Tag: Charlotte Motor Speedway

  • Sprint Media Tour – Day One Continued – JTG Daugherty and Leavine Family Racing

    Sprint Media Tour – Day One Continued – JTG Daugherty and Leavine Family Racing

    The final stop on the Sprint Media Tour presented by Charlotte Motor Speedway was a double stop with JTG Daugherty Racing and Leavine Family Racing. These two smaller teams are trying to make inroads in the Sprint Cup Series and have high hopes for 2014.

    JTG Daugherty is facing many changes in the new year, but leaving Toyota and aligning with Richard Childress Racing and Chevrolet gives the new team new hope. Co-owner Brad Daugherty was extremely pleased with the results of their Daytona test.

    “I watched that 195 mph lap at Daytona and I knew things would be better,” Daugherty said. “Not criticizing any of our former partners, but we struggled last year. We had no direction. With RCR equipment, we’re on the right track. We’ve scanned the cars they’ve sent us and are building identical cars in-house. We feel like we have the tools to do what we can to be competitive. Bobby Labonte drove his guts out last year and the result just wasn’t there.”

    Daugherty also spoke about signing Allmendinger to drive for the team in 2014.

    “I talked to Roger Penske about (Allmendinger), and I told him I wanted to offer him a full time Cup Ride. Roger said, ‘I can live with that,’ and that was that. We feel we have the driver to win races and challenge for the championship.”

    Leavine Family Racing will go to war with Michael McDowell as its driver in 2014. The talented McDowell will drive their cars in the Sprint Cup Series in 2014, as he moves over from Phil Parsons Racing, in Ford Fusions with motors from Roush-Yates power.

    Finally, the Nationwide Series hosted a stop at Strike City with Nationwide Series drivers taking part in the festivities. Trevor Bayne, Sam Hornish, Jr. and Ty Dillon were among the participants. Members of the media were challenged to bowling matches with Nationwide Series drivers.

  • Sprint Media Tour Day One – Stewart-Haas Racing

    Sprint Media Tour Day One – Stewart-Haas Racing

    The first day of Charlotte Motor Speedway’s Sprint Media Tour involved three teams—Stewart-Haas Racing and a joint media event with JTG Daugherty Racing and Leavine Family Racing. Following the usual presentation by each team where an opening statement was made with questions from those present, all drivers and team principals were available for breakout sessions.

    First up was Stewart-Haas Racing. The new four-member team of Tony Stewart, Danica Patrick, Kevin Harvick, and Kurt Busch was announced to the multitudes present. The first question fielded by Stewart was the obvious one. Will the team be a clash of egos as the season goes along?

    “We do have four alpha drivers here, but we understand each other,” Stewart said. “It’s like a support system.”

    Stewart went on to say since the drives know each other so well, it will tend to make them stronger rather than weaker.

    Stewart was asked about his health after last summer’s injury and if he was cleared to compete in the Daytona 500 in February. His first response was, “Read the internet,” followed by, “I got released a couple of weeks ago. I feel great and I’m ready. It was harder not being in the car than it will be getting in the car. We’ve all had injuries.”

    Patrick was asked how she viewed 2014 and what she expected for the new season.

    “Kurt and Kevin have been a big help already,” Patrick said. “I have so much to learn from this group since they have all this experience already. I’m growing.” She was upset that the team got better in the middle part of the schedule in 2013, but floundered as the season ended.

    Team co-owner Gene Haas also took the stage, which was unusual. He has been taking more of a hands-on approach of late, but insisted no changes were going to be made in the management area.

    “I’m the kind of guy who hires great people and lets them do what they do best,” Haas said. “I’m there and I take part in all the big decisions, though.”

    Haas also commented on his publicized desire to form a Formula One team. He made it clear that he would not want to buy an existing team, nor would he move the team from North Carolina, but said it was going to be a tough road getting a team.

    “Mr. Ecclestone made it clear that he didn’t think I could get a team. I don’t know if that was his way of just showing me how tough it was going to be or what,” Haas said. “I’m interested in that form of racing because it’s the most difficult racing in the world. It would show the world Haas Automotive could compete with the best and it might open markets worldwide for our products.”

    Harvick and Busch admitted they were excited to start the season with Stewart-Haas. Harvick, who was fast at Daytona, was beaming.

    “I’m really excited to start (2014). This team is what I have been seeking for a long time. I think we can go out and be fast immediately and challenge for a championship. I can’t wait for the season to start.”

    The day began with a noon luncheon presented by Charlotte Motor Speedway. Attending were the Governor of North Carolina, Charlotte’s mayor, and the staff at CMS, as well as other Speedway Motorsports facilities. At the luncheon, Governor Pat McCrory admitted he saw his first race at CMS by sneaking in the speedway. He offered SMI’s CEO, Bruton Smith, the price of a ticket since he was honored at the luncheon. Later on, McCrory offered Smith $5 for the ticket—half of the cost of admission because he only saw half the race.

    The media met with JTG Daugherty and the Leavine Family Racing principals later on and will be reported on in a separate article.

  • SHR continues to get stronger

    SHR continues to get stronger

    On the last edition of The Inside Pass (www.theinsidepass.net), heard on Tuesday November 26th, my co-host Randy Miller and I spoke at length with veteran spotter Tim Fedewa. The conversation ranged from the new Gen 6 car and the struggles of the Ford camp to find speed through out the season to what Tim is looking forward to doing during the off season (hunting for those wondering).

    The telling point in the interview was when Randy Miller asked Tim what his plans were for next season. Tim broke the news that he would be moving to the number 4 car and would be spotting for Kevin Harvick moving forward into the 2014 season. Tim is still currently under contract with Richard Petty Motorsports (RPM) until the end of the year, which for those that do not know the NASCAR year typically ends on December 31st of each year. Tim expected to be spotting for RPM during the early December testing at Charlotte Motor Speedway. Tim believes that he will be spotting for Aric Almilrola during that testing session, but nothing is firmed up yet. During the off air conversation, Tim also confirmed that this would be a year to year contract.

    When asked Tim stated that he is excited about thae move, and that he is very appreciative of everything that working at the legendary Richard Petty Motorsports has done for him personally and professionally. He enjoyed working with Marcus Ambrose and felt strongly that they as a team were really close to getting the Australian driver his first oval track win. As the interview progressed, I asked Tim exactly what does a spotter do to help build the level of trust up that is needed between a spotter and a driver moving into the January testing at Daytona, which is where Kevin and Tim will be working together for the first time. Tim’s response was enlightening, they are going to be sitting down to lunches together along with recently named crew chief Rodney Childers, who is leaving Micheal Waltrip Racing (MWR), along with the car chief to try and get on the same page moving forward.

    As the title of this article implies gaining a veteran spotter such as Tim bodes well for the fans of Kevin Harvick and does not bode well for the rest of the field. Tim has been spotting in the national series dating back to when the Sprint Cup was known as the Nextel Cup.  Tim is a former racer turned spotter.  He understands how to help a driver navigate the traffic and track in order to help his team and driver get the very best out of the car.  When teamed with a driver who is known for taking care of his equipment and being “there” at the end of a race, this could potentially be the new powerhouse driver/spotter combination.  When asked what he had already been doing to prepare for the potential move to Stewart-Haas Racing (SHR), Tim replied that he had been scanning the 29 cars channels in order to pick up on the lingo and the meter that Billy O’Dea and Kevin used throughout the latter stages of the year so that he would be better prepared for his new role with Kevin.

    Tim’s pedigree in racing is not a short lived one, he was born into a racing family.  His father Butch raced in several series eventually reaching the ARCA/ReMax series before retiring and began helping Tim with his racing career.  Tim made limited starts in the Camping World Truck and some 300 Nationwide Series starts, with four wins in that series, along with one start in the Winston Cup Series, and also ran in a relief role for John Andretti with Petty Motorsports at the Coke 600 in 2000 when John was injured.  Tim understands the nuances that help make a car go fast, this role with the new number 4 team is not something that Tim simply fell into over night.  He has been doing this for awhile now, and he has the respect of his peers atop the spotter’s stand.  While NASCAR may have mandated rules changes that there would no longer be “deals” made from the spotters stand, I hope no one is naive enough to think that the spotters don’t work together to try and help their driver out when trying to make their way through the field.

    When you take a look at the cache of talented members continuously being added to the stables over at Stewart-Haas Racing, I think that we could see a few new/old faces challenging Jimmie Johnson (six time) for the championship next season.

  • Monica Palumbo Primed and Ready for Her Favorite Event NASCAR After The Lap™

    Monica Palumbo Primed and Ready for Her Favorite Event NASCAR After The Lap™

    For the fifth year in a row, NASCAR After The Lap™ will be back in Las Vegas during champion’s week and at least one of the co-hosts Monica Palumbo is primed and ready for her ‘favorite’ event.

    Palumbo, former Miss Sprint Cup and current reporter for NASCAR Race Hub on Fox Sports 1, will be sharing the hosting duties with Marty Smith of ESPN. Palumbo will be handling the fans in the crowd, while Smith will be managing the drivers on stage.

    The event this year will take place on Thursday, December 5th at 5:00 PM at the Pearl Palms Concert Theater inside the Palms Casino Hotel.

    “I actually worked NASCAR After The Lap™ twice already and it’s my favorite event because the guys are so loose and it’s an intimate setting,” Palumbo said. “You can see it on nascar.com but it’s not televised so I feel like it’s a little bit more special.”

    “The drivers are really showing off their personalities that you don’t necessarily get to see throughout the season,” Palumbo continued. “It’s just one of my favorite events.”

    Palumbo advised that her role at the event will be one of liaison between the crowd, sponsors and the drivers, however, the emphasis from her perspective is indeed on the fans in this unique event.

    “It’s a very fan-friendly event and that’s one thing NASCAR is really big on,” Palumbo said. “It’s about the fans first.”

    “They are going to have notecards so the audience can submit their questions in advance,” Palumbo continued. “Then I’ll go through them and pick out the questions to be asked.”

    “So, I’ll be out there taking questions from the audience and making sure everybody has a good time.”

    Palumbo is also primed and ready for the sweepstakes and giveaways that accompany the NASCAR After The Lap™ event. This year, fans can win an all-inclusive VIP trip to Las Vegas for the event, trips to either the 2014 Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte or the 2014 Ford Ecoboost 400 at Homestead-Miami Speedway, as well as the grand prize, a 2014 Ford F-150 Tremor.

    “I’m really excited about the big sweepstakes,” Palumbo said. “They’re giving away a 2014 Ford Tremor, which is pretty awesome.”

    “Coca Cola and Ford are both giving away tickets to the Coca Cola 600 and the Ford Champions Week for 2014,” Palumbo continued. “So, the sweepstakes winners will be there and they will also have a shot to win a car.”

    “We’ll be doing that in the audience as well, which is pretty cool to get a free car.”

    Palumbo is also primed and ready to get to Las Vegas, a place that she assesses as ‘perfect’ for this type of fan-interactive post-season event.

    “Vegas itself just equals celebration to me,” Palumbo said. “So, I feel like it is a fun event.”

    “Everybody is so relaxed,” Palumbo continued. “The season is over and it’s a time for celebration.”

    So, who is Palumbo predicting will be in the champion’s seat for the event and at the head table come banquet time?

    “It’s definitely down to Jimmie Johnson and Matt Kenseth now and we know how well they are both running,” Palumbo said. “We know that Jimmie is so great at Phoenix so it’s really a toss-up between the two.”

    “I can’t even bet on either one,” Palumbo continued. “I’m ready to put my money down on one but I can’t because I don’t want to lose.”

    “Everybody is on pins and needles because we know Jimmie can do it obviously,” Palumbo said. “But Matt Kenseth is really giving him a run for his money.”

    “I think the fans love seeing that and the two drivers are definitely keeping it exciting.”

    Palumbo is also primed and ready for the NASCAR After The Lap™ event because of where the proceeds go, helping individuals, children and families in need through the NASCAR Foundation, a nonprofit charitable organization.

    “The tickets are only $20 and all the money, one hundred percent of the proceeds, goes to the NASCAR Foundation, which is unreal,” Palumbo said. “It’s probably one of the best charity events where all of the drivers are together in a relaxed way, cutting up with each other, joking about incidents that have happened during the year, and some have even gotten up and danced.”

    “It’s a great event to get the drivers out of their element,” Palumbo continued. “There is not an event like this throughout the whole season.”

    “This is a one of a kind,” Palumbo said. “You might have the drivers together for media day but they are so focused on that race.”

    “This is the end of the season and they can all breathe,” Palumbo continued. “They’re all ready to have a good time, hang out with the fans and answer their questions.”

    “There is just nothing like it.

    Palumbo is not alone in her enthusiasm for the NASCAR After The Lap™ event.

    “Celebrating its fifth consecutive season, NASCAR After The Lap has evolved into one of the most talked about events of NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Champion’s Week™ and provides two long-standing partners, Ford and Coca-Cola, a valuable platform to connect with our brand-loyal fan base,” Norris Scott, NASCAR vice president of marketing, said. “It is an event unlike any other in sports that gives our fans the chance to see the drivers with their helmets off and their guard down.”

    “Over the last five years as event sponsor, Ford has enjoyed some remarkable and very unpredictable moments with our NASCAR drivers,” Tim Duerr, motorsports marketing manager for Ford Racing, said. “The NASCAR after the Lap Sweepstakes continues to provide Ford with a great avenue to engage with fans by offering them a chance to not only win a trip out to Las Vegas, but also an opportunity to go home with a brand-new 2014 Ford F150 Tremor.”

    “This sponsorship delivers results to Ford on many levels.”

    “As a long-time partner, Coca-Cola is proud to celebrate the 2013 season with the stars of NASCAR at this year’s NASCAR After The Lap,” Ben Reiling, director of motorsports for Coca-Cola North America Group, said. “In our fifth year as an event sponsor, we are offering fans a stellar experience to interact directly with members of our Coca-Cola Racing Family and a chance to win a trip to our marquee event, the Coca-Cola 600.”

    “We’re looking forward to the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Champion’s Week and it’s definitely going to be a wild ride.”

    For more information or to purchase tickets, fans can visit  www.NASCARafterthelap.com.

    For fans unable to attend in person, NASCAR.com will offer a live stream of the event.

     

     

  • The Final Word – Thank God we have Talladega coming up on Sunday

    The Final Word – Thank God we have Talladega coming up on Sunday

    Charlotte has come and gone for another season, so what can one say about the race that was. Well, “thank God that is behind us” comes to mind. I can not remember if it was sponsored by Nyquil or was simply the To Hell With A Cure for Insomnia 500, for me it turned out to be NASCAR’s version of English Premier League soccer. That is, best watched with PVR in hand.

    Lap after lap of whatever and who cares. It was like watching a NBA game in the end, with the final few minutes about as exciting as it gets. Brad Keselowski wins, Kasey Kahne runs second, and Matt Kenseth extended his lead over Jimmie Johnson to four big points in the Chase standings. Did anything else much matter? I expected more from Charlotte, I expect nothing from ABC/ESPN, and not a single new fan was captured from what was presented in the television version of the contest. Thank God we have Talladega coming up this Sunday.

    Talladega is coming up, Martin Truex Jr. is off seeking a new ride after Michael Waltrip Racing officially announced its contraction due to NAPA fleeing the scene. Brian Vickers is gone for the rest of the year as he deals with a re-occurrence of blood clots in his leg, but should be good to go in the seat of the MWR #55 for 2014.

    NASCAR continues to seek the answers needed to make the racing more exciting. They returned to Charlotte a couple of days after the Saturday night race to see if the advent of more rear down force or more turbulent air might help shake things up. If the announce team can not make things more exciting, then the product itself has to improve.

    Rating Charlotte – 5.5/10 – Something has to change, or those not true fanatics are going to continue wandering off to other stimulants or reducing their NASCAR experience to Daytona, Talladega, and Bristol.

    If you do not like NASCAR, I understand. If you do not like Talladega, you really are a soccer fan. 40 plus cars sweeping by in aircraft formation three wide with just inches separating any of them in any direction at 200 miles per hour. One sneeze away from disaster. We will be watching this Sunday to see if such a sneeze might hamper the runaway bid of Kenseth and Johnson. Call your friends, call all those who usually do not watch, tell them this is what NASCAR produces each and every week. If we are lucky, Martinsville might actually keep them watching.

    You can’t blame a guy for dreaming. Enjoy the week.

  • Surprising and Not Surprising: Charlotte Bank of America 500

    Surprising and Not Surprising: Charlotte Bank of America 500

    In the ‘home game’ for NASCAR in the heart of race country, here is what was surprising and not surprising in the 54th annual Bank of America 500 at Charlotte Motor Speedway.

    Surprising:  Who knew that dragging a jack for a lap would result in a victory lap?  That was the case for the driver of the Blue Deuce Brad Keselowski, who finally got his first win under his belt for the season. Keselowski also scored his first ever win in a Ford, as well as his first victory at Charlotte.

    “I thought when we saw the jack under the car I said, ‘Here we go again, not a good night,’ but at the end of the day when it was time to go and we raced the best because it was Brad behind the wheel that made it,” Roger Penske, team owner of the No. 2 Miller Lite Ford, said. “It wasn’t a fuel economy run, it was him digging deep and bringing us to victory lane, so it was a great night for us.”

    Not Surprising:  If a crack in the armor exists for five-time champ Jimmie Johnson it would be restarts and the driver of the No. 48 Lowes Dover White Chevrolet had yet another challenge in that regard at Charlotte Motor Speedway.

    As a result of a late race caution, Johnson yet again struggled on the final restart, resulting in a fourth place finish.

    “Down in (turns) one and two, just in the dirty air I pushed the No. 5 off into (turn) one,” Johnson said. “He didn’t get the best restart and something to do with that combo got me off the bottom and a couple of cars got into the side of me.”

    “If we could have come out of the pits second and start on the front row, it would have been a much different result for us,” Johnson continued. “But it didn’t happen.”

    “Just lost track position which was unfortunate.”

    As a result of this finish, Johnson sits just four points behind point’s leader Matt Kenseth.

    Surprising:  Speaking of the point’s leader, the third time surprisingly was a charm for championship contender Matt Kenseth.

    “There is a feel that I always look for and when I don’t have it, I can’t go very fast,” the driver of the No. 20 Dollar General Toyota said. “Until the third adjustment, we just couldn’t get it.”

    “Jason (Ratcliff, crew chief) found something that really woke it up and made the car happy and made me happy and we were able to start making some ground.”

    Kenseth finished third, maintained his points lead, and posted his 15th top-10 finish in 29 races at Charlotte Motor Speedway.

    Not Surprising:  Past gremlins rearing their ugly heads again cost both Kyle Busch and Dale Earnhardt Jr. their best finishes.

    Busch, driving the No. 18 M&Ms Toyota, suffered loose lug nuts due to a pit road miscommunication and also a fuel pick up issue to finish fifth.

    “We had the same thing in the third Chase race back in 2008,” Busch said of his engine issue. “So it doesn’t surprise me something’s back.”

    “Pretty frustrating,’’ Busch continued. “We should be happy about (fifth), but when it’s time for championship time, that’s not what you need.”

    “We need wins, and we can’t win.’’

    Dale Junior, making his 500th career start, had some sort of vibration in the car that resulted in a 15th place finish in spite of his leading laps during the race.

    “The car just got really tight,” Dale Jr., driver of the No. 88 Time Warner Cable Chevrolet, said. “Something in the set-up moved, but the car was real quick at the start of the race.”

    “It just would not turn at all the last half of the race pretty much,” Junior continued. “We are just kind of trying to figure out what is going on.”

    “We will get it back and figure it out when we get to the shop on Monday.”

    Busch sits fifth in points at 37 points behind leader Kenseth and Junior fell one position to ninth and is now 66 points behind the point’s leader.

    Surprising:  Both Hendrick teammates made surprisingly good decisions in just taking two tires instead of four for the final restart. Kasey Kahne, HMS driver of the No. 5 Quaker State Chevrolet, finished in the runner up position with his two tires and teammate Jeff Gordon, behind the wheel of the No. 24 Axalta Chevrolet, finished seventh.

    “Yeah, we had a great race,” Kahne said. “I was on two (tires) and I was trying to move around, but I was just a little bit on the tight side with the front end, then I would get loose if I got the front working.”

    “I was doing all I could and felt pretty good, but Brad (Keselowski, winner) made some nice moves and just really had some speed there late in the race and was able to get by me.”

    “It was a solid night,” Gordon said. “It was a great call there to try to make two (tires) work.”

    “Our car was just way too tight to be able to do it and we lost a few more positions than I was hoping,” Gordon continued. “But it was still solid.”

    While Gordon remains in the fourth place in the Chase, 36 points behind the leader, Kahne on the other hand, is in the 13th position, 81 points back and essentially out of contention.

    Not Surprising:   Mark Martin had the most interesting comeback after blowing an engine after just 80 completed laps and spewing fluid all over the track.

    The driver, substituting for Tony Stewart in the No. 14 Bass Pro Shops/Mobil 1 Chevrolet ended up finishing a disappointing 42nd as a result.

    But when a fan tweeted Martin “@markmartin Should’ve mention this earlier but you should retire,” things got very interesting. In fact, the usually affable driver surprising replied with just four words, tweeting “You should screw yourself,” thus scoring the best comeback of the Charlotte race.

    Surprising:  Speaking of the Stewart-Haas bunch, Ryan Newman salvaged a surprisingly good finish after struggling most of the night. Thanks to a four tire call on the last pit stop, Newman was able to get an eighth place finish for the No. 39 Quicken Loans Chevrolet.

    “We came out of here with a decent finish, but we struggled a little bit tonight,” Newman said. “I just didn’t have the overall speed.”

    “Matt (Borland, crew chief) made the call to take four tires at the end, but we weren’t able to gain spots like I thought we would knowing that a lot of the guys ahead of us took two,” Newman continued. “All in all, it’s good to complain about a top-10 finish, but we expected a little more than that tonight.”

    Not Surprising:  Until his engine blew, young up and coming driver Kyle Larson, making his Cup debut in the No. 51 Target Chevrolet, had a great run going. In fact, he was running in the top ten for a bit, far surpassing many of his more seasoned competitors, including future teammate Jamie McMurray.

    “Obviously, the guy is ready,” Chip Ganassi, team owner said of his 2014 driver. “Some of the smarter people in the sport have said that maybe a Cup car is more like his style than a Nationwide car.”

    “It wouldn’t be the first time that’s happened,” Ganassi continued. “Time will tell, but the guy is ready.”

    Surprising:  For one Chase contender, the contest at Charlotte Motor Speedway was all about a battle until the death, well almost.

    “We survived,” Kevin Harvick, driver of the No. 29 Jimmy John’s Chevrolet, said after finishing sixth. “Yeah we got a decent finish, but our car was terrible all night.”

    “The restart went our way there at the end and we were able to get a decent finish out of it.”

    Harvick maintained his third place in the Chase standings, just 29 points, similar to his car number, behind point’s leader Kenseth.

    Not Surprising:  There is at least one driver who is looking forward to the next race at Talladega after finishing 14th in his No. 78Furniture Row/Denver Mattress Chevrolet.

    “We had an upbeat feeling about tonight after two strong practices on Friday but nothing really materialized for us to make a charge,” Busch said. “It’s disappointing to finish where we did (14th) after having a number of solid runs on the mile-and-a-half’s, including last week’s runner-up finish in Kansas.”

    “Next week we’ll give it another go in the Wonder bread car at Talladega.”

  • Brad Keselowski cashes-in at the Bank of America 500 at Charlotte

    Brad Keselowski cashes-in at the Bank of America 500 at Charlotte

    Last year’s NASCAR Sprint Cup Champion, Brad Keselowski, grabs his first victory of the 2013 season tonight in the Bank of America 500 at Charlotte Motor Speedway.

    Keselowski’s win marks the first time since Kasey Kahne won at Phoenix International Raceway in 2011 that a non-Chase contender has been to victory lane during the postseason.

    In victory lane, Keselowski said, “It was just a never-give-up night.  We had a lot of struggles tonight.  We didn’t qualify well, but we kept working our way forward.  I knew we had a good car.  I’m not sure we were as good as the 48 or the 5.  I never got to really race them until the end and they had two tires, so I think we were probably pretty even.  When Paul made the call to take four tires and I saw we were that close to the front, I knew we could get them.”

    During the final laps of the race Brad Keselowski and Kasey Kahne raced hard and battled for the victory.

    When asked about racing Kasey, Brad said, “I love hard racing and there are a handful of guys you can’t race hard with in this deal because they freak out, but Kasey is not one of them.  He’s an excellent driver and he ran me hard, but he ran me clean and that’s great racing.  I’m proud to race with him.  He did a hell of a job and deserves a lot of credit for it, but, at the end of the day, the Miller Lite Ford Fushion was just fast and we persevered.”

    Driver of the No. 5 Quaker State Chevrolet, Kasey Kahne, ended the night with a second place finish. This makes Kahne’s 12th top-10 finish in twenty races at Charlotte Motor Speedway, and his 12th top-10 finish in 2013.  After leading 138 laps during the race and finishing in second place, Kahne ends the night thirteenth in the points for the Chase for the Sprint Cup Championship, eighty-one points behind leader Matt Kenseth.

    After starting the Bank of America 500 in 20th position, Chase leader Matt Kenseth, had a respectable night working through the field, ending the night with a third place finish.  Kenseth now has a four point lead in the Chase for the Sprint Cup Championship over driver of the No. 48 Lowe’s Dover White Chevrolet, Jimmie Johnson.

    In the media center after the race, Kenseth commented on his thoughts about the night and being the Chase points leader halfway through the Chase.  He said, “Yeah, I mean, you want to be the points leader after the second half is the most important.  But yeah, certainly glad we’re still leading.  Tonight was a big positive for us.  It was a little bit of a struggle this weekend more than we anticipated.  I didn’t get a good lap qualifying, and that was really the start of us being behind tonight.”

    Five-time NASCAR Sprint Cup Champion, Jimmie Johnson, further closed the gap between him and Matt Kenseth tonight in the Chase for the Sprint Cup Championship.  Johnson led 130 laps and after a rocky restart during the last caution of the race, he posted a fourth place finish.

    When asked about the final restart and what happened to make him drop back, Johnson said, “Down in (turns) one and two just in the dirty air I pushed the No. 5 off into (turn) one.  He didn’t get the best restart and something to do with that combo got me off the bottom and a couple of cars got into the side of me.  If we could have come out second which was really close with the No. 24 and start on the front row I think it would have been a much different result for us, but it didn’t happen.  We led some laps tonight, had a good car.  I’m not sure what happened in the points, but I know it’s awfully tight up there right now.”

    After winning the NASCAR Nationwide Series race last night, driver of the No. 18 M & M’s Toyota, Kyle Busch, came up short tonight in the Bank of America 500.  Hoping to win his first Cup race at Charlotte Motor Speedway, Busch posted a fifth place finish.

    When asked what it is that is keeping him from winning races, Busch said, “I think it’s everything.  There at the end, I’m sure if Jimmie (Johnson) would have taken two (tires) he would have stormed off and kicked everybody’s butt.  They took four, they gambled on the soft side and it bit them a little bit tonight.  They lost a point to the 20 (Matt Kenseth), but they were good enough to win.  So, they have something to hang their hat on—we don’t.”

    Kevin Harvick, Jeff Gordon, Ryan Newman, Denny Hamlin, and Carl Edwards rounded out the top ten with sixth, seventh, eighth, ninth, and tenth places, respectively.

    With five races to go in the Chase to the NASCAR Sprint Cup Championship, the next race will be the Camping World RV Sales 500 next week at Talladega Superspeedway.

  • Matty’s Picks 2013 – Race 31 Bank of America 500 – Charlotte Motor Speedway – October 12, 2013

    Matty’s Picks 2013 – Race 31 Bank of America 500 – Charlotte Motor Speedway – October 12, 2013

    The drivers of the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series do not have to travel much further than their back yards to get to the track this week. A hometown race this week, and the only night race of the 2013 Chase for The Sprint Cup for the vast majority of teams this week. There have been 109 races at Charlotte Motor Speedway, everyone knows the history that has been made at the track, so I’ll spare the history for some statistics this week.

    Jimmie Johnson leads the series with the most Chase race wins at Charlotte Motor Speedway with three, but none since his last win at Charlotte in October of 2009. The deepest in the field any eventual NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Champion has finished at the Chase race at Charlotte Motor Speedway was 25th all the way back in 2005 when Tony Stewart won his second NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Championship, his first with the Chase setup. All but one of the nine Chase races at Charlotte have been won by Chase drivers, and the second starting position has produced more race winners than any other starting position with 17 eventual race winners starting outside the front row. So with these stats so far, we’ve not eliminated any potential race winners.

    The one statistic very important to this week’s picks comes in the form of a particular manufacturer’s recent struggles at Charlotte Motor Speedway. Just one Ford driver (who is driving a Toyota now) has won a race at Charlotte in the last 22 Charlotte races, and that was Matt Kenseth in the 2011 Bank of America 500. So one driver in 11 years has been able to put Ford in Victory Lane, which is something to look at this week if you’re making fantasy picks.

    The only night race of the 2013 Chase for the Sprint Cup, so enjoy not swapping back and forth between your NFL game and NASCAR this week…

    Kansas Recap

    Not a great week for me last week at Kansas Speedway as I went with the points leader, Matt Kenseth as my winner pick because he was undefeated on the low-banked intermediate tracks this season. He had won at Las Vegas in March, Kansas in April, Kentucky in June, and Chicago in September to open the 2013 Chase. Kenseth’s streak would end last week at Kansas has he was rather quiet for the majority of the race….but extended his streak of 5 straight races where he has led a lap. Kenseth finished 11th, his first finish outside the top 10 in over a month.

    My Dark Horse was exactly that, a shot in the dark especially this season. The dark horse aspect was erased when Brad Keselowski qualified fourth and got to the front for 52 laps last week in Kansas. Crew Chief Paul Wolfe’s gamble with fuel would not pan out as the Miller Lite Ford ran out of fuel on lap 224, the gamble cost Keselowski two laps to the leader which he was able to make up one, but would finish 17th when the checkered flag flew.

    Charlotte Picks

    Winner Pick
    There are many folks looking at the No.18 team this week, for one he has won two races on the high banked intermediate tracks this season, in dominating fashion at Texas in April and most recently at Atlanta on Labor Day weekend. The second reason why Rowdy Busch is circled on may fantasy rosters this week is the thought that he is due for a win at Charlotte Motor Speedway in the Cup Series. Rewind to Memorial Day weekend this season…Kyle Busch was leading the Coca-Cola 600, in the middle of lap traffic when Fox Sports’ SkyCam over the frontstretch at Charlotte Motor Speedway came crashing to the race surface immediately in front of the No.18 car. The impact of the SkyCam resulted in radiator issues and an engine failure for Kyle who was positioned for his first ever Charlotte career win.

    The loop statistics are great for a guy who has never won a race…he’s in the top three in all but one of the loop categories. The only one he is not inside the top three is Green Flag Passes, but Kyle has also qualified well over the years in North Carolina with a couple poles in the points races and an average start of 11.5. The practice sessions today and his win in the NASCAR Nationwide Series on Friday at Charlotte have added to my case for Kyle Busch on Saturday night. I am seeing a win out of this team on Saturday night and them jumping back into the Championship picture when we head to Talladega next week.

    Dark Horse Pick
    Martin Truex Jr. is going to be my longer play this week and here is why…Before Kansas last week and the race at Chicagoland to open the Chase, you had to go back all the way to Las Vegas back in March of 2012 for Truex’s last finish outside the top 15 on any of these intermediate track races. The stretch of 15-straight top 15 finishes is enhanced by the fact that he had two finishes outside the top 10 in the same stretch, both of which coming in the 2012 season.

    Keep in mind Truex led 142 laps and finished 2nd at Texas back in April, also a 1.5-mile night race. Truex qualified 17th on Thursday, but went out for his qualifying run relatively early to some of the other drivers with similar practice speeds. On Friday, Truex was 3rd fastest in the first practice session and 5th in Happy Hour Friday evening, adding to the consistency we’ve seen all season from Truex on these intermediate tracks. He would like nothing more than to win one of these Chase races, so I’m throwing out the couple poor finishes in a row at Chicago and Kansas and going with Truex as a solid longer play this week.

    That’s all for this week, so until we head to the biggest juggernaut of the 2013 Chase for the Sprint Cup….You Stay Classy NASCAR NATION!

  • Kyle Busch Claims Victory in the 32nd Annual Dollar General 300

    Kyle Busch Claims Victory in the 32nd Annual Dollar General 300

    A cool, October night at Charlotte Motor Speedway was anything but serene as forty-six drivers battled for victory in the 32nd Annual Dollar General 300.  Intense competition at the lead of the pack resulted in an all too familiar outcome, Kyle Busch won his eleventh NASCAR Nationwide Series race of the 2013 season.

    Tonight’s win marks Busch’s eighth NASCAR Nationwide Series win at Charlotte Motor Speedway.  He also has five Camping World Truck Series wins that makes him the driver with the most wins collectively at Charlotte Motor Speedway. While celebrating in victory lane Kyle and his wife, Samantha, announced that they are donating all of tonight’s winnings to the Pretty in Pink Foundation.

    When asked how special it is to win this race tonight, Busch said, “I certainly want to do this tomorrow night also, but first and foremost our breast cancer survivors are with us tonight—they are the champions that we have here tonight.  This is an honor to them—Samantha’s done a tremendous job with her Project Pink Initiative.  To come out here and try to raise money—we had a dinner on Tuesday night, we had a mammogram unit at KBM (Kyle Busch Motorsports) on Thursday and she’s done a tremendous job.  She deserves all the credit this week.”

    NASCAR’s support of Breast Cancer Awareness month was evident throughout the track with a variety of paint schemes and evidence of charitable support.

    Although Busch has had tremendous success in the Nationwide Series this season, his trip to victory lane tonight did not come easy.  Nationwide regulars, Austin Dillon, Sam Hornish Jr., and Kyle Larson, gave Busch a run for his money.

    When asked how he was able to catch Sam Hornish Jr. in the closing laps, Busch commented, “I felt like I didn’t have a chance to win the thing and went and found the top groove and chased Sam back down, got by him and I tell you without the help from upstairs—that’s the biggest help you can get these days.”

    After a hard fought battle to the finish, driver of the No. 12 Detroit Genuine Parts Ford, Sam Hornish Jr., finished the night in third place posting his second top-10 finish in seven races at Charlotte Motor Speedway.

    When interviewed after the race, Hornish said, “We had that restart with about 40 to go and felt really good about our car and what we were gonna be able to accomplish.  The Detroit Genuine Parts Ford Mustang was good, but our problem throughout the night that we continued to build freer as the runs went on and I think there were probably a lot of people that were in the same boat, but we could never get it tight enough at the start of the run to be not busting-free towards the end.  We caught Kyle there and got around him and thought I was pulling away from him far enough to be ok, and then all of a sudden he just started reeling me back in.  I was too free to run up there where he ran that last bit of the race.”

    Hornish is eight points behind the Nationwide Series points leader, Austin Dillon.  Hornish and Dillon battled for position during much of the race and Hornish stayed right with Dillon in the points tonight.

    “Yeah, we ran around each other a lot the second half of the year here,” Hornish said. “It seems like no matter what we’re always right there together, but we got out there and led a bunch of laps and got that extra bonus point and kept it even up, so we’ll just keep working hard.  We go to some tracks that I really like going to coming up.”

    Nationwide points leader, Austin Dillon, finished the 32nd Annual Dollar General 300 in second place posting his second top-10 finish in four races at Charlotte Motor Speedway.  It is his twentieth top-10 finish in 2013.

    Commenting on his night, Dillon said, “It was a good one, they asked us early in the week what it would be like to be the points champion without a win, that right there should show you how great the racing is and how tough it is.  Had three guys fighting it out there until the end for everything we had and that was a heck of a race and like I told Sam, it was the best race I felt like I was a part of all year, slicing and dicing out there…”

    Kyle Larson, driver of the No. 32 Target Chevrolet, was the highest finishing rookie with a thirteenth place finish.  Larson made the bold move of running the high line on the track for much of the night, and it proved to be successful until he hit the wall during the final laps, which resulted in his thirteenth place finish.

    The No. 22 Discount Tire Ford, with eleven wins this season, was driven by Joey Logano and ended the race with a seventh place finish.  After the race Logano said, “It starts in practice.  There was an adjustment on the car we went back and forth on and couldn’t figure out what we wanted to do and we went down a little bit more of a risky road, but it was faster and it bit us.  I feel like I should have known better.  I feel like I steered the boat down the wrong way, so I’m mad at myself.  But you win as a team and you lose as a team, but it’s just frustrating.”

    Other notable finishes in tonight’s race were Kevin Harvick and Matt Kenseth finishing in fifth and sixth places, respectively.  Trevor Bayne, Parker Kligerman, and Michael Annett rounded out the top 10 in eighth, ninth, and tenth places.

    The NASCAR Nationwide Series will travel to Texas Motor Speedway on November 2nd for the O’Reilly Auto Parts 300.

     

  • Busch Trying to Bounce Back at Charlotte

    Busch Trying to Bounce Back at Charlotte

    After a late crash in the Hollywood Casino 400 last week at Kansas Speedway that landed Busch a 34th place finish and caused him to drop two spots in the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup standings, Busch comes to Charlotte Motor Speedway on a mission.

    Being a contender year after year, but never having won a NASCAR Sprint Cup Championship, many spectators believe this could be Kyle’s year.  Many also believe that Kyle has displayed the maturity and mentality this season to get the job done.

    Up until his 34th place finish at Kansas last weekend, Kyle was part of what many considered a “3-man” race for the Championship.  His crash toward the end of the race dropped him to 5th spot in the Chase standings, 35 points behind leader Matt Kenseth.

    When asked if he considers this a bounce back race, Busch said, “It’s certainly a bounce back week.  I feel like we’ve had good runs this year.  We’ve been really fast and we’ve shown consistency.  We have to show that consistency getting back into the thick of things and being able to run well here.  I feel like if we can come out here and win this weekend, that will put us right back in it and give us an opportunity to gain points on people and also show everybody that what happened last week is last week and this is this week.  We look forward to the final five that are left.”

    Having posted four Sprint Cup Series wins this season, with fourteen top-5 and eighteen top-10 finishes leading 1,200 laps, Busch has yet to find his way to victory lane at Charlotte.

    When asked what it would mean to get a Cup win at Charlotte, Busch said, “It would certainly be nice to get a win here whether it’s Nationwide or Cup and especially Cup — we haven’t done that yet here.  It’s been a track where we’ve been really good at over the years and I think the most important thing is that if we can get a win here, then that sets the tone that we  are back in the thick of things.”

    Busch will start the Bank of America 500, under the lights at Charlotte, in ninth position. Commenting on his car after qualifying, Busch stated, “The M&M’s Camry is not too bad — certainly wish for a little bit more.  We would have liked to have been quickest, but it seems like the track is similar in qualifying to what it was in practice, but a lot of guys are running the same.  We kind of slowed down a little bit.”

    The green flag will fall at Charlotte Motor Speedway at 7 p.m. local time for NASCAR Sprint Cup Bank of America 500.