there was John Wayne’s Alamo from 1960. I do not think I need to explain why Aric Almirola and Denny Hamlin come to mind. Let us just say that 38 drivers did better on the day, including a 16th placed Danica Patrick.

    At least, everyone lasted 200 laps or more, so we could not cite 1931’s The Deceiver. In that one, Wayne had a brief role in the picture. He played a corpse. Thankfully, we no longer have start and park entries.

    If you got John Wayne on your mind, then it seems apropos that the boys and girl head back west to Texas for a Saturday night showdown. The last three straight races that have been run there, four of the past five, and five of the previous seven, were all won by Jimmie Johnson, the guy who finished ninth last weekend. I guess we have seen this movie before.

  • The Final Word – Kyle removes the Kryptonite as Superman wins at Fontana

    The Final Word – Kyle removes the Kryptonite as Superman wins at Fontana

    Among the things I learned on Sunday from Fontana include…

    -you don’t tug on Superman’s cape.
    -you don’t spit into the wind.
    -you don’t put up for long with ole Lex Luthor
    -and you don’t mess around with Jim.

    Jimmie Johnson, that is. For most of the day, the field had to deal with Kevin (just call him Lex) Harvick, who led early and led often. About the only time he did not lead was when he unnecessarily came in early to dump a perfectly good set of tires in a vain bid to eliminate a vibration. Then he was back. In fact, he might have gotten away with it, if not for Kyle Busch.

    Busch was among a number of drivers that were relevant on the day and was running second when he discovered the limitations of the track. That came in the form of the outside wall after a tire indicated that it not longer wished to be of service. Caution waved, the Kryptonite was removed from the track, Busch was left in 25th, and this allowed for the possible finale moviegoers had hoped for.

    After the restart, Johnson moved down to the line, hugged it tightly, and came up to Harvick’s rear quarter-panel. A bit of side drafting tugged Luthor…ahem…Harvick…back enough to set Johnson sailing right by and into the lead. In the end, no super villain, no Kryptonite, not even Batman could stop the inevitable from happening. SuperJimmie won his 77th career victory and marked the 15th straight season that he was won at least twice during the campaign.

    As for Batman, Dale Earnhardt, Jr. could not get by any of the jokers, penguins, or riddlers. He got up to the horizon, but never challenged, finishing 11th. By the way, Superman should always trump Batman. One is an alien who our sun bestows with superpowers while the other is an athletic rich guy with a lot of neat contraptions. No contest.

    Denny Hamlin finished third, and really was nowhere to be seen for the first 150 laps, but was visible in the end. Joey Logano was fourth on the day, was in the vicinity of the lead for much of the time, but probably was best remembered by Martin Truex Jr. as the guy who turned him enough to cause him to solidly tag the fence to turn a good day into 32nd. Also notable were Chase Elliott, who was fifth, while Carl Edwards came in just behind to record yet another solid effort.

    “I’m alright, it really hurt, though,” was the report from Kyle Larson after he lost a tire, touched the outside wall before experiencing a huge impact against the infield barrier that put him up where he did not belong. Danica Patrick was not Supergirl, but she went flying after Kasey Kahne turned her into the wall to demolish her entry. That set the Danica Line artificially to 38th on the day, just one behind Greg Biffle and just ahead of Larson.

    With his win, Johnson moves one ahead of Dale Earnhardt on the all-time list, sitting sixth behind Richard Petty, David Pearson, and Jeff Gordon, while he is eight wins away from passing by the likes of Bobby Allison, Darrell Waltrip, and Cale Yarborough. I do not think anyone is betting the farm against that happening this year, at least, not yet.

    The good news for the field is that Johnson will not win next week. Neither will Harvick, Hamlin, or Kyle Busch, all of whom have been writing headlines over the first five events. After a week off, they all return for Martinsville, a place Kyle Busch has never won. Harvick has just one, compared to Hamlin’s five. Then you have Superman, as one must ask themselves if eight is enough? Well, not if you are within just six wins of the great Cale Yarborough it’s not. Meanwhile, my best wishes to you over Easter.

  • The Final Word – Harvick rises like a phoenix at Phoenix from the tears of Edwards

    The Final Word – Harvick rises like a phoenix at Phoenix from the tears of Edwards

    A phoenix rises from the ashes to be reborn. In Phoenix, Kevin Harvick rose from the tears of Carl Edwards to once again become the Cactus King, the driver to beat at Phoenix.

    In November of 2012, Harvick won his first at that track. The next spring, the winner was Edwards. Last fall, Dale Earnhardt, Jr. was the victor. The four in between were all claimed by the man who has been victorious in six of the past eight events run in Arizona. That is domination, but it was close on Sunday. Very close.

    Harvick had the dominant car on the day. Oh, what a surprise that was. However, he came to the overtime dash to the finish on four used tires, compared to the two fresh ones underneath Edwards. Underneath is where the gent went to make the pass, but Edwards did not get a clean get away. Side by side, fender to fender, fender into fender they came to the stripe, with Harvick taking it by a head. My head, if I had been foolish enough to have had it laying on the track, just 0.01 of a second for the closest outcome ever at this track, one of the closest finishes on any track, at any time.

    Edwards was no slacker on the day, sitting among the top three pretty much from start to finish. He was the guy who was chasing Kyle Busch over the first 60 laps of this thing. Even a little miss on pit road did not derail Busch for long, as he concluded the event in fourth. Denny Hamlin was third, even after an early stop saw a tire roll away to find him penalized from fourth to 26th at the time. Earnhardt (5th) and Kurt Busch (6th) were also among the notables on the day, with young Chase Elliott bringing it home in eighth.

    Sometimes being tired equates into being fatigued, adding new rubber in the pits, or having them fail to send one into the wall. Ryan Newman (39th) was the first casualty just over 50 laps into the race, and every fifty laps or so after somebody else got bit. Next up was Paul Menard (38th), to be followed by Ricky Stenhouse, Jr. (37th), but the exploding tread from Brad Keselowski (29th) was the most spectacular failure.

    The Danica Patrick Line last Sunday was drawn at 19th, one place behind Joey Logano, who had a fuel intake issue that forced a late stop for juice, and Matt DiBenedetto in 20th.

    The good news for everybody is the fact Harvick has not won at Fontana for the past five years. From 2004-2010, they visited the California venue twice, allowing the likes of Jimmie Johnson (5), and Matt Kenseth (3) to pick up a bunch of wins. Harvick and Tony Stewart have won there since they returned to a one and done situation, with Kyle winning twice before Keselowski took it last spring.

    Those last two might be considered decent selections for the prognosticators, but remember that since 2006 Johnson has finished outside the Top 15 just once over the past 15 starts at Fontana. With both Edwards and Kenseth also boasting Top Ten averages, the track could live up to the community’s motto as the “City of Action.” I can live with that.

  • The Final Word – Las Vegas came with some distractions, and not all of them were in Nevada

    The Final Word – Las Vegas came with some distractions, and not all of them were in Nevada

    It was a rainy, blowy kind of Sunday, and that was just in these parts where I live. With a few errands to run, we had Sirius Channel 90 on the car radio so we did not miss the action. Due to the rainy, blowy kind of Sunday at Las Vegas, we did not.

    Rarely do I watch the action live, but we were visiting my father, as the ladies in the family took care of packing up some of my late mother’s things. We gentleman were in front of the television. We also talked a lot. Did I mention our three and five year old nieces were there, the precocious pair being cuteness personified? Under those kind of conditions, one can miss some of the action, so with less than 30 laps to go it appeared we were seeing Kyle Busch rushing toward the finish. Then my sister came into the room, and our attention was further strained. When they waved the flag, it was Brad Keselowski taking the trophy. Okay, what in hell happened? Luckily for me, I taped the race, so an answer would be forthcoming.

    I guess we failed to notice Keselowski make the pass with about six laps to go. It appears Busch was experiencing some vibration that only got worse, tightening the car and affecting his ability to turn. That is usually something one wishes to do when racing on an oval. Down to the final lap, Joey Logano made his pass for second. At the line, Jimmie Johnson edged out Busch for third. At least Kyle was the best Busch brother on the day.

    Kurt Busch started strong, leading for 31 laps. A pit penalty while under the competition caution took him out of the running for top spot, and he never contended again. Still, ninth is not bad. Denny Hamlin actually led for a few laps. Ten, to be exact, but 19th was his fate.

    Only five other drivers really mattered in Las Vegas. Keselowski popped in and out of the Top Three much of the day before he made his final charge. His car proved good enough to overcome a speeding penalty with 80 to go, needing just half of that to get back into contention, going on to claim his 18th career victory. The high winds on the day actually whipped the Stars and Stripes out of the car during the post-race celebration, though the young patriot immediately stopped the car to retrieve the fallen flag. Not exactly Denzil Washington’s scene in Glory, but much appreciated just the same.

    Just about everyone else who mattered were also there at the finish. Logano had led 70 laps, Johnson 76, and Kyle 38 of the final 44 laps, but those missing six were the most crucial. There was one exception.

    Matt Kenseth only led nine, but he was up front much of the day. A vibration caused him to short pit about 60 laps in, but it did not take him long to get back into the mix. Late in the race, just before my sister came into the room, Kenseth was fifth on a re-start. A lap later, he lost the handling as his car drifted up toward the fence, where Chase Elliott smashed into him to wrap up the day for both. The only one who did not think Elliott could not have avoided the crash was Elliott himself, who thought things would have turned out differently if he had only used his brakes. The pair finished just ahead of Cole Whitt for dead last.

    As for the Danica Line this week, it was 21st Sunday at Las Vegas, with Greg Biffle finishing just ahead while Clint Bowyer finished just behind her. Despite all the wishin’ and a hopin’, Patrick is still not a Top 20 performer. She sits 26th in today’s rankings, though that is better than Elliott and Bowyer heading into Phoenix this weekend.

    Three races, three winners. Last year, Dale Earnhardt, Jr. was the victor in Arizona. Mind you, five of the previous six races run there were all claimed by Kevin Harvick. I think we have a favorite.

  • The Final Word – It was a war of words at Atlanta, black flags be damned

    The Final Word – It was a war of words at Atlanta, black flags be damned

    The drivers liked it. I think most pure race enthusiasts liked it. I kind of liked it. It was not the visual experience Daytona provides, granted, but you could not to sure of anything until it ended. One pit problem, a lack of cautions, and just the second of the day popping up right at the end sure rid us of some of our preconceptions.

    For example, Matt Kenseth was going to have a wonderful day at Atlanta. Sure, what could go wrong? Well, it seems that the most a gasman can do when actually fueling the car, when the can is actually engaged, is to pass gas or maybe sing a little song, but that is about it. He cannot place a wrench on the deck of the car, for example. That would call for a pit penalty. Not so, claimed crew chief Jason Ratcliff, who was too busy arguing the case that he did not seem to notice when NASCAR black flagged the driver, then quit counting his laps. Kenseth sure the hell did, and did not seem terribly happy about it. By the time he came in, he was going to go back out two laps down, and he stayed down to finish 19th despite once leading for 47 laps.

    Kurt Busch led from the pole and looked sweet for the early going. Sixty-two laps worth of sweetness. Then others got even sweeter, but a fourth place finish was not bad. If we thought he who led early would also lead late, we were bound to wind up mistaken.

    Kevin Harvick then would be the guy. He led late. He led the most, with 131 laps on the point. He looked good. Then Chad Knaus ruined everything. He called Jimmie Johnson in early for some fresh rubber in a bid to make up ground. That happened. When Harvick came in under green, a hung front tire cost him four seconds in the pits against Johnson’s time. Harvick was down by more than a dozen seconds, made up half of it, then stalled. It was over, right? Wrong.

    Two-thirds of the way through at Atlanta, we had our first caution for debris. By that time, we had two-thirds of the field lapped. With just three to go, Ryan Newman blew a right rear and caution waved for just the second time on the day. Harvick and Johnson would restart side by side.

    If only Happy had not spun his tires, it might have been close. If only he did not get tagged by Martin Truex Jr. from behind, then rubbed by Carl Edwards from the side, he might have been able to salvage the situation. If only. Sixth was to be his fate, one spot behind Edwards and just ahead of Truex.

    In the end, Johnson won his 76th career race, tying the mark of the late Dale Earnhardt, as his son and Johnson’s teammate, Dale Earnhardt Jr., came home second, just ahead of Kyle Busch. This is not what we thought would happen with 20 to go. Once again, we were wrong. If we can be so wrong in a race that had just three cautions, including one that came out on the final lap, there must have been some decent racing action going on. With Las Vegas coming up next week, betting on the outcome might truly be the dominion of true gamblers. Hell, we can’t even be sure as to how big the field is going to be anymore.

    The worst Charter car was the 38th place finish of Jeffrey Earnhardt, in a 39 car field. The best non-Charter was Ryan Blaney in 25th. Danica Patrick was 20th, sandwiched between Kenseth and Jamie McMurray. With the win, Johnson joins Denny Hamlin, 16th at Atlanta, as the pair with a ticket all but already punched for the Chase. If nothing else, picking those two to be among the Chasers would have been a very astute pick.

    Thank God there appears to be at least one thing we can be confident about.

  • The Final Word – Daytona was a tale of two lane blacktop, at least for the final lap

    The Final Word – Daytona was a tale of two lane blacktop, at least for the final lap

    “Stay on the bottom, stay in line, and they can’t pass us.”

    For 199 laps, Darrell Waltrip’s observation of the 2016 Daytona 500 was dead on. Then, it became dead wrong. With Matt Kenseth leading Martin Truex Jr. on the bottom, Denny Hamlin jumped to the outside with some rarely seen momentum in that lane. Kenseth moved up to block, overshot just as Hamlin cut to his inside to leave the No. 20 wiggling high and dry. Moving beside Truex the pair fought it out to the line, with Hamlin taking his first Great American Race by about four inches, the closest finish in the history of the classic.

    For 199 laps, it was the inside lane and only the inside that mattered. Nothing moved on top. Until Hamlin’s maneuver, nothing did. In claiming the prize, the most dominant car of the day got back to the front where he had led for 95 laps though he needed to finish it off the hard way. Well, hard for everyone else, but it looked pretty darn easy for the now 27-race winner.

    Racing at Daytona is usually exciting, even when it becomes a single lane contest for the most part. Twenty-year-old Chase Elliott led a couple from the pole, but later his car drifted away from him to leave it wrecked in the infield. Dale Earnhardt Jr. looked strong for the next dozen, and while he was coming back with 30 laps to run, his own snapped from beneath him and found an inside wall. Other than that, Hamlin, Kenseth, and Truex were the only names worth remembering.

    Among the milestones, the worst Charter finish was that of Chris Buescher in 39th after his crash with Matt DiBenedetto near the mid-point on Sunday. The best non-Charter was 15th, recorded by Michael McDowell in the No. 59 of Leavine Family Racing. Danica Patrick is usually the dividing line between the good and the ugly, so the car finishing just ahead of her at Daytona was Greg Biffle in 34th. The pair had a meeting over disputed real estate and neither came away well from that. Right behind her was Junior in 36th.

    There are times when cars can go from the front to near the back and within a few laps they are back racing up front again. That was not this race. Unless you could get back using the checkers method, by jumping over the opposition, it took some time to make up lost ground. Unlike some, this was not a case of follow the leader, but rather one where the leaders ran on the inside and those on the outside just sat there frustrated going nowhere. That is, until the final lap.

    Some claim that is was a snore fest. I disagree as pack racing is never boring. When you drive that close and that fast, with only the first handful of cars not within a racing buddy in tight beside them, things can happen and not all of them good.  It became obvious that the leader was going to likely be our eventual winner. Obvious to everyone, except for Denny Hamlin, that is.