Testing SpeedwayMedia.com

Tag: Chase Elliott

  • Surprising and Not Surprising: Bojangles Southern 500

    Surprising and Not Surprising: Bojangles Southern 500

    With retro paint schemes, throwback uniforms and the low downforce package all the rage, here is what else was surprising and not surprising from the 66th annual Bojangles Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway.

    Surprising:  One driver at least excelled yet again at one of the extended play versions of NASCAR racing. Carl Edwards, driver of the No. 10 ARRIS Toyota for Joe Gibbs Racing, won not only the Coke 600, one of the longest races of the season, but also claimed victory with his signature back flip at Darlington this past weekend.

    This year’s race at Darlington was significantly longer at four and a half hours thanks to the record 18 cautions that took place during the event. And Edwards had to work even harder, battling back to Victory Lane from two laps down at one point in the race.

    “I do like the longer races,” Edwards said. “I think growing up it was so cool to me that NASCAR raced these long events, these tough races, and I really enjoy them.

    “It’s fun. These things are like a big adventure. You go out there and you race for three or four hours and you try not to tear anything up. It was so cool tonight to be able to come back from two laps down.”

    Not Surprising:  Not only was Coach Joe Gibbs celebrating a victory with Edwards but he was also reveling in what he called a “great sports story” as one of his other drivers Kyle Busch clinched a spot in the Chase for the Championship in spite of sitting out multiple races due to injury.

    The driver of the No. 18 M&Ms Crispy Toyota finished in the seventh spot at ‘The Lady in Black.’

    “Yeah, I think that’s also a great sports story,” Gibbs said of Busch. “Everything that happened to us there at Daytona and then for him to bounce back in 11 weeks, I felt like the odds were against us.

    “And for him to be able to pull this off and come back, win four times and get back in the Chase tonight — they had a great game plan. They talked all night about the game plan, what they wanted to do, and first up was to make sure that they had enough points tonight that they didn’t have to worry next week.

    “So that was a big deal for them, and it was great for Kyle, and obviously it was great for everybody else over here at the 19 car and Carl.”

    Surprising:  Darlington and stick shifting had a thing or two in common, at least for one driver who just happened to finish runner-up.

    “You know, the race kind of reminded me of — I remember when I was a kid and my dad wanted to teach me how to drive a car, and he gave me a stick shift,” Brad Keselowski, driver of the No. 2 Miller High Life Ford, said. “You practice and you learn and you learn how to drive it and you stall it out all the time and then eventually you kind of start to figure it out and you stop stalling it so much and you get into a pattern and you don’t stall it out anymore.

    “The race reminded me a lot of that because the cars, just five or six years ago when I entered Sprint Cup, were extremely difficult to drive, much like a stick shift when you’re first learning how to drive.

    “And then they’ve gotten really easy to drive over the last four or five years, to the point where we’re all kind of looking around at each other as drivers going, wait a minute here, this isn’t good, it shouldn’t be this easy to drive these.

    “So we asked NASCAR to, ‘hey, make these cars harder to drive, give us our, metaphorically speaking, stick shift back, and they did, and I think somebody thought they’d be really funny and pick Darlington as the track to do that, which would be like if you picked the mountains of Virginia to give somebody a stick shift back.

    “It’s kind of that same feeling.”

    Not Surprising:  A career high and a team record were achieved by two drivers, Kevin Harvick and Martin Truex Jr.

    Harvick, driver of the No. 4 Budweiser/Jimmy John’s Chevrolet SS for Stewart-Haas Racing, earned his 18th top-five finish, extending his new single-season career high and topping his 16 top-five finishes from 2010.

    Truex Jr. scored his 17th top-10 finish in 25 races, exceeding Kurt Busch’s team record of 16 top-10s in 2013.

    Surprising:  There was a real lack of communication for the driver of the No. 1 McDonald’s/Cessna Chevrolet, however, he still managed to finish top-15.

    Jamie McMurray had radio trouble throughout the race, which was particularly challenging at a track like Darlington where navigating traffic is essential.

    “We had an okay car tonight,” McMurray said. “I was super conservative.  My radio only worked about two percent of the time.  So, I had a spotter sometimes, but I didn’t others.  I was really conservative on restarts and really throughout the whole race.”

    McMurray remained in the 10th position in the point standings after the Darlington race, still looking to lock himself into Chase contention.

    Not Surprising:  There was no head hanging for another driver trying to also get into the Chase for the championship. Aric Almirola, in his classic throwback No. 43 STP Ford for Richard Petty Motorsports, took the checkered flag in the 11th spot.

    “It was a crazy night,” Almirola said. “A little bit of a struggle at the beginning and then Trent (Owens, crew chief) and the boys made some really good calls and got the car handling a lot better and I was really happy with it there toward the end. We got it the best we could and I think we got out of here with a respectable finish.

    “We need a really good night at Richmond and hope for some bad luck for the 15 but if that doesn’t happen we don’t have anything to hang our heads about to be honest with you.  That is all we had tonight. We will go on to Richmond and race like hell there and see what happens.”

    Surprising:  After winning and having such success at Darlington, it was a surprisingly rough night for Chase Elliott, who was running his last race of his ‘practice’ Cup season.

    The driver of the No. 25 NAPA Auto Parts Chevrolet and the future driver of the No. 24 car, had trouble early in the race as well as later in the race when he cut down a right-front tire on Lap 228.

    “I didn’t feel like it (tire) was going down or anything. It just like going in there, getting into (Turn) 1 and tore up the race car, unfortunately.

    “I messed up there at the beginning of the race and got us behind and you just can’t do stuff like that.”

    Not Surprising:  There were more than Darlington stripes for both Ricky Stenhouse Jr. and Danica Patrick. Stenhouse Jr. finished 38th after his hit into the wall and Patrick fared even worse after her close encounter, finishing 42nd.

    “It just snapped around,” Stenhouse said. “It was a lot of fun out there sliding around and tires wearing out and I think this is what we all wanted.  It just bit a few of us.”

    “It snapped pretty hard in (turn) four,” Patrick said. “So, I don’t know, I mean they said it looked like it snapped pretty hard. I’m not 100 percent sure. It could have just gotten loose, but it could have been a cut tire, too.”

    “It’s a bummer. We fought our way back to the lead lap, and I felt like we were in a position to have a decent end to the day.”

    Surprising:  Running the final race of his career at Darlington, the driver of the No. 24 3M Chevrolet and his crew chief just seemed lost as far as trying to make the car better.

    Jeff Gordon qualified well and started the race in the fifth position. He kept falling back, unable to make the adjustments needed to keep up with the track and finished 16th.

    “I like the aero package.  I like the racecar,” Gordon said. “We just couldn’t ever get track position.  I don’t know, we struggled tonight.  We got it pretty good on the short runs and we were mediocre on the long runs, but not great.  We just had some issues on pit road.”

    Not Surprising:  With a high number of cautions, 18 in total, the best tweet of the day came from Clint Bowyer, who finished the race in 17th in his Buddy Baker Tribute Toyota.

    “Hope no one chose the drinking word CAUTION,” Bowyer tweeted. “They probably dropping cylinders and running a little rough if so!”

    As the Cup Series heads into the final race before the Chase at Richmond next weekend, the sport also paid tribute to Gail Sommer Germain, wife of team owner Bob Germain Jr., who lost her valiant battle with breast cancer at the age of 45.  The No. 13 GEICO Chevrolet race team wore pink armbands at Darlington in her honor.

  • The Final Word – Kurt rises to the top at Richmond as Roush-Fenway continues to free fall

    The Final Word – Kurt rises to the top at Richmond as Roush-Fenway continues to free fall

    Rain changed the Saturday night race at Richmond into a Sunday afternoon affair. Was it worth the wait? For Kurt Busch, the answer was “yes.”

    After Joey Logano set the pace over the initial 94 laps, Busch came through to dominate all but 15 of the final 306 circuits to take his first of the season. After his forced three event delay to start this campaign, his 26th career decision lofts him into a Chase place. All he has to do is keep within the Top Thirty, and he looks free and clear in that department.

    Not so for Tony Stewart. After finishing well at Bristol, he clipped Dale Earnhardt Jr. and in the aftermath his jalopy failed to fire. Stewart was out, in 41st, and now just four points ahead of Sam Hornish Jr. in the fight for 30th in the standings. As for Danica Patrick, who also did well the previous week, she was back down in 25th on Sunday. At least Kevin Harvick continues to roll along, coming home right behind his victorious teammate.

    Last year, the Penske pair swept Richmond. Logano’s ride faded after his fast start though he managed to claim fifth. Brad Keselowski lost a cylinder and faded to 17th. Three of the Hendrick drivers had Top Ten days though Junior finished 14th. As for Roush Fenway, who have been tanking like an unarmed Sherman attempting to cross a lake, all sank. None were among the Top Twenty.

    Denny Hamlin was 22nd on Sunday, yet won the XFINITY race on Friday night. Of greater note was the fact the two teenagers, Erik Jones and Chase Elliott, were fourth and fifth. Jones is registered to drive the trucks, where he is three for three in Top Tens, has won on the junior loop in taking another five Top Tens in eight attempts, and could be Kyle Busch’s stand-in after this weekend in Cup. Not bad for a kid who won’t turn 19 years old for another month.

    So, was Sunday’s race worth the wait the rain imposed upon us? Well, if you were a channel surfer, having no idea what the race meant to the Stewart-Haas crew, or to Penske, or Roush-Fenway, or even Hendrick, you might have stuck with it for five or ten minutes. A visual spectacular it was not, even though the cars looked pretty.

    That changes this week, as next up we have the Sunday race at Talladega, a must watch for even the most transient NASCAR observer. You watch that race like you would the Formula One race from Monaco, not believing any sane person would be behind the wheel in any of these entries. Some wags might suggest there is good reason for their disbelief.

  • Chase Elliott Meets Expectations in Second Sprint Cup Start but is Looking for More

    Chase Elliott Meets Expectations in Second Sprint Cup Start but is Looking for More

    If never being satisfied is the key to success, Chase Elliott is well on his way to becoming a competitive driver in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series when he replaces Jeff Gordon at Hendrick Motorsports next year.

    The reigning XFINITY Series champion made his second cup start at Richmond International Raceway in the rain-delayed Toyota Owners 400 Sunday, earning an encouraging 16th place finish in his No. 25 NAPA Auto Parts Chevrolet. It was especially satisfying after a 38th place result at Martinsville Speedway in his first Cup start a month ago.

    Elliott raced his way up to 11th twice during the race, but his car struggled on short runs. He acknowledged that he could have done a better job of relaying information to his team.

    “Guys made good adjustments for qualifying to get us in the show,” he said “and our car today had great long-run speed. Unfortunately, these races never ran to the long run. It’s always going to be a short run to the finish, and I didn’t tell them to do the right things for that last stop to run a short run. Lesson learned, and we’ll try to get better for the next one.”

    While Elliott said he was uncertain why the end results of the two races were so dramatically different, he assumed some of the blame for the disappointing finish at Martinsville, saying, “I wish I had an answer for you. I don’t really know. You know, like I said, I felt like at Martinsville, too, we had a good car. I didn’t do my job like I needed to there, and got us in a wreck 60 laps into the race, and that’s not the thing to do.”

    He was able to stay out of harm’s way at Richmond and felt like the team “put together a solid race,” explaining, “Fortunately we were able to run laps today, able to stay on the lead lap and battle really hard, especially towards the end of those long runs, and to race with some good cars.  I think that’s something our team should be proud of.”

    But like all racers, Elliott is searching for more.

    “You always get greedy and want more,” he admitted, “and we certainly had a great car really today, and I thought we were battling right there on the edge of that top 10 there at points, and we had great speed, as I said, on the longer runs.”

    Elliott’s third Sprint Cup Race is scheduled for Charlotte Motor Speedway next month where he hopes to turn lessons learned into even better finishes.

     

     

  • Surprising and Not Surprising: Richmond Toyota Owners 400

    Surprising and Not Surprising: Richmond Toyota Owners 400

    After the rainy Saturday night race turned into a Sunday day race and with remembrances of Steve Byrnes abounding, here is what was surprising and not surprising in the 61st annual Toyota Owners 400 at Richmond International Raceway.

    Surprising: As enthusiastically as Kurt Busch threw his arms around crew chief Tony Gibson to celebrate in Victory Lane, Stewart-Haas teammate Tony Stewart threw his helmet and Hans device into his trailer after wrecking into Dale Earnhardt Jr. and wrecking out of the race to finish 41st.

    Stewart declined to comment after exiting the care center while Dale Earnhardt Jr. had some interesting words to share.

    “Well, it’s never his fault,” Junior said. “I was doing everything I needed to do. I didn’t drive under, I didn’t drive into him, I didn’t move my line at all. He’s gotta take a little ownership in what happened there.”

    Busch, on the other hand, had much to say after his first win of the season, one that was especially sweet after sitting out for three races at the beginning of the season due to domestic violence allegations.

    “It’s all about team, people, and chemistry within the organization,” Busch said. “So here we are. We’re winners in April. It feels good.

    “Plenty of time to do fun things to build the team up, get stronger, learn from all these races coming up and continue to go forward and like Gene Haas (team owner) said, one win is great; I want four or five more.”

    Not Surprising: Both Kevin Harvick and Martin Truex Jr. got back to their top-10 winning ways, finishing second and 10th respectively. And both drivers collectively gave total credit to their team and the efforts they put forth in producing the good finishes.

    “Well, just really fortunate to have a team that consists of a bunch of guys that do their jobs week in and week out,” Harvick, driver of the No. 4 Jimmy John’s/Budweiser Chevrolet, said. “I think we’re a better team than we were last year, just for the fact that those guys are just such a tight knit group of people.

    “I tell people all the time it’s very special to be a part of a team that knows what to do with each other without even having to say anything and that’s really what makes it go around.”

    Just as Harvick did, Martin Truex Jr. also credited his team, the No. 78 Furniture Row/Visser Precision Chevrolet for his top-10 comeback.

    “It was a struggle out there, but we made the car better and picked up enough spots to get another top 10,” Truex said. “We’ve made some late-race charges a few times this season and it’s a good feeling to know that we have the ability to overcome these issues.”

    “Once again I am proud of this team for bringing fast cars to the track.”

    Harvick and Truex Jr. also had one other commonality, with both holding serve on their first and third place in the point standings.

    Surprising: Joey Logano took the ‘quote of the day’ honors, with his remarks after taking it four-wide with Jeff Gordon late in the race.

    “I just got in there and closed my eyes and hoped for the best.”

    Logano ended up finishing fifth in his No. 22 Shell Pennzoil Ford and was by far the highest finishing Ford. In fact, the next finishing Ford was his Penske teammate Brad Keselowski, who finished 17th after being down a cylinder.

    Not Surprising: Jamie McMurray, who has been running strong all season, broke into the top 10 in the point standings with his fourth-place finish at Richmond.

    “When I look back at our race today, you go home and lay down tonight and you think about everything, I really — there’s nothing that I could have done any better,” the driver of the No. 1 Energizer Chevrolet said. “I just didn’t have a car that was quick on the short run. I had one that would go at the end.”

    “When I look back at those restarts, if I could have gotten ahead of him, I still don’t know I could have held him up.”

    “I thought as a team, driver, crew chief, we did a really good job today.”

    Surprising: While Brett Moffitt in the No. 55 Aaron’s Dream Machine Toyota was the official ‘Rookie of the Race’ finishing 29th, Chase Elliott, in just his second Cup start, finished 16th in his No. 25 NAPA Auto Parts Chevrolet.

    “Yeah, overall I felt like we had a really solid day,” Elliott said. “Really the whole weekend for us here on the Sprint Cup side was solid. I thought we had a good car throughout practice, was able to run well in race trim, and our real struggle was trying to go fast for qualifying. Guys made good adjustments for qualifying to get us in the show, and our car today had great long-run speed.”

    “Unfortunately these races never ran to the long run. It’s always going to be a short run to the finish, and I didn’t tell them to do the right things for that last stop to run a short run.”

    “Lesson learned, and we’ll try to get better for the next one.”

    Not Surprising: While a top-10 finish for Kevin Harvick means Bloomin’ Onions for all at Outback Steakhouse, Jeff Gordon’s top-10 finish meant even more.

    The Jeff Gordon Children’s Foundation tweeted after the race “Way to go @JeffGordonWeb another top 10 finish and $1,000 for childhood cancer research.”

    Gordon also achieved another career milestone in his final season. He officially tied former driver Mark Martin for the most lead lap finishes, 558, in fact, in NASCAR Cup Series history.

    Surprising: Danica Patrick took so many licks but kept on ticking, holding on to finish 25th. Early on in the race, in fact on Lap 5, she and Casey Mears tangled. And although she went sliding, she controlled the car well enough that the yellow flag was not displayed.

    She also battled with Trevor Bayne, as well as Aric Almirola the latter of whom knocked Joey Gase around and almost right into Patrick’s No. 10 GoDaddy Chevrolet.

    Finally, Patrick also had a bit of a run in off the track, tangling with Clint Bowyer on pit road. As she was entering her stall, Bowyer hit her left rear quarter panel, sending her sideways and almost into her pit crew.

    Not Surprising: All four drivers in the Hendrick Motorsports stable finished strong, with Jimmie Johnson in third, Kasey Kahne in sixth, Jeff Gordon in eighth and Dale Earnhardt Jr. bringing up the Hendrick rear in the fourteenth position.

    But it was Johnson and Kahne who had to start from the back of the field, 36th and 40th respectively to earn their top-10 finishes.

    “We had a great race car and I really felt like that was the case on Friday, except for our qualifying lap,” Johnson said. “With all the long runs that we had, I was able to get through the field and get this Lowe’s Pro Service Chevy up front. Those last few restarts I was able to hang on and duke it out with those guys and get a nice top three finish.”

    “It was pretty inconsistent and there were good runs and bad runs,” Kahne said. “For whatever reason on that last run was really good. I was happy with the way the day ended up.”

    “I would say our best race of the year there, at least it felt like one of our better ones. I’m glad we finished strong today because the second to last run was a really bad run. I’m glad the final run we got the right set of tires on.”

    Surprising: Matt Kenseth, and not Denny Hamlin who had won the Xfinity race in a dominating fashion, represented Team Toyota as the highest finisher for that manufacturer in the seventh spot.

    “For us overall, it was pretty good,” Kenseth, driver of the No. 20 Dollar General Toyota said. “We had some runs that were really, really good, some runs were off. Didn’t have the best restart positioning there at the end and got what we could out of it.”

    “We were pretty happy with our FedEx Toyota Camry two days ago — not so much today. Just we missed it,” said Dave Rogers, crew chief for Denny Hamlin, said. “Made a few adjustments and obviously went the wrong way.

    “We had a good car a couple days ago, but not so good today.”

    Not Surprising: In spite of tangling with Danica Patrick on pit road and suffering some right front damage, as well as trading paint with Martin Truex Jr. late in the race, Clint Bowyer still managed to pull off a top-10 finish at one of his favorite tracks.

    “It was kind of tit for tat really,” Bowyer said of his contact with Truex. “We were racing hard there with 20 to go and he comes from the outside and crosses over and he kind of dive bombed me last minute. It really kind of scared me, so I gave him the spot and then fast forward one lap, exactly the same move back and he turned back down and I was already there and I got into him a little bit. It is what it is.”

    “We clearly need to be better,” the driver of the No. 15 AAA Insurance Toyota said. “Hell, after the start of the season we’ve had, it’s starting to feel like a little bit of momentum and we’ve just got to keep digging.”

     

     

  • Richmond Sprint Cup Preview – Strategy, Milestones and More

    Richmond Sprint Cup Preview – Strategy, Milestones and More

    It sounds simple. If you want to win a race, the best place to begin is in front. But in reality, starting from the pole doesn’t necessarily translate into winning the race…unless you’re racing at Richmond International Raceway. The statistics below tell the story.

    Winning Strategy:

    1) If you want to win at RIR the best strategy is to win the Coors Light Pole Award. There have been 117 Sprint Cup races at RIR and 23 of those were won by drivers from the pole starting position.

    There are four active drivers who have done just that; Kasey Kahne did it in 2005, Jimmie Johnson in 2007, Kyle Busch in 2010 and Brad Keselowski in the fall race last year.

    2) The second best way to win is to begin on the front row where 13 races have been won by drivers starting in second place. Combine those two numbers and 36 (30.7 percent) of the Sprint Cup races at RIR have been won by front row starters.

    3) The third best way to win is to qualify in the top-ten. Ninety-one of those 117 (77.7 percent) races were won by drivers in the top-ten starting positions.

    Clint Bowyer has the distinction of winning at RIR after starting deepest in the field, 31st, in 2008.

    Milestones:

    As Jeff Gordon heads to Richmond he is on the verge of reaching another significant milestone in an already storied career. Gordon has led 24,778 laps during his Sprint Cup career. If he can add 222 laps to that total, he will become the sixth driver in NSCS history to lead 25,000 laps.

    Dale Earnhardt Jr. will make his 550th NASCAR Sprint Cup Series start at the Toyota Owners 400 Saturday night. He is 30th on the all-time NSCS starts list. Earnhardt, along with Kevin Harvick, Jimmie Johnson and Tony Stewart, leads all active drivers in wins at RIR; with three victories (Kyle Busch has four wins but is currently inactive). Although his last win at Richmond was in 2006, it remains one of his favorite tracks and could prove to be the impetus Earnhardt needs to capture his first win of the season.

    Paul Menard is 14th in the standings and needs a win to secure his position in the Chase. He’ll make his 300th NSCS start this weekend at Richmond. All Richard Childress Racing entries will feature decals to honor the memory of Richard “Bob” “Poncho” Myers, who passed away April 16. He was the brother of longtime RCR employee, Danny “Chocolate” Myers.

    Defending Cup champion, Kevin Harvick, shows no intention of slowing down this year. With two wins and seven top 10s, he leads the Chase standings. He has also led 950 laps in 2015 and is 50 away from becoming the eighth driver in series history to lead 1000 laps or more in the first nine races of a season. Harvick has led laps in every race this season, with the exception of Daytona, averaging 118.75 laps led per race.

    Firsts – Now Chand Then:

    Chase Elliott has a full weekend coming up at Richmond as he competes for the first time in both the XFINITY and Sprint Cup Series races. As an added incentive, Elliott gets a second chance to impress in his second Cup start. His NSCS debut at Martinsville in March resulted in a disappointing 38th place finish, 73 laps down, after contact with another car and the loss of his power steering sent Elliott behind the wall for extensive repairs.

    The first NSCS race at RIR was April 19, 1953 and was won by Lee Petty.

    Buck Baker won the inaugural pole award at RIR in 1953 with a speed of 48.465 mph.

    The first race under permanent lights was held on September 7, 1991.

    The first season when both races at RIR were night races was in 1999.

    Tony Stewart (1999) and Kasey Kahne (2005) each captured their first NSCS career win at Richmond. A victory for Stewart could kick start a dismal season and provide the momentum to propel him into Chase contention.

    By the Numbers:   

    Top 10 Driver Ratings at Richmond –

    110.7 – Denny Hamlin – Leads all active drivers with an average finishing position of 10.412

    110.3 – Kevin Harvick – Series-best Average Running Position of 7.5

    109.8 – Kyle Busch – Four wins at RIR

    99.6 – Clint Bowyer – Two wins, four top fives, 10 top 10s

    99.3 – Jeff Gordon – Leads all active drivers with 18 top five-finishes

    94.0 – Tony Stewart – Won at RIR in his second appearance

    92.5 – Ryan Newman – One win, six top fives, 16 top 10s; one pole

    91.6 – Brad Keselowski – One win, two top fives, four top 10s; one pole

    91.5 – Kurt Busch – One win, five top fives, 10 top 10s

    89.1 – Carl Edwards – One win, four top fives, 11 top 10s; one pole

    The Toyota Owners 400 Sprint Cup race will be televised on FOX Saturday at 7 p.m. ET.

     

  • The Final Word – With all the rain and challenges at Bristol, the only guy missing was Jeff Probst

    The Final Word – With all the rain and challenges at Bristol, the only guy missing was Jeff Probst

    Bristol. Just about the only thing missing was Jeff Probst and his Tribal Council as this turned into a game of survival. With the rains that delayed the start, the rains that stopped it again and again, the day race that ran into night became a reality show of its own.

    Take Kevin Harvick, for instance. He led 186 of the eventual 511 laps, but at Lap 310 he slid into a wrecked David Ragan and he found himself voted off the island in 38th place. If not Harv, then it was Kurt Busch in a dominant car. With eight to go, he took the brunt of it when Jeff Gordon got into Carl Edwards. Busch at least managed a 15th for his troubles.

    Then there was the case of Team Penske. You know you needed a hidden immunity idol when things go down the outdoor commode during the opening credits. Brad Keselowski wobbled and that allowed teammate Joey Logano to put out both their torches. Thirty-fifth and beyond was their fate.

    Do you want more examples? After the Penske wreck on the 19th lap, it rained some more. In that time, Denny Hamlin’s stiff neck got worse and when they restarted 18-year-old Erik Jones found himself racing a Cup car for the very first time, ending up 26th.

    How good was Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s car? We will never know, as a flat tire took him off the lead lap early, never to be seen again. At least he got 16th when it was all over. As for Austin Dillon, the extra laps before the final re-start ran him out of gas, but even with that he finished 10th.

    After a final caution, they needed a green-white-checker, but rain even delayed that, hence those extra caution laps before the fall of the final green. Matt Kenseth got a fine re-start to take a race he was not all that noticeable in, but the victory shows up just fine in the standings. After no wins last season, his 32nd career triumph had to be sweet no matter how he got it. Jimmie Johnson’s car did not look that pretty, but he came back to slip by Gordon for second while Jeff rebounded from a flat that had him down early to grab third. In short, these boys survived. Nobody thrived.

    Some folks play the game and slip in under the radar. Tony Stewart was sixth Sunday night, but that was a gift for to a guy who was 15th best at best. Danica Patrick was ninth. Another gift. Ricky Stenhouse Jr. was fourth, the best gift of all. Despite that good fortune, Roush-Fenway entries are still coming up short. Trevor Bayne was 28th, Greg Biffle 30th.

    Ryan Newman, fifth at Bristol, got 25 points back from his appeal over Tiregate. He still is missing his crew chief and two other team members due to suspension, and Richard Childress will continue his quest for their early return with a further appeal.

    It meant jack squat to see Logano win the Saturday XFINITY race at Bristol. Having Daniel Suarez (23 year old from Mexico), Chris Buescher (22), Erik Jones (18), Ty Dillon (23) and Chase Elliott (19) take the next five spots meant everything.

    Sunday we had the day long 2015 Food City 500 In Support of Steve Byrnes. For the NASCAR family, the broadcaster and his fight against cancer, is what truly is meaningful. We have tallied the vote, the tribe has spoken, we want you back just as soon as you are able, Steve.

  • Hot 20 – Texas awaits as our thoughts are with a broadcaster back in the hospital

    Hot 20 – Texas awaits as our thoughts are with a broadcaster back in the hospital

    A week of rest, a week of contemplation, a week for those of faith. I so desperately pray that miracles do happen. Pit reporter Steve Byrnes is back in the hospital in his fight against neck and head cancer. He is in the ICU with pneumonia and a blood clot in his lung. At least he was able to tweet that information himself. This, more than anything I have written here, is the most meaningful and important. I could use some faith restoration about now. How about you?

    Kyle Larson missed Martinsville as doctors sought out a cause for his fainting at an event prior to the race. Today, they have the luxury to err on the side of caution as an injury no longer automatically means a championship run is done. This reduced pressure to race also means an injured driver no longer needs to feel compelled to climb back into the seat much too soon to keep his hopes alive. Even a suspension does not spell the end, as Kurt Busch sits a win away from proving. While it might be a trial for Kyle Busch to make the Chase with a win and Top 20 spot when he returns, Larson should be fine as Denny Hamlin was last season. He missed Fontana, yet finished 2014 in third.

    The National Network to End Domestic Violence is not happy Kurt Busch is back racing. To be honest, I believe there are more serious matters for them to hang their shingle. In this case, we had a questionable incident based on the opinion of a single Delaware judge from the questionable comments of two people over an incident in which little, if any, physical harm was caused. I applaud their vigilance, but I do question their bid to use this case as their cause celebre. For me, the issue has turned out to be more pathetic than violent.

    It has been announced that Cup regulars Aric Almirola and Sam Hornish Jr. will run even more XFINITY series events than they originally planned. It makes it easier to explain why some of us could not be bothered covering major leaguers kicking minor league butt week after week, season after season. Twenty-one-year-old Ryan Reed won at Daytona. Cup guys have won the other five, with Kevin Harvick taking two. Enough said.

    At least Chase Elliott won the spring XFINITY race in Texas a year ago. He is not a Cup regular just yet. As for the big boys…and girl…here are the…

    Hot 20 going down to Texas…

    1. Kevin Harvick – 2 Wins (263 Points)
    It wasn’t his tires up there on the Grassy Knoll.

    2. Joey Logano – 1 Win (239 Points)
    Won two weeks ago Saturday, third on that Sunday.

    3. Brad Keselowski – 1 Win (206 Points)
    Bloody Keselipski, according to the billboards in Texas.

    4. Denny Hamlin – 1 Win (172 Points)
    Only tire issues he had at Martinsville were during his burnout.

    5. Jimmie Johnson – 1 Win (168 Points)
    Won last three fall races in Fort Worth, but was 25th last spring.

    6. Martin Truex Jr – 231 Points
    It is nice when all one’s ducks and furniture is all in a row.

    7. Kasey Kahne – 193 Points
    Best Hendrick driver, by points, is ole what’s his name.

    8. Paul Menard – 173 Points
    Once one of two Childress drivers in the Hot 20…then Newman got tired, so to speak.

    9. Dale Earnhardt Jr – 172 Points
    According to Gordon, Junior doesn’t know squat…jumps.

    10. Aric Almirola – 170 Points
    More XFINITY for him, less seat time for others.

    11. Matt Kenseth – 168 Points
    Fort Worth is Matt’s kind of town.

    12. David Ragan – 163 Points
    Kyle Busch? I don’t know. The names does sound rather familiar, though.

    13. Casey Mears – 161 Points
    500-1 to win at Texas? Really? Is he driving it or running it?

    14. Jamie McMurray – 154 Points
    Claims he and Larson are ego free. I am hair free, but you don’t hear me bragging.

    15T Jeff Gordon – 148 Points
    Soft start followed by a trio of Top Tens.

    15T Danica Patrick – 148 Points
    From what we saw in the last race, Virginia really is for lovers…of Danica.

    15T Carl Edwards – 148 Points
    Has a million very good reasons to race for the win Saturday night.

    18. Clint Bowyer – 146 Points
    Truex left, Bowyer stayed. I wonder who got the best of that deal?

    19T A.J. Allmendinger – 138 Points
    Bush’s Beans is the sponsor. You wouldn’t want to be running behind him.

    19T Greg Biffle – 138 Points
    Has led at least a lap in 12 of the 20 Texas races he has run.

  • Martinsville – A Love Affair With a Track

    Martinsville – A Love Affair With a Track

    It is common for this writer to say I love Martinsville Speedway. Some say it’s because my home is only 150 (give or take) miles from the speedway. Some try to get into my mind and say it’s because it was the first speedway I ever visited, but the truth of the matter is that little paper clip-shaped track is exactly how the whole phenomenon we now call NASCAR started. It is and was a short track where the competition is and was fierce and difficult. Everyone has and had a good seat. It’s nearly perfect as any track can be. As I calculate it, I haven’t missed but one Sprint Cup race there in 44 years.

    The track is close enough to the hub of NASCAR racing (about 130 miles) that drivers can drive up on Thursday or Friday and be home Sunday night. Fans will normally run into a driver or two—it’s too small to get lost or hide—and chat with the friendly track personnel. Its position on the calendar mystifies me.

    It was cold over the weekend. Friday, it didn’t get to 40 and Saturday didn’t do much better. After spending a week in 50-60 degree temperatures at my home 150 miles north, I had to pack my winter coat this time. Sunday broke the 50 degree mark, but I had to wonder why this race that traditionally (and I’m dating myself here) was run in mid April is now in late March. Mid April in southern Virginia is very nice. Late March is hit or miss.

    I looked at the schedule and had a rough time understanding why Texas Motor Speedway’s race is held two weeks later in what is a much warmer climate. Why not switch these two races? It would give the series three straight short tracks, kind of a short track swing. Yes, I know that Texas is close to Talladega and having them back to back might be the reason, but asking fans to come out when the daytime temperature is 40 or less and the nighttime temperature is in the 20’s is a bit much.

    In the fall, the Martinsville race is in the Eliminator Round on, you guessed it, November 1. That time of year, there could be snow in Henry County. Note that Texas is properly scheduled the week after Martinsville, but why have Talladega in October?

    The attendance was good this weekend despite the weather. Most folks were bundled up in down coats, but one has to wonder what the attendance would be if they could have a comfortable experience in April or early October. And yes, where would they put all these fans? I don’t imagine Clay Campbell would complain too much.

    It always seems like the big news comes out at Martinsville. This year was the buzz about doctoring tires, the announcement that Coach Joe Gibbs’ son, JD, was having a health problem and Kyle Larson fainting on Saturday and having to sit out Sunday’s race. Chase Elliott made his Cup debut. The racing was filled with drama and we saw two extremely close finishes. Joey Logano’s pass on the last lap of the truck race was breathtaking. Denny Hamlin holding off a determined Brad Keselowski was very exciting. Domination like we saw at other venues didn’t exist here. Oh yeah, and the hot dogs. I’m proud to say that I sampled a few and they’re just as good as they have been for 40 years. A little controversial for sure, but I’m not the business manager at the speedway.

    I always look forward to two weekends a year at the Paper Clip, making sure my schedule is clear during race week. I’m never disappointed at what I see, and dread the cookie cutter tracks that just don’t hold up to what I see at this little track. I just wish it could be held in warmer weather.

  • Surprising and Not Surprising: Martinsville STP 500

    Surprising and Not Surprising: Martinsville STP 500

    From the first short track of the season with the grandfather clock as the trophy, here is what was surprising and not surprising from Martinsville Speedway’s STP 500.

    Surprising: Denny Hamlin embarked on his own version of the ‘Drive for Five’ while the driver trying for his fifth championship doomed his own chances of winning with a pit road speeding penalty late in the race.

    “Well, by no means did we have a smooth race at all, and we still won,” the driver of the No. 11 FedEx Express Toyota said after his fifth win at Martinsville. “So that to me shows what we’re capable of, and once we get everything worked out the way it needs to be and we’re back to our normal selves on pit road and we don’t have any penalties and everything just runs a smooth race, we can win a lot of these things.”

    Conversely, Jeff Gordon, with an eye on a fifth championship in his last full-time season, doomed his victory chances with a pit road speeding penalty on Lap 462, finishing in the ninth position in his No. 24 Axalta Chevrolet.

    “Oh my gosh, I’m so disappointed in myself,” Gordon said. “I felt like we finally got the car, got ourselves in a position to win the race. I knew I was pushing the limit but I didn’t think I had done anything different than I had all day. I’m very, very disappointed.”

    Not Surprising:  Although Chase Elliott made his first Cup debut, qualifying his way into the show, he joined his Hendrick teammates in having unusual struggles at Martinsville.

    Elliott finished 38th after some damage sustained early in the race, while teammates Jimmie Johnson and Dale Earnhardt, Jr. suffered not only damage from incidents on the track. but also mechanical problems to finish 35th and 36th respectively.

    “A lot of guys I think were having some transmission or gear problems,” Junior said. “We got some real bad vibration in the car 30 laps into the race and it just kept breaking the shifter. It was just swinging up there like a tuning fork.”

    “It was a tough race.”

    Surprising: While Team Penske seemed to experience some moral dilemmas about wrecking, they still managed to finish in the second and third positions respectively.

    Brad Keselowski, on one hand, wrestled with his conscience as to whether or not he should wreck Denny Hamlin for the win, while his teammate Joey Logano was hoping beyond hope that Keselowski and Hamlin would wreck each other so that he could have the win and the weekend of his life.

    “I did everything I could other than wreck him,” the driver of the No. 2 Miller Lite Ford said after the race. “Morals and racing are pretty subjective, but I just felt like I raced him the way I wanted to be raced and I guess that is what it is.”

    “I was hoping so,” the driver of the No. 22 Shell/Pennzoil Ford said when asked if he thought Keselowski and Hamlin might wreck each other. “That was my only shot at it once they got pretty far away.”

    “That was the only shot I had for the win.”

    Not Surprising: In NASCAR, records are made to be surpassed and broken and both happened at Martinsville. Martin Truex Jr. continued his streak of consecutive top-10 finishes for the sixth race in a row, while Kevin Harvick’s streak of top-2 finishes came to an end with his eighth place run.

    “It is awesome,” Truex Jr. said of his top-10 streak. “I can’t say enough about the team. Again to battle like we did today. We showed we never give up. We haven’t all year long. We haven’t given up on each other since I started here.”

    “It feels good to have another good run at one of my worst race tracks,” Truex continued. “Just can’t believe we were able to stay on the lead lap, fix the power steering and all that and drive back through there. It was a hell of an effort.”

    Although Harvick led the most laps, 154 of 500, the driver of the No. 4 Budweiser/Jimmy John’s Chevrolet lost track position on a late-race restart and simply could not recover.

    “I just got hung on the outside and couldn’t get back down,” Harvick said. “By the time I got down, I was 10th or 11th.”

    “Everybody did a good job, just lost track position at the wrong time.”

    Surprising: NASCAR seems to be in significant need of recovery, with the announcement of J. D. Gibbs facing a significant health issue and Kyle Larson fainting during an autograph session.

    “We’ve been dealing with this for about six months and basically what the doctor’s say is that they really don’t know,” Coach Joe Gibbs said of his son’s situation. “J.D. has lived a very active lifestyle. All the things that he’s done in his life physically he’s loved all sporting events and it’s everything from football to snowboarding, racing cars, racing motor bikes – he’s lived in a lot of ways for him, he loved all those things.”

    “We can’t point to any one serious thing that happened to him, certainly any injury is a possibility that led us into some of the symptoms that he’s experiencing now.”

    In addition to Gibbs, Kyle Larson suffered his own surprising health symptoms after passing out prior to the Martinsville race.

    After fainting at an autograph session in Martinsville, VA, Kyle Larson was first evaluated at a local hospital in Martinsville and ultimately evaluated at a Charlotte hospital,” Chip Ganassi Racing said in a prepared statement prior to the race. “Although all tests came back negative and Larson feels completely fine, the doctors felt he should be held for more testing.”

    Regan Smith, sub extraordinaire, filled Larson’s seat and after starting from the back of the field in the No. 42 Target Chevrolet, managed a respectable 16th place finish.

    Not Surprising: In spite of scoring his first ever top-five at Martinsville, David Ragan had nothing but thoughts of Kyle Busch, for whom he continues to substitute in the No. 18 M&M’s Crispy Toyota, and his recovery from injuries sustained at Daytona.

    “I just hope I helped the 18 team for the Chase race later in the year,” Ragan said. “We’ll enjoy Easter and I cannot wait to get to Texas.”

    Surprising: Smoke surprisingly got in the eyes of both Austin Dillon and AJ Allmendinger. The two Chevrolet drivers both had motor issues that determined their 41st and 43rd place finishes.

    “I’m not sure what the exact problem was with the motor,” Allmendinger, driver of the No. 47 Bush’s Beans Chevrolet said. “I noticed some smoke start rolling in the car and I could see it start out of the back of the car.”

    “I was smoking so bad they black flagged me.”

    “Yeah it was a motor issue,” Dillon, driver of the No. 3 Cheerios Chevrolet, said. “I think the same things as the No. 47. We just have to do a better job of going through our procedures at ECR right now. We have some power but we are not finishing races.”

    Not Surprising: It was a weekend of celebration for the Gilliland family, with dad David, in his 300th Cup start, having his best run ever at Martinsville with a 25th place finish and 14 year-old-son son Todd winning his first Late Model Stock Car race at Southern National Motorsports Park.

    “I’m proud of the guys,” Gilliland, driver of the No. 38 Love’s Travel Stops Ford, said. “The pit stops were good and this was the best I’ve personally ever run here, so we’ll build from it.”

    “And I couldn’t be prouder of my son,” Gilliland continued. “He’s a great young man and a great race car driver. I think he proved a lot with his win.”

    “I’m so glad I was racing in Martinsville this weekend so I could drive down to see this race.”

    Surprising: The penalty of uncontrolled tires in the pits continued to dominate. There were five such penalties in the Martinsville race, adding to the total of 21 of these out-of-control tires for the season.

    Not Surprising: Danica Patrick about summed it all up at Martinsville. When asked, how she avoided the wrecking on the track, she asked “Well, which one are you talking about?”

    “That’s kind of the way it goes at Martinsville,” the driver of the No. 10 TaxAct Chevrolet said. “I think all four corners were banged up.”

    “It’s all a matter of luck, too,” Patrick continued. “I could have got drilled from the back and hit into the car. I could have swerved to the right and had somebody clip my right rear and spun, somebody could have been out there.”

    “Crashes are about observing where you’re at and making a good decision about where to go, but they’re also about luck. I got lucky that there was nothing in my way to get around that one. That would have probably wrecked my day.”

    Patrick finished seventh at the track known as the ‘Paper Clip’, tying her second-best career finish in the Cup Series.

     

  • Driver and Team Changes for the 2015 NASCAR Sprint Cup Season

    Driver and Team Changes for the 2015 NASCAR Sprint Cup Season

    As one season ends and a new one approaches, teams begin a self evaluation that often results in changes among key personnel. Here’s your guide to some of the new alliances we will see in 2015.

    Hendrick Motorsports

    Dale Earnhardt Jr.:

    As Steve Letarte departs for the television broadcast booth; Greg Ives will take over the role of crew chief for the No. 88 team. Ives will have big shoes to fill as the pairing of Letarte with Earnhardt in 2011 was the catalyst for resurgence in Earnhardt’s career. He’s coming off his first multiple win season since 2004 and running out of time in the championship hunt.

    While some question his lack of experience in the Cup series, Earnhardt is confident that Ives is the right person for the job.

    “I don’t think it’s a step back, I think it’s a step forward,” he said. “This is a guy that engineered Jimmie (Johnson) to five championships, won the Nationwide Series championship last year, almost won it with Regan (Smith) the year before. Basically, in more than 50 percent of the years he’s been in the sport, he’s won a championship.”

    The No. 88 Chevrolet will also have a new sponsor in the Sprint Cup Series as Nationwide Insurance takes over as Earnhardt’s primary sponsor, replacing National Guard. Nationwide will sponsor 21 races each year of the next three seasons.

    Kasey Kahne:

    Keith Rodden, formerly of Chip Ganassi Racing, will assume crew chief duties for the No. 5 Chevrolet in 2015. Rodden worked with Kahne at Hendrick Motorsports as team engineer from 2004 until 2013. He replaces Kenny Francis who has been with Kahne since the end of 2005.  The successful partnership of Francis and Kahne produced 16 of Kahne’s 17 career Sprint Cup wins but floundered in 2014. Kahne only had one victory and barely made it into the Chase. Francis moves to the new position of vehicle technical director and will also serve as Chase Elliott’s crew chief for five races in 2015.

    “I worked with Keith for years, said Kahne.”We’ve got a great relationship, we’re friends, and it’s exciting to know we’ll be working together full time again. I think he brings a lot to the 5 team.”

    Chase Elliott: After winning the XFINITY championship and becoming the youngest NASCAR Touring Series champion last year, Elliott has been named as Jeff Gordon’s successor in the No. 24 Chevy in 2016. As preparation for that role, he will run five Cup races this season in the No. 25 NAPA Auto Parts Chevrolet with Kenny Francis by his side as crew chief. Those five races include Martinsville Speedway in March, Richmond International Raceway in April, Charlotte Motor Speedway in May, Indianapolis Motor Speedway in July and Darlington Raceway on Sept. 6.

    Joe Gibbs Racing

    Joe Gibbs Racing ended the 2014 season with only two wins and as Carl Edwards moves from Roush Fenway Racing to Joe Gibbs Racing in 2015, J.D. Gibbs, president of JGR, is using the opportunity to make some changes.

    “With the expansion of our NASCAR Sprint Cup Series operations to four teams next year with the addition of Carl Edwards,” he stated, “we have been able to take a step back and evaluate each of our teams and make decisions that we feel are best for our organization long term.”

    Kyle Busch:

    Adam Stevens will move from the XFINITY Series where he and Busch combined for 19 wins, to partner with Busch in the Cup Series as crew chief for the No. 18 Toyota.

    Busch had one Cup win in 2014 and advanced to the Chase but was eliminated from championship contention in the second round. The frustration of the season sometimes disintegrated into heated exchanges between Busch and Rogers, undoubtedly putting a strain on their relationship.

    Denny Hamlin:

    Dave Rogers (Busch’s crew chief for five seasons) will join Hamlin’s No. 11 team as crew chief.

    Hamlin scored one victory last season and advanced to the final round of the Chase. He led 50 laps in the championship title race at Homestead-Miami Speedway but Darian Grubb’s decision not to pit for fresh tires late in the race was costly.

    Carl Edwards:

    Edwards, the newest member of the JGR team will be paired with Darian Grubb (Hamlin’s former crew chief) in the No. 19 Toyota.

    Richard Petty Motorsports

    Sam Hornish Jr.: Three-time IndyCar champion Hornish signed a multi-year deal to replace Marcos Ambrose in the No. 9 Ford this year after Ambrose announced his intention to return home to Australia at the end of the 2014 season. Drew Blickensderfer will continue in his position as crew chief.

    Hornish is optimistic about his future stating, “I feel like having the opportunity is great for me, and above and beyond, to be able to drive for Richard Petty now is just awesome. I’ve worked four years to get back to this point, and I feel like as a driver I’ve come a long way. ”

    Roush Fenway Racing

    Trevor Bayne:

    Bob Osborne will return to RFR as the crew chief for the No. 6 when Bayne begins his first full-time Sprint Cup season in 2015. Osborne was Carl Edwards’ longtime crew chief and a guiding force behind his 18 career wins.

    Ricky Stenhouse Jr.:

    After a disappointing season with only one top-five finish, Nick Sandler will take over crew chief duties for the No. 17 of Stenhouse in 2015, replacing Mike Kelley who will continue as car chief.

    “Nick has a strong engineering background with the company”, Jack Roush explained, “and his time working hand-in-hand with Jimmy Fennig over the past few seasons will prove invaluable as he takes the helm of the No. 17.”

    Wood Brothers Racing

    Ryan Blaney:

    Blaney will replace Trevor Bayne as the driver of the famed No. 21 Ford Fusion this year in an expanded 18 race Sprint Cup schedule as Wood Brothers Racing enters its 65th year in NASCAR with a new technical alliance with Team Penske.

    Blaney is optimistic about the upcoming season saying, “We have a very fast car for the 500 and a fast car for this whole year. They’ve worked really hard on our speedway car and they are very confident going into it.

    “Just the history of this car with that race, it would be just amazing. I hope we can pull a Trevor Bayne moment.”

    Jeremy Bullins will reunite with the team to serve as the crew chief for Blaney. Bullins first worked with Wood Brothers Racing in 1999 and from 2000-2002 was the race engineer for the No. 21 in the Cup Series.

    Furniture Row Racing

    Martin Truex Jr.: Truex’s first year with the team failed to produce any wins and only one top-five in the No. 78 Chevrolet. In his sophomore season with the team, he will be paired with former team lead engineer Cole Pearn who will replace Todd Berrier as crew chief.

    General Manager Joe Garone emphasized the struggles they experienced last year will make them stronger going forward.

    “What we went through last year, our performance was horrible and we hadn’t gone through that as a team yet,” Garone said. “We’ve been through that, we looked at where we were weak, where we had things where we were off base, and we’ve realigned it and we’re going to prove it this year.”

    HScott Motorsports

    Michael Annett: Annett, who brings sponsorship from longtime backer Pilot Flying J, joins the organization for the 2015 season as they expand to a two car team.

    “This opportunity came very late, but it was one that I couldn’t pass up and definitely wanted to jump on,” Annett said. “I know there’s going to be some growing pains. We don’t even have a car number yet, let alone a crew chief.”

    Tommy Baldwin Racing

    Alex Bowman: Bowman will drive the No. 7 Chevrolet in his second full-time year in the Sprint Cup Series after a rookie season at BK Racing.  Kevin “Bono” Manion will remain with TBR as Bowman’s crew chief.

    Owner Tommy Baldwin Jr. said, “Alex is the future of TBR, and he will be a great representative of our team. He is a young driver who displayed a great talent in both the Xfinity and Sprint Cup Series the past few years. We are pleased to give Alex the opportunity to further showcase his skills behind the wheel of the No. 7 Chevrolet this season.”