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Tag: Brad Keselowski

  • The Final Word – With so much on the line for so many, Dover was one hell of a race

    The Final Word – With so much on the line for so many, Dover was one hell of a race

    Dover, where the Chase hopes of four would be over by the time the haulers moved on down the road. Two came in safe, some were comfortable while others were scrambling to survive. For a pair, it pretty much was win to be in.

    Most races come down to a series of snapshots, of moments that determine their fate and those of those challenging them. For Kevin Harvick, it came early, on just the 24th lap of the 400 circuit affair. He took the lead and showed himself to be in the dominant car. For the defending champion, a win would pretty much be necessary to keep his dreams of a repeat alive.

    For Jimmie Johnson, it was lap 104. Problems in the rear end forced him to come to the garage for 37 laps, to forever sit beyond 40th, and to hope for someone to experience disaster. He did not need to move up, but he needed somebody to move back toward him. More than one would have been nicer.

    That left Jamie McMurray and Dale Earnhardt Jr. battling for the bubble spot. Well, as long as Harvick led and no one other than Johnson suffered a major failure, it was going to be either one or the other who would make it in. Just one to four points separated the pair most of the afternoon in the battle for 12th in the standings.

    With 20 to go, that two car duel had widened to a five-car fight. Suddenly, the jack problems that dropped Kurt Busch to 17th had him ahead of the pair by just two points. Kyle Busch was running second, but he was up only by a single point as Junior and McMurray were running third and fourth in the race. Ryan Newman was back to 19th, and his lead was now just a single point. Seven laps later, Brad Keselowski, 15th on the track, was himself just two points to the good in the standings. A dozen laps left, and we still did not know how it would all end. Meanwhile, as all this was going on, Harvick still was running first, Johnson was sitting near last on the track. This movie was promising to have one hell of a finale.

    “We believe we can win,” was the chant his crew serenaded their driver in Victory Lane, and they were right as Harvick advanced them to the Contender Round of the Chase. No disaster came to save the day for Johnson, so his dream of seven championships is put off for another season. As for the battle for the final berths, in the end it did come down to Earnhardt and McMurray. They finished tied in points, with the tie breaker going to the man recording the best finish amongst the three Chase races to date. On the day, Junior was third, McMurray was fourth, and that was the difference.

    Harvick joins Matt Kenseth and Denny Hamlin winning their way forward, as Earnhardt, Newman, the Busch brothers, and Keselowski join Martin Truex Jr., Jeff Gordon, Carl Edwards, and Joey Logano as, for them, the hunt continues.

    It was one hell of a race, now on to Charlotte this Saturday night to begin the next round.

  • Surprising and Not Surprising: Monster Mile AAA 400

    Surprising and Not Surprising: Monster Mile AAA 400

    The first elimination race, otherwise known as ‘It’s Over in Dover’, produced some very surprising and not surprising moments in the 46th running of the AAA 400 at the Monster Mile.

    Surprising:  Typically there are a few monstrous wrecks at Dover that collect several drivers at a time. But with the surprising lack of any major crashes and thanks to an unusual parts failure, six-time champion Jimmie Johnson was eliminated from further Chase contention.

    The driver of the No. 48 Lowe’s Chevrolet finished 41st, with just Jeb Burton, who solo crashed twice, and Brett Moffitt, who solo crashed once, finished behind him.

    “I don’t know exactly what happened,” Johnson said. “That’s racing. I’ve lost championships this way and I’ve won championships this way. It’s not the way we wanted to end the season, but it’s racing and there’s not much we can do.”

    “It wasn’t meant to be.”

    Not Surprising:  Promises were made and promises were kept on this race day. Kevin Harvick promised that he would stay the course, keep confident, and believe in his team. And that promise not only led him to Victory Lane but also to fulfill his other promise, to allow son Keelan to keep the Miles the Monster trophy in his room for the night after the race.

    “He’s been asking for the Monster trophy for a couple years,” Harvick said. “Before the race started, we got him a little figurine just in case things didn’t work out today so he wasn’t disappointed.”

    “I’m just so proud of everyone from Stewart-Haas Racing to do what we’ve done the last three weeks,” the driver of the No. 4 Budweiser Jimmy Johns Chevrolet continued. “We weren’t in a great position coming into today. But that’s what this team is made of and that’s what teamwork is all about.”

    “This is what it’s all about, those big-time moments.”

    This was Harvick’s first-ever win at Dover International Speedway, which made his promise keeping all the sweeter.

    Surprising:  Although advancing to the next round of the Chase for his final time ever, Jeff Gordon admitted to a major freak-out moment.

    “I wouldn’t call it ‘drama-free’, the driver of the No. 24 AARP Member Advantages Chevrolet said. “I was freaking out there at the end.”

    “We’ve gone through a lot and it hasn’t been pretty,” Gordon continued. “That’s kind of the way today was. We knew we needed to be in the top 10 or top 11, or maybe 12th, if we were lucky. We did that.”

    “Until the end, when that caution came out and people swapped-up their strategy; we just got ate up on that restart and were falling back and I didn’t know what was going to happen. So, it wasn’t easy.”

    “We’ll reset and go see what we can do in the next three (races).”

    Not Surprising:  It was the best of times and the worst of times for the driver of the No. 15 5-hour Energy Toyota. Clint Bowyer started the race in Dover in the worst of positions due to a significant penalty and then finished 14th, which was not good enough to advance to the next round of the Chase.

    “Our 5-hour ENERGY Toyota was good today – I’d say a top-five car,” Bowyer said after the race. “We just had some bad luck with that loose wheel early on. We got two laps down but were able to make those up.”

    “Real proud of everyone at Michael Waltrip Racing for all their hard work to get us in the Chase. Just sorry we aren’t able to go to the next round.”

    The MWR driver did experience the best of times prior to the race, however, as he secured his future racing prospects. Bowyer announced that he will race for HScott Motorsports in 2016 and then will fill the seat of the retiring Tony Stewart in 2017.

    Surprising:  Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates had a great Dover race, with Jamie McMurray finishing fourth and Kyle Larson finishing ninth.  And even though he missed the Chase due to a tiebreaker with Dale Earnhardt, Jr., McMurray was surprisingly able to celebrate that good finish.

    “We were driving so hard those last few laps,” McMurray said. “We haven’t run this well so I’m thrilled with our performance today. We weren’t able to make it to the next round, but it was a good day for this team. We just needed one more point.”

    Not Surprising:  It was the good, the bad, and the ugly for the driver of the No. 2 Wurth Ford Fusion.

    “We survived kind of ugly today, but I’d rather survive ugly than not survive pretty,” Keselowski said after finishing 16th while still moving on to the next round of the Chase. “We’ll take it and move on and realize that everything we’ve done from this point in the season doesn’t really mean anything.”

    “Everything is back to scratch and that’s probably a good thing for us this year.”

    Surprising:  Aric Almirola, behind the wheel of the No. 43 Nathan’s Famous Ford, was the highest finishing Ford, snatching a fifth place finish from the Monster.

    “That was a good run for us,” Almirola said. “I’m really proud of the guys.  That’s two top-5s in a row here at Dover.  It was a really good job.  We just struggled with getting the car in the racetrack most of the day and right there at the end four tires paid off for us.  That was some really good adjustments by Trent and the guys and the pit crew did a good job getting me off pit road and just a really solid day for us.”

    Not Surprising:  There was another weird animal sighting during this race, following squirrels, foxes and other various critters at some of the other tracks. This time, it was a duck that caused a bit of chaos, landing on the track and then flying off to rest on pit road.

    Surprising:  While every other driver was worrying about the points and where they were running, there was one driver who was taking a devil may care attitude towards it all. Kyle Busch, behind the wheel of the No. 18 Interstate Batteries Toyota, finished in the runner-up position, which was good enough to move forward with his championship hopes.

    “I wasn’t doing any thinking about the points,” Kyle Busch said. “I think when you’re in the position that we were in when we were running second there the whole race, you don’t have to watch it.”

    “You just do the best you can and that was the best that we were going to do today. Fortunately, we came out with that finish and second-place was what we needed to do.”

    “The points reset so we’re back even with those guys and hopefully we can have a good, solid next three races.”

    Not Surprising:  In spite of not having a single driver in the Chase, Roush Fenway Racing continues to improve as they look to the 2016 season. Their best finishing driver at Dover was Ricky Stenhouse, Jr., who finished top ten, in fact in the eighth position.

    “I’m really proud of my team,” Stenhouse said. “We didn’t get much practice this weekend due to the weather but felt like we had a strong Fastenal Ford during the limited practice we had on Saturday. We’ve been focusing on being consistent and we have finished inside the top-20 the past four races. We will keep building and take the momentum into the off-season as we prepare for the 2016 season.”

    Surprising: There was one driver that was still upset in spite of working his way from the rear of the field to finish ninth. Martin Truex Jr. was sent to the back from pit road due to the right rear being bowed out and had to work his way forward in order to move to the next round in the Chase.

    “We don’t do anything that any of the other teams don’t do,” Truex Jr. said. “They tried to make an example out of us for some reason today. We just stayed focused. We didn’t have a great car, but we fought it and fought it.”

    “We did what we needed to do.”

    Not Surprising:  Forget the Monster, at least one driver moving forward in the Chase had his eye on the next biggest challenge, Talladega. Joey Logano pulled off a tenth place finish at Dover but was definitely looking ahead to the next round.

    “It’s nice to race that way, but we’re back to zero now,” the driver of the No. 22 Shell/Pennzoil Ford said. “I think this next round is the most important. It’s really hard to get through it when you look at Charlotte, Kansas and Talladega in particular.”

     

  • Hot 20 – A Senior Driver Leads the Pack into Dover as Others Prepare to Ride into the Sunset

    Hot 20 – A Senior Driver Leads the Pack into Dover as Others Prepare to Ride into the Sunset

    Time can bring us many wonderful memories, but it comes with change. Most of us are not all that fond of change. Once we watched the likes of Richard Petty, David Pearson, Dale Earnhardt and the Alabama Gang take to the track, to thrill us with their exploits. That was then. Time changed that.

    Jeff Gordon prepares to enter his 790th consecutive Cup race, but time is ticking down on his great Hall of Fame career. Tony Stewart has one more season left in him, then he goes to the sidelines. NASCAR gives us a little more time for most of our favorites than other sports, where our heroes are usually finished by the time they hit 40. Still, even in NASCAR, it is an age when the countdown seems to begin, whether we like it or not.

    We have Greg Biffle, 45, and Matt Kenseth, 43, getting up there. Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Jimmie Johnson both are now 40. Next season, so will Kevin Harvick. Sure, there is always a Chase Elliott working his way up, or an Erik Jones, but we treasure those who we cheered for in our youth, then for those our own age who claimed our support, then we watch those even younger than ourselves hanging them up. Damned time.

    Nothing makes a person feel older than when one of the kids decides to retire. We might find some solace in that one of those seniors is leading the pack heading into Dover this weekend. A senior. I was already driving when that old fossil was born. At least I can still do the same number of backflips that I could do forty years ago.

    I wonder what it is like to do a backflip?

    Here are our Hot 20 heading to their date with the Monster Mile.

    1. MATT KENSETH – CHASE WIN
    You do not have to be the most dominant as long as you finish first.

    2. DENNY HAMLIN – CHASE WIN
    First at Chicago, second at Loudon. Is Hamlin trying to tell us something?

    3. CARL EDWARDS – 2089 POINTS
    A Top 30 finish is all he needs to move on.

    4. JOEY LOGANO – 2089
    As long as it isn’t in a first lap wreck, staying up with Edwards should do the trick.

    5. JIMMIE JOHNSON – 2083
    A visit to Dover and an 11th win on the Monster Mile would be lovely at this time of year.

    6. RYAN NEWMAN – 2074
    How did he end up way up here?

    7. KURT BUSCH – 2073
    Minimal success, with minimal problems, just might work in the Challenger round.

    8. BRAD KESELOWSKI – 2072
    Jumped a re-start, was running second at the first turn, then 24th after the penalty.

    9. MARTIN TRUEX JR. – 2071
    I’m thinking a move to Toyota sure beats a move to Volkswagen about now. Just sayin’.

    10. JEFF GORDON – 2068
    The length of Gordon’s Cup career is about to turn 790 races long, with no interruptions.

    11. JAMIE MCMURRAY – 2058
    It is time for McMurray to McDrive his arse off.

    12. DALE EARNHARDT, JR. – 2057
    Driving with an empty bladder is a joy for us, not so much late in the race in NASCAR.

    13. PAUL MENARD – 2056
    Can a driver with a single career Cup win really be a serious candidate for the championship?

    14. KYLE BUSCH – 2056
    Damn tire. Damn wall.

    15. KEVIN HARVICK – 2034
    Dear Kyle: It could be worse.

    16. CLINT BOWYER – 2018
    Tony promises to never goad me into spinning out on purpose, so I will never have to fib again.

    17. KASEY KAHNE – 732
    2016 came a lot earlier than Kasey had hoped.

    18. ARIC ALMIROLA – 728
    Came close to making the Chase, but even closer to the wall at New Hampshire.

    19. KYLE LARSON – 683
    Stewart wanted the 23-year-old Larson, settled for the 36-year old Bowyer in 2017.

    20. GREG BIFFLE – 675
    Finishing fourth at Loudon means we might not see Austin Dillon make this list again in 2015.

  • NASCAR Top-10 Power Rankings: Loudon

    NASCAR Top-10 Power Rankings: Loudon

    Note: The quotes in this article are fictional.

    1. Matt Kenseth: Kenseth took advantage of Kevin Harvick’s fuel misfortune to take the Sylvania 300 at Loudon. The win kept Kenseth atop the points standings and guaranteed his spot in the next round of the Chase.

    “Harvick clearly had the best car,” Kenseth said. “To lead 216 of 300 laps and not win? That has to be the ultimate feeling of coming up ‘empty.’”

    2. Denny Hamlin: Hamlin backed up his Chicagoland win with a strong second-place finish at New Hampshire, following Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Matt Kenseth across the line.

    “These Gibbs cars have speed,” Hamlin said, “and their fuel mileage is so good it borders on the mysterious. With apologies to Kevin Harvick, you could say they’re ‘freaky fast.’

    3. Carl Edwards: Edwards started on the pole at Loudon and finished fifth as the Joe Gibbs Racing driver took three of the top five positions, including Matt Kenseth’s victory.

    “There were no punches to the chest after this race,” Edwards said. “But if Kevin Harvick felt the need to punish someone, he would definitely kick himself.”

    4. Joey Logano: Logano finished third in the Sylvania 300 and now sits third in the Sprint Cup points standings.

    “I’m in great position to advance to the next round of the Chase,” Logano said. “There’s only one driver that needs to drive like a maniac at Dover, and that’s Kevin Harvick. But he put himself in this position. Of all people, Harvick should know how to ‘baby’ a gas pedal.”

    5. Jimmie Johnson: Jimmie rallied from a flat tire, which left him a lap down, to finish a solid sixth at Loudon.

    “I went to see Kevin Harvick’s gas tank after the race. Instead of emerging calmly from its hauler, it ‘ran out.’

    “Jeff Gordon broke the NASCAR record for consecutive starts. That makes him the sport’s ‘Iron Man,’ but it sure as heck doesn’t make him the most hard-headed.”

    6. Brad Keselowski: Keselowski was penalized for jumping a restart and dropped to 25th before rallying to finish 12th.

    “Usually,” Keselowski said, “when somebody says ‘punch it,’ I duck instead of getting on the gas.

    “Jumping a restart is something that Matt Kenseth can do and get away with. Apparently, Matt is sneaky. You saw it last year – he attacked me in between our team transporters before I even knew it. And even when Matt punches you, you don’t even know it.”

    7. Dale Earnhardt Jr.: Earnhardt ran out of gas on the final lap and finished 25th at New Hampshire. He is 12th in the points standings, one point ahead of Kyle Busch.

    “The race at Dover is an elimination race,” Earnhardt said. “And you can’t spell ‘elimination’ without ‘E Nation.’ Of course, the Chase isn’t a spelling bee. Hopefully, I can maintain my spot of 12th or improve on it. Otherwise, I’ll be like an Earnhardt fan in a spelling bee—I won’t make it out of the first round.”

    8. Kyle Busch: Busch blew a tire on lap 159 and slammed the wall, leading to a 37th-place finish. He is 13th in the points standings, one point behind Dale Earnhardt Jr. in 12th place.

    “I’ve got my work cut out for me,” Busch said. “I’ve been behind the Eight-Ball before, which is usually because there’s a state trooper behind me.”

    9. Ryan Newman: Newman finished 10th at Loudon, posting his 14th top-10 of the year. Newman is sixth in the points standings, 25 behind Matt Kenseth.

    “I’m the Chase driver no one’s talking about,” Newman said. “That’s because I drive for the team no one’s talking about. That would be Richard Childress Racing. Unless I advance to the next round, RCR will have no chance to win the Cup, so our four teams will figuratively pack it in for the season. That’s when ‘RCR’ becomes ‘RCR & R.’”

    10. Kevin Harvick: Harvick started second in the Sylvania 300 and led 216 of 300 laps, but ran out of gas with three laps remaining, losing the lead and finishing 21st.

    “Our calculations said we had plenty of gas to finish the race,” Harvick said. “Am I in serious danger of not advancing to the next round? Well, you do the math, because you’re probably better at it than we are.”

  • The Final Word – Kenseth joins Hamlin at Loudon, leaving the rest to scramble at Dover

    The Final Word – Kenseth joins Hamlin at Loudon, leaving the rest to scramble at Dover

    Dammit. Other than for Matt Kenseth, that was probably the most used term from Sunday’s action at New Hampshire. Kenseth led three times at Loudon, but it was those final three laps that really mattered as the former champ locked his way into the next round of the Chase. Along with runner-up Denny Hamlin, the winner at Chicago, Dover is a walk in the clover. However, it has meaning for a few others.

    Dammit. That, or something like that, might have escaped from the lips of Kevin Harvick. His was the dominant car, but he did not have enough fuel in his tank at the end. That forced him to surrender the lead to Kenseth and hit the pits, finishing 21st. On a night when a finish at or near the front was the goal, he now finds himself 23 points out of the final transfer spot for the next round of the Chase. He has just one more opportunity to turn that around.

    Dammit. Clint Bowyer had a disaster at Chicago, losing all the points gained there for a tech violation. Last Sunday, he was better than nothing but still bad as 26th leaves him 39 points out of the hunt. It is either win or bust for MWR’s final title hopeful next week.

    Dammit. Dale Earnhardt Jr. had a Top Five coming his way. All he needed was fuel. That stop left him in 25th on the day, and just a point to the good going into next Sunday. He is tied with Jamie McMurray, with Paul Menard a point back.

    Dammit. Kyle Busch is also one behind, tied for 13th in the standings. He lost a tire, found a wall, and that left him 37th. With so much on the line, and some so close or so desperate, Dover might be a place where angels fear to tread.

    Next Sunday, Kenseth and Hamlin are locked in to continue on. Carl Edwards and Joey Logano hold a 33 point advantage over the nearest have nots and just need to avoid very bad tidings. Jimmie Johnson sits 27 points to the good, with Jeff Gordon, Martin Truex Jr., Brad Keselowski, Kurt Busch, and Ryan Newman holding a cushion between a dozen and 18 points.

    In short, two are locked in, 10 inside remain vulnerable, and four others still have a shot. Nine of those 14 have won on the Monster Mile before. Johnson has 10 wins there, 15 Top Fives, and 20 Top 10s in 27 attempts, taking three of the past four at the track. Anyone have an idea who the favorite might be?

    However, even Miles the Monster was on hand to feast on the six-time champion. In 2004, Johnson was in one of 19 cars taken out in what became known as the Little Big One. So, in the end, we can be sure of nothing, other than Kenseth and Hamlin will transfer, 10 others will join them, and four will not. Let the fun begin.

  • Hot 20 – Harvick feels bad heading to New Hampshire, but I bet Bowyer feels even worse

    Hot 20 – Harvick feels bad heading to New Hampshire, but I bet Bowyer feels even worse

    There is hot, and there is hot. Hot could be winning the opening race of the Chase, securing a berth in the next round, and allowing two races to tinker and prepare for Charlotte. However, after a spin on just the second lap in Chicago, the result was as much a credit to the performance of crew chief Dave Rogers as it was to the driver, Denny Hamlin.

    Hot could be showcasing a dominant performance. Kyle Busch led much of the race, only to melt like an M&M Crispy sitting in the back window over the summer, to come home in ninth. Not good enough to win, but surely good enough to garner some notice that the best for him might be yet to come.

    Hot could be sitting behind the wheel of a good car, one that was near the front. At least, it was until Jimmie Johnson tried to force his way up off the apron after Joey Logano had put him there, only to find an unyielding Kevin Harvick. What did yield was Harvick’s rear tire after the two entries came in contact, sending the defending champ into the wall. Hot was what Harvick was when Johnson tried to explain what happened after the race. A win this week or next might now be Harvick’s best bet to advance.

    Hot could be being part of a team that had controversy leading up to its first ever race, having your own reputation smeared along the way, and then we had last Sunday. Clint Bowyer’s hopes of bringing a title to MWR in its final go round dipped deeper than Harvick’s mood when he got stripped of all 25 points he gained last week. This latest drama began when it was discovered prior to the race that some parts were not properly installed on his car. Crew chief Billy Scott’s wallet is $75,000 lighter and he is gone for the next three races. Time to find some new friends, Mr. Bowyer.

    For those still allowed to show up at the track, Loudon, New Hampshire is next on the dance card. Harvick won there once, back in 2006. Half the time he finishes in the Top Ten. That might not be good enough to get out of the hole he finds himself in. As far as Bowyer goes, I think it is time to break out the shovels.

    The last four to win there have all been Chasers; Matt Kenseth, Brad Keselowski, Logano, and Rowdy. It is a good bet one of them could do it again this Sunday. The Hot 20 heading to New Hampshire includes…

    1. DENNY HAMLIN – 1 CHASE WIN
    An early spin, a lap down, but Mr. Roger’s got this trolley back on the rails.

    2. MATT KENSETH – 2052 POINTS
    Needs a win. If he wins the title on points alone again, oh what would people say?

    3. KYLE BUSCH – 2049 POINTS (4 Season Wins)
    Chicago was M&M’s biggest heart break since E.T. made Reece’s Pieces his favorite.

    4. CARL EDWARDS – 2049 POINTS (2 Season Wins)
    Track position trumped fresh rubber last week…but not by much.

    5. JOEY LOGANO – 2048 POINTS (3 Season Wins)
    Bump drafting on the re-start sure worked well…for him.

    6. KURT BUSCH – 2048 POINTS (2 Season Wins)
    Pit boss Tony Gibson plans to be in Loudon but is leaving his appendix behind him.

    7. JIMMIE JOHNSON – 2045 POINTS
    Got an unwanted push from Logano during the race, got another from Harvick after it.

    8. RYAN NEWMAN – 2040 POINTS
    July 28, 2013. His win column definitely needs a re-boot.

    9. BRAD KESELOWSKI – 2039 POINTS
    Oh, just win the damn race on Sunday and get it over with.

    10. DALE EARNHARDT JR. – 2038 POINTS
    To be part of next season’s XFINITY tour in the only place a Cup guy should be…in the booth.

    11. MARTIN TRUEX JR. – 2035 POINTS
    Lost his sponsor and his job through no fault of his own in 2013. There is life after MWR.

    12. JEFF GORDON – 2031 POINTS
    Last Loudon win came in the previous century.

    13. JAMIE MCMURRAY – 2028 POINTS
    With a heat seeking sponsor, he will be seeking out some heat of his own.

    14. PAUL MENARD – 2027 POINTS
    At a track that does him no favors, Sunday could be more about surviving than thriving.

    15. KEVIN HARVICK – 2009 POINTS
    At least all his car parts were attached properly until Jimmie tried to remove them.

    16. CLINT BOWYER – 2000 POINTS
    Un-freakin’-believable.

    17. ARIC ALMIROLA – 727 POINTS
    There is speculation that he could be getting a new teammate next year. Might it be Clint?

    18. KASEY KAHNE – 697 POINTS
    Two Top Tens is not exactly what he was signed up for.

    19. KYLE LARSON – 656 POINTS
    Twenty-three years old and stuck at the kiddie’s table. It could be worse. Just ask Austin, Danica, Tony…

    20. GREG BIFFLE – 634 POINTS
    Dear Jack Roush: WTF????

  • NASCAR Top-10 Power Rankings: Chicagoland

    NASCAR Top-10 Power Rankings: Chicagoland

    Note: The quotes in this article are fictional.

    1. Denny Hamlin: Hamlin roared back from last place to win the Chase opener at Chicagoland. Hamlin automatically advances to the second round of the Chase, which begins at Dover on October 4.

    “I’m going to happily limp into the second round of the Chase,” Hamlin said. “

    “What does his punch/shove tell us about Kevin Harvick? Well, for one thing, it tells us he’s a right-handed cry baby.”

    2. Matt Kenseth: Kenseth posted a fifth at Chicagoland, recording his 11th top five of the year.

    “I’m amazed by what went on between Kevin Harvick and Jimmie Johnson,” Kenseth said. “Amazed only because of the following reason: between Kevin and DeLana Harvick, it’s Kevin that got his panties in a wad.”

    3. Carl Edwards: Edwards finished second in the MyAfibRisk.Com 400 at Chicagoland.

    “Denny Hamlin has punched his ticket to the next round,” Edwards said, “and he didn’t even need a fist. Kevin Harvick seems to have an anger problem. He, as well as his fist, is a ‘ball’ of fury.”

    4. Kevin Harvick: Harvick and Jimmie Johnson made contact on a restart, leading to a tire rub on Harvick’s No. 4 Jimmy Johns Chevy. The rub led to a blown tire, which left Harvick with a 42nd-place finish.

    “Jimmie and I had words,” Harvick said. “Actually, Jimmie had words; I had a fist.”

    5. Kurt Busch: Busch was leading with 10 laps to go when a caution flew for debris. On the restart, Busch lost the lead and finished third.

    “This all seems very fishy to me,” Busch said. “In the last two years, Harvick has been the one to instigate much of the Chase controversy. Is he on NBC’s payroll? If so, he’d be the only one earning his money.”

    6. Joey Logano: Logano finished sixth at Chicagoland and played a role in the first feud of the Chase. Jimmie Johnson and Kevin Harvick made contact on a restart. Harvick blamed Johnson while Johnson said Logano pushed him into Harvick.

    “Don’t ask me to choose sides,” Logano said. “If you do, I’ll just cite gearbox issues and remain ‘neutral.’”

    7. Kyle Busch: Busch finished ninth at Chicagoland, a solid start for the No. 18 car as the Chase heads to New Hampshire, where Busch won in July.

    “I won Saturday’s XFINITY Series race,” Busch said, “and was presented the winner’s trophy by the rapper Ludacris. Why is there a rapper at a NASCAR race? Well, there’s no rhyme or reason.”

    8. Jimmie Johnson: Johnson finished 11th at Chicagoland after controversially tangling with Kevin Harvick midway through the race.

    “I went to Harvick to ask what the deal was,” Johnson said. “I went ‘knock, knock, knockin’ on Kevin’s door.’ He was pretty ornery. Much like during the race, I must have rubbed him the wrong way.

    “Harvick shoved me once. And I can only guess that he shoved me one time for each Cup championship he’s won.”

    9. Brad Keselowski: Keselowski took eighth in the MyAfibRisk.Com 400 at Chicagoland.

    “The Chase For The Cup is only one race old,” Keselowski said, “and already there’s drama. That’s surprising. What’s even more surprising is I’m not in the middle of it.”

    10. Dale Earnhardt Jr.: Earnhardt finished fifth at Chicagoland, posting his 12th top-five result of the year.

    “Who does Kevin Harvick think he is?” Earnhardt said. “If he thinks he’s NASCAR’s big shot, shouldn’t he beat his own chest, and not Jimmie Johnson’s?”

  • Hot 20 – The Chase for the Championship Commences in Chicago

    Hot 20 – The Chase for the Championship Commences in Chicago

    So it begins. Sixteen drivers, each trying to avoid being one of the four eliminated from contention for the championship after each round of three races.

    The first round, Chicago, New Hampshire, and Dover, will see each running for the best finish amongst those qualified. A win in any of the three would guarantee them a spot in the next round of three events no matter how they might fair in the other two contests. History tells us that Jamie McMurray and Paul Menard will not do well this weekend.

    For them, this would be a good time to rewrite history. For those outside the Top Sixteen, no time like the present to break a few hearts. A win now robs a contender of a free pass and could go a long way in getting sponsors thinking more of what is to come than what could have been.

    That would be the goal of the bottom four amongst our hot 20 heading into Chicago this Sunday.

    1. JIMMIE JOHNSON – 2012 POINTS (4 Wins)
    The firm of Petty and Earnhardt still has room for another name partner.

    2. KYLE BUSCH – 2012 (4)
    Having a leg up on the opposition was not a good thing in his case, but it matters not now.

    3. MATT KENSETH – 2012 (4)
    If his 2003 title started this Chase business, now he can start eliminating his critics four at a time.

    4. JOEY LOGANO – 2009 (3)
    Had the pole at Richmond, but Kenseth only allowed him to lead 25 of the 400 laps.

    5. KEVIN HARVICK – 2006 (2)
    His points standing just went from a 30 point lead to a six-point deficit.

    6. DALE EARNHARDT JR. – 2006 (2)
    He and his buddy Greg Ives come in with four straight Top Tens. Three more would be nice.

    7. KURT BUSCH – 2006 (2)
    First Chase champion would like to be the next one, too.

    8. CARL EDWARDS – 2006 (2)
    I am not sure if he misses Jack Roush at all, considering how his season with Joe Gibbs has gone.

    9. BRAD KESELOWSKI – 2003 (1)
    One of six in the Chase who already knows how it feels to be crowned a champion.

    10. MARTIN TRUEX JR. – 2003 (1)
    Team-mates? We ain’t got no teammates. We don’t need no team-mates.

    11. DENNY HAMLIN – 2003 (1)
    Adversity is racing with a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his throttle leg’s knee.

    12. JAMIE MCMURRAY – 2000
    So…this is the Chase, eh?

    13. JEFF GORDON – 2000
    What better way to ride off into the sunset than with a fifth title?

    14. RYAN NEWMAN – 2000
    Winless in 2015. Runner-up to Harvick in 2014.

    15. PAUL MENARD – 2000
    Chicago has not been his kind of town.

    16. CLINT BOWYER – 2000
    Like his team owner, he is out of a job after this season. Both could use a little good news.

    17. ARIC ALMIROLA – 693
    Fourth at Richmond was like being a groomsman at your sweetheart’s wedding.

    18. KASEY KAHNE – 677
    Only Hendrick driver to miss the party this year, needs some positive results heading into 2016.

    19. KYLE LARSON – 618
    Sophomore jinx bit him hard this season.

    20. GREG BIFFLE – 611
    Limping along in his worst season ever, as Jack Roush has his worst as an owner.

  • NASCAR Top-10 Power Rankings: Richmond

    NASCAR Top-10 Power Rankings: Richmond

    Note: The quotes in this article are fictional.

    1. Matt Kenseth: Kenseth led 352 of 400 laps and cruised to an easy win in the Federated Auto Parts 400 at Richmond. The win was Kenseth’s fourth of the season and places him atop the points standings for the start of the Chase.

    “I have the early momentum for the Chase,” Kenseth said. “And speaking of ‘early momentum,’ Joey Logano says I jumped the final restart. I dispute that. If I jumped anything, it was ‘ship,’ when I left Roush Fenway Racing.”

    2. Kevin Harvick: Harvick struggled at Richmond, finishing 14th, one lap down, in the final race before the Chase For The Cup.

    “It felt like I was driving on flat tires,” Harvick said. “That made the No. 4 Jimmy Johns Chevrolet ‘leaky fast.’

    “Of course, the tires weren’t really flat. Or were they? The last thing NASCAR needs is its own ‘Deflate-Gate’ controversy.”

    3. Brad Keselowski: Keselowski finished eighth at Richmond, posting his 18th top-10 result of the year. By virtue of his one win this year, he will start the Chase with 2,003 points, nine out of first.

    “This is where you’ll see the real drivers separated from the pretenders,” Keselowski said. “Or, if you’d care not to wait, I’ll do it for you. Pretenders: Clint Bowyer, Paul Menard, Jamie McMurray. Contenders: everyone else.”

    4. Kyle Busch: Busch finished second at Richmond on a commanding night for the Joe Gibbs Racing stable. Matt Kenseth won while Denny Hamlin finished sixth and Carl Edwards took 11th.

    “JGR looks like the team to beat,” Busch said. “Kenseth is dominant while Edwards is domineering. Some people say Denny Hamlin isn’t a threat to win because of his injury, but they don’t have a leg to stand on. Me? I certainly have the talent, but history says that once the NASCAR post-season starts, I hit a wall.”

    5. Joey Logano: Logano finished third at Richmond, and will start the Chase For The Cup with 2009 points, three points behind four-time winners Jimmie Johnson, Kyle Busch, and Matt Kenseth.

    “Kenseth clearly jumped the final restart,” Logano said. “Replays verify it. Sure, Kenseth led 352 of 400 laps, but in this instance, he wasn’t ‘in the zone.’”

    6. Carl Edwards: Edwards finished 11th in the Federated Auto Parts 400 as Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Matt Kenseth dominated for the win.

    “I traded paint with Kenseth during the race,” Edwards said. “To his credit, Kenseth didn’t give an inch. He’s really manned up. If he wins another championship this year, it seems he will have finally ‘grown a pair.’”

    7. Dale Earnhardt Jr.: Earnhardt finished fifth at Richmond, the top finisher among Hendrick Motorsports cars. Earnhardt will join HMS teammates, Jimmie Johnson and Jeff Gordon in the Chase.

    “HMS hasn’t had a win since Daytona in July,” Earnhardt said. “And we really need it. Our team motto for the upcoming race is ‘Just one, baby.’”

    8. Jimmie Johnson: Johnson finished ninth and will enter the Chase For The Cup in first place with 2012 points by virtue of his four wins.

    “’2012’ is a great number,” Johnson said. “It was not a good year. That’s when my run of six straight Cups came to an end.

    “I just signed a contract extension to remain with Hendrick Motorsports through 2017. That’s good news for a team struggling to find speed heading into the Chase For The Cup. Finally, it’s a good ‘sign’ for HMS.”

    9. Kurt Busch: Busch finished 15th at Richmond and will start the Chase For The Cup with 2,006 points, six behind the leaders at 2,012.

    “Now,” Busch said, “the pressure really heats up. This is when you find out what you’re really made of. Sometimes, you never really know what someone is made of….until you go ‘court-ing.’”

    10. Denny Hamlin: Hamlin finished sixth at Richmond despite driving with a torn right ACL, an injury suffered in a pickup basketball game on Tuesday.

    “I probably shouldn’t have been playing basketball,” Hamlin said. “After all, this is the second time I’ve injured my knee. In both cases, I was wearing my favorite sneakers, the ‘Err Hamlins.’ Anyway, my right leg feels a little loose in the center.”

  • The Final Word – It was the Matt Kenseth 400 at Richmond

    The Final Word – It was the Matt Kenseth 400 at Richmond

    Richmond, where the final battle royal would take place to decide the final line-up for the Chase. Richmond, where we discovered that only six cars mattered at all the entire night, and all of them already had their tickets punched to the party. So, if you decided to watch something that actually promised some real drama, here is what you missed, in a nutshell, at Richmond.

    On the opening lap, we had Joey Logano leading the way, followed by Matt Kenseth and Kyle Busch. That was good for nearly 50 laps when Brad Keselowski replaced Busch. Another 50-some laps went by when we had Denny Hamlin replace Keselowski amongst the top trio, to join Logano and Kenseth. You missed all that drama, and we had nearly 300 laps to go.

    Twenty-five laps went by, and Carl Edwards replaced Logano in a podium position, at least for six laps when Busch moved Edwards out, who was never to be seen again, finishing 11th. All you need to remember is that Kenseth and Busch also remained in the top three, and they would remain there the rest of the way. Hamlin replaced Keselowski for 35 laps before Logano got the position back with more than 100 to go. On lap 400, it was Kenseth, Busch, and Logano crossing the line and Richmond was in the books. Kenseth, Rowdy, Logano, Keselowski, Hamlin and, for six laps, Edwards, were the only cars that mattered at all on Saturday night in Richmond.

    Sure, some got excited that Aric Almirola was fourth, but he had to win, and did not. He also needed Clint Bowyer to finish outside the Top 25, and he came home 10th. No, Almirola did not matter a lick on this night. Dale Earnhardt Jr., Jeff Gordon, and Jimmie Johnson all had Top Ten days. All did not matter in the end, or at the start, or anywhere near the middle, but I admit they did have nice finishes.

    What did matter was the fact Kenseth won his fourth of the season and the 35th of his Cup career. He led 352 of the 400 laps. So, I am not really sure if any of the other five mattered at all now that I think about it. The victory means Kenseth enters the Chase tied with Busch and Johnson with each having an additional dozen bonus points added to their tally.

    There were some newsworthy tidbits. We did have another Earnhardt running, as nephew Jeremy Earnhardt finished 13 laps off the pace in 40th, making his Cup debut at the age of 26. Martin Truex Jr. had the worst run amongst the Chasers, as a wall rub messed up the car to leave him six off the pace, 32nd. Just about the only other thing from the weekend of note was that Chase Elliott won the XFINITY race. Yes, someone actually registered in that series. I am as shocked as you are.

    So, the Chase begins in Chicago with the “Sweet Sixteen” hoping to survive the cut over the next three events. According to their career average finishes at the track, one could expect Johnson, Kevin Harvick, Keselowski, and Gordon to do well there. Kyle and Kenseth should also do fine. However, this is definitely not the place Hamlin, Jamie McMurray, and Paul Menard have traditionally enjoyed any measure of success. Unless that changes on Sunday, they might have some work to do by the time New Hampshire rolls around. Hey, if you want drama, that might work for you.