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Tag: Chase Elliott

  • The Final Word – Kyle removes the Kryptonite as Superman wins at Fontana

    The Final Word – Kyle removes the Kryptonite as Superman wins at Fontana

    Among the things I learned on Sunday from Fontana include…

    -you don’t tug on Superman’s cape.
    -you don’t spit into the wind.
    -you don’t put up for long with ole Lex Luthor
    -and you don’t mess around with Jim.

    Jimmie Johnson, that is. For most of the day, the field had to deal with Kevin (just call him Lex) Harvick, who led early and led often. About the only time he did not lead was when he unnecessarily came in early to dump a perfectly good set of tires in a vain bid to eliminate a vibration. Then he was back. In fact, he might have gotten away with it, if not for Kyle Busch.

    Busch was among a number of drivers that were relevant on the day and was running second when he discovered the limitations of the track. That came in the form of the outside wall after a tire indicated that it not longer wished to be of service. Caution waved, the Kryptonite was removed from the track, Busch was left in 25th, and this allowed for the possible finale moviegoers had hoped for.

    After the restart, Johnson moved down to the line, hugged it tightly, and came up to Harvick’s rear quarter-panel. A bit of side drafting tugged Luthor…ahem…Harvick…back enough to set Johnson sailing right by and into the lead. In the end, no super villain, no Kryptonite, not even Batman could stop the inevitable from happening. SuperJimmie won his 77th career victory and marked the 15th straight season that he was won at least twice during the campaign.

    As for Batman, Dale Earnhardt, Jr. could not get by any of the jokers, penguins, or riddlers. He got up to the horizon, but never challenged, finishing 11th. By the way, Superman should always trump Batman. One is an alien who our sun bestows with superpowers while the other is an athletic rich guy with a lot of neat contraptions. No contest.

    Denny Hamlin finished third, and really was nowhere to be seen for the first 150 laps, but was visible in the end. Joey Logano was fourth on the day, was in the vicinity of the lead for much of the time, but probably was best remembered by Martin Truex Jr. as the guy who turned him enough to cause him to solidly tag the fence to turn a good day into 32nd. Also notable were Chase Elliott, who was fifth, while Carl Edwards came in just behind to record yet another solid effort.

    “I’m alright, it really hurt, though,” was the report from Kyle Larson after he lost a tire, touched the outside wall before experiencing a huge impact against the infield barrier that put him up where he did not belong. Danica Patrick was not Supergirl, but she went flying after Kasey Kahne turned her into the wall to demolish her entry. That set the Danica Line artificially to 38th on the day, just one behind Greg Biffle and just ahead of Larson.

    With his win, Johnson moves one ahead of Dale Earnhardt on the all-time list, sitting sixth behind Richard Petty, David Pearson, and Jeff Gordon, while he is eight wins away from passing by the likes of Bobby Allison, Darrell Waltrip, and Cale Yarborough. I do not think anyone is betting the farm against that happening this year, at least, not yet.

    The good news for the field is that Johnson will not win next week. Neither will Harvick, Hamlin, or Kyle Busch, all of whom have been writing headlines over the first five events. After a week off, they all return for Martinsville, a place Kyle Busch has never won. Harvick has just one, compared to Hamlin’s five. Then you have Superman, as one must ask themselves if eight is enough? Well, not if you are within just six wins of the great Cale Yarborough it’s not. Meanwhile, my best wishes to you over Easter.

  • The Final Word – Harvick rises like a phoenix at Phoenix from the tears of Edwards

    The Final Word – Harvick rises like a phoenix at Phoenix from the tears of Edwards

    A phoenix rises from the ashes to be reborn. In Phoenix, Kevin Harvick rose from the tears of Carl Edwards to once again become the Cactus King, the driver to beat at Phoenix.

    In November of 2012, Harvick won his first at that track. The next spring, the winner was Edwards. Last fall, Dale Earnhardt, Jr. was the victor. The four in between were all claimed by the man who has been victorious in six of the past eight events run in Arizona. That is domination, but it was close on Sunday. Very close.

    Harvick had the dominant car on the day. Oh, what a surprise that was. However, he came to the overtime dash to the finish on four used tires, compared to the two fresh ones underneath Edwards. Underneath is where the gent went to make the pass, but Edwards did not get a clean get away. Side by side, fender to fender, fender into fender they came to the stripe, with Harvick taking it by a head. My head, if I had been foolish enough to have had it laying on the track, just 0.01 of a second for the closest outcome ever at this track, one of the closest finishes on any track, at any time.

    Edwards was no slacker on the day, sitting among the top three pretty much from start to finish. He was the guy who was chasing Kyle Busch over the first 60 laps of this thing. Even a little miss on pit road did not derail Busch for long, as he concluded the event in fourth. Denny Hamlin was third, even after an early stop saw a tire roll away to find him penalized from fourth to 26th at the time. Earnhardt (5th) and Kurt Busch (6th) were also among the notables on the day, with young Chase Elliott bringing it home in eighth.

    Sometimes being tired equates into being fatigued, adding new rubber in the pits, or having them fail to send one into the wall. Ryan Newman (39th) was the first casualty just over 50 laps into the race, and every fifty laps or so after somebody else got bit. Next up was Paul Menard (38th), to be followed by Ricky Stenhouse, Jr. (37th), but the exploding tread from Brad Keselowski (29th) was the most spectacular failure.

    The Danica Patrick Line last Sunday was drawn at 19th, one place behind Joey Logano, who had a fuel intake issue that forced a late stop for juice, and Matt DiBenedetto in 20th.

    The good news for everybody is the fact Harvick has not won at Fontana for the past five years. From 2004-2010, they visited the California venue twice, allowing the likes of Jimmie Johnson (5), and Matt Kenseth (3) to pick up a bunch of wins. Harvick and Tony Stewart have won there since they returned to a one and done situation, with Kyle winning twice before Keselowski took it last spring.

    Those last two might be considered decent selections for the prognosticators, but remember that since 2006 Johnson has finished outside the Top 15 just once over the past 15 starts at Fontana. With both Edwards and Kenseth also boasting Top Ten averages, the track could live up to the community’s motto as the “City of Action.” I can live with that.

  • Hot 20 – The heat is on at Phoenix after an endorsement, poor ratings, and some poorer finishes

    Hot 20 – The heat is on at Phoenix after an endorsement, poor ratings, and some poorer finishes

    It is a strange world we live in. Donald Trump appears on his way to the Republican nomination, but an endorsement from Brian France has folks in a tizzy. It could kill the diversity NASCAR is striving for, some claim. That is true. I doubt Trump would be a supporter of any team hiring an illegal alien to drive for them. Crazy, I know.

    If that is not bad enough, the television ratings have gone from bad, to worse, to not nearly as awful as the first two races. In a sport that had something of a cult following a decade ago, NASCAR no longer releases attendance figures, prize payouts, and has torn down some grandstands. The antidote will be found on the track, in their marketing, and in the economy. As always, there remains stark room for improvement in all those areas.

    A year ago, Dale Earnhardt Jr. won at Phoenix. Five of the six before that, Kevin Harvick claimed the prize. Now, if anyone could use a win this weekend, Danica Patrick, Chase Elliott, and Clint Bowyer would be among them. They sure are not among the Hot 20 going into Sunday’s action.

    1. JIMMIE JOHNSON – 1 WIN – 110 PTS
    Drives like Superman. In California, he will even look a bit like him.

    2. BRAD KESELOWSKI – 1 WIN – 98 PTS
    Flag on the ground, flag on the ground, felt like a fool with the flag on the ground.

    3. DENNY HAMLIN – 1 WIN – 93 PTS
    Recently was asked if driver confrontations are staged. Sure, about as much as a Republican debate.

    4. KYLE BUSCH – 116 PTS
    Best in points, zip in wins. Close only counts in horseshoes, hand grenades, and NASCAR

    5. KEVIN HARVICK – 109 PTS
    Has won five of past seven races at Phoenix. If I were a betting man…

    6. JOEY LOGANO – 104 PTS
    Truck decal: Things I hate: warm beer, cold women, Joey Logano and Brad Keselowski

    7. KURT BUSCH – 102 PTS
    A pit-road speed limiter button request was made by the speedster to f****** NASCAR.

    8. CARL EDWARDS – 96 PTS
    Twice failing template inspection last week earns the team a written note of bad tidings.

    9T. AUSTIN DILLON – 90 PTS
    It has been a while since the No. 3 sat in Victory Lane. It might not be long before it returns.

    9T. MARTIN TRUEX JR. – 90 PTS
    Crew Chief is in the sin bin this week, but the driver has been a factor thus far.

    11. RICKY STENHOUSE, JR. – 79 PTS
    If Dillon’s performances surprise you, this must make your head spin.

    12. DALE EARNHARDT JR. – 78 PTS
    California’s Caped Crusader hopes to repeat at Gotham…er…Phoenix.

    13. KASEY KAHNE – 77 PTS
    Bouncing back, or just bouncing. The jury remains out.

    14. RYAN BLANEY – 73 PTS
    While Mr. Elliott gets the headlines, fellow rookie Blaney thrives in un-Chartered territory.

    15. ARIC ALMIROLA – 72 PTS
    Living the all-American dream in the all-American car, employed by an all-American icon.

    16. JAMIE MCMURRAY – 69 PTS
    Some consider this to be a slow start, but it is way too early to get terribly excited just yet.

    17. RYAN NEWMAN – 66 PTS
    Led just one lap this season. Maybe he is going for quality rather than quantity.

    18. PAUL MENARD – 62 PTS
    Getting out of a hole at this time of year is a whole lot easier than trying to do it later.

    19. REGAN SMITH – 57 PTS
    Good start by Tommy Baldwin entry, but last two results have been far from impressive.

    20T. TREVOR BAYNE – 56 PTS
    Finally had a Top 20 finish last week. Well, at least, that is something.

    20T. KYLE LARSON – 56 PTS
    Was looking pretty good, then came Las Vegas.

    20T. MATT KENSETH – 56 PTS
    If NASCAR had a bumper car division, he would be running away with it this season.

    20T. GREG BIFFLE – 56 PTS
    Tied with his former team-mate and ahead of Danica. That might not make him feel any better.

  • The Final Word – Las Vegas came with some distractions, and not all of them were in Nevada

    The Final Word – Las Vegas came with some distractions, and not all of them were in Nevada

    It was a rainy, blowy kind of Sunday, and that was just in these parts where I live. With a few errands to run, we had Sirius Channel 90 on the car radio so we did not miss the action. Due to the rainy, blowy kind of Sunday at Las Vegas, we did not.

    Rarely do I watch the action live, but we were visiting my father, as the ladies in the family took care of packing up some of my late mother’s things. We gentleman were in front of the television. We also talked a lot. Did I mention our three and five year old nieces were there, the precocious pair being cuteness personified? Under those kind of conditions, one can miss some of the action, so with less than 30 laps to go it appeared we were seeing Kyle Busch rushing toward the finish. Then my sister came into the room, and our attention was further strained. When they waved the flag, it was Brad Keselowski taking the trophy. Okay, what in hell happened? Luckily for me, I taped the race, so an answer would be forthcoming.

    I guess we failed to notice Keselowski make the pass with about six laps to go. It appears Busch was experiencing some vibration that only got worse, tightening the car and affecting his ability to turn. That is usually something one wishes to do when racing on an oval. Down to the final lap, Joey Logano made his pass for second. At the line, Jimmie Johnson edged out Busch for third. At least Kyle was the best Busch brother on the day.

    Kurt Busch started strong, leading for 31 laps. A pit penalty while under the competition caution took him out of the running for top spot, and he never contended again. Still, ninth is not bad. Denny Hamlin actually led for a few laps. Ten, to be exact, but 19th was his fate.

    Only five other drivers really mattered in Las Vegas. Keselowski popped in and out of the Top Three much of the day before he made his final charge. His car proved good enough to overcome a speeding penalty with 80 to go, needing just half of that to get back into contention, going on to claim his 18th career victory. The high winds on the day actually whipped the Stars and Stripes out of the car during the post-race celebration, though the young patriot immediately stopped the car to retrieve the fallen flag. Not exactly Denzil Washington’s scene in Glory, but much appreciated just the same.

    Just about everyone else who mattered were also there at the finish. Logano had led 70 laps, Johnson 76, and Kyle 38 of the final 44 laps, but those missing six were the most crucial. There was one exception.

    Matt Kenseth only led nine, but he was up front much of the day. A vibration caused him to short pit about 60 laps in, but it did not take him long to get back into the mix. Late in the race, just before my sister came into the room, Kenseth was fifth on a re-start. A lap later, he lost the handling as his car drifted up toward the fence, where Chase Elliott smashed into him to wrap up the day for both. The only one who did not think Elliott could not have avoided the crash was Elliott himself, who thought things would have turned out differently if he had only used his brakes. The pair finished just ahead of Cole Whitt for dead last.

    As for the Danica Line this week, it was 21st Sunday at Las Vegas, with Greg Biffle finishing just ahead while Clint Bowyer finished just behind her. Despite all the wishin’ and a hopin’, Patrick is still not a Top 20 performer. She sits 26th in today’s rankings, though that is better than Elliott and Bowyer heading into Phoenix this weekend.

    Three races, three winners. Last year, Dale Earnhardt, Jr. was the victor in Arizona. Mind you, five of the previous six races run there were all claimed by Kevin Harvick. I think we have a favorite.

  • Another Bad Day for Kenseth and Elliott

    Another Bad Day for Kenseth and Elliott

    While Matt Kenseth had a winning car this weekend at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, his cards weren’t a winning hand and he ended up in the red.

    Rounding Turn 1 with 43 laps to go, the driver of the No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota got loose and slid up the track. Just as he had it recovered, Chase Elliott’s No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet slammed into the rear of his car and sent both of them to the garage.

    “I really don’t know what happened,” Kenseth told Fox. “I just turned off in there and spun off before I honestly knew what was happening. I don’t know why it spun out. I tried to save it the best I could and just got hit hard from behind and ended up wrecking it.”

    A 37th-place finish continues Kenseth’s string of bad luck. In the last three races, he went from leading the Daytona 500 on the final lap to getting passed by teammate Denny Hamlin, falling backwards after getting loose in Turn 4 and finishing 14th. In Atlanta, he had a strong car, but fell afoul of an unusual rule, fell two laps down and finished 19th.

    He leaves Vegas 22nd in points.

    Photo: Robert Laberge/Getty Images
    Photo Credit: Robert Laberge/Getty Images

    Elliott, who was running in the top-10 for most of the race, took all the blame for an incident he described as a “terrible job on my behalf.”

    “What a fast race car. I appreciate everybody working hard.  I feel like we made a lot of gains this weekend.  Just a terrible job on my behalf. That is pitiful. We have run three races and finished one. Just a bad job on my end. I ought to know better to miss a wreck like that.”

    His 38th-place finish is his second outside the top-10 for the young rookie who replaced Jeff Gordon and had so much hype coming into the 2016 season. After winning the pole for the Daytona 500, his day came to an end early after crashing into the infield grass. He rebounded with an eighth-place finish last weekend at Atlanta Motor Speedway. He was running well for most of the day today before getting caught up in the melee with 43 laps to go.

    He leaves Vegas 28th in points.

  • Hot 20 – If rules are meant to be broken, somebody forgot to tell NASCAR

    Hot 20 – If rules are meant to be broken, somebody forgot to tell NASCAR

    Rules be rules, and the book was tossed at a number of folks after Atlanta. The biggest hit was taken by Martin Truex Jr. after a roof flap issue meant the loss of 15 points. Thanks to the appeal process, he keeps crew chief Cole Pearn for this weekend otherwise, he would be gone for a race and tagged with a $50,000 fine. Considering it is the second straight race the issue has come up, NASCAR got rather ornery.

    The honchos were not happy. A.J. Allmendinger lost 10 points for issues regarding his rear wheel crush panels. Austin Dillon, Paul Menard, Ryan Newman and Michael McDowell lost 10 each for components of the car not being kosher. Each crew chief also got to donate $15,000 to the cause.

    The poobahs were not done. For failing to pass the pre-qualifying inspection after three attempts, they sent nasty notes to Jeffery Earnhardt’s people, along with the loss of 15 minutes of practice time. Uncle Dale Earnhardt Jr., along with Matt DiBenedetto, and Cole Whitt, were written up after each failed twice.

    The lords of all racing even managed to hand out a $5000 penalty to an XFINITY crew chief, wrote up six others for pre-racing inspection issues, and even tagged a Camping World team for failing post-race inspection.

    Bad boys, bad boys, whatcha gonna do?

    In the meantime, NASCAR boss Brian France came out and endorsed Donald Trump for President. To each his own, but I cannot help thinking that while the Donald might not be everyone’s cup of tea, the character and morality flaws of some of the others leave him looking like Gandhi. Yes, it is a strange, strange world we live in, Master Jack.

    Off to Las Vegas, our Hot 20 performers include…

    1. DENNY HAMLIN – 1 WIN – 70 PTS
    Still has Atlanta car, but his Daytona car is missing. It happens every darn year to somebody.

    2. JIMMIE JOHNSON – 1 WIN – 70 PTS
    Win a race, tie Dale Earnhardt, pretty much lock in a spot in the Chase. Check, check, and check.

    3. KYLE BUSCH – 78 PTS
    Won Atlanta’s XFINITY race and outran my five-month-old nephew Oscar. What a guy.

    4. KEVIN HARVICK – 74 PTS
    If he hopes to repeat in 2016, does that mean Harvick “peated” at Las Vegas last year?

    5. CARL EDWARDS – 73 PTS
    No one mentions his former friend 12919-028 anymore.

    6. KURT BUSCH – 69 PTS
    Will the hometown look the same as he steps down from the plane?

    7. JOEY LOGANO – 64 PTS
    A recent story was entitled, “Logano tries to adjust to new package.” I giggled. I am so immature.

    8. MARTIN TRUEX, JR. – 60 PTS
    Roof flap issues cost Truex 15 points, but the appeal retains for him his crew chief, for now.

    9. ARIC ALMIROLA – 55 PTS
    Some with Cuban heritage are running for President. President Almirola has a ring to it.

    10. BRAD KESELOWSKI – 54 PTS
    While Mr. France likes Donald Trump, Brad kind of likes the sound of President Keselowski.

    11. AUSTIN DILLON – 53 PTS
    When I rechecked the point standings from Tuesday, I thought I might have had another stroke.

    12. MATT KENSETH – 51 PTS
    In future, when the flag goes black, maybe they should get back.

    13. RICKY STENHOUSE, JR. – 50 PTS
    Later this season, he will truly be a Sunny Delight. I wonder if Ms. Patrick would agree?

    14. KYLE LARSON – 49 PTS
    A big fan of the NBA Charlotte Hornets. I like the NHL Montreal Canadiens. We both are weird.

    15. KASEY KAHNE – 46 PTS
    Named by Hollywood Life as a Top 10 Hottie of NASCAR. Nope. Danica is all alone.

    16. DALE EARNHARDT JR. – 45 PTS
    After failing pre-qualifying inspection twice, even Junior got written up on Santa’s naughty list.

    17. JAMIE MCMURRAY – 44 PTS
    Looked good at Atlanta, then they began the second minute of action.

    18. REGAN SMITH – 40 PTS
    Tommy Baldwin should be proud.

    19. CHASE ELLIOTT – 38 PTS
    Thanks to good, clean living and NASCAR penalties, the rookie makes the list.

    20. RYAN BLANEY – 38 PTS
    Some got a Charter, some did not need it.

    21. RYAN NEWMAN – 38 PTS
    Must have been a Childress thing, as Newman and Menard are also 10 lighter than first tallied.

  • Chase Elliott Doesn’t Want to Wreck Early Again

    Chase Elliott Doesn’t Want to Wreck Early Again

    HAMPTON, Ga.– Asked how he’ll bounce back at Atlanta, Chase Elliott replied, “not wrecking out on Lap 20 would be a good start.”

    The driver of the No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet had high hopes for the Daytona 500 after scoring the pole. Those were quickly dashed on Lap 20 after his car spun off the exit of Turn 4 and came to a halt on the infield grass.

    Elliott, who placed 16th in the first practice session for the Sprint Cup Series, appeared in the media center on Friday to speak to the NASCAR media corp to answer questions.

    I asked him how he was planning to bounce back from his disappointing run in the 500 and here’s what he had to say.

    “Not wrecking on lap 20 would be a good start. To get going this weekend and see how things are today. I’m excited like I said. Daytona is week one, but it’s such an animal of its own and a unique race. Everybody I think realizes that Atlanta is that first week of the places you’re going to see the majority of the rest of the season. We recognize that Daytona counts too. So that’s disappointing to have a disappointing day last Sunday. But we’re already here at Atlanta, so getting drowned in last week isn’t going to do any good. We realize that and will try to move forward. Having a good weekend would be great. We just want to do our jobs and do the best we can.”

    He was asked about being in front of his home crowd for the first time in a Cup race and said, “We want to try and get things going and have a little better week than last week,” he said. “We’re all excited about it. I know Alan (Gustafson) and everybody has been working hard in the offseason to improve our mile-and-a-half program. I think they feel really confident in it with some things they’ve been working on. I’m excited to get out there today in practice and see how we stack up.”

    He was also asked about Stewart-Haas Racing’s decision to move to Ford in 2017.

    “For them, it’s a business decision, as they said,” Elliott said. “I can’t really say a lot for them because I’m not part of that organization. I’m excited to be a part of Hendrick Motorsports and a part of Chevrolet.”

  • The Final Word – Daytona was a tale of two lane blacktop, at least for the final lap

    The Final Word – Daytona was a tale of two lane blacktop, at least for the final lap

    “Stay on the bottom, stay in line, and they can’t pass us.”

    For 199 laps, Darrell Waltrip’s observation of the 2016 Daytona 500 was dead on. Then, it became dead wrong. With Matt Kenseth leading Martin Truex Jr. on the bottom, Denny Hamlin jumped to the outside with some rarely seen momentum in that lane. Kenseth moved up to block, overshot just as Hamlin cut to his inside to leave the No. 20 wiggling high and dry. Moving beside Truex the pair fought it out to the line, with Hamlin taking his first Great American Race by about four inches, the closest finish in the history of the classic.

    For 199 laps, it was the inside lane and only the inside that mattered. Nothing moved on top. Until Hamlin’s maneuver, nothing did. In claiming the prize, the most dominant car of the day got back to the front where he had led for 95 laps though he needed to finish it off the hard way. Well, hard for everyone else, but it looked pretty darn easy for the now 27-race winner.

    Racing at Daytona is usually exciting, even when it becomes a single lane contest for the most part. Twenty-year-old Chase Elliott led a couple from the pole, but later his car drifted away from him to leave it wrecked in the infield. Dale Earnhardt Jr. looked strong for the next dozen, and while he was coming back with 30 laps to run, his own snapped from beneath him and found an inside wall. Other than that, Hamlin, Kenseth, and Truex were the only names worth remembering.

    Among the milestones, the worst Charter finish was that of Chris Buescher in 39th after his crash with Matt DiBenedetto near the mid-point on Sunday. The best non-Charter was 15th, recorded by Michael McDowell in the No. 59 of Leavine Family Racing. Danica Patrick is usually the dividing line between the good and the ugly, so the car finishing just ahead of her at Daytona was Greg Biffle in 34th. The pair had a meeting over disputed real estate and neither came away well from that. Right behind her was Junior in 36th.

    There are times when cars can go from the front to near the back and within a few laps they are back racing up front again. That was not this race. Unless you could get back using the checkers method, by jumping over the opposition, it took some time to make up lost ground. Unlike some, this was not a case of follow the leader, but rather one where the leaders ran on the inside and those on the outside just sat there frustrated going nowhere. That is, until the final lap.

    Some claim that is was a snore fest. I disagree as pack racing is never boring. When you drive that close and that fast, with only the first handful of cars not within a racing buddy in tight beside them, things can happen and not all of them good.  It became obvious that the leader was going to likely be our eventual winner. Obvious to everyone, except for Denny Hamlin, that is.

  • Elliott’s Daytona Debut Ends Abruptly

    Elliott’s Daytona Debut Ends Abruptly

    Chase Elliott’s hopes of bringing the Harley J. Earl Trophy back with him to Dawsonville, Georgia came to a halt not 50 miles into the race.

    After becoming the youngest driver to win the Daytona 500 pole and capturing the checkered flag in Saturday’s XFINITY event, anticipation was high as the race began.

    Elliott led the first three laps but as he was exiting Turn 4 on Lap 19, the No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet got loose, came down across the nose of Carl Edwards and slid down into the tri-oval grass. His car came to a halt after the nose dug into the ground and hit the drainage hole and destroyed the front of the car.

    Elliott described what happened saying he “just got in (the) middle there a couple of laps before and got loose off of (Turn) 4 and just lost it. I hate it. It had been such a fun week and you hate to end the race before it even got started. Just disappointed for everybody. We will just have to look past it and get on for Atlanta.”

    “That is the most important thing now,” he continued. “Can’t get caught up in what happened today, it is irrelevant now. We’ll try and get it fixed and make some laps. Then it’s on to Atlanta and if we can make some laps we will, and move forward from here.”

    He returned to the race and finished in 37th 40 laps down.

  • Chase Elliott Scores the Daytona Victory in XFINITY Race

    Chase Elliott Scores the Daytona Victory in XFINITY Race

    Not satisfied with the pole for the Daytona 500, Chase Elliott held off Joey Logano coming to the line to score the victory at Daytona International Speedway in the XFINITY Series. Elliott, at 20 years, two months and 23 days, also became the youngest XFINITY Series winner at Daytona.

    The driver of the No. 88 JR Motorsports Chevrolet held off the No. 22 Team Penske Ford to win the PowerShares QQQ 300 at Daytona International Speedway. When I say held off, I mean beating and banging to the line. Logano dented the right rear corner panel of Elliott’s car while getting pinched to the outside wall.

    “The plan was to make the move off of four and going to the top he blocked the first move and wiggled to the bottom and back to the top. At that point, it is a little late and then we touched each other and that is the killer,” Logano said.  “Once we had that touch it killed our momentum and I couldn’t pull him back enough to get in front of him.”

    Team owner, Dale Earnhardt Jr., had nothing but praise for Elliott.

    “Chase obviously did what he had to do there at the end of the race,” Earnhardt said. “I thought that was very gutsy to be able to really put such an aggressive block on the 22. He did what he had to do to keep the guy behind him, and it won him the race. 

    “I’m proud of Chase. It’s such a cool thing to be a part of his career. He’s going to do some amazing stuff in his career, and it’s awesome to be a little part of it.”

    Kasey Kahne rounded out the podium in third in his No. 5 JR Motorsports Chevrolet. Elliott Sadler finished fourth in his No. 1 JR Motorsports Chevrolet. Austin Dillon rounded out the top-five in his No. 2 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet.

    Darrell Wallace Jr. finished sixth in his No. 6 Roush Fenway Racing Ford while Brandon Jones came home seventh in his No. 33 RCR Chevrolet. Daniel Suárez finished seventh in his No. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota followed by Blake Koch in ninth in his No. 11 Kaulig Racing Chevrolet. Brendan Gaughan rounded out the top-10 in his No. 62 RCR Chevrolet.

    The race lasted two hours, one minute and 13 seconds at an average speed of 194.898 mph. There were 19 lead changes among nine different leaders. It was slowed down four times for 17 laps.

    Complete Finishing Order:

    1) 88  – Chase Elliott
    2) 22 – Joey Logano
    3) 5  -Kasey Kahne
    4) 1  -Elliott Sadler
    5) 2 – Austin Dillon
    6) 6 – Darrell Wallace Jr
    7) 33 – Brandon Jones
    8) 19 – Daniel Suarez
    9) 11 – Blake Koch
    10) 62 – Brendan Gaughan
    11) 98 – Aric Almirola
    12) 7 – Justin Allgaier
    13) 3  -Ty Dillon
    14) 28 – Dakoda Armstrong
    15) – 51 Jeremy Clements
    16) – 16 Ryan Reed
    17) 5 – John Wes Townley
    18) 44 – David Starr
    19) 87 – Joe Nemechek
    20) 39 – Ryan Sieg
    21 ) 24 – Matt Tifft
    22) 4 – Ross Chastain
    23) 18 – Bobby Labonte
    24) 78 – B J McLeod
    25) 43 – Jeb Burton
    27) 48 – Brennan Poole
    28) 25 – Chris Cockrum
    29) 93 – Scott Lagasse Jr
    30) 0 – Eric McClure
    31 )20 – Erik Jones
    32) 52 – Joey Gase
    33) 7 – Ray Black Jr
    34) 42 – Kyle Larson
    35) 14 – Benny Gordon
    36) 89 – Morgan Shepherd
    37) 17 – Jeff Green
    38) 90 – Martin Roy
    39) 85 – Bobby Gerhart
    40) 1 – Ryan Preece