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Category: The Final Word

Thornton’s final word

  • The Final Word – Some had to be great at Kansas, while others had to be just good enough

    The Final Word – Some had to be great at Kansas, while others had to be just good enough

    It might have been Kansas, but the action was a whole lot like a Las Vegas slot machine. Gold bar. Gold bar. Grapes. Dammit!

    Take Kevin Harvick, for example. He was second best on the opening stage. He was the best in the second stage. He was dominating the third stage, at least until he went speeding on pit road. Dammit!

    Alex Bowman was needing a win. Then Daniel Suarez clipped him on the second lap. Then he hit the wall on his own. He soldiered on and finished ninth. Nice job, but he needed to win. Dammit!

    Boys needing to pick up points did. Kyle Larson even contended for a time for the win, finishing third. Brad Keselowski came across the line in Kansas in sixth, one spot ahead of Ryan Blaney. Good results. Not enough. Blaney came the closest, but even with top three runs in both opening stages he still wound up six points shy of both Kurt Busch and Clint Bowyer. Dammit!

    As for Chase Elliott, Harvick’s miscue was to his benefit. He inherited the lead and held it. For the second time in this round, and the third time this season, Bill’s boy was a winner. Like Aric Almirola, he entered Kansas locked into the next round. After the opening stage, so was Harvick. Kyle Busch and Joey Logano followed after the second. That left it to Martin Truex Jr., Bowyer and the elder Busch, who was a lap down in 18th, to survive. They did.

    Rowdy and Happy enter Martinsville and the third round of playoffs up by 40 and 39 points respectively in their quest to be among the final four at Homestead. Stay out of trouble, and they should be good as gold. Easier said than done. Almirola, in eighth, enters 12 points shy of Elliott in fourth place.

    Some contenders have done well at the upcoming venue. Kyle Busch has a pair of wins. Bowyer has one. Logano, Blaney, and Harvick usually find themselves at least in the Top 15. Nothing but top ten finishes, however, should be the minimum goal. As for the top three among active drivers at Martinsville, that most definitely would include Jimmie Johnson, Denny Hamlin, and Keselowski. Unfortunately, all have already been eliminated from championship contention.

    Dammit!

  • Hot 20 – If viewership tanked for Talladega, imagine what the ratings for Kansas will be

    Hot 20 – If viewership tanked for Talladega, imagine what the ratings for Kansas will be

    Talladega was a ratings bust. Talladega. For fans who follow the sport, those four Stewart-Haas cars up front, doing what they had to do all day long, was something to behold. For those who simply tune in to watch incredible action, they had to wait for the final 20 laps for the payoff. However, they had to have tuned in to witness either. They did not even bother. That is troublesome.

    Now, we have Kansas coming up on Sunday. Kansas. Winning the Hollywood Casino 400 will not exactly mean anything more than finishing first at some generically named Cup event that no one will remember in a few weeks. It has the marquee value of actress Lecy Goranson headlining a major Hollywood production. None. In fact, Charlotte’s roval and Talladega were the last events of the season able to stand on their own. Do not expect anyone new to watch these final four races. Zip.

    NBC did its part. Bringing Dale Earnhardt Jr. into the mix along with Jeff Burton, Steve Letarte, Rick Allen and the rest of the talented crew finally gave us a broadcast that is interesting to tune to watch on its own. If you want to learn stuff, they can educate. Maybe it is the audience that has changed, that has become dimwitted, unable to focus, unable or unwilling to learn, complaining about the stupidest things for the stupidest of reasons. Maybe.

    Then again, old-time fans have been thinking that for years. Maybe decades. Stock cars are no longer stock. The champion is no longer determined by being the best over the season. The playoff concept was introduced. Stage points. Selling out tradition (the brief termination of the Southern 500, the Firecracker 400, the World 600) in favor of commercialization. Maybe both NASCAR and what today constitutes many of its potential fans, the society as a whole, has changed to the point the sport is unable to keep them in the seats or sitting in front of their televisions. Maybe too many would rather let someone else do their driving, or some artificial intelligence, than sitting behind the wheel of a car themselves to enjoy the experience of hitting the open road. Maybe.

    If you are not a fan, a follower of the action, someone who would love to have the talent to be able to hit the track themselves, maybe you just do not get it. I feel the same way about soccer and basketball. At least I have some ideas as to changes that might interest me in the former. Get rid of the off-side rule, push penalty shots much further back than just 12 yards out, and banning the effeminate diving by grown men hitting the ground over nothing more than a fart might give me some reason to watch the action. Unfortunately, I am fresh out of ideas as to what NASCAR needs to do to attract former and future fans back to their venues and telecasts. If the potential of mayhem on every lap does not do it, I do not know what will.

    I know Kansas, on its own, is not part of the answer. What is?

    1. ARIC ALMIROLA – ROUND WIN – 3087 Pts – 1 Win
    I wish to thank my teammates for all of their support.

    2. CHASE ELLIOTT – ROUND WIN – 3066 Pts – 2 Wins
    Kansas is next, but he is already preparing for Martinsville, Texas, and Phoenix.

    3. KEVIN HARVICK – 3128 POINTS – 7 Wins
    Put the pedal to the metal but he needed a chance to coast for a few laps.

    4. KYLE BUSCH – 3111 POINTS – 7 Wins
    Was in self-preservation mode until the end, when they finally got him.

    5. JOEY LOGANO – 3104 POINTS – 1 Win
    If he should pick up some stage points and a decent finish, he should be fine.

    6. KURT BUSCH – 3095 POINTS – 1 Win
    I loved the Talladega finish but as for Kurt, not so much.

    7. CLINT BOWYER – 3086 POINTS – 2 Wins
    Roar that engine and click those ruby red slippers as the lad is back in Kansas.

    8. MARTIN TRUEX JR. – 3083 POINTS – 4 Wins
    How he wound up above the cut off line had a lot to do with fuel…or lack of it for others.

    9. BRAD KESELOWSKI – 3065 POINTS – 3 Wins
    Those three wins mean nothing coming to Sunday. A fourth would be very, very nice.

    10. RYAN BLANEY – 3061 POINTS – 1 Win
    A very bad day for Bowyer or Truex would be helpful…not wishing bad on anyone, but…

    11. KYLE LARSON – 3047 POINTS
    Being creative with repairs cost Larson 10 points. Now he is in Bowman country.

    12. ALEX BOWMAN – 3015 POINTS
    A win by Bowman this Sunday would top even what Almirola managed to do last weekend.

    13. DENNY HAMLIN – 2136 POINTS
    Being the best of the rest is his remaining goal.

    14. JIMMIE JOHNSON – 2128 POINTS
    Jimmie and Chad are down to four races to extend that string of seasons with at least one win.

    15. AUSTIN DILLON – 2124 POINTS – 1 Win
    Some ran out of gas on Sunday. Dillon’s quest ran out of gas a few weeks ago.

    16. ERIK JONES – 2108 POINTS – 1 Win
    We need the likes of Jones and 17-year old Hailie Deegan to become future marquee attractions.

    17. RYAN NEWMAN – 641 POINTS
    Had a better season than some, but hopes for better yet with Roush in 2019.

    18. PAUL MENARD – 619 POINTS
    Returned from two laps down to record a Top Ten at Talladega.

    19. RICKY STENHOUSE JR. – 615 POINTS
    Third best last week as some of the season’s also-rans finished their runs in lofty positions.

    20. DANIEL SUAREZ – 614 POINTS
    Ranked 20th last season. Ranked 20th this season. If nothing else, the lad is consistent.

  • The Final Word – I know I’m late, but can I make my Talladega prediction now?

    The Final Word – I know I’m late, but can I make my Talladega prediction now?

    If only I could time travel. Going back a few days, I could have been able to pin-point exactly what one needed to do to win at Talladega on Sunday.

    1. Drive a Ford.

    2. Work for Tony Stewart and Gene Haas.

    3. Save fuel.

    4. Do not lead until after the final turn.

    It would not work next year, with the new rules packages coming in. However, last Sunday, it would have been spot on.

    As it turned out, only 14 drivers mattered. If they were not behind the wheel of a blue oval, they did not stand a chance. Of the 193 laps they eventually ran, only nine were led by someone in another make of car, five of those by William Byron in a Chevy.

    If you were working for Stewart-Haas, you were among the Top Four all day long. Those four led the opening two segments, actually running far beyond anyone else especially over the opening 55 laps.

    A lot of cars ran out of fuel coming to the green flag as they embarked on over-time. Kevin Harvick was among them, as that SHR entry wound up in 28th. Kurt Busch ran out of petrol while leading coming out of Turn Four in sight of the finish line. He wound up 14th.

    Between them, Harvick and the elder Busch led 154 laps. Not a place to be if you wanted to save on fuel. Now, sitting third and fourth, especially on that final run to glory, paid dividends. Aric Almirola was fourth for most of the day, moved to third when it counted, and crossed the line ahead of team-mate Clint Bowyer for the victory. Almirola’s win locked him into the next round of the playoffs, along with Harvick and Dover winner Chase Elliott. Kyle Busch is a sneeze away from being there himself, while his brother and Joey Logano are not a lock, but both are still 30 to the good. As for the hopes for six others, it all hinges on what happens next Sunday at Kansas.

    It was one of the most impressive team races in NASCAR history. All four Stewart-Haas entries were disciplined. They opened up spots for their team-mates on re-starts, stayed tight together up front, and stayed that way right to the end. No one could touch them. They tried, but as veterans Jeff Burton and Dale Earnhardt, Jr. pointed out from the broadcast booth what the rest had to do to challenge as the laps counted down, the boys on the track seemed to toss away those opportunities on every turn.

    Next Sunday, Byron has to win to advance. Kyle Larson is 26 points out. Ryan Blaney is 22 away. Brad Keselowski finds himself 18 on the outside, behind Martin Truex, Jr. and 21 in Bowyer’s rear view. Not an impossible gap, but not an easy one to see disappear.

    Hope is not buoyed for the rest by the knowledge that the most recent winners at Kansas were named either Harvick or Truex the past four visits there, or the guy before that was Kyle Busch. Logano won it twice prior to that, sandwiching Jimmie Johnson’s third win at the venue. The seven time champion has just four more chances to win one final time with Chad Knaus on his pit box before the pair end their race day alliance at the end of the season. Together they have won at least once every season since 2002.

    If a contender does not do it this upcoming weekend, I think a Johnson and Knaus celebration would be a fan favorite. I would love to tell you how it ends but, alas, that time traveler thing has not worked out for me. If it had, I would have gotten extremely rich betting against the polls a couple of years ago.

  • The Final Word – As they were counting chickens at Dover, fate ordered up a few omelets

    The Final Word – As they were counting chickens at Dover, fate ordered up a few omelets

    Do not count your chickens before they hatch. That was the lesson we got in Dover on Sunday. A lot of things can happen between the time the egg emerges from the backside of the hen to when that little pecker bursts from the shell. A lot of bad things.

    You might have a metal part with the resilience of cheap plastic before you even get started. You might have a little knob not registering what the little knob is supposed to be accomplishing. You might have a visit to the pits turn into something that rhymes with pits. You might bounce off a wall or a competitor. Yes sir, a lot of bad things can happen.

    Jimmie Johnson started the race in the garage. Under the pace laps, he had a lower ball joint failure at 45 miles per hour. The car you use to take Grandma out for a nice Sunday drive would last longer than what Johnson was in. Bad part or bad mechanic? It damn near made what happened the previous week at the Roval seem totally irrelevant.

    Kyle Busch started on the pole and ran point the opening fifteen laps. He tried to make some adjustments to the track bar using a little knob in the car. It registered nothing on his dash. It seemed to register nothing as to what he wanted adjusted. Eighth place seemed more than he deserved in the end.

    Kevin Harvick owned this race. He took over from Rowdy and won the opening stage. He was untouchable in the middle frame. His valve stem was touchable when the car went down off the jack while the lug nuts were still being tightened. Gone went the stem, back came the car, back a lap down he went. Sixth was the best he could do after that. The pits is where Harvick’s hopes seem to die all to often.

    Aric Almirola looked good among the replacements up front. So did Brad Keselowski. As did Clint Bowyer. Then Bowyer got a flat. Six laps later, something broke in front and his car got broken up along the wall. 35th place is not where he belonged.

    With just a handful of laps left Almirola and Keselowski gave up the challenge. Aric rubbed the wall, that caused him to rub Keselowski, who then rubbed out Alex Bowman, who finished 28th.

    Into over-time we went, and for the second time in his career it was Chase Elliott giving the fans a thrill as he brought it home in front and took his golden ticket to the Round of Eight. An early birthday gift to his dad. “KyB” and Happy could lock their way in if Talladega is kind to them. At the other end of the spectrum, Bowman is left with two races and 34 points to make up to make it. He won’t. Kyle Larson (12th) is a dozen out, while Bowyer and Almirola (13th) each are ten points in the rearview mirror of Ryan Blaney (11th).

    In front of them all looms the 2.66-mile experience known as Talladega. Nobody is out at the hen house doing a statistical survey just yet. Maybe they might do a tally heading to Kansas, but the whirlwind to watch out for right now is the one about to roar in to Alabama this Sunday.

  • The Final Word – Johnson went for it all at the Charlotte Roval, but wound up with nothing

    The Final Word – Johnson went for it all at the Charlotte Roval, but wound up with nothing

    The Charlotte Roval promised to be chaotic, a fantasy design straight out of the old video games that was going to tear cars up and dash hopes. Well, that narrative did not pan out, at least in the early going on Sunday. As for the ending, well, that was another story.

    It was different, but it was racing. Going in, we knew Denny Hamlin and Erik Jones needed to do very, very well to keep their championship hopes alive. They did not. We knew Jimmie Johnson and Clint Bowyer needed to do better than the likes of Chase Elliott, Austin Dillon, Alex Bowman, and Ryan Blaney to make themselves happy and upset those they were chasing. As we neared the midway of the contest, things remained close enough that we still did not know how things were going to play out

    Aric Almirola looked safe, coming in 23 points to the good, but when William Byron blew a tire late in the middle frame and bobbled he caused the then 11th placed Almirola to flinch. That saw him pound the fence on the way by. They came in for repairs and then got tagged with a tire violation. That was all it took for him to find himself on the outside trying to get back to the table with the cool kids.

    However, when it came to actual points in the bank, he was still nine up after the two stages. Among the five battling for the final three berths into the next round of the Playoffs, only five points now separated second stage winner Blaney, Dillon, Bowyer, Johnson, and Bowman, in that order. Their fate at the finish was going to decide things between them unless someone else had their luck run out on them.

    Dillon’s fortunes dipped a tad when he tried to avoid a slow Chris Buescher. In doing so, he went high into the marbles and battered the passenger side of his beast along the wall. That required some repair, even more than what it received. A short time later the tire blew, he hit the barrier yet again and Dillon was done, leaving a vacancy at the inn.

    Meanwhile, Almirola was doing his best to provide another. He went for another spin and went bowling for dollars with the infield advertising signs. At the same time, Buescher did him one better and actually hooked up a sign for Echo Park Automotive and had it waving behind him for part of a lap before the pit crew detached it. Best advertisement moment of the entire weekend. Echo Park Automotive, a used-car dealer based in Charlotte, a subsidiary of Sonic Automotive. Echo Park, for all your automotive needs.

    With seven to go, more than a few automobiles had some needs emerge. On a re-start, Brad Keselowski charged into turn one. Literally. He hit. Kyle Busch got caught up in it but, like Keselowski, he already had his pass to the next round of the dance. Kyle Larson, a contender all day, saw his auto all bent and busted. Almirola got caught in a rapidly stopping traffic jam. Those two had looked good to advance, but now it depended on how many points they might drop, who might be able to take advantage, with little time left. Meanwhile, Bowman and Bowyer were still fighting for one spot, or would there be more room at the hostelry opening up for them both?

    As it turned out, yes there was. Blaney advanced with a win, as third place became first place in the final chicane. Johnson went for the win, taking himself and Martin Truex Jr. out of the running when they collided.

    Larson, sitting now in a pile of junk, was out of it, we thought. His car was bouncing off the wall on the right side after blowing a tire, but he kept the bucket of bolts running forward, but not quickly. He needed to pass somebody to advance. Sitting just shy of the line, after being spun out, was the idle solitary car of Jeffrey Earnhardt. It sat 100 yards short of the finish. It did not move until Larson passed him. It took an eternity, but Larson went by Earnhardt, got the point, and that left us with a three-way tie in the standings. Only two would advance. Larson was given the nod, followed by Almirola, leaving Johnson, despite finishing eighth, the guy left on the outside.

    Johnson was in, but in trying for the win, he got knocked out by the smallest of margins. As for Larson, he needs to thank the guy who spun Earnhardt out just shy of the line, that left him available to pass, the guy who made Larson’s continued hopes possible.

    Ty Dillon and Daniel Hemric finished 22nd and 23rd respectively, but not before taking Earnhardt out in the final chicane. Definitely Daniel, and possibly Ty as well, deserve much thanks from Larson for the deed. He owes them big time.

    Now, on to Dover.

  • The Final Word – A Saturday night to get reacquainted with the Big Three at Richmond

    The Final Word – A Saturday night to get reacquainted with the Big Three at Richmond

    Richmond, the second race of the opening rung of the championship ladder. Only four storylines awaited to be written.

    Who would win, and would it be Brad Keselowski for a fourth straight contest?

    Who could keep out of danger from falling out of the top dozen as they search for a berth in the second leg?

    Who could move up from the next four, already in danger to being eliminated, to challenge for one of those top dozen spots after having some hard luck at Las Vegas?

    Finally, who outside of our drivers of interest could make themselves relevant? The best of last week, Jamie McMurray, got wrecked before it was all over. Would someone outside the top sixteen manage to finish the event and make us notice they were even there?

    None of the outsiders showed up by the time that opening stage completed. Often it is too early to tell much, but Martin Truex, Jr. and Kevin Harvick dominated while Keselowski showed up late for third. No one else was even close. Chase Elliott was fourth, making us wonder if he was going to erase the nine point gap between himself and those above the cut off line when this one came to a conclusion. Clint Bowyer was the man in his sights, who started with an ill handling car that gave him no breaks in that opening run. As for as those who had to pass a lot of cars in that initial run, both Kyle Busch and Denny Hamlin seemed prepared to put forth a good argument before it was all over.

    Stage two provided more of the same. Truex ran away with it, with Harvick next up. Keselowski was fourth, so still in the hunt. To this point, the question remained if Elliott would move into the top dozen and replace Bowyer, or not. As for an also ran, Ryan Newman was in the distant conversation. He was also a hot topic before the race. Newman will be leaving Richard Childress to take the ride split between Matt Kenseth and Trevor Bayne this season for Jack Roush.

    Just to make things interesting, the pit stops brought some interesting events. First, Truex got tagged with tire violation to set him back. Elliott went to the front, moving up three spots, thanks to his crew. That left us watching and wondering how things might shake out when they took the green.

    The “Baby” Busch soon rejoined the party, and soon was in front. He had the best car in the end, and won it to get his free pass to the next round. Harvick had the most steady car in the event, and was the runner-up. Like Busch, Truex had a nice comeback, making up nearly twenty spots from is pit miscue to come home in third. All three join Keselowski, who was ninth on that night, locked into the next round of three races based on wins and points. Up next, though, is the Roval in Charlotte next weekend.

    Elliott was fourth on Saturday night, and now is ten to the good. Bowyer and Jimmie Johnson are outsiders, yet the pair are within seven points of Ryan Blaney and Alex Bowman. Erik Jones and Hamlin, who wound up 16th,  damn near need a win to be in. As for the 24 other boys out on the track for this one, none were among our Top Ten.

    The Roval. That is a track that makes Talladega look downright tame. For you and I, a very entertaining race to watch. For the crews, an absolute nightmare to navigate. Let the good times roval next Sunday in Charlotte.

  • The Final Word – The first race of the playoffs in Las Vegas damaged the hopes of some

    The Final Word – The first race of the playoffs in Las Vegas damaged the hopes of some

    Now it gets real. There is no argument as to whom the contenders are, and who are the pretenders. Say what you will, but even though there might be forty cars on the track, only 16 matter.

    It was the playoff opener in Las Vegas and now the race winner and the boys in the hunt for the championship are all we need focus on. The rest are merely hamburger helper, the garnish around the good stuff. Martin Truex Jr. showed early he was pure sirloin by taking the opening stage. All the contenders, in fact, were in the forward half of the field.

    Kevin Harvick was among them. However, he could still use a pit crew that matches his driving talents. Some gain ground when they turn in for service. Harvick does the opposite. On Sunday his car got tighter and tighter during that middle stage, not turning worth a damn. Finally, his tire gave up, he clipped the wall, and pole sitter Erik Jones had no place to go but into him. Two contenders were done for the day.

    If you ask Harvick, the tires sucked. There were issues with the rubber but it is not clear what those issues were other than the results. Jamie McMurray was our best outsider on the day, a solid Top Ten run going for him, when a rear tire gave up, he spun into the wall, collecting Chase Elliott. He became our third contender to be booted from the event with 55 laps remaining.

    Truex allowed Brad Keselowski some time up front but had gone back in front prior to the caution. Things changed in the pits when Keselowski and his Penske compadre Joey Logano emerged just ahead of the defending champ. Logano took the point position, but Truex had just gotten by Keselowski for second when Kyle Busch broke loose to bring out the yellow once again. While Rowdy was now buried in 26th, Keselowski, Truex, and Logano came out of the pits in that order for the final run to the line.

    Or so we thought. Up front, Kyle Larson joined the party riding the high side. He got past Keselowski, while behind them Truex managed to get by Logano for third. Just when we started to wonder how things would shake out, another contender in Denny Hamlin went through the grass to tear up his splitter to bring out the caution yet again. The old Etch A Sketch of how this one might turn out got turned upside down and shaken with 20 to go. It was a Las Vegas gambler’s dream, as it was time to lay down your bets as to whether this one was going to go to Keselowski, Larson, Truex, Logano, or might we have yet another surprise coming our way?

    If more contenders getting beat to a pulp over the final dozen laps was a surprise, we got a few, along with enough cautions to force overtime. Among the stricken were Jimmie Johnson, when he tagged the wall. Alex Bowman had a tire go down. Kurt Busch and Clint Bowyer both had contact…twice.

    There was no surprise when Keselowski once again cleared the field and was off to the races in the extra laps needed to jump into an automatic berth into the second round. It was his third straight victory, coming off the Southern 500 and the Brickyard 400. It marked the 500th for Roger Penske in all forms of racing his cars are involved in. Four drivers find themselves needing to fight to get in, heading to Richmond anywhere from six to 20 points on the outside. They include Johnson (22nd at Las Vegas), Elliott (36th), Hamlin (32nd), and Jones (40th). Both  Truex (3rd) and Rowdy Busch (7th) are just a handful of points away from being locked into the next round as well.

    Things just got real and by the time they leave Richmond Saturday night, things will become very clear for most of the others.

  • The Final Word – Indianapolis proved to be more a brick than a crown jewel for much of Monday

    The Final Word – Indianapolis proved to be more a brick than a crown jewel for much of Monday

    Storylines, we had a few going into the Indianapolis Brickyard 400. We wondered if the crown jewel race on the historical track would be worth watching. Sometimes it has not been. However, now that NBC has brought back meaningful commentary to the experience, we had high hopes. Hell, despite it being obvious no one was going to be racing for a while, I was glued to the television just to hear what everyone had to say. The network that once brought us Rusty Wallace now presents Dale Earnhardt Jr., Jeff Burton, and Steve Letarte. Now, that is the true meaning of being progressive, as Lord knows progress has finally been made.

    Yet, the big story was the start of the race. When would that be? The wet cold rainy weather punted both practice and qualifying, thus nobody would have any laps in their car when the green waved. None. Zip. That had never happened before in NASCAR’s modern era. I mean, with defending race champ Kasey Kahne out of the car due to the after-effects from heat exhaustion in the Southern 500, Regan Smith was in a Cup car for the first time in 17 months. No practice, no laps, nothing before he takes the green flag on a green track known for grinding tires down to the nub.

    Obviously, we also wondered if someone below NASCAR’s dividing line between contenders and pretenders might shock us all with a win. Someone who might actually put Jimmie Johnson and Alex Bowman in jeopardy of losing their spot in the season-ending party. Winning this particular race is a big deal. Winning it to steal a spot in the Chase would have been huge.

    Sunday came and went, but when they waved the green on Monday we discovered tire wear and lack of practice was no big deal. The cars stuck and when Denny Hamlin ignored the competition caution after 10 laps, he went to the front and stayed there. So much for those storylines.

    So much for the Sunday fans as many, if not most, were nowhere to be seen in the stands come Monday. Maybe they knew that being there was not as good as watching it all from home. As for the racing, the boys were stretched all around the track. If you love pack racing, you would have hated Indianapolis. Meanwhile, the NBC boys and girls kept it more than watchable due to the insight of their commentary. See, it all was not bad.

    It was not a good week for Martin Truex Jr. First, we heard that his team is heading for the exits after this season. Then we saw in the middle of the opening stage that same car heading for the exits after shattering a left front brake rotor. When it rains it pours, at least it did at Indianapolis.

    Lost brakes ended all hopes for Bubba Wallace when a failure caused his wreck. Johnson got some relief in the middle frame when A.J. Allmendinger crippled Bowman’s ride. That guaranteed Johnson was in the Chase, but it still meant someone on the outside had to win to beat Bowman out. The odds were not great, especially considering the fact the best of the rest with 60 laps to go was Stage Two winner Matt Kenseth, and he was not even eligible for a playoff run.

    As the laps clicked off, it was down to a pair of drivers. Hamlin was up front, with Clint Bowyer trying to track him down. With seven to go, Jeffrey Earnhardt and Landon Cassill came together to bring out the caution. That set the stage for those two boys left hoping to hold off Brad Keselowski, with his fresher tires, sitting a row behind them. He was sitting beside Jamie McMurray, who is in final campaign in his current ride, needed a win to be in. Same for Ryan Newman, who started right behind him. Finally, this thing was going to get interesting.

    On the restart, Bowyer spun his tires and sank from view. Keselowski came up to challenge Hamlin, and the pair did some beating and banging before Mad Brad took off to collect a second straight crown jewel, coming off of his win last week in the Southern 500. Erik Jones finished third, ahead of Hamlin, Kevin Harvick, and Bowyer. Three outsiders finished in the top 10, but McMurray, Newman, and Paul Menard came up short of the prize they were after.

    Now it is off to the playoffs. Three drivers go in with a big cushion in playoff points. For the rest, a win would automatically launch them into the next round. The excitement begins next Sunday at Las Vegas, where there is always a story to tell.

  • The Final Word – The Southern 500, a celebration of the passage of time

    The Final Word – The Southern 500, a celebration of the passage of time

    Darlington was a day all about time. A time when in 1950 the first Southern 500 was run. A time when some of the great names from the past were brought back to be saluted by their sport in the present. A time when 0.6 seconds can mean everything.

    Just ask Brad Keselowski and Kyle Larson. At a time when 14 entered locked into the Playoffs, two were trying to stay there, and up to 14 others were hoping against hope to steal a spot away, it was Larson who sped away. By the time he finished the opening stage, we knew that Jimmie Johnson and Alex Bowman were not going to be putting up a fight to keep their places. Both had already been lapped by this time and things were not going to get better for either of them. Their fate on that day was now entirely in the hands of others.

    The middle frame provided more of the same. It was all Larson all of the time. While members of the Big Three could always be counted to have a representative somewhere close by, Martin Truex Jr. was not that guy. An uncontrolled tire in the pits proved to be the pits for him and any hopes he might have had on Sunday. As for potential winners, it seemed by the time any of the stages concluded, we only had a dozen or so still on the lead lap. The rest, well the rest were participating, but they sure were not competing.

    Down to the final half of the classic, and it remained the Kyle Larson Show. Even after Clint Bowyer ran over Ryan Newman as one was slowing down to pit while the other could not see through the slowpokes poking along in front of him, it was Larson who was at the front on the re-start. Then, with less than 30 to go, Jeffrey Earnhardt spun his car. The caution came out, and pit road was open.

    Larson’s crew did a fine job. The broadcasters said so, but then there was Keselowski. Fifth after the opening stage, second after the next, his crew did a finer job than Larson’s band of brothers, 0.6 seconds better. Keselowski started up front and disappeared from view. Joey Logano, himself with stage finishes of fourth and third, moved into second by the time they hit the finish line. Larson salvaged third, Chase Elliott and Erik Jones were next, but it was the veteran and a stellar job by his service department that decided the Southern 500 on this particular Sunday.

    That leaves one more Sunday to shake things up. Johnson needs to finish within nineteen positions of Bowman at Indianapolis to ensure he makes the playoffs. Bowman needs to either ruin Johnson’s plans or hope no one behind him in the standings claims victory. That is the only way he can be caught. Kasey Kahne won at Indianapolis last year. Newman, Paul Menard, and Jamie McMurray have done so in the past. Can one of them, or some other outsider, do it at the Brickyard this Sunday?

    As for Keselowski, this past weekend marked his 25th career victory. It extended his string of seasons with at least one victory to eight. It earned him his first Southern 500, to go along with five Talladega wins, a pair at Bristol, and his 2012 championship in a career that will end in the Hall of Fame. However, that will come in time, sometime in the next dozen years or so. Right now, there is no time other than the present, and the memory of 0.6 seconds at Darlington.

  • The Final Word – B is for Bristol where the Busch Boys run wild

    The Final Word – B is for Bristol where the Busch Boys run wild

    Officially, Saturday night’s race was not billed as the Bristol Busch Brothers 500. Those two boys are almost always front and center at the venue. Even when they do not want to be.

    It took three laps for Kyle Busch to be front and center. He spun, sat in the middle of the track, and watched his car become a pinata. We knew it was the end of the line for the likes of Bubba Wallace and A.J. Allmendinger. It sure did not look good for Rowdy, either. The car looked bad, the rear panel was torn off, but at least he was still running, but two laps down.

    Paul Menard was another of those needing a win to be in the Playoffs. That did not happen on Saturday. After his right front went down he went out. That took just 30 laps. Shortly after, a mechanic issue doused all hope for Jamie McMurray.

    While there might have been a weather system out there on the horizon bringing darker skies, they did not affect Ryan Blaney, Kevin Harvick, or Clint Bowyer in the opening stage, as they came across the line in that order. Not so for Ricky Stenhouse Jr. He came in on the outside and stayed there after tagging the wall. Oh, we were not going to see Keelan take another ride with dad. A storm cloud opened up over Harvick due to a tire issue. That put him a lap down, never to be seen again.

    They came and they went, and by the time the second stage wrapped up, it was Joey Logano and Chase Elliott finishing 1-2. It also marked the return of Kyle Busch to the lead lap.

    Aric Almirola had a good day going for himself until he was black-flagged for dumping fluid all over the track. Ole Kyle, meanwhile, kept on coming. That is what Martin Truex Jr. discovered when a familiar face touched his left rear quarter-panel to spin him into the inside wall. When Brad Keselowski spun late in the going, we had 24 laps to go and 10 drivers who looked to be in contention.

    When they bunched up to take the green flag, Bowyer, Kurt Busch, Jimmie Johnson, and Chris Buescher were up front on old tires. Austin Dillon and Denny Hamlin had two fresh ones. Elliott, Kyle, Logano, and Kyle Larson had new treads. This was going to get wild.

    It took about four laps. Rowdy had a tire going down and spun into oblivion. I bet Truex was sure sad to see that from the garage. Buescher also lost a tire. Chad Knaus saw enough and brought Johnson in for four.

    Not so for Billy Scott. He left Kurt Busch out there. He left him there on old tires to outrun Larson, Elliott, Logano, Erik Jones, Bowyer, and Blaney to take his first of the season, the sixth on this track (though the first in a dozen years), and the 30th of his career. It marked the first win for Scott up on the box and a crew that last year worked with Danica Patrick. It also marked the first time in NASCAR history to see a pair of brothers each boasting 30 career wins.

    Yes, just another Busch Brother day at Bristol.