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  • Crunching The Numbers: Atlanta

    Crunching The Numbers: Atlanta

    After three nights of battling in the bullring that is Bristol Motor Speedway last weekend, the Sprint Cup Series and Nationwide Series head to Atlanta Motor Speedway for Labor Day weekend and more racing under the lights on the fast 1.5 mile speedway. With a track surface that is old and worn, having not been repaved since its reconfiguration in 1997, the track has gotten rave reviews from drivers who enjoy slipping and sliding around on the worn out asphalt. The Sprint Cup Series will have their shot at the track on Sunday night, while the Nationwide Series takes to the track the night before for their race.

    NASCAR Sprint Cup Series – Advocare 500 at Atlanta Motor Speedway

    Only two races remain until the cut-off for the Chase for the Sprint Cup and the points standings heading into this weekend’s race are still as tight as they were prior to Bristol. After having a 77 point lead just two weeks ago, Jimmie Johnson’s points lead has shrunk to 18 points over second place Clint Bowyer after finishes of 40th and 36th in the past two races. Both Johnson and Bowyer are locked into the Chase and with his win last weekend at Bristol, Matt Kenseth locked himself into the Chase as well. Several drivers are fighting for the remaining Chase berths, with only 24 points separating Kasey Kahne in eighth with defending champion Brad Keselowski in 11th. Two other former Sprint Cup champions, Kurt Busch and Jeff Gordon, are lurking just behind Keselowski, only six and 11 points back, respectively. The fight to make the Chase is going to come right down to the wire and how these drivers perform at Atlanta will go a long way in helping their Chase fortunes.

    Driver Races Win Top 5 Top 10 Pole Laps Led Avg. Start Avg. Finish
    Jimmie Johnson 21 3 11 13 0 440 8.6 11.1
    Jeff Gordon 39 5 16 25 2 1280 12.3 11.9
    Dale Earnhardt Jr 25 1 8 11 2 632 16.2 12.5
    Matt Kenseth 24 0 8 14 0 253 21.6 12.7
    AJ Allmendinger 7 0 0 2 0 1 27.9 14.4
    Carl Edwards 15 3 8 10 0 345 10.3 15.1
    Greg Biffle 18 0 3 9 1 291 12.5 16.0
    Denny Hamlin 13 1 2 5 1 314 13.4 16.2
    Brian Vickers 15 0 1 7 0 8 16.2 16.4
    Jeff Burton 35 0 8 14 0 104 25.3 16.5

    Who To Watch: After two dismal finishes in the past two weeks, Jimmie Johnson has to be happy to be heading to Atlanta this weekend since his stats at the 1.5 mile track are tops in the series. In 21 starts, Johnson has three wins, 11 top fives, 13 top tens, 440 laps led, and an average finish of 11.1.

    Johnson’s Hendrick Motorsports teammates, Jeff Gordon and Dale Earnhardt Jr., fall in second and third with their stats at Atlanta. Gordon has 39 starts, with five wins, 16 top fives, 25 top tens, two poles, 1280 laps led and an average finish of 11.9. In 25 starts, Earnhardt Jr., has one win, eight top fives, 11 top tens, two poles, 632 laps led, and an average finish of 12.5.

    Besides the Hendrick Motorsports contingent, others who run well at Atlanta include: Five-time winner in 2013, Matt Kenseth, with eight top fives, 14 top tens, 253 laps led, and an average finish of 12.7 in 24 starts; A.J. Allmendinger, with two top tens, one lap led, and an average finish of 14.4 in seven starts; Carl Edwards, with three wins, eight top fives, 10 top tens, 345 laps led, and an average finish of 15.1 in 15 starts; and Greg Biffle, with three top fives, nine top tens, one pole, 291 laps led, and an average finish of 16.0 in 18 starts. 

    NASCAR Nationwide Series – Great Clips/Jeff Foxworthy’s Grit Chips 300 at Atlanta Motor Speedway

    With 10 races remaining in the Nationwide Series schedule, the points standings remain tight after Bristol with just 39 points separating the top five in points and the gap for Sam Hornish, Jr. over second place Austin Dillon sitting at just six points. None of the top five in points has been able to win at Atlanta heading into this weekend, so if any of the championship contenders find themselves in Victory Lane or find trouble on Saturday night, the points standings could be shaken up once again.

    Driver Races Win Top 5 Top 10 Pole Laps Led Avg. Start Avg. Finish
    Austin Dillon 1 0 0 1 0 0 9.0 6.0
    Joey Logano 2 0 0 2 0 0 10.5 6.0
    Cole Whitt 1 0 0 1 0 0 12.0 8.0
    Kevin Harvick 11 1 6 8 0 376 8.2 8.5
    Justin Allgaier 4 0 1 2 0 15 20.0 10.2
    Kasey Kahne 11 0 4 7 1 95 10.5 10.6
    Sam Hornish Jr 2 0 0 1 0 1 5.5 12.0
    Kyle Busch 9 0 5 6 3 490 3.4 13.9
    Michael Annett 4 0 0 1 0 0 23.5 16.2
    Brian Scott 3 0 0 0 0 0 21.3 17.0

    Who To Watch: With the points lead up for grabs, Austin Dillon has to be happy to be at Atlanta this weekend since he has the best stats of the series at the track. In his lone start at Atlanta last season, Dillon started ninth and finished sixth.

    Sprint Cup regular Joey Logano, driving the dominant No. 22 Ford this weekend, falls in just behind Dillon with two top tens in two starts, giving him an average finish of 6.0.

    Others to keep an eye on include: Cole Whitt, with an eighth place finish in one start at the track; Kevin Harvick, with one win, six top fives, eight top tens, 376 laps led, and an average finish of 8.5 in 11 starts; Justin Allgaier, with one top five, two top tens, 15 laps led, and an average finish of 10.2 in four starts; Kasey Kahne, with four top fives, seven top tens, one pole, 95 laps led, and an average finish of 10.6 in 11 starts; and points leader Sam Hornish, Jr., with one top ten, one lap led, and an average finish of 12.0 in two starts.

    NASCAR Camping World Truck Series – Chevrolet Silverado 250 at Canadian Tire Motorsports Park

    With the Sprint Cup Series and Nationwide Series headlining at Atlanta, the Camping World Truck Series heads to Canada for their inaugural race at Canadian Tire Motorsports Park near Toronto, which also is the first race for the series outside of the United States and marks the return to a road course for the first time since 2000. This race is basically a toss-up since only one driver in the field, Ron Hornaday Jr., has previous Truck Series road course experience, so this will be an interesting race to see who will become the inaugural race winner. The Trucks will take to the track for their race on Sunday afternoon, prior to the Sprint Cup Series race from Atlanta later that night.

  • Exciting season continues in the Nationwide Series

    Exciting season continues in the Nationwide Series

    Just a few weeks ago it seemed as if JR Motorsports driver, Regan Smith, had a stranglehold on the championship points standings in the NASCAR Nationwide Series. After a string of 11 top-10 finishes which included two wins, Smith had a very impressive 58 point lead.

    Smith took big hit in the standings at the road course event at Road America where he finished 32nd. The struggles continued the following week at Kentucky finishing 30th. After just two bad weeks, Smith’s lead and dropped from 58 points to a mere eight points over Sam Hornish Jr.

    Smith bounced back at Daytona and Loudon, where he finished eighth in both events and managed to hold on to the points lead. Hornish was once again impressive at Chicago finishing second to Smith’s 13th, and took over the points lead which he had held during the first seven races of the season.

    Along with Smith and Hornish, two more drivers are in the tick of the battle for the championship. Elliott Sadler and Austin Dillon are second and fourth respectively in the standings with Sadler only 13 points back from the leader Hornish, Dillon tied with Smith at only 15 points back.

    Smith’s stats for the season include two wins, five top-5’s and 14 top-10’s. Hornish has an equally impressive record, and may be showing a little more consistency with one win, ten top-5’s, and 17 top-10’s.

    Sadler has had somewhat of an up and down season in the Joe Gibbs Racing No.11 One Main Financial Toyota. In recent weeks, however, he has had some better luck and solid performances with the exception of a run in with Smith at New Hampshire Motor Speedway where Smith got into the back of Sadler late in the race on the final restart. Sadler was running third at the time but fell to 18th after the incident.

    The two exchanged words after the event with Sadler telling Smith, “You will not win this championship, mark my word.”  Last week at Mid-Ohio, it appeared Sadler got revenge on Smith when he turned Smith around in the second half of the race. Sadler did not say of the contact was intentional but Smith commented, “I am going to presume that we’re on an even slate for the rest of the year, though.”

    Sadler currently has eight top-5’s and 14 top-10’s on the season, with no wins, however.

    Richard Childress Racing driver, Austin Dillon, who is widely expected to move up to the Sprint Cup Series next season, had some struggles last week at Mid-Ohio finishing 21st. Some criticized the decision for Dillon to attempt double duty filling in for Tony Stewart at Michigan while in the midst of a championship run. With the two races being at separate venues and weekend schedules overlapping, Dillon elected not to qualify his No. 3 Advocare Chevy and had to start at the rear of the field at a road course where track position is key.

    Supporters pointed out that Dillon’s long term goals is to compete in the Cup series and the experience in a top quality car was worth the sacrifices. Dillon has no wins this season, with seven top-5’s and 13 top-10’s.

    The Food City 250 this weekend at Bristol Motor Speedway will provide an excellent arena for the series top drivers to battle. Given the volatile nature of racing at Bristol, and the tight points battle, this weekend’s event could lead to a major shake-up in the standings.

    Among the leaders, Elliott Sadler has the best record in the Nationwide Series at Bristol with 13 starts, two wins, five top-5’s, and six top-10’s in 13 starts. During final practice Sadler was struggling with handling saying he could not get aggressive with the car on the team radio. Sadler commented further when asked about it saying, “If you’re not aggressive at Bristol, you don’t have a chance to win.” At the time Sadler was 22nd fastest in practice.

    We are in the middle of one of the best, most competitive Nationwide Series seasons in recent memory. The talent level in this series is extraordinary. The decision for many of the top teams to enter one driver running the full schedule, the level of excitement has risen drastically.

    The green flag will fall on the Food City 250, Friday Aug 23rd at 7:30pm.

  • Crunching The Numbers: Bristol

    Crunching The Numbers: Bristol

    It’s that time of year again. The weekend in late August that race fans circle on their calendars every year, the Bristol night race. Bristol Motor Speedway always produces great racing, but once night falls and the lights come on at the half-mile bullring, the intensity and action jumps up tenfold. That is also a big reason why Bristol is called “The Last Great Coliseum”. The Camping World Truck Series kicks off the racing at Bristol with their race on Wednesday night, followed by the Nationwide Series and Sprint Cup Series on Friday and Saturday night, respectively.

    NASCAR Sprint Cup Series – Irwin Tools Night Race

    With only three races remaining until the Chase for the Sprint Cup begins, the Sprint Cup Series heads into one of the most treacherous races of the season with the points standings extremely tight in the bottom half of the top ten. Only 29 points separate Matt Kenseth in sixth place with Kasey Kahne in 11th place and any kind of issues by those fighting for a Chase spot and the points standings could have another big shakeup after this weekend. On the opposite side of the spectrum, there are a few drivers who could leave Bristol with a locked in spot in the Chase based on points if they are 97 points ahead of 11th and the drivers in second, third, and fourth in the points (Clint Bowyer, Carl Edwards, and Kevin Harvick) are the most likely candidates to accomplish that.

    Driver Races Win Top 5 Top 10 Pole Laps Led Avg. Start Avg. Finish
    Kyle Busch 17 5 8 12 1 1431 18.2 9.8
    Dale Earnhardt Jr. 27 1 7 13 0 758 21.7 11.6
    Brad Keselowski 7 2 3 3 0 409 13.7 12.1
    Greg Biffle 21 0 6 11 1 438 13.4 12.1
    Jeff Gordon 41 5 16 22 5 2713 6.9 12.4
    Kevin Harvick 25 1 9 12 0 427 17.8 12.6
    Matt Kenseth 27 2 10 17 1 1007 16.8 12.9
    Kurt Busch 25 5 7 14 1 841 19.2 13.4
    Mark Martin 46 2 16 23 9 1200 10.3 13.7
    Jimmie Johnson 23 1 7 13 1 789 15.7 14.3

    Who To Watch: As the only driver to sweep the Sprint Cup Series, Nationwide Series, and Camping World Truck Series races at Bristol in one weekend, it is no surprise that Kyle Busch finds himself at the top of the heap statistically at Bristol. In 17 races, Busch has five wins, eight top fives, 12 top tens, one pole, 1431 laps led, and an average finish of 9.8. Busch is also coming off of a second place finish in the last race at Bristol in March.

    Next up is Dale Earnhardt Jr., who has one win, seven top fives, 13 top tens, 758 laps led, and an average finish of 11.6 in 27 races at the track. Earnhardt finished in sixth in the March Bristol race.

    Others to keep an eye on during the madness Saturday night include: Brad Keselowski, who has two wins, three top fives, three top tens, 409 laps led, and an average finish of 12.1 in seven starts; Greg Biffle, the only driver in the top ten statistically without a win, but with six top fives, 11 top tens, one pole, 438 laps led, and an average finish of 12.1 in 21 starts; and Jeff Gordon, with five wins, 16 top fives, 22 top tens, five poles, 2713 laps led, and an average finish of 12.4 in 41 starts. 

    NASCAR Nationwide Series – Food City 250

    Just like the Sprint Cup Series, the Nationwide Series has a close points battle on their hands heading into Bristol this weekend. The top five in Nationwide Series points are only separated by 18 points and with that close of a points race, there is no margin for error for points leader Sam Hornish Jr, and the rest of the top five: Elliott Sadler, Regan Smith, Austin Dillon, and Brian Vickers. Given the history of the action at Bristol, the points standings could be jumbled up again after this weekend.

    Driver Races Win Top 5 Top 10 Pole Laps Led Avg. Start Avg. Finish
    Kyle Larson 1 0 1 1 0 0 12.0 2.0
    Parker Kligerman 3 0 0 3 0 0 23.7 9.0
    Austin Dillon 3 0 1 1 0 0 5.0 9.0
    Kyle Busch 18 5 11 14 2 1170 9.3 9.4
    Sam Hornish Jr 4 0 1 2 0 0 13.8 10.2
    Cole Whitt 2 0 0 1 0 0 16.5 11.0
    Brad Keselowski 12 1 5 7 2 227 12.1 11.9
    Alex Bowman 1 0 0 0 0 0 15.0 14.0
    Michael Annett 8 0 0 3 0 1 21.6 14.4
    Elliott Sadler 13 2 5 6 1 172 13.1 15.6

    Who To Watch: Rookie Kyle Larson has been the talk of the sport with his impressive runs this season, especially at Bristol back in March when Larson and Kyle Busch finished side by side, beating and banging all the way to the line. Busch narrowly beat Larson, but everyone knew that Larson would be a contender week in and week out after battling one of the best for the win.

    Parker Kligerman is another young talent who has run well at Bristol. In three starts, Kligerman has three top ten finishes and an average finish 9.3.

    Others to watch on Friday night are: Austin Dillon, with one top five, one top ten, and an average finish of 9.0 in three starts; Kyle Busch, with five wins, 11 top fives, 14 top tens, two poles, 1170 laps led, and an average finish of 9.4 in 18 starts; and points leader Sam Hornish Jr., with one top five, two top tens, and an average finish of 10.2 in four starts.

    NASCAR Camping World Truck Series – UNOH 200

    For only the second time this season, the Camping World Truck Series will be racing on a Wednesday night with the other time being at Eldora last month. The Truck Series has always been known for its rough and tumble style of racing and the high banks of Bristol make the Truck Series race at Bristol one of the can’t miss races of the year. The points aren’t really a factor for the Trucks with points leader Matt Crafton leading by a whopping 51 points with 10 races left in the Truck Series schedule.

    Driver Races Win Top 5 Top 10 Pole Laps Led Avg. Start Avg. Finish
    Joey Coulter 2 0 1 2 0 0 9.0 5.0
    Ryan Blaney 1 0 0 1 0 0 5.0 6.0
    Justin Lofton 3 0 1 3 0 0 25.3 7.3
    Kyle Busch 7 3 4 5 1 343 6.0 8.4
    Matt Crafton 10 0 2 5 0 0 18.3 10.8
    Ron Hornaday Jr 13 2 4 8 2 388 10.9 11.2
    Johnny Sauter 5 0 1 1 0 0 14.8 13.4
    Brendan Gaughan 7 0 3 3 0 39 9.9 13.9
    James Buescher 4 0 1 2 0 0 14.2 14.2
    David Starr 11 0 1 4 0 0 15.8 14.3

    Who To Watch: Joey Coulter tops the list statistically at Bristol with one top five, two top tens, and an average finish of 5.0 in two starts at the track.

    Rookie Ryan Blaney also has had a good track record at Bristol with a sixth place finish in one start at the track.

    Others to watch are: Justin Lofton, with one top five, three top tens, and an average finish of 7.3 in three starts; Kyle Busch, with three wins, four top fives, five top tens, one pole, 343 laps led, and an average finish of 8.4 in seven starts; and points leader Matt Crafton, with two top fives, five top tens, and an average finish of 10.8 in 10 starts.

  • Surprising and Not Surprising: Pure Michigan 400

    Surprising and Not Surprising: Pure Michigan 400

    Sporting some of the fastest speeds at any track this season, here is what was surprising and not surprising from the 44th running of the Pure Michigan 400 in the Irish hills.

    Surprising:  While the driver of the No. 22 Shell Pennzoil Ford did his job in qualifying, scoring the pole position for the race start, it was all about team Penske when the 23 year old Joey Logano took the checkered flag and found his way to Victory Lane at Michigan International Speedway.

    “This was a hard-fought win throughout this whole Penske team,” Logano said. “This 22 team gave me a great Shell Pennzoil Ford that was capable of winning.”

    “This race team did a fabulous job,” Todd Gordon, crew chief, said. “Really proud of this whole team.”

    “As I go back probably 30 years here at the track, this is probably one of the biggest wins,” Roger Penske, team owner, said. “It’s clearly a team effort.”

    This was Logano’s first victory of the 2013 season, his first victory at Michigan International Speedway and his first victory with team Penske Ford.

    Not Surprising:  Because the race was at Michigan, it was not surprising that fuel mileage, tires and track position played critical roles in how the race unfolded.

    In fact, fuel mileage bit one of the sports veterans, who was racing all out for the ‘W’.

    “We were just hoping for one more yellow,” Mark Martin, driver of the No. 55 Aaron’s Dream Machine Toyota said, after running out of gas while leading to finish 27th.

    “Just stayed ahead of Joey there, but if he would have slowed down, I could have maybe saved enough,” Martin said. “I had to go that fast just trying to stay in the lead.”

    Tires also played a significant role in the Pure Michigan 400, to which Dale Earnhardt, Jr. could definitely attest.

    “It’s just the tire; we’ve had a lot of problems with,” the driver of the No. 88 National Guard Youth Foundation Chevrolet said after experiencing a right-front tire problem on lap 135. “I think this is the same tire we struggled with the last race.”

    Because of his tire troubles, Junior finished the race in the 36th position and fell one position to seventh in the point standings.

    Track position was also key as is so often the case at Michigan, a point driven home for young substitute driver Austin Dillon, behind the wheel of the No. 14 Mobil 1/Bass Pro Shops Chevrolet for the recuperating Tony Stewart.

    Dillon wrecked early in the race and had to work diligently with crew chief Steve Addington to garner the track position that led to their respectable 14th place finish.

    “Definitely scared myself at the beginning as it was too early to be wrecking out there,” Dillon said. “Luckily we had saved enough car where we could work on it and get some track position.”

    “Steve made some great calls on track position and them guys did a great job.”

    Surprising:  In addition to Austin Dillon’s comeback, Clint Bowyer made a surprisingly good comeback to finish 5th in his No. 15 5-hour Energy Toyota after a first lap spin. Bowyer was the highest finishing Toyota and the only Toyota in the top ten at the finish of the Pure Michigan 400. And while Bowyer struggled, he took great pride in his ability to bounce back from the adversity.

    “Man, what a long day,” Bowyer said. “Beats the hell out of me how I recovered to finish fifth.”

    “Spinning out on the first lap I’m like – I couldn’t figure it out,” Bowyer continued. “Hard fought battle.”

    “Those days are what wins championships.”

    Bowyer took over second in the point standing and is 41 points behind leader Jimmie Johnson.

    Not Surprising:  But for a tricky restart, the driver known as the ‘Closer’ almost closed the deal in the Irish hills of Michigan. Kevin Harvick, piloting the No. 29 Rheem Chevrolet, finished second, his 10th top-10 finish at MIS and his 12th top-10 finish in 2013.

    “I just mistimed the last restart there,” Harvick said. “I had to check up and that allowed the No. 22 to kind of make it three-wide and get under me and then we had to fight back from there.”

    “But all in all it was a good day.”

    Surprising:  The points leader and five-time champ had a surprisingly challenging day at Michigan, having to drive through the field in his back up car due to a practice lap wreck. Although he looked strong and even led two laps, Jimmie Johnson experienced engine failure and ended up his day finishing 40th in his No. 48 Lowes Chevrolet.

    “The engine broke there,” Johnson said. “When we came in for a green flag pit stop, something started then it definitely dropped a cylinder.”

    “This track is hard on engines,” Johnson continued. “Days like today am thankful for the big points lead and the bonus points in the Chase.”

    “We’ll dust ourselves off and go on to next week.”

    Not Surprising:   Kurt Busch, who after the race reportedly received an offer to driver for Stewart-Haas Racing in 2014, proved the caliber of his driving abilities and the value of his team with a third place finish. This was Busch’s ninth top-10 finish in 26 races at MIS and the good finish moved him up two spots to ninth in the point standings.

    “To be in position and run well, to post a top-three finish, just got to thank the guys,” the driver of the No. 78 Furniture Row Chevrolet said after the race. “Furniture Row is acting like a big-time player right now.”

    “We had a little bit of weaknesses here and there but overall, we keep positing good results and it’s very satisfying.”

    Surprising:  Paul Menard, driver of the No. 27 NIBCO/Menards Chevrolet, surprisingly scored his first top five of the season.

    “We really needed a good run,” Menard said. “We have been crashing a lot.”

    “We had a good car all weekend.”

    Not Surprising:  Jeff Burton, who has been running better and better as the season progresses, finished top-10 in his No. 31 Cheerios Chevrolet. And even with that, Burton ended up both happy and disappointed.

    “It’s good to be disappointed with eighth,” Burton said. “That is a good thing.”

    “That’s a step in the right direction, no drama, got what we deserved and we will go on.”

    Surprising:  Marcos Ambrose had a surprising bump up into the top-10 finishing order after a tough run at Watkins Glen, finishing sixth in his No. 9 Dewalt Ford.

    “We ran in the top-10 for a lot of the day and it was a better day for us,” Ambrose said. “I am proud of Drew (Blickensderfer, crew chief) for calling a great race.”

    “He got us up there with track position and we were able to hold on.”

    Not Surprising:  There was no surprise in seeing Greg Biffle, who is usually strong at Michigan, finish in the ninth position in his No. 16 3M Ford. And according to the Biff, he would have done even better had it not been for some problems in the pits.

    “We bumped the No. 2 coming out of the pits in that scramble at the end and hurt the left front fender,” Biffle said. “That was really tough for us.”

    The next race will be tough for all of the drivers as they head to the beating and banging at Bristol Motor Speedway under the Saturday night lights.

  • Surprising and Not Surprising: Cheez-It 355 at the Glen

    Surprising and Not Surprising: Cheez-It 355 at the Glen

    In a race named by kilometers rather than the actual 90 laps and the 220 miles distance, here is what was surprising and not surprising from the 28th annual road course running at Watkins Glen International.

    Surprising: In addition to the traditional burnout, flag capture and bow, there was a surprising new tradition in Victory Lane at the Glen, with a handshake between the race winner Kyle Busch and runner up Brad Keselowski.

    The gesture signified the respect that both had as they raced each other cleanly and without wreckage, in contrast to the previous year where both were running through oil that resulted in some final lap mayhem.

    “I felt we ran really hard there those last couple laps,” Busch said. “I commend Brad for doing a better job this year at bringing home a cleaner race.”

    “I could have dumped Kyle and won the race,” Keselowski said. “It doesn’t mean there isn’t temptation, but there’s a level of respect and a code of honor that you have to have as a man.”

    “I know I did the right thing.”

    Not Surprising:  As so often happens in the sport of NASCAR, the most dominant car, the No. 9 Stanley/CTC Jumpstart Ford piloted by Marcos Ambrose, did not win the race.

    Ambrose got caught further back in the pack after a caution and wrecked trying to come back up through the field, finishing a heartbreaking 31st.

    “I’m just really disappointed for my Stanley team,” Ambrose said. “That’s not the way we wanted our day to finish.”

    Surprising: Juan Pablo Montoya led team Chevy when the checkered flag flew at the Glen, bringing his No. 42 Target Chevrolet home as the highest finisher of the brand in the fifth position.

    “It was fun,” Montoya said. “These cars, you know, guys that run up front are pretty good here.”

    “Our Target Chevy was really good all day.”

    Not Surprising:  The Michael Waltrip team regulars, Martin Truex Jr. and Clint Bowyer, proved their road racing prowess yet again by finishing third and fifth respectively at Watkins Glen. And not only were their finishes special but both racers had been looking forward to the weekend for their own reasons.

    “Watkins Glen is a place that has been special to me,” Truex said. “I went there when I was younger running Busch North back in the day.”

    “It was the first road course that I ran a stock car on.”

    “I think it’s great that PEAK and Duck Dynasty came together to create this special paint scheme and have some fun with it,” Bowyer said. “Being a guest on an episode of Duck Dynasty was probably one of the biggest things I’ve done outside of a race car.”

    Surprising:  With a solid road course record at Watkins Glen, including four wins, six top-fives, nine top-tens and two poles, Jeff Gordon exited the race surprisingly early, wrecking on lap 13 and finishing 36th.

    “It’s unfortunate,” Gordon said. “I had a big run on the No. 11 and I got up on him and the nose just completely took off and put me in the wall.”

    Although the difficult day also resulted in a significant points loss, with Gordon dropping from ninth to fourteenth place in the standings, it is also somewhat surprising that after such a tough run, the four-time champion sits just 15 points out of the tenth position and still is in line for possible Chase contention.

    Not Surprising:   Hendrick teammate Jimmie Johnson continued his march to the championship with a top-ten finish, bringing his No. 48 Lowe’s Chevrolet to the checkered flag in the eighth position.

    Johnson still maintains a 75 points lead over second place Clint Boywer and could literally sit out a race or two, potentially for the birth of his second child, without any fear of point standing damage.

    Surprising: Richard Childress Racing’s highest finisher was surprisingly Kevin Harvick, taking the checkered flag in the 13th position.

    “We had a really fast Budweiser Chevrolet today,” Harvick said. “We just couldn’t get the break we needed on pit strategy.”

    Not Surprising:  Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Kasey Kahne were upset and a bit miffed after tangling with several other cars and wrecking into one another.

    “The No. 20 was going after the No. 9 and missed him and ended up knocking the No. 5 out of the race and knocked ourselves out of the race,” Junior said.

    “I’m not sure what happened,” Kahne said. “I was just trying to get through there.”

    Surprising:  After running out of gas in the No. 47 Scott Products Toyota, A.J. Allmendinger made a surprising comeback to finish in the top-10.

    And without a doubt, that was an additional boost not only for the driver but also the team, who had Bobby Labonte step aside for a few races to let Allmendinger shake that car and team down.

    Not Surprising:  Max Papis, in for the ailing Tony Stewart, who is now home recovering from two surgeries on his broken leg, finished a respectable 15th. Papis helped maintain Stewart Haas Racing’s 11th place position in the owner’s point standings.

    “It was pretty crazy,” Papis said. “I drove the wheels off the car every lap.”

    “These guys are all pretty good.”

    This will apparently be Papis’ only substitution for Stewart as the team just announced that Austin Dillon will drive the No. 14 car for the Michigan race next weekend.

     

  • Crunching The Numbers: Watkins Glen

    Crunching The Numbers: Watkins Glen

    After some exciting races at Pocono Raceway and Iowa Speedway last weekend, the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series and NASCAR Nationwide Series head north for some road course racing at Watkins Glen International, the always entertaining 2.45 mile road course in Upstate New York. This weekend will mark the second road course race for both series after the Sprint Cup Series visited Sonoma Raceway and the Nationwide Series was at Road America back in June.

    NASCAR Sprint Cup Series – Cheez-It 355 at the Glen

    As the Sprint Cup Series heads into Watkins Glen for the second road course race of the year, the Race to the Chase is also heating up with only five races remaining until the Chase begins and several drivers still in contention for those coveted spots. There are several drivers, including some in Chase contention who always run well at this track, so this race should be a fight from beginning to end as we get one step closer to finalizing the field for the Chase.

    Driver Races Win Top 5 Top 10 Pole Laps Led Avg. Start Avg. Finish
    Marcos Ambrose 5 2 5 5 0 46 13.2 2.0
    Brad Keselowski 3 0 2 2 0 39 16.0 8.0
    Kyle Busch 8 1 3 7 1 159 7.4 9.0
    AJ Allmendinger 4 0 1 2 0 8 15.2 9.0
    Carl Edwards 8 0 3 5 1 1 12.5 9.4
    Kevin Harvick 12 1 2 6 0 29 13.2 13.1
    Jimmie Johnson 11 0 4 6 1 11 6.2 13.2
    Martin Truex Jr. 7 0 2 4 0 0 18.7 13.7
    Jeff Gordon 20 4 6 9 2 233 9.4 14.8
    Juan Pablo Montoya 6 1 2 4 1 81 10.3 15.0

    Who To Watch: After winning at Watkins Glen in the past two seasons, the driver who runs best at the track is none other than road course ace Marcos Ambrose, whose stellar Watkins Glen career includes the two wins, five top fives, five top tens, 46 laps led, and an average finish of 2.0 in five starts. The lowest that Ambrose has ever finished is third, so the road to victory on Sunday will have to go through Ambrose.

    Tony Stewart falls in second statistically at this track and is undoubtedly one of the best at Watkins Glen with five wins, but unfortunately Stewart will be missing the race Sunday due to a broken leg that he suffered in a Sprint Car wreck on Monday night.

    With Stewart out, the next driver in line statistically is Brad Keselowski, who has finished second to Ambrose the last two years, and in three starts has the two top fives, two top tens, 39 laps led, and an average finish of 8.0.

    Others who run well at the road course include: Kyle Busch, who has one win, three top fives, seven top tens, one pole, 159 laps led, and an average finish of 9.0 in eight starts; A.J. Allmendinger, who won the Nationwide Series race at Road America in June, with one top five, two top tens, eight laps led, and an average finish of 9.0 in four starts; and Carl Edwards, with three top fives, five top tens, one pole, one lap led, and an average finish of 9.4 in eight starts.

    The others in the top ten statistically (Kevin Harvick, Jimmie Johnson, Martin Truex Jr., Jeff Gordon, and Juan Pablo Montoya) will also be strong contenders for the win this weekend. 

    NASCAR Nationwide Series – Zippo 200 at the Glen

    This weekend at Watkins Glen marks the second of three road course races this season for the Nationwide Series with a date at Mid-Ohio awaiting the drivers next weekend. With the points lead swapping between Austin Dillon, Sam Hornish Jr., and Regan Smith over the past few weeks, the unpredictability that is Watkins Glen is sure to shake up the points standings once again.

    Driver Races Win Top 5 Top 10 Pole Laps Led Avg. Start Avg. Finish
    Brad Keselowski 4 0 2 4 0 44 7.8 5.2
    Nelson Piquet Jr. 1 0 0 1 0 0 10.0 7.0
    Kyle Busch 6 0 4 5 0 90 7.2 9.3
    Kasey Kahne 2 0 0 1 0 0 6.5 10.0
    Brian Scott 3 0 0 1 0 0 16.7 12.3
    Joey Logano 5 0 2 3 0 8 8.4 13.4
    Elliott Sadler 4 0 0 1 0 0 13.0 14.8
    Michael Annett 4 0 0 0 0 0 26.2 17.2
    Justin Allgaier 4 0 0 1 0 1 17.0 18.0
    Trevor Bayne 2 0 0 1 0 0 15.0 19.0

    Who To Watch: While Brad Keselowski has been a runner-up on the Sprint Cup side statistically, he takes one step up in the Nationwide Series at Watkins Glen with the best statistics of the drivers entered on Saturday. In four starts, Keselowski has two top fives, four top tens, 44 laps led, and an average finish of 5.2.

    Next is Nelson Piquet, Jr., who has a Nationwide Series road course win at Road America and in his lone Watkins Glen start in 2010 finished in seventh. Piquet’s road course skills are likely to have him in contention for the win.

    Others who run well at the track include: Kyle Busch, with four top fives, five top tens, 90 laps led, and an average finish of 9.3 in five starts; Kasey Kahne, with one top ten and an average finish of 10.0 in two starts; Brian Scott, with one top ten and an average finish of 12.3 in three starts; and Joey Logano, who will be driving a special No. 48 Ford this weekend, with two top fives, three top tens, eight laps led, and an average finish of 13.4 in five starts.

  • Brendan Gaughan Is Living Long and Prospering

    Brendan Gaughan Is Living Long and Prospering

    While Brendan Gaughan, driver of the No. 62 South Point Chevrolet, is pretty much an open book thanks to his regular appearances on the Sirius NASCAR radio channel, one thing that fans may not know about the charismatic driver is that he is an admitted Star Trek nerd.

    Given that, the lanyard around his neck with the ‘Live Long and Prosper’ motto suits him perfectly and is exactly what the driver is experiencing this season with team Richard Childress Racing.

    “All I’ve cared about in my career, whether Truck, Nationwide or Cup, is having good equipment,” Gaughan said. “If you have great equipment in this sport, life is easy.”

    “I spent my career in decent equipment but at RCR, this is the first time that I’ve had great equipment and great people,” Gaughan continued. “So, for me, I don’t care what series, all that I have wanted is sitting here.”

    “It just took me eight years of my career to find it.”

    “So, I’m happy whether it is Truck or Nationwide and I am running Nationwide next week,” Gaughan said. “Every time you touch a car at RCR, you are going to be fast.”

    “So when you come to the track, you smile,” Gaughan continued. “And when you come to the track, you have a sigh of relief because even when you come to the track experimenting and it doesn’t work, you just chuckle and say ‘Put the other stuff in and we will be fine.’

    “I’m just so happy with the equipment.”

    Gaughan is also living large and prospering thanks to his success at Eldora, with a top-five finish, and his hopeful success at Pocono Raceway this weekend.

    “We all went to Eldora with cautious optimism,” Gaughan said. “We went into it not knowing formats and worrying that guys were going to spin every two laps and that it might end up being a bad show, but Eldora ended up being the coup of the 21st century so far for NASCAR.”

    “It was a phenomenal event,” Gaughan continued. “The fans showed up.”

    “The fifty-fifty drawing was $17,000 to a fan so that was amazing,” Gaughan said. “I told Tony Stewart right before the race that I wanted a couple of raffle tickets because it was more than I would win for winning the race.”

    “On TV, it showed great,” Gaughan continued. “The format worked out really well for NASCAR.”

    “You had passing and slide jobs and from inside the race car, it was a ton of fun.”

    Gaughan is also hoping to live large and prosper at Pocono Raceway, which will be relatively new to him since he has never raced on the re-pave.

    “I ran Cup here and then it was off the schedule,” Gaughan said of the ‘Tricky Triangle.’ “When they added it, I raced with Germain Racing in 2011 but this is my first time on the new asphalt.”

    “The track is unique,” Gaughan continued. “Some people say this race sometimes gets boring but as a driver, it’s fun because you have three completely different corners.”

    “That makes for a difficult day as a driver.”

    “You’re working hard, your spotter can’t see a damn thing because he is a mile and half away with binoculars,” Gaughan said. “My favorite is when my spotter says ‘clear’ on a close call in turn one and you’re like, you are so full of crap.”

    “You know he has got no clue and is just guessing.”

    “It’s a fun race when you understand all of it,” Gaughan continued. “It’s a really neat race from a strategy perspective because you can almost run it backwards like a road course.”

    Gaughan is also fond of the area around the race track and is especially effusive when it comes to the Pocono Raceway family ownership.

    “I like the area,” Gaughan said. “I’m an outdoorsy type guy and this is just a really pretty area when it comes to that.”

    “There’s four ski mountains here and Pocono is a pretty famous place.”

    “And when you talk the track you can’t say anything but talking about the Mattioli family, who are one of the greatest all time owners in the sport,” Gaughan continued. “You have to like a place that has such great family history.”

    Gaughan is also living large and prospering in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series, where he currently sits seventh in the point standings, with his sights still set on a championship run.

    So, what does Gaughan value the most about competing in the Truck Series?

    “First, we had Eldora,” Gaughan said. “This is a series that NASCAR can get away experimenting with.”

    “The trucks put on some of the best racing,” Gaughan continued. “The races are shorter and that fits into the shorter attention spans of the fans.”

    “And because it is shorter, there is no room to ride.” Gaughan said. “You have to go and you have to make your moves early.”

    “And then you beat and bang more than the Cup guys,” Gaughan continued. “You have a little less to lose so to speak and you can kind of get a little more aggressive.”

    Gaughan also appreciates the battles between the veterans, of which he considers himself one, and the young up and comers in the Truck Series, which he feels makes the Series most unique.

    “It’s fun watching the teenagers versus the Hornadays and the Todd Bodines,” Gaughan said. “In this series you have such a big age gap.”

    “In Cup, you get the phenom and he gets the big ride and there is a ton of pressure and he doesn’t get to be himself,” Gaughan continued. “You come down here and oh my goodness, you get to see who the person really is.”

    “You start in the Truck Series and you see great kids like a Ross Chastain, who is really trying to make it in the sport and you’ve got kids like James Buescher, who is finding his own way,” Gaughan said. “And you’ve got my teammates Ty and Austin (Dillon), who both have learned what they want to be without the pressure of being a Sprint Cup star.”

    “It’s a fun series and NASCAR has done a great job of making it that home for those who want to have careers and start careers.”

    Gaughan also is living large and prospering because he knows just how to balance having fun with the sport and putting on his game face when it is time to race. And even he admits that he still gets just a little bit nervous when it comes time to cinch his belts tight.

    “I don’t like to use Bobby Knight much for quotes because I’m a John Thompson guy, but I like his famous quote of what is a game face and he may a bunch of goofy faces illustrating that,” Gaughan said. “Everybody has a different way that they take their competitiveness.”

    “We all have our different rituals as to how we prepare and how we balance having our own personalities and putting the game face on when we are behind the wheel of our race trucks,” Gaughan continued. “But if you don’t have butterflies before every race, like I do, then it is time to hang it up because you are not getting excited anymore about your sport.”

    “I still get butterflies every time and when I quit getting them, then I will know it’s time for me to think about moving on.”

    But most of all, Gaughan is living large and prospering thanks to his family including his wife Tatum and two young sons.

    “That is one of the most difficult things to do is to find that balance between racing and family life,” Gaughan said. “I try to bring the family along as much as I can but so much of it falls to my wife to make those arrangements and pack everybody up.”

    “I’ve been lucky this year that I have a motor coach available to me and I try to bring my family to the track as much as possible,” Gaughan continued. “And that’s how I try to maintain my balance.”

    So, does Brendan Gaughan think that he will continue to live long and prosper for the remainder of the 2013 season?

    “I’ve been pleased with the season so far,” Gaughan said. “We have the most top-five finishes so far and we are definitely fast and we are not out of the championship hunt yet.”

    “But overall, I just love my scuba diving and my family and I am just that every day nerd that hopes to ‘Live Long and Prosper.’

     

  • Crunching The Numbers: Pocono & Iowa

    After a weekend of racing at the Brickyard for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series and NASCAR Nationwide Series and a Wednesday night of dirt racing at Eldora for the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series, all three series head off to new destinations this week with the Sprint Cup Series and Camping World Truck Series heading to Pocono and the Nationwide Series heading back to Iowa Speedway for the second time this season.

    NASCAR Sprint Cup Series – GoBowling.com 400 at Pocono Raceway

    From the rectangular shaped Indianapolis Motor Speedway last weekend to the triangular shaped Pocono Raceway this weekend, this section of the Sprint Cup Series schedule takes the drivers to tracks that are anything but your run-of-the-mill oval. Especially Pocono, with its three distinct turns all based off of turns from three different tracks. Turn 1 is based off of Trenton Speedway, Turn 2 is based off of Indianapolis Motor Speedway, and Turn 3 is based off of The Milwaukee Mile. Many say that drivers who run well at Indianapolis tend to run well at Pocono, so at the end of 400 miles on Sunday, we’ll see if that holds true.

    Driver Races Win Top 5 Top 10 Pole Laps Led Avg. Start Avg. Finish
    Jimmie Johnson 23 3 10 16 2 690 9.0 8.7
    Jeff Gordon 41 6 18 28 2 965 11.4 10.2
    Denny Hamlin 15 4 8 10 2 663 6.3 10.5
    Tony Stewart 29 2 12 21 2 156 12.7 11.0
    Mark Martin 53 0 20 34 3 448 9.4 11.2
    Ryan Newman 23 1 8 11 2 182 10.3 12.0
    Carl Edwards 17 2 5 8 0 221 18.0 13.5
    Kevin Harvick 25 0 5 9 0 5 19.2 13.9
    Matt Kenseth 27 0 3 10 0 54 18.0 14.7
    Brad Keselowski 7 1 2 2 0 31 18.1 14.7

    Who To Watch: Five-time champion Jimmie Johnson seems to be having another one of those championship caliber seasons this year with his 75 point advantage heading into this weekend, so it’s no surprise that he leads all active drivers at Pocono. In 23 starts, Johnson has three wins, 10 top fives, 16 top tens, two poles, 690 laps led, and an average finish of 8.7. Let’s not forget just how dominant Johnson was during his June Pocono win. If anyone is going to win this race, Johnson will be the man to beat.

    Johnson’s Hendrick Motorsports teammate, Jeff Gordon, also has an impressive career at Pocono with six wins, 18 top fives, 28 top tens, two poles, 965 laps led, and an average finish of 10.2 in 41 starts.

    Others who run well at Pocono include: Denny Hamlin, with four wins, eight top fives, 10 top tens, two poles, 663 laps led, and an average finish of 10.5 in 15 starts; Tony Stewart, with two wins, 12 top fives, 21 top tens, two poles, 156 laps led, and an average finish of 11.0 in 29 starts; Mark Martin, with 20 top fives, 34 top tens, three poles, 448 laps led, and an average finish of 11.2 in 53 starts; and winner of last weekend’s race at Indianapolis, Ryan Newman, with one win, eight top fives, 11 top tens, two poles, 182 laps led, and an average finish of 12.0 in 23 starts.

    NASCAR Nationwide Series – U.S. Cellular 250 at Iowa

    For the second time this season the Nationwide Series heads to Iowa Speedway for a standalone event on the short track. With the Sprint Cup Series in Pocono for the weekend, the Nationwide regulars will practically have the track to themselves, except for a Cup regular or two that will be making the double duty trip down to Iowa.

    Driver Races Win Top 5 Top 10 Pole Laps Led Avg. Start Avg. Finish
    Brad Keselowski 3 1 3 3 0 151 8.3 2.7
    Elliott Sadler 5 1 5 5 3 100 3.2 2.8
    Kyle Larson 1 0 1 1 0 0 10.0 5.0
    Regan Smith 1 0 0 1 0 0 5.0 7.0
    Sam Hornish Jr. 4 0 2 2 0 91 3.5 10.8
    Justin Allgaier 7 0 1 5 0 150 6.6 10.9
    Parker Kligerman 2 0 0 1 0 0 11.0 11.0
    Austin Dillon 5 0 2 3 1 260 5.8 11.8
    Michael Annett 7 0 1 2 0 6 20.3 13.0
    Cole Whitt 3 0 0 1 0 4 14.3 14.0

    Who To Watch: As the only Cup regular in the field, Brad Keselowski also boasts the best statistics in the Nationwide Series at Iowa. In three starts, Keselowski has one win, three top fives, three top tens, 151 laps led, and an average start of 2.7. The No. 22 car that Keselowski will be driving has won three times previously this season, so Keselowski should be strong on Saturday night once again.

    Elliott Sadler is the top Nationwide regular at Iowa with one win, five top fives, five top tens, three poles, 100 laps led, and an average finish of 2.8 in five starts.

    Others who run well at Iowa include: Rookie Kyle Larson, who finished fifth in his lone start this season; Regan Smith, who had a top ten of his own earlier this season at Iowa with a seventh place finish; Austin Dillon, who was well on his way to a victory in the first race at Iowa this year before fading late, and has two top fives, three top tens, one pole, 260 laps led, and an average finish of 11.8 in five starts; Trevor Bayne will also be strong as he won the first race at the track this year by overtaking Dillon late in the race.

    NASCAR Camping World Truck Series – Pennsylvania Mountains 125 at Pocono

    After a historic night of dirt racing last Wednesday night at Eldora, the Camping World Truck Series heads back to the pavement to take on the Tricky Triangle at Pocono. The Trucks have only been racing at Pocono for the last three seasons as a companion to the second Cup Series date at the track. There will be no Cup regulars racing this weekend, so who wins this race is pretty much up in the air as to who can get the job done on Saturday.

    Driver Races Win Top 5 Top 10 Pole Laps Led Avg. Start Avg. Finish
    Joey Coulter 2 1 1 2 0 7 8.0 2.5
    Matt Crafton 3 0 2 3 0 0 13.3 5.0
    James Buescher 3 0 2 2 0 6 7.3 5.3
    Ty Dillon 1 0 0 1 0 0 2.0 6.0
    John Wes Townley 1 0 0 1 0 0 11.0 8.0
    Ross Chastain 1 0 0 1 0 0 20.0 10.0
    Timothy Peters 3 0 0 2 0 2 10.7 13.3
    Johnny Sauter 3 0 1 1 0 0 13.7 15.0
    Miguel Paludo 2 0 0 0 0 0 8.5 16.0
    Ron Hornaday Jr. 3 0 0 1 0 0 8.3 19.0

    Who To Watch: Since the Truck Series has only run at Pocono for a few years now, the only winner at Pocono in the field is Joey Coulter, who has the one win, one top five, two top tens, seven laps led, and an average finish of 2.5 in two starts.

    Others who have raced at Pocono previously and run well there include: Series points leader, Matt Crafton, who has two top fives, three top tens, and an average finish of 5.0 in three starts; 2012 champion James Buescher, with two top fives, two top tens, six laps led, and an average finish of 5.3 in three starts; and Ty Dillon, with a sixth place finish in his first start at the track last year.

    Any conversation on who is likely to win a Truck Series race this season also has to include the rookies in the series who have been running strong all season long . So, Jeb Burton, Darrell Wallace Jr., and Ryan Blaney could find themselves in Victory Lane this weekend as well.

  • Richard Childress Shares Indianapolis Memories As 20th Annual Brickyard 400 Approaches

    Richard Childress Shares Indianapolis Memories As 20th Annual Brickyard 400 Approaches

    This weekend’s race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway marks the 20th running of the Brickyard 400 on the hallowed ground that was only graced by open-wheel cars until 1994, when NASCAR came to town and stock cars began racing on the famed 2.5 mile speedway as well. Since the inaugural running of the race, the Brickyard 400 has become one of the most prestigious races on the circuit, joining the Daytona 500, Southern 500, and Coca-Cola 600 as the “crown jewels” of the schedule.

    Richard Childress has become one of the most successful owners at Indianapolis, winning the Brickyard 400 three separate times and with three different drivers, including Dale Earnhardt in 1995, Kevin Harvick in 2003, and Paul Menard in 2011. Childress is the only owner in the Sprint Cup Series to accomplish that feat.

    Childress shared his thoughts on Indianapolis during a teleconference this week in the lead up to the 20th running of the Brickyard 400 this weekend.

    “You know, when you said 20 years, it kind of reminds me of that old song Bob Seger sings, 20 Years Ago, Where Does It Go? It doesn’t seem 20 years ago when Dale Earnhardt pulled up there to run our first test. I guess that was a year or so before we went up there and raced, just to see how the Cup cars would do.To be able to see that car go around the racetrack in such a historical place as Indy with all the history there, to have Dale go around there, it was pretty amazing.”, Childress said.

    “Then coming back in 2003, we won with Kevin Harvick up there. That was a special win, as well, because we did start from the pole that day. We’ve been right there to win other Brickyards, but unfortunately we didn’t pull them off. One that ranks really high, maybe above the other two, was when Paul Menard won in 2011. What made that so special was knowing that Paul’s family was there. Knowing what John Menard had put into that, I think he had entered like 30 some car over 20 years at Indy, in the Indy 500. To be part of watching his son win that race was such a special day. Riding around the track, that’s the neatest part of Indy, is getting to ride around the track, seeing all the fans hollering.  That’s really a cool thing right there.”

    Childress elaborated further on why he thinks the 2011 Brickyard 400 win by Menard ranks highly among the three Brickyard 400 wins that RCR has. “Not taking anything away from Dale or Kevin’s first win there, but that one was so special I think because of being able to win a race with Paul, being able to win at Indy where that whole family had put so much into the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. John Menard played a huge role for many years.  To be able to win that race with him, have his whole family there that day, it was almost like a storybook ending to a great venture in Indy for John Menard.”

    Over time, the Brickyard 400 has lost some luster in the eyes of some in the sport, but Childress still believes that Indianapolis is one of the marquee events in the sport. When asked about that he said, “ If you want to win a race, you want to win the Daytona 500, you want to win the Coke 600, and Indy, the Brickyard 400.  Those are the three, in my opinion, of the biggest crowns you can win”

    Chevrolet has an impressive record at Indianapolis, winning the last 10 and 14 out of the 19 total Sprint Cup Series races at the track. Childress also shared his thoughts on that: “I think the caliber of the teams, the effort that every team puts in to go win at Indy, because we know it’s a big deal for Chevrolet to go up there and win.  I think it’s just that extra motivation for all of us. The other guys have it, too. But I think we know how important that win is for Chevy.”

    Richard Childress Racing will have the opportunity for a fourth win this weekend with four cars out of the RCR stable entered. In addition to regular drivers Kevin Harvick, Paul Menard, and Jeff Burton, Austin Dillon will also be making his Cup Series debut at Indianapolis this weekend.

  • MudSummer Classic Returned NASCAR To Its Roots

    MudSummer Classic Returned NASCAR To Its Roots

    There was wall scrapping, door slamming, dirt flying and not a single fan sitting at Eldora Speedway Wednesday night. NASCAR had finally gone back home to where it all began; they returned to dirt. After a 43 year hiatus, no one knew what to expect but everyone believed that it would be epic and that it was. Race pole-sitter Kenny Schrader called it the most anticipated race since the 1994 Brickyard 400 while others were hailing it as the biggest race ever run in the Camping World Truck Series. People flocked from 48 states and five countries to watch history be made in NASCAR’s field of a dreams; a track in the middle of nowhere and surrounded by cornfields. Despite its desolate location, the place was packed with well over 20,000 screaming fans. It was a race that will be remembered as a turning point in NASCAR history as this sport rediscovered its roots and I believe this is just the beginning of many good things to come.

    The night kicked off with five heat races and a last chance qualifier. I wrote an article a couple weeks ago saying that NASCAR needs to implement heat races in place of single car qualifying and what we all witnessed at Eldora only proved my point that much more. The races put on a heck of a show as drivers battled fiercely for the win and even harder for that coveted transfer spot that would guarantee them a place in the main event. We saw close finishes, tempers flare, battles everywhere and a 61 year old back-marker drive the race of his life to make the MudSummer Classic after a thrilling battle with Clay Greenfield!

    I’m talking about Norm Benning who in 103 CWTS starts, has never finished higher than 15th but nonetheless, he shows up every weekend undeterred and gives it his all. At Eldora, he held the final transfer position in the LCQ and was not about to bow for the hungry young drivers that were harassing him for the position. Clay Greenfield grew very impatient as the laps clicked away and finally went on the attack with the white flag in the air. He bumped and slammed Norm whose truck slid sideways but he stayed in the throttle and kept it pointed in the right direction. In the final corner, Clay door-slammed him and ran the No.57 up into the wall but Benning could see the checkered flag and kept that pedal nailed to the floor as he rode the wall all the way to the finish line. With both sides beat all to hell and the exhaust dragging on the ground, he made the race and gave Greenfield the 1-finger salute on the cool down lap before merging triumphantly from his battered machine.

    The race itself was just as good with trucks fanning out four and even five wide at times as they tried to make some ground on the leaders. Thankfully, the race was not a wreck-fest as many had feared it would be but the lack of cautions actually helped build the drama on track as the leaders cut through lap traffic while still battling for the top spot with remarkable precision. The race ended with three dirt track aces battling it out for the win in the form of 2011 CWTS champion Austin Dillon, 2008 Daytona 500 champion Ryan Newman and the man considered by many as one of the most versatile drivers out there today; 20 year old Kyle Larson. Larson and Newman were teammates but you couldn’t tell on the final two restarts as they proceeded to slam into each other which allowed Dillon to get a little breathing room. After putting Newman in the wall, Larson tried desperately to hunt down Austin but to no avail as the elder Dillon would win the inaugural MudSummer Classic at Eldora Speedway!

    Photo Credit: Chris Graythen/Getty Images
    Photo Credit: Chris Graythen/Getty Images

    After the race, practically every driver was using the words “fun”, “wild,” and “crazy” to describe their nights. Everyone had a great time and every single driver wanted to do it again. I did a Twitter poll last night asking what everyone thought of the race and 100% of the people that voted said they enjoyed it. Jeff Gluck did a similar poll and 95% of fans said that they loved the race as well. Ratings were some of the highest ever for the truck series with 1.4 million people tuning in and topics such as “Norm Benning,” “Eldora” and “MudSummer Classic” trending nationally on Twitter. With how well-received this race was, the longevity of the MudSummer Classic is all but assured and I think this is just the beginning for dirt racing’s resurgence in NASCAR. I believe we will see more dirt races on the truck schedule in the future, a couple in Nationwide and a Cup race on dirt is not completely out of the question but it would be difficult. The 20th anniversary of the Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway is a just a few days away and it might as while not exist because all the talk right now surrounds a truck race at a little dirt track in Ohio.

    If NASCAR does make the very prudent decision to give dirt racing more of a presence in the three national touring series, the next best candidate in the minds of many drivers is Knoxville Raceway and I heard Duqoin being tossed around by a few people too. Then there’s always the possibility of pouring dirt on a track already in use like when they used to cover Bristol Motor Speedway in dirt for some regional races. I would love to see the March event be a dirt race and then have the August race still be on the concrete; that would be awesome to watch. Knowing Bruton Smith, I think he’d be up for that! Steve O’Donnell said it would be feasible to get Nationwide and Cup at Eldora but those conversations haven’t happened…yet. All I know is that this highly anticipated truck race on dirt lived up to the hype and every person was smiling when they left the track.

    You are onto something here NASCAR and please pursue it. If you can get people from across the USA and around the world to show up in the middle of nowhere and pack the house for a standalone truck race, just imagine what you could do for a Cup event!? With the new TV deals taking place in 2015, that could be the perfect opportunity to refine the schedule and add more excitement to the circuit. NASCAR was built on dirt racing and a return to dirt track racing could just be the boost that NASCAR needs to bolster their fan base and regain their former glory.