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Matty’s Picks: AdvoCare 500 Vol. 16 – Atlanta – September 4, 2011

We make our only trip to Atlanta Motor Speedway this Labor Day Weekend, a track where in 1995, the late Dale Earnhardt drove his No. 3 to victory in a race time of 3 hours, 3 minutes, and 3 seconds. That might just be my coolest “quirky fact” yet for Matty’s Picks.

[media-credit name=”atlantamotorspeedway.com” align=”alignright” width=”152″][/media-credit]Atlanta has no characteristic of being dominated by one or a few drivers as 7 different drivers have won this race the past 10 years, repeat winners being; defending race winner Tony Stewart (2010 & 2006), Carl Edwards(2005 & 2008), and Jimmie Johnson (2007 & 2004).

For the first time in 50 years, the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series will visit Atlanta Motor Speedway just once in the 2011 campaign. Atlanta forfeited its spring race this season to yield an opening in the 36-race schedule for its brother, Kentucky Speedway. Being one of the original NASCAR superspeedways, the track has traditionally drawn two races to the Peach State but with just one weekend on the schedule this year, you can be sure that the fans will pack the grandstands when the lights come on Sunday night.

Bristol Recap

For the first time since The Brickyard, I didn’t pick a driver that finished inside the Top 10, so in turn my Bristol recap will be rather brief.

Before his troubles last Wednesday night in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race in Thunder Valley, Kyle Busch had won the previous 5 NASCAR events at Bristol Motor Speedway. His prior dominance in all three major NASCAR series at BMS was my basis for picking him as my Winner Pick last week.

Busch struggled for the majority of the weekend, (besides the Nationwide Series race Friday night) and his troubles carried into the race on Saturday. His car was NEVER good last weekend, and really drove the wheels off his Doublemint Camry to try and say in the Top 10. Busch eventually would come home 14th and had this to say about his troubles:

“Kind of a disappointing day, but proud of the guys. We never gave up, but we just never could get the car to where it would feel like it had in the past. That’s kind of what we struggled with all weekend — just not being able to get that special Bristol feel.”

As for my Dark Horse pick last week, he fared a bit better than Kyle Busch but still failed to finish inside the Top 10 by just one spot.

Kasey Kahne found himself one lap down just past the midway point in the race, but was fast enough to stay just behind the leaders and catch the lucky dog, putting him back on the lead lap.

Kahne started at the tail of the field and was able to work his way through a bit of traffic after the Lucky Dog, and was able to secure an 11th place finish for his efforts. The finish boosted him two spots in the points standings and he spoke after the race:

“We worked on the balance of the car all evening. Luckily, we got the lucky dog and were able to work our way up to 11th at the finish. The finish moved us up two spots in the points, which is great with two races left to get in the Chase. We head to Atlanta next week, which is one of my favorite tracks so looking forward to that.”

Atlanta Picks

Without a spring race at Atlanta this year, I will be turning to some statistics from prior seasons as well as results from the first race at AMS’ twin sister, Texas Motor Speedway. Texas was modeled after its big brother in 1996, and produces extremely similar racing to AMS with its 24-degrees of banking and corner-entry speeds over 200 MPH.

Winner Pick

This week, I’d like to please my girlfriend again by picking her favorite driver. I’m trying to score some brownie points with her after ditching her this Labor Day Weekend to head to South Bend, Indiana to fulfill a dream I’ve had for quite some time. I will be attending my first football game at Notre Dame Stadium as my beloved Fighting Irish take on the Bulls from the University of South Florida.

At least my girlfriend’s favorite driver has some history at Atlanta Motor Speedway and is extremely familiar with Victory Lane at the track. Jimmie Johnson has 3 wins at AMS and an average finish just outside the Top 10 at 10.4. He finished 3rd in this race last year, but his last win at Atlanta came in October of 2007, the year he swept both Sprint Cup races at AMS.

Johnson finished 8th at Texas earlier this year, and will probably go down as the best Intermediate Track drivers in NASCAR history. He has tallied 37 of his 54 victories on Intermediate Tracks and averages a Top 10 in all combined races on 1.5 mile courses, a no-brainer pick I would say.

Dark Horse Pick

My dark horse pick is desperate for a win here late in the season, and Atlanta is a place I feel he has a good shot at doing it. Clint Bowyer sits 12th in the Chase for the Sprint Cup standings, but with zero wins would find himself on the outside looking in for the last 10 races of the season.

As it stands now without Bowyer having a win, Brad Keselowski and Denny Hamlin would seal the two Wild Card spots, moving Bowyer aside. Atlanta is a place that Bowyer enjoys racing at as it brings him back to his days of Dirt racing in the Midwest. Atlanta’s slick, high-banked corners make turning though the corners similar to that of driving on Dirt.

Bowyer scored a Top 10 in this race last year with his 7th place finish, his 5th at AMS, but has failed to finish inside the Top 5 at Atlanta. Bowyer finished second earlier this season at Texas, and has fire in his belly for a win this weekend. Bowyer is looking for a win in the worst kind of way and he might just do it Sunday night.

That’s all for this edition of Matty’s Picks. As a quick side note, I’m extremely excited for the 2011 College Football season to start this weekend. I’ll be watching my Alma Matter, West Virginia University take on the Marshall Thundering Herd this Sunday afternoon in preparation for the race Sunday Night.

Until next week…LETS GOOO MOUNTAINEERS!

September 2, 2011
Bristol Motor Speedway Promises to Deliver – Sprint Cup Preview

Bristol Motor Speedway had humble beginnings.

[media-credit name=”CIA Stock Photo” align=”alignright” width=”241″][/media-credit]In 1960 Larry Carrier and Carl Moore visited Charlotte Motor Speedway and came away with a dream. They wanted to build a race track in Tennessee.

But the goal was not to imitate. They had a vision of a half-mile track with turns banked at 22 degrees and amphitheater style seating that would offer a more personal experience for race fans.

With the help of R.G. Pope, the dream of Bristol International Speedway became a reality and the first race was run on July 30, 1961. The seating capacity was 18,000.

A practice session was held for ‘The Volunteer 500’ on July 27, 1961 and Tiny Lund was the first driver on the new track. Fred Lorenzen won the pole for the first race with a speed of 79.225 mph. The 1960 Rookie of the Year, David Pearson, was there, becoming the first driver to drive the No. 3 at Bristol.

Jack Smith became the first winner at Bristol even though he wasn’t in the car when the race ended. He made it to lap 290 but had to turn the car over to relief driver Johnny Allen, due to severe blistering on his feet.

Throughout the years, there have been many changes. The name has changed, ownership has changed and the track has undergone a few makeovers.

In 1969 the banked turns were increased up to 36 degrees, the track size was enlarged to .533 miles and in 1992, they switched to a concrete surface. Today the seating capacity is approximately 160,000. The current Sprint Cup qualifying record is 128.709 mph and was set by Ryan Newman on March 21, 2003.

There has however been one constant. Bristol Motor Speedway is short track racing at its best. The drivers love it and the fans can’t get enough.

Dale Earnhardt got his first Cup win at Bristol in 1979. Other first time winners include Rusty Wallace, Ernie Irvan, Elliot Sadler and Kurt Busch.

The 2011 Sprint Cup season has already seen five first time winners. Will we add another name to the list at Bristol Motor Speedway?

Anticipation is building for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Irwin Tools Night Race at Bristol this Saturday as drivers try to snare a spot in the Chase.

Kyle Busch has already clinched at least a Wild Card slot in the Chase with his win at Michigan. He is also a favorite to win this weekend. He swept all three series last August and has 11 wins at Bristol, including five in the Cup Series. Those five wins tie him with Jeff Gordon and Kurt Busch, for most among active drivers.

Darrell Waltrip currently holds the record for most driver wins with 12 (7 consecutively).

We could also be looking at a little rivalry between the Busch brothers. Kyle’s win at Michigan was his 23^rd Sprint Cup victory which mirrors brother Kurt’s 23 total wins.

Brad Keselowski is another one to watch at Bristol Saturday night.

Only a month ago he was 23^rd in points and didn’t appear to have any chance of making the Chase. Three weeks ago, he broke his ankle and everyone counted him out. But then the unthinkable happened. Instead of giving up, he used the injury as motivation and has rebounded to 12^th in the points standings.

His win at Pocono plus a second place finish at Watkins Glen and a third place finish at Michigan have moved him up to only 52 points outside the top ten.

For all the Chase contenders, the number to remember this weekend is 97. Any driver leaving Bristol with a 97 point lead over 11^th place will guarantee themselves a spot in the Chase. All of the top eight drivers can mathematically reach this goal.

On the Wild Card front, Brad Keselowski and Denny Hamlin have laid claim to the top two spots. Keselowski has two wins and Hamlin has one victory. Hamlin scores the second spot because of points position.

Paul Menard in 18^th place and David Ragan in 20^th, each have one win and are still in the running for a wild card slot. Marcos Ambrose and Regan Smith each have victories, but currently sit outside the top 20.

Bristol is also the final race for drivers to become eligible for the Sprint Summer Showdown. The Bristol winner will join Paul Menard, Brad Keselowski, Marcos Ambrose and Kyle Busch, who have all secured a spot. If one of these eligible drivers wins at Atlanta, they will claim a million dollar payout. The driver’s charity and one fan will also receive a million dollars.

It’s getting crunch time in the ‘Race to the Chase’ and Bristol Motor Speedway promises to deliver a night of excitement. You never know what will happen but one thing is certain. You don’t want to miss it.

August 25, 2011
David Ragan Has Every Intention of Being NASCAR’s Next Cinderella Story

From Trevor Bayne’s win of the Daytona 500 to Regan Smith’s win last weekend at Darlington, Cinderella stories have been all the rage in NASCAR.

[media-credit name=”Barry Albert” align=”alignright” width=”279″][/media-credit]One driver who is ready to put on the glass slipper in Victory Lane is David Ragan, driver of the No. 6 UPS Ford for Roush Fenway Racing. In fact, Ragan is indeed planning to be that next big underdog winner.

“Absolutely, I will be the next Cinderella story,” Ragan said. “I feel like we’re in a position to win a race. And if we can get a little more consistent, I think we have a team that can make the Chase.”

“From our practice and qualifying efforts, our races and our pit stops, everything is a couple of notches better than what it was even in the year when we finished 13th in the points,” Ragan continued. “I feel like any weekend we go, we’ve got the attitude to win the race.”

While Ragan may have the winning attitude for that Cinderella finish, he acknowledged that the upcoming race at Dover International Speedway will be a challenge. In fact, he has one word for the track affectionately known as the Monster Mile and that is “breathtaking.”

“You almost have to hold your breath all the way around,” Ragan said. “Even on the straight-aways, you still have to drive the car so you’re holding your breath most of the way around.”

Ragan also affirmed that Dover, in addition to earning the nickname ‘Monster Mile’ has also earned its stripes as ‘Bristol on Steroids.’

“If you took Bristol by your hands and stretched it out, you’d have Dover,” Ragan said. “You get a lot of speed and a lot of banking so ‘Bristol on Steroids’ is a good way to describe it.”

“It’s real intimidating the first time you get there,” Ragan continued. “But once you get the hang of it, you actually look forward to it.”

“You go into the corner and it feels like you fall down a story or two and as you get back on the throttle, you’re driving out of the corner,” Ragan said. “It’s a very cool sensation and when you have a fast car, it makes it even more fun.”

In spite of the monster challenges at Dover, Ragan takes solace in the fact that his team, Roush Fenway Racing, has a history of running well there.

“Clearly that’s a track that Roush cars are good at,” Ragan said. “So even in down years, we’ve been good there.”

“The concrete doesn’t change,” Ragan continued. “Dover stays pretty much the same so we’ve got a good set up we can work with, which makes life a lot easier.”

“We haven’t had the finish that we deserved,” Ragan said of his own Dover history. “We’ve had some crazy things happen there, from very bad pit stops under green to being caught up in a wreck or two.”

In addition to hoping for better Dover luck, Ragan and team are also bringing a brand new chassis, Primary RK-759, to the FedEx 400 benefiting Autism Speaks race.

“So, far having a brand new car has been very good,” Ragan said. “Our pole winning car at Texas was a brand new car. Our top five car at Richmond was a brand new car. The Daytona 500 car was a new car.”

“So, that’s a testament to how good our new cars are,” Ragan continued. “That gives me some extra confidence that we’re taking the best car we can take to the track.”

Last fall’s Dover race was also the first pairing of driver Ragan with crew chief Drew Blickensderfer.

“This is the first track where Drew and I got to work together, so we’re going back to a track that we’ve run at before,” Ragan said. “That’s shown to have been better for us, going back to Texas and Martinsville where we’ve run at before last year and scored top tens.”

“We have a great relationship,” Ragan continued about his crew chief pairing with Blickensderfer. “We’re both pretty young and we’re not afraid to venture out and be aggressive and try some different things on the race cars.”

“Drew and I are both very hungry so we know we are capable of winning and want to make it happen,” Ragan said. “So, we definitely have high hopes this weekend.”

One thing that Ragan wants to avoid happening this weekend is to get caught up in any of the ‘boys have it’ shenanigans that have occurred over the past two race weekends.

“I don’t know if you’ll have the same couple of characters that we’ve had the past few weeks, but Dover is an exciting track and there’s not a lot of give and take there,” Ragan said. “Accidents do happen so I would say that you probably have a good chance of having a little more fireworks this weekend.”

“I haven’t gotten into it with anyone but there’s always the next week,” Ragan said with a chuckle. “We’re just trying to stay focused on our plan and stay out of all that. But if something comes up, we’ll be ready.”

But what David Ragan is most ready for is that first, and to date elusive win, which for him would complete his dream of a Cinderella race weekend.

“Your first win is always special and at a track like Dover, it would be very special to get a win,” Ragan said.

“Regan Smith proved that if you’re in a position to win, it can happen,” Ragan continued. “If we put ourselves in the top five or top ten, anything can happen.”

“I can tell you one thing, there won’t be anybody trying any harder this weekend.”

May 12, 2011
David Ragan: Record Setter, Shriner and Driver in Search of a Good Finish

Driver of the No. 6 UPS Ford for Roush Fenway Racing David Ragan is a man of many talents, from setting a world record to pursuing the status of Mason and supporting the Shriners Hospitals for Children.

[media-credit name=”Barry Albert” align=”alignright” width=”291″][/media-credit]But most of all, Ragan is a driver in search of a good finish, one that seems to be so elusive early in his 2011 NASCAR Cup season. Yet in spite of that, he is managing to not only keep the faith, but keep it all in perspective.

Two weeks ago after the race at Bristol Motor Speedway, Ragan had the distinction of breaking a world record on the very track on which he had competed in the Cup Series. Ragan scored the fastest lap for a passenger car around the world’s fastest half-mile race track.

Behind the wheel of a Ford Mustang GT 5.0, Ragan scored the fastest time ever at 19.481 seconds, with a speed of 98.497 mph.

“I drove the production Mustang and we broke the world half mile speed record,” Ragan said. “It was pretty cool.”

In addition to being a world record setter, Ragan has also devoted himself to supporting the causes of the Shriners, especially the Shriners Hospitals for Children. Ragan has supported this as his charity of choice since 2008.

Ragan took time out of his hectic schedule prior to the racing at Auto Club Speedway this past weekend to visit the Shriners Hospital for Children in Los Angeles. Ragan toured the facility and also had plenty of time to interact with some of the children recuperating at the hospital.

“Anytime we get to visit a hospital, that’s cool,” Ragan said. “We get to meet a lot of the patients and the families and the whole staff. It’s neat to show them our support.”

“Some of the kids had bandages or prosthetic arms,” Ragan shared. “Just to spend a little bit of time with them was awesome.”

Ragan also has his sights set on becoming a Shriner himself. He has currently completed the first degree of Masonry.

“My uncle is a Shriner and we are close friends with many Shriners,” Ragan said. “The Shriners have just stood out, especially with their treatment of kids for free of charge. It’s just a really good group of people who are passionate about what they do.”

Most of all, however, David Ragan is in search of a good finish to a race in this 2011 season. It all started at the first race of the season, the Daytona 500, where Ragan was black-flagged for changing lanes before crossing the start/finish line during a second green, white, checkered finish.

After serving the stop and go penalty, Ragan restarted 15^th and could only rally his car to finish 14^th.

At the second race in Phoenix, Ragan again had a fast race car, with the third fastest time in practice and qualifying 11^th. The driver first got caught up in a wreck and, after recovering from that, blew a tire and hit the wall, ending his day with a 36^th place finish.

At the season’s third race at Vegas, Ragan was once again fast in practice, in fact second fastest. When it came time to qualify, however, Ragan spun on his time trial run, relegating him to start the race from the rear of the field.

Ragan battled a loose race car throughout, ending the race in the 22^nd position.

Ragan qualified fifth for the next race at Bristol Motor Speedway. Believing that this was finally a track where he could rebound, the driver was definitely looking forward to a decent finish.

Alas, it was not to be yet again. Tire troubles plagued all of the teams at Bristol, including Ragan’s, who struggled mightily on the new tires.

The UPS Ford team finished the competition at ‘Thunder Valley’ in the 16^th spot.

This weekend, buoyed by his visit to the Shriners Hospital for Children, Ragan was ready to take on the big, wide track at Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, California. Ragan had a great qualifying run, scoring sixth in the time trials.

Ragan also won final practice and looked to be poised for that elusive good finish. His team kept tuning on his car, yet it kept vacillating between too tight and too loose conditions.

“We just made adjustment after adjustment and never could make it right,” Ragan said. “There at the long part of the race when we had some clean traffic, we were trying to tighten the car up because it was too free.”

“Then when we got into traffic during those last few restarts with all the dirty air, our UPS Ford just got too tight,” Ragan continued. “You know, me and Drew (Blickensderfer) and our team engineer have just got to sit down and take a look at the adjustments we made and see where we can make it better.”

“I think we had an opportunity to finish better than we did.”

David Ragan, record setter, Shriner and driver in search of a good finish plans to take his quest next to the short track in Martinsville. Yet he is still managing to stay upbeat, keeping it all in perspective, especially after his visit to the Shriners Hospital.

“We often think our lives are hard and we have a lot of pressure on us to win races or to make up points, but then you see an eight year old girl who was in a fire and half of her body is burned and she doesn’t have an arm,” Ragan said. “And yet she is there and she is recovering.”

“That puts things in perspective.”

March 29, 2011
NASCAR Top-10 Power Rankings: Bristol

Note: The quotes in this article are fictional.

1. Carl Edwards: After Kyle Busch took the lead on the final pit stop, Edwards chased the No. 18 M&M’s Toyota over the final 45 laps at Bristol, nearing the lead on occasion but never overtaking Busch. Despite pulling close enough to implement the tried-and-true “bump and run” ploy, Edwards, in the No. 99 Roush Fenway Ford, settled for second, then made it clear that he still “owes” Busch one.

“That’s right,” Edwards said. “Kyle wrecked me in Phoenix, and although it was unintentional and Kyle apologized immediately, I made it known to Kyle that I still retain the right to exact payback. I gave him something to worry about. As my primary sponsor for the race, Scott’s EZ Seed, would suggest, I ‘planted’ a seed.”

As you may have heard, Gilbert Gottfried was fired from his duties as voice of the Aflac duck for some insensitive remarks he posted on Twitter. I heard Kyle, the Keselowski clan, Kevin Harvick, and many of my other rivals got a little excited when they heard that I lost my ‘voice.’”

3. Kyle Busch: Busch was strong all day, leading 153 of 500 laps, including the final 45, to conquer Bristol again, a day after claiming the Nationwide Scotts EZ Seed 300 on Saturday. Busch has now won the last five NASCAR races at Bristol, including the last two Sprint Cup races there. He vaulted eight places in the point standings to sixth, 17 behind older brother Kurt.

“The word ‘sweep’ has become synonymous with ‘Kyle Busch,’” Busch said. “You can call me ‘The Broom,’ but only under one condition: that you call Carl Edwards ‘The Dustpan,’ because he ate my dust.”

I understand Edwards ‘owes’ me something. I assume that would be ‘congratulations.’ Maybe Carl should act more and think less when he has a chance to bump me out of the way for a win. I drive with a simple motto in mind: ‘It’s better to owe apologies than to owe congratulations.’”

3. Kurt Busch: Busch finished seventh in the Jeff Byrd 500 at Bristol, posting his fourth top-10 finish in as many races this season. Busch took over sole possession of the Sprint Cup point standings, and now leads Carl Edwards by one point.

“Between my brother Kyle and I,” Busch said, “we have 10 wins at Bristol Motor Speedway. Sure, we face our share of criticism, which is called getting ‘Busch-flacked,’ but we dominate at BMS, and that’s a ‘Busch-fact.’ Edwards should have taken Kyle out when he had the chance. I can promise you that if it would have been me in that situation, Kyle would have been in the wall. As it was, nothing happened. The race itself was a lot like Kyle’s televised wedding on the Style Channel: uneventful.”

4. Jimmie Johnson: Johnson led a race-high 164 laps at Bristol, but finished third behind Kyle Busch and Carl Edwards, who battled for the lead before Kusch pulled away for a comfortable win. Johnson hoped that contact between the two rivals would open the door for the No. 48 Lowe’s Chevrolet to slip by for the win. As it was, Edwards raced clean, only to regret not racing Busch harder.

“Carl should have seized his opportunity while Kyle was right in front of him,” Johnson said. “Apparently, Carl took Kyle’s Yosemite Sam ‘Back Off!’ mud flaps a bit too literally. Come November, his failure to act may very well be the difference in finishing second or third in the Chase.”

Frankly, I’m amazed at all the talk about a so-called ‘feud’ between Kyle and Carl. It may be the first feud in NASCAR history initiated by a driver not wrecking another. I was content to cruise in third and watch the action, or lack of it, unfold in front of me. It reminded me a lot of trailing Denny Hamlin last year, in which I sat back and watched him unravel in front of me.”

5. Paul Menard: Menard continued his surprising start to the season, working his way to a fifth-place finish at Bristol and again leading the charge for Richard Childress Racing. Menard moved up one spot in the point standings to fifth, only 14 out of first.

“If you asked ten people on the street,” said Menard, “if they know who Paul Menard is, I’m guessing five would say ‘no.’ Of those five, three would be teammates of mine at RCR. But I don’t mind my lack of recognition and fame. Despite my obscurity, I’ve become one of the most feared drivers on the NASCAR circuit. In fact, some have taken to calling me the ‘Anonymity-ville Horror.’”

6. Tony Stewart: Stewart damaged the front end of the No. 14 Office Depot Chevrolet when he rear-ended Stewart-Haas teammate Ryan Newman, as Stewart tried to avoid the spinning No. 47 of Bobby Labonte. The damage incurred only worsened persistent handling problems, and Stewart eventually finished 19^th, the last car on the lead lap.

“Ryan and I both needed repairs after that collision,” Stewart said. “I guess that’s what you call ‘teamwork.’ What can I say, though? There was nowhere I could go. My view was obscured by smoke. ‘View obscured by ‘Smoke?’ That’s a refrain that the chubby version of Tony Stewart heard quite often when he sat in the front row at drivers’ meetings.”

But times have changed. I’ve slimmed down, gas prices are up, the ‘new’ Kyle Busch is in, and Carl Edwards chickened ‘out.’”

7. Ryan Newman: Newman finished 10^th at Bristol, posting his third top-10 result of the year, and improving two spots to third in the Sprint Cup point standings. Newman, along with teammate Tony Stewart, trails Kurt Busch by 12 points.

“It was a solid day for us,” Newman said, “and third in the point standings puts us right in the thick of things. I can’t complain, and I won’t complain, otherwise, people may take to calling me ‘Knock-it Man’ instead of ‘Rocketman,’ which obviously doesn’t apply since I don’t win anything anymore.”

They don’t call Bristol Motor Speedway the ‘Bull Ring’ for nothing. That became even more evident when they announced the attendance for Sunday’s race, and everyone in the sparsely populated complex uttered a collective ‘Bull!’”

8. Dale Earnhardt, Jr.: Earnhardt finished 11^th in the Jeff Byrd 500, just missing his third top-10 finish of the year. He advanced two places in the points standing to crack the Top 10 in ninth, where he trails Kurt Busch by 26.

“Not only does Junior Nation have a buzz,” Earnhardt said. “Junior Nation is abuzz. Thankfully, most members of the Nation are optimists, which means they see a glass as half-full, which inevitably means they’ll soon make it all empty.”

“Now, the sales of Dale Earnhardt, Jr. merchandise are booming as always. And we’re hoping that fans will also flock to buy merchandise bearing the likeness of Danica Patrick, who drives for me for JR Motorsports. One particular item is sure to be a hot seller. It’s a pair of ladies underwear balled up and shrink-wrapped in No. 7 GoDaddy.com packaging. We’re calling it ‘Danica Patrick’s Panties In A Wad.’”

9. Kevin Harvick: Harvick drove the No. 29 Budweiser Chevy to his second top-10 result of the year, leading 37 laps and finishing sixth, right behind Richard Childress Racing teammate Paul Menard in fifth.

“After such a lackluster start to the season,” Harvick said, “it’s satisfying to finally post a finish worthy of my sponsor, Budweiser. It’s great to be associated with the Budweiser brand and its mascots, such as the Clydesdales and the Dalmation, which, up until Bristol, have both been considered faster than my No. 29 Chevrolet.”

10. Juan Montoya: A promising day at Bristol was derailed near the halfway point at Bristol when a loose right-front wheel forced Montoya to pit on lap 247. The No. 42 Target Impala dropped two laps down, and Montoya struggled to a 24^th-place finish, three laps down.

“A loose wheel for a loose cannon,” Montoya said. “I was three laps down and even I considered taking Kyle Busch out of the lead. Of course, it wouldn’t have been for the lead, but it would have made good Target practice for the next time. What gives, Carl Edwards? Of all times, this was one when ‘Thunder Valley’ actually needed some ‘thunder.’ As it turned out, Carl was ‘all talk;’ the race was ‘no action.’”

March 22, 2011
Surprising and Not Surprising: Jeff Byrd 500 at Bristol

From remembering one of race fans’ best friends to the beating and banging on the track, racing at Bristol Motor Speedway is always one of the favorite destinations on the NASCAR circuit. Here is what is surprising and not surprising for this weekend’s Jeff Byrd 500.Barry Albert

Surprising: One of the biggest surprises happened before Billy Ray Cyrus sang the National Anthem and Jeff Byrd’s family gave the command to start the engines in his memory. NASCAR and Goodyear had to make a command decision, replacing the tires for the race.

Unfortunately, the original tires did not rubber up the track and in fact disintegrated instead. So, new tires were quickly ordered up from North Carolina and delivered just in time for practice and the race, necessitating a competition caution at Lap 50.

Not Surprising: In spite of the booing from the crowd when his signature song “Rowdy Busch” was played during driver introductions, it was not surprising at all to see the broom in the hand of winner Kyle Busch at race end. This was Busch’s fifth win in a row at Bristol and he swept both the Nationwide and Cup races for the weekend.

Busch dedicated his 20^th victory in NASCAR Sprint Cup competition to Toyota and all affected by the recent earthquake in Japan. The driver of the No. 18 M&Ms Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota also made history, tying driver Speedy Thompson for 33^rd on the career victories list.

“This M&Ms Camry was awesome today,” Busch said. “Also, our thoughts and prayers go to the Toyota folks and all those in Japan.”

“You’ve got to be patient and sometimes you’ve got to go for it,” Busch continued. “Our guys won this race in the pits coming out first on that last stop.”

Surprising: Paul Menard continues to lead the charge for Richard Childress Racing, in spite of being the ‘new kid on the block.’ The driver of the bright yellow No. 27 CertainTeed/Menards Chevrolet even took the lead at Bristol at lap 20, positioning himself at the front for the first time in his career at Bristol.

Menard finished fifth in the race, also advancing his position in the point standings to fifth.

“I had a fast race car all weekend,” Menard said. “What’s cool is we’ve been to four different race tracks and we’ve had strong runs at all four. We’re just having a lot of fun right now.”

Not Surprising: It was not surprising that if Carl Edwards was not celebrating a win with a back flip, he was sitting right there yet again in the runner up position. Behind the wheel of his No. 99 Scotts EZSeed Ford, Edwards admitted that he simply could not catch his Phoenix rival Kyle Busch.

“It was exciting,” Edwards said. “I thought I could get to him at the end and rough him up a little bit and maybe get by him, but his car took off.”

“It was a good race at Bristol,” Edwards continued. “Kyle did a good job. Our team did a good job. We’ve got to thank all the fans and we appreciate them coming out and supporting us.”

Surprising: Matt Kenseth actually had a great run at Bristol and was even somewhat effusive, particularly for the usually dry driver of the No. 17 Crown Royal Black Ford. Kenseth finished fourth in the race and jumped to 13^th in the point standings.

“We had a lot of fun out there racing today and got lucky and got the right lane on the restarts a few times,” Kenseth said. “It took all day but we finally were able to make some adjustments that had the Crown Royal Black Fusion pretty decent.”

Not Surprising: To no one’s amazement, it does indeed seem that five time champ Jimmie Johnson has figured out Bristol Motor Speedway. And it was certainly not surprising to see the driver of the No. 48 Lowe’s/Kobalt Tools Chevrolet lead laps and get a great finish out of ‘Thunder Valley’.

While Johnson first had to overcome the driver introduction song picked out for him by Brian Vickers, the “Thong Song” of all things, the reigning champion recovered his dignity with a third place finish. Johnson also jumped five spots in the points, currently sitting in the seventh spot.

“Oddly enough, clean air is important here and that was kind of it,” Johnson said. “It came down to that last pit stop and we didn’t get out of the pits first. So, it was the rest of us racing for second, third and fourth.”

Surprising: It was a bit surprising to see two drivers, Trevor Bayne and Jeff Gordon, both winners in the young 2011 season, struggle so mightily at Bristol Motor Speedway. After starting in the seventh spot, Gordon just could not get comfortable in his No. 24 Pepsi Max Chevrolet, finally bringing it home in the 14^th spot.

Trevor Bayne, one of Gordon’s biggest fans and the Daytona 500 winner, had a miserable day at his home track. Bayne was involved in the wreck that brought out the first caution flag of the day and never recovered, finishing 34^th in his Wood Brothers Chevrolet.

Not Surprising: NASCAR’s favorite driver, Dale Earnhardt, Jr. just keeps rolling along. In spite of a speeding penalty and with the encouragement of his ever optimistic crew chief Steve Letarte, Junior bounced back to finish 11^th, just missing out on his third top-10 finish in a row.

The NASCAR circuit will now trek back across the country to Fontana, California. Drivers will compete in the Auto Club 400 at Auto Club Speedway on Sunday, March 27^th, with the broadcasts set for 3:00 PM ET on FOX and MRN.

March 21, 2011
Let’s Count the Reasons Bristol’s Attendance Was So Poor

[media-credit name=”Barry Albert” align=”alignright” width=”294″][/media-credit]Many were shocked as the Nationwide Series race approached at Bristol Motor Speedway. Why? No one I talked to could ever remember there being that many empty seats as the race began. It got worse on Sunday as the Sprint Cup drivers were entering their cars to go racing. Empty seats were everywhere and huge chunks of the stands sat empty. The “official” estimate was 120,000, but common sense told most people that it was closer to 90,000 fans in the stands. That had to be disappointing for the track and the drivers, but what was the reason? Is it the economy, the reconfiguration of the track, or the price of gasoline? It’s probably all of the above plus something else.

Yes, the economy, though improving, is doing so slowly. Yes, people miss the old Bristol track where excitement happened on every lap. That doesn’t happen anymore unless you’re a racing purist, and let’s face it. Most fans, especially in the numbers that NASCAR attracted in the last three decades, are not racing purists. They want to see action, as in beating and banging. It just didn’t happen much, especially in the Sprint Cup race. And yes, the price of gasoline on the trip down ranged anywhere from $3.75 – $3.45 per gallon. But that’s less than the prices of a few years ago.

I think in addition to the reasons mentioned earlier, it’s also the hype and what the economy has done to corporate sponsorship. Someone who might know told me this weekend that corporate sponsors usually took over 20% of the tickets (about 32,000) to give away to employees, customers, salespeople, and friends. That’s not happening these days. Another reason is the constant advertising on what a knock-down, drag-out race the Jeff Byrd 500 was going to be. Ever since the track was resurfaced, it hasn’t been that kind of race. It reminds most fans of a smaller Charlotte Motor Speedway. Giving the drivers another lane to race in was a popular idea…with the drivers, NASCAR and the media. It’s not so great with a lot of the fans who loyally came to Bristol in huge numbers for years to see beating and banging, but there’s another angle that is confusing.

It doesn’t cost anything (except maybe your cable bill) to watch the race on television. Folks stayed away on Sunday. Several theories have been brought forth, and they go anywhere from the sunny day, the beginning of spring (both of which could lead to outside activities), and even the fact that Kyle Busch dominates races at Bristol these days. Whatever the reason, viewership was down 7% in early reporting. That’s a bunch for what many call “The Bristol Race.” Maybe by August, the economy will improve, gas prices will drop, and drivers will start using the “chrome horn” again because they can. Maybe corporate sponsorship will return, but I doubt they’ll be changing the track back to what it was before progressive banking was installed in the high-banked turns. The new Bristol is different, and we might as well get used to it. Besides, this Bristol is much better than no Bristol at all!

BITS AND PIECES

Strange as this may sound, there was lots of action at Bristol this weekend, but most of it was not during the race (which is an unfair assessment—there was some good racing in both the Nationwide and Cup Series races).

Goodyear decided the tire they brought to Bristol was simply not going to work, so they did something that was both heralded as brilliant and stupid in one stroke. After all the teams had practiced and qualified on the new tire, Goodyear decided to use the right sides from last year, essentially negating all the practice times teams had logged in. Since the tire company had to mount a lot of tires, teams were only given one set to use in practice on Saturday. The result threw several teams for a loop. Pole-sitter Carl Edwards didn’t find the right setup until the last 50 laps of Sunday’s race, and he finished second. Kudos should go to Goodyear, however, for correcting what might have been a bad situation if tire failures continued.

Jennifer Jo Cobb didn’t start Saturday’s Nationwide Series race after a disagreement with her car owner. Both sides disagree on what happened, so we’ll leave it at that. Car owner Rick Russell said that starting and parking was in the plans all along. Cobb said that she first heard about it 10 minutes before the race. The result was Cobb refused to drive the car, saying that she had a commitment to her sponsors, NASCAR, and her fans to not start and park. Watching the drama as the race started with Cobb’s shiny red Mustang parked in the infield at the start of the front stretch pits was drama at its best. Apparently Cobb no longer drives for Russell’s team. Stay tuned.

Finally, in on-track news, Brad Keselowski got the ire of Jeff Gordon on Sunday. Keselowski had problems early in the race that took him out of contention. He got back on the track and was trying to have a good finish. Jeff Gordon had fallen back from his top-10 starting position, but was at the edge of the top 10 when trying to pass Keselowski, who was three laps down. Then, while Gordon was attempting his pass, Keselowski “door-slammed” Gordon, making his march to front short-lived. “I’ll just tell Brad that the next time I’m three laps down, and he’s on the lead lap, just expect the same out of me, you know?,” Gordon said. Keselowski finished 18th, and Gordon finished 14th.

March 21, 2011
Kyle Busch Victorious Again at Bristol

[media-credit id=5 align=”alignright” width=”300″][/media-credit]
Busch celebrates Bristol NNS win
The last time NASCAR was at the Bristol Motor Speedway, back in August of 2010, it was the Kyle Busch show as he swept all three top series races in the same weekend. The spring race at Bristol does not include a Truck series event, so the Nationwide race is the first event. Could this win could be the start of another sweep?

Following Busch across the line was Kasey Kahne, Dale Earnhardt Jr, Elliott Sadler (the highest finishing series regular) and Joey Logano in fifth. Rounding out the top 10 were, Kevin Harvick, Carl Edwards, Jason Leffler, Brad Keselowski and Aric Almirola.

The 29th annual Scott’s EZ Seed 300 proved to be another event- filled race after what looked to be a smooth start. Other than a competition caution ordered by NASCAR on lap 25 to change to the new tires provided by Goodyear Saturday morning, the race remained green for 68 laps. It was lap 68 when Robert Richardson Jr. made contact with the outside wall in turn three. The damage to Richardson’s No. 23 car resulted in lots of fluid across the track which Trevor Bayne found and it forced him into the outside wall. That spelled trouble for his day, as he finished 3 laps down in 19th place.

The beginning of the race was not without it’s own drama as Jennifer Jo Cobb refused to start the race after being ordered by car owner Rick Russell to ‘start and park’ the car. The car eventually started and parked after 4 laps, but not before the race had reached the 100 lap marker, with the third announced driver for the car.

The third caution for the day came on lap 183 as reigning Series Champion, Brad Keselowski cut a tire and made contact with the wall in turn 3. The last 100 laps of the race would bring out five more cautions, slowing the pace of the race. The fourth caution came on lap 201 as Aric Almirola spun the 388 car down the front stretch, while just 8 laps later the No. 05 of Willie Allen would crash on the front stretch. Lap 236 saw Bayne and Michael Annett wrecking in turn 2 while on lap 249, Danica Patrick would run into the left rear fender of Ryan Truex. Although Truex would keep control of his car and drive safely away, Patrick went into a spin and collected the outside wall ending her day with a 33rd place finish.

The win was Busch’s second of 2011 and his third top 10 finish this year. He also lead the most laps with 268, which set an all time record for the Series with 10,045 laps led. This is also Busch’s 45th win in the NASCAR Nationwide Series.

Heading to California, Jason Leffler leads the series 2 point ahead of Ricky Stenhouse Jr, with Justin Allgaier, Reed Sorenson and Aric Almirola rounding out the top 5 in points.

March 19, 2011
Kenny Wallace Is A Changed Man

It may be early in the 2011 season, but one Nationwide driver, NASCAR personality and broadcaster, Kenny Wallace, is already a changed man.

[media-credit name=”theautochannel.com” align=”alignright” width=”300″][/media-credit]Now that Wallace has found a home at RAB Racing, he has changed his racing performance from running in the back in previous years to having two consecutive top ten finishes, as well as sitting eighth in the point standings.

“I’m a changed person,” Wallace said. “I came across a quote this winter and it really inspired me. The quote is ‘Your life won’t change until you change your life.’

“The point is this,” Wallace continued. “I found myself in some tough circumstances over the last three years and I kept blaming it on not getting a sponsor. And so I just took a leap of faith and quit the team I was with and after I ran so good in my brother Rusty’s Toyota last year, it inspired me.”

“So, we worked really hard and at the same time, Robby Benton and RAB Racing called me up and we put a deal together,” Wallace said. “It feels really good to work hard and have some results.”

Wallace is also looking forward to a change in attitude, as well as results, as he heads into the Scotts EZ Speed 300 at Bristol Motor Speedway this weekend. He will be behind the wheel of the RAB Racing No. 09 UNOH Toyota Camry.

“I know what I’ve got to do there,” Wallace said. “I know the feeling I need in the car. So, I’m still focused on laying down some good finishes.”

“And at the end of the race, if I’m in position to win, then we’re going to try to win,” Wallace continued. “But right now, I’m going to Bristol to race the race track.”

Wallace has had success at the “World’s Fastest Half Mile”. Out of his 33 Nationwide Series starts at Bristol, Wallace has a win, a pole, eight top-5 finishes and 18 top-10 finishes to his credit.

While Wallace is looking forward to changing it up at Bristol, he recently announced another big change. The infamous ‘fan car’ is returning to the Wallace stable and will be raced at the Charlotte Motor Speedway on October 14th.

“The fan car came out of the blue there in 2009,” Wallace said. “When we announced that we didn’t have a sponsor in Montreal, it was the fans’ idea that they sponsor the car.”

“The fans loved it,” Wallace continued. “It was their car.”

“Things went really well and they’ve been wanting me to do another one,” Wallace said. “I on purpose didn’t do it last year because I didn’t want to wear it out. So, we’re going to do it again this year.”

Fans can go to www.kennywallace.com and for $20, get their name on the car, a post card sent to them at home, and an invitation to Wallace’s shop on Wednesday, October 12th for a meet-and-greet prior to the race weekend. Wallace’s sponsor will supply the refreshments and the event will afford all fans the opportunity to see their car in advance of it being on the race track.

The whole fan car development has also changed the way that Wallace interacts and relates to his fans. He is now one of the strongest believers in the power of the social media, from Facebook to Twitter.

“I have my own unique conversations with the fans, especially on Twitter,” Wallace said. “It’s a lot of fun.”

“What’s funny about social networking is that it’s been around for awhile but it has really gotten big,” Wallace continued. “It’s no longer child’s play.”

“People conduct conversation and everybody is realizing that Twitter is here to stay,” Wallace said. “It’s a form of communication that is fun for people to know more and get the truth out.”

While much has changed in the world of the ‘Herminator’ as he is known to many of his fans, there are several constants that Wallace never wants to change. One of those is his love of his family and the other is his passion for dirt track racing.

Wallace literally lights up when he talks about his wife Kim and their three grown daughters, Brooke, Brandy and Brittany. Daughter Brooke is a dental hygienist, Brandy is a cosmetologist, and Brittany is a student at Johnson and Wales for fashion merchandising.

“I had a good childhood growing up and I was a ‘mama’s boy’ so I always said that if I ever had any kids, I’m going to give them a lot of love just like my mom gave me,” Wallace said. “My mom say’s I’m an ‘old soul’ so I want to make sure my kids are tough, that they know they’ve got support and love, but they also know Mom and Dad’s got their back.”

Wallace’s other constant is his passion for dirt track racing. When he’s not behind the wheel of his Nationwide car or behind the microphone for SPEED, he is most likely happily racing on a dirt track somewhere throughout the country.

“I love driving race cars,” Wallace said. “The reason I drive the dirt cars is because I got one employee, my dirt car sponsor and there’s no stress there.”

“I simply just want to win,” Wallace said. “If I don’t do good in the car, it’s on me. It’s my chance to do what I want to do the way I want to do it just with me involved.”

No matter what changes in Wallace’s life, he wants fans to know one thing about him.

“I thinks fans are suprised because I’m so real,” Wallace said. “I’m just like them. There’s no prima donna for me.”

“My wife irons my clothes, I vacuum, I pay my own bills,” Wallace said. “I don’t like to act big time. I want to sit down with everybody and have a good time.”

And in spite of the other changes recently in his career, that is one thing that will never change in the life of Kenny Wallace.

March 17, 2011
On to Bristol – Will Progressive Banking Continue to Sideline NASCAR’s Best Race?

On Friday, I head to Bristol for the umpteenth time to watch short track racing at its best. I have attended every race at Bristol since 1996, and it is one of the greatest shows on the NASCAR circuit, second only to Martinsville, but it has changed over the years. The biggest change was when the changed the track in 2007 to progressive banking. This made the track, in many fans’ view, less exciting.

[media-credit name=”Barry Albert” align=”alignright” width=”264″][/media-credit]The fact was that the “old” track has just one lane around it and that resulted in what many longtime fans called “banging and beating” throughout the race. With passing being much easier, there are less racing accidents and less excitement for the fans. Those of us who are racing purists (or think we are, anyway), the extra passing was welcomed, but many fans were very upset. In fact one fan told me that prior to the reconfiguration of the track, he had no trouble getting rid of his two extra tickets. It seems that he had subscribed for four tickets in the 1980’s. Over time, his two children grew up and left home, but the two extra tickets could be sold easily because everyone wanted to go to Bristol. Not anymore. For the last eight races, he has not been able to sell his two extra tickets and has notified the track he only needs two from now on. Many blame the poor economy for this, but the evidence show maybe this is not the case.

No doubt, the economy is a factor, but the racing is part of the problem. Don’t get me wrong, I still love Bristol and all it is to the NASCAR nation, but it is obviously not the same. The question that needs to be asked is why to the powers that be feel a need to change something that is working so well? We’ve seen it at other places, and sometimes it’s successful. It’s not been successful at Bristol. As I write, tickets are still available at BMS. Stubhub.com is still filled with tickets for sale just 4 days before the race. Is it the economy or the racing? You fans have to answer that question.

I see the campgrounds with the empty spaces. I see the empty seats and I wonder. Maybe it’s the drivers. Where once Dale Earnhardt “rattled the cage” of Terry Labonte, we’ve seen races that are more like the other races at other venues. No longer does anyone dominate like a Dale Earnhardt, Darrell Waltrip or Caleb Yarborough, but is the racing worse? That’s up to you, the fan, to decide. So what is you’re your reason for not attending?

No matter what happens, progressive banking or not, I would not miss a race at Bristol. The sleepy little town is one of the friendliest places to watch a NASCAR race. Regardless of what happens, this place is one of the jewels of the circuit. It would be a shame for maybe the greatest place to watch a race to be less than capacity on Sunday, I have faith that folks will fill that stadium. And, if not, the conversation will continue. My hope is fans will fill that bowl for Sunday’s race because regardless of the changes, it still is one of the two places to watch a race. I’ll be there, will you?

March 17, 2011