We know some things. In these times, some folks do not seem to know anything, but we do. Brad Keselowski is advancing to the next round. After Saturday night in Richmond, it should be confirmed that Martin Truex Jr. and Kyle Busch will be joining him. I feel pretty confident about Kevin Harvick and Joey Logano about now.
Some I am almost sure of. Some I am not. Based on how they are running and how they have run, I am pretty sure that anyone behind Aric Almirola, seven of them in total, are fighting for the final three transfer spots in the Chase.
I am not sure nine points is enough for Austin Dillon, for example. I am not ready to bury the likes of Jimmie Johnson, Chase Elliott, or Denny Hamlin just yet. I think there is still hope for Erik Jones.
However, they need to get it done this Saturday night in Richmond. The short track is normal. The next one is not. A week later at Charlotte, the Bermuda Triangle, the Black Hole, the darkness of Mordor possibly awaits with the inaugural running of the Roval. I mean, if Joey Gase winds up being the winner of that race of mystery I would not be the least bit surprised.
1. BRAD KESELOWSKI – 1 CHALLENGER ROUND WIN (2069 Pts – 3 W)
Is the boy trying to run the table?
2. MARTIN TRUEX JR. – 2087 POINTS (4 W)
Nothing to lose and everything to win…again.
3. KYLE BUSCH – 2085 POINTS (6 W)
Easily cut through the grass at Las Vegas. Imagine if he had been sponsored by Caterpillar.
4. KEVIN HARVICK – 2060 POINTS (7 W)
Damn pit crew. Damn tires. Damn Las Vegas.
5. JOEY LOGANO – 2056 POINTS (1 W)
As long as his next Richmond win is not as encumbered as his last one was, he’ll be fine.
6. KURT BUSCH – 2046 POINTS (1 W)
When a car shoots up toward you at a 90-degree angle, a good day is about to go bad.
7. RYAN BLANEY – 2042 POINTS
A Top Five gives the lad some breathing room.
8. KYLE LARSON – 2041 POINTS
The Rail Rider.
9. ARIC ALMIROLA – 2034 POINTS
How could he scrape the wall? Scrape Blaney, sure, but the wall?
10. AUSTIN DILLON – 2031 POINTS (1 W)
If he gets a decent finish on Saturday night, I will start believing he will advance..but not before.
11. CLINT BOWYER – 2029 POINTS (2 W)
Another Top Ten at Richmond this year might be all he needs.
12. ALEX BOWMAN – 2028 POINTS
Three Hendrick cars in the hunt, but that could be down to one…or none…after the Roval.
13. JIMMIE JOHNSON – 2022 POINTS
Things were going so well until the final dozen or so laps.
14. CHASE ELLIOTT – 2019 POINTS (1 W)
McMurray was doing so well, and then he became a contender collector.
15. ERIK JONES – 2009 POINTS (1 W)
Mr. Harvick, I presume.
16. DENNY HAMLIN – 2008 POINTS
Obviously did not have the same earth moving capability as Rowdy.
17. RYAN NEWMAN – 561 POINTS
A decent run last weekend…not that it matters anymore.
18. PAUL MENARD – 551 POINTS
The top three guys out of the Chase recorded Top Tens last Sunday. I should care, but I do not.
19. DANIEL SUAREZ – 530 POINTS
Will fate be kinder to him next season than it was to Kasey Kahne this year?
20. RICKY STENHOUSE JR. – 528 POINTS
Jamie McMurray is 26 points behind him. He damn near moved ahead until Lady Luck left town.
Now it gets real. There is no argument as to whom the contenders are, and who are the pretenders. Say what you will, but even though there might be forty cars on the track, only 16 matter.
It was the playoff opener in Las Vegas and now the race winner and the boys in the hunt for the championship are all we need focus on. The rest are merely hamburger helper, the garnish around the good stuff. Martin Truex Jr. showed early he was pure sirloin by taking the opening stage. All the contenders, in fact, were in the forward half of the field.
Kevin Harvick was among them. However, he could still use a pit crew that matches his driving talents. Some gain ground when they turn in for service. Harvick does the opposite. On Sunday his car got tighter and tighter during that middle stage, not turning worth a damn. Finally, his tire gave up, he clipped the wall, and pole sitter Erik Jones had no place to go but into him. Two contenders were done for the day.
If you ask Harvick, the tires sucked. There were issues with the rubber but it is not clear what those issues were other than the results. Jamie McMurray was our best outsider on the day, a solid Top Ten run going for him, when a rear tire gave up, he spun into the wall, collecting Chase Elliott. He became our third contender to be booted from the event with 55 laps remaining.
Truex allowed Brad Keselowski some time up front but had gone back in front prior to the caution. Things changed in the pits when Keselowski and his Penske compadre Joey Logano emerged just ahead of the defending champ. Logano took the point position, but Truex had just gotten by Keselowski for second when Kyle Busch broke loose to bring out the yellow once again. While Rowdy was now buried in 26th, Keselowski, Truex, and Logano came out of the pits in that order for the final run to the line.
Or so we thought. Up front, Kyle Larson joined the party riding the high side. He got past Keselowski, while behind them Truex managed to get by Logano for third. Just when we started to wonder how things would shake out, another contender in Denny Hamlin went through the grass to tear up his splitter to bring out the caution yet again. The old Etch A Sketch of how this one might turn out got turned upside down and shaken with 20 to go. It was a Las Vegas gambler’s dream, as it was time to lay down your bets as to whether this one was going to go to Keselowski, Larson, Truex, Logano, or might we have yet another surprise coming our way?
If more contenders getting beat to a pulp over the final dozen laps was a surprise, we got a few, along with enough cautions to force overtime. Among the stricken were Jimmie Johnson, when he tagged the wall. Alex Bowman had a tire go down. Kurt Busch and Clint Bowyer both had contact…twice.
There was no surprise when Keselowski once again cleared the field and was off to the races in the extra laps needed to jump into an automatic berth into the second round. It was his third straight victory, coming off the Southern 500 and the Brickyard 400. It marked the 500th for Roger Penske in all forms of racing his cars are involved in. Four drivers find themselves needing to fight to get in, heading to Richmond anywhere from six to 20 points on the outside. They include Johnson (22nd at Las Vegas), Elliott (36th), Hamlin (32nd), and Jones (40th). Both Truex (3rd) and Rowdy Busch (7th) are just a handful of points away from being locked into the next round as well.
Things just got real and by the time they leave Richmond Saturday night, things will become very clear for most of the others.
1. Brad Keselowski: Keselowski won his third consecutive race, emerging victorious at Las Vegas.
“I’m already in the next round of the Playoffs,” Keselowski said. “And so is my car. For the time being, I’m calling the No. 2 Ford ‘Advance Auto.’ Mention that name at your local Advance Auto store and win a free ‘plug.’”
2. Kyle Busch: Busch started fourth and finished seventh in the South Point 400.
“I was lucky to pull out a seventh,” Busch said. “We had a problem in the pits with a faulty air gun. No one likes these guns, but we’ve all had to bite the bullet and deal with it. Whoever invented these guns should be fired. But to take these air guns from NASCAR officials, we’d have to pry them from their cold, dead hands.”
3. Martin Truex Jr.: Truex finished third at Las Vegas and is now second in the playoff standings.
“It’s a great start to the Playoffs for Furniture Row Racing,” Truex said. “It’s highly likely that I’ll advance to the next round of the Playoffs. So when I say ‘We’re in business,’ I mean it with the least amount of irony possible.”
4. Kevin Harvick: Harvick finished 39th after blowing a tire on Lap 147, which sent him into the wall and into the path of Erik Jones’ No. 20, which rammed Harvick.
“I was very critical of Goodyear’s tires,” Harvick said. “And as you know, I’m not afraid to speak my mind. So, No. 1, I’m pissed. And No. 2, their tires are a ‘piece of crap.’”
5. Kyle Larson: Larson finished second in the South Point 400, getting his Playoffs off to a great start.
“I’m very pleased with my finish,” Larson said. “The Las Vegas track sets up well for my style. In fact, all the drivers love racing at Las Vegas. All weekend, we get to call our crew chiefs ‘pit bosses.’”
6. Kurt Busch: Busch was collected in a late crash and finished 21st at Las Vegas, one lap down.
“Kyle and I consider Las Vegas Motor Speedway our home track,” Busch said. “You can call us ‘homey;’ most people would call us ‘homely.’”
7. Ryan Blaney: Blaney finished fifth at Las Vegas, posting his sixth top five of the year. He is seventh in the playoff standings.
“Kevin Harvick had some harsh words for Goodyear tires,” Blaney said. “He called their tires ‘crap.’ I think Kevin was just extremely frustrated and probably didn’t mean what he said. Let’s hope this doesn’t stick with him. After all, ‘What crappens in Vegas stays in Vegas.’”
8. Joey Logano: Logano started second at Las Vegas and finished fourth as Penske Racing teammate Brad Keselowski won his third consecutive race.
“That was Team Penske’s 500th win across all motorsports,” Logano said. “That’s decades of success that is incredibly impressive. If you think about all the trophies that resulted in those 500 wins, it would take an entire fleet of Penske moving trucks to transport them.”
9. Aric Almirola: Almirola was the top finisher among Stewart-Haas Racing cars with a sixth in the South Point 400. He is ninth in the playoff standings.
“I would compliment Goodyear tires,” Almirola said, “but that might cause some friction with my teammate Kevin Harvick. And the last thing I want to do is mention ‘Goodyear tires’ and ‘friction’ anywhere within earshot of Kevin.”
10. Clint Bowyer: Bowyer finished 23rd at Las Vegas.
“I feel for Kevin Harvick and his blown Goodyear tire,” Bowyer said. “There’s the Goodyear Blimp, then there’s the ‘Goodyear Gimp,’ which is Harvick’s No. 4 car on three good tires. So I guess Goodyear can’t expect Harvick to speak kindly of them, because the last thing he intends to be is a ‘Goodyear Pimp.’”
Vegas wasn’t so lucky for half of the Playoff contenders as Brad Keselowski claimed the jackpot in the Playoff opener in the NASCAR Monster Energy Cup Series at the inaugural South Point 400 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, securing his spot in the second round of the Playoffs.
“I didn’t think it was ever gonna end,” Brad commented about the multiple yellow flag conditions toward the end of the race, which included one red flag for over 10 minutes. “I was worried about running out of gas there at the end. I know the fans can hear on this microphone and I want to say thank you to everyone who braved 100-degree heat all day. You guys are the real heroes. I get paid to do this. You guys pay to watch and thank you for doing that. Thank you for coming out today and tolerating the heat. We’re so glad to be able to win and get in Victory Lane again with the Autotrader Ford. What a special day for 500 wins for Penske, three in a row here, first win in the Playoffs. There are too many storylines for me to get it all right, but we’re very thankful and very proud for all of them.”
Kyle Larson led multiple times throughout the final stage but finished second in his DC Solar Vegas Strong Chevrolet with Chip Ganassi Racing.
“The restarts, a couple of them worked out for me and a couple of them didn’t,” Larson stated about the end of the race. “But, was happy to end up second there. Didn’t really expect to get to second there on that final restart, but it was pretty hectic. Just glad we had a good day after the tire issue we had early in the race. So, yeah, good points day.”
Martin Truex Jr. was the only driver of the “Big 3” that didn’t have major issues in the race and was able to put his No. 78 5-hour Energy Toyota in the third position.
“It took the race from us, no question,” Truex said with frustration about the multiple short runs toward the end of the race. “With 15 laps or so we could take the lead and drive away. We were actually a little too good on the long run, I wish maybe we could have gone the other direction a little bit and still been able to get the lead. If we were the leader, we could do okay, I could maintain, but when I was second or third or fourth, it just made me tight enough that I had to wait for the thing to come to me or wait for other guys to start getting off the bottom in front of me.
“All in all it was a great day for everybody on the Bass Pro/5-hour ENERGY Camry and all the guys did a phenomenal job this weekend. Thanks to all the guys back in Denver at the shop, it’s pretty cool to see the effort going into these last 10 – we’re going to get after them. We had a winning car, just didn’t work out for us today. Really proud of the effort.”
Alex Bowman surprised the crowd and ran as high as third in the race until a late race crash put him laps down. Photo by Rachel Myers for Speedway Media.
Joey Logano, Ryan Blaney, Aric Almirola and Kyle Busch completed the first seven positions and were all Playoff drivers. Daniel Suarez, Ryan Newman and Paul Menard completed the top 10. Other Playoff drivers finished as follows.
Austin Dillon (11th)
Alex Bowman (19th)
Kurt Busch (21st)
Jimmie Johnson (22nd)
Clint Bowyer (23rd)
Denny Hamlin (32nd)
Chase Elliott (36th)
Kevin Harvick (39th)
Erik Jones (40th)
Ross Chastain, who won yesterday’s NASCAR XFINITY Series race, was knocking on the door of a top 10 finish, but a late race incident resulted in a 20th place finish with his No. 15 Xchange of America Chevrolet with Premium Motorsports.
Martin Truex Jr. Keeps the “Big 3” Strong, Wins Stage 1
While Eric Jones started on pole, he was not able to lead a lap as Joey Logano who started alongside him was able to get the advantage on the exit of Turn 4 and lead the opening 33 laps. Kevin Harvick began to hunt him down and lead a small number of laps, but the field started to take green flag pit stops. Toward the beginning of the first stage, Kyle Larson had tire issues and had to pit out of sequence, so his uphill battle started early in the race.
Kyle Busch and Denny Hamlin both led one lap each during the cycles, but Regan Smith elected to stay out and lead the next 10 laps. Harvick reclaimed the lead for another 10 laps, but Martin Truex Jr. had a car that was strong on the long runs. He would get by on Lap 60 and secure the win in Stage 1. No cautions came out, and AJ Allmendinger was the beneficiary of the stage caution.
Keselowski Hunts for Three in a Row, Claims Stage 2
Ryan Blaney gets full service on his No. 12 PPG Ford at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Photo by Rachel Myers for Speedway Media.
While stage one was caution-free, Stage 2 was a new race with three yellow flag incidents. The first was for Ricky Stenhouse Jr. in Turn 3 as he smacked the outside wall. He was able to come down pit road and service his No. 17 SunnyD Ford and continue in the South Point 400.
The second yellow was thrown as Ty Dillon crashed along the frontstretch. He was able to continue around the track, but as he drove along the apron of the backstretch, the tread on his front tire fell off as he received more damage to his car.
As the second stage began to close, Kevin Harvick suddenly popped his right-front tire in Turn 2 and collected the pole winner, Erik Jones. Both would be the first of many Playoff contenders to fall victim to the afternoon’s race. Harvick’s car caught fire along the outside wall of the backstretch but he was able to climb out under his own power. Jones’s car was unable to continue as he rested on the apron of Turn 3.
“I am not happy about anything right now,” Harvick proclaimed with extreme frustration since he had a 50 point Playoff cushion coming into today’s race but saw it evaporate before his eyes.
“We have to run well at Richmond and the Roval now,” Jones said as he is now on the outside looking in.
At the final restart of the second stage, Keselowski was able to hold off a hard charging field to win Stage 2. Darrell “Bubba” Wallace was the beneficiary of the Stage 2 caution.
Mayhem Unfolds in the Final Stage of the South Point 400
In the final stage of the first Playoff race of 2018, Las Vegas Motor Speedway began to claim more Playoff drivers. At the start, Jamie McMurray won the race off pit road and led the first five laps. Kyle Larson moved his Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet past his teammate to lead for the first time of the day. He soon battled with Keselowski for the top spot. As they battled, William Byron crashed in Turn 3, which was the first of seven yellow flags of the final stage.
The field took the green and the two main drivers talked about were Brad Keselowski and Martin Truex Jr. Keselowski seemed to have the strong short-run car, but Truex was able to find a new gear with a long-run setup and start hunting down the top spot around 10 laps into a run.
While completing Lap 212, Jamie McMurray appeared to lose a right rear tire as he entered Turn 3. Committed to the low line, his car slid all the way up the track with hard impact into the outside SAFER barrier wall. Playoff contender Chase Elliott was already set for the high line and was collected in the crash. Neither driver was able to continue in the race.
Kyle Busch drove through the speedy dry where Chase Elliott’s car rested and lost control, spinning into the infield grass. Although the right-front tire went flat during his spin, his car received minimal damage. His crew went to work on his Toyota to put their Playoff driver back out onto the track in competition.
NASCAR Officials pull the pit crew of Kurt Busch away from the car as the red flag is displayed. Photo by Rachel Myers for Speedway Media.
With 30 laps to go, the field took the green for the restart. Brad Keselowski’s crew put his No. 2 Ford in front alongside Martin Truex Jr. However going into Turn 1, Kyle Larson made a three-wide pass on the outside and after another circuit around, claimed the top spot. Truex dropped back to fourth as Logano was able to also get by for the third position.
On Lap 246, Denny Hamlin lost control of his Toyota in the same spot as teammate Kyle Busch just earlier. However, as he slid through the grass, his car took severe front-end damage, ending his day.
“Should’ve just finished 10th, 15th, or wherever we were running,” Hamlin said after a disappointing run at Vegas, sharing that he was trying to get “too much out of the car.”
As the field took the green for the restart, Keselowski had a strong restart and was able to claim the lead in the middle of Turns 1 and 2. There was a three-wide battle for third, but the yellow came out as Ricky Stenhouse Jr. got loose on the exit of Turn 2. He slid to the inside of the track and hit the inside wall, similar to Chase Briscoe’s crash in yesterday’s NASCAR XFINITY Series race. Stenhouse was able to climb out of his race car under his own power and was checked and released from the infield care center.
On a late restart, Jimmie Johnson got loose and pinched Clint Bowyer into the outside wall. Alex Bowman also hit the wall after a flat left front tire. The track stayed green for a few laps, but NASCAR eventually did throw another yellow flag on Lap 263 after debris was found on the track.
Brad Keselowski does his traditional victory celebration with the American flag. He also celebrated Team Penske’s 500th career victory. Photo by Rachel Myers for Speedway Media.
With yet another restart underway, Joey Logano made his way up into the second spot, but as Keselowski started to check out on the rest of the field, multiple cars crashed in Turn 4, including two more Playoff contenders, Kurt Busch and Clint Bowyer. Michael McDowell, Ross Chastain, Matt DiBenedetto and David Ragan were also involved. With so much debris on the track, NASCAR put out the red flag for just over 10 minutes to clean up the track and set up the race for overtime.
On the first overtime attempt, Team Penske held three of the top four positions. Logano was caught sleeping on the restart, which gave Keselowski all the room he needed to give Roger Penske his 500th victory.
“That’s quite a number,” Keselowski exclaimed as his team celebrated Team Penske’s 500th victory, as well as their second-round pass into the Playoffs. “It’s really great to be a part of that and to get the last four to get us there, that’s one special time.”
Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Race Unofficial Race Results for the Inaugural South Point 400 – Sunday, September 16, 2018 Las Vegas Motor Speedway – Las Vegas, NV
Change is coming to NASCAR. Not the kind that makes people return in droves to the grandstands, but the change that always comes through the passage of time. Martin Truex Jr. moves to a new team, as his old one folds. That means Daniel Suarez is on the move, replacing the retiring Kasey Kahne. Jamie McMurray is in search of a new ride and we await word as to what the future holds for Kurt Busch.
Sunday in Las Vegas, 16 drivers will go through the first of three gauntlets to see who survives into the next round of the Playoffs. Playoff points give Kyle Busch, Kevin Harvick, and Truex good margins to build on to make it through. However, a run of real bad luck and someone else winning can turn things upside down for some. There is always the possibility of a change in the running order by the time we hit October. The question is, who will rise and who will fall?
In the north, things have gotten much colder than usual. In the east, the forecast is for wet and wild. In Las Vegas, the weather for Sunday calls for a temperature of up to 100 F (38 C). Too hot, too cold, too wet and wild. It seems a lot of folks would like to see some change.
For a few near the bottom of the rung among our playoff contenders, positive change will be what they seek this weekend. A few at the top like things to continue as they have been.
I guess change is something we have come to expect in these times. Now, it all depends on what kind of change is on its way.
1. KYLE BUSCH – 2050 POINTS (6 Wins)
Odds of making the next round of the playoffs are at least 4-to-1.
2. KEVIN HARVICK – 2050 POINTS (7 Wins)
The names of the winners of the past five Las Vegas races are Harvick, Keselowski, and Truex.
3. MARTIN TRUEX JR. – 2035 POINTS (4 Wins)
Team exits NASCAR. Car exits Indianapolis early. Time to stop exiting.
4. BRAD KESELOWSKI – 2019 POINTS (2 Wins)
Southern 500. Check. Brickyard 400. Check. A 2nd Cup Championship. On the Bucket List.
5. CLINT BOWYER – 2015 POINTS (2 Wins)
His odds of winning on Sunday are long. Very long.
6. JOEY LOGANO – 2014 POINTS (1 Win)
His last five visits to Las Vegas has seen him roll Top Tens every time.
7. KURT BUSCH – 2014 POINTS (1 Win)
Is this his last rodeo with Stewart-Haas?
8. CHASE ELLIOTT – 2008 POINTS (1 Win)
One Top Five, two crashes. Dad did not have any better luck at this track.
9. RYAN BLANEY – 2007 POINTS (1 Win)
Has rolled a lucky seven or better his last three trips down the Strip.
10. ERIK JONES – 2005 POINTS ( 1 Win)
One of the big stars of the future, but has the future arrived just yet or not?
11. AUSTIN DILLON – 2005 POINTS (1 Win)
Someone below him will move past him by the time they leave the Roval, unless…
12. KYLE LARSON – 2005 POINTS
Running second does not equate into playoff points, but is an indicator of what might be to come.
13. DENNY HAMLIN – 2003 POINTS
His point total should indicate a rather quick exit, but only a fool would bet against him just yet.
14. ARIC ALMIROLA – 2001 POINTS
Of course, he will not get out of the opening round, but that car has some serious speed.
15. JIMMIE JOHNSON – 2000 POINTS
His date with eight will not be easy to lock down.
16. ALEX BOWMAN – 2000 POINTS
Making a cameo this season. Needs to be better, not just better than the last half of the field.
17. RYAN NEWMAN – 532 POINTS
Decent enough the past seven races, but 11 times outside the Top Twenty killed his chances.
18. PAUL MENARD – 524 POINTS
A Top Ten at Indianapolis, but outside that standard the previous ten events.
19. RICKY STENHOUSE JR. – 521 POINTS
Bad luck and a bad engine last week was symbolic of how his season has gone.
20. DANIEL SUAREZ – 511 POINTS
Making room for Truex next season, so does he replace the retiring Kasey Kahne?
1. Kevin Harvick: Harvick finished fourth at Indianapolis and is seeded second for the start of the Playoffs, which begin at Las Vegas.
“Vegas has myself, Kyle Busch, Brad Keselowski, and Martin Truex Jr. as favorites to win it all,” Harvick said. “Those are the car numbers 4, 18, 2, and 78 cars. So, if you’re a betting person, odds are ‘even.’”
2. Kyle Busch: Busch led 27 laps and finished eighth in the Big Machine Vodka 400 at the Brickyard.
“We snatched up Martin Truex Jr. not long after Furniture Row Racing shut down,” Busch said. “So, as far as Joe Gibbs Racing goes for next year, Truex is in the ‘fold.’
3. Martin Truex Jr.: Truex was knocked out just three laps in at Indianapolis and finished 40th.
“Furniture Row Racing is shutting down operations after this season,” Truex said. “So, not only am I losing my seat, I’m losing a chair also.”
4. Brad Keselowski: Keselowski got by Clint Bowyer and Denny Hamlin on a late restart and pulled away to win the Big Machine Vodka 400, his second consecutive win.
“I’ve always said, ‘I’d rather be kissing bricks,’” Keselowski stated. “And my wife has often said the same.”
5. Kurt Busch: Busch came home sixth in the Big Machine Vodka 400 At The Brickyard.
“Rain pretty much washed out all track activities for the weekend,” Busch said. “Just ask the fans that spent the weekend in the infield. They’ll verify that there was nothing ‘dry’ anywhere to be found.”
6. Kyle Larson: Larson finished 14th at Indianapolis and will start the Playoffs as the 12th seed.
“If I win the Monster Energy Cup championship from the 12th seed,” Larson said, “it will be the biggest steal in NASCAR history. In other words, it will be a case of ‘Kyle Larson-y.’”
7. Clint Bowyer: Bowyer finished fifth in the Big Machine Vodka 400 at Indianapolis.
“We’re headed to Las Vegas,” Bowyer said, “the betting capital of the world. I think gambling at NASCAR tracks would be great for the sport. And my teammate Kevin Harvick is an expert on the subject because he knows who has the horseshoe up their butt.”
8. Denny Hamlin: Hamlin was leading and on his way to a likely win at Indy before Landon Cassill and Jeffrey Earnhardt crashed, causing a caution that ultimately led to Brad Keselowski’s win.
“That’s the first time an Earnhardt has factored into a win in quite some time,” Hamlin said. “Nothing pisses a leading driver off more than a wreck at the back of the field. First, you see ‘yellow,’ then you see ‘red.’”
9. Joey Logano: Logano finished 13th as Penske Racing teammate Brad Keselowski took the win.
“That’s two big wins for Roger Penske at Indy,” Logano said. “First, Will Power won the Indianapolis 500 in May, then Brad wins the Brickyard. Local Indianapolis bars have created a drink in our owner’s honor. It’s called the ‘Roger Penske–half milk, half Miller Lite.”
10. Chase Elliott: Elliott finished 15th at Indianapolis and will start the playoffs as the eighth seed.
“The NASCAR post-season used to be called the ‘Chase,’” Elliott said. “So, 25 years from now, will I have a son named ‘Playoffs?’”
Storylines, we had a few going into the Indianapolis Brickyard 400. We wondered if the crown jewel race on the historical track would be worth watching. Sometimes it has not been. However, now that NBC has brought back meaningful commentary to the experience, we had high hopes. Hell, despite it being obvious no one was going to be racing for a while, I was glued to the television just to hear what everyone had to say. The network that once brought us Rusty Wallace now presents Dale Earnhardt Jr., Jeff Burton, and Steve Letarte. Now, that is the true meaning of being progressive, as Lord knows progress has finally been made.
Yet, the big story was the start of the race. When would that be? The wet cold rainy weather punted both practice and qualifying, thus nobody would have any laps in their car when the green waved. None. Zip. That had never happened before in NASCAR’s modern era. I mean, with defending race champ Kasey Kahne out of the car due to the after-effects from heat exhaustion in the Southern 500, Regan Smith was in a Cup car for the first time in 17 months. No practice, no laps, nothing before he takes the green flag on a green track known for grinding tires down to the nub.
Obviously, we also wondered if someone below NASCAR’s dividing line between contenders and pretenders might shock us all with a win. Someone who might actually put Jimmie Johnson and Alex Bowman in jeopardy of losing their spot in the season-ending party. Winning this particular race is a big deal. Winning it to steal a spot in the Chase would have been huge.
Sunday came and went, but when they waved the green on Monday we discovered tire wear and lack of practice was no big deal. The cars stuck and when Denny Hamlin ignored the competition caution after 10 laps, he went to the front and stayed there. So much for those storylines.
So much for the Sunday fans as many, if not most, were nowhere to be seen in the stands come Monday. Maybe they knew that being there was not as good as watching it all from home. As for the racing, the boys were stretched all around the track. If you love pack racing, you would have hated Indianapolis. Meanwhile, the NBC boys and girls kept it more than watchable due to the insight of their commentary. See, it all was not bad.
It was not a good week for Martin Truex Jr. First, we heard that his team is heading for the exits after this season. Then we saw in the middle of the opening stage that same car heading for the exits after shattering a left front brake rotor. When it rains it pours, at least it did at Indianapolis.
Lost brakes ended all hopes for Bubba Wallace when a failure caused his wreck. Johnson got some relief in the middle frame when A.J. Allmendinger crippled Bowman’s ride. That guaranteed Johnson was in the Chase, but it still meant someone on the outside had to win to beat Bowman out. The odds were not great, especially considering the fact the best of the rest with 60 laps to go was Stage Two winner Matt Kenseth, and he was not even eligible for a playoff run.
As the laps clicked off, it was down to a pair of drivers. Hamlin was up front, with Clint Bowyer trying to track him down. With seven to go, Jeffrey Earnhardt and Landon Cassill came together to bring out the caution. That set the stage for those two boys left hoping to hold off Brad Keselowski, with his fresher tires, sitting a row behind them. He was sitting beside Jamie McMurray, who is in final campaign in his current ride, needed a win to be in. Same for Ryan Newman, who started right behind him. Finally, this thing was going to get interesting.
On the restart, Bowyer spun his tires and sank from view. Keselowski came up to challenge Hamlin, and the pair did some beating and banging before Mad Brad took off to collect a second straight crown jewel, coming off of his win last week in the Southern 500. Erik Jones finished third, ahead of Hamlin, Kevin Harvick, and Bowyer. Three outsiders finished in the top 10, but McMurray, Newman, and Paul Menard came up short of the prize they were after.
Now it is off to the playoffs. Three drivers go in with a big cushion in playoff points. For the rest, a win would automatically launch them into the next round. The excitement begins next Sunday at Las Vegas, where there is always a story to tell.
It’s been a while since I’ve appeared in these pages. My trip to Martinsville was a disaster (snowmageddon), so next on my schedule was Bristol, which despite gloomy skies, tremendous races happened. The crowd was good, but many wanted to make fun of the crowd. No, the track wasn’t full, but a good 100,000 was there and Kurt Busch outlasted and outran one of NASCAR’s darling young drivers, Kyle Larson to claim victory and qualify for the Playoffs.
Darlington is my second favorite track, but I couldn’t get there this year, much to my chagrin. It was a big crowd, and the race was good. Brad Keselowski won the race, teammate Joey Logano was second, all to the glory of Team Penske, and though Larson finished up front, he didn’t’ win, he led the most laps, and then, the atomic bomb hit.
It was a shock to everyone when Barney Visser announced that he was closing the doors of Furniture Row Racing, home to Martin Truex Jr., the reigning Cup Champion, at the season’s end. Apparently, this had been planned between FRR and Joe Gibbs Racing all along and probably Toyota Racing Development. Within a day, though there was no formal announcement, it was learned that Truex was moving to a JGR car, the No. 19 previously driven by Daniel Suarez, who had replaced the departing Carl Edwards only a short time ago. Where Suarez will end up, is rumored to be at a satellite team to JGR, but this seems to be a too familiar scenario. Sorry to say, but I imagine Suarez’s star will not move at the rate it was before. So much for diversity.
Anyway, the only questions that remain involved Kurt Busch, Jamie McMurray, and probably more changes. I expect Busch and McMurray to stay put, and A.J. Allmendinger to move on from the 47 car. His replacement could be anyone, or someone I don’t know. By the way, Kasey Kahne retired. No one seems to care. I think it’s a great loss, but, it will all work out. I hope.
So, we head to Indianapolis, a place the drivers love, but the fans do not. Boring races are the rule, and I imagine the place will look empty, and after two triumphant weekends, this will be a downer, and I hope that’s not the case. It will bring the haters out, but the truth is the field will be set for the Playoffs like it or not. I can’t wait to see what happens.
I had such high hopes for NASCAR, at least since July. That is when NBC came on board and presented the long sought after broadcast crew that could keep fans glued to the track simply by the strength of their commentary. We have waited years for that to happen, and it is crucial for a sport that has yet to solve some on-track competitive issues and more than a few off it. If the racing is not spellbinding, then the commentary damn well better be if you hope to have anyone watching.
The broadcast team could not solve the biggest off-track issue. Economics. Long gone are the days when Bob bought or borrowed a car and went racing. It costs big money to build the big cars with the big engines supported by big technology and hauled around by big trucks. Long, long gone. If you are in Denver, Colorado, it might cost a few more ducats to do so. To be competitive, to be the reigning Cup champion, you better believe the dollars are big. Without sponsorship, even a successful company with a successful sibling enterprise to help shore things up, cannot long last. This week, we discovered exactly how long.
Furniture Row Racing, established in 2005, Cup champions in 2017, will not be around come next season’s Daytona 500. With 5-hour Energy heading to the exits, and with no sugar daddies waiting to take their place, the cash had simply run out. A defending champion who cannot get proper sponsorship. If that is not a wake-up call for the sport, you might as well let them sleep in.
If nothing else, it should make for a very active silly season. Martin Truex Jr. and pit boss Cole Pearn, according to Dale Earnhardt Jr. and other published reports are bound in tandem for the mothership. Like Erik Jones before him, a move from Furniture Row to Joe Gibbs Racing is being claimed. If those reports are accurate, Daniel Suarez will take his dance to another ballroom, and it probably will result in a step down in his equipment. The really bad news is that one premier ride is disappearing and what, if anything, replaces it will feature a team destined to sit outside the top twenty-five next season. That will not bode well for the sport.
However, NBC does. Indianapolis might, depending on if the Brickyard 400 has solid rubber to avoid the debacle of 2008. At least the cars are different from the time of that disaster, and I am sure Goodyear has better rubber. I am not sure even this broadcast team could save a race where drivers are pitting every 10 laps to keep their tires from exploding.
This marks the final chance for those outside the Chase to win themselves in. All Jimmie Johnson has to do is come home 19 positions better than Alex Bowman, though Bowman could eat that up in a hurry by winning both stages. All Bowman needs is do, other than that, is to keep those behind him away from Victory Lane. Not likely one will slip by, but it could happen. There are some other possibilities when you see that past winners include such outsiders as defending race champ Kasey Kahne, Ryan Newman, Paul Menard, and Jamie McMurray. They could yet upset the apple cart. However, I do not have much hope of that happening.
Did I mention the outstanding broadcast team to take us through all the action on Sunday?
1. KYLE BUSCH – 6 WINS (1038 Pts)
With a “regular season” pennant, he should enter the playoffs in the top spot.
2. KEVIN HARVICK – 6 WINS (1 E.W. – 999 Pts)
He is retiring…from Xfinity racing.
3. MARTIN TRUEX JR. – 4 WINS (883 Pts)
Defending champion now in a lame duck situation.
4. CLINT BOWYER – 2 WINS (777 Pts)
Hoping some of A.J. Foyt’s No. 14 magic at Indianapolis might rub off on him this week.
5. KURT BUSCH – 1 WIN (835 Pts)
Nothing definite yet as to where he will run in 2019.
6. JOEY LOGANO – 1 WIN (818 Pts)
Penske finishes last week’s classic 1-2, and that has to have Roger feeling pretty good.
7. BRAD KESELOWSKI – 1 WIN (785 Pts)
As demonstrated at Darlington, this truly is a team sport.
8. CHASE ELLIOTT – 1 WIN (737 Pts)
At 22, the young gent is not retiring from anything, including his Saturday ride at Indy.
9. ERIK JONES – 1 WIN (679 Pts)
Can Erik now be called the original Furniture Row refugee, or is that Kurt?
10. AUSTIN DILLON – 1 WIN (496 Pts)
Daytona (twice), Fontana, and Michigan. Outside the Top Ten everywhere else.
11. KYLE LARSON – 783 POINTS
0.6 seconds. Everything went right last week, except for 0.6 seconds.
12. RYAN BLANEY – 755 POINTS
Still seeking his first Indy Top Ten.
13. DENNY HAMLIN – 738 POINTS
In a dozen starts, has finished on the lead lap at the Brickyard in all but one.
14. ARIC ALMIROLA – 681 POINTS
Do not expect much, as his best finish in six starts at Indianapolis is 13th.
15. JIMMIE JOHNSON – 605 POINTS
If Bowman wins the opening two stages he might start getting nervous.
16. ALEX BOWMAN – 586 POINTS
He does not care who wins on Sunday, as long as it is not one of 14 particular drivers of interest.
17. RICKY STENHOUSE JR. – 518 POINTS
Not exactly hot with Top Ten finishes limited to Bristol, Talladega, and Charlotte in May.
18. RYAN NEWMAN – 503 POINTS
Coming back home again to Indiana, he needs to race like it is 2013 and Jim Nabors is singing.
19. PAUL MENARD – 493 POINTS
Needs to race like it is 2011.
20. DANIEL SUAREZ – 487 POINTS
Reports claim he is about to play off-season musical chairs.
Darlington was a day all about time. A time when in 1950 the first Southern 500 was run. A time when some of the great names from the past were brought back to be saluted by their sport in the present. A time when 0.6 seconds can mean everything.
Just ask Brad Keselowski and Kyle Larson. At a time when 14 entered locked into the Playoffs, two were trying to stay there, and up to 14 others were hoping against hope to steal a spot away, it was Larson who sped away. By the time he finished the opening stage, we knew that Jimmie Johnson and Alex Bowman were not going to be putting up a fight to keep their places. Both had already been lapped by this time and things were not going to get better for either of them. Their fate on that day was now entirely in the hands of others.
The middle frame provided more of the same. It was all Larson all of the time. While members of the Big Three could always be counted to have a representative somewhere close by, Martin Truex Jr. was not that guy. An uncontrolled tire in the pits proved to be the pits for him and any hopes he might have had on Sunday. As for potential winners, it seemed by the time any of the stages concluded, we only had a dozen or so still on the lead lap. The rest, well the rest were participating, but they sure were not competing.
Down to the final half of the classic, and it remained the Kyle Larson Show. Even after Clint Bowyer ran over Ryan Newman as one was slowing down to pit while the other could not see through the slowpokes poking along in front of him, it was Larson who was at the front on the re-start. Then, with less than 30 to go, Jeffrey Earnhardt spun his car. The caution came out, and pit road was open.
Larson’s crew did a fine job. The broadcasters said so, but then there was Keselowski. Fifth after the opening stage, second after the next, his crew did a finer job than Larson’s band of brothers, 0.6 seconds better. Keselowski started up front and disappeared from view. Joey Logano, himself with stage finishes of fourth and third, moved into second by the time they hit the finish line. Larson salvaged third, Chase Elliott and Erik Jones were next, but it was the veteran and a stellar job by his service department that decided the Southern 500 on this particular Sunday.
That leaves one more Sunday to shake things up. Johnson needs to finish within nineteen positions of Bowman at Indianapolis to ensure he makes the playoffs. Bowman needs to either ruin Johnson’s plans or hope no one behind him in the standings claims victory. That is the only way he can be caught. Kasey Kahne won at Indianapolis last year. Newman, Paul Menard, and Jamie McMurray have done so in the past. Can one of them, or some other outsider, do it at the Brickyard this Sunday?
As for Keselowski, this past weekend marked his 25th career victory. It extended his string of seasons with at least one victory to eight. It earned him his first Southern 500, to go along with five Talladega wins, a pair at Bristol, and his 2012 championship in a career that will end in the Hall of Fame. However, that will come in time, sometime in the next dozen years or so. Right now, there is no time other than the present, and the memory of 0.6 seconds at Darlington.
