Testing SpeedwayMedia.com

Tag: Brad Keselowski

Hot 20 – New Hampshire won’t be raced under the stars, but one will definitely win it

The rich get richer. That will be the story this weekend, as only those with a pedigree seem to have a chance at success in this weekend’s New Hampshire 301.

If Clint Bowyer wants a third win at Loudon, he might need to find a different car. In his wait in the wilderness before he takes over Tony Stewart’s ride next year, he has been driving autos that look pretty…they just do not perform that way. Kasey Kahne has a win there, too. He could do it. All he needs to do is perform better than he has been to date.

As for the other 11 active drivers coming in with a win at Loudon since 2002, every single one of them currently sits in a Chase place. Something tells me that we might not be terribly shocked as to the outcome of events come Sunday. In just the past two seasons, the winners have been Brad Keselowski, already with back-to-back wins this month, along with Joey Logano, Kyle Busch, and Matt Kenseth. I really would not be expecting someone not listed below to be shaking up the suds this weekend.

Yet, the question remains, which one from our Hot 20 will be the man of the hour?

1. BRAD KESELOWSKI – 4 WINS (595 Pts)
If I had to pick just one…

2. KYLE BUSCH – 3 WINS (521 Pts)
Winning driver and truck owner is an outstanding mentor to the next generation of stars.

3. CARL EDWARDS – 2 WINS (566 Pts)
Thought he had a chance for a win at Kentucky, but Keselowski made that no chance at all.

4. JIMMIE JOHNSON – 2 WINS (484 Pts)
Might not have the best 36-race record, but he is the undisputed king of the playoff era.

5. KEVIN HARVICK – 1 WIN (599 Pts)
If he was King of NASCAR, he would keep all the races but tighten the schedule up by 6 weeks.

6. KURT BUSCH – 1 WIN (583 Pts)
No more tracks left to claim a Top Five. Kentucky was the last one to be checked off the list.

7. JOEY LOGANO – 1 WIN (533 Pts)
Hosting the Driving Hope Home Golf Tournament today (Thursday) in Plantsville, Connecticut.

8. MARTIN TRUEX JR. – 1 WIN (514 Pts)
Pass to the right in the pits…avoid cars pulling in…pass to the right in the pits…

9. MATT KENSETH – 1 WIN (477 Pts)
Last July it was Kyle, last September it was Matt at Kentucky. Take that, Keselowski.

10. DENNY HAMLIN – 1 WIN (472 Pts)
50-50 Sunday will result in a Top Ten…and for Loudon those are decent odds.

11. TONY STEWART – 1 WIN (248 Pts)
Donating his Kentucky tires to the NHL for use as massive hockey pucks.

12. CHASE ELLIOTT – 492 PTS
Once upon a time we had kids like Petty, Earnhardt, Gordon…and wasn’t there an Elliott?

13. RYAN NEWMAN – 463 PTS
Finally a Top Three finish…and yet he still sits in a Chase place.

14. DALE EARNHARDT JR. – 461 PTS
It appears that just a little bit of success might be enough.

15. AUSTIN DILLON – 460 PTS
Average 25 points per race and you got yourself a spot to the party.

16. JAMIE MCMURRAY – 439 PTS
Less than that and things start to get a bit heated…as Jamie has discovered.

17. TREVOR BAYNE – 429 PTS
Average 23.8 points per race and you are looking up McMurray’s tailpipe. That can’t be pretty.

18. KASEY KAHNE – 423 PTS
Danica says she could take Kahne in a fight. Imagine. A bout between our two prettiest drivers.

19. RYAN BLANEY – 415 PTS
Ryan and Chase and 18-year old William Byron in the trucks. It is the dawn of a new era.

20. KYLE LARSON – 412 PTS
At 23, young Mr. Larson is not exactly ready to join any old boys club just yet, either.

July 13, 2016
NASCAR Top-10 Power Rankings: Kentucky

Note: The quotes in this article are fictional.

1. Brad Keselowski: Keselowski won for the fourth time this year, and second time consecutively, with the victory in the Quaker State 400.

“That’s ‘2’ in a row,” Keselowski said. “I saved just enough fuel to make it to the finish line for my fourth win this year. That’s more than any other driver. But I’m not done yet. Trust me, I’ve got more left in the tank.”

2. Kevin Harvick: Harvick started on the pole at Kentucky and finished ninth, posting his 14th top 10 of the year.

“I led the most laps,” Harvick said, “and I had one of the strongest cars. I should have won, but I didn’t. Now I know what Richard Childress felt like in 2013 because I ‘let one slip away.’”

3. Kurt Busch: Busch finished fourth in the Quaker State 400, recording his sixth top-five finish of the year. He is third in the points standings, 16 behind Kevin Harvick.

“There was a truck in the parking lot that caught fire during the race,” Busch said. “It was quite a spectacle. But there was ‘Smoke’ rising on the track as well; Tony Stewart finished fifth. And speaking of ‘finished fifths,’ there were a lot of empty bottles of bourbon littering the Kentucky Speedway infield. So, consider the sorrows of Dale Earnhardt Jr. fans drowned.”

4. Carl Edwards: Edwards closed the gap on Brad Keselowski in the closing stages at Kentucky, but Keselowski had just enough fuel to hold him off. Edwards settled for the runner-up spot and is now fourth in the points standings, 33 out of first.

“I got all up on Keselowski’s bumper,” Edwards said. “Brad should consider himself lucky, because most drivers, like Matt Kenseth and Kevin Harvick, are used to me getting all up in their grill.”

5. Joey Logano: Logano blew a right-front tire early in the race at Kentucky and slammed the wall hard, severely crippling his No. 22 Penske Ford. Logano limped home with a finish of 39th.

“That was the hardest hit I’ve experienced in a long time,” Logano said. “Ryan Newman once threatened to hit me that hard.

“My teammate Brad Keselowski took the win with a perfect fuel mileage strategy. He saved fuel to the point where he didn’t even have enough to do a victory burnout. Now that’s what I call taking fuel mileage strategy to the extreme.”

6. Martin Truex Jr.: Truex’s sights on a win at Kentucky came crashing down when he was penalized for an illegal pass on pit road during a late caution. He eventually finished 10th.

“NASCAR officials tell me it’s illegal to pass on the inside on pit road,” Truex said. “That pretty much ended my run to the front. You could say I had a ‘transmission” problem because I got ‘drive shafted.’”

7. Kyle Busch: Busch, who won at Kentucky last year, finished 12th in the Quaker State 400.

“The finish to the race was very exciting,” Busch said, “with Carl Edwards chasing Brad Keselowski. But the real action was in the parking lot, where a truck caught on fire. Apparently, emergency responders pulled a person out of the truck. So, it seems the truck wasn’t the only thing ‘smoking.’”

8. Jimmie Johnson: Johnson suffered an early spin at Kentucky and smashed the wall exiting Turn 4, leading to a long night in the Quaker State 400. He eventually finished 32nd, 59 laps down.

“I just got loose,” Johnson said. “The lower downforce package the cars are running make them hard to handle. But it’s no surprise grip is an issue with me. I won my last Sprint Cup championship in 2010, and things have been ‘slipping’ since then.”

9. Chase Elliott: Elliott was clipped by Ryan Blaney’s spin early in the race and limped home with a 31st at Kentucky.

“I don’t fault Ryan for the accident,” Elliott said. “He comes from a reputable family, so I’m reluctant to throw blame around. Much like his father Dave, Ryan’s ‘done nothing’ in this sport.”

10. Tony Stewart: Stewart finished fifth in the Quaker State 400, earning his second top-five of the year.

“I’ve already got a win this season,” Stewart said. “The Chase format tells me I need to keep an eye on the top 30. My waist size tells me I need to keep an eye on the ‘bottom 50.’”

July 12, 2016
The Final Word – Kentucky is wide open for 2017, but the even years belong to Brad Keselowski

Brad Keselowski is one of the most generous drivers in NASCAR. When they opened the track in Kentucky, did Brad win it in 2011? He did not. No, he was gracious enough to let Kyle Busch take the inaugural event. In fact, he was thoughtful enough to let Kyle take it last year as well. Keselowski is no race hog. Matt Kenseth benefitted from his generosity in 2013. Brad Keselowski is a swell guy. However, note that the even years belong to him and only to him.

Saturday night, Keselowski claimed his third Kentucky contest in six attempts. With the tank running dry and the competition diving down pit road for a top off on fuel, Keselowski just kept going on and on and on to the finish. He managed to turn around to capture the flag, but after that, he was powered by the front bumper of a tow truck. For him, Sonoco was good to the very last drop.

Four wins on the season, at the top of the charts in the standings, three wins and eight Top Tens in his last 10, with a worst finish of 15th in that span. It would appear all is well in Brad’s world. For others, it appears they were traveling behind a honey wagon last weekend.

Ricky Stenhouse Jr. is trying to at least stay within hailing distance of a Chase place. That cause was not helped a wit in Kentucky. A blown tire just nine laps in and he was toast and dead last. Joey Logano has a win and is high in the points, so when he pounded the wall with just 52 gone and more than 200 to go, it was not as devastating but he was just as parked.

A.J. Allmendinger picked up five big needed points, but maybe just taking the day off would have been better. He got caught up in a multi-car wreck, then got pasted into the fence even worse later on, injuring his thumb while he was at it. Ryan Blaney is dropping further and further from contention, this time, he and fellow rookie Chase Elliott found themselves emulating synchro swimmers in a lovely choreographed dual spin. Neither were to finish in the Top 30. As for Jimmie Johnson, he did not go unnoticed, but that spin 33 laps in did the damage, and the time to make repairs left him behind Elliott on the day, and that was not good.

Carl Edwards was second best on the day while others with a Chase place also finishing in the Top Ten include Ryan Newman, Kurt Busch, Jamie McMurray, Matt Kenseth, Kevin Harvick, and Martin Truex Jr. Tony Stewart was fifth and is 31 points to the good in making his win count toward a championship run. Greg Biffle was sixth, but a win might be what it takes to be in at this point.

Only McMurray appears to have much heat behind him as they move on to New Hampshire on Sunday. He goes in with a 10 point lead over Bayne, with Kasey Kahne 16 off the pace, and Blaney 23 back in the weeds.

Kahne has won there before, while McMurray has not. Going back to September of 2002, only five of the 27 races there were not claimed by someone not currently holding a place in the Chase. Only Kahne (once), Clint Bowyer (twice), along with Brian Vickers and Mark Martin are the anomalies. As for Brad Keselowski, he did not win it last year, but he did in 2014. Do I need to remind you that this is one of those even years?

July 11, 2016
Keselowski Survives Carnage and Fuel Scare to Win at Kentucky

SPARTA, Ky. — Not only did Brad Keselowski endure carnage, but he also saved enough fuel to hold off a charging Carl Edwards, make the finish and score the victory in the Bluegrass State.

When asked how he saved fuel in the end, he said he “almost didn’t, but I’ve got to give credit to my guys, the Roush Yates Engine shop, and everybody at Ford. We knew the fuel mileage. We went out and we set a really fast pace there on that restart and was just using fuel, and then it became obvious that you were gonna have to save fuel at the end, but I already used so much. It’s a testament to our guys to have the fuel mileage that we did to be able to get back what I burnt early in the run and get the Miller Lite Ford in Victory Lane. It’s number four this year. Gosh, that’s great. Usually these repaves are kind of my Achilles heel, but to get a win here at Kentucky. I know it’s been a good track for us in the past, but this isn’t the same Kentucky, I can tell you that. These cars were tough to drive today, but a good tough. This was a hard-fought battle and I’m really proud of everybody on the 2 crew to get win number four and take that first place.”

It’s the 21st career victory in 251 Sprint Cup Series starts, fourth of the 2016 season and 12th top-10 finish of the season as well as his third win and fifth top-10 finish in six races at Kentucky Speedway for the driver of the No. 2 Team Penske Ford.

Edwards posted his 12th top-10 finish of 2016 and third top-10 at Kentucky in six races with a runner-up finish in his No. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota.

“I thought I had him, too,” Edwards said of trying to get by Keselowski on the final lap. “He played it perfectly and he did it – he won at the absolute slowest possible speed he could. I thought he was out of fuel and that was that. I just appreciate the crowd coming out here, it’s always neat to come to Kentucky. It’s the site of my first win 13 years ago and it’s a special place…That’s a tough one to be that close. We were getting such good fuel mileage with our TRD (Toyota Racing Development) engine, I think we might have had a little extra there. That’s going to be the hard part, going to bed knowing you could have gone a little faster.”

Ryan Newman rounded out the podium in his No. 31 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet.

“We had a good car,” Newman said of his race. “We really struggled, like most people did in dirty air. Track position was definitely key, but I’m proud of these guys on the Caterpillar Chevrolet; all the ECR guys, they obviously did a good job on the fuel mileage to make that happen. I think all us drivers that made it, knew what we were doing, it’s just a matter of it we thought we were as good as we were. And, I could have used this iced cold Coke about 30 laps from the end. I’m just proud of the guys. It’s our first Top-5 of the year, but we’ll keep digging.”

Kurt Busch, who started from the rear in a backup car, led 10 laps on his way to a fourth-place finish in his No. 41 Stewart-Haas Racing Chevrolet. His fourth-place finish gives him a top-five finish at every track on the NASCAR schedule.

“That is a nice feather in the cap,” Busch said of the significance of the milestone. “It’s special to have raced for good teams over the years to give me winning cars. Top five’s are special everywhere. As a driver it feels like you got something at each of the places to be competitive, give to the team, to give feedback and then the team can give better feedback to me on how we can win. Today, we persevered. I have never seen such an effort from everybody to dig deep and to just be back on their heels the whole time and just start to lean forward, lean forward and then right at the end to turn into fuel mileage and our car just came to us at the end. It was a perfect day for us to get a top five. We had to sweat it all weekend.”

Tony Stewart rounded out the top-10 in his No. 14 SHR Chevrolet.

Greg Biffle finished sixth in his No. 16 Roush Fenway Racing Ford. Jamie McMurray finished seventh in his No. 1 Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet. Matt Kenseth led two laps on his way to an eighth-place finish in his No. 20 JGR Toyota, preserving his status as the only driver to finish in the top-10 in every Sprint Cup Series race held at Kentucky.

“We were three laps short, exactly if the calculations were right,” Kenseth said of fuel mileage concerns. “It was unfortunate tonight. We ran well tonight with our Dollar General Camry, its’ the best we ran in two months really. I thought we had a top-three to a top-five car. Throughout the night we just didn’t get good fuel mileage.”

Kevin Harvick led 128 laps, the most of any driver, on his way to a ninth-place finish in his No. 4 SHR Chevrolet. Martin Truex Jr. led 46 laps and overcame a pass-through penalty to round out the top-10 in his No. 78 Furniture Row Racing Toyota.

Austin Dillon, who led one lap, finished 16th. Danica Patrick, who led two laps, finished 17th. David Ragan, who led two laps, finished 22nd. Ty Dillon led one lap and finished 25th.

Sixteen cars finished the race on the lead lap and 32 were running at the finish. Eight cars failed to finish the race via accident.

The race lasted three hours, six minutes and 55 seconds at an average speed of 128.580 mph. There were 16 lead changes among nine different drivers and 11 cautions for 53 laps.

Harvick leaves Kentucky with a four-point lead over Keselowski in the drivers’ championship standings.

[pdf-embedder url=”http://www.speedwaymedia.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/C1618_UNOFFRES.pdf”]

July 9, 2016
Drivers Expect Lower Downforce Package Race to be Similar to Michigan

SPARTA, Ky. — Despite the unknowns going into this weekend in the Bluegrass State, drivers say this weekend’s race will be similar to Michigan.

During media availabilities yesterday at Kentucky Speedway, three drivers were asked how they feel the lower downforce package will affect the racing we’ll see in the Quaker State 400. A common response was that it will be similar to what we saw in last month’s FireKeepers Casino 400 at Michigan International Speedway.

“I don’t know if it will have a different affect here than it has everywhere else, concerning the repave,” Keselowski said in his availability. “In general, the cars at Michigan were really, really loose behind someone. I would expect that to be the same and I would expect turns three and four to really, really be a challenge because it’s such a finesse corner already. Then you add the lower downforce package to it and it’s really gonna be a hold-onto-your-butt corner.”

He added that he’s “not sure I can fully answer that until the race is over. Hindsight is a lot better vision.”

Asked the same question during his availability, Austin Dillon said he thinks “you will see similar racing that you saw at Michigan. I think getting underneath a car is going to be the hardest part. I think you will be able to run closer to guys, but exit off the corner will be tough. Carrying speed off of Turn 4 is going to be tough like Brad was saying. Entering (Turns) 3 and 4 will be a challenge and then exiting beside somebody. But, with all the grip I think it will be very similar to any package that is out there because you have a lot of grip right now. Hopefully, it does present some passing lanes as we move throughout the weekend and create a strong race for us.”

Carl Edwards said “It’s really hard to tell. We talked about this at Daytona. The lower downforce package, if you go from where we were a year ago to where we are now with what they call the 2016 package, it’s been a marked improvement and that much better. We’ve been able to race better and the passing. I believe the lower downforce package is another step in the right direction. It’s tough to be able to determine that at Michigan, or here at Kentucky with a new surface – it’s really hard to get a guess of how that package will race at a place like Texas or maybe Phoenix or Homestead. I really believe we are going in the right direction.”

He also added that the idea of trying the lower downforce package at a track with a more abrasive surface like Darlington has “been brought up and the biggest thing is the drivers, NASCAR, team owners all have to agree – ‘Hey we feel okay trying this here.’”

“The only worry, and I think everyone, drivers, NASCAR, everybody worries that it’s going to be hard to determine how it would work at a place like Darlington or Texas or Homestead where there’s a little bit different grip level,” Edwards added. “Heck, we’re moving in the right direction. We’re trying these things that were on our wish lists a couple of years ago. If you go out there and look at the size of that spoiler and splitter, this is the stuff we were all as a group begging for. I just really appreciate NASCAR doing it. It’s only going to get better.”

July 8, 2016
Hot 20 – We realize NASCAR is a commercial enterprise…but enough is enough

Sponsors pay for stuff. They pay enough cash that NASCAR and its track owners have sold their collective souls and it explains why they no longer promote a Firecracker 400, or a World 600, and why they actually dumped, for a time, the Southern 500. Money talks, tradition walks. It is an old story and as long as there is a can of soda to be sold, some tools to be used, a grocery chain with vittles on offer, a casino seeking guests, insurance to be flogged, tents up for grabs, or a car model to be promoted, it appears that will remain the case. Do the folks doing the advertising get their money’s worth? Who cares; that is their worry, not mine.

What an event is called matters little in the grand scheme of things, I guess. A race is a race, and if prestige is swapped for big bucks, I guess that is the price one is willing to pay. To watch the races on television, the price viewers pay is a slew of interruptions in order to make room for a word from a sponsor who is paying too much for a message most of us ignore.

That was not always the case. Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Michael Waltrip were one hell of a team selling everything from pizza to car parts to beer. The boys from a day not so long ago sold razors, hardware, gum, insurance, cars, and who can forget about that Big Brown Truck? Hell, we watched those commercials and they were classic enough to be watched over and over without complaint. Today, it is a different story. They seem to think they can get away with little creativity, provide little entertainment value, yet apparently not bright enough to realize that a lot of us do not even watch the damn things long enough to even know what they are about.

Last Saturday night, 124 commercials got in the way. That is 28 more than what ran a year before. As it is, nearly 20 percent of the airtime over the course of this season has been devoted to commercials but they upped that for Daytona. It reached up to nearly a quarter of what you watched had nothing to do with the race. Then the idiots actually scratch their heads and wonder why the television numbers are down. Duh!

The current model is not working. While we realize everything comes with a cost, that somebody has to pay in order for us to watch the action, they should realize that either we pre-record the action to avoid the commercials, or we hit the head or the galley during such interruptions, or we wander off to do other things instead. Last week, we might have hung around just because of the action promised at Daytona. The sixth running of the Quaker State 400 from Sparta, Kentucky does not have the same pedigree. It is just another race.

You and I know why we watch. Brad Keselowski and Kyle Busch have combined to win four of the first five run there at Kentucky. Will one of them take his fourth victory of the season on Saturday? We watch to see if Ryan Blaney can hold down that final Chase place, despite challenges from Jamie McMurray, Trevor Bayne, and Kasey Kahne. We watch to see if Tony Stewart can stay ahead of the two boys close behind in the battle for 30th in points. We watch because we like the sport, the action, and its athletes. We do not watch for the commercials.

The Hot 20 heading into Kentucky include…

1. BRAD KESELOWSKI – 3 WINS (551 Pts)
Winner last week, and he is two for five at Kentucky. Maybe more bubbly is in his future.

2. KYLE BUSCH – 3 WINS (492 Pts)
Won the first race at Kentucky, and won the last race there.

3. CARL EDWARDS – 2 WINS (527 Pts)
If being at the wrong place at the wrong time was a goal, Edwards attained it at Daytona.

4. JIMMIE JOHNSON – 2 WINS (475 Pts)
Thirty wins since 2010, but none at Kentucky though five for five in Top Tens is pretty good.

5. KEVIN HARVICK – 1 WIN (565 Pts)
If points still told the tale, he would be at the top, and still might when they finish in November.

6. KURT BUSCH – 1 WIN (545 Pts)
It seemed that Kurt was very understanding of Logano after Daytona. We shall see, we shall see.

7. JOEY LOGANO – 1 WIN (531 Pts)
Too bad this jerk is on this list. Too bad this jerk is also one hell of a driver.

8. MARTIN TRUEX JR. – 1 WIN (482 Pts)
He probably did not appreciate the 30 lap rest in the middle of last week’s race.

9. DENNY HAMLIN – 1 WIN (446 Pts)
We heard Denny was hungry for a Daytona sweep. I guess the boy must be starving today.

10. MATT KENSETH – 1 WIN (443 Pts)
Only three drivers have won the five races held thus far at Kentucky. Matt is one of them.

11. TONY STEWART – 1 WIN (212 Pts)
He is ba-ack…but can he stay here?

12. CHASE ELLIOTT – 482 PTS
The only winless Chaser who heads to Kentucky fairly relaxed. The rest hear footsteps.

13. AUSTIN DILLON – 434 PTS
A 29 point pad is good unless an engine goes south or he gets caught up in someone else’s mess.

14. DALE EARNHARDT JR. – 433 PTS
Biggest free agents in sports history include the names of Bobby, Reggie, Payton, LeBron, and Junior.

15. RYAN NEWMAN – 425 PTS
His Kentucky goal is to keep the likes of Blaney, McMurray, Bayne, and Kahne in the rear view.

16. RYAN BLANEY – 409 PTS
A Chase place would be a wonderful story, but not everyone likes wonderful stories.

17. JAMIE MCMURRAY – 405 PTS
Got a little loose, got a lot wrecked. Now his goal has to be to break a kid’s heart.

18. TREVOR BAYNE – 399 PTS
See a Blaney, catch a Blaney.

19. KASEY KAHNE – 396 PTS
Things were getting better, then Daytona happened.

20. A.J. ALLMENDINGER – 393 PTS
The Glen is coming up August 7th.

31. BRIAN SCOTT – 209 PTS
Stewart sits 30th in points, just three ahead of Scott. Talk about incentive.

32. REGAN SMITH – 203 PTS
If Scott falters, there is still another shark in the water close behind.

July 6, 2016
NASCAR Top-10 Power Rankings: Daytona

Note: The quotes in this article are fictional.

1. Brad Keselowski: Keselowski led 115 of 161 laps and won the Coke 400, his first ever Sprint Cup win at Daytona. He is now second in the Sprint Cup points standings, only 14 behind Kevin Harvick.

“That was my first win at Daytona,” Keselowski said, “and was made all the more satisfying because I held off both Kurt Busch and Kyle Busch. Therefore, after the race, it was a case of ‘sibling revelry.’”

2. Kevin Harvick: Harvick was caught in an accident with 70 laps left, and limped home to a 39th-place finish, his worst of the year. He still holds the lead in the points standings, with a 14-point lead over Brad Keselowski.

“That was a scary accident,” Harvick said. “I rammed into the back of Brian Scott’s No. 44 car and his car was briefly riding on top of mine. I’ve been known to carry a team, but never an opponent.”

3. Kurt Busch: Busch was running third into the final corner before spinning through the infield grass after Joey Logano made contact with Busch’s No. 41 Chevrolet. He finished a disappointing 23rd,

“I’m not sure what Logano was thinking,” Busch said. “I don’t think he was thinking. In other words, there was nothing going through his mind, so the best course of action is for me to knock some sense into him. Suffice it to say Logano is in my crosshairs, which, some to think of it, makes me a perfect match for a female assassin.”

4. Joey Logano: Logano helped push Penske Racing teammate Brad Keselowski to the win at Daytona and finished fourth in the Coke Zero 400.

“I would have liked to win,” Logano said, “but I’m satisfied with my finish. Any ‘Fourth Of July’ is worth celebrating.”

5. Kyle Busch: Busch chased Brad Keselowski late at Daytona, searching for any chance to pass for the win. Keselowski was able to defend his position well, and Busch settled for the runner-up spot.

“Keselowski’s No. 2 got a serious push from Joey Logano,” Busch said. “I haven’t heard of a ‘boost’ like that since they found jet fuel in the Michael Waltrip Racing cars.”

6. Carl Edwards: Edwards started second at Daytona and led eight laps before a series of accidents left him with a 25th-place finish. He is fifth in the Sprint Cup points standings, 58 out of first.

“The No. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota suffered a lot of damage,” Edwards said. “You could say it ‘hit more walls’ than a minority driver in NASCAR.”

7. Jimmie Johnson: Johnson was one of 22 cars involved in a big wreck just past the halfway point at Daytona. Jamie McMurray and Kyle Larson made contact, and Johnson slammed into McMurray.

“I would say McMurray is at fault for the accident,” Johnson said. “Just look at his car number; it says he’s ‘The Big 1.’”

8. Chase Elliott: Elliott was one of several cars collected in a huge pileup just past the halfway point at Daytona. He eventually finished 32nd, 48 laps off the pace.

“There were 22 cars involved in that accident, to be exact,” Elliott said. “And that resulted in a lot of damage. July 4th may be Independence Day, but July 2nd was ‘Indepen-dents Day.’

9. Denny Hamlin: Hamlin finished 17th in the Coke Zero 400, one week after his runner-up finish to Tony Stewart at Sonoma.

“I’ve experienced the highs and lows of racing this year,” Hamlin said. “I won February’s Daytona 500 by one the slimmest of margins in NASCAR racing history, and lost two weeks ago t Sonoma to one of the fattest of drivers.”

10. Martin Truex Jr.: Truex finished 29th at Daytona after suffering damage in a big accident just past the halfway point. He is seventh in the points standings, 83 out of first.

“That wreck affected 22 cars,” Truex said. “It seems that Jamie McMurray ordered ‘takeout.’ I guess, ironically, it was his lucky day, because everyone else had to pay for it.”

July 5, 2016
The Final Word – Wouldn’t you hate having a Daytona night like Kurt, Carl, Jamie, Jimmie…

“I hate that I…” I love that phrase. It is the prelude to expressing some measure of regret for some on track transgression in the hopes that these mere words will make everything alright. For instance, “I hate that I got into Kurt [Busch] there at the end racing to the line.” So says Joey Logano after Busch got dumped on the final lap, crossing the line spinning backward in 23rd place Saturday night at Daytona. Well, doesn’t that just make everything just wonderful?

I mean, “I hate that my dog ate my homework, so I got nothing for you.” Maybe “I hate that my excess speed forced you to have to chase me down, officer.” One could try “I hate you found me in the arms of another.” Lovely sentiments, but without any reference to restitution, to make good on what had gone bad, rather meaningless.

To be honest, while Kurt was not pleased, he did sound mature in describing how any hope he had to charge to the front went sideways thanks to Logano. Not a curse word, no profanity, no vivid descriptions of where Joey could shove his weak apology, not a single declaration of revenge. It was damn near genteel.

Brad Keselowski, a man not known for his genteel nature, finally won at Daytona, and like most results on this particular track he had a lot of company coming to the line. Of course, being Daytona, he had less company than when they started. Ninety laps in, Jamie McMurray drifted up, drifted down, touched the side of Kyle Larson, and went back up in front of Jimmie Johnson. McMurray had scraped off a bit of speed. Johnson had not, and bad things happened. Seventeen other drivers got involved as folks got twisted in front of others, or simply run over from those charging from behind.

Thus ended the day for the two principles of the mayhem, along with Kevin Harvick, Paul Menard, Regan Smith and Brian Scott. Scott was the man sitting in 30th place, just nine points ahead of Tony Stewart when the green flag waved. That meant Smoke just needed to finish 28th or better to move into the position, making his win at Sonoma count, and launching him forward in the standings. Stewart finished 26th. Things were going well for him, at least until his back end did a little flutter with a dozen laps remaining, and he got punted into the fence to conclude his activities. Still, he had a goal and he met it, albeit barely.

Mishaps bent them and shaped them, as the American Breed might have sung back in the 60’s, to leave some running but laps in the dust. Danica Patrick, Matt Kenseth, Martin Truex Jr., Kasey Kahne and Chase Elliott were among those finishing just behind Stewart, between 27th and 32nd. A wreck halted Carl Edwards at 25th.

Keselowski, with his third of the season, was joined by Logano and Austin Dillon with expected Top Tens. Trevor Bayne, Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Greg Biffle and Clint Bowyer were not expected, but hopeful. It moves Bayne to within six points of 16th sitting McMurray on the ladder, as Stenhouse and Biffle are both less than 20 points out. Michael McDowell was 10th and probably more than happy with that result, as he has run eight more races than Stewart, collecting 18 fewer points. Saturday was a good day.

This weekend brings more Saturday action, as the boys and girl head to Kentucky for just the sixth time. Keselowski has two, Kyle Busch the first and the last, with Kenseth taking the race in 2013. Mind you, Johnson has also done well there, with a quintet of Top Tens. As to who needs to do what, Stewart will be okay as long as Scott and Smith remain behind him.

As for Ryan Blaney and McMurray, wouldn’t you just hate for any of the five drivers within 21 points of replacing them among our Chasers do just that this Saturday night? I bet they would.

July 4, 2016
The View from My Recliner – Thoughts from Daytona

Let it be known that I hate restrictor plate racing.

Between the XFINITY and Cup races, it was pile up after pile up. If you’re a fan, you might as well save the money, go to the County Fair and go see the demolition derby.

If I am a car owner, I would really think hard about even entering my car into a race at Daytona and Talladega. You might as well consider that car a known loss and be surprised if the car survives. The investment for four restrictor plate races isn’t worth it.

It was great to see Roger Penske in victory lane celebrating the 100th victory for Team Penske. The Captain has been the center of Indy Car racing for years and in the past 20 plus years, has been a force in NASCAR. He has his team poised to be in contention for years to come with younger drivers like Brad Keselowski and Joey Logano driving the Penske cars and Ryan Blaney driving for the Wood Brothers. The three drivers are lined up with three crew chiefs in Paul Wolfe, Todd Gordon and Jeremy Bullins which will add to team chemistry and continuity.

Tony Stewart made it into the top-30 in points even though he wrecked out of Daytona. Look for Stewart to go hard for another win to solidify his spot in the Chase. I have the feeling Smoke will be a big factor at Indy. He was part of the tire test and would love to get his 50th Cup win at home.

Kudos to Ryan Newman who called out NASCAR in the drivers meeting. I can see a fine coming, but his comments were on target. With the way the XFINITY race ended on Friday night, Newman calling into question how NASCAR officiated the race was on the money.

Right now, there have been 11 winners in the Cup series. The five who are in on points right now are Chase Elliott, Austin Dillon, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Ryan Newman and Ryan Blaney. After Richmond, unless someone like A.J. Allmendinger grabs a win at The Glen, the only driver in this group I don’t see in the Chase is Austin Dillon. The Slugger Labbe-led team hasn’t been consistent lately and I could see them dropping out of the Chase race and their spot taken by Jamie McMurray on points or Kyle Larson with a win.

Kentucky will be interesting to see if it is a follow the leader like most re-paves turn out to be.

Enjoy the racing this week and that is the View from My Recliner.

July 3, 2016
Keselowski Dominates to Win at Daytona

It was a dominant day for Brad Keselowski in a carnage-filled race at the “World Center of Racing” as he held off an overtime charge from the likes of the Busch brothers and teammate Joey Logano to score the victory in the Coke Zero 400.

“Those guys were doing a heck of a job,” Keselowski said of the Busch brothers and Logano. “Kyle and Kurt worked together really well, and my teammate Joey Logano was a huge part of this today. We had two great cars here with Team Penske and worked together really well. Joey has won here and he’s really a pro, especially on that restart. He gave me that push I need to get to the front and here we are at Daytona in Victory Lane. I don’t care if it’s not the 500. It’s Daytona. This is huge. I love this place and here we are in Victory Lane with the Detroit Ford.”

The driver of the No. 2 Team Penske Ford led 115 of the 161 laps on his way to scoring his 20th Sprint Cup Series victory in 250 starts. It’s his third victory and 11th top-10 finish in 2016, his third victory this season, and his first at Daytona International Speedway. Keselowski’s victory is the 100th victory in Sprint Cup Series competition for Team Penske.

Kyle Busch, who wrecked his primary car in practice the day before and had turned no laps of practice in his backup car, led 16 laps and posted his 11th top-10 finish of the season and his eighth in 23 races at Daytona with a runner-up finish in his No. 18 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota.

“It was really close to Talladega,” Busch said of the final laps. “We finished second at Talladega. Just there at the end of the race, the 2 car was really, really fast. Really, really strong. It’s really hard to get by him. I tried just about everything. The only thing I didn’t quite have was a big enough push one time to just try to make a move. He was really good at making that thing pretty wide.”

Trevor Bayne earned his third top-10 finish in 12 races at Daytona in rounding out the podium in his No. 6 Roush Fenway Racing Ford.

“I owe the guys behind me that were pushing me,” Bayne said. “I had a lot of help. The race was really crazy today. Just watching some of the guys working the middle you knew there would be trouble at some point. My spotter has a better perspective than I do (and) told me to go to the back and ride and we did and got through some wrecks. It was a tough night.”

Logano led six laps on his way to a fourth-place finish in his No. 22 Penske Ford. Ricky Stenhouse Jr. rounded out the top-five in his No. 17 RFR Ford.

Kyle Larson finished sixth in his No. 42 Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet.

“I got a little bit better restart than I thought I would, through (Turns) 1 and 2 and was able to get to Joey inside. I got clear of the No. 22 down the back and the No. 17 shoved me and gave me a really good (push), but it kind of got me squirrely and stalled me out. I should have probably moved up in front of him (Logano). But I knew we had a good night going so I didn’t want to risk anything. So, me messing up on the backstretch probably ruined our shot at a win, but we still finished at Daytona, so that’s good,” said Larson.

Austin Dillon finished seventh in his No. 3 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet.

“I don’t know about track position but I thought that 2 car was pretty darn stout,” Dillon said. “He was the same way at Talladega and you just can’t get to his back bumper. He does a good job of keeping that bumper and that car is fast, so I really think fast cars pay off here and win races. We are getting closer, we just have to keep working.”

Greg Biffle led one lap and continued on despite damage in a wreck halfway through the race to bring his No. 16 RFR Ford home to an eighth-place finish. After an electrical fire in the dashboard the week before at Sonoma Raceway, Clint Bowyer led one lap and brought his No. 15 HScott Motorsports Chevrolet home to a ninth-place finish. Michael McDowell rounded out the top-10 in his No. 95 Circle Sport-Leavine Family Racing Chevrolet.

Casey Mears led two laps and finished 12th. David Ragan, who led one lap, finished 16th. Denny Hamlin led seven laps and finished in 17th place. Carl Edwards led eight laps, finishing 25th while Martin Truex Jr., who led one lap, finished 29th. Regan Smith led one lap and finished 38th as Kevin Harvick, who led one lap, finished 39th.

Twenty-three cars finished the race on the lead lap and 31 were running at the finish. Nine cars failed to finish the race because of an accident.

The race lasted two hours, 40 minutes and 38 seconds at an average speed of 150.342 mph. There were 26 lead changes among 13 different drivers and five cautions for 28 laps.

[pdf-embedder url=”http://www.speedwaymedia.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/C1617_UNOFFRES.pdf”]

July 2, 2016