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Tag: Aric Almirola

Richard Petty Motorsports Moves to Greater Space and Individuality

Charlotte, NC – They are doing things different over at Richard Petty Motorsports. First, they’ve moved from a shop over near the Concord Airport to a shop in Mooresville. The shop in Concord was adjacent to Roush Fenway Racing and their souvenir shop. It only had 40,000 square feet of space. In Mooresville, they will have twice the space and they can do different things, like hanging their own chassis parts and really building cars like they want to.

It was a breakout year for RPM. Aric Almirola, driver of the No. 43 Ford, won his first race in July at Daytona International Speedway and Marcos Ambrose decided to head back to Australia to drive at home after nearly winning a race and joining Almirola in the Chase. Ambrose was replaced by Sam Hornish Jr. who will drive the No. 9 Ford in 2015. Hornish has the endorsement of the owner.

“I think Sam brings a lot of versatility,” said team owner and seven-time Cup champion Richard Petty. “Marcos (Ambrose) was super on road courses and stuff, but he never got the hang of being ready. He could have good races and bad races and good times in the races, but I think Sam will be much more consistent with it.

“In our testing, (Hornish and Almirola) both felt the same thing in the car. Whether they’d change the air pressure or they’d change the springs and both of them feel the same thing. With Marcos, he was one way and Aric was the other way and so it was hard to compare them. Now we’ve got two cars that we can sit down and say, ‘OK, you try this and I’ll try that and if it works, we’ll put it on the other car.’ That should be an advantage for all of us.”

It should be noted that Hornish has won the Indianapolis 500 and finished second in points in the Xfinity series in 2013. He has credentials, something Ambrose did not when it came to oval racing.

Despite an announcement on Wednesday that Hornish only has sold sponsorship for just 10 of the schedule’s 36 races thus far, Hornish will be running a full slate, starting with the season opening Daytona 500. With less than a month to go before the Great American Race, the lack of sponsorship is daunting but offers a view into what the Petty and Co. think of Hornish’s talent behind the wheel. Performance on the track comes first, sponsorship later.

For an organization and owner that have long been at the helm of motorsports innovation, albeit in the past, the investments that RPM is making to grow and build for the future is clear. Its current focus is on testing new ideas and implementing them into the cars, something that they haven’t necessarily been able to do in recent years.

With the tools and space that the new shop allows it to explore and take advantage of, combined with two drivers that are very much on the same page to start the season, something that Petty alluded to not being the case with Almirola and Ambrose, it should give RPM the flexibility to continue its growth from last season to expand its goals and increase performance in the coming years.

“Aric came to all three of the tests and we got the opportunity to jump back and forth out of the car to see what each of us liked as far as driving goes and I feel like that’s one of the main benefits right now,” said Hornish, who led the eighth-most XFINITY Series laps in 2014 despite running just eight of the schedule’s 33 races.

“It seems like we both want similar things out of the race car. When we get to the race track, hopefully we’ll be able to cover twice as much ground as far as finding what’s going to be a direction to head and make our cars better each weekend.”

Hornish’s last full-time Cup season was in 2010 in a Team Penske Dodge so there’s certainly going to be some adjusting to do in the early going, especially considering he hasn’t competed full-time at all since 2013. He knows there are going to be bumps in the road, but he’s willing to put in the work necessary to make his mark on this avenue of motorsports before the 35-year-old starts to think about wrapping up his racing career.

“Going back to the Cup Series full-time, it’s a lot different than when I did it last time. I feel like we’ve got a lot of things to look forward to,” Hornish said.

“I want to be a part of building something. I feel like the best thing that I can do in the situation that I’m in right now is to try to be a good leader and keep people excited about what’s going on and to move the program forward because I know that I’m not going to be racing forever. If I can get to the point where I leave it better than when I found it, I feel like that’s my main goal.”

January 29, 2015
Hot 20 – The Elimination Format was Good, but an Actual Five Race Post-Season Even Better

Over the course of the season, Jeff Gordon was the top driver of 2014. However, NASCAR has not determined its champion using the results of the entire campaign for more than a decade. They want excitement, drama, unpredictability. They want what the other big boy sports have, and when they waved the flag to start the season finale, four drivers had an even shot to claim the prize. Unfortunately, 39 we knew who would not, also were out there.

Regular season and then the playoffs. That is what you get with the NFL, MLB, NBA, and the NHL. You play to entertain and to position yourself into earning a shot at the championship. Since 2004, NASCAR has also done this, except for allowing the non-contenders to remain out on the field of play getting in the way of those who matter.

What if NASCAR had a real playoff? It has been brought up that the season is too long, that there needs to be a reduction in the schedule. Realistically, there is no way anyone is going to say adios to the big dollars that comes with putting on a 36 event schedule, not including the extras at Daytona in February and Charlotte in May. However, NASCAR could shorten its regular season to 31 races, as it was in some seasons in the 1970s, 80s, and 90s, for its 43 car fields. Then they could reduce it to the top 20 drivers and teams over the course of a five-race championship playoff, resetting the points to zero for the post-season, and allowing the best of the best to settle it among themselves.

The point system would remain the same, other than instead of “win and you are in,” winners are given credit for their victory with 25 bonus points, instead of the three they are presently given. In that way, a race winner would claim as much as 70 points, compared to the 43 for the runner-up. During the playoffs, points would range from one to 20, with the winner’s bonus reduced to three points in recognition of the smaller field and the impact of a win over the shorter “season.” So, in the playoffs, a race win could earn up to 25 points, compared to the runner-up’s 20. Yes, a driver sweeping the first four races of the playoff would have enough to win the title before they run Homestead but, let’s be honest, if they were that dominant they should win it.

The playoff teams would be expanded from 16 to 20, with those not making the cut sent home, their season over. Considering there are really no more than 25 quality entries in any given race, all we would be doing is exchanging quantity for quality, with Charlotte being the final race of the regular season.

Using 2014 as a guide for illustrative purposes, neither A.J. Allmendinger or Aric Almirola would make the playoffs as, despite each picking up a win, neither would have made it on points in our Top 20. Along with the other 14 Chasers from this season we would have included Austin Dillon, Brian Vickers, Clint Bowyer, Jamie McMurray, Kyle Larson and Paul Menard. A pretty fair exchange.

TALLADEGA

Twenty drivers hit the track all even as the opening round of the playoff Chase begins on the super speedway in Alabama. Kyle Busch once again got snake bit come go time when he gets caught up in a crash that left him dead last. Of course, those cars that got him in reality would have been home watching television under this format. Meanwhile, Brad Keselowski responded from the less than loving embraces Denny Hamlin wanted to put on him at Charlotte, and Matt Kenseth did, by claiming 24 points in winning at Talladega. Kenseth, ironically enough, pushed Bad Brad to the front and finished just behind him on the track.

1 Brad Keselowski 24 Pts
2 Matt Kenseth 20
3 Ryan Newman 18
4 Clint Bowyer 18
5 Kevin Harvick 16
6 Kurt Busch 16
7 Joey Logano 14
8 Kasey Kahne 14
9 Austin Dillon 12
10 Denny Hamlin 11
11 Kyle Larson 11
12 Jimmie Johnson 9
13 Brian Vickers 9
14 Carl Edwards 8
15 Greg Biffle 7
16 Jeff Gordon 6
17 Dale Earnhardt, Jr. 5
18 Jamie McMurray 4
19 Paul Menard 2
20 Kyle Busch 1

MARTINSVILLE

Keselowski takes his four point lead over Kenseth to Martinsville, where more than a few need to come up big to make amends for the previous week. After finishing 17th at Talladega, Dale Earnhardt Jr. was among them. In winning, he added 24 points to the five he picked up the previous week, but he remained deep in the standings. Kenseth, Bowyer, Ryan Newman and Joey Logano all had a second strong playoff result, Keselowski was 16th to drop like a stone, as Jimmie Johnson slipped well out of contention with yet another less than stellar result.

1 Matt Kenseth 37 Pts
2 Ryan Newman 36
3 Clint Bowyer 34
4 Joey Logano 32
6 Dale Earnhardt, Jr. 29
5 Brad Keselowski 29
8 Jeff Gordon 26
7 Denny Hamlin 26
9 Austin Dillon 24
11 Kurt Busch 19
10 Kevin Harvick 19
12 Greg Biffle 18
13 Kyle Larson 17
15 Carl Edwards 16
14 Brian Vickers 16
16 Kasey Kahne 15
18 Kyle Busch 14
17 Jamie McMurray 14
19 Jimmie Johnson 13
20 Paul Menard 12

TEXAS

Kenseth heads into the Lone Star State a point ahead of Newman, with Bowyer three away. When it came time to fire off the six guns, Gordon was seeking his own version of High Noon after Keselowski’s bid to take the lead left him with a cut tire and a good day that went for nought. To make matters worse, his rival returned atop the leader board. Johnson’s win at least moved him back into territory where he might yet see light at the end of the long tunnel he is trying to emerge from.

1 Brad Keselowski 48 Pts
2 Dale Earnhardt, Jr. 44
3 Ryan Newman 44
4 Matt Kenseth 42
5 Joey Logano 42
6 Kevin Harvick 39
7 Denny Hamlin 38
8 Jimmie Johnson 38
9 Clint Bowyer 37
10 Kurt Busch 33
11 Kyle Larson 31
12 Kyle Busch 31
13 Jamie McMurray 30
14 Jeff Gordon 29
15 Austin Dillon 29
16 Carl Edwards 28
17 Greg Biffle 27
18 Brian Vickers 23
19 Paul Menard 18
20 Kasey Kahne 16

PHOENIX

After the events at Texas, Keselowski takes a four point lead over both Earnhardt and Newman heading out to the desert, with Gordon’s dreams pretty much shattered by that torn tire. Kevin Harvick came up with a race most can only dream about, absolutely dominating most laps and pretty much all of the re-starts to win. He now sits just behind Keselowski, who finished fourth behind Gordon and Kenseth. Bowyer was dead last on this day, taking him from contender to pretender, while Johnson erased even a glimmer of good tidings by finishing 19th.

1 Brad Keselowski 65 Pts
2 Kevin Harvick 64
3 Matt Kenseth 60
4 Dale Earnhardt, Jr. 58
5 Joey Logano 58
6 Ryan Newman 55
7 Denny Hamlin 55
8 Jeff Gordon 48
9 Kurt Busch 47
10 Kyle Larson 41
11 Jimmie Johnson 40
12 Jamie McMurray 39
13 Greg Biffle 39
14 Clint Bowyer 38
15 Carl Edwards 36
16 Kyle Busch 35
17 Austin Dillon 32
18 Brian Vickers 30
19 Paul Menard 23
20 Kasey Kahne 22

HOMESTEAD

Heading for Miami and the final showdown, 10 drivers remain mathematically alive with seven still with a legitimate shot at the title. Kenseth and Harvick, in fact, could claim it with a victory, no matter what Keselowski did. That is just what Happy Harvick did, leaving Keselowski’s third place result at Homestead just not good enough. A five race playoff, only 20 cars on the track and, in this scenario, the same Sprint Cup champion as provided by the elimination series.

1 Kevin Harvick 88 Pts
2 Brad Keselowski 83
3 Matt Kenseth 75
4 Ryan Newman 74
5 Denny Hamlin 70
6 Dale Earnhardt, Jr. 65
7 Joey Logano 64
8 Jeff Gordon 61
9 Kurt Busch 58
10 Jamie McMurray 55
11 Jimmie Johnson 52
12 Clint Bowyer 51
13 Kyle Larson 49
14 Paul Menard 40
15 Greg Biffle 40
16 Carl Edwards 39
17 Kyle Busch 37
18 Austin Dillon 36
19 Brian Vickers 35
20 Kasey Kahne 31

November 20, 2014
Hot 20 – If Sweetness and Loveliness is What you are After, Texas Might not be the Place to Find It

So, Danica Patrick is not all sweetness and loveliness. Okay, she is the latter, but the fact she is a little ticked or not going along with the company line, has some folks talking. She is upset with Joey Logano, she had a bit of a run in with Martin Truex Jr. at Martinsville and she thinks qualifying at Talladega stinks after her boyfriend got left in the cold. She even is not a fan of NASCAR’s diversity program.

To start with, if we were talking about Kurt Busch here, nobody would care less. Okay, his having a boyfriend might come as a surprise, but that is about it. As for the diversity program, it either works or it does not. To be honest, graduates such as Darrell “Bubba” Wallace and Kyle Larson might have gotten there based on their talent, looks, character and some marketing in the same fashion Patrick emerged. Did the program remove any barriers that would have prevented them from otherwise rising to the top? I know many would say so, whether that be true or not. My reaction to her questioning its validity would be the same whether Danica said it, or Richard Petty, or Dale Earnhardt Jr. Then again, I am one of those guys who sees nothing wrong in questioning even sacred cows. It causes conversation and that is never a bad thing.

As Danica and the boys head to Texas, the only thing critical I have in regards to her is that she is the 28th best driver in Cup. She is the dividing line between those who matter and those who continue to strive for respectability each week. What she says or does should carry about as much weight as, say, Aric Almirola or Casey Mears. However, that is not the reality of things.

What is real is that Jeff Gordon remains the best driver so far this season, though Joey Logano and Brad Keselowski are right there, according to these standings. However, after the issues last week Keselowski’s Chase dreams are about to go the way of the dodo, or the Earnhardt and the Johnson, unless fortune smiles down in Texas. It won’t. Matt Kenseth goes in as the race favorite and Matt loves everybody.

Except Keselowski, but everybody loves Matt. Except Kevin Harvick. Something tells me these boys are not exactly all sweetness and loveliness either.

*Drivers awarded a 25 (rather than a 3) point winner’s bonus
BOLD = Currently in the Chase

Hot 20

1 – Jeff Gordon – 4 Wins – 1247 POINTS
2 – Joey Logano – 5 – 1227
3 – Brad Keselowski – 5 – 1188
4 – Dale Earnhardt Jr – 4 – 1158
5 – Kevin Harvick – 3 – 1088
6 – Jimmie Johnson – 3 – 1045
7 – Matt Kenseth – 0 – 1032
8 – Ryan Newman – 0 – 1031
9 – Carl Edwards – 2 – 1029
10 – Kyle Larson – 0 – 981
11 – Kyle Busch – 1 – 969
12 – Greg Biffle – 0 – 931
13 – Kasey Kahne – 1 – 927
14 – Clint Bowyer – 0 – 923
15 – Austin Dillon – 0 – 910
16 – Jamie McMurray – 0 – 906
17 – Denny Hamlin – 1 – 896
18 – Paul Menard – 0 – 856
19 – Brian Vickers – 0 – 847
20 – A.J. Allmendinger – 1 – 828

October 30, 2014
Surprising and Not Surprising: Dover AAA 400

With advancement into the Contender Round for the NASCAR championship on the line, here is what was surprising and not surprising from the 45th annual AAA 400 at Dover international Speedway.

Surprising: After experiencing a tire valve stem issue early in the race, one driver surprisingly seemed to have turned his attention to the upcoming holidays instead.

“The inner valve stem got knocked out just like the first race here, except this time it was on the left-front,” the driver of the No. 4 Budweiser Chevrolet said after finishing 13^th from the pole. “A lug nut got in between the wheel and the brake rotor and knocked the valve stem out.”

“So unfortunate, but probably our own fault for not finding a solution for it the first race,” Harvick continued. “Just handing out early Christmas presents to people for winning races that we should be winning.”

“It’s just unbelievable that it can happen.”

Not Surprising: As has played out for much for the season to date, the Monster Mile was also two-team dominated. Hendrick Motorsports driver Jeff Gordon won the race, while his usually strong at Dover teammate Jimmie Johnson finished third.

Team Penske also had a great day at Dover, with Brad Keselowski and Joey Logano finished second and fourth respectively.

“I knew we could compete with the No. 2 (Brad Keselowski) car,” Jeff Gordon said in Victory Lane. “The No. 2 was really good on short runs, but we could run him down. Of course he made us work for it there at the end.”

“Certainly wish we were in Victory Lane, but good solid third-place run,” Hendrick teammate Johnson said. “We had a solid car.”

“All I could think about was how I wanted to win all three races,” Brad Keselowski said after his runner-up finish. “Three more races and we’ve got to keep our head on straight t and push forward these next three like we have these last three.”

“It was a hard-fought day, which is pretty normal for here at Dover,” Logano said of his fourth place finish. We got something good out of it and now we’ll start the next round and try to move on to the next one.”

“We’ve got to focus on what we do to go fast and not what other people are doing or who our competition is,” Logano said about the Team Penske vs. Hendrick battle. “There are 11 other guys right now who are our main competition, so we’ve got to look at them all just like we did going into this round. We look at every one as a contender, no pun intended, and we’ll be able to focus on what we’ve been doing with our race cars and go from there.”

Surprising: It was surprising to see just how disappointed so many drivers were who actually advanced to the next round of competition after the race at the Monster Mile.

“It was off a little bit,” Matt Kenseth said, after taking the checkered flag in fifth as the highest finishing Toyota. “I couldn’t do very good on restarts and that really hurt us bad. I’d lose so many spots over the restart and just too hard to get them back.”

“There were times when the car was better than where we finished and other times when it was worse.”

“We did what we had to do today with our Interstate Batteries Camry, but I’m not sure what the problem was on the last couple funs of the race,” Kyle Busch said after finishing tenth. “We were tight all day, but it just got worse at the end.”

“We didn’t run good obviously,” Dale Earnhardt Jr. said after finishing 17^th. “We struggled with our car all day long. We never had a moment during the race where the car was very good and competitive.”

Not Surprising: Although he did not make it into the Chase race, this rookie driver has big plans for his participation during the remainder of the competition rounds.

“It was a really good finish for us,” Kyle Larson said after taking the checkered flag in the sixth spot. “Hopefully I can be the guy that wins Kansas and Charlotte so all the Chase guys can be nervous going into Talladega.”

Surprising: While everyone else who made it to the Contender Round of the Chase had Talladega on their minds, one driver surprisingly indicated that he could not wait to get to the superspeedway.

“This is built for us,” Carl Edwards, driver of the No. 99 Fastenal Ford said. “We’ve got to capitalize on it and go run well at Kansas and Charlotte.”

“We know we can win Talladega, so I look forward to that race,” Edwards continued. “That’s the first time I’ve ever looked forward to Talladega in the Chase, but I’m looking forward to it.”

Not Surprising: At a track that he claims as one of his own close to home, it was not surprising that Martin Truex Jr. had a good run, finishing seventh after starting 26^th. Truex scored the second best finish among non-Chase drivers and this was also his second best finish of the season.

“Dover has always been a special place for me,” Truex said. “I don’t know what it is about this track – maybe it’s just home field advantage for me because it seems like the longer the race goes here the better we get.”

“Just like last week (New Hampshire) I wish the race was longer. I never thought I would say that.”

Surprising: While many, including Mr. Hendrick have stated that they are witnessing the rebirth of race winner Jeff Gordon as he drives for his fifth championship, another driver felt surprisingly renewed after squeaking into the next round of competition.

“I feel great,” Denny Hamlin said after finishing 12^th in his No. 11 FedEx Freight Toyota. “We’ve got another life.”

“This is going to be a great comeback story if we can keep going,” Hamlin continued. “This is a new life.”

Not Surprising: There was no fairy tale ending for the two small Cinderella teams battling for their place in the Chase, as both Aric Almirola and AJ Allmendinger were eliminated.

“It just didn’t work out for us,” Aric Almirola said after his 28^th place finish. “I hate it. We picked a bad day to run the way we did and we can’t blame anybody but ourselves. I’m sure we’ll be able to look past this another day, but right now it’s pretty disappointing.”

“It was an awful day,” Allmendinger said after finishing 23^rd. “We didn’t give up. We just missed it all weekend.”

“It’s disappointing to miss it by two points, but we didn’t deserve to be in it with the run that we had,” Dinger continued. “We have to look at it – I’m not going to take a moral victory out of it to miss it by two points, it’s disappointing, but we know we are making steps in the right direction.”

“We have seven races to go. I will be disappointed tonight, but be ready to go tomorrow morning.”

Surprising: One driver was surprisingly gracious in defeat, just missing the next round in competition.

“I felt like we were in good position to advance, but you just can’t expect to advance by running 15^th,” Kurt Busch, driver of the No. 41 HAAS Automation Chevrolet said. “You have to be more competitive. We gave it a good run, you know?”

“We put this team together pretty late,” Busch continued. “Gene Haas believed in me to come in here and do this and thanks to Haas Automation and Chevrolet and great associate sponsors like Mobil 1 and State Water Heaters and Monster Energy.”

“We don’t get to advance to the championship, but we can still run for pride and run for wins.”

Not Surprising: Perhaps with a small nod to fellow racer Michael Waltrip’s stint on Dancing With the Stars, Kasey Kahne, who just squeaked into the next round of competition, told his pit crew that they would have to step it up after some struggles during the Dover race.

“Well, these guys work hard,” Kahne said. “And we’ve struggled all season with that. But they work hard and I know they’ll keep working hard.”

“I just told them if you guys want to go further, it’s time to step-up,” Kahne continued. “It’s time to put our best stuff out there. I know they want to. They’ll work hard this week.”

“I’m going to work hard and we’re going to be prepared when we get to Kansas and hopefully we can keep moving on.”

September 29, 2014
The Final Word – Kahne Provides Some Drama at Dover

Thank God for Kasey Kahne. With no Kahne, the broadcast of the Dover race would have been about as exciting as watching a Soap Box Derby contest in Saskatchewan, or a downhill ski event in Saskatchewan, or an outdoor performance of the Sound of Music…in Saskatchewan. The hills might be alive, but they are nowhere to be found. Sort of like waiting for drama at Dover, except for the performance of Kasey Kahne. He came in six points in the Chase. It almost proved to be not enough.

When Kasey’s crew left him with a loose wheel after a pit stop, he needed to come in. In doing so, he went two laps down. When he needed a green lap stop later, he went down four. He just did not stay there. Pit strategy and cautions fell at the right time, his car was just that good, and in the end Kahne finished Dover in 20th. Not great, but it was enough, by two points, to continue in the Chase.

Aric Almirola was buried in 41st after Chicago, and 28th in Delaware kept him buried. A.J. Allmendinger was six to the good on Saturday, but Dover is a track he historically does not do well at. History won, as he finished 23rd, and it was Kahne who advanced.

I had thought Greg Biffle might be the man. He was, but the car was not. Usually good on this track, he was 21st when he needed a top fifteen. Kurt Busch was 18th, but after the disaster at Loudon only a top ten would have saved him. As for Denny Hamlin, he was six points out of it coming in, but a 12th place finish cured his ills and all is forgiven up to and including Talladega.

Now, the top dozen are even, 3000 points for everyone in a 12 driver tie. Jimmie Johnson has 14 Top Tens, along with a couple of wins, in sixteen tries at Kansas. That bodes well for him. Jeff Gordon, who won at Dover has three on the plains, so he should do well. Other Chasers with strong Kansas resumes include Carl Edwards, Brad Keselowski, and Kevin Harvick. Oh, Kyle Larson seems to like the place, too. I am starting to think the kid is on a scouting mission for next year.

Not everyone likes Kansas, though after Dover I can not imagine it being a worse televised experience than that. Hamlin and Dale Earnhardt Jr. do not exactly burn up this venue. Same goes for Ryan Newman. However, there are two gents who have a tough time just cracking the top twenty there. It could be an interesting day for Joey Logano and Kyle Busch.

In case you missed it, Kyle Busch won another Nationwide race last weekend. I went to the bathroom last weekend, and so did you. Look at that, an entire paragraph totally unnewsworthy.

There is no question that the stats that spit out after Kansas should be interesting. We have great story lines, strong characters, but sadly I believe the NASCAR movie just does not measure up to the book.

Advancing…
1 – Brad Keselowski – 1 Win – 2140 Points – *
2 – Joey Logano – 1 – 2136 – *
3 – Jeff Gordon – 1 – 2117 – *
4 – Kevin Harvick – 0 – 2123 – 46 Points In
5 – Jimmie Johnson – 0 – 2121 – 44
6 – Kyle Busch – 0 – 2111 – 34
7 – Dale Earnhardt, Jr. – 0 – 2104 – 27
8 – Matt Kenseth – 0 – 2097 – 20
9 – Ryan Newman – 0 – 2091 – 14
10 – Carl Edwards – 0 – 2091 – 14
11 – Denny Hamlin – 0 – 2081 – 4
12 – Kasey Kahne – 0 – 2079 – 2

Eliminated…
13 – A.J. Allmendinger – 0 – 2077 – 2 Points Out
14 – Kurt Busch – 0 – 2073 – -6
15 – Greg Biffle – 0 – 2072 – -7
16 – Aric Almirola – 0 – 2061 – 18

September 29, 2014
The Final Word – Loudon was Full of Surprises, and Not all of Them Were Happy Ones

New Hampshire, for about 180 laps, was a mind numbing experience. It was the Round-and-round 300, and when you add the beleaguered ESPN desk trios to the mix, it was damn near unwatchable. Then stuff started to happen.

Early on, Kurt Busch had to come in due to a tire issue. Then Dale Earnhadt Jr.’s crew failed to secure lugnuts on a tire, and he had to make an unscheduled stop. Not long after, there was Denny Hamlin stuck on pit row with a car that would not accept fuel. It was enough to make one kick off the fast forward button to check out exactly what was going on.

Matt Kenseth did not seem to have a lot of command over his sliding vehicle, and when he broke traction and had to whoa up he got hit from behind by Kyle Busch, who got hit from behind by Kasey Kahne, who got hit from behind by Ryan Newman. On the positive side, it at least allowed Junior to get back on the lead lap.

Brad Keselowski got spun, but after his win at Chicago he was just driving for fun and sponsor dollars. Kurt Busch got into Jamie McMurray which caused a tire rub that caused a blow out that caused Mr. Busch to hit the wall.

Later, Kenseth again wobbled and after contact with Paul Menard it was the Chaser doing some metal work against the wall. Jeff Gordon looked good with under ten to go, until his tire let go and he nailed the fence.

In the end, it was almost a recasting of last week, with Kevin Harvick the dominant once again on the day, but once again it was a Penske car driving off on the re-starts. Joey Logano got the lead in this play, driving off, not to be seen again until the finish line, to punch his ticket to the next round. Harvick finished third.

The runner-up? That would be one Kyle Larson, as the kid did it again. Not a Chaser, but no doubt the 22-year old is a racer as he claims his second straight Top Three. Top Ten days for Jimmie Johnson, Keselowski, Kyle Busch, and Junior keep them high on the charts.

Aric Almirola was dead last amongst Chasers after his disaster in Chicago. Until his engine blew, he had been doing great. Sixth at Loudon sure helps, and having a bunch of folks joining him in the deep end of the pool at least allows him a chance of standing on somebody’s shoulders to advance. He was 23 points out when they began Sunday, he is ten away going into next weekend.

Out of 16 Chasers, half of them finished outside the Top Fifteen. Greg Biffle had a non-competitive day to finish 16th. Carl Edwards was 17th, Newman one behind him. Kenseth was 21st, Kahne 23rd, and Gordon 26th. Way back there was Kurt, at 36th, one up on Hamlin’s beast. If nothing else, it rather muddled up what had been, or so I thought, a few foregone conclusions.

What that leaves us with is Sunday at Dover. Keselowski and Logano are safe, with a disaster of Biblical proportions needed to deny Harvick. Almirola is still dead last, but the gap between 16th and 8th is now just a dozen points. One blown tire, one blown engine, one broken part, or one miscue out on the track, and all bets are off.

Last Sunday’s televised action would not have added a single new fan to the sport, not in the way Talladega might next month. Loudon was painful to watch and even more painful to listen to. However, for fans who know what is at stake, New Hampshire provided something huge. Unpredictability. Heading to Dover I am confident as to who three, even seven, of the drivers advancing to the next round of the Chase will be. I am not so sure about the other five. Not anymore.

Dandy Dozen
1 – Brad Keselowski – 1 Win – 2097 Points – *
2 – Joey Logano – 1 – 2096 – *
3 – Kevin Harvick – 0 – 2090 – 41 Points in
4 – Jimmie Johnson – 0 – 2080 – 31 Points in
5 – Dale Earnhardt, Jr. – 0 – 2077 – 28 Points in
6 – Kyle Busch – 0 – 2077 – 28 Points in
7 – Jeff Gordon – 0 – 2070 – 21 Points in
8 – Carl Edwards – 0 – 2057 – 8 Points in
9 – Matt Kenseth – 0 – 2057 – 8 Points in
10 – A.J. Allmendinger – 0 – 2056 – 7 Points in
11 – Ryan Newman – 0 – 2055 – 6 Points in
12 – Kasey Kahne – 0 – 2055 – 6 Points in

One chance at Redemption
13 – Denny Hamlin – 0 – 2049 – 6 Points out
14 – Greg Biffle – 0 – 2049 – 6 Points out
15 – Kurt Busch – 0 – 2047 – 8 Points out
16 – Aric Almirola – 0 – 2045 – 10 Points out

September 22, 2014
Surprising and Not Surprising: New Hampshire Sylvania 300

In the second race of the Chase for NASCAR’s championship, here is what was surprising and not surprising from the 18th annual Sylvania 300 at the New Hampshire Motor Speedway.

Surprising: Instead of being magical, New Hampshire Motor Speedway proved to be more of a combination of Daytona, Darlington and Martinsville.

The 303 lap race included a Daytona-like ‘big one’, many cars striping the wall similar to Darlington, and some typically short-track Martinsville-like beating and banging, especially during the restarts.

David Ragan was involved in New Hampshire’s version of the ‘big one’, slamming hard into the wall after tangling with Kurt Busch and Martin Truex Jr. and then getting tagged after the wreck by Denny Hamlin to boot.

“It was unfortunate,” Ragan, driver of the No. 32 Taco Bell Ford, said. “It looked like the 51 and 78 were both mad and they were running over each other. They kind of shot up the race track and that just kind of shot me up.”

Ricky Stenhouse, Jr. was just one of many drivers who had a too close encounter with the New Hampshire wall, getting an even more severe stripe than at Darlington.

“I blew a left-front,” the driver of the No. 17 EcoPower Ford said. “We were all just racing really, really hard on that restart. Everybody was bouncing off each other. I don’t know who hit my left-front, but it got a fender rub and just blew the left-front going down the front straightaway.”

“I was trying to get it slowed down as much as I could, but it wasn’t gonna turn, so I just hit the wall.”

Chaser Matt Kenseth and Paul Menard were just one pair that were duking it out like on a short track while on the Magic Mile. Both drivers spun, causing a 21st place finish for Kenseth while Menard soldiered on to finish 15th.

“I got spun out on that wall up there,” the driver of the No. 20 Dollar General Toyota said. “Menard said he wheel-hopped it in there and got into me.”

Not Surprising: New England native Joey Logano, clicking his heels together in Victory Lane, proved that there truly is no place like home. Logano won his fourth race of the season at his home track and secured his place, along with his Penske teammate, in the next round of the Chase competition.

“This is my home race track, the coolest place to win for me,” the driver of the No. 22 Shell Pennzoil Ford said. “I could never pick a better race track to win.”

“I watched my first Cup race here when I was five and I won that other Cup race here (rain-shortened race), but I just felt like I had to win one the right way here, and this means so much.”

This was Logano’s seventh career NASCAR victory and his second win at the Magic Mile.

Surprising: Penske teammate Brad Keselowski emerged after the race surprisingly conflicted, in spite of finishing fourth in the No. 2 Miller Lite Ford.

“I don’t know,” Keselowski said. “We had a lot of adversity. I made a few mistakes that got us behind, but Paul Wolfe (crew chief) and the crew did a great job of getting us back in position. It was kind of an up-and-down day and I guess we ended on an OK note.”

“We finished seventh, but I was definitely looking for more than that,” Keselowski continued. “We certainly have a lot to be proud of, but there’s still a lot of work to do.”

Not Surprising: It certainly was not surprising that Denny Hamlin’s post-race interview included the word crap as he battled a fueling issue and then got involved in a wreck to finish 37th in his No. 11 FedEx Ground Toyota.

“It’s so frustrating,” Hamlin said. “We just got bit by a mechanical deal. We’ve had them bite us in the Chase in the past, but I thought we were past that — but sometimes you roll the dice and you crap out.”

“Today is that day for us.”

Surprising: While Michael Waltrip lived to dance another day after being in the bottom three in ‘Dancing with the Stars’, his drivers both had decent top-15 runs at New Hampshire this race weekend.

Vickers fared best in his No. 55 Aaron’s Dream Machine Toyota, with a 10th place finish, while Clint Bowyer, expectant father, finished 14th.

“The guys just did an awesome job with our Aaron’s Dream Machine Toyota today,” Vickers said. “We had a really good race car — it was fast, we were one of the best cars in the corner today.”

“The guys did a good job today, I’m really proud of them.”

Not Surprising: Yes, the youngster did it again. Kyle Larson, the highest finishing rookie, scored the runner up finishing spot in his No. 42 Target Chevrolet.

“It was a really good race for us,” Larson said. “Our Target Chevy wasn’t even a top-15 car the first 100 laps, and Shine (Chris Heroy, crew chief) and everybody on this Target team did a great job to get me in the game.”

“They made some big changes there under the second or third caution, and it felt like a totally different race car.”

This was Larson’s second top-10 finish in just two races at New Hampshire Motor Speedway and his 13^th top-10 finish of the season.

Surprising: There was plenty of talk after the race yet again about restarts, from Kevin Harvick’s complaint about the restarts late in the race to other drivers commenting on the craziness of the multiple restarts, particularly the green-white-checkered finish.

“And then at the end there, NASCAR must not be able to see the lines on the restart there and the No. 22 (Joey Logano) was way early all day,” Harvick said ruefully about the restarts after finishing third. “But all in all, we did what we had to do and I just enjoyed racing that hard.”

“All those cautions are fairly frustrating,” Jamie McMurray said after finishing fourth in his No. 1 Belkin/WEMO Chevrolet. “I know it is fun to watch as a fan, but you are so panicked as a driver as to which lane you are going to get to restart in because that is critical.”

“It was a wild day, especially with all of those restarts,” six-time champ Jimmie Johnson said. “Man I don’t know what it looked like from the grandstands today, but I can tell you that inside the car, I was hanging on trying not to spin out.”

Not Surprising: The pendulum swung for Aric Almirola, whose engine blew up last weekend, to his sixth place finish this weekend in his No. 43 Smithfield Ford.

“We’re down but we’re not out,” Almirola said. “We can only control what we can control and today we did that and did a good job and finished sixth.”

“Last week it didn’t work out in our favor, but this week it did,” Almirola continued. “We’ll do the same thing at Dover and we’ll see what happens.”

Surprising: Martin Truex, Jr. made another surprising comeback from two laps down just like last weekend to finish a respectable 12th place.

“The guys didn’t quit on me today and I’m driving my heart out,” Truex said. “Though we made good adjustments today and came through at the end, we struggled for most of the weekend and need to work out some issues. But the guys worked hard and kept on making the car better.”

“I never thought I would say this about New Hampshire Motor Speedway, but I wish the race was longer,” stated Truex. “We were moving forward and felt there were more cars that we could have passed.”

Not Surprising: Next week will be anything but comfortable for the remaining Chase contenders fighting to go into the next round.

“I wonder that the last race in each round may be quite eventful,” Dale Earnhardt Jr. said about the next race in Dover after finishing ninth at the Magic Mile. “Guys are going to have to – you know on the last restarts or those last cautions guys that need those points and aren’t going to get them any other way are going to have to take some crazy gamble on tires, fuel.”

“You are going to have some guys out there on old tires trying to hold people off and it’s going to cause a lot of traffic,” Junior continued. “It’s going to get tight. It’s going to get furious.”

September 21, 2014
Hot 20 – Could the Best at Loudon and Dover be a Non-Chaser?

New Hampshire is the next stop on the Chase tour, and if anyone needs to rewrite expectations it would be Aric Almirola and AJ Allmendinger. Both have not done well at Loudon in the past, though Almirola was fifth in the race 15 months ago and the Dinger has one Top Ten. Still, both average beyond 20th there and after the results in Chicago came in they find their title hopes down to fumes. Yet, it is nothing that an unexpected win would not cure.

Neither are among our Hot 20, based on the season to date. Brad Keselowski is, with back to back wins giving him five on the season. However, he is not the hottest based on this system of providing a 25 point bonus for a win. That remains Jeff Gordon, who despite having two fewer trips to Victory Lane, does have an average finish advantage of 9.7 to 13 over Keselowski in 27 races. Wins are big, especially in how we tabulate these standings, but being consistent also has its rewards. The difference is that Keselowski has finished outside the Top Twenty seven times this campaign, Gordon only three.

Something tells me Brad is not too concerned, with last weekend’s win locking him into a Chase spot for the next five events. However, it is still too early to hand him the trophy just yet. No matter what he does at Loudon and Dover, Keselowski will have the same 3000 points as the other 11 gents left in the Chase when they move on to Kansas.

Marcos Ambrose missed the Chase, and next year we will miss him as he returns to his native Australia. He is a fun guy with talent, especially when left hand turns lead to more to the right. Ambrose has a couple of Cup wins in 218 starts, both coming at Watkins Glen, and leaves to raise his family back on their native soil.

Nothing is more important than family. The Ward family lost their young son Kevin in an accident involving Tony Stewart, a case that will go to a grand jury to determine if the case should proceed to trial. While what video evidence I have seen leads me to believe this was a tragic accident Stewart was not responsible for, I was not there nor do I have knowledge of all the facts. A family lost their young son that day, and they deserve a thorough, transparent review of what took place. I pray for justice for all involved.

Sixteen drivers remain involved in the Chase, but do not expect much to change in the standings between now and the conclusion at Dover. Based on their track records, both Almirola and Allmendinger are done, with Greg Biffle in a fight for survival. I would expect over the next couple of weeks to see Jimmie Johnson absolutely shine. I would expect, based on past results, strong efforts from Gordon, Carl Edwards, Keselowski, and Matt Kenseth, with Ryan Newman coming on strong to beat out Kasey Kahne for the final spot to the next round. Of course, depending on who wins these races, all my speculation could wind up all out the window.

There is a reason why non-Chaser Kyle Larson is among our Hot 20. Based on results from earlier this season, expect him to be the star on these tracks once again this weekend and next.

BOLD = Current Chasers

*Points awarded as during the regular season, except the winning bonus is 25 rather than 3 points.

Hot 20
1 – Jeff Gordon – 3 Wins – 1023 Points
2 – Brad Keselowski – 5 – 987
3 – Dale Earnhardt, Jr. – 3 – 982
4 – Joey Logano – 3 – 935
5 – Jimmie Johnson – 3 – 900
6 – Kevin Harvick – 2 – 873
7 – Carl Edwards – 2 – 845
8 – Matt Kenseth – 0 – 831
9 – Ryan Newman – 0 – 811
10 – Kasey Kahne – 1 – 788
11 – Kyle Larson – 0 – 779
12 – Greg Biffle – 0 – 774
13 – Clint Bowyer – 0 – 764
14 – Kyle Busch – 1 – 747
15 – Jamie McMurray – 0 – 742
16 – Austin Dillon – 0 – 726
17 – Paul Menard – 0 – 724
18 – Denny Hamlin – 1 – 719
19 – Kurt Busch – 1 – 709
20 – Brian Vickers – 0 – 701

September 18, 2014
The Final Word – If You Only Caught the Final Forty at Chicago, it was one Heck of a Race

Forty laps. The action was exciting, the announcers sounded excited, it was NASCAR at its best in Chicago. For 40 laps.

Within those 40 laps, we saw Brad Keselowski shoot through the middle between the dueling Kyle Larson and Kevin Harvick to take the lead with sixteen to go. It was a great piece of racing, and once he was through he was gone. Two in a row, fifth of the season, and Keselowski earned himself a berth in the next round of the Chase.

Within those 40 laps, we saw a kid truly emerge as a star. Larson just missed the Chase, but the 22 year old did not miss an opportunity to show the big boys that he is and will be a force to be reckoned with. He led, he fought to keep the lead, and he challenged anyone who attempted to get by him, which helped allow Keselowski to disappear in front. If not for Larson, Harvick or Jeff Gordon might have had a chance to go after Keselowski, but the young man did not give them that chance. His first career Cup win still lies ahead of him, but it does not seem to be that far away.

Within those 40 laps, we saw Gordon come up from fourth to be in the mix at the end. He caught Harvick and then he battled the boy for that runner up spot. When Larson touched the wall with a couple to go, the veteran went by for good. Good racing, with the former champ even offering congratulations and a few words of advice to the newcomer when it was all over.

Within those 40 laps, we discovered that there are times couples should not touch, especially when using their fenders. Danica Patrick got by Tony Stewart, but when she slipped in front of boyfriend Ricky Stenhouse Jr. he touched her behind in an unappreciated fashion. Both needed repairs to run the final ten and neither finished inside the Top 15.

Within those 40 laps, we discovered who amongst the Chasers would be snake bit. Aric Almirola looked great, was up there running well within the Top Ten when his engine blew up. He finished 41st and already needs a win if he hopes to advance to the next round as a contender.

Within those 40 laps, Joey Logano benefited from some trash on the grill that really perked up his ride. Perked it to a fourth place finish, but it did not benefit his engine. That blew at the finish line, but those 40 points more than made up for it.

Within those 40 laps, Carl Edwards lost a left rear tire. That left him 20th when the day was done. No good, but not as bad as some, and still leaves him among the top dozen in the standings.

Not as bad as Almirola. Not as bad as Greg Biffle in 23rd. Not as bad as A.J. Allmendinger in 22. Not as bad as the first 227 laps of what had been yet another snore-fest on ESPN until the end. In fact, Edwards sits a point to the good amongst our Chasers, a point up on Ryan Newman.

Sunday, it is New Hampshire holding their fate. That should be welcome news for those who run well there. Among those who have average finishes of 12th or better we have Denny Hamlin, Jimmie Johnson, Gordon, and Keselowski. Maybe we might see the kid once again up front. Larson finished third there in July in his only Cup start on the track.

Not all will be happy. Those who average outside the Top 15 at Loudon include Kasey Kahne and Logano, who after Chicago just need to avoid disaster this weekend. As for Biffle, Almirola, and A.J. Allmendinger, they will have to do more than that if they hope to advance on points. Then again, wins erase sins, so maybe, just maybe.
1 – Brad Keselowski – 1 Win – 2059 Points
2 – Jeff Gordon – 0 – 2051
3 – Joey Logano – 0 – 2049
4 – Kevin Harvick – 0 – 2047
5 – Dale Earnhardt, Jr. – 0 – 2042
6 – Jimmie Johnson – 0 – 2041
7 – Denny Hamlin – 0 – 2041
8 – Kyle Busch – 0 – 2041
9 – Kurt Busch – 0 – 2039
10 – Kasey Kahne – 0 – 2034
11 – Matt Kenseth – 0 – 2034
12 – Carl Edwards – 0 – 2030
13 – Ryan Newman – 0 – 2029
14 – A.J. Allmendinger – 0 – 2025
15 – Greg Biffle – 0 – 2021
16 – Aric Almirola – 0 – 2007

September 15, 2014
Surprising and Not Surprising: MyAFibStory.com 400

From Kevin Harvick swapping his pit crew to Marcos Ambrose announcing he will leave NASCAR at the season’s end, here is what else was surprising and not surprising from the 14th annual MyAFibStory.com 400 at Chicagoland Speedway.

Surprising: Brad Keselowski demonstrated his own version of the ‘Drive for Five’, winning his fifth race of the season and scoring the first win for Ford at Chicagoland Speedway.

And with that victory, the driver of the No. 2 Miller Lite Ford also punched his ticket to the Challenger round, one step closer to his championship goal.

“We had a great Miller Lite Ford Fusion that I knew from the start would be good but man it was really awesome the last few runs,” Keselowski said. “We really dialed it in and the 2 crew did an excellent job. What a day. Man, I am still pumped.”

“I am so thankful to be here,” Keselowski continued. “God that was sweet.”

Not Surprising: They don’t call him ‘Big Daddy’ for nothing as second-place finisher Jeff Gordon had a fatherly consultation with third-place finisher rookie Kyle Larson after some hard racing between the two in the last few laps.

“He was just giving me some advice there,” Larson said of his post-race chat with Gordon. “He was pretty proud of me. I’m sure there are some things I could have done differently on that restart, like he was telling me; and I’ll definitely know for next time.”

“Oh my gosh, I was having a pretty good time watching Kyle (Larson)and Kevin (Harvick) go at it in front of me,” Jeff Gordon said. “I didn’t know what was going to happen. I thought for sure there was going to be a wreck. But that’s just two guys that are wheeling it.”

“I’m really proud of Kyle Larson,” Gordon continued. “Man, what a great effort; such a young talent. I really wanted to see him win that race because I like him, but I didn’t want to see those other guys win it either.”

“This Drive to End Hunger Chevrolet was really solid. The whole team effort was extremely solid.”

After his third place finish, Gordon sits just seven points behind Keselowski in the Chase race.

Surprising: There may be some very interesting conversations between brothers and significant others after the race, especially given the contact between the Busch brothers and between Danica Patrick and Ricky Stenhouse Jr.

“I got in the corner in bad air and just got in the corner real tight and finally it bit and went down and Kurt (Busch) was on my inside already plugging the hole but I didn’t even know there was room for a car down there,” Kyle Busch said after finishing seventh to Kurt’s eighth place run. “We just got together and luckily we all saved it and salvaged on.”

“I heard my spotter say that the 14 (Tony Stewart) was below me on track, and I didn’t know the 17 (Stenhouse) was there on the high side of the track,” Danica Patrick said. “My spotter took the blame on that one.”

“I just didn’t know Ricky was up there, and I obviously don’t want to hit his car or anyone else with 10 laps to go. I talked with Ricky afterward, and we’re fine. It’s just a tough deal. We finished 19th even with the damage, so it was a decent run.”

Not Surprising: With one team member in Victory Lane, the other member of Team Penske showed his strength by scoring a fourth place finish in spite of an overheating engine that gave up the ghost coming to the checkered flag.

“We hit a piece of debris with about five to go,” Joey Logano said. “I say piece but it was huge. I think it was a tear-off and we got really hot but the car started handling really good when it was on there and we got another spot because of it.”

“We blew up going into three and just had a big smoke screen behind me but I was able to get it across.”

Surprising: The races gods were for once on the side of Martin Truex Jr., who got two laps back late in the race to finish 14^th.

“It felt good to get a little lucky,” the driver of the No. 78 Furniture Row/Denver Mattress Chevrolet said. “We were a 15th to 20th place car all day. We could never get track position. The first run of the race was really bad — it got us a lap down early. It took us forever to get back on the lead lap.”

“The key for us today was picking up two laps late in the race,” Truex Jr. continued. “We stayed out as long as we could when other cars pitted under green. And when the caution came out shortly after we were the Lucky Dog. I can’t recall ever picking up two laps that quickly.”

“It’s been a tough year for us with bad breaks so today we got a break that went our way that got us to a decent finish.”

Not Surprising: Heartbroken cannot even begin to describe Aric Almirola’s day at Chicagoland. The driver of the No. 43 Eckrich Ford for Richard Petty Motorsports had his Chase chances all but dashed as he finished 41^st after an engine failure.

“Heartbroken I think is the easiest way to describe it,” Almirola said. ““I think the motor just let go. We rarely have any engine issues at all. It happened but we had a lot of horsepower while it lasted.”

“We will regroup and go to Loudon and Dover and try to be spectacular,” Almirola continued. “We have to win. That is it. There is no other option. We have to go and figure out how we can win one of the next two races.”

Surprising: ‘Mr. Consistent’ Matt Kenseth made a surprisingly uncharacteristic mistake, spinning on pit road coming in for a pit stop.

“We just weren’t very good today,” the driver of the No. 20 Dollar General Toyota said. “Just a struggle, we showed a lot of speed most of the weekend but just could never get it today where I wanted it to be.”

Kenseth finished tenth in the race and also sits tenth in the point standings, 25 points behind Keselowski.

Not Surprising: After blowing up in the Nationwide race, it was no wonder that Denny Hamlin was having thoughts of déjà vu all over again in the Cup race.

“The engine changed tones quite a bit and I was very, very gun shy from yesterday,” the driver of the No. 11 FedEx Office Toyota Camry, said. “Probably a little more spooked than what I normally would be.”

“It held together. Overall, pretty happy with our performance. Just got to get a little bit better.”

Hamlin finished sixth and is 18 points behind leader Keselowski in the Chase race.

Surprising: Jimmie Johnson, who usually lights up during the Chase, was surprisingly and conspicuously quiet. The six-time champ discretely finished the Chicagoland race in the twelfth spot and now sits eighth in the standings, 18 points behind the leader.

Not Surprising: Dale Earnhardt Jr. was not alone in hoping that the next two tracks will be better for his championship chances after an eleventh place finish.

“This has been a tough weekend,” the driver of the No. 88 National Guard Chevrolet said. “We weren’t very good in practice. I was really, really concerned.”

“We didn’t have a good car at all,” Junior continued. “But I feel like this team can run for 11^th on its worst day. That will do it.”

“That will get us through the next round until we get to some tracks that maybe we run a little bit better at, or tracks that suit us a little bit better.”

September 14, 2014