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Tag: Brad Keselowski; Kevin Harvick; Clint Bowyer; Kyle Busch; Denny Hamlin; Joey Logano; Martin Truex Jr.; Ryan Newman

  • NASCAR Top-10 Power Rankings: Nashville

    NASCAR Top-10 Power Rankings: Nashville

    Note: The quotes in this article are fictional.

    1. Kyle Larson: Larson won his third-straight points race, this time crushing the field at Nashville, new to the Cup series calendar.

    “I’m still counting my million from winning the All-Star Race at Texas,” Larson said. “It may be the first time my accountant had to work harder than my publicist.”

    2. Denny Hamlin: Hamlin had to pit for fuel late at Nashville and eventually finished 22nd.

    “At this point last year,” Hamlin said, “I had 3 wins. At this point last year, Kyle Larson had one big ‘L.’”

    3. William Byron: Byron took third in the Ally 400 at Nashville as Hendrick Motorsports teammate Kyle Larson won.

    “Kyle may be winning everything,” Byron said, “but I bet someone else will have the ‘last laugh.’ That someone else will probably be Quin Houff because he finishes last and everyone laughs.”

    4. Chase Elliott: Elliott won Stage 2 and finished 13th in the Ally 400 at Nashville but was disqualified for having five loose lug nuts in post-race inspection. He was relegated to a last-place finish and had the Stage 2 win taken from him.

    “In light of what Kyle Larson’s done in the last month or so,” Elliott said, “I was just happy to be able to say I won something, emphasis on was.”

    5. Alex Bowman: Bowman finished 15th at Nashville, his first result outside the top 10 since Darlington in early May.

    “I signed a contract extension through 2023,” Bowman said. “Add that to my list of ‘signature wins.’”

    6. Joey Logano: Logano finished 10th at Nashville.

    “Nashville is known as the ‘Music City,’” Logano said. “The city where I hear officially that Brad Keselowski is leaving Penske will be known as the ‘Music To My Ears City.’”

    7. Martin Truex Jr.: Truex struggled all day at Nashville and finished a disappointing 23rd in the Ally 400.

    “Kyle Larson led 264 of 300 laps,” Truex said. “He dominated. The Nashville victor is awarded a guitar, but let’s face it, Larson beat us like a drum.’”

    8. Kyle Busch: Kyle Busch finished 11th in the Ally 400.

    “I won my 100th Xfinity series race on Saturday at Nashville,” Busch said. “It feels like Kyle Larson has won his 100th Cup series race.”

    9. Kevin Harvick: Harvick ran out of gas on the final lap but was able to coast to a fifth-place finish at Nashville.

    “The No. 4 Chevy sported the ‘Grave Digger’ paint scheme,” Harvick said. “If you’ve been living under a rock, or in a non-mobile home, then you probably don’t know that ‘Grave Digger’ is a monster truck.”

    10. Christopher Bell: Bell finished ninth at Nashville, posting his first top 10 since Richmond in April.

    “NASCAR hired New Orleans Saints running back Alvin Kamara,” Bell said. “His title is ‘growth and engagement manager.’ So, if you’re a small person looking to add muscle and find a spouse, Alvin should be able to help you.”

  • The Final Word – Larson wins on a Michigan Fathers’ Day as Bowyer slips down the ladder

    The Final Word – Larson wins on a Michigan Fathers’ Day as Bowyer slips down the ladder

    Popular. Iconic. A “must be in” race. If that is what you were looking for, you were disappointed. A 37-car field was the smallest in 21 years. Tight, pack racing, the kind that leaves you swooning each and every lap. If that is what you were looking for, sorry, Sonoma is coming up next weekend. No, this week it was Michigan.

    About the only exciting moment in the early going came when Erik Jones pulled in under green during the opening segment due to loose lug nuts. That stop dropped him to 37th, a lap down. Would we seem him again? The odds were not in his favor.

    Two segments, two “wins” for Martin Truex Jr. Ten times he has done it, and of his point total, 100 of them have come due to taking a race segment. If the boy runs well, the boy earns the bonus. Would he win the race? Up to the final stage, only Kyle Larson and Kyle Busch seemed like the main challengers. Kevin Harvick, Denny Hamlin, Clint Bowyer and Matt Kenseth were making some noise up to that point, but only time would tell if they would be a factor when it counted.

    By the time we had 14 laps to go, Chase Elliott had entered the picture. Ryan Blaney was in the vicinity. Jamie McMurray also used some pit strategy to poke his nose in, along with Daniel Suarez. Bowyer took his nose out of it as he ground down the right side of his car against the fence. One more pit stop, one more opportunity to provide some excitement.

    Sunday was Father’s Day. I spent some time with my father-in-law, Jack Clements, and my dad, the original Ron Thornton. I hope you were able to spend some time celebrating with your pop or being celebrated for being one. After spending some quality time with your loved ones, this would have been the time to turn the tube on to watch the conclusion of the race. If you had missed the opening 186 laps, trust me, you can forgive yourself.

    With 10 to go, Blaney’s car started to run in some molasses after getting loose, stacking the field. You just knew that somebody was going to get punted. When Bubba Wallace Jr. turned Suarez, he found himself straightened out by the lady on his inside. You just knew that Danica Patrick was not going to be a happy camper, as she crunched the inside barrier.

    They re-started with five to run, and that is when Larson checked out. He was number one, Elliott was number two, and the rest were somewhere behind. It was win number two for Larson on the season, while Hamlin (fourth), Truex (sixth), and Rowdy (seventh) all had 40-plus point days.

    Both Joey Logano and Hamlin slip past Bowyer in the standings. Thanks to having five drivers behind him in points holding wins, Bowyer now drops out of a Chase position into 17th place. That means he heads to Sonoma seven points behind his two rivals, and for him points mean everything. At least, unless he wins.

    Now it is time to enjoy a popular, iconic, a “must be in” contest that features driving door to door, fender to fender racing. They add the right turns to the lefts out in California, as they head just north of San Francisco. Last year’s winner at Sonoma will be cheering on the 2012 race winner, as team owner Tony Stewart hopes his boy Bowyer can claim the prize once again.

    As for you and me, this is a race we might actually have to watch. It might even be one you can invite your dad to watch with you.

     

  • Hot 20 – If rules are meant to be broken, somebody forgot to tell NASCAR

    Hot 20 – If rules are meant to be broken, somebody forgot to tell NASCAR

    Rules be rules, and the book was tossed at a number of folks after Atlanta. The biggest hit was taken by Martin Truex Jr. after a roof flap issue meant the loss of 15 points. Thanks to the appeal process, he keeps crew chief Cole Pearn for this weekend otherwise, he would be gone for a race and tagged with a $50,000 fine. Considering it is the second straight race the issue has come up, NASCAR got rather ornery.

    The honchos were not happy. A.J. Allmendinger lost 10 points for issues regarding his rear wheel crush panels. Austin Dillon, Paul Menard, Ryan Newman and Michael McDowell lost 10 each for components of the car not being kosher. Each crew chief also got to donate $15,000 to the cause.

    The poobahs were not done. For failing to pass the pre-qualifying inspection after three attempts, they sent nasty notes to Jeffery Earnhardt’s people, along with the loss of 15 minutes of practice time. Uncle Dale Earnhardt Jr., along with Matt DiBenedetto, and Cole Whitt, were written up after each failed twice.

    The lords of all racing even managed to hand out a $5000 penalty to an XFINITY crew chief, wrote up six others for pre-racing inspection issues, and even tagged a Camping World team for failing post-race inspection.

    Bad boys, bad boys, whatcha gonna do?

    In the meantime, NASCAR boss Brian France came out and endorsed Donald Trump for President. To each his own, but I cannot help thinking that while the Donald might not be everyone’s cup of tea, the character and morality flaws of some of the others leave him looking like Gandhi. Yes, it is a strange, strange world we live in, Master Jack.

    Off to Las Vegas, our Hot 20 performers include…

    1. DENNY HAMLIN – 1 WIN – 70 PTS
    Still has Atlanta car, but his Daytona car is missing. It happens every darn year to somebody.

    2. JIMMIE JOHNSON – 1 WIN – 70 PTS
    Win a race, tie Dale Earnhardt, pretty much lock in a spot in the Chase. Check, check, and check.

    3. KYLE BUSCH – 78 PTS
    Won Atlanta’s XFINITY race and outran my five-month-old nephew Oscar. What a guy.

    4. KEVIN HARVICK – 74 PTS
    If he hopes to repeat in 2016, does that mean Harvick “peated” at Las Vegas last year?

    5. CARL EDWARDS – 73 PTS
    No one mentions his former friend 12919-028 anymore.

    6. KURT BUSCH – 69 PTS
    Will the hometown look the same as he steps down from the plane?

    7. JOEY LOGANO – 64 PTS
    A recent story was entitled, “Logano tries to adjust to new package.” I giggled. I am so immature.

    8. MARTIN TRUEX, JR. – 60 PTS
    Roof flap issues cost Truex 15 points, but the appeal retains for him his crew chief, for now.

    9. ARIC ALMIROLA – 55 PTS
    Some with Cuban heritage are running for President. President Almirola has a ring to it.

    10. BRAD KESELOWSKI – 54 PTS
    While Mr. France likes Donald Trump, Brad kind of likes the sound of President Keselowski.

    11. AUSTIN DILLON – 53 PTS
    When I rechecked the point standings from Tuesday, I thought I might have had another stroke.

    12. MATT KENSETH – 51 PTS
    In future, when the flag goes black, maybe they should get back.

    13. RICKY STENHOUSE, JR. – 50 PTS
    Later this season, he will truly be a Sunny Delight. I wonder if Ms. Patrick would agree?

    14. KYLE LARSON – 49 PTS
    A big fan of the NBA Charlotte Hornets. I like the NHL Montreal Canadiens. We both are weird.

    15. KASEY KAHNE – 46 PTS
    Named by Hollywood Life as a Top 10 Hottie of NASCAR. Nope. Danica is all alone.

    16. DALE EARNHARDT JR. – 45 PTS
    After failing pre-qualifying inspection twice, even Junior got written up on Santa’s naughty list.

    17. JAMIE MCMURRAY – 44 PTS
    Looked good at Atlanta, then they began the second minute of action.

    18. REGAN SMITH – 40 PTS
    Tommy Baldwin should be proud.

    19. CHASE ELLIOTT – 38 PTS
    Thanks to good, clean living and NASCAR penalties, the rookie makes the list.

    20. RYAN BLANEY – 38 PTS
    Some got a Charter, some did not need it.

    21. RYAN NEWMAN – 38 PTS
    Must have been a Childress thing, as Newman and Menard are also 10 lighter than first tallied.

  • The Final Word – Post-race Kyle kissed the Bricks at Indianapolis, the rest could just kiss his…

    The Final Word – Post-race Kyle kissed the Bricks at Indianapolis, the rest could just kiss his…

    All we have heard all summer long is how great Kyle is at winning, how wonderful Kyle has been in making a comeback. Kyle, Kyle, Kyle. It is enough to make one channel their inner Jan Brady.

    What a wonderful race Kevin Harvick had. He led all those laps, yet the best he gets in the end was third. Joey Logano, he had a wonderful day going for him, but with about 10 to go, Kyle decided the race was his and won his first Brickyard 400.

    Okay, three wins in a row. Four of the past five, all in just the past nine events; 33rd of his career. Over those last five events, Busch has managed to pick up an average of 30 points per race on the driver sitting in 30th place in the standings, and today sits just 23 behind Justin Allgaier as he moves closer to being Chase eligible and making those wins count toward the standings. My bold prediction is that he will rocket from 32nd to at least second in the season standings come next Sunday at Pocono.

    Busch is having a season just as unbelievable as that of Tony Stewart. I mean, who can believe the crap Smoke has been putting up with this season? He starts fourth at Indianapolis, was up front the first half of the day, yet the heaping helping he was left with was not exactly a steaming pile of hospitality. Strategy gone bad, they said. Stewart pits when some thought he should have maintained track position. Shortly after, he pits again, giving up even more. He finished 28th, a spot behind Danica Patrick, who had a Top 15 day, was eighth when they re-started with eight to go.

    Jeff Gordon was in his final Brickyard, but he lost control trying to avoid a spinning Clint Bowyer. Contact with the outside wall left him limping to 42nd. Still, he is in no danger of dropping out of the Top 16 just yet. Bowyer has that final transfer spot, sitting 30 points ahead of Aric Almirola. He appeared to be driving a metallic pinata as Bowyer gained 32 positions on him.

    Mind you, after Pocono, when the four Busch wins trump whatever points he might have, as long as he sits amongst the Top 30, Bowyer will slip back to 17th. In reality, he goes into next weekend down by 20 to Kasey Kahne and Paul Menard, and 25 behind Ryan Newman, for the spot that will matter at the end of the day.

    As for Kyle, he has never won at Pocono. Of course, he had never won a Cup event at Indianapolis before, either. Busch is a husband, a new dad and appears to have returned a more mature version of his former self. Maybe even a more talented version, if that can be possible. Some might not like it, but the way things are going, they might have to be content with kissing his…championship ring at the end of the season.

  • Jeff Gordon Scores 200th Hendrick Pole; Announces Spoiler Intention

    Jeff Gordon Scores 200th Hendrick Pole; Announces Spoiler Intention

    Jeff Gordon, who fell out of championship contention last week, scored his first ever pole at Homestead-Miami Speedway and the 200th pole for Hendrick Motorsports. And with that he also announced that he fully intends to pursue the spoiler role in the NASCAR race season finale.

    Gordon scored the pole for the Ford EcoBoost 400 with a speed of 180.747 mph and a time of 29.876 seconds. This was his 77th pole in 761 Cup Series races.

    “I’m just blown away right now,” the driver of the No. 24 Drive to End Hunger Chevrolet said. “I knew we had a pretty good race car. I committed to the top and it stuck well.”

    Gordon also took great pride in being the Hendrick Motorsports driver to score the historic 200th pole for Hendrick Motorsports.

    “It’s a great organization,” Gordon said. “We just never quit. We bring great cars and power to the track and that contributes to wins and poles. This is a great achievement to start the weekend and something that we can smile about.”

    And finally, Gordon admitted that he has his sights set on being the race winner, boxing out the four final contenders for the championship.

    “We want to finish off this season the best way we can,” Gordon said. “We’re disappointed that we are not in the championship hunt but we do want to finish strong, with the pole and a win.”

    “I think everybody wants to come in here and spoil the championship by winning this race. We want to be the spoiler, there is no doubt about that.”

    Kurt Busch, the driver of the No. 41 Haas Automation Chevrolet, will start the race in the outside of the first row. This was Busch’s 17th top-10 start of the season and his eighth in 14 races at Homestead.

    “It was a tremendous set of laps. We came home just a bit shy. Congrats to Jeff Gordon as that was a perfect lap he laid down,” Busch said. “I felt like we laid down a really good lap. To do it with Tony Gibson in our third race together just shows all the signs are pointed in the right direction.”

    “I couldn’t be happier.”

    Matt Kenseth, behind the wheel of the No. 20 Dollar General Toyota, secured the third starting position for the final race of the season. Kenseth also has winning on his mind to close out the year, something he has not yet accomplished in 2014.

    “It was really good. It wasn’t as good as Kurt’s and Jeff’s but it was good,” Kenseth said of his qualifying lap. “It’s always important to run up front and be competitive. That’s what you show up to do every week.”

    “The longer you go without a win, the more you think about it,” Kenseth continued. “It would be great to end the season on a positive note.”

    The championship contenders Kevin Harvick, Denny Hamlin, and Joey Logano all qualified top-10 in the 5th, 8th, and 9th positions respectively. The final contender Ryan Newman qualified a bit more poorly and will start in the 21st position.

    “We had a good day,” Harvick said after qualifying best of all of the championship contenders in fifth. “We should get a good pit stall, have a solid day tomorrow and get prepared for the race.”

    “I think today kind of went like most of the year for us, but better,” Hamlin said of his eighth place qualifying run. “We weren’t blazing fast but we had a nice run at the end there. It’s got the feeling as to what it needs to be successful on Sunday.”

    “We had an OK day today,” Logano said after qualifying ninth. “We made it through the first round, which surprised the heck out of me. Overall, we qualified decent and the car was a little better in race trim.”

    Ryan Newman was the only championship contender that did not advance to the final round of qualifying, with the worst starting position of all of the contenders in the 21st spot. This was also Newman’s worst starting spot since August 3rd at Pocono Raceway.

    “It was actually all good,” Newman said. “It wasn’t what we wanted so we start 21st. I don’t think that’s the end of our day. We have 267 laps to get through the field.”

    “It’s not where you start, it’s where you stop,” Newman said simply. “It’s going to be a crazy race.”

    Brad Keselowski qualified fourth, Clint Bowyer sixth, Kyle Busch seventh, and Martin Truex Jr. had a good effort, qualifying tenth.

    The complete qualifying line up is as follows:

    2014 NSCS Ford EcoBoost 400 Starting Lineup

    Pos Car Driver Team Time Speed
    1 24 Jeff Gordon Drive To End Hunger Chevrolet 29.876 180.747
    2 41 Kurt Busch Haas Automation Chevrolet 29.895 180.632
    3 20 Matt Kenseth Dollar General Toyota 29.951 180.294
    4 2 Brad Keselowski Miller Lite Ford 30.001 179.994
    5 4 Kevin Harvick Budweiser Chevrolet 30.009 179.946
    6 15 Clint Bowyer 5-hour Energy Toyota 30.068 179.593
    7 18 Kyle Busch M&M’s Toyota 30.087 179.48
    8 11 Denny Hamlin FedEx Express Toyota 30.109 179.348
    9 22 Joey Logano Shell Pennzoil Ford 30.124 179.259
    10 78 Martin Truex Jr. Furniture Row Chevrolet 30.156 179.069
    11 88 Dale Earnhardt Jr. National Guard Chevrolet 30.28 178.336
    12 48 Jimmie Johnson Lowe’s Chevrolet 30.563 176.684
    13 55 Brian Vickers Aaron’s Dream Machine Toyota 30.167 179.004
    14 51 Justin Allgaier # BRANDT Chevrolet 30.178 178.938
    15 99 Carl Edwards Fastenal Ford 30.201 178.802
    16 27 Paul Menard Richmond/Menards Chevrolet 30.202 178.796
    17 9 Marcos Ambrose Stanley Ford 30.205 178.778
    18 43 Aric Almirola Smithfield Foods Ford 30.235 178.601
    19 1 Jamie McMurray Cessna Chevrolet 30.235 178.601
    20 16 Greg Biffle 3M Ford 30.256 178.477
    21 31 Ryan Newman Caterpillar Chevrolet 30.296 178.241
    22 17 Ricky Stenhouse Jr. Fastenal Ford 30.344 177.959
    23 5 Kasey Kahne Great Clips Chevrolet 30.375 177.778
    24 3 Austin Dillon # Dow Chevrolet 30.392 177.678
    25 47 AJ Allmendinger Hungry Jack Chevrolet 30.298 178.23
    26 21 Trevor Bayne(i) Motorcraft/Quick Lane Tire & Auto Center Ford 30.314 178.136
    27 42 Kyle Larson # Target Chevrolet 30.315 178.13
    28 14 Tony Stewart Bass Pro Shops/Mobil 1 Chevrolet 30.333 178.024
    29 13 Casey Mears GEICO Chevrolet 30.39 177.69
    30 33 Brian Scott(i) Shore Lodge Chevrolet 30.476 177.189
    31 34 David Ragan The Pete Store Ford 30.489 177.113
    32 10 Danica Patrick Florida Lottery/GoDaddy Chevrolet 30.496 177.072
    33 40 Landon Cassill(i) Harvey Gulf Chevrolet 30.622 176.344
    34 83 JJ Yeley(i) Dip Your Car Toyota 30.629 176.304
    35 38 David Gilliland MDS Transport Ford 30.672 176.056
    36 36 Reed Sorenson Feed The Children/Dei Fratelli Chevrolet 30.745 175.638
    37 98 Josh Wise PPR98.com Chevrolet Owner Points
    38 95 Michael McDowell KLOVE Radio/Thrivent Financial Ford Owner Points
    39 7 Michael Annett # Pilot/Flying J Chevrolet Owner Points
    40 32 Blake Koch(i) LeafFilter.com Ford Owner Points
    41 23 Alex Bowman # Dip Your Car Toyota Owner Points
    42 26 Cole Whitt # Speed Stick Gear Toyota Owner Points
    43 66 Brett Moffitt X8 Energy Gum Toyota Owner Points

    (i) Ineligible for Driver Points in this Series, # Denotes Rookie, * Required to Qualify on Time.

    Source: Timing and Scoring provided by NASCAR Media/NASCAR Statistics