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  • Chase Elliott Becomes Youngest NASCAR Nationwide Series Champion

    Chase Elliott Becomes Youngest NASCAR Nationwide Series Champion

    It’s just a peachy situation for the entire Elliott family, right?

    On Saturday afternoon at Phoenix International Raceway, Chase Elliott started 10th and kept himself solidly in the top-10 throughout the day. He would fall back just outside of the top-10 when he took two left side tires, but would make his way back up through the field after a four-tire change. When the checkered flags were flown, he would be in the fifth spot, but more importantly, ahead of his teammate Regan Smith.

    As a result of holding a 52 point lead heading into next weekend’s final race of the season at Homestead-Miami Speedway, Elliott clinched the 2014 NASCAR Nationwide Series Championship.

    “Just honestly disbelief,” Elliott commented. “I’ve never been apart of anything like this, and just to have the opportunity to work these guys has been a blessing to just be here. I don’t know what to think. I don’t even know how to feel right now. I didn’t know if I was allowed to do a burnout, but I did one anyone. This is pretty cool. I really appreciate Regan and the way he raced me all year.”

    Elliott becomes the first rookie to a win championship, as well as the youngest champion at the age of 18 years, 11 months and 18  days. His season has featured three victories, 16 top-fives and 26 top-10s in the 32 races. 

    “I’m so in disbelief right now that I don’t know what to feel,” Elliott continued. “It’s a true blessing to be here. I really can’t believe it. This is really a testament to everybody that works on this car every week. They always make me a look a heck of a lot better than I am.”

    With his father Bill already having won a championship, the Elliott family becomes the fifth father-son duo to be champions.

    “A year ago at this time, we had nothing. Everything just came together with NAPA and JRM,” Bill Elliott said. “To have anything, it was a miracle. Then to come into this year and have the year that he has had, it is just unbelievable. I just hope that he keeps his head on straight. He is really good behind the wheel, and knows what he needs from the car. That’s 90 percent  of the battle. If he keeps that, he’s going to be great.”

    “Unbelievable. I don’t know what to say,” Chase’s mom Cindy commented. “Thank you from the bottom of our hearts –everyone out there. I asked Bill this morning when we got up, I asked him if he imagined that we’d be going to the race track and see our son with a NASCAR championship. Its so great to see his dreams come true.”

    The young man is already signed to a developmental contract with Hendrick Motorsports that will see him one day drive in the Sprint Cup Series for Rick Hendrick.

    “At this time a year ago, we were trying to figure out what to do – thankfully NAPA came along,” Hendrick said. “Man, what a great young man and a racer that he is.”

    Hendrick was asked whether the championship would change plans for Elliott in staying in Nationwide for another year or moving up to Sprint Cup next year. “I think we got another year here so we’ll see,” Hendrick commented.

  • Chase hopefuls on the outside looking in

    Chase hopefuls on the outside looking in

    There are just ten races remaining before NASCAR enters it’s “playoff” season – the Chase for the Championship. After race No. 26, drivers that are in the top-10 in points are locked in and they are the drivers that are eligible to win the championship. There are also two wildcard spots available. Drivers who are in positions 11-20 are eligible for a wildcard. The criteria to earn a wildcard is based on wins. The two drivers with the most wins get the two spots, with their points being the tie-breaker.

    This season has seen a very tight points battle between just inside the top-10 to 15th. These drivers are fighting hard to get inside or stay inside the top-10. They also need to score as many victories as possible to lock in a wildcard in case they miss the top-10.

    There is also a fierce battle for drivers trying get into or stay inside the top-20. These drivers have two concerns. First, they must get inside the top-20, second they must have more wins than the drivers ahead of them in points.

    Currently there are several drivers on the outside looking in, or just barely inside trying to stay in and secure a coveted spot in the Chase for the Championship.

    Kyle Busch – Currently 8th in points, but only 16 points ahead of Kasey Kahne in 11th.

    Plus – Kyle does have two wins which gives him some security.

    Minus – Toyota has struggled with engine problems this season. They have sacrificed some       horsepower for durability.

    Brad Keselowski – Currently 9th in points, just nine points ahead of 11th place.

    Plus – Brad has ran well at times and as defending series champion, has experienced team.

    Minus – The team changed to Ford this season and Ford’s, as a whole, have been a little lackluster. The team has also seemed to struggle to catch up after they were penalized for illegal rear end housings setups.

    Martin Truex Jr. – Currently 10th in points, only 8 points ahead of 11th.

    Plus – Martin is the series’ most recent winner and has confidence and momentum heading into crucial time of the season.

    Minus – Team has struggled to “close the deal”.

    Kasey Kahne – Currently 8 points outside the top-10 in 11th

    Plus – Kahne has ran strong this season, has one win. Solid performer all season.

    Minus – Has had some bad luck, recently blew tire while leading at Michigan. Needs to stay consistent

    Paul Menard – Currently 12th in points, tied with 11th

    Plus – Paul has shown promise. In midst of best season of career. Team confidence is high

    Minus – Team has started strong in past, but faded during middle of season

    Jeff Gordon – Currently 13th in points, 12 points out of 10th

    Plus – Jeff has performed well at times

    Minus – Does not have a win, and has been very inconsistent. Must find victory lane, must find confidence

    Joey Logano – Currently 14th in points, 14 points out of 10th

    Plus – Joey has ran stronger this season than any time in his career. Fitting in nicely at Penske Racing

    Minus – Same as teammate – The team changed to Ford this season and Ford’s, as a whole, have been a little lackluster. The team has also seemed to struggle to catch up after they were penalized for illegal rear end housings setups.

    Tony Stewart – Currently 15th points, 20 points out of 10th

    Plus – Team has one win. Tony very experienced in championship battles. Gets support and equipment from Hendrick Motorsports. Has seemed to improve lately. Tony runs well at this time of season

    Minus – Team has been wildly inconsistent. Struggled in many races

    Kurt Busch – Currently 17th in points, 28 points out of 10th

    Plus – Team has ran extremely well. Receives support and engines from Richard Childress Racing

    Minus – Team seems to beat themselves. Constant battle to overcome small problems of their own creation.

     

    Jamie McMurray – Currently 21st in points, 8 pints out of top-20

    Plus – Team has improved recently and had strong runs.

    Minus – Very inconsistent, needs wins badly, does not seem to be able to close the deal

    Marcos Ambrose – Currently 22nd in points, 23 points out of top-20

    Plus – Team seems to be showing improvement recently

    Minus – Lack consistently. Missed best opportunity for a win at Sonoma. Must win to get in

    The next ten races for each of these teams are crucial. They must find their problems, fix them and acquire all the pints they possibly can. We are in the closing moments and now is no time to fumble the ball and beat yourself. Discipline and performance will make or break their season. This is the time when true champions shine, and the cream rises to the top.

    NASCAR has achieved the goals they desired when they created the Chase format and then enhanced it with the wildcard spots. There are many exciting points battles throughout the standings. At any time during a race there are several races within the race. Many times we come down to the last race of the regular season before we know who is in and who is out.

  • Matt Kenseth — The Rodney Dangerfield of the Circuit

    Matt Kenseth — The Rodney Dangerfield of the Circuit

    [media-credit name=”Credit: Todd Warshaw/Getty Images for NASCAR” align=”alignright” width=”225″][/media-credit]The Daytona 500 was quite a show. Not only was the race postponed because of rain, but it caused Daytona International Speedway and NASCAR to hold the first ever prime time night 500 in history. That’s big stuff. There was rain and there was fire (had to change that so James Taylor wouldn’t sue), but the same old thing I’ve harped on for ages was present.

    Restrictor plate racing will always stick in my craw, no matter how much the general public loves it. It’s simply not racing. It better resembles a demolition derby within a race. Sorry, but that’s the way I feel.

    I know many find this racing exciting and probably because of the close racing and, unfortunately, the wrecks, but I just don’t see it. I’ve lost that argument long ago, so no more about that, but the result and the finish was wonderful. In the end, we had a classic battle between two teammates and the most popular driver. In the end, the “unnoticed one,” better known as Matt Kenseth, won going away in a car that doesn’t even have enough sponsorship to finish the season. Jack Roush says the car will be in every race, but the sponsorship isn’t there. What is it about Matt Kenseth that sponsors do not like?

    Kenseth came on the scene and beat Dale Earnhardt, Jr. in a battle for the Nationwide Series Championship way back when. He busted on the scene and won a Sprint Cup race his first year. He’s won over 20 times since. Unlike more popular drivers like Jimmie Johnson and Jeff Gordon (not to mention Junior), Matt doesn’t talk much. Reading PR from Chevrolet, Johnson and Gordon can speak paragraphs about any subject. Long sentences and lots of comments are the rule and Matt answers questions and moves on. He prefers his driving to do the talking. And yet, Kenseth is always competitive. If not for that little problem with Brian Vickers at the end of last year, the Chase might have been a three-way race instead of the two man race we had.

    Then, to take away from Kenseth’s great win, we had the fire. If it wasn’t enough that we had rain on the first race of the season, a freak accident became the main focus of the race. Juan Montoya had a suspension part break that caused him to crash into a jet dryer which produced a terrifying fireball. It took nearly two hours to put out the fire and clean the track. Will anyone remember Matt Kenseth win his second Daytona 500? No. But the fire? Absolutely. Talk about bad luck, but that’s been the case with Kenseth his whole career.

    He won the Sprint Cup Championship in 2003 with his consistency, but the fact that he only won one race, might have caused NASCAR to move to its own playoff system known as the Chase. His first Daytona 500 victory was rain shortened. Maybe he’s the Rodney Dangerfield of racing. He gets no respect, despite his exemplary record.

    One last thing. NASCAR ruled on the rules infraction for the No. 48 team today. The result was suspension of crew chief Chad Knaus and the car chief for six races and probation and a huge fine for Knaus beyond that. The team and driver Jimmie Johnson were penalized 25 points making them -25 for the season. Many think the punishment is too harsh since the car failed inspection before practice. Rick Hendrick thinks that since the same car (or so he says) passed inspection four times without problems, that the penalty is bogus. He is appealing the penalty, but we all know how this has gone on in the past. The suspension will stand when NASCAR gets around to hearing the appeal. It may make Knaus available for Phoenix, but you can bet he’ll be gone for some races sooner or later. I don’t know why they bother. Maybe it’s to lessen the blow, but I think the penalty was less than expected given the history of this team.