Testing SpeedwayMedia.com

Tag: Brickyard 400

  • Hot 20 – The impending demise of Furniture Row Racing overshadows Sunday’s Brickyard 400

    Hot 20 – The impending demise of Furniture Row Racing overshadows Sunday’s Brickyard 400

    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.

  • Hot 20 – Hall of Famers and military heroes are honored at Charlotte this week

    Hot 20 – Hall of Famers and military heroes are honored at Charlotte this week

    Jeff Gordon. Four-time NASCAR champion. Three-time Daytona 500 champion. Four-time Brickyard 400 winner. Six-time Southern 500 victor. Three-time World 600 champion. Three-time All-Star race winner. Winner of 93 Cup races. He probably was the most automatic inductee into the Hall of Fame since Richard Petty and Dale Earnhardt. His was the opening name announced Wednesday for the Class of 2019.

    Next, they turned to ownership, with Jack Roush and Roger Penske both given the keys. Roush has 137 victories as the man who owns the garage, putting Matt Kenseth and Kurt Busch in their championship rides. Notable drivers Mark Martin and Carl Edwards also had great success in his cars. Penske has 105 wins to his credit, with Brad Keselowski bringing him his Cup title in 2012. Penske has claimed a few other motorsports accolades over the years, including ownership of 16 Indianapolis 500 winning entries. Among his drivers, you can include the names of Mark Donohue, Mario Andretti, Rick Mears, Bobby Unser, Al Unser, Al Unser Jr., Emerson Fittipaldi, Hélio Castroneves, and Rusty Wallace. I think you get the idea.

    Two fallen drivers, Davey Allison and Alan Kulwicki, are popular selections. Both were lost in aviation accidents in 1993. Allison won 19 times in just 191 career starts, winning 10 of them in 1991 and 1992 when he was third best in the standings both times. Kulwicki only won five times in his time, but he was the driver and team owner and took the Hooters No. 7 Ford to the championship the year prior to his death.

    This week in Charlotte, they honored the NASCAR Hall of Fame Class of 2019. This Memorial Day weekend, they will honor the troops. It is racing’s most celebrated 24 hours, with action starting at Monte Carlo, moving on to Indianapolis, then to Charlotte as NASCAR salutes some of the heroes, both those on active service and those who have made the supreme sacrifice, who make such days as this possible.

    1. KEVIN HARVICK – 5 WINS – 484 Pts
    Expects the future of NASCAR to look like the All-Star race did. I bet he does.

    2. KYLE BUSCH – 3 WINS – 503 Pts
    If you are a tender flower who screws up on his pit crew, you might want to reconsider things.

    3. JOEY LOGANO – 1 WIN – 491 Pts
    As long as Larson does not squeeze him into the wall again, then all will be well.

    4. CLINT BOWYER – 1 WIN – 386 Pts
    Let us remember 2Lt. Dale E. Bowyer (1921-1974), Distinguished Service Cross recipient.

    5. MARTIN TRUEX JR. – 1 WIN – 376 Pts
    Defending champion recently visited with his Commander-in-Chief.

    6. AUSTIN DILLON – 1 WIN – 241 Pts
    Won at Daytona. All is good. See you in the Chase.

    7. BRAD KESELOWSKI – 396 POINTS
    Has a Hall of Famer owner. How cool is that?

    8. KURT BUSCH – 393 POINTS
    Has driven for two Hall of Fame owners. Top that!

    9. DENNY HAMLIN – 380 POINTS
    Drive fast on the track, drive much slower on Pit Road. That is a recipe for success.

    10. RYAN BLANEY – 365 POINTS
    Watch the Spider-Man animated series. Ryan would appreciate it.

    11. ARIC ALMIROLA – 342 POINTS
    Four Stewart-Haas drivers among the Top Dozen. How sweet it is.

    12. KYLE LARSON – 336 POINTS
    Don’t squeeze Joey. Don’t squeeze Joey. Don’t squeeze Joey…

    13. JIMMIE JOHNSON – 286 POINTS
    Got his start thanks to a Hall of Famer. Between them, they have 11 titles.

    14. ERIK JONES – 285 POINTS
    Until his boss makes the Hall of Fame, he is left with just 3 Super Bowl rings and 4 Cup titles.

    15. ALEX BOWMAN – 271 POINTS
    Traded in his car for a Coast Guard Response Boat this week. No points were awarded.

    16. CHASE ELLIOTT – 266 POINTS
    Just what we need, another Cup guy driving in the Xfinity series. Let the beat downs begin.

    17. RICKY STENHOUSE JR. – 265 POINTS
    It would be mean to suggest that he could get more attention if he dated a Monster Energy gal.

    18. PAUL MENARD – 240 POINTS
    Patrick County has its heroes, like the Wood Brothers and 1Lt. Leevi Barnard (1980-2009 in Iraq).

    19. WILLIAM BYRON – 229 POINTS
    He has the right car number to be a Hall of Famer.

    20. RYAN NEWMAN – 225 POINTS
    Come to think of it, Newman has also driven for a pair of Hall of Fame owners.

  • Hot 20 – Capital City 400 in Richmond should be as iconic as the Southern 500

    Hot 20 – Capital City 400 in Richmond should be as iconic as the Southern 500

    For a race that has been around since 1958, it is a damn shame that it does not carry the proper branding to link it over the decades to the time it was claimed by the likes of Speedy Thompson, Cotton Owens, and Joe Weatherly. Let us properly honor it and refer to this Saturday night’s contest in Richmond, Virginia as the Federated Auto Parts Capital City 400.

    It is a race that was won by Hall of Famer Richard Petty seven times. Five times it went to Hall of Famer Bobby Allison. Four-time winners included Hall of Famers Darrell Waltrip and Rusty Wallace. The winner of three Capital City events, looking to join the legends on Saturday, is Denny Hamlin. This race has history. It has pedigree. It should mean something.

    Unlike Hamlin’s win last weekend, which means about as much as Joey Logano’s spring win at Richmond. Failure to pass post-race inspection means that Darlington win has been encumbered. Unlike Logano, Hamlin already has a win in the bank, so it matters little. Nice trophy, though.

    For the final time, this race is the last chance for those not yet in the Chase to make their mark. That distinction goes to the Brickyard 400 in Indianapolis next season. The instructions to each and every driver is a simple one. Win it. It is the last shot for young guns Erik Jones and Daniel Suarez to make it this season. Veterans Clint Bowyer and Logano are in the same boat. At least Logano’s encumbered win came at Richmond in the spring, so maybe there lies some hope. It is the last opportunity in his career for Dale Earnhardt Jr. Winning Saturday night will be everything. With those loose lug nuts biting him at Darlington, Travis Mack sits in for the suspended Greg Ives as Junior’s crew chief this weekend.

    For some, it is also another chance to do something memorable, to interest sponsors to keep them in a decent seat for next season. Kurt Busch and Kasey Kahne both have wins, but they need to convince somebody to lay out the big bucks to see their hands on the wheel of a fast car in 2018. Matt Kenseth might make the Chase, but he needs a place to land when it is over. Danica Patrick is said to need some help. Maybe a lot of help. A win would be great for them all, but time is also winding down to turn heads.

    Geico signed on for more years with Ty Dillon, but I got to tell you, those sponsors can be pretty touchy. Just ask Suarez. He hands out some donuts on a tv segment and his Subway sponsorship disappears. Donuts compete with Subway as a breakfast menu item? Hell, I didn’t even know I could eat donuts for breakfast. I do now. Mom lied to me. Maybe I will have me a donut on my way to Quiznos.

    As long as no one currently winless upsets the apple cart, the top sixteen among our Hot 20 head to the Chase. However, just three points separate Chase Elliott, Kenseth, and Jamie McMurray. If a first-time winner comes along this weekend, one of those three would wind up losing their game of musical chairs.

    With NBC’s analyst Rutledge Wood driving the honorary pace car, expect the first crash of the night to take place prior to the opening lap.

    1. MARTIN TRUEX JR. – 4 WINS (1000 Pts)
    When they reset the points after Richmond, he will remain firmly atop the leader board.

    2. KYLE LARSON – 3 WINS (884 Pts)
    Was running with an Outlaw gang last weekend…and so were his parents.

    3. JIMMIE JOHNSON – 3 WINS (653 Pts)
    When will Jimmie return from vacation?

    4. KYLE BUSCH – 2 WINS (893 Pts)
    Running a distant second in playoff points.

    5. DENNY HAMLIN – 2 WINS (785 Pts)
    It might be a NASCAR secret, but a win at Richmond and Hamlin drives with the legends.

    6. BRAD KESELOWSKI – 2 WINS (761 Pts)
    Tried to look like Rusty last weekend, wound up looking more like Harpo.

    7. RICKY STENHOUSE JR. – 2 WINS (536 Pts)
    When you get a bank for a sponsor and scream their slogan in victory, they come back for more.

    8. KEVIN HARVICK – 1 WIN (867 Pts)
    Had the pole and a Top Ten at Darlington, but things have been pretty relaxing since Sonoma.

    9. RYAN BLANEY – 1 WIN (629 Pts)
    Less pressure being the son of Dave, than it was for being the son of Richard, Bobby, and Dale.

    10. KURT BUSCH – 1 WIN (624 Pts)
    No trips to Victory Lane since the Daytona 500 and he has some hearts to win and cash to entice.

    11. RYAN NEWMAN – 1 WIN (604 Pts)
    Childress has two drivers in the Chase…but for how long?

    12. AUSTIN DILLON – 1 WIN (473 Pts)
    Sometimes a win means a lot…

    13. KASEY KAHNE – 1 WIN (464 Pts)
    Sometimes a win does not mean enough.

    14. CHASE ELLIOTT – 737 POINTS
    Seventh best in points, but seven who have done less have a victory or two or three to their names.

    15. MATT KENSETH – 735 POINTS
    What is the case for Chase, the same goes for Matt…and Jamie.

    16. JAMIE MCMURRAY – 734 POINTS
    Does not have to win, but he should be encouraged to at least beat Chase and Matt to the line.

    17. CLINT BOWYER – 643 POINTS
    If the minimum Chase eligibility was tagged at 500 points, life would have been so much easier.

    18. ERIK JONES – 611 POINTS
    Five straight Top Tens, but needs a Top One this weekend.

    19. JOEY LOGANO – 605 POINTS (1 Win)
    Won at Richmond in the spring. Maybe a win in the fall might actually mean something.

    20. DANIEL SUAREZ – 538 POINTS
    A win and he is in. Same goes for the ten drivers behind him.

     

  • The Final Word – Kyle Busch sweeps Bristol to claim his 180th NASCAR victory

    The Final Word – Kyle Busch sweeps Bristol to claim his 180th NASCAR victory

    Bristol is where the legends win. Darrell Waltrip won a dozen times there. Cale Yarborough, Dale Earnhardt, and Rusty Wallace each had nine. Then there is Kyle Busch, who’s victory on Saturday night pushed him to six, one more than his brother Kurt and David Pearson. Each one in the Hall of Fame, or will be. No exceptions.

    As far as races go, Bristol provided a decent amount of excitement. It was not one for the ages, but few are. Rowdy claimed his 40th career Cup win, to go with his wins in the junior and truck series on the weekend at the same locale. I guess I should be all a quiver that he pushed his career totals to 91 XFINITY and 49 Camping World victories. That is 180 when all three are combined, just 20 short of Richard Petty’s record in Grand National and Cup. Do the records compare? Let the debate begin.

    Erik Jones is 21-years-old, with 15 wins in the two secondary series but still looking for his first Cup victory. His second place finish Saturday night was fine, but he still needs that victory if he is to make the Chase. With the exception of one other car, he earned it. Busch just earned it more.

    At this time of the year, when all but three playoff positions are written in stone, it has come down to winning. No one is going to catch those hanging on to those three spots except by a win. The best Jones could do was move past Joey Logano into 18th on the ladder and that is just not good enough. Unless Logano, Jones, or someone still winless comes through at Darlington or Richmond, our list of contenders for the championship has been set.

    However, Saturday night was a good night for racing, a good points day for some racers. Very good for the younger Busch and Jones, pretty good for Kyle Larson, Denny Hamlin, and Matt Kenseth. For the latter, he moves three points ahead of Jamie McMurray into 15th, but with Clint Bowyer still 58 points behind him, McMurray has nothing to worry about. Well, unless the wrong guy wins one of these next two races. The gap between McMurray and Chase Elliott sitting in 14th is just 11 points. Should one of those not yet in come up with a win, then things could get pretty darn exciting, but only then.

    Brad Keselowski had a tire go down six laps in, and that was the last we saw of him last Saturday. Austin Dillon broke loose and got into a wreck during the second stage to end his day. Still, each is locked in the Chase, so the impact was minimal.

    Winning the next race, however, can help make a career. Win the Daytona 500, and you become somebody. Just ask Michael Waltrip and Sterling Marlin. Win the World 600, and you have passed the test in the longest race on the schedule. Win the Brickyard 400, and you get to kiss the masonry at the finish line.

    Coming up is the fourth jewel among NASCAR’s iconic events. One you will be remembered for even if it is the only checkered flag you ever get. Darlington and the Southern 500. Kenseth won it in 2013. Regan Smith has just one Cup win, but it was there in 2011. No one else currently not locked into the Chase has claimed the prize. Now would be the time to make a little history in South Carolina.  Action resumes on Sunday, September 3.

  • Carnage envelops closing laps at Indianapolis

    Carnage envelops closing laps at Indianapolis

    One multi-car wreck after another sent the Indianapolis Motor Speedway into overtime and ended the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Brickyard 400 under caution.

    The first one started with 11 laps to go. Clint Bowyer got loose exiting Turn 4, came down across the nose of Erik Jones, slammed head-on into the inside wall, pounded it again with the passenger side of his car. The recoil from the second hit bounced him back onto the racing groove and into the path of teammate Kurt Busch, who slammed into the left-rear corner of his car. His car went spinning around uncontrollably three and a half times before coming to a halt on the front stretch.

    After hitting his teammate, Busch’s car turned up and slammed the outside wall. It came to a halt down the front stretch.

    Jones overcorrected from turning down track and spun towards the wall briefly, before being clipped in the rear by the right-front of Jamie McMurray, sending him into the wall.

    “They (Paul Menard and another car) got together in front of us and parked and just kind of forced all of us to make an evasive move and I was already hung out a little bit loose, and I knew the 77 had a run, but I was gonna smoke the back of them or try to hope that something happened and something happened alright,” Bowyer said.

    “Cars were spinning in front of me,” Busch said. “Bowyer went left, the 77 (Jones) was going right. I tried to shoot the middle and Bowyer ricocheted back up onto the track. I was in the wrong place at the wrong time.”

    Wrecks from Kyle Larson and Jimmie Johnson sent the race into overtime.

    On the first overtime attempt, Trevor Bayne was getting a shove from Michael McDowell when he got turned up into the drivers-side of Denny Hamlin, turned back down and rammed McDowell into the wall, triggering another multi-car wreck.

    Austin Dillon swerved to avoid Bayne, but put himself into the inside wall, and was further pinned by the wrecked car of Bayne. Ryan Blaney got turned up into the wall by Gray Gaulding.

    “On the restart it stacked up and my wheels were in the air,” Bayne said. “I really had no control in either direction and I finally got turned. I’ve never been so disappointed in my entire racing career. Every week we give it our all and do everything we can through God’s Glory and trust him with the results, whether it’s good or bad. Sometimes you don’t really understand and it hurts because you want to win races and want to run good and make the most of every opportunity for everybody – for AdvoCare and all the people who work hard. It’s really disappointing.”

    “Everybody got bunched up there,” Dillon said. “The No. 6 car got hooked to us and that got me a little bit frustrated because I was forced to get out of the car and I thought it was still able to at least roll. We could have finished the race. But, it’s over. I saw a lot of blocking and drivers trying to win one of the biggest races. It’s the Brickyard 400. Everybody wants it. Hopefully it’s good for the fans to see the aggression out of all of the drivers. We all want it really bad. I wanted it really bad for everyone at Dow and for Molykote.”

    The final multi-car wreck came on what wound up being the final overtime attempt of the race. Heading down the backstretch, Hamlin suffered a left-front tire failure and turned up towards the outside wall. He veered into the path of Paul Menard, who t-boned his right-rear corner. Ty Dillon got hooked by Menard and hit the outside wall.

    Hamlin leaves fifth in points, McMurray leaves seventh, Bowyer leaves 11th, Blaney leaves 12th, Busch leaves 14th, Jones leaves 17th, Bayne leaves 19th, Austin Dillon leaves 21st, Menard leaves 23rd and Ty Dillon leaves 24th.

  • The White Zone: Overtime in NASCAR is a joke

    The White Zone: Overtime in NASCAR is a joke

    All NASCAR had to do was follow their own rule on the overtime line as was written during the Coca-Cola Firecracker 250 NASCAR XFINITY Series race at Daytona International Speedway earlier this month and again during yesterday’s Brickyard 400 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, and all of this would’ve been avoided.

    But instead, their inconsistent officiating on this matter resulted in two fustercluck finishes in the span of a month!

    This has to end NASCAR.

    If you missed the end of yesterday’s race, what happened was Denny Hamlin spun out and turned into the wall past the exit of Turn 2, probably a result of his left-rear tire rub from contact on the restart. It triggered a three-car wreck that also collected Paul Menard and Ty Dillon.

    Now here’s where the controversy comes into play. When the calamity ensued, Kahne was still a good distance away from the overtime line. As you can see from this screenshot.

     

    Even though this shot is a few seconds after the initial wreck, it’s still obvious that Kahne was a decent distance away from the overtime line when it occurred.

    But rather than throw the caution, cleanup and try again, or more like end the race via darkness (which I’ll touch on in a few minutes), NASCAR held the caution until Kahne crossed the line.

    Unlike the XFINITY race at Daytona earlier this month, where you could argue they didn’t throw the yellow flag in time (although I find that hard to believe), there was no attempt to mask the blatant disregard for their own overtime rule.

    And when I say NASCAR purposefully held the caution, that’s not me looking too deeply at something that isn’t there. That’s practically what NASCAR Executive Vice-President and Chief Racing Development Officer Steve O’Donnell said to Motorsport.com after yesterday’s race, when asked if having a quick caution trigger before the leader reaches the overtime line would make more sense, especially if the goal is to end the race under green.

    “No, it wouldn’t, because again, like we’ve said, we want to make the attempt. But we want to do that under the regular regulations of how we call (the race),” O’Donnell said. “So, we look at that as our last attempt. We look at each (overtime) as our last attempt. If it can play out, it can play out.”

    He basically just admitted that NASCAR decided against throwing the caution immediately, even though Kahne was a ways away from reaching the line the moment it happened.

    There’s a problem with this line of thinking, as Jim Utter of Motorsport.com best puts it.

    “If the object is to allow the race to play out to its natural conclusion, then why have the OT rule (or any other similar scheme) in the first place?”

    I’ll also expand on his point. If NASCAR wants run overtime under “regular regulations,” why would you hold the yellow at this point when you wouldn’t do that at any other point in the race?

    And why did they holster the yellow? Because the sunlight was running out, and they believed they wouldn’t have gotten the track cleaned up in time.

    “It would have been (too dark),’’ O’Donnell said. “If we would have red-flagged the race, we would have never got it back in. There was clearly oil on the race track.’’

    Disregarding the fact that NASCAR essentially shortened the race because of darkness anyway, why does that matter? The fact that there was waning sunlight shouldn’t factor into this at all. The race leader hadn’t reached the overtime line when the wreck happened! The caution should’ve flown before then.

    NASCAR, either run the race to its scheduled conclusion, and no further, or go the ARCA route and do as many restarts attempts as needed to ensure a green flag finish. This overtime line approach of doing restarts is causing more trouble than it’s worth.

    That’s my view, for what it’s worth.

  • Kahne Survives Multiple Late Restarts to Win at Indianapolis

    Kahne Survives Multiple Late Restarts to Win at Indianapolis

    Kasey Kahne made a late green flag stop at the right time and survived a myriad of restarts as the sunlight waned to end a long winless drought with victory at The Brickyard.

    He pitted from third with 11 laps to go just as a multi-car wreck involving Clint Bowyer, Erik Jones and Kurt Busch occurred on the front stretch. This timely stop proved vital as he opted to stay out when Brad Keselowski and the others elected to pit and assumed the race lead.

    He held off Keselowski’s charge into Turn 1 before the caution flew for Kyle Larson bouncing into the outside wall on the front stretch.

    On the following restart with two to go in regulation time, Kahne and Keselowski were side-by-side all the way from the start/finish line through Turn 3. This time, Jimmie Johnson threw his hat into the mix, making the two-wide battle three-wide entering Turn 3. This, predictably, caused him on the inside to spin out and slam the wall, sending the race into overtime.

    The first overtime attempt didn’t make it to the start/finish line before calamity erupted into another multi-car wreck on the front stretch. Keselowski was declared the race leader.

    The field was lined up and sent racing again. This time, Kahne shot ahead of Keselowski going into Turn 1. Exiting Turn 2, another multi-car wreck broke out well prior to the overtime line, but NASCAR chose to hold it, ending the race under caution and ending Kahne’s 102-race winless streak.

    “The career is big, for sure; but the win and the history here. To win at this track is unreal,” Kahne said in victory lane. “We used to always be really close. We lost to Jeff (Gordon) and we lost to Tony (Stewart); just some fast cars back then. Today’s strategy got us here. This Farmers Insurance Chevrolet was great once I got out front. I just had to get there. I’m exhausted. But, an unbelievable win. The team just kept working. We had great pit stops. Farmers Insurance, Great Clips, and Chevrolet have been huge to us. To win at Indy is unbelievable. I wish my son, Tanner, was here.”

    It’s his 18th victory in 448 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series starts.

    Keselowski came home second and Ryan Newman rounded out the podium.

    “We had a good, solid day,” Keselowski said. “Anytime that you’re that close (to winning) you can certainly taste it. I had a taste of it in my mouth, I didn’t get to eat it.”

    “Just a lot of adrenaline going through the gearbox I guess. Just guys running over each other,” Newman said. “Good run for the Velveeta Chevrolet. I’ve got to thank them for jumping on board. We were close. We didn’t have the best race car, we had a good long run car, but we were horrible on restarts and that is what we needed there at the end.”

    Joey Logano and Matt Kenseth rounded out the top-five.

    Kevin Harvick, Daniel Suarez, Matt DiBenedetto, Chris Buescher and AJ Allmendinger rounded out the top-10.

    “A top 10 in the Daytona 500 and a top 10 in the Brickyard 400 finishing eighth today. It’s crazy. It was a crazy day,” DiBenedetto said after an eighth-place finish. “It’s pretty unreal what we’ve been able to accomplish this year. I’m so proud. It’s not all me. My team are the ones that deserve the credit and I’m more happy for them than myself. I’ve worked so dang hard the old-school way to get here, countless late nights for these guys working, many sleepless nights in my career thinking it was over about 30 to 40 times and that’s not even an exaggeration, and to have these kinds of races this year is just unbelievable. It’s been fun.”

    RACE SUMMARY

    Kyle Busch led the field to the green flag at 2:46 p.m. He led every lap of the first stage on his way to winning it.

    The lead first changed under the fifth caution of the day, related to debris from JJ Yeley’s car, after Jones opted not to pit. He held it until the Lap 81 restart when Ryan Blaney took it going into Turn 1. Busch returned to the front on Lap 87 and won the second stage. Martin Truex Jr. exited pit road ahead of Busch under the stage break.

    Restarting on the inside and Busch on the outside on Lap 111, after another restart that ended in a wreck in Turn 2 two laps later, Truex got loose in Turn 1, then shot up and sent Busch into the outside wall. The side-force from Busch passing him on the outside spun him out, into the wall.

    Matt Kenseth inherited the race lead as it went back green with 40 laps to go. He pitted from the lead with 28 to go, as did Jones a lap later, handing it to Keselowski.

    In the closing laps, he, Johnson and Kahne didn’t have the fuel to stretch it to the end, while Trevor Bayne in fourth probably did.

    That strategy went out the window, however, with the multi-car wreck on the front stretch with 11 to go, setting up the run to the finish.

    CAUTION SUMMARY

    The caution flew for the first time on Lap 10 for Corey LaJoie spinning out in Turn 3. A caution flew for the second time on Lap 31 for a scheduled competition caution. The fourth caution flew on Lap 58 when JJ Yeley spun exiting Turn 1, triggering a three-car wreck in Turn 1. Another caution flew for the sixth time on Lap 76 when Dale Earnhardt Jr. blew up exiting Turn 2. Caution eight flew on Lap 108 when Ricky Stenhouse Jr. got loose exiting Turn 2, spun down the track and slammed the inside wall head-on.

    NUTS & BOLTS

    The race lasted three hours and 39 minutes at an average speed of 114.384 mph. There were 10 lead changes among seven different drivers and 14 cautions for 55 laps.

    Truex leaves with a 48-point lead over Larson.

    [pdf-embedder url=”http://www.speedwaymedia.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/C1720_UNOFFRES.pdf”]

  • Kyle Busch Takes Pole Position at the Brickyard

    Kyle Busch Takes Pole Position at the Brickyard

    Kyle Busch will lead the field to the green flag tomorrow afternoon after winning the pole for the Brickyard 400 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

    The driver of the No. 18 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota will start first after posting a pole lap of 48.051 and a speed of 187.301 mph, half a second faster than Kevin Harvick at a speed of 186.332 mph.

    Jamie McMurray will start third with a time of 48.316 and a speed of 186.274 mph. Jimmie Johnson will start fourth with a time of 48.426 and a speed of 185.851 mph. Denny Hamlin will round out the top-five with a time of 48.434 and a speed of 185.820 mph.

    Martin Truex Jr., Joey Logano, Ryan Newman, Erik Jones and Ryan Blaney will round out the top-10.

    Brad Keselowski and Kurt Busch will round out the 12 drivers that made the final round.

    BJ McLeod’s time was disallowed because, per Dustin Long of NBCSports.com, the driver/cooling naca duct was shut. He goes from 35th to 40th.

    The 40-car field is composed of 20 Chevrolet’s, 13 Ford’s and seven Toyota’s.

    No car failed to make the race.

    [pdf-embedder url=”http://www.speedwaymedia.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/C1720_STARTROW.pdf”]

  • Earnhardt Receives Piece of Indy’s Scoring Pylon During Retirement Tour

    Earnhardt Receives Piece of Indy’s Scoring Pylon During Retirement Tour

    Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s farewell tour rolled into Speedway, Indiana this weekend and the gift he received from the Brickyard was a piece of the old scoring pylon.

    The Indianapolis Motor Speedway is the latest in the line of tracks to present Earnhardt with a going-away gift for his final race at the track of the week. It started with naming a litter of service puppies after him at Sonoma Raceway, a painting documenting momentous races through his career at Daytona International Speedway and a jukebox that was donated in his name to the Nationwide Children’s Hospital in Columbus, Ohio.

    To commemorate his final race at the track, Doug Boles, president of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, presented as a gift a panel with the No. 8 from the old scoring pylon during his media availability earlier this afternoon.

    “I like stuff like that. We have a lot of old memorabilia and I’ve got a great spot for that one,” Earnhardt said. “This track, to me, has so much history beyond obviously the stock cars. It’s really interesting what this track has been through and how its survived recessions and wars and initially you know this is where all the guys were bringing their cars that they were building Louis Chevrolet and guys like that were coming here and racing and kind of created the auto industry at Indy. I have a lot of respect and admiration for this race track, for its history, for what it means to American motorsports and what it means to motorsports globally. It’s an honor to have an opportunity to ever race here. So, I appreciate that a lot.”

  • Jones Fastest in Final Practice at Indianapolis

    Jones Fastest in Final Practice at Indianapolis

    Erik Jones topped the chart in final Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series practice at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

    The driver of the No. 77 Furniture Row Racing Toyota was the fastest with a time of 48.425 and a speed of 185.854 mph. Kevin Harvick was second in his No. 4 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford with a time of 48.433 and a speed of 185.824 mph. Ryan Blaney was third in his No. 21 Wood Brothers Racing Ford with a time of 48.435 and a speed of 185.816 mph. Jimmie Johnson was fourth in his No. 48 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet with a time of 48.521 and a speed of 185.487 mph. Jamie McMurray rounded out the top-five in his No. 1 Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet with a time of 48.528 and a speed of 185.460 mph.

    Ryan Newman, Kurt Busch, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Kasey Kahne and Martin Truex Jr. rounded out the top-10.

    Johnson posted the fastest 10 consecutive lap average at a speed of 180.951 mph.

    First Practice Results

    [pdf-embedder url=”http://www.speedwaymedia.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/C1720_PRACFINAL.pdf”]