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Tag: Chase Elliott

  • Hot 20 – If you like Texas Bobbleheads, just nod yes…over…and…over…again.

    Hot 20 – If you like Texas Bobbleheads, just nod yes…over…and…over…again.

    Texas is next on the dance card this weekend, an apropos venue to hear about Bellator and Monster Energy getting together to present some pre-race smackdowns, some good ole fashioned ass whippin’s, some unscripted mayhem. In their desire to make NASCAR cool and hip again, or whatever is considered trendy in today’s vernacular, Monster Energy plans on presenting some MMA matches prior to some selected events. Sounds like they are just going to try and recreate a Berkley peace march.

    Maybe you could have Kyle Busch get together with Ricky Stenhouse Jr. for a little pre-race activity. After Stenhouse bumped Kyle to get back on the lead lap at the end of Stage 2 at Martinsville, accomplishing the task while allowing Chase Elliott to slip ahead for the Stage win, once again we seem to have a burning Busch on our hands.

    Ricky’s pal, Danica Patrick, along with Tony Stewart have had their likenesses enshrined in Milwaukee’s Bobblehead Hall of Fame and Museum. Just nod your head repeatedly in agreement.

    In 2014, Hall of Famer (baseball version) Tony La Russa saw bobbleheads produced showing him in both the colors of the Athletics and the White Sox. At Phoenix, he was decked out in those of Shell/Pennzoil when the 72-year old dropped by the Team Penske garage to visit with Joey Logano. Come to think of it, didn’t Kyle Busch want to turn Logano into a bobblehead a couple of weeks ago?

    Sunday is Texas…with not 38 or 39 on the entry list, but a full 40! Well, they do like things bigger there, including the race field it seems.  As for these boys listed below, they will indeed be our Hot 20. Temps for Dallas are forecast for the mid-80s F come race day.

    1. BRAD KESELOWSKI – 2 WINS – 234 PTS
    The King of his Kesel (owski)?

    2. KYLE LARSON – 1 WIN – 268 PTS
    Visited the rocket center in Huntsville, but even Smoky could not have put a Saturn V in his car.

    3. MARTIN TRUEX JR. – 1 WIN – 236 PTS
    Best damn driver at Martinsville…for the opening stage.

    4. RYAN NEWMAN – 1 WIN – 152 PTS
    This just in. Newman plans to play in Texas, yet has not a single fiddler in the band.

    5. KURT BUSCH – 1 WIN – 119 PTS
    That Daytona win is looming larger and larger with each subpar performance since.

    6. CHASE ELLIOTT – 264 PTS
    Over his past ten, an average finish of 8.3 with six Top Tens. That will do for now.

    7. JOEY LOGANO – 207 PTS
    With MMA fights coming to some NASCAR events, are you ready to rumble, Joey?

    8. KYLE BUSCH – 188 PTS
    Pre-race? Hell, shouldn’t they be having the fights after the race?

    9. RYAN BLANEY – 179 PTS
    His dad was a North Carolina Cup driver. The boy is the same…just better..as dad had hoped.

    10. CLINT BOWYER – 174 PTS
    Top Tens in three of his past four…nothing worse than 13th in last five.

    11. JAMIE MCMURRAY – 163 PTS
    Must have thought he had Flintstone tires at Martinsville…but it eroded away just the same.

    12. KEVIN HARVICK – 154 PTS
    This Sunday, they will feature Danica. In November, Texas will hand out Harvick bobbleheads.

    13. KASEY KAHNE – 146 PTS
    Junior was fine, but his Chevy McChevy face got all steamed up with Kahne.

    14. ERIK JONES – 144 PTS
    While everyone is talking about Larson, another young gun is quietly working his way up.

    15. JIMMIE JOHNSON – 141 PTS
    Oh, my God, what’s wrong with Jimmie? Well, if this is running bad, imagine him running good.

    16. TREVOR BAYNE – 140 PTS
    His 14th Texas start? Damn, time does fly by.

    17. DENNY HAMLIN – 139 PTS
    Made contact with Danica at Martinsville, and wound up in a wall of hurt…and a garage of tears.

    18. ARIC ALMIROLA – 127 PTS
    Best showing since Daytona? 14th.

    19. AUSTIN DILLON – 126 PTS
    Coming off his best win of the season, he is taking the big hat to Texas. Seems about right.

    20. RICKY STENHOUSE JR. – 113 PTS
    The most relevant 27 remain in the Top 27…or at least that is what he keeps trying to tell her.

  • The Final Word – Who in their right mind would enter a brand new machine at Martinsville?

    The Final Word – Who in their right mind would enter a brand new machine at Martinsville?

    Back in 1949, Martinsville was a dirt track. Fifteen cars started the 100 lap event in the opening year of what was to become the Cup series. Red Byron won it in a 1949 Oldsmobile. A brand new car. In those days, there was little modifications done in the strictly stock division. Now tell me, after seeing what became of the car of Daniel Suarez, who in their right mind would put a brand new strictly stock car in a race at Martinsville?

    Kind of makes you wonder why you would put a brand new strictly “stock” car in a 500-lap contest on what is now a paved track in 2017? At least the boys back at the shop are guaranteed work. This time out it was a Ford driven by Brad Keselowski who came up with a victory and a grandfather clock. It was his second win of the season and a 55-point bonanza for the driver who was in the Top Five in each of the first two stages before pulling away for all the marbles.

    Kyle Busch and Chase Elliott also picked up at least 50 points on the day, finishing second and third. Both contenders were strong throughout but just did not have enough to challenge over the final few laps. While remaining winless, the pair is solidly among the best of the rest, along with Joey Logano.

    Logano had an interesting day. He got tagged for his crew leaping over the pit wall too early in the first stage. In the second stage, he had to pit under green when he cut a tire. On a short track usually not that forgiving, he still brought his car home in fourth.

    Jamie McMurray had a nice running car. A top-10 car at least. He tried to extend the life of a tire that had already shuffled off this mortal coil just prior to the end of the first stage. The track said no, and after pounding the wall, his day was done after 105 laps, finishing last and earning one lousy point.

    Same fate for Kurt Busch. At least he was still out there, extending a less than promising day until he got caught up in a little mishap. Just a handful of laps later, cutting a tire and finding the wall himself on lap 295 allowed him to go visit McMurray in the garage.

    Do not speed in the pits. Just a little advice to keep one ahead of the mess, but it comes too late for Dale Earnhardt Jr. After being sent to the rear of the field, a seven car jam up on turn three pushed in his Chevy McChevy face and punctured his radiator. There was no fixing that on pit road, so he joined Jamie and Kurt at the hot dog stand. At least he earned eight big points, but still no Top Tens and remains buried in 25th place in the standings, 40 points out of a playoff spot.

    Suarez saw his jalopy reduced to modified hot rod proportions, and Denny Hamlin hit Danica Patrick in the mess that collected Junior while putting his car face first where it should not go. After that, it did not go anywhere. Both drivers finished 30th and beyond.

    Chris Buescher, who is not among our “27 relevant drivers” was on Sunday. An 11th place run was just fine for the No. 37 Bush’s Beans boys. Though he remains a couple of spots behind Junior in the rankings, he is tied with Patrick for 27th place overall. That almost makes the lad relevant. If you remember, the 24-year-old was not exactly high on our list last season, yet he made the Chase by winning at Pocono in August. We might have to keep an eye on this gent in Texas and beyond.

    Thirty-eight cars were entered at Martinsville. Forty-three once was the maximum, but that was reduced to 40 for last season. They had a full field at Daytona, just 39 in each of the four races after that, and now 38 last Sunday. The last time they had such a short field was 1996, with entry lists of 37 at one race at Bristol as well as both races at North Wilkesboro. Just 36 ran each of two runs that season at Martinsville.

    It would seem fewer folks are willing to put their brand new strictly “stock” machines on that track, or any track, these days.

  • Race Recap: Martinsville STP 500

    Race Recap: Martinsville STP 500

    Sunday’s STP 500 at Martinsville Speedway delivered the excitement that we’ve been waiting to see. Brad Keselowski capitalized on that excitement and earned his 23rd Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series (MENCS) career win and his second win of the season. Keselowski gave Ford their first win at ‘The Paperclip’ since 2002, however, it didn’t come easy.  He had to overcome a speeding penalty on lap 72, but luck eventually fell onto Keselowski’s shoulders on lap 109 when a caution flag fell. He gambled by staying out under caution and retaining the top spot for the upcoming restart.

    Kyle Busch was leading the late stages of Sunday’s race, but soon Keselowski caught Busch with 42 laps remaining.

    “I was confident that we could come out in front. We had passed Kyle earlier in the race. We had showcased a lot of speed, and I think it was the second segment where we drove from 20th to third, and we had started to run him down, and I felt like if I just gave it some time that it would come our way, and it did,” Keselowski said about his late-race battle with Kyle Busch.

    Busch dominated most of Sunday’s race alongside Keselowski, however after being passed for the lead with 42 laps remaining Busch wasn’t able to get Joe Gibbs Racing (JGR) their first win of the season. Thus far Toyota has only one win to credit for the season, also with only two JGR cars in the top sixteen in points, they’ll have to step up their game in order to score wins and be in contention come September.

    “Our car definitely changed there for the last run of the race, and we just didn’t have what we needed in order to have the speed that we had all the rest of the day. We were able to drive away from the field. We led a lot of laps. We really had no contention there from a lot of people, just passed halfway the rest of the way to the end, and then you put a set of tires on and you lose three-tenths. That was pretty shameful, but we come home P2. So that’s all we had,” Kyle Busch said about his race efforts.

    Hendrick Motorsports showed some promising signs after a stage two win and a third place finish with Chase Elliott.  Elliott, who is NASCAR’s rising star, has shown consistency all season with two stage wins and is second in the points standings.

    “Yeah, we started the race, and for whatever reason my car would not turn at all for the first three or four laps, and I about knocked whoever was on the outside of me back to Charlotte a couple times I felt like on accident, and I thought we were going to drop like a rock. Fortunately, I don’t know if it was just being on the splitter or whatever it was, but actually our car kind of came to life and started turning pretty good, and from there it drove pretty similar throughout the entire day. Like I said, I hope it’s a consistent trend, that we can continue to run decent here. Obviously, we’d love to kind of take that next step and try to contend for a win. But from where I’ve been here in the past, night and day, so I was really happy and proud of that,” Elliott said about his contact during the race and his third place finish.

    Next Sunday, the Monster Energy Series will head to the newly paved Texas Motor Speedway with coverage starting at 1:30 p.m. ET on FOX.

  • Chase Elliott Wins Intense Truck Race at Martinsville

    Chase Elliott Wins Intense Truck Race at Martinsville

    MARTINSVILLE, Va. — Chase Elliott was in the right place at the right time to take advantage of a late race spin and drive away from Johnny Sauter to score the victory at Martinsville Speedway.

    The final stage was largely controlled by Christopher Bell until he made contact with Austin Cindric with less than 20 laps to go. Elliott, who was running in second, drove under him to assume the lead. He powered away from Sauter on the final restart to notch the win.

    “It was fun today,” Elliott said after the race. “I had some help there with Christopher’s misfortune. I was trying all I could to get by him. He was doing a really good job of maintaining my bumper, a good job with me hitting him. His bumper was getting progressively more blue (the color of Elliott’s car) as the day went.

    “It was a hard-fought battle, for sure.”

    Bell, Noah Gragson and Matt Crafton rounded out the top-five. Gragson was the Sunoco Rookie of the Race.

    Elliott led from start to finish in the first stage. But it didn’t come easy as teammate Sauter caught him, thanks to lapped traffic around lap 45, and pressured him for the lead until the caution flew for the end of the stage.

    Bell exited pit road with the race lead, thanks to taking two tires, but lost it two laps after the restart to Sauter, who went on to win the stage.

    He lost the lead under the caution to Bell, who led from lap 144 to 17 to go when he made contact with Cindric, setting up the final restart.

    It was a typical caution-loaded race for the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series.

    Bryce Napier (lap 8) and John Hunter Nemechek (lap 118) blew engines during the race. Cody Coughlin made contact with Joe Nemechek in Turn 3 on lap 13 and both spun out. Ryan Truex turned Brandon Brown in Turn 4 on lap 91. Chase Briscoe and Gragson were involved in an incident that led to Gragson spinning out in Turn 2 on lap 101. Elliott sent Ross Chastain spinning in Turn 4 on lap 124. Kaz Grala made contact with Kyle Donahue, who clipped Briscoe and turned him in Turn 2 with 92 to go. Austin Hill made contact with Grala, who got into Harrison Burton and spun him in Turn 4 with 76 to go. Finally, Bell made contact with Cindric in Turn 1 with 17 to go.

    The race lasted two hours, one minute and 38 seconds at an average speed of 64.867 mph. There were 10 cautions for 63 laps and four lead changes among three different drivers.

    Sauter leaves Martinsville with a four-point lead over Bell.

    [pdf-embedder url=”http://www.speedwaymedia.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/Martinsville-NCWTS-race-report-T1703_UNOFFRES.pdf” title=”Martinsville NCWTS race report T1703_UNOFFRES”]

  • Hot 20 – Martinsville will boast superb on track talent, but can FOX attract the viewers at home?

    Hot 20 – Martinsville will boast superb on track talent, but can FOX attract the viewers at home?

    The ratings are in. They continue to sink, with anything not being raced at Daytona all down. Daytona was great, the rest were okay. There used to be a time when okay was good enough. That was when, to answer Sheryl Crow’s question, we had it bad. Today, not so much. The passion is gone, at least from a ton of fans. Even the sponsors no longer have the passion, the desire to make those NASCAR-themed spots that were, well, spot on.

    What to do, what to do? The stars have been, and remain, pretty accessible to the fans. Hell, even 79-year old Richard Petty remains a fan favorite and an easy target for an autograph. On the other end of the spectrum, we have Kyle Larson, Chase Elliott, Joey Logano, Ryan Blaney, Erik Jones, Trevor Bayne, and Daniel Suarez leading the way for the 20-somethings. That might bode well for the future, but what about today? If you are a gear-head, the strategy, the setups is something of a draw, but for most folks, when their car is not running well it is simply broken.

    Wasn’t the racing once a lot closer? I know in the old days it was not, not when the winner was a lap or more ahead of the next guy. So, what made NASCAR the “in thing” 20 years ago? They went from southern to national, where a guy like California’s Jeff Gordon would rival the likes of Dale Earnhardt from North Carolina. That created some sparks. They had open-wheel types like Gordon, Tony Stewart, and Juan Pablo Montoya take a turn at the wheel. That caused interest. Danica Patrick arrived and that was interesting, at least for a while. Pack racing might drive the drivers nuts, but it keeps us watching. Again, Daytona was watched, the rest…not so much.

    I love the documentary-styled vignettes on the broadcasts. They always cause me to stop and watch. Is there anything else exciting, such as the broadcasters, the camera angles, the whole television experience to draw us in? Not really. Even the commercials are the same as when you watch NCIS. Seen it already with Gibbs and Ducky, so I’m good. What remains exciting is the talent. It just needs to be showcased a hell of a lot better.

    Now, don’t get me started on XFINITY. Thankfully, Ryan Reed and Justin Allgaier at least won two of the five races. Seventeen of the 25 Top Five positions to date have gone to Cup drivers. Nineteen-year-old William Byron has four Top Tens, but I suspect few know that, or him. That is a problem. I do not know what their ratings are. To be honest, I do not really care.

    Whatever you do, you cannot blame the guys among our Hot 20. Will Larson continue to dominate? Will Elliott get his first win and move to the front of the pack? What can Keselowski do with a car not beat to crap? Can Truex continue to perform well? Will Johnson and Earnhardt continue their climb back into contention? Those are some pretty good questions. I think most are still interested in the answers.

    The trouble is getting them to commit to spending a Sunday afternoon watching it all unfold, rather than to spend just a few minutes in the evening to check the post-race reports. That is like reading the last page of the book to see how the story ends, rather than submerging one’s self into the experience. The Martinsville saga this weekend will be a good one, but the book needs to be spruced up a bit to keep us engaged.

    1. KYLE LARSON – 1 WIN – 243 PTS
    A win, most points, but Martinsville is a challenge he would love to overcome.

    2. BRAD KESELOWSKI – 1 WIN – 214 PTS
    Have the living daylights beat out of your car by the fourth lap, and still finish second? Wow.

    3. MARTIN TRUEX JR. – 1 WIN – 205 PTS
    Tires. He don’t need no fresh stinking tires. On second thought…

    4. RYAN NEWMAN – 1 WIN – 123 PTS
    After ending a 127 race winless streak, the new one is now up to…well…one.

    5. KURT BUSCH – 1 WIN – 118 PTS
    That Daytona win allows him to forget about the results of the past three events.

    6. CHASE ELLIOTT – 214 PTS
    The only thing separating him and the other top guys is the empty win column, and that’s it.

    7. JOEY LOGANO – 174 PTS
    Beat out Larson, Kyle Busch, and Erik Jones to win XFINITY. Again, what is that series for?

    8. JAMIE MCMURRAY – 162 PTS
    Three Top Tens in his last four races. Hey, he doesn’t want teammate Larson to feel alone.

    9. RYAN BLANEY – 157 PTS
    He can say whatever he wants about Junior. Mind you, guess who owns the land he lives on?

    10. KEVIN HARVICK – 147 PTS
    Harvick better win soon. Heck, Keelan is already wearing Larson gear.

    11. CLINT BOWYER – 143 PTS
    October 13, 2012. While he is happy for the moment, it has been awhile since that last win.

    12. KYLE BUSCH – 136 PTS
    Once upon a time, when you mentioned Kyle it meant a guy named Busch.

    13. DENNY HAMLIN – 123 PTS
    Virginia is for Virginians. That is the slogan going into this weekend for Hamlin.

    14. KASEY KAHNE – 122 PTS
    Remembering David Steele.

    15. ERIK JONES – 116 PTS
    Just a win away from a milkshake celebration. Hey, he still is only 20.

    16. TREVOR BAYNE – 114 PTS
    Anywhere in the Top 15 on Sunday would be moral victory.

    17. JIMMIE JOHNSON – 109 PTS
    No, Jimmie is not a god. Superman, yes. A god, no.

    18. ARIC ALMIROLA – 108 PTS
    Andrew Murstein has a drive to win. Richard Petty has 200 as a driver. No pressure, Aric.

    19. DANIEL SUAREZ – 102 PTS
    We now know why Carl Edwards retired. He just wanted to be a coach.

    20. AUSTIN DILLON – 92 PTS
    Where is Junior? He is the guy looming large in Dillon’s mirror.

  • The Final Word – Larson finally finds gold in California

    The Final Word – Larson finally finds gold in California

    Kyle Larson went back to his home state of California and won at Fontana. A win. Now, I’ll be the first to admit that the 24-year old from Elk Grove is not perfect. Sure, he might be leading the standings, but perfection?

    His average finish over his past four races is only 1.75. Only. The best he could do was second at Homestead to wrap up last season. Larson started this year 12th at Daytona. Then he was second at Atlanta. Second at Las Vegas. Second at Phoenix. It is about time he was perfect, don’t you think? With the second win of his career, he leads the standings by 29 points over Brad Keselowski.

    Keselowski had an interesting day. On the start, he got into the hiccuping Denny Hamlin while Ryan Newman rearranged his left rear quarter-panel. That could not have been good on that tire, but we never really discovered if it would be a problem. You see, on the fourth lap, Jimmie Johnson tagged him when Keselowski had to lift, sending Brad spinning through the infield grass. He managed to get back into the Top Ten after the second stage, then second only to Larson at the end. Considering how the car looked, that was an incredible result.

    Picking up 40 or more points in a race meant you mattered most of the day. Keselowski did not. Clint Bowyer (third) and Martin Truex, Jr. (fourth) did. In fact, after finishing second to Larson in the opening stage before leading him after the second frame, the Truex brain trust decided to stay out before the overtime finale. Their rival picked up the new Goodyears and that was that.  Jamie McMurray was sixth on Sunday, and with points in both stages, he also had a real good afternoon to move to seventh in the season standings. Even Chase Elliott had a good day, with bonus points added to his 10th place completion placing him tied in seasonal points with Keselowski, just without a win.

    Being in the Top 16 is what they all are aiming for. Johnson tumbled out after a 21st place result. 20-year old Erik Jones eases in, taking 12th place points bulked up by stage bonuses. Other notables who failed to finish among the Top 20 included Kurt Busch, Trevor Bayne, Paul Menard, Ricky Stenhouse Jr. and Danica Patrick. To be honest, it is no longer coming as a surprise to see some of this group this far from the front. Patrick is 29th in the standings, four points up on A.J. Allmendinger, but at least he needed to receive a 35 point penalty after Atlanta to be buried this deep.

    After races in Las Vegas, Phoenix, and Fontana, with a trek to Texas on the horizon, they return east to Virginia for one week and a date in Martinsville. Johnson has nine grandfather clocks while Hamlin has five of the iconic first place trophies. You would think both should do well. History tells us that Truex, Kurt Busch, and Aric Almirola might not. It also says Larson, Truex, and Elliott might also falter. Something tells me that history, at least this time out, might be full of it. Current events might suggest that relying totally on history might not be the right choice for Sunday.

  • Auto Club Speedway – Did you Know?

    Auto Club Speedway – Did you Know?

    This weekend the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series and the XFINITY Series head to Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, California. It’s the final stop of the three-race westward swing. But did know that it is also the 20th anniversary of NASCAR Cup Series racing at Fontana?

    The first Cup Series race was held on June 22, 1997, and was won by Jeff Gordon. He went on to capture two more victories in 1999 and 2004. Jimmie Johnson is the defending race winner and leads all drivers with six wins (2016, 2010 spring, 2009 fall, 2008 fall, 2007 fall and 2002). In 2008 he became the first and only driver to win from the pole at the 2-mile track.

    While a front row starting position is generally considered critical, Auto Club Speedway may be an exception. Only two of the 27 races (7.4%) have been won from first and second place. And though 14 of 27 (51.8) races were won from a top-10 start, a closer look at the statistics shows that the most advantageous starting positions are third, ninth and 24th, having produced three winners each. Matt Kenseth holds the distinction of winning from deepest in the field (31st) in the 2006 spring race.

    But, did you know that Johnson won at Auto Club Speedway and went on to win the Cup Series championship five times (2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, and 2016)? The only other driver to transition from a win at ACS to a championship in the same year was Jeff Gordon in 1997.

    It should come as no surprise that Johnson, who has 13 top fives, 16 top 10s and one pole to go along with his six wins, has the top driver rating (119.7) at Fontana. Kyle Busch comes in at second (109.0) with three wins, eight top fives, 12 top 10s and one pole. Chase Elliott, who has the series-best average finish of 6th, enters the race with the third-best driver rating at 105.1. He’s followed by Kenseth (105.0) and Kevin Harvick (99.4).

    A couple of drivers are close to achieving milestones Sunday at Fontana and one will receive a special honor

    First up is Kyle Larson who posted his third consecutive second place finish this season at Phoenix. If he finishes second again this weekend, he will become only the fifth driver in Cup Series history to finish in the runner-up position in four consecutive races in a single season, joining Mark Martin (1998), Harry Gant (1985), Darrell Waltrip (1983) and Richard Petty (1964). No driver has ever finished runner-up five consecutive races in the Cup Series.

    But, did you know that his three consecutive second-place finishes have already set a record? Larson is the only driver in series history to accomplish this during the first four races of a season.

    Also of note, seven-time champ Jimmie Johnson will be honored this weekend as he is inducted into the Auto Club Speedway’s Walk of Fame on Friday. He scored his first of six Cup Series wins at ACS and also has the track record of five runner-up finishes.

    Lastly is Dale Earnhardt Jr., who, when the green flag drops for the Auto Club 400, will become the 26th driver in Cup Series history to make 600 or more starts. To acknowledge this milestone, commemorative decals will be placed on his No. 88 Hendrick Motorsports Chevy.

    Earnhardt has achieved 26 victories during his career with his first coming at Texas Motor Speedway on April 2, 2000, where he led 106 laps on his way to victory lane. But, did you know it was only his 12th Cup Series career start?

     

    The Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series action continues Sunday with the Auto Club 400 on FOX at 3:30 p.m. ET. Radio coverage will be provided by Motor Racing Network (MRN) and SiriusXM Satellite NASCAR Channel 90.

    Follow @angiecampbell_ for the latest NASCAR news and feature stories.

  • Hot 20 – You know all the big names on this list heading to Fontana, and some not among them

    Hot 20 – You know all the big names on this list heading to Fontana, and some not among them

    Despite placing fourth on Sunday, no Ricky Stenhouse Jr. No Dale Earnhardt Jr. Neither Austin Dillon or Ty Dillon. No Danica Patrick. A.J. Allmendinger was third at Daytona, outside the Top Twenty ever since. One can have the name, the equipment, the marketing, but results are what matters and for some those results just have not been there just yet.

    However, each and every one managing to crack our Hot 20 not only are known but they have done well enough. I mean, just by averaging 18 points per race, an average of 19th place per contest without stage bonuses, is all it takes to be in Cup racing’s top tier. Not a high fence to get over, you would think.

    Just six points separate Stenhouse, Earnhardt, and the Dillons from leaping up, but it gets a little more serious for Patrick and Allmendinger. Patrick is 20 back, while Allmendinger is a head scratching 33 off the pace. If this was the NFL or MLB instead of NASCAR, somebody would start getting a little anxious. Maybe some are.

    California would be the apropos place to have a eureka moment. For some, in the words of U-2, they still haven’t found what they are looking for.

    1. BRAD KESELOWSKI – 1 WIN – 178 PTS
    After Daytona wreck, a win and a trio of Top Fives. He found it, and never had to look for it.

    2. MARTIN TRUEX JR. – 1 WIN – 153 PTS
    Six wins in three seasons. Barney Visser’s crew has come a long way since its 2005 debut.

    3. KURT BUSCH – 1 WIN – 105 PTS
    Does Energizer have a car battery, one that keeps going and going and going?

    4. RYAN NEWMAN – 1 WIN – 101 PTS
    Joins previous Childress drivers who have won at Phoenix; Dale Earnhardt and Kevin Harvick.

    5. KYLE LARSON – 184 PTS
    Runner-up in four of the past five races. Striving for Miss Congeniality next?

    6. CHASE ELLIOTT – 171 PTS
    21-year-old’s worst finish in his last nine races is 14th. Hard to miss him week in and week out.

    7. JOEY LOGANO – 135 PTS
    No one can claim he wrecked on purpose to ruin Kyle’s day….not this time.

    8. RYAN BLANEY – 127 PTS
    With only three wins over the past 25 years, the Wood Brothers expect their fortunes to change.

    9. KEVIN HARVICK – 123 PTS
    Happy Hours begins next Tuesday from 7 to 9 pm ET, on SiriusXM, Channel 90.

    10. JAMIE MCMURRAY – 119 PTS
    Reserves his wins for Charlotte (2), Daytona (2), Talladega (2), and Indianapolis (1).

    11. KASEY KAHNE – 105 PTS
    Still holding the fort, along with Chase, as they wait for those other two guys to gain traction.

    12. TREVOR BAYNE – 100 PTS
    Last Wood Brothers winner (2011) wants to be the first for Roush since Carl Edwards (2014).

    13T. KYLE BUSCH – 97 PTS
    Dear Joey: I hate you. Most sincerely, Kyle.

    13T. DENNY HAMLIN – 97 PTS
    Screw the racing. Auctioneering is where his future lies – Sandy Wexler.

    13T. CLINT BOWYER – 97 PTS
    Other than for Daytona, the results have been fine. Not great, but certainly not bad.

    16. JIMMIE JOHNSON – 93 PTS
    California should be his to win…but wasn’t that what I said about Harvick at Phoenix?

    17. ARIC ALMIROLA – 90 PTS
    Another Daytona win for the boss’s 80th birthday would be a nice gift idea.

    18. ERIK JONES – 82 PTS
    What were you doing at 20 years of age?

    19. PAUL MENARD – 78 PTS
    There are 30 Menards locations near Fontana. Hey, if I can shill for Harvick, I can for Paul’s dad.

    20T. MATT KENSETH – 72 PTS
    It might have been only one point at Phoenix, but what a lovely point it was.

    20T. DANIEL SUAREZ – 72 PTS
    Might this rookie be finding his legs…or maybe just finding his wheels?

    Update:

    Penalties announced by NASCAR soon after this column was published have little effect on the standings. If not successfully appealed, the loss of 35 points by Keselowski only drops him to second, behind Truex, as wins trump points. Harvick’s loss of 10 points only finds him swapping places with McMurray.

    Meanwhile, Allmendinger’s 35 point penalty at Atlanta was upheld on appeal. Still, even if it had not been, he would still have been sitting 20th, a couple of points ahead of Kenseth and Suarez. It is still early in the season, which only means this team has time to catch up…if they can catch up.

  • The Final Word – Newman rises in Phoenix, while a pair run down under in New Zealand

    The Final Word – Newman rises in Phoenix, while a pair run down under in New Zealand

    Let us be honest. Of the 39 entries at Phoenix, the race itself featured just 28 marquee teams. Those are outfits that through a combination of great equipment, driver talent, and, to be honest, marketability, have most of us watching for every week.

    Most are relatively easy to spot. Check out the standings. They would include the Top 25 as of today, and I will let you figure out who the other three might be. That would include the Top 26 finishers at Phoenix. If you were hoping for a dark horse to win, you might consider Talladega in May.

    You had better luck finding Nemo than Ryan Newman in Victory Lane in recent years. He was there for the first time since July 28, 2013, in Indianapolis. That was surprising enough. Newman was in the vicinity early, but a call for no tires is what put him on the front row for the overtime restart and that was all she wrote. Career win number 18 was a long time coming.

    Kyle Larson did not win. He actually had to avoid being collected up, which broke his momentum, and that allowed the Rocket to take off before him. Larson had to settle for second place. Again. Like he did at Las Vegas. Like he did at Atlanta. Hell, he was second at Homestead to finish last season. We might have four drivers with wins to their credit bound for the Chase, but right now no one has accumulated more points this season than Larson. In fact, on Sunday, Larson accumulated 11 more points than Newman did. So, to the winner goes the spoils…but sometimes not most of the spoils.

    A winner gets a minimum of 40 points, with two stage wins pushing that to a maximum of 60. Five drivers came in with 40 or more. Newman had 42, Larson 53, and Kyle Busch 47. Ricky Stenhouse Jr. was fourth, but it was fifth place Brad Keselowski finishing 13 points ahead of him, with 46. As for Chase Elliott, he was fourth in the opening stage, won the second, and finished 12th to accumulate 42 of his own. You can make up your own mind if first and 12th can be worth the same. To be honest, I can live with it. I guess I do like surprises after all.

    So, if 40 points constitutes a good day, what is a dud? Twenty? More than half the field in Phoenix failed to even reach that plateau. Single digits? That would at least place a driver outside the Top 28, and if a driver is worth following you would think they should finish above that unless fate intervenes.

    Fate intervened with Matt Kenseth when his right front blew and he blasted the wall pretty hard. He got just a single point for his day’s efforts. That would be a dud. Same thing happened to Joey Logano with six to go while he was running in 11th place. Thanks to winning Stage One, was 31st on the track, but 16 markers had him 23rd in points earned. Not a dud, but also not a very good day.

    It is interesting how life works. In Las Vegas, Logano “accidentally” took out Rowdy in the final lap, prompting their post-race aerobic activity. In Phoenix, Logano pounds the wall in the late going, bringing out the caution that probably cost Busch the win. I think Karma just decided to punish them both. Who knew that she was such a peacenik?

    Next up is the swing out to California. There are times when I think that track produces the most mind numbing boring contests. Then a gem appears that forces me to reconsider that. Forrest Gump is right. The Auto Club Speedway is like a box of chocolates. Jimmie Johnson has six wins there, with Kenseth and the younger Busch each with three. Then again, Kevin Harvick came in the king of the hill at Phoenix, and he wound up sixth. Not bad, not good, but still not a dud.

    In other racing news, I am a very proud papa. While my sons carry far too much muscle to be considered greyhounds, they are a determined pair. Both took on the challenge of Northburn Station near Cromwell, New Zealand on the weekend. A leg injury interfered with Ronald’s training, but he still did his 50 kilometer (31 mile) event in 8.5 hours. John took on the 161 kilometer (100 mile) race and completed it in 37 hours and 54 minutes. Check out the Northburn Station 100 and see the kind of terrain they ran.

    Let me be honest. I love my sons, who give us every reason to be very proud parents, but they are truly nuts.

  • Mixed-Bag Day for Dominant Drivers in Phoenix

    Mixed-Bag Day for Dominant Drivers in Phoenix

    The three drivers who combined to lead the most laps in the Valley of the Sun finished across the board on Sunday.

    Joey Logano’s weekend started strong with a pole run on Friday, leading 82 laps and winning the first stage of the Camping World 500. But he lost the lead on the restart following the stage break and was busted for speeding under the fifth caution on lap 120.

    To add insult to injury, he suffered a right-front tire blowout and slammed the wall in Turn 1 with six laps to go. The blowout was due to a melted bead caused by excessive brake heat, not uncommon at tracks such as Phoenix.

    “The brakes are fine, we just blew a right front,” Logano said. “Probably just overheated the bead,” he said after the race. “I am sure that is what it was. There is not much you can do when the right front blows out. We had a good car in the beginning of the race and then just fell off and got a pit road speeding penalty and it was hard to get back up there. We were getting closer but out long run speed was off. We have to figure out how to get faster here on the long run.”

    He finished 31st.

    Chase Elliott took over the lead from Logano on the restart after the stage break, dominated the second stage and won it.

    He said the move that got him the lead early in the race was “momentum. Just had momentum and basically knew that if you fall back in line second you are probably not going to pass them. You have to be night and day better than somebody to get by them under green or they have to have a problem or something. That was the biggest thing was just realizing that hey you’ve got a lap, so you either get the lead then or you don’t. Fortunately, we got it then, but didn’t keep it when it counted.”

    He held the lead until Matt Kenseth brought out the caution with 120 to go, for slamming the wall after suffering a tire blowout, Busch beat him off pit road.

    “Even the really good cars had a really hard time getting to somebody, so track position was big as it always is every week, everywhere we go and that will continue to be the case throughout the year,” Elliott said. “So, if you don’t have it at the end of the race it is going to be an uphill battle I feel like throughout this season. That is going to be a big trend.”

    While not suffering the same fate as Logano, he faded from the conversation and came home 12th, having led 106 laps.

    Finally, Busch took command of the race with 120 to go and led a race-high of 114 laps. The race was his to lose until Logano’s wreck with six to go brought out the final caution and brought all but Ryan Newman to pit road. Kyle Larson exited ahead of him.

    He came home third.