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Alan Gustafson to call 700th Cup event as crew chief at Michigan

The upcoming FireKeepers Casino 400 at Michigan International Speedway is set to mark crew chief Alan Gustafson’s 24th NASCAR Cup Series event atop the No. 9 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 pit box of the 2024 season. It will also mark a significant milestone achievement for the 2020 NASCAR Cup Series championship-winning crew chief. By participating in this weekend’s Cup event at Michigan, Gustafson will call his 700th career race as a crew chief in NASCAR’s premier series.

A native of Ormond Beach, Florida, Gustafson was working on go-karts piloted by Casey Yunick, grandson of legendary car mechanic and designer Smokey Yunick, at eight years old. As a mechanic, he worked his way up to late models, legend cars and the Sports Cars Club of America region. After graduating from Seabreeze High School in Daytona Beach, Florida, Gustafson was pursuing a mechanical engineering degree at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University when he decided to relocate to Charlotte, North Carolina, and pursue a career in motorsports racing.

In 1996, Gustafson joined Gary Moore’s Goody’s Dash Series team as a crew chief for Jimmy Foster. A year later, he became a crew chief for Addington Racing’s NASCAR Truck Series before making the jump to the Xfinity Series to work as an engineer for Diamond Ridge Motorsports. Another two years later, Gustafson, who was working for Jimmy Foster, was recruited by former NASCAR championship-winning crew chief Gary DeHart to work in Hendrick Motorsports’ chassis department. By 2000, he was working as a full-time shock specialist for HMS’ No. 5 Chevrolet team piloted by two-time Cup champion Terry Labonte before being named lead engineer for the No. 5 team another two years later.

Entering the 2005 Cup season, Gustafson was named crew chief for the No. 5 Chevrolet team set to be piloted by Kyle Busch, who entered the season as a 2005 Cup rookie candidate. Throughout the 36-race schedule, Gustafson achieved his first two NASCAR victories as a crew chief, the first at Auto Club Speedway in September and the second at Phoenix Raceway in November with Busch. The duo went on to achieve a pole, nine top-five results and 13 top-10 results, with Busch claiming the 2005 Rookie-of-the-Year title despite finishing 20th in the final standings.

Over the next two seasons, Gustafson remained as crew chief for Busch and the No. 5 team in the Cup circuit, where Busch achieved one victory apiece, made the Playoffs during both seasons and achieved a fifth-place result in the final standings in 2007. By then, Gustafson surpassed 100 Cup starts as a crew chief.

In 2008, Gustafson remained as crew chief for HMS’ No. 5 Chevrolet team piloted by Casey Mears, the reigning Coca-Cola 600 winner, who replaced Busch as Busch joined Joe Gibbs Racing for the upcoming season. Throughout the 36-race schedule, Gustafson and Mears only achieved one top-five result and six top-10 results before finishing in 20th place in the final standings.

The 2009 Cup season was a competitive season for Gustafson, who was paired with veteran driver Mark Martin as Martin returned to full-time Cup competition for the first time since 2005 and as the successor of the No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet. It took the first eight scheduled races of the 2009 season for Gustafson to return to Victory Lane in the Cup circuit after Martin achieved a dominant win at Phoenix in April, which snapped Martin’s 97-race winless drought and a 74-race winless drought for Gustafson. The momentum continued for the driver, crew chief and the No. 5 team as they won at Darlington Raceway in May, Michigan International Speedway in June and Chicagoland Speedway in July. Martin and Gustafson then achieved a fifth victory of the season at New Hampshire Motor Speedway in September, which commenced the 2009 Cup Playoffs. They ended up as the championship runner-up to teammates Jimmie Johnson and Chad Knaus by 141 points. Nonetheless, they earned a total of five victories, seven poles, 14 top-five results and 21 top-10 results throughout the 36-race schedule.

Compared to the 2009 season, however, Martin and Gustafson were unable to pursue another shot at a championship in 2010 as they missed the Playoffs, went winless and only achieved a pole, seven top-five results and 11 top-10 results before finishing in 13th place in the final standings. By then, Gustafson surpassed 200 Cup starts as a crew chief.

For the 2011 season, Gustafson, who remained at HMS, transitioned from the No. 5 team to the No. 24 team as he was paired with four-time NASCAR Cup champion Jeff Gordon. Following a 28th-place run in the Daytona 500, Gustafson notched his first victory with Gordon at Phoenix in February, where Gordon rallied from an early wreck to dominate and fend off Kyle Busch to snap a 66-race winless drought. Gordon and Gustafson went on to achieve victories at Pocono Raceway in June and at Atlanta Motor Speedway in September along with a pole, 13 top-five results, 18 top-10 results and a spot in the 2011 Cup Playoffs before finishing in eighth place in the final standings.

From 2012 to 2013, Gordon, Gustafson and the No. 24 team achieved a total of three victories, four poles, 19 top-five results and 35 top-10 results, with a best points result of sixth place in 2013. Then in 2014, the duo recorded four victories throughout the 36-race schedule, including the Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway in July, which marked Gustafson’s first crown-jewel victory in NASCAR. Having earned three poles, 14 top-five results and 23 top-10 results along with the victories, Gordon and Gustafson were poised to contend for the title until a late run-in and brawl with Brad Keselowski ended their hopes for a championship prior to the finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway in November, thus relegating them back to sixth place in the final standings. By then, Gustafson surpassed 300 starts in the Cup Series.

In 2015, which marked Gordon’s 23rd and final full-time season as a NASCAR competitor, Gordon and Gustafson commenced the season by winning the pole position for the 57th running of the Daytona 500. They then rallied from a bumpy regular-season stretch to make the Playoffs and earn a spot in the Championship Round at Homestead following a sentimental victory at Martinsville Speedway in November, with Gordon earning one final opportunity to win his fifth title. During the finale, however, Gordon settled in sixth place on the track and third place in the final standings. Along with the Martinsville victory, Gordon and Gustafson achieved four poles, five top-five results and 21 top-10 results.

Following Gordon’s retirement, Gustafson remained as crew chief for HMS’ No. 24 Chevrolet team piloted by Chase Elliott, the 2014 Xfinity Series champion and the successor of the No. 24 entry. In their first run together, Elliott secured the pole position for the upcoming Daytona 500, thus becoming the youngest competitor to win the pole for the 500. Elliott, however, finished 37th after being involved in an early accident. Despite the slow start, Elliott and Gustafson managed to record two poles, 10 top-five results and 17 top-10 results. While they qualified for the 2016 Cup Playoffs, the duo were eliminated from title contention following the Round of 12 and went on to finish in 10th place in the final standings. By the end of the season, Elliott captured the 2016 Cup Rookie of the Year title. In addition, Gustafson surpassed 400 Cup starts as a crew chief.

In 2017, Gustafson commenced the season by making history as he became the first crew chief since Ernie Elliott to achieve three consecutive Daytona 500 poles, with Chase Elliott zooming to his second consecutive 500 pole. After winning the first of two Can-Am Duel events at Daytona, Elliott and Gustafson were in striking position of winning the 500 until Elliott fell back to 14th after running out of fuel with two laps remaining. Despite several opportunities presented for Elliott, Gustafson and the No. 24 team to win, they endured a second winless season. Nonetheless, they earned 12 top-five results, 21 top-10 results and a Playoff spot before being eliminated from title contention prior to the finale and ending up in fifth place in the final standings. During the season, Gustafson was suspended for the Cup Playoff event at New Hampshire in September stemming from an L1-level post-race penalty report during the previous event at Chicagoland Speedway.

Gustafson remained as crew chief for HMS and Elliott in 2018, with Elliott piloting the No. 9 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 for the new season. During the season, Gustafson was suspended for two races (Bristol Motor Speedway and Richmond Raceway in April) stemming from an illegal rear window penalty report at Texas Motor Speedway the previous week. Nonetheless, Gustafson returned to Victory Lane in the Cup Series in nearly three seasons after Elliott achieved his first elusive Cup victory at Watkins Glen International in August. Earning a one-way ticket to the Playoffs, Elliott and Gustafson won at Dover International Speedway and at Kansas Speedway in October before finishing in sixth place in the final standings. By then, Gustafson surpassed 500 Cup career starts as a crew chief.

After a winless start through the first nine events of the 2019 season, Elliott and Gustafson achieved their first victory of the year at Talladega Superspeedway in April. They went on to win at Watkins Glen in August and at the Charlotte Motor Speedway Roval in September before making the Playoffs and settling in 10th place in the final standings.

The 2020 Cup season was a season to remember for Gustafson, who commenced the season with two victories with Elliott throughout the 26-race regular-season stretch amid the COVID-19 pandemic. During the Playoffs, Elliott went on to win at the Charlotte Roval in October and at Martinsville Speedway in November, which earned Elliott, Gustafson and the No. 9 Chevrolet team a spot in the Championship Round finale at Phoenix Raceway. During the finale, Elliott rallied from starting at the rear of the field to lead a race-high 153 of 312 and capture the 2020 NASCAR Cup Series championship along with the finale victory. The championship was a first for Gustafson in his 16th season as a crew chief along with the first for Elliott and the 13th overall for Hendrick Motorsports.

Commencing the 2021 season as the reigning champions, Gustafson and Elliott recorded their first elusive victory of the season during the series’ inaugural, rain-shortened event at Circuit of the Americas in May. They went on to win at Road America in July and record 15 top-10 results during the 26-race regular-season stretch amid Gustafson being suspended for Watkins Glen in August due to the No. 9 entry failing pre-race inspection twice before qualifying for the 2021 Cup Playoffs. With four top-10 results during nine Playoff events, Gustafson and Elliott were able to transfer all the way from the Round of 16 to the Championship 4 and receive an opportunity to defend their series title. During the finale at Phoenix, however, Elliott finished fifth on the track and ended up in fourth place in the final standings. By then, Gustafson had surpassed 600 events as a Cup crew chief.

In 2022, Gustafson and Elliott achieved their first victory of the season at Dover in May. They went on to win at Nashville Superspeedway in June, Atlanta Motor Speedway and Pocono Raceway in July before securing their seventh consecutive berth to the Playoffs. Throughout the Playoffs, the duo rallied from a rough start in the Rounds of 16 and 12 by winning at Talladega in October and transferring to the Round of 8. They were also able to accumulate enough points to transfer to the Championship 4 round for a third consecutive season. Their aim for a second Cup title, however, came to an end when Elliott was involved in a late-race incident with title rival Ross Chastain and ended 28th on the track. This, in turn, kept him in fourth place in the final standings for a second consecutive season.

The 2023 season was a difficult season for both Gustafson and Elliott that started with the duo finishing 38th in the 65th running of the Daytona 500 after being involved in a multi-car wreck in the closing laps of the second stage. Despite rallying during the following weekend at Auto Club Speedway by finishing second to Kyle Busch, Elliott was then absent for the following Cup event at Las Vegas Motor Speedway after injuring his leg while snowboarding in Colorado. With Elliott absent, JR Motorsports’ Xfinity Series competitor Josh Berry and sportscar racer Jordan Taylor piloted the No. 9 HMS entry over the next six races. Then in March, all four Hendrick Motorsports crew chiefs, including Gustafson, were issued a four-race suspension and a combined $400,000 fine as a result of NASCAR confiscating and noting issues to the hood louvers on all four HMS entries during the Phoenix weekend. The organization was also docked 100 owner points and 10 Playoff points between the four entries, but following an appeal process during the final week of March, the points were reinstated while the fines and suspensions remained intact. With Gustafson serving his four-race suspension, lead engineer Tom Gray filled in as an interim crew chief for the No. 9 HMS entry.

After returning atop the No. 9 pit box along with Elliott at Martinsville in April, Gustafson navigated the No. 9 team to nine top-10 results for the final 18 regular-season events. The results, however, were not enough for Elliott, who was suspended from racing at World Wide Technology Raceway due to intentionally wrecking Denny Hamlin during the previous event at Charlotte during the 18-race stretch, to garner enough points to make the 2023 Cup Series Playoffs, which marked the first time the duo did not make the postseason bid for the title since being paired together. With five recorded top-10 results throughout the 10-race Playoff stretch, Gustafson and Elliott concluded the 2023 season in 17th place in the final standings.

Striving for redemption, Gustafson and Elliott commenced the 2024 campaign with three top-10 results and six top-15 results through eight scheduled events. Then at Texas in April, the duo snapped a one-year winless drought and returned to Victory Lane after Elliott survived two overtime shootouts to claim the victory under caution and guarantee himself and the No. 9 team a spot into the Playoffs. Since the Texas victory, the No. 9 team recorded eight top-10 results over a 14-race span and they currently sit in third place in this year’s regular-season standings while trailing the points lead by six points.

Through 699 previous Cup events, Gustafson has achieved one championship, 39 victories, 34 poles, 201 top-five results and 349 top-10 results while working with seven different competitors.

Alan Gustafson is scheduled to call his 700th Cup Series event as a crew chief this upcoming Sunday, August 18, at Michigan International Speedway for the FireKeepers Casino 400. The event’s broadcast time is scheduled to commence at 2:30 p.m. ET on USA Network.

August 13, 2024
Bowman taken out in early wreck

CONCORD, N.C. — A great qualifying effort for Alex Bowman turned bad early in the going in the Queen City.

The driver of the No. 88 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet, substituting for the injured Dale Earnhardt Jr., posted the fastest lap in the second round of qualifying before posting a time fast enough to start second. He was also running either second or third for the first 60 laps.

On the 62nd circuit, however, Bowman suffered a right-front tire blowout going into turn 3 and slammed into the outside wall. He also collected Casey Mears in the process and brought out the second caution of the race.

After being released from the infield care center, he was asked what happened.

“Blew a tire I guess,” Bowman said. It’s really unfortunate. I hate it for these Axalta guys. Everybody at Hendrick Motorsports worked so hard. They brought a great race car here, brand new and destroyed it. Really unfortunate, but it’s not anybody’s fault. We didn’t hit anything we just must have run over something.

He was told that his tire looked like it was going down. When asked why, he said he “didn’t hit anything and it’s nobody’s fault. We just must have run something over. It’s unfortunate and I hate it for all the guys. Everyone at Hendrick Motorsports brought a great car to the race track. Again, it’s unfortunate and we are going to try and get back out there and salvage some spots.”

When asked what he saw, Mears said he didn’t know what happened to the 88.

“I just was going into the corner and I saw him come up all of a sudden,” he said. “I don’t know. It’s too bad he didn’t put us out of our misery there. We were having a rough start of it. We were just kind of hanging on and actually those guys were going by us. They either blew a right-front (tire) or had something come loose or something and came up into us.”

Both drivers left Charlotte. occupying the bottom two spots in the finishing order, with Mears taking the 40th spot.

October 10, 2016
The Final Word – 2016’s NASCAR Contenders, Pretenders, and Participants

Starting in ten days, just about every week the engines will roar to life and 43 cars will take the green flag. However, we all know that not all race drivers and teams are created equal. A half dozen will come from the part-time ranks, and only a couple of dozen will have any kind of hope of even challenging for a win. To put it in culinary terms, you have your steak, your hamburger and, to fill out the field, your hamburger helper. Here is a look at who is who on the menu, with the Daytona 500 less than two weeks away.

TIER I – THE CONTENDERS

Few can question that the 2016 champion could well come out of the top tier of drivers. In fact, half of them already know what it is like to claim the crown.

2 – Brad Keselowski
4 – Kevin Harvick
11 – Denny Hamlin
18 – Kyle Busch
19 – Carl Edwards
20 – Matt Kenseth
22 – Joey Logano
31 – Ryan Newman
41 – Kurt Busch
48 – Jimmie Johnson
78 – Martin Truex, Jr.
88 – Dale Earnhardt, Jr.

The odds might favor Kyle Busch repeating in what we hope, this time, will be a healthy full campaign though Harvick had the best season from start to finish. Well, almost to the finish. Johnson has already claimed the trophy six times, and seems to always be in contention even in those years he falls short. If one was going to pick a potential winner, race in and race out, chances are the favorites would come from this list.

TIER II – THE PRETENDERS

There are those you expect to have a good shot at being victorious every week, and then there are those who, if they did, probably would not come as all that much of a shock, either. In fact, I would expect at least four of these drivers to make it into the Chase, where a pretender could get hot and become a true contender themselves if things fall into place at the right time.

1 – Jamie McMurray
3 – Austin Dillon
5 – Kasey Kahne
6 – Trevor Bayne
13 – Casey Mears
15 – Clint Bowyer
16 – Greg Biffle
24 – Chase Elliott
27 – Paul Menard
42 – Kyle Larson
43 – Aric Almirola
47 – A.J. Allmendinger

In this case, a pretender is one with tons of talent, one with a good chance of claiming a Top Ten, but just not a driver you expect taking the checkered flag on a regular basis. I have always liked McMurray, but he just doesn’t seem to be able to clear that final hurdle. Biffle should be rated higher and in previous years he no doubt would have been, but Roush Fenway has not been an outfit on the rise. Kahne has the ability, but not the results in recent seasons. Dillon and Larson are touted as future stars, and just maybe this is the year they meet expectations. Elliott has things to prove, and a lot of eyes with be watching Jeff Gordon’s former ride to see if the rookie can break out in his rookie campaign.

TIER III – THE PARTICIPANTS

43 cars hit the track each event, with some having pretty good odds of finishing high in the running order when things are said and done. Some others are not as fortunate.

7 – Regan Smith
10 – Danica Patrick
14 – Tony Stewart
17 – Ricky Stenhouse, Jr.
21 – Ryan Blaney
23 – David Ragan
32 – Jeffery Earnhardt
34 – Chris Buescher
38 – Landon Cassill
44 – Brian Scott
46 – Michael Annett
83 – Matt DiBenedetto
95 – Michael McDowell

Stewart is on the mend, again, and could be out for quite a spell at the beginning of his final season. Some tend to believe we won’t see him for months as he recovers from his recent back injury. If only Patrick could emerge as the next Jamie McMurray that would be something, but thus far cracking the Top Twenty has been a struggle every week. There is nothing I would like more than to see someone from this group emerge as a pleasant surprise, but they are going to have to prove it for me to believe it. Sure, Stewart could mend enough to rise by the end of the year and Patrick could finally cash in on all of those resources to take it to the next level, but my money would be on Blaney and the Wood Brothers as they return to running a full schedule.

February 8, 2016
Hot 20 – Gordon is a favorite to win at Martinsville, Truex and Kurt not so much

The truth, sometimes it is a tough thing to nail down. Sometimes not. Truth is, Jeff Gordon should do well at Martinsville. In the past five events there, the retiring four-time NASCAR champ has a win and four Top Tens. Over the past dozen years, a span of 25 races, Gordon has failed to claim a Top Ten only three times. He finished 20th in the fall of 2010, 14th in the spring of 2012, and finished 12th in the fall of 2014. That leaves 22 Top Tens, 18 Top Fives, and five victories. You just cannot do better than that. The stats do not lie, and after taking ninth this spring, Gordon still has it. That is the truth.

Sometimes, the truth is a little tougher to ascertain. A couple of years ago, a mysterious spin combined with a baffling call to the pits that briefly allowed a teammate to make the Chase caused controversy. Did Clint Bowyer intentionally spin his car? Bowyer denied it and Sprint Cup Series director John Darby is quoted as saying after the race that “I don’t think anybody realistically believes that was the case with the 15 car.” That tune changed quickly, as the truth appeared to be much more conspiratorial than NASCAR first thought. It cost Martin Truex Jr. a Chase position and his job, and he did nothing wrong. It cost Bowyer some credibility, it cost the team a major sponsor, $300,000 in fines and it possibly caused the eventual demise of Michael Waltrip Racing.

Last weekend, did Kevin Harvick, with a car that was barely running, that was barely in the Chase, deliberately spin out Trevor Bayne to save his season at the cost of Denny Hamlin and Dale Earnhardt Jr.? No, says NASCAR. So, we have to accept that Harvick was telling the truth. I mean, not everyone lies to us in order to get out of a sticky situation.

“I got out of the way, and I never even saw (Bayne) until he was by me.”
Kevin Harvick 2015

“I did not use performance enhancing substances as alleged in the notice of discipline…”
Alex Rodriguez 2014

“I had so much wheel, by the time I got to the gas, he was underneath me. I spun out.”
Clint Bowyer 2013

“I take these charges very seriously, and look forward to clearing my good name,”
Michael Vick 2007

“I’m not going to be the Alabama coach.”
Nick Saban 2006

“I have never had a single positive doping test, and I do not take performance-enhancing drugs.”
Lance Armstrong 2004 (among others)

“I did not have sexual relations with that woman”
Bill Clinton 1998

Sure, some may have misled us in the past, but would Kevin Harvick? Nah.

Here are our Hot 20 over the past five events at Martinsville.

1. JEFF GORDON – 5.4 AvFin – (1 WIN, 3 T5, 4 T10)
Has averaged a Top Seven finish going back 45 races and 23 seasons. Expect good things.

2. MATT KENSETH – 6.4 – (0-2-4)
No pot of gold at the end of this rainbow, but should he come across Logano along the way…

3. CLINT BOWYER – 6.8 – (0-2-4)
Author of “The Secrets of My Success.” Harvick has a copy.

4. DENNY HAMLIN – 8.8 – (1-1-3)
You can take that damn roof hatch and…

5. JOEY LOGANO – 9.8 – (0-3-3)
Mr. Three-in-a-Row has never won at Martinsville, but his last three have been Top Fives.

6. KYLE BUSCH – 11.2 – (0-1-1)
Does not believe Gordon can win it all. Next we will hear how he does not like kittens.

7. KEVIN HARVICK – 13.4 – (0-0-3)
If Karma is on duty this weekend…

8. GREG BIFFLE – 13.6 – (0-0-2)
MWR refugee Brian Pattie to be his crew chief next season.

9. DALE EARNHARDT JR. – 14.4 – (1-2-3)
Best 21 finishes at Martinsville boasts a 6.3 average; his worst 10 finishes…27.7

10. TONY STEWART – 14.5 – (0-1-1)
What is probably no longer equates into what was.

11. JIMMIE JOHNSON – 15.0 – (1-3-3)
Used to own this place, but outside the Top 30 his last two attempts.

12. CARL EDWARDS – 15.4
Expected Harvick to get penalized after Talladega. He probably even expects a Top Ten Sunday.

13. BRAD KESELOWSKI – 16.2 – (0-2-3)
While his 2014 visits were a write-off, he was the runner-up last spring.

14. ARIC ALMIROLA – 16.2 – (0-0-1)
Raised in Daytona. I wonder where he got the racing bug?

15. JAMIE MCMURRAY – 17.0 – (0-0-3)
Looked decent last week, at least until he turned all smoky.

16. PAUL MENARD – 17.6 – (0-0-1)
Best non-Chaser last week, but Martinsville is really not his kind of place.

17. DANICA PATRICK – 20.4 – (0-0-1)
Never thought you would see her name on this list again this season, did you?

18. KASEY KAHNE – 20.8 – (0-1-1)
Best thing about Martinsville will be the trip home.

19. KURT BUSCH – 21.2 – (1-1-1)
Won in the spring last year, but has been outside the top dozen 16 of his past 17 starts here.

20. CASEY MEARS – 22.6
Had a pair of Top Tens at Martinsville in 2008. None since.

22. MARTIN TRUEX JR. – 24.2 – (0-0-1)
Was sixth in the spring. That ought to count for something.

October 28, 2015
Hot 20 – Logano’s Talladega experience might be better suited by being sponsored by Target

How is it that rather intelligent people can make the dumbest statements? Brian France, the Grand Poobah of NASCAR, has come out with “I thought that Joey Logano made a very smart decision in what he did,” which was to intentionally spin out Matt Kenseth at Kansas with five laps to go. Instead of Kenseth winning and getting the free pass, he is in the weeds needing a win at Talladega while Logano claimed his second straight win. That was a very smart decision?

A lot of what one thinks of the move has to do with whether you like Logano, or cannot stand him, along with one’s thoughts regarding Kenseth. There are a number of ways to describe what took place, such as “Joey was forced to move him to get by” or “Matt was trying to block and Logano held his line” or “It was just a racing deal.” Anything but it “was a very smart decision.”

What France just did was ensure that Logano becomes a high-speed pinata come Talladega. He already has two wins, more than enough to guarantee himself a spot in the next round no matter what takes place on Sunday. So, for instance, a driver sees that he has no hope of making it, why not “smart decision” Logano’s ass into the wall along the way to make him pay? I am not saying that Kenseth is the type of guy who would seek out revenge, but if he were….

Going into this weekend’s race, Kenseth needs a win. So does Dale Earnhardt Jr., unless a big wreck in the opening laps takes out at least four of the top eight in the Chase. The rest, with the exception of Logano, need to survive. The threat of a pileup at any time at Talladega is very real, as 10 or 20 cars could be taken out at any moment until the checkered flag waves.

Our Hot 20 over the opening five Chase races, heading to Talladega on Sunday, include…

1. JOEY LOGANO – 209 Points (2 Wins)
Sorry, officer, but I was just making a smart decision when I caused that wreck.

2. DENNY HAMLIN – 198 (1 Win)
About as safe as anyone other than Logano, but at Talladega that might not mean much.

3. CARL EDWARDS – 188
Needs to survive this weekend and find a way to thrive at Martinsville.

4. MARTIN TRUEX JR. – 171
Could have had a more comfortable margin if not for one damn bouncing tire in the pits.

5. JEFF GORDON – 171
Junior is not the only active driver with six wins at Talladega. Just thought I’d mention it.

6. KURT BUSCH – 171
Ten straight inside the Top Twenty, half of them Top Tens.

7. BRAD KESELOWSKI – 168
Five races, five finishes between eighth and 16th. Not much flash, but very consistent.

8. RYAN NEWMAN – 161
Top Tens might not be enough when everyone else who matters is doing the same.

9. MATT KENSETH – 160 (1 Win)
Charlotte disaster and Kansas disappointment have forced him to go for it all on Sunday.

10. RICKY STENHOUSE, JR. – 155
Surprise! His worst finish since Richmond is 13th, which he has done three times.

11. JAMIE MCMURRAY – 154
Not championship caliber, but at least fans again know who he is.

12. KYLE BUSCH – 151
November 13, 2005. The only time Kyle has won over the final 10 events of any season.

13. KEVIN HARVICK – 147 (1 Win)
A gas and go with the gas can cost him last week, but the format allows him to forget Chicago.

14. GREG BIFFLE – 142
Considering how this season has gone, I think he will accept this as a moral victory.

15. KYLE LARSON – 139
Not bad, but with three times out of the Top Fifteen, it sure is not great.

16. KASEY KAHNE – 134
At least no one can say he is the worst Hendrick driver during the Chase.

17. DALE EARNHARDT JR. – 131
Just in case you were wondering why he also has to win at Talladega.

18. ARIC ALMIROLA – 128
Amongst the Top 11 in five of the past seven, yet still ranked way down here.

19. JIMMIE JOHNSON – 122
Is the season over yet?

20. CASEY MEARS – 118
Where is Bowyer? Where is Menard?

October 21, 2015
Hot 20 – Indianapolis, It is no Wetaskiwin, but it will do

I am just another foreigner. Sure, I’ve been to Daytona. I spent Christmas a couple of years ago on a beach near Malibu. I have been in the Empire State Building, walked the boardwalk in Atlantic City, toured Gettysburg, been to Independence Hall in Philadelphia, and drove the strip in Las Vegas. I have walked the Little Bighorn Battlefield more than once, seen Devil’s Tower and visited Mount Rushmore. I have watched the Red Sox play in Seattle, and I believe the scenery in Wyoming is second to none. I’ve been there, but I do not live there.

I am reminded of that fact as I write this. You see, the big dirt race at Eldora Speedway was slated for this week. Sadly, as a Canadian, that American-based program was not be broadcast on this side of the border, or any truck race for that matter. All was not lost. TSN, our version of ESPN, was slated to run a NASCAR event the same night. It was the Canadian Tire series, from Wetaskiwin, Alberta. A race run nearly two weeks ago and won by 43-year old Scott Steckly from Milverton, Ontario. It was his second win in the six races run to date and he leads the season standings. You might not care. You might not even be Canadian. You might have been stuck having to watch that dirt race broadcast on live television from Iowa. Oh, well, such are the trials and tribulations of being American, I guess.

This Sunday, NASCAR is back on my television, but not from Wetaskiwin, a place where I understand cars cost less than in, say, Edmonton. No, this Sunday the event is something called the Brickyard 400, from a place called Indianapolis. You might have heard of it.

In the meantime, as a Canadian, please allow me to politely submit this week’s Hot 20…

1. JIMMIE JOHNSON – 4 WINS (646 Points)
He and Chad are free agents at the end of the season. Could anyone tempt them?

2. KEVIN HARVICK – 2 WINS (734 Points)
Disaster struck in the pits…so the best he could do was third. Third. Oh, the humanity!

3. DALE EARNHARDT JR. – 2 WINS (655 Points)
Junior was hot last week. Okay, more like p.o.’d, to use the vernacular.

4. KURT BUSCH – 2 WINS (576 Points)
The forgotten Busch? Little brothers can be so attention getting.

5. JOEY LOGANO – 1 WIN (665 Points)
It is so good to be a Penske guy right now.

6. MARTIN TRUEX JR. – 1 WIN (628 Points)
Some guys got the breaks in New Hampshire, other guys were named Truex.

7. BRAD KESELOWSKI – 1 WIN (603 Points)
Best damn driver in recent weeks not named Kyle Busch.

8. MATT KENSETH – 1 WIN (578 Points)
It is a good thing they do not hand out demerits for speeding…on pit road.

9. DENNY HAMLIN – 1 WIN (552 Points)
Hamlin wins Saturday, upsets Austin, but why in hell were either racing in the minor league?

10. CARL EDWARDS – 1 WIN (487 Points)
The big difference between Clint and Carl is a single checkered flag.

11. JAMIE MCMURRAY – 574 POINTS
Jamie had a lousy day. Still, Bowyer’s was even worse.

12. JEFF GORDON – 573 POINTS
Five Indianapolis wins, including just one year ago. Why not six?

13. KASEY KAHNE – 538 POINTS
Presently a Chase contender, but best title comes in October…a new dad.

14. RYAN NEWMAN – 530 POINTS
Eleventh at New Hampshire means some breathing room heading to Indianapolis.

15. PAUL MENARD – 528 POINTS
Fail inspection once, you get a letter. If it happens again this week, they get penalized.

16. ARIC ALMIROLA – 502 POINTS
Thanks, Clint!

17. CLINT BOWYER – 500 POINTS
Failed inspection, runs into Gordon outside the garage, then car fades to irrelevance in the race.

18. GREG BIFFLE – 437 POINTS
If NASCAR had the same rules as MLB, Biffle should demand to be traded by the deadline.

19. AUSTIN DILLON – 434 POINTS
Has an idea as to where he would love to shove the XFINITY checkered flag after last Saturday.

20. CASEY MEARS – 427 POINTS
#13 proves to be a good number as Casey signs up for another season with Germain Racing.

July 22, 2015
Hot 20 – Sunday is the time to make a little magic on the mile in New Hampshire

You’ve got your Monster Mile in Dover and you’ve got your Hot Mile in Phoenix, but they are seeking to work a little magic on the mile in Loudon, New Hampshire. Kyle the Magnificent hopes he can continue pulling out of his hat the kind of results that have seen him win two of the last three events. Busch remains the hot story, but he will need to make up the 87 points between him and the 30th ranked Cole Whitt for his victories to launch him from 35th upwards into a spot on this list.

Eleven drivers have wins, 10 of whom sit in Chase places, and none of them needs more bubbly just yet though none would turn down the chance for a post-race soaking. No matter what, those 10, along with both Jamie McMurray and Jeff Gordon, will keep their Chase positions in hand when they leave Loudon. A win would be nice, but not critical for any of them.

The odds favor Busch making up his point deficit, maybe even as much as 20 of that coming this weekend alone. If he can accomplish that over the next eight events, that would leave only five Chase spots available for non-winners. You have to figure at least one or two others will claim their first checkered flag of the campaign between now and Richmond. Kyle Larson has yet to win a Cup race, but in two career Loudon starts he has claimed a second and a third place result. That first victory could come Sunday. If he or another of the winless amongst them can do the trick, the number of Chase spots available based on points alone could be reduced to four.

Sunday will be an important one for Kyle and all those sitting beyond 12th in the standings. It would be a very good time for one of them to make a little magic.

The Hot 20 heading to New Hampshire include…

1. JIMMIE JOHNSON – 4 WINS (624 Points)
New rules package should give Chad something to play with.

2. KEVIN HARVICK – 2 WINS (692 Points)
His son gets a go-cart. His wife gets jewelry. Sounds like a win-win-lose situation to me.

3. DALE EARNHARDT JR. – 2 WINS (616 Points)
Four car operations can be fun…as long as they are owned by Rick Hendrick.

4. KURT BUSCH – 2 WINS (542 Points)
If Stewart-Haas was just a two-car outfit like Penske, this would be a hell of a great season.

5. JOEY LOGANO – 1 WIN (624 Points)
Sees nothing wrong in having just one team-mate.

6. MARTIN TRUEX JR. – 1 WIN (596 Points)
What is a team-mate?

7. BRAD KESELOWSKI – 1 WIN (559 Points)
A great Kentucky weekend with an XFINITY victory and sixth place finish in Cup.

8. MATT KENSETH – 1 WIN (540 Points)
Only the fourth best Gibbs driver last week…and he finished fifth!

9. DENNY HAMLIN – 1 WIN (522 Points)
Eighteen starts at Loudon, 11 Top Tens, two wins. It might be another good day for Joe Gibbs.

10. CARL EDWARDS – 1 WIN (449 Points)
Fourth at Kentucky sure beats 40th and 41st the previous two weeks.

11. JAMIE MCMURRAY – 556 POINTS
He won’t win in New Hampshire, but history tells us he could finish anywhere else.

12. JEFF GORDON – 537 POINTS
Sure, Jeff is leaving after the season, but why is no one lamenting the loss of Josh Wise?

13. KASEY KAHNE – 513 POINTS
If Jeff and Kasey are having disappointing seasons, at least 30 others would love to suck this badly.

14. PAUL MENARD – 509 POINTS
Best ever Loudon finish is 12th. A Top 20 would even represent a moral victory.

15. RYAN NEWMAN – 497 POINTS
That tire penalty back in March still looms…but how large depends on who wins the next eight.

16. CLINT BOWYER – 490 POINTS
I recently read that Bowyer is “stuck in the middle of a miserable season.” Ask Tony if he agrees.

17. ARIC ALMIROLA – 473 POINTS
Might be easier for Kyle to make up 87 points on Cole Whitt than for Aric to peg 17 on Bowyer.

18. GREG BIFFLE – 420 POINTS
Hopes a scripted NASCAR tv series might mean he gets to re-write his season.

19. KYLE LARSON – 404 POINTS
He is fast but, with an average finish of 20th, he sure is not making it last.

20. CASEY MEARS – 399 POINTS
As Johnny Cash prophetically sang, “Danica’s gone, one more round, Danica’s gone.”

July 15, 2015
Surprising and Not Surprising: Daytona Coke Zero 400

With drivers wishing their teams good morning due to the night race that went into the wee hours of the next morning, here is what else was surprising and not surprising from the Coke Zero 400 on the July 4th, 2015 holiday weekend.

Surprising: In spite of flying through the air, hitting the catch fence, rebounding back on the track, getting hit again and coming out of it all with a bruised tailbone and a bruise on his forearm, Austin Dillon was still able to keep his sense of humor. The driver of the No. 3 Bass Pro Shops Chevrolet tweeted “What a friend lol” in response to Tim Dugger’s tweet “To all the ladies out there He’s fine. He ain’t gonna be such a romantic buckaroo for a while, but he’ll be fine.”

And even after that jaw-dropping, horrifying crash, Dillon was able to pull off a top-10 finish, taking the checkered flag in the seventh spot.

Not Surprising: With Chevrolets, many of them Hendrick-powered, dominating seven of the top-10 finishing positions at Daytona, there was one Toyota driver who was just happy to be in the mix.

“Our FedEx Ground Camry and battled with the best of them,” Denny Hamlin said after finishing third. “Those Hendrick guys, not only are their cars fast, but they’re good drivers and they work well together. It’s hard to break through with them.”

“You can get help from those guys every now and then, but they do a good job of sticking together and their cars are so fast and you can’t clear them at the right times. I was just happy to kind of be in the mix of them there late in the going. Worked well with all those guys at one point or another and still a decent day for us.”

Surprising: In spite of a disappointing season to date, as well as having to go to a backup car for the race, Trevor Bayne did the Ford and Roush Fenway Racing teams proud, finding his restrictor plate magic once again to finish in the ninth position.

“Our AdvoCare Ford was really fast tonight,” Bayne said after the race. “Despite getting into the wall avoiding that wreck off of Turn 4 our car ran really well, especially past halfway. We were able to get up front and run inside the top three with everyone and show that we belonged up there.”

“We’re happy to come home ninth despite getting collected in that wreck at the line. I definitely needed that AdvoCare spark tonight. I want to thank my whole team though for their work this weekend, especially since we had to go to a backup car after Friday. Now it’s on to Kentucky.”

Not Surprising: At least the fans who noshed to keep themselves awake during the race were not alone.

“Yeah, for sure when you’re under caution, you can feel the weight of the day kind of on you, on your eyes,” Jimmie Johnson, who finished runner-up, said after the race. “And then just sitting around waiting for it, there was a whole feeling, I think, throughout the industry that about 8:00, 8:30 the deal was over, so mentally I started shutting down and thinking, okay, I’m staying the night, what am I doing, trying to coordinate family things, and then all of a sudden it’s drying and the dryers are on the track.

Being in the sport as long as I have, you learn how to turn it off and turn it on,” the driver of the No. 48 Lowe’s Patriotic Chevrolet said. “I did overeat, so I haven’t figured that part out. It’s hard to sit out there for so many hours and not eat too much, but everything else went pretty well.”

Surprising: Jeff Gordon was racing his last Daytona race and ended up with his best finish there in quite some time, taking the checkered flag in the sixth position, yet he still is glad to put it in his rear view mirror and thankful that there is just one plate race left for him to survive.

Oh, my gosh chaos it was crazy,” the driver of the No. 24 Axalta Chevrolet said. “I’m so glad Austin Dillon is okay. That was a crazy one. You knew it was going to be crazy. Right from the start I thought it was a wild race. A lot of action and crazy stuff going on.”

“We were pushing like crazy, just wide open. It is literally like a video game out there these days, except for it’s real life. It’s crazy. It’s really crazy.”

“I love Daytona. This place has been amazing for me. I can’t believe this is my final race here, but after going through that experience I’m glad I only have one more restrictor plate race left.”

Not Surprising: Clint Bowyer, who finished tenth, had a front row seat for the big wreck at the end and in ‘Bowyeresque’ style described it all as only he can.

“He (Austin Dillon) went over me,” the driver of the No. 15 5-Hour Energy Toyota said. “I went under him and thank God the seas kind of opened a little bit. It’s just Daytona — it’s wild. I got up there and got in position.”

“The 3 (Austin Dillon) I think checked up. I don’t know the reason why but I was right behind Austin – they checked and he was already shooting up and I hit him and it just went right over the top of me and that was scary.”

“I haven’t seen the whole wreck but I damn sure lived it through the windshield there for a second. This is entertainment. It’s certainly dangerous as hell, but its part of the sport.”

“Our old hot rod wasn’t quite what it needed to be, but it was a decent day.”

Surprising: Carl Edwards went for broke but, unfortunately, ended up pretty broken. The driver of the No. 19 Subway Toyota for Joe Gibbs Racing was involved in two separate accidents that led to his 41^st place finish.

“We went for it in this race and basically wrecked twice,” Edwards said. “The second one, I thought I had it saved a couple times and it just wasn’t meant to be. That’s just this style of racing.”

“For us, this was just a checkers or wreckers type of race and we were going to go for it.
Not Surprising: Restrictor plate tracks are often the great equalizers so it was not surprising to see some names not usually at the top of the leaderboard have good finishes. For example, Casey Mears finished 11^th and Landon Cassill finished a strong 13^th.

“The car was pretty fast,” Mears, driver of the No. 13 Geico Chevrolet said. “We were able to get to the front pretty quickly when it was time to go. There at the end we were sitting in a really good position. I was behind the No. 41 (Kurt Busch) pushing him pretty good. We had kind of talked.”

“I thought the No. 31 (Ryan Newman) might go with me. I went up a little high and he didn’t go, but that happens it is the way these races go. I think after all the carnage and everything that happened it would have been nice to be inside the top 10 or a little closer, but it’s a good day. A lot of guys had bad days here.”

“It was unbelievable,” Cassill, behind the wheel of the No. 40 Snap Fitness Chevrolet, said. “It’s just really tight racing. I’m just so proud of my Hillman Racing team. My Snap Fitness Chevy, we are so fast on these superspeedways and we can run up front and we have proven it.”

“I’m proud of our finish. These guys are just going to have to build another car and we will go to Talladega and be even faster.”

Surprising: Team Penske had a disappointing showing at Daytona, with Joey Logano finishing 22^nd and Brad Keselowski finishing 29^th.

“There isn’t much good to say about what happened here tonight,” Logano said after the race. “It is a product of the racing here. We got caught in the first crash which was way unfortunate after sitting around all day. We were five laps down and battled back to the lead lap, so that is something to be proud of but we couldn’t do much once we got there.”

Not Surprising: Brian Scott summed it all up best with his two words when asked about what happened after crashing out and finishing 42^nd.

“Daytona happened,” Scott said simply. The field was coming up to pass a lap down car and it looked like the No. 42 (Kyle Larson) got loose going around it getting in the middle, which happens with these Sprint Cup cars. They are so aero sensitive on the side. Then from there it was Daytona.”

“They were wrecking. My spotter was doing a great job telling me where things were and it was one of those where we needed to gas up to get by cars that were sliding up. As soon as we got past those Carl (Edwards) came up and we ran into the back of him. It looked like he got jacked up on the windshield and then we were tore up.”

“Our car wasn’t going to run to the end. It sounded like it maybe caught fire for a second. But the bottom line is just a bad end to an already long weekend. Not the way we wanted to end with our Shore Lodge Chevy SS. I felt like we had a car that was capable of running up there in the top 10; top five early on. I felt like we could get back up there. Just trying to learn in the draft and be ready for the end, but the end came too soon.”

July 6, 2015
Finley Factor: Daytona Nights-The Ballad of Ricky Allen
Sunday night under the lights at Daytona will be both an ending and a beginning.

NBC will be covering its first Sprint Cup race since 2006 and I’m excited to see what they have after FOX kicked the season off with some of the worst coverage I’ve ever seen. Constant production mistakes, announcers giving false or misguided information, biased studio analysts, constant commercials, and a terrible pre-race “grid walk.”

The walk, in particular, ripped off from Will Buxton’s Formula One segments, is a constant embarrassment and has got to go next year. Instead of Buxton’s professionalism and talk of things relevant to the in-race action, FOX has Michael Waltrip run from car to car, breathing hard and making poor attempts at comedy. Quite possibly the lowest point of the entire NASCAR season has been Waltrip spilling a taco over Denny Hamlin’s race car.

To be completely honest, Waltrip is completely useless on the FOX broadcasts. Jeff Hammond is on hand and can provide just as good, if not better, analysis. Hammond also doesn’t have a bias like Waltrip does, which is always a negative when it comes to sports broadcasting. I don’t like it when analysts have a stake in the game/race they are talking about. It is just unfair to all other teams talked about during pre and post race coverage. I wasn’t thrilled when Brad Daugherty worked for ESPN while covering NASCAR but at the very least JTG Daugherty wasn’t really that relevant until the end of ESPN’s run.

So far, I like what NBC is doing. Nobody in the broadcast booth has called a Cup series race, but I’ve felt for years that Rick Allen’s call of the Truck Series has been the highlight of FOX’s coverage of the series. Jeff Burton did a great job covering XFINITY races for ESPN part-time while Steve Letarte has potential but needs some seasoning.

I even like the pre-race crew. Nobody really has a bias in today’s NASCAR. The closest would be Kyle Petty with Richard Petty Motorsports, but even then I don’t believe Kyle has a stake in the team. Dale Jarrett is better in the studio than he is in the booth while Krista Voda has been very good in her role as host for FOX’s Truck Series coverage for years.

The closest thing I have to a problem is with Rutledge Wood, who is only really bad when he has a show all to himself, Trackside, and is fine in small spurts.

There’s definitely talent in the NBC crew, but now let’s see how the actual coverage is. If anything, they should be better than FOX at the very least.

Sunday will mark the final start for Jeff Gordon at Daytona. Gordon holds six points victories at this track, including three Daytona 500’s, along with two Sprint Unlimited wins and five Budweiser Duel wins. Gordon, however, hasn’t won at Daytona since 2009 and hasn’t won a points race since 2005 when he won his third Daytona 500.

Although unconfirmed, it may also be the final Daytona race for Bobby Labonte in the No. 32 Ford for Go Green Racing. The 2000 Cup champion holds no points wins at Daytona, but has a single Duel win and finished second to Dale Earnhardt Sr. when he won the 1998 Daytona 500 in one of the most famous races in history.

Daytona Predictions

From now on I’ve decided to name two drivers for each category instead of just one. The reality is that most weekends there is no clear cut favorite/sleeper/dark horse, and with 43 teams in each race it’s hard to talk about only three teams.

Favorites

Dale Earnhardt Jr. has a better average finish than any other driver in the past 10 plate races at 10.5 and is tied with Jimmie Johnson in both wins and top-10s. Johnson has an average finish of 12.1 and one more top-five than Dale Earnhardt Jr. in those same races.

Sleepers

Although Clint Bowyer hasn’t won a plate race since joining Michael Waltrip Racing, the Kansas native is typically out front and center near the end of these races.

Dark horses

Casey Mears has been super impressive in plate races the last few years and he knows this is the last real shot the small Germain Racing team has at winning and making the Chase. It’s strange to call the defending race winner a dark horse, but that’s what Aric Almirola is this week. Although he hasn’t been too impressive in these races, the reality is that he was leading, not in the middle or a pit cycle or anything like that, when the race was called last year, and under the unpredictable Florida sky, anything can happen.

I try not to bring politics into any NASCAR writings, but this week I’m making an exception to that.

As most who are reading this have heard, NASCAR has come out against the public display of the Confederate Flag at races. Having been to Martinsville and Richmond, I can, in fact, confirm that many NASCAR fans believe the Civil War is still going on.

Many of these fans have complained about their first amendment rights being taken away by NASCAR, and constantly claim that the Confederate Flag has more than one meaning. They believe that they are in the right and NASCAR, for condemning the flag, is in the wrong.

Here are some basic facts about this issue that these people need to read:
1. A racetrack has the right to tell you not to fly any flag, just like how you have the right not to go to said racetrack.
2. NASCAR is not the government and thus cannot tell you not to fly a flag when not at their racetrack.
3. The Confederate Flag was the symbol of a traitorous non-country that helped to usher in the worst war in the history of the United States.
4. In said war, white men fought under said flag for their right to enslave African Americans. Even though some fought for other reasons, at the end of the day this was the principal reason for the Confederacy’s existence to begin with.
It simply doesn’t matter if the Confederate Flag stands for something else. The Swastika is and was a symbol for luck, eternity, and even God himself in most Asian cultures long before Hitler got his hands on it. Does that make it right to be flown in this country? No, but you have the right to fly it on private property, just like with the Confederate Flag.

Not to mention, if the flag is really such an integral part of our sport, why is nobody in it defending its usage? The fact is that it’s a niche flag being flown by people who do it just because they hate the government. Not one person I’ve ever seen flying it has been happy with the administration in power at the time, and within this commonality, most don’t think about what needs to be looked at such as those who hand out political flyers at racetracks; disdain and an annoyance. Political statements shouldn’t be made at races.

All stats for the Finley Factor are provided by Racing Reference unless otherwise noted.
July 2, 2015
Hot 20 – Charlotte, where this weekend they go the extra miles

We begin with Monaco, tune into Indianapolis for the matinee, then spend the evening in Charlotte in our 600-mile feature. While we go in concerned about cars running into a house or into a harbor overseas, or find the wall and flipping down the track in Indiana, our biggest concern for the folks with fenders is that they might not be able to pass the leader in North Carolina.

As we discovered last week in the All-Star contest, if you run up front your only concern is that your car turns sour or adjustments just made the competition better. If neither happens, the leader leads until somebody has to hit pit road. Not terribly exciting in a visual sort of way, yet we shall watch to see if Clint Bowyer can hold on to that final Chase berth, if a past winner can win again, or if someone buried in points might be able to make the leap with a checkered flag performance.

Of course, Kyle Busch returns from his Daytona injury with zero points, 179 behind the 30th placed Tony Stewart. Well, that is nothing five or six straight wins wouldn’t cure. Hey, I did not say it would be easy.

Our hot 20 heading to Charlotte…

1. Jimmie Johnson – 3 WINS (389 Points)
Modifying the side skirt…okay on Fashion TV, not so good in NASCAR. Yet, forgivable.

2. Kevin Harvick – 2 WINS (437 Points)
Back in a crushing slump after a runner-up finish in the All-Star event. Yes, that is sarcasm.

3. Joey Logano – 1 WIN (375 Points)
Some dream of the double while Joey is content to focus on winning at night.

4. Dale Earnhardt, Jr. – 1 WIN (360 Points)
How to avoid post-race altercations? Have a NFL linebacker riding shotgun every race.

5. Brad Keselowski – 1 WIN (343 Points)
Noticed Hamlin’s sad eyes, so donated the All-Star race to him. What a nice guy!

6. Matt Kenseth – 1 WIN (331 Points)
A very funny man, but just in a dry sort of way.

7. Kurt Busch – 1 WIN (292 Points)
A personal life for Kurt equal to his success behind the wheel would bring me a measure of joy.

8. Denny Hamlin – 1 WIN (284 Points)
Feeling like a million bucks.

9. Martin Truex, Jr. – 391 POINTS
All-Star race? We don’t need no stinkin’ All-Star race!

10. Jamie McMurray – 328 POINTS
Boasts the prettiest mechanic in NASCAR…12 year veteran Ashley Parlett.

11. Jeff Gordon – 317 POINTS
Driving the Indianapolis 500….pace car.

12. Kasey Kahne – 313 POINTS
Beat young Erik Jones in an illegal truck last week…but not a terribly illegal truck.

13. Aric Almirola – 312 POINTS
Only driver in a Chase position with not a single Top Ten to his credit.

14. Paul Menard – 306 POINTS
Comparing Clinton Foundation cash to his dad’s support of Scott Walker? Not even close.

15. Ryan Newman – 305 POINTS
I heard Ryan Newman was very pretty. That is how I discovered the actress of the same name.

16. Clint Bowyer – 272 POINTS
Inside the top 16…but not very comfortably.

17. Danica Patrick – 270 POINTS
Bowyer takes over the final Chase place. Obviously, the man is no gentleman.

18. Carl Edwards – 265 POINTS
Amongst JGR drivers, he at least has more points than Kyle. Really.

19. A.J. Allmendinger – 259 POINTS
Would love a double, but it won’t happen this year.

20. Casey Mears – 242 POINTS
Is this enough to keep Germain Racing interested for 2016?

20. Greg Biffle – 242 POINTS
Can a front row start last week transfer into good tidings when it counts this week?

May 20, 2015