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Tag: Aric Almirola

  • Hot 20 – Harvick feels bad heading to New Hampshire, but I bet Bowyer feels even worse

    Hot 20 – Harvick feels bad heading to New Hampshire, but I bet Bowyer feels even worse

    There is hot, and there is hot. Hot could be winning the opening race of the Chase, securing a berth in the next round, and allowing two races to tinker and prepare for Charlotte. However, after a spin on just the second lap in Chicago, the result was as much a credit to the performance of crew chief Dave Rogers as it was to the driver, Denny Hamlin.

    Hot could be showcasing a dominant performance. Kyle Busch led much of the race, only to melt like an M&M Crispy sitting in the back window over the summer, to come home in ninth. Not good enough to win, but surely good enough to garner some notice that the best for him might be yet to come.

    Hot could be sitting behind the wheel of a good car, one that was near the front. At least, it was until Jimmie Johnson tried to force his way up off the apron after Joey Logano had put him there, only to find an unyielding Kevin Harvick. What did yield was Harvick’s rear tire after the two entries came in contact, sending the defending champ into the wall. Hot was what Harvick was when Johnson tried to explain what happened after the race. A win this week or next might now be Harvick’s best bet to advance.

    Hot could be being part of a team that had controversy leading up to its first ever race, having your own reputation smeared along the way, and then we had last Sunday. Clint Bowyer’s hopes of bringing a title to MWR in its final go round dipped deeper than Harvick’s mood when he got stripped of all 25 points he gained last week. This latest drama began when it was discovered prior to the race that some parts were not properly installed on his car. Crew chief Billy Scott’s wallet is $75,000 lighter and he is gone for the next three races. Time to find some new friends, Mr. Bowyer.

    For those still allowed to show up at the track, Loudon, New Hampshire is next on the dance card. Harvick won there once, back in 2006. Half the time he finishes in the Top Ten. That might not be good enough to get out of the hole he finds himself in. As far as Bowyer goes, I think it is time to break out the shovels.

    The last four to win there have all been Chasers; Matt Kenseth, Brad Keselowski, Logano, and Rowdy. It is a good bet one of them could do it again this Sunday. The Hot 20 heading to New Hampshire includes…

    1. DENNY HAMLIN – 1 CHASE WIN
    An early spin, a lap down, but Mr. Roger’s got this trolley back on the rails.

    2. MATT KENSETH – 2052 POINTS
    Needs a win. If he wins the title on points alone again, oh what would people say?

    3. KYLE BUSCH – 2049 POINTS (4 Season Wins)
    Chicago was M&M’s biggest heart break since E.T. made Reece’s Pieces his favorite.

    4. CARL EDWARDS – 2049 POINTS (2 Season Wins)
    Track position trumped fresh rubber last week…but not by much.

    5. JOEY LOGANO – 2048 POINTS (3 Season Wins)
    Bump drafting on the re-start sure worked well…for him.

    6. KURT BUSCH – 2048 POINTS (2 Season Wins)
    Pit boss Tony Gibson plans to be in Loudon but is leaving his appendix behind him.

    7. JIMMIE JOHNSON – 2045 POINTS
    Got an unwanted push from Logano during the race, got another from Harvick after it.

    8. RYAN NEWMAN – 2040 POINTS
    July 28, 2013. His win column definitely needs a re-boot.

    9. BRAD KESELOWSKI – 2039 POINTS
    Oh, just win the damn race on Sunday and get it over with.

    10. DALE EARNHARDT JR. – 2038 POINTS
    To be part of next season’s XFINITY tour in the only place a Cup guy should be…in the booth.

    11. MARTIN TRUEX JR. – 2035 POINTS
    Lost his sponsor and his job through no fault of his own in 2013. There is life after MWR.

    12. JEFF GORDON – 2031 POINTS
    Last Loudon win came in the previous century.

    13. JAMIE MCMURRAY – 2028 POINTS
    With a heat seeking sponsor, he will be seeking out some heat of his own.

    14. PAUL MENARD – 2027 POINTS
    At a track that does him no favors, Sunday could be more about surviving than thriving.

    15. KEVIN HARVICK – 2009 POINTS
    At least all his car parts were attached properly until Jimmie tried to remove them.

    16. CLINT BOWYER – 2000 POINTS
    Un-freakin’-believable.

    17. ARIC ALMIROLA – 727 POINTS
    There is speculation that he could be getting a new teammate next year. Might it be Clint?

    18. KASEY KAHNE – 697 POINTS
    Two Top Tens is not exactly what he was signed up for.

    19. KYLE LARSON – 656 POINTS
    Twenty-three years old and stuck at the kiddie’s table. It could be worse. Just ask Austin, Danica, Tony…

    20. GREG BIFFLE – 634 POINTS
    Dear Jack Roush: WTF????

  • Surprising and Not Surprising: Chicagoland myAFibRisk.com400

    Surprising and Not Surprising: Chicagoland myAFibRisk.com400

    In the first race of the 10-race Chase to the championship here is what was surprising and not surprising from 15th Annual myAFibRisk.com 400 at Chicagoland Speedway.

    Surprising:  While Denny Hamlin proved he was better than the rest of the field, coming back from an early spin to win the first race of the Chase, he also proved he was better than one of basketball’s greatest.

    “The first thing I’m going to do is text Michael Jordan,” Hamlin said in the media center after the race. “He texted me on Wednesday.  Jordon said he was in Monte-Carlo.  I popped in his head like I always do, which I thought was a little odd.

    “He says, I know you’re about to head into the playoffs.  I just want you to know I’ve never admitted to anybody that anyone is better than me at anything my whole life.  But if you win this race this weekend, I will admit that you’re a better driver than I am.

    “So the first thing I’m going to do is text him and say, Admit it, I’m better than you, and I want everyone to know.”

    With the ‘W,’ Hamlin advances to the Contender round of the championship and also ties NASCAR Hall of Famer Fred Lorenzen for 27th on the all-time Series win list.

    Not Surprising:  Remember when Carl Edward’s nickname was ‘Concrete Carl’ for all of his wins on those types of tracks?  Well, that moniker might now be changed to ‘Comeback Carl’ as the driver of the No. 19 Stanley Toyota finished in the runner-up spot after going down a lap earlier in the race.

    “I had a speeding penalty.  I set us back there,” Edwards said. “We knew if maybe we get our lap back, get back up there, we’d be all right.

    “Overall we planned on the racetrack changing a lot.  I felt like my guys did a great job getting the car tuned in for the end.  I felt like all of us as a group at JGR worked great together this weekend.”

    This was Edwards’s fourth top-10 finish in 11 races at Chicagoland and it was his 10th top-10 finish of the season.

    Surprising:  He may have achieved Iron Man status, but he certainly might have traded all that for just a little more rubber instead at this first race in the Chase.

    Jeff Gordon tied Ricky Rudd with 788 consecutive starts, however, the driver of the No. 24 Axalta Chevrolet stayed out on old tires instead of coming to pit, causing him to go from leading the race to finishing 14th.

    “I knew we were going to have a tough time with old tires like that,” Gordon said.  “Gosh, it would have been so much sweeter if I’d been in Victory Lane right now.

    “I’m very proud of all that I’ve achieved in this sport. There’s a lot of stats that are awesome numbers. This is one of them. And we’ve got nine more to go.”

    Not Surprising:  After recovering from his close encounter with Jimmie Johnson, Kevin Harvick has a simple one-word recovery plan. He just plans to win.

    “I just held my ground and he just slammed into the side of the door like I wasn’t even there,” the driver of the No. 4 Jimmy John’s/Budweiser Chevrolet said after his wreck with Johnson that led to his 42nd place finish. “So, the spotter was telling me four-wide and I guess he just figured that he’d come up the race track.

    “But, I’m just really proud of everybody on our Jimmy John’s/Budweiser team for not giving up and doing all the things they had to do to get the car back on the track and we’ve just got to go win one of these races.”

    Surprising:  Kurt Busch, driver of the No. 41 Haas Automation Chevrolet was apparently readying himself for a pilgrimage after his third place Chicagoland finish.

    “This is a long journey through these next 10 weeks,” Busch said. “We weren’t given a hall pass now, through Loudon and through Dover. We’ve just got to work hard as a team and saddle-up.”

    This was Busch’s ninth top-10 finish in 15 races at Chicagoland Speedway.

    Not Surprising:  The mantra of every child known to man was echoed by one Chase driver Joey Logano, who basically said ‘It wasn’t me’ after the first Chase race.

    Of his restart issue where the No. 48 and the No. 4 cars mixed it up, Logano replied, “I had nothing to do with that. The 48 went three-wide bottom and I was just sitting there. I was no part of it.”

    And of the restart of Jeff Gordon that NASCAR reviewed and pronounced good, the driver of the No. 22 Shell Pennzoil Ford said, “I felt like the 24 jumped it once, but NASCAR isn’t calling it so we just need to push it.”

    Logano qualified second and finished the Chicagoland race in the sixth spot.

    “I felt like we were in the catbird seat on that restart starting sixth with new tires. I had a good start and got three-wide. The 18 got tight and fenced us. We lost all the spots that we should have gained. I felt like we were in the position that we needed to be in to win this thing.”

    Surprising:  While Hamlin punched his Chase ticket, there was no ticket, especially one of the speeding variety, for his teammate Matt Kenseth.

    “I definitely didn’t speed anywhere today,” Kenseth said. “We really struggled.  We had probably a 15th-place car at best and barely hung onto the lead lap all day and got the right line on the restart.

    “Jason made some good adjustments, guys never quit.  We were in the right line at the restart.  Everybody got bottled up.  I think passed seven or eight of them in the first corner, another two or three the next set of corners.

    “Somehow we wound up fifth.  We definitely finished way better than we deserved today.  But that’s what you have to do in these things, you have to try to take your days and try to make them the best you can.”

    Not Surprising:  Martin Truex Jr. came close to losing it at Chicagoland, in fact losing out on his top-10 finishing record and slipping to finish 13th instead.

    “You can’t win the Chase in the first race but you can sure lose it,” Truex said. “We didn’t lose it today but finishing 13th after running solidly in the top-10 for almost the entire race is very disappointing.

    “We didn’t have the speed to get back up there at the end. Though we didn’t have a great race car today, it was sure better than 13th. We’ll regroup and go after it in New Hampshire next week.”

    Surprising:  Two drivers, who no doubt had Chase expectations coming into the 2015 season, showed they could still mix it up with the best. Kyle Larson and Aric Almirola both finished better than many of the Chasers, in fact in seventh and 10th respectively.

    Not Surprising:  Sometimes drivers are fans and sometimes not. After this race, Dale Earnhardt, Jr. was not alone in not being a fan of restarts while Tony Stewart was all about proving that Ryan Newman should be his fan.

    “Those debris cautions, I’m not a fan of them,” Junior said after finishing 12th in his No. 88 Diet Mountain Dew Chevrolet.

    Tony Stewart, on the other hand, was not only signing autographs for fans before the race but also autographing the back of Newman’s shirt, no doubt for a bit of luck.

    Newman, one of the Chase contenders, finished fourth while Stewart finished well back in the 25th position.

    “I did what I had to do,” Newman said. “I was a lap down and took the wave around. That last caution was a blessing for us. Big improvement for where we were last year in the Chase. We just have to keep focused on our own deal.”

    The second race in the Chase will occur at New Hampshire Motor Speedway next weekend on Sunday, September 27, 2015. The Sylvania 300 will begin at 2:00 p.m. EDT with live coverage provided by NBCSN.

     

  • Hot 20 – The Chase for the Championship Commences in Chicago

    Hot 20 – The Chase for the Championship Commences in Chicago

    So it begins. Sixteen drivers, each trying to avoid being one of the four eliminated from contention for the championship after each round of three races.

    The first round, Chicago, New Hampshire, and Dover, will see each running for the best finish amongst those qualified. A win in any of the three would guarantee them a spot in the next round of three events no matter how they might fair in the other two contests. History tells us that Jamie McMurray and Paul Menard will not do well this weekend.

    For them, this would be a good time to rewrite history. For those outside the Top Sixteen, no time like the present to break a few hearts. A win now robs a contender of a free pass and could go a long way in getting sponsors thinking more of what is to come than what could have been.

    That would be the goal of the bottom four amongst our hot 20 heading into Chicago this Sunday.

    1. JIMMIE JOHNSON – 2012 POINTS (4 Wins)
    The firm of Petty and Earnhardt still has room for another name partner.

    2. KYLE BUSCH – 2012 (4)
    Having a leg up on the opposition was not a good thing in his case, but it matters not now.

    3. MATT KENSETH – 2012 (4)
    If his 2003 title started this Chase business, now he can start eliminating his critics four at a time.

    4. JOEY LOGANO – 2009 (3)
    Had the pole at Richmond, but Kenseth only allowed him to lead 25 of the 400 laps.

    5. KEVIN HARVICK – 2006 (2)
    His points standing just went from a 30 point lead to a six-point deficit.

    6. DALE EARNHARDT JR. – 2006 (2)
    He and his buddy Greg Ives come in with four straight Top Tens. Three more would be nice.

    7. KURT BUSCH – 2006 (2)
    First Chase champion would like to be the next one, too.

    8. CARL EDWARDS – 2006 (2)
    I am not sure if he misses Jack Roush at all, considering how his season with Joe Gibbs has gone.

    9. BRAD KESELOWSKI – 2003 (1)
    One of six in the Chase who already knows how it feels to be crowned a champion.

    10. MARTIN TRUEX JR. – 2003 (1)
    Team-mates? We ain’t got no teammates. We don’t need no team-mates.

    11. DENNY HAMLIN – 2003 (1)
    Adversity is racing with a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his throttle leg’s knee.

    12. JAMIE MCMURRAY – 2000
    So…this is the Chase, eh?

    13. JEFF GORDON – 2000
    What better way to ride off into the sunset than with a fifth title?

    14. RYAN NEWMAN – 2000
    Winless in 2015. Runner-up to Harvick in 2014.

    15. PAUL MENARD – 2000
    Chicago has not been his kind of town.

    16. CLINT BOWYER – 2000
    Like his team owner, he is out of a job after this season. Both could use a little good news.

    17. ARIC ALMIROLA – 693
    Fourth at Richmond was like being a groomsman at your sweetheart’s wedding.

    18. KASEY KAHNE – 677
    Only Hendrick driver to miss the party this year, needs some positive results heading into 2016.

    19. KYLE LARSON – 618
    Sophomore jinx bit him hard this season.

    20. GREG BIFFLE – 611
    Limping along in his worst season ever, as Jack Roush has his worst as an owner.

  • The Final Word – It was the Matt Kenseth 400 at Richmond

    The Final Word – It was the Matt Kenseth 400 at Richmond

    Richmond, where the final battle royal would take place to decide the final line-up for the Chase. Richmond, where we discovered that only six cars mattered at all the entire night, and all of them already had their tickets punched to the party. So, if you decided to watch something that actually promised some real drama, here is what you missed, in a nutshell, at Richmond.

    On the opening lap, we had Joey Logano leading the way, followed by Matt Kenseth and Kyle Busch. That was good for nearly 50 laps when Brad Keselowski replaced Busch. Another 50-some laps went by when we had Denny Hamlin replace Keselowski amongst the top trio, to join Logano and Kenseth. You missed all that drama, and we had nearly 300 laps to go.

    Twenty-five laps went by, and Carl Edwards replaced Logano in a podium position, at least for six laps when Busch moved Edwards out, who was never to be seen again, finishing 11th. All you need to remember is that Kenseth and Busch also remained in the top three, and they would remain there the rest of the way. Hamlin replaced Keselowski for 35 laps before Logano got the position back with more than 100 to go. On lap 400, it was Kenseth, Busch, and Logano crossing the line and Richmond was in the books. Kenseth, Rowdy, Logano, Keselowski, Hamlin and, for six laps, Edwards, were the only cars that mattered at all on Saturday night in Richmond.

    Sure, some got excited that Aric Almirola was fourth, but he had to win, and did not. He also needed Clint Bowyer to finish outside the Top 25, and he came home 10th. No, Almirola did not matter a lick on this night. Dale Earnhardt Jr., Jeff Gordon, and Jimmie Johnson all had Top Ten days. All did not matter in the end, or at the start, or anywhere near the middle, but I admit they did have nice finishes.

    What did matter was the fact Kenseth won his fourth of the season and the 35th of his Cup career. He led 352 of the 400 laps. So, I am not really sure if any of the other five mattered at all now that I think about it. The victory means Kenseth enters the Chase tied with Busch and Johnson with each having an additional dozen bonus points added to their tally.

    There were some newsworthy tidbits. We did have another Earnhardt running, as nephew Jeremy Earnhardt finished 13 laps off the pace in 40th, making his Cup debut at the age of 26. Martin Truex Jr. had the worst run amongst the Chasers, as a wall rub messed up the car to leave him six off the pace, 32nd. Just about the only other thing from the weekend of note was that Chase Elliott won the XFINITY race. Yes, someone actually registered in that series. I am as shocked as you are.

    So, the Chase begins in Chicago with the “Sweet Sixteen” hoping to survive the cut over the next three events. According to their career average finishes at the track, one could expect Johnson, Kevin Harvick, Keselowski, and Gordon to do well there. Kyle and Kenseth should also do fine. However, this is definitely not the place Hamlin, Jamie McMurray, and Paul Menard have traditionally enjoyed any measure of success. Unless that changes on Sunday, they might have some work to do by the time New Hampshire rolls around. Hey, if you want drama, that might work for you.

  • Surprising and Not Surprising: Richmond Federated Auto Parts 400

    Surprising and Not Surprising: Richmond Federated Auto Parts 400

    In the last race of the regular season and the one to set the Chase contenders here is what was surprising and not surprising from the 48th annual Federated Auto Parts 500 at Richmond International Raceway.

    Surprising:  One would think that a team owner standing in Victory Lane and one whose four drivers had qualified for the Chase would be a most happy camper.

    Indeed, Coach Joe Gibbs was pretty happy, but he also alluded to the anxiety that he will feel in the three weeks ahead as the first elimination round plays out.

    “Now the problem is, I think for the next three weeks I’ll be ready to throw up at any minute,” Gibbs said after the race. “That’s the bottom line.”

    Not Surprising:  While two teams, Richard Petty Motorsports and Roush Fenway Racing, were shut out of NASCAR’s playoffs, the way their eliminations took place was not surprising.

    Having not shown much life all season, Roush Fenway drivers Greg Biffle, Ricky Stenhouse Jr., and Trevor Bayne not only finished well out of Chase contention but they also completed the regular season in disappointment.

    Biffle had the worst of the team’s days finishing 31st. Stenhouse and Bayne finished 16th and 23rd respectively.

    This was the first time in RFR’s history that one of their drivers failed to make the Chase since its inception.

    In contrast, Aric Almirola, who made the Chase last year with Richard Petty Motorsports, delivered one of the gutsiest performances, finishing fourth. And even with that, the driver of the famed No. 43 Smithfield Foods/Waffle House Ford still came up 17 points short, edged out of Chase contention by Clint Bowyer.

    “Disappointed for sure,” Almirola said. “I drove my heart out tonight. All year long, really.”

    “I feel like we’ve certainly overachieved this year. Our cars just haven’t had the speed, and we’ve managed a way to get good results, and really proud of this race team.”

    “Everybody has done so much to support us, and to come up short, it hurts. We were in it last year and we got a taste of what it was like to be in the Chase. This race team is a great race team and we wanted another shot at it, and we just came up short. Just wasn’t meant to be.”

    Surprising:  Forget about making the Chase, Jeff Gordon was just excited about finally having a top-10 car. The driver of the No. 24 3M Chevrolet was also excited about being able to work with his team to finally make good enough adjustments to end up with a seventh place finish.

    “Excited we finally had a solid night on pit road, on the racetrack, in the race car, communication,” Gordon said. “Everything was just really solid. That certainly gives us something to be excited about these next ten races.”

    “It’s nice to be in the Chase and take that relief and take that breath and now go reset and see what we can do over the next 10.”

    Not Surprising:  Kasey Kahne got himself turned around and ended up the odd man out in the Hendrick Motorsports Chase contingent. His HMS teammates, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Jeff Gordon and Jimmie Johnson, instead are all heading on to compete for the Cup without him.

    “I think the main thing for me is just figuring out how to get a car to turn again,” Kahne said. “I’ve struggled all year to have front turn, and if I don’t have that, I can’t race. That’s how I’ve been my whole life.”

    “We’ll just work on trying to get the cars the way I need them to, and if we can’t, we’ll keep running about 15th.”

    Surprising:  While two of his drivers, Kevin Harvick and Kurt Busch, head to Chase competition, Tony Stewart achieved a milestone that he would no doubt like to forget. The driver of the No. 14 Bass Pro Shops/Mobil 1 Chevrolet finished 29th, four laps down.

    Stewart’s 29th place finish was only his fifth outside of the top-25 in 33 career Cup starts at Richmond International Raceway.

    Not Surprising:  Although one’s injuries were much fresher than the other, two drivers with physical challenges managed to not only finish the Richmond race well but also find their spots in the Chase.

    Kyle Busch, driver of the No. 18 M&M’s Crispy/American Heritage Chocolate Toyota, continued his miraculous comeback with a runner-up position at Richmond. Busch is also seeded in the second place in the Chase, even after missing 11 races due to injuries sustained in the Daytona XFINITY Series race at the beginning of the season.

    Just after tearing another ACL, Denny Hamlin also struggled through his injury to get into the Chase, seeded in the 11th position. The driver of the No. 11 FedEx Express Toyota finished sixth in the Richmond race.

    “Well, I think it’ll be a lot better next week,” Hamlin said. “Just three days out, really, four nights out, from when it happened, and anybody that’s had it happen before knows that the first week is pretty tough.”

    “I think I’ll start to rehab and everything this week and try to get it stronger and make sure we’re ready to make a Chase run.”

    Surprising:  Paul Menard summed up the sentiments of several of the drivers who made the Chase but had a bad race at Richmond. The driver of the No. 27 Libman/Menards Chevrolet finished 26th in the race and is seeded 15th in the Chase.

    “We don’t know whether to be happy or sad, it was such a bad race for us,” Menard said. “Obviously very excited to be in the Chase. It was a goal that we set at the beginning of the year. Everybody at RCR and the 27 guys and ECR, they work hard.  We’ve had a lot of good runs this year. Tonight just wasn’t one of them, but we did what we had to do.”

    Kevin Harvick, another driver who made the Chase but struggled at Richmond, finished an uncharacteristic 14th. And Martin Truex Jr. finished 32nd after hitting oil from another driver’s car on Lap 39.

    Harvick is seeded fifth in the Chase, with Truex Jr. following in the 10th spot.

    Not Surprising:  With his usual enthusiasm, Clint Bowyer bounded into this year’s Chase, saving the day at least for now, for Michael Waltrip Racing, which will fold at the end of 2015.

    “Well, I mean, just to go through the year we’ve had, I mean, a lot of ups and downs here, a lot of downs,” Bowyer said. “We did this, now we’re in the Chase!  Pressure is off, go cat go! Let’s go out and have some fun.”

    Surprising:  Michael McDowell went from sharing the invocation before the start of the race to being called to the NASCAR hauler after hitting the safety vehicle during a caution on Lap 288.

    McDowell made heavy contact with the right rear of his No. 95 Leavine Family Racing Ford. McDowell was unhurt, as were the safety workers in the truck.

    “I’m not really sure what happened,” McDowell said. “I’m embarrassed for my team. My mistake. Luckily no one was hurt.”

    Not Surprising:  Kim Lopez, the first woman and Latina to flag races at the highest level, got a tip of the cap as she threw her final checkered flag. Lopez is headed for a new role and challenge in the NASCAR  R&D Center.

  • Hot 20 – The final hurdle for Bowyer and the rest comes this Saturday night in Richmond

    Hot 20 – The final hurdle for Bowyer and the rest comes this Saturday night in Richmond

    If history repeats itself, there will be no surprise winner at Richmond on Saturday night. Going back over the past 10 years, every single driver who has won there is currently locked into the Chase for this year. Except for one.

    Clint Bowyer has a pair of victories on the 3/4-mile track, but none anywhere to his credit this season. To make it worse, even if a first-time driver does not emerge this weekend to steal his thunder, he still sits just 29 points up on Aric Almirola for the final Chase position, with Kasey Kahne just a couple of points further back. A sour engine, a meeting with a wall or a competitor, a bad tire or messed up pit stop at the wrong time, and Bowyer’s season turns south faster than one’s job security at Michael Waltrip Racing. To make sure he is in, Bowyer needs to finish in the Top 25 on Saturday night. That and hope history does indeed repeat itself.

    The odds are almost prohibitive that the winner this weekend at Richmond will be from amongst our Hot 20…

    1. JIMMIE JOHNSON – 4 WINS
    Expect the team of Jimmie, Chad, and Lowe’s to be around for some time yet.

    2. KYLE BUSCH – 4 WINS
    The story of the year to this point.

    3. JOEY LOGANO – 3 WINS
    Liked Johnson’s car so much he almost took it out with a spin last week.

    4. MATT KENSETH – 3 WINS
    Progress last week was thwarted by an early Darlington stripe…okay, more like a sledge hammer.

    5. KEVIN HARVICK – 2 WINS
    A late trip to the pits in Darlington was the pits for Harvick.

    6. DALE EARNHARDT JR. – 2 WINS
    Getting some real cool throwback gifts from fans lately, including on his last trip to Walmart.

    7. KURT BUSCH – 2 WINS
    Went digital with his Darlington dashboard.

    8. CARL EDWARDS – 2 WINS
    After three Bristol wins, he has added a World 600 and a Southern 500 to the collection in 2015.

    9. BRAD KESELOWSKI – 1 WIN
    Led the most laps, but Edwards got to walk down the aisle, leaving him a bridesmaid.

    10. MARTIN TRUEX JR. – 1 WIN
    A Darlington Top Ten, and he wasn’t happy. Has three Top Tens in last four at Richmond.

    11. DENNY HAMLIN – 1 WIN
    On Saturday night, he denied Daniel Suarez his first career XFINITY victory. My hero.

    12. JAMIE MCMURRAY – 726 POINTS
    To make the Chase, he just needs to start on Saturday night. If he gets the flu, it could get messy.

    13. RYAN NEWMAN – 714 POINTS
    If his finishing position matches his car number, or better, he rockets in as well.

    14. JEFF GORDON – 700 POINTS
    17th will do no matter what anyone else does…and he needs that only if there is not a repeat winner.

    15. PAUL MENARD – 692 POINTS
    Ninth if there is a first time winner…38th if there is not.

    16. CLINT BOWYER – 682 POINTS
    25th gets him in if history repeats itself, or a move ahead of Ryan, Jeff, or Paul if it does not.

    17. ARIC ALMIROLA – 653 POINTS
    Has the King’s car and last week stole his old mustache.

    18. KASEY KAHNE – 651 POINTS
    Can’t grow a mustache. Okay, I am just guessing here.

    19. GREG BIFFLE – 598 POINTS
    I could get Biffle into the Chase…but it has to be in EA Sports’ indestructible mode.

    20. AUSTIN DILLON – 586 POINTS
    One of three Cup guys in the XFINITY race. Go Austin! Go Rowdy! Go Joey! Just be gone!

    20. KYLE LARSON – 586 POINTS
    Last week, they called him Mello Yello, but is he truly just mad about Saffron?

  • Surprising and Not Surprising: Bojangles Southern 500

    Surprising and Not Surprising: Bojangles Southern 500

    With retro paint schemes, throwback uniforms and the low downforce package all the rage, here is what else was surprising and not surprising from the 66th annual Bojangles Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway.

    Surprising:  One driver at least excelled yet again at one of the extended play versions of NASCAR racing. Carl Edwards, driver of the No. 10 ARRIS Toyota for Joe Gibbs Racing, won not only the Coke 600, one of the longest races of the season, but also claimed victory with his signature back flip at Darlington this past weekend.

    This year’s race at Darlington was significantly longer at four and a half hours thanks to the record 18 cautions that took place during the event. And Edwards had to work even harder, battling back to Victory Lane from two laps down at one point in the race.

    “I do like the longer races,” Edwards said. “I think growing up it was so cool to me that NASCAR raced these long events, these tough races, and I really enjoy them.

    “It’s fun. These things are like a big adventure. You go out there and you race for three or four hours and you try not to tear anything up. It was so cool tonight to be able to come back from two laps down.”

    Not Surprising:  Not only was Coach Joe Gibbs celebrating a victory with Edwards but he was also reveling in what he called a “great sports story” as one of his other drivers Kyle Busch clinched a spot in the Chase for the Championship in spite of sitting out multiple races due to injury.

    The driver of the No. 18 M&Ms Crispy Toyota finished in the seventh spot at ‘The Lady in Black.’

    “Yeah, I think that’s also a great sports story,” Gibbs said of Busch. “Everything that happened to us there at Daytona and then for him to bounce back in 11 weeks, I felt like the odds were against us.

    “And for him to be able to pull this off and come back, win four times and get back in the Chase tonight — they had a great game plan. They talked all night about the game plan, what they wanted to do, and first up was to make sure that they had enough points tonight that they didn’t have to worry next week.

    “So that was a big deal for them, and it was great for Kyle, and obviously it was great for everybody else over here at the 19 car and Carl.”

    Surprising:  Darlington and stick shifting had a thing or two in common, at least for one driver who just happened to finish runner-up.

    “You know, the race kind of reminded me of — I remember when I was a kid and my dad wanted to teach me how to drive a car, and he gave me a stick shift,” Brad Keselowski, driver of the No. 2 Miller High Life Ford, said. “You practice and you learn and you learn how to drive it and you stall it out all the time and then eventually you kind of start to figure it out and you stop stalling it so much and you get into a pattern and you don’t stall it out anymore.

    “The race reminded me a lot of that because the cars, just five or six years ago when I entered Sprint Cup, were extremely difficult to drive, much like a stick shift when you’re first learning how to drive.

    “And then they’ve gotten really easy to drive over the last four or five years, to the point where we’re all kind of looking around at each other as drivers going, wait a minute here, this isn’t good, it shouldn’t be this easy to drive these.

    “So we asked NASCAR to, ‘hey, make these cars harder to drive, give us our, metaphorically speaking, stick shift back, and they did, and I think somebody thought they’d be really funny and pick Darlington as the track to do that, which would be like if you picked the mountains of Virginia to give somebody a stick shift back.

    “It’s kind of that same feeling.”

    Not Surprising:  A career high and a team record were achieved by two drivers, Kevin Harvick and Martin Truex Jr.

    Harvick, driver of the No. 4 Budweiser/Jimmy John’s Chevrolet SS for Stewart-Haas Racing, earned his 18th top-five finish, extending his new single-season career high and topping his 16 top-five finishes from 2010.

    Truex Jr. scored his 17th top-10 finish in 25 races, exceeding Kurt Busch’s team record of 16 top-10s in 2013.

    Surprising:  There was a real lack of communication for the driver of the No. 1 McDonald’s/Cessna Chevrolet, however, he still managed to finish top-15.

    Jamie McMurray had radio trouble throughout the race, which was particularly challenging at a track like Darlington where navigating traffic is essential.

    “We had an okay car tonight,” McMurray said. “I was super conservative.  My radio only worked about two percent of the time.  So, I had a spotter sometimes, but I didn’t others.  I was really conservative on restarts and really throughout the whole race.”

    McMurray remained in the 10th position in the point standings after the Darlington race, still looking to lock himself into Chase contention.

    Not Surprising:  There was no head hanging for another driver trying to also get into the Chase for the championship. Aric Almirola, in his classic throwback No. 43 STP Ford for Richard Petty Motorsports, took the checkered flag in the 11th spot.

    “It was a crazy night,” Almirola said. “A little bit of a struggle at the beginning and then Trent (Owens, crew chief) and the boys made some really good calls and got the car handling a lot better and I was really happy with it there toward the end. We got it the best we could and I think we got out of here with a respectable finish.

    “We need a really good night at Richmond and hope for some bad luck for the 15 but if that doesn’t happen we don’t have anything to hang our heads about to be honest with you.  That is all we had tonight. We will go on to Richmond and race like hell there and see what happens.”

    Surprising:  After winning and having such success at Darlington, it was a surprisingly rough night for Chase Elliott, who was running his last race of his ‘practice’ Cup season.

    The driver of the No. 25 NAPA Auto Parts Chevrolet and the future driver of the No. 24 car, had trouble early in the race as well as later in the race when he cut down a right-front tire on Lap 228.

    “I didn’t feel like it (tire) was going down or anything. It just like going in there, getting into (Turn) 1 and tore up the race car, unfortunately.

    “I messed up there at the beginning of the race and got us behind and you just can’t do stuff like that.”

    Not Surprising:  There were more than Darlington stripes for both Ricky Stenhouse Jr. and Danica Patrick. Stenhouse Jr. finished 38th after his hit into the wall and Patrick fared even worse after her close encounter, finishing 42nd.

    “It just snapped around,” Stenhouse said. “It was a lot of fun out there sliding around and tires wearing out and I think this is what we all wanted.  It just bit a few of us.”

    “It snapped pretty hard in (turn) four,” Patrick said. “So, I don’t know, I mean they said it looked like it snapped pretty hard. I’m not 100 percent sure. It could have just gotten loose, but it could have been a cut tire, too.”

    “It’s a bummer. We fought our way back to the lead lap, and I felt like we were in a position to have a decent end to the day.”

    Surprising:  Running the final race of his career at Darlington, the driver of the No. 24 3M Chevrolet and his crew chief just seemed lost as far as trying to make the car better.

    Jeff Gordon qualified well and started the race in the fifth position. He kept falling back, unable to make the adjustments needed to keep up with the track and finished 16th.

    “I like the aero package.  I like the racecar,” Gordon said. “We just couldn’t ever get track position.  I don’t know, we struggled tonight.  We got it pretty good on the short runs and we were mediocre on the long runs, but not great.  We just had some issues on pit road.”

    Not Surprising:  With a high number of cautions, 18 in total, the best tweet of the day came from Clint Bowyer, who finished the race in 17th in his Buddy Baker Tribute Toyota.

    “Hope no one chose the drinking word CAUTION,” Bowyer tweeted. “They probably dropping cylinders and running a little rough if so!”

    As the Cup Series heads into the final race before the Chase at Richmond next weekend, the sport also paid tribute to Gail Sommer Germain, wife of team owner Bob Germain Jr., who lost her valiant battle with breast cancer at the age of 45.  The No. 13 GEICO Chevrolet race team wore pink armbands at Darlington in her honor.

  • Hot 20 – The Southern 500…a tradition truly reborn this Labor Day weekend!

    Hot 20 – The Southern 500…a tradition truly reborn this Labor Day weekend!

    It is the Southern 500 coming our way from Darlington on Sunday night. Interestingly, I do not view it as one of the circuit’s marquee tracks, where you do not dare touch the fast-forward button. However, like Indianapolis, it is one of the Cup Series marquee events where a win gets you remembered.

    After a few years of tinkering around with tradition, something NASCAR seems more than eager to do until the manure hits the ventilation system, the Southern 500 is back for the Labor Day weekend. It worked from 1950 until someone had a bright idea in time for the 2004 event. They pushed the legendary race back to November so that fans would no longer have to face the heat of day in September. That, and they thought it also a brilliant move to give the 500’s date to California after it had taken Rockingham’s spot on the calendar. I wonder how that worked out for them?

    Somebody sued so that Texas could have a second race, and they got it when the Lady in Black’s spring date was spirited away. Then to prove their astute understanding of its fan base, they moved the race to Mother’s Day before dropping the iconic “Southern 500″ moniker entirely for four seasons, starting in 2005. Then they did not have a title sponsor in 2009, at least before Go Daddy came on board, so the Southern 500, now presented by Go Daddy.com, was back.

    The tinkering did not end there, of course. Sponsors come and go, but traditions remain…except in NASCAR. In 2014, the race date was shipped to April before someone came up with a bright idea. No, really. They moved the Southern 500 back to the Labor Day weekend, but as had been the case since its rebirth, they scheduled it for Sunday night to avoid the heat that started all the nonsense a decade before.

    The fact they installed lights in 2004, just before they moved the date to avoid the heat, doesn’t make much sense, either, come to think of it. However, let us just be glad the Southern 500 is truly back with cars with paint schemes from Darlington’s glory years.

    The Hot 20 as they challenge “The Track Too Tough to Tame” include…

    1. JIMMIE JOHNSON – 4 WINS
    Christopher Walken’s favorite driver. More cowbell!

    2. KYLE BUSCH – 4 WINS
    Looking to finish two spots up on Cole Whitt to claim his Chase place. Let the battle begin.

    3. JOEY LOGANO – 3 WINS
    The Shell logo on his car is one I remember…from way back…when I had hair…and youth.

    4. MATT KENSETH – 3 WINS
    After running less than 60 miles at Bristol, he should be well rested for Darlington

    5. KEVIN HARVICK – 2 WINS
    I keep underwear longer than he keeps a house.

    6. DALE EARNHARDT JR. – 2 WINS
    Is Junior interested in driving IndyCar? Apparently, the answer is “no, no, no, no.”

    7. KURT BUSCH – 2 WINS
    Kurt is engaged. It would be easy to come up with a punchline, but I truly wish him happiness.

    8. BRAD KESELOWSKI – 1 WIN
    Frank Kimmel, 10 time ARCA champ and Brad’s matchmaker.

    9. MARTIN TRUEX JR. – 1 WIN
    Furniture Row might not be big, but you cannot say they have not been successful.

    10. DENNY HAMLIN – 1 WIN
    Only problem with a throwback weekend is do you go with a Ned, Cale, or Jaws scheme?

    11. CARL EDWARDS – 1 WIN
    Worst driver at Gibbs Racing? Honestly, I do not believe there is such a thing.

    12. JAMIE MCMURRAY – 696 POINTS
    After claiming a Brickyard 400 and a Daytona 500, he needs a little trinket from Darlington.

    13. RYAN NEWMAN – 683 POINTS
    Riding along the walls at Darlington, it might be best to be driving a Caterpillar.

    14. PAUL MENARD – 674 POINTS
    Paul won the XFINITY race last week. I used to outrun my baby sister.

    15. JEFF GORDON – 672 POINTS
    Only driver whose throwback paint scheme could be one of his own.

    16. CLINT BOWYER – 655 POINTS
    Sitting pretty, unless the wrong guy wins on Sunday. Then it could get ugly.

    17. ARIC ALMIROLA – 620 POINTS
    The King won 200 times. Aric needs just one.

    18. KASEY KAHNE – 618 POINTS
    Will be channeling his inner Geoff Bodine this weekend.

    19. GREG BIFFLE – 572 POINTS
    Roll them dice. Daddy needs a win.

    20. AUSTIN DILLON – 564 POINTS
    Race car driver, former Little League World Series player, now basketball star?

  • The Final Word – Bristol Delivers Great Action but Few Surprises

    The Final Word – Bristol Delivers Great Action but Few Surprises

    Saturday night at Bristol is behind us, so what have we learned? First, I was reminded how much I love the action broadcast from that track. Second, I like pack racing. I do not need 20 or 30 cars all bunched together, but seeing four or five on the screen battling for position is pretty cool. Hell, it is downright exciting.

    We learned that, in the end, it came down to Joey Logano holding off Kevin Harvick. Harvick got close, but Logano was the closer on Saturday. A third win on the season, the 25-year-old has 11 over his career in chalking up his 100th Top Ten. For the runner-up, he has recorded 17 Top Fives, 21 Top Tens, in 24 events. If Harvick wants more than his two victories, no better time than in the fall.

    We learned that a pit penalty or a flat tire or a spin does not necessarily mean the day is done, even on a half mile track. Kyle Busch gets a late pit penalty. Finished eighth. Clint Bowyer spun out. Finished fifth. Carl Edwards lost the lead with a flat and went two laps down. Finished seventh. Not a win, but not a disaster, either.

    We learned that Kyle Larson’s much-needed win would not come on that day. Lost a tire, found the wall, became a pinata, finished 41st. It no longer mattered, as a win and only a win will get him into the Chase. Matt Kenseth has a couple of wins, so when his engine blew up early it did not matter that he finished 42nd.

    We learned that everybody in a Chase place coming in stayed in one when they left. We also learned that nobody without a win is guaranteed the same when they leave Darlington. It might be a tad of a stretch, but even Jamie McMurray is vulnerable. Okay, it would take an Aric Almirola win, a Bowyer runner-up finish, and McMurray finishing dead last…but it could happen.

    We learned, or were reminded, that like Daytona, Talladega, and the road courses, Bristol could be a stand alone event. No need to be bothered by who is where in the standings or give a second thought as to the Chase or anything else other than the race itself.

    That is a good thing, as we hope the Southern 500 in Darlington brings us more of the same. Greg Biffle hopes for more of the same he enjoyed in 2005 and 2006. He is the lone active driver not currently in the Chase who has won there, and he will need to do it again to ensure his own invite to the party.

    On a personal note, this past week has been a time for celebration and contemplation in my family. Last Thursday, my mother Mae passed away after a lengthy illness. Since then, the 22 people who make up our immediate family; my father, my wife and sons, my brothers, sisters, nieces and nephews; have gathered together remembering Mom. For such a somber occasion, there has been a whole lot of laughter, which has always been our way. That was always Mom’s gift to us, and she would have loved it.

  • Hot 20 – Bowyer soon to become a free agent as MWR goes part-time in 2016

    Hot 20 – Bowyer soon to become a free agent as MWR goes part-time in 2016

    Hot news this week is headlined by the near-demise of Michael Waltrip Racing. The team has announced that it will not run full-time entries in 2016 and that Clint Bowyer will indeed be a free agent after this season. It has been a bit of a bumpy ride for the team that Mikey built, and Rob Kauffman paid for, and with the money man headed elsewhere, the writing was all over the wall. Kauffman is looking to buy into the Ganassi operation, but that deal is not done. Bowyer could wind up there, or wherever an opening appears between now and next season.

    Danica Patrick has a new sponsor. With Go Daddy about to be Gone Daddy, Nature’s Bakery has decided that sponsoring the only woman in Sprint Cup is a great $20 million sponsorship opportunity. With just a single IndyCar win back in 2008 to go with her Budweiser Duel victory in 2013, she is not a great driver, but still a competent one with tons of drawing power. Plus, did you see her latest yoga video? I mean, I am a straight male and I fear the day I find something similar posted by Tony Stewart.

    Stewart has had some tough times, with results no better than Patrick’s since he broke his leg driving on dirt in 2013. Then came the tragedy in upstate New York a year ago. The family of Kevin Ward Jr. filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Stewart on Friday. It alleges Stewart drove his car up the track, gunned his engine, causing the vehicle to slide and strike Ward with the rear-right tire. As a father of a couple of lads about Kevin’s age, I understand the family’s course of action. It was either Stewart’s fault or, as what came out of the criminal investigation, their son had enough marijuana in his system to impair his judgement and that in an act of bravado he approached Stewart’s car on foot and simply got too close and was struck. As a parent, what would you want to believe?

    The action will be hot on Saturday night at Bristol, one of NASCAR’s fan favorite venues. There should be enough action to satisfy a television viewer who simply finds their way to the telecast, along with those who know what it all means for Kyle Busch, Bowyer, Aric Almirola, Kasey Kahne, and those behind them in the standings.

    Our Hot 20 heading into Bristol include…

    1. JIMMIE JOHNSON – 4 WINS
    You know your focus is off when you can’t even remember where your pit stall is.

    2. KYLE BUSCH – 4 WINS
    Second in the standings, yet battling Cole Whitt for his playoff position.

    3. MATT KENSETH – 3 WINS
    Owned Michigan, has a down payment on Bristol.

    4. KEVIN HARVICK – 2 WINS
    Only three times he has missed finishing in the Top Ten…including Bristol in the springtime.

    5. JOEY LOGANO – 2 WINS
    Winner at the Brickyard and the Glen…you know, races one might actually remember.

    6. DALE EARNHARDT JR. – 2 WINS
    Man, he feels like a woman. Really. I heard him say so. You can’t make something like this up.

    7. KURT BUSCH – 2 WINS
    Sure, his brother has more wins, but when it comes to points, baby, Kurt rules!

    8. MARTIN TRUEX JR. – 1 WIN
    Finished third and is still frustrated. I wonder if he has ever met Timmy Hill?

    9. BRAD KESELOWSKI – 1 WIN
    He and Joey no doubt would like their splitters back, splitters back.

    10. DENNY HAMLIN – 1 WIN
    Kyle and Matt and…what are the names of their two teammates again?

    11. CARL EDWARDS – 1 WIN
    Figures he has the car to beat at Bristol. Forty-two other drivers will attempt to prove him right.

    12. JAMIE MCMURRAY – 663 POINTS
    70 points up on Almirola, 47 ahead of Bowyer. McMurray remains good to go this Saturday.

    13. PAUL MENARD – 654 POINTS
    Along with Junior, loses 15 minutes of practice time this weekend due to inspection issues.

    14. RYAN NEWMAN – 649 POINTS
    Having an actress of the same name is confusing. I do not believe he is dating Jack Griffo.

    15. JEFF GORDON – 648 POINTS
    When they say “pull those belts tight, boys”, his boys tend to argue for a bit of slack.

    16. CLINT BOWYER – 616 POINTS
    NASCAR’s own bubble boy.

    17. ARIC ALMIROLA – 593 POINTS
    It would be a real shame if Clint has another bad day. Yes, it sure would be. Just ask Aric.

    18. KASEY KAHNE – 590 POINTS
    Now, if both Clint and Aric had bad days this Saturday night…

    19. GREG BIFFLE – 553 POINTS
    Three races in just over two weeks and he has to win one of them.

    20. KYLE LARSON – 548 POINTS
    Has done well in the few he has raced at Bristol. Now he needs to be great.