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Tag: Dale Earnhardt Jr

  • NASCAR BTS: Race Fan Carol Messinger Experiences Healing Power of NASCAR

    NASCAR BTS: Race Fan Carol Messinger Experiences Healing Power of NASCAR

    In this week’s NASCAR Behind the Scenes, one race fan Carol Messinger, who has been battling Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma for eight years, experienced one of the best days of her life thanks to Pocono Raceway and the Dale Earnhardt, Jr. Foundation.

    But to understand the significance of her day at the race track just last week, one must understand her journey with cancer that began with her diagnosis on June 2, 2005. She decided right from the start that she would approach her fight with lymphoma just like her favorite driver Dale Earnhardt, Jr. approached every NASCAR race.

    “The hardest part is not having a cure and knowing you have cancer that can at any time cause a secondary cancer,” Messinger said. “Mine has not been in remission for more than a year.”

    “I have been given chemo and radiation for six out of the eight years,” Messinger continued. “I decided from day one that this was going to be a fight that I would challenge like my favorite NASCAR driver Dale Earnhardt, Jr. does as he races and competes for the championship.”

    “Being a life-long NASCAR fan, it was easy to tie in the strategy of working for that prize.”

    Messinger’s battle included months of treatment that would seemingly show good results, however, the cancer would rear its ugly head time and time again. Yet, she kept returning to the sport she loved, her favorite driver, and her home track for help in her healing process.

    “We started with six months of chemo and had no ‘caution flags’ come out until completion of the treatment,” Messinger said. “But then six months later the PET/CAT scan showed the cancer was active and growing.”

    “So we did more chemo and got back racing again,” Messinger continued. “All went well until another caution and then more chemo.”

    “I felt like I was a stock car in need of major adjustment,” Messinger said. “This went on for seven and a half years and they just can’t seem to get it right.”

    “We kept spinning our wheels,” Messinger continued. “So, that is the connection to Dale Junior as his past few years have been filled with adjustments, wins and struggles.”

    Messinger, a life-long Dale Earnhardt Sr. fan and member of Junior nation, admitted that cancer and the treatments she has had to endure prohibited her racing passion, especially in not being able to attend a race in person.

    “Cancer and chemo has taken away my favorite things,” Messinger said. “I cannot be in the sun, I have very bad pain in my feet and back so walking is challenging.”

    “And I get very tired so I have not been able to go to races because you have to be in the sun, walk and handle a long day or night,” Messinger continued. “And of course, finances are tight as well with all the medical bills.”

    Messinger’s dream came true, however, on race weekend at Pocono when the owners of the track, the Mattioli family, provided her with a special ticket package, with seating in the covered terrace level, a special parking pass, and an elevator pass to her seats.

    “When I was told it would be possible to go to Pocono Raceway and that I was going as the guest of the owners, I was thrilled,” Messinger said. “I could not believe that someone would do that for me.”

    “I had been feeling a little down because of the almost eight years of chemo, radiation, nuclear chemo and a really bad dose of chemo that put my heart in jeopardy of being damaged,” Messinger continued. “So I was excited to be able to do this and get back into the race.”

    “My husband saw the immediate joy I was feeling when I knew I was going to the track again,” Messinger said. “From the time I crossed through the gate, I loved every second of being there.”

    But the healing power of the NASCAR community continued and, thanks to the Dale Earnhardt, Jr. Foundation, Messinger got one more surprise during her day at the Party in the Poconos 400.

    “Then I found out I was also going to a Dale Junior fan event with the National Guard,” Messinger said. “I was overjoyed and that was putting it mildly.”

    “I was on top of the world.”

    “When we arrived at the National Guard tent, they fed us, gave us bags of all kinds of #88 goodies, but most of all they talked to me and were very happy to have us there,” Messinger said. “We talked to those in the Guard and heard their stories as well.”

    “Then Junior showed up and immediately there was a sense of respect in the hospitality tent,” Messinger continued. “Junior let us ask him questions.”

    Messinger was able to ask Dale Junior about seeing his nieces race and giving them pointers with their racing. But the ultimate healing thrill for her was yet to come, as he chose her number to receive a signed die cast race car.

    “Here he was talking to us,” Messinger said. “He is such a super star and handles it so well.”

    “There I was standing next to my hero, the one I watch and try to get some relief from this life of cancer,” Messinger continued. “And he put his arm around me for a picture as he gave me the car.”

    “He gave this sick old lady the thrill of a lifetime,” Messinger said. “You can’t find a better hero anywhere in this world.”

    Messinger returned to her seat to watch her hero race and finish third at the Party in the Poconos 400. Little did she know that she had also attracted the attention of another person in a very similar situation.

    “The seats were wonderful and no sun ever got to us,” Messinger said. “Then a young girl in her 20’s tapped me on the shoulder, took off her hat and showed me her six months after chemo growth of hair.”

    “She told me to ‘hang in there’ as she was fine now and that I would be too,” Messinger continued. “She hugged me and walked away.”

    “I was overcome with emotion as I realized that everyone, my family my friends, Dale Junior and even people that I did not know cared enough to help me feel the magic and forget for just one day that cancer was ruling my life.”

    “NASCAR has been my escape and my encouragement,” Messinger said. “I am going to win the race and get my checkered flag too one day.”

    “The memories of the day are locked in my heart and mind forever,” Messinger continued. “It took me a few days to come down to earth.”

    “NASCAR fans are family and I’m proud to say that I am a NASCAR fan, a Dale Earnhardt, Jr., fan and a fan of Pocono Raceway,” Messinger said. “And I always will be.”

  • Greg Biffle Gives Ford their 1000th Win on Their Birthday at Their Home Track

    Greg Biffle Gives Ford their 1000th Win on Their Birthday at Their Home Track

    Greg Biffle could not have written a more perfect story on Sunday in the Quicken Loans 400 at Michigan International Speedway.  Partnering with the American Dental Association’s Give Kids A Smile Campaign, grabbing the 1000th victory for Ford Motor Company, and celebrating his victory with his daughter on Father’s Day all made for an unforgettable weekend.

    Capturing the 1000th Ford Win was made all the more special that it happened at Michigan.  Not only is Michigan the “home track” for team owner, Jack Roush, it is also home to the headquarters of Ford Motor Company.  Today’s win was a great birthday present for the Ford Motor Company, who is celebrating their 110th birthday today.

    When asked about today’s victory, Biffle replied, “It is a pretty special day for us all together.  It is Emma’s first victory lane on Father’s Day.  I am thinking about my dad that couldn’t be here who is hopefully watching.  We are thinking about little Charlie Leffler that doesn’t have a father today.  It is a hard fought battle.  It wasn’t easy.  I kept working on this car and working on this car.  The guys did a great job.  The pit stops were flawless.  You know, we beat the 48 today and that says a lot.  He was really, really fast.  Once we got out in clean air we could match up fairly well with the 48.  He made a small mistake trying to catch us.”

    Car owner, Jack Roush, commented on Ford’s 1000th Victory.  He said, “I have been with Ford Motor Company and they have been supporting me for almost 50 years now and we expect to be at our best when we come to MIS and I am glad we could pull it off.  I was a little nervous for a minute there, but I am glad it worked out and glad we could give Ford their 1000th win.

    Biffle has secured his spot in the 2014 NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race with his win today at Michigan.  Winning the Quicken Loans 400 marks Biffle’s 19th victory in 381 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races.  The win also gives Biffle back-to-back wins at Michigan as he won the Pure Michigan 400 last August.

    Sunday’s race marked another strong performance for Richard Childress Racing’s, Kevin Harvick, who will be leaving the team at the end of the season.  His second place finish today marks his eighth top-10 and fifth top-5 finish this season.  He is currently fourth in the points, just thirteen markers behind third place, Clint Bowyer, and sixty two points behind leader, Jimmie Johnson.

    Current NASCAR Sprint Cup Series points leader, Jimmie Johnson, had a strong run today and was closing on leader, Greg Biffle, in the closing laps when a right front tire blew and ended his chances for a victory today.  The same fate took out Johnson’s teammate, Kasey Kahne, while leading.  Kahne had a strong car and was the pick of many in the garage area to be the car to beat today.  Johnson finished the race in 28th position while Kahne finished 38th.

    The woes for Hendrick Motorsports continued when driver of the No. 24 Drive to End Hunger Chevrolet, Jeff Gordon, was caught up in a spin by Bobby Labonte on lap five.  When Gordon was asked what happened, he replied, “ Bobby Labonte lost it off of turn two in front of me.  It was just such a slow spin that I didn’t know which way he was going to go, so I had to guess.  I tried to go around him on the outside and that was not the right way.  I don’t know if I would have missed him even if I went to the inside.”  Gordon fell to 16th position in the points, losing five spots today.

    To complete an ill-fated day for Hendrick Motorsports Dale Earnhardt Jr. lost an engine on lap 103.  After leading 34 laps today, fans were hoping that Earnhardt Jr. would repeat last year’s win of the Quicken loans 400 and end another losing streak.  Earnhardt Jr. finished in 37th position, and now sits 91 points behind leader Jimmie Johnson.

    The series now heads to the road course at Sonoma, CA for the Toyota Save Mart 350 on June 23rd.

  • Regan Smith in the midst of his best season

    Regan Smith in the midst of his best season

    Regan Smith is having the best season of his NASCAR career. Smith started competing in the Nationwide Series in 2002. After competing in a few part time seasons, he competed full time in 2006 for Rensi Motorsports. He finished 20th in the standings at the end of that season.

    Smith then began competing in the Sprint Cup Series in 2007 driving the #01 US Army Chevrolet for Bobby Ginn. He only started seven races that season, only leading one lap, but perhaps more importantly at this stage of his career, he completed 99% of his laps.

    As things progressed, Smith eventually found himself driving for Barney Visser and his Furniture Row Race team. After a part time first season in 2009, the team went full time in 2010.  After, somewhat of a lackluster year finishing 28th in the points with no top ten finishes, 2011 improved. Smith actually led 36 laps, and had five top tens, with his first Sprint Cup victory coming at Darlington. Smith’s win at the legendary track earned him a ton of attention. He seemed to be on his way to the next level.

    2012 did not bring the success that everyone expected. Late in the season, the team decided to release Smith in favor of former series champion Kurt Busch. As they say, when one door closes, another opens. The release from Furniture Row Racing could be the best thing that ever happened to Smith. That very weekend, Hendrick Motorsports driver Dale Earnhardt Jr was diagnosed with a concussion after a wreck at Talladega. Smith was pegged to fill in for the series’ most popular driver in the #88 Amp Energy Chevrolet.

    Smith suffered an engine failure in his first start. However, he turned in an impressive seventh place finish at Kansas a week later. In the season ending race at Homestead, Dale Earnhardt Jr’s Nationwide Series team, JR Motorsports, decided to give Smith a chance in their Hendrick Cars.com Chevy. Smith immediately found success, winning his only Nationwide start of the season.

    Smith’s performance earned him the chance to replace driver Danica Patrick, who was headed to the Sprint Cup series, in the team’s #7 Chevy Camaro. The partnership between Smith and JR Motorsports has been an instant success. After a 14th and 11th place finish in the first two races of the season, Smith has been on a tear, stringing together ten straight top ten finishes. Included in the string of top tens is a fascinating win in almost dark conditions at Talladega Superspeedway. Smith has an average finish of 7.2, not bad considering the number of Cup regulars that seem to infiltrate the series on a regular basis.

    This amazing string of finishes has accomplished another feat for Smith. He is the first JR Motorsports driver to lead the series points. Heading into the race at Michigan, Smith has a strong 23 point lead. Smith commented on his season Friday saying, “It’s been a good start to the season for us with the TaxSlayer Chevy. We certainly want to keep our momentum up. Ideally, we can build on our points lead this weekend.”

    Smith also contributed a lot of the team’s success this season to crew chief, Greg Ives, stating, “I’ve enjoyed working with Greg a lot this year. He is as even keeled as they come. Nothing seems to faze this guy. If we’re having a bad day on the racetrack, he is the same tone as if we just won the race. He doesn’t let anything get to him, which in turn helps me because I have a tendency to get wound up very easily. He does a good job of keeping me focused and calm.”

    Though, his record at MIS is not that great, he has an average finish position of 25.5 and a best finish of 20th, Smith started off the weekend at MIS by posting the eleventh fastest lap in final practice.  The team was a little off in qualifying. The #7 TaxSlayer Chevy Camaro will take the green in 20th place on Saturday. Given his strong performance this season and the confidence he obviously has in his team, Smith should be able to find his way to the front, and protect his points lead.

  • Will Earnhardt Jr.’s Superman Paint Scheme Give Him Super Powers in Michigan?

    Will Earnhardt Jr.’s Superman Paint Scheme Give Him Super Powers in Michigan?

    NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver, Dale Earnhardt Jr., will be driving the National Guard “Man of Steel” Chevrolet in the Quicken Loans 400 on Sunday at Michigan International Speedway.  Earnhardt Jr. is currently fourth in the points although he has been winless since claiming victory of the 2012 Quicken Loans 400 last year in Michigan.

    Could the Superman themed paint scheme on the No. 88 Chevrolet give Earnhardt Jr. the edge he needs to repeat his victory at Michigan International Speedway?

    When asked about last year’s win and this paint scheme, Earnhardt Jr. commented, “We are excited about the car.  The car looks great.  It’s not difficult to come up with a cool paint scheme when you are working with Superman and like we did last year with Batman and all that.  It’s pretty simple to come up with something really cool and fun.  Definitely makes that kind of job easier.  I think the care does look good.  Hopefully it’s as fast as it looks good.  That is going to be more important to be able to repeat and get the win this weekend.  We feel pretty good coming in to this race.  We had a great run last week that sort of hopefully got us back in the right direction.  We talked about it last week after the race, but we kind of had some misses here lately and not many hits.  As far as showing up to the race track and being competitive and getting the job done putting together a full weekend.  We haven’t been able to do that.  We started the season off so promising the best that I had ever started a season.  It just seemed like things were going so perfectly and it’s the way it is in this sport.  You will think you have everything going in the right direction and then odds and fate and everything else get in the way.”

    Rick Hendrick commented that Earnhardt Jr. and his team are performing better coming into this race than they were one year ago when they ended up winning.

    In response Earnhardt Jr. said, “Well it’s probably better to see the truth from his position on the other side of the fence so to speak.  It’s more difficult to see growth and improvement within the team when you are a part of the team.  It’s kind of like when you are a kid and you are getting taller.  You are 10, 11, 12 years old and you are wanting to be six foot three (inches) one day you can’t tell you are getting taller unless you are marking the door jam.  Otherwise you wouldn’t notice any change of height.  That is kind of what it feels like when you are part of the team.  You don’t really notice when things get a little bit better or things get a little bit worse.”

    Although Dale Earnhardt Jr. has an impressive nine top 10 finishes this season, he has only led 48 laps. Hopefully, his strong history here at Michigan coupled with the momentum from last week’s third place finish and the upbeat attitude associated with this week’s sponsor will create the recipe for success Sunday in the Quicken Loans 400.

  • Crunching The Numbers: Michigan

    Crunching The Numbers: Michigan

    After having races in three different states last weekend for the three national series, the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series and NASCAR Nationwide Series join back up for a companion weekend at Michigan International Speedway, the bad fast two-mile oval located in the Irish Hills of Michigan. The high speeds generated at the track are due in large part to the repave that the track underwent last season, as well as the long straightaways and the wide, sweeping corners that tend to produce three and four wide racing.

    Sprint Cup Series – Quicken Loans 400

    After taking on the “Tricky Triangle” in Pocono last weekend, the Sprint Cup Series heads west to Michigan for race No. 15 of the season. Many are expecting a blazing fast race with the combination of the new pavement from last year and the new Gen6 car that has been breaking track records all season long. If that trend continues this weekend, the track record of 203.241 mph set last season at this race by Marcos Ambrose could very well be in danger of falling.

    Driver Races Win Top 5 Top 10 Pole Laps Led Avg. Start Avg. Finish
    Carl Edwards 17 2 9 13 0 275 21.1 8.2
    Matt Kenseth 27 2 12 17 0 284 18.3 9.6
    Jeff Gordon 40 2 18 25 5 954 11.1 11.7
    Greg Biffle 20 3 9 12 1 517 13.2 11.8
    Tony Stewart 28 1 11 19 0 224 19.4 11.9
    Denny Hamlin 14 2 5 7 0 149 14.5 13.6
    Mark Martin 54 5 18 31 1 965 11.7 14.0
    Dale Earnhardt, Jr. 27 2 6 10 2 293 15.0 14.8
    Kevin Harvick 24 1 3 8 0 149 18.1 14.8
    Jimmie Johnson 22 0 4 9 0 565 8.8 15.2

    Who To Watch: With car owner Jack Roush hailing from Michigan and some of the Roush organization being based in Michigan, it is no surprise that Ford drivers run well at this track. Carl Edwards, driver of the No. 99 Ford for Roush-Fenway Racing, leads all active drivers in the stats category at Michigan with two wins, nine top fives, 13 top tens, 275 laps led, and an average finish of 8.2 in 17 races.

    Matt Kenseth, former teammate to Edwards and current driver of the No. 20 Toyota for Joe Gibbs Racing, also has run well at Michigan with two wins, 12 top fives, 17 top tens, 284 laps led, and an average finish of 9.6 in 27 races. However, Toyota’s recent decision to detune their engines in favor of better reliability may hamper Kenseth and the other Toyota drivers at Michigan, where an engine that can produce big horsepower and speed can provide a sizeable advantage over the competition.

    Others to keep an eye on include: Jeff Gordon, with two wins, 18 top fives, 25 top tens, five poles, 954 laps led, and an average finish of 11.7 in 40 races; Greg Biffle, with three wins, nine top fives, 12 top tens, one pole, 517 laps led, and an average finish of 11.8 in 20 starts; Tony Stewart, who has been on a roll since winning at Dover two weeks ago, has one win, 11 top fives, 19 top tens, 224 laps led, and an average finish of 11.9 in 28 starts; Denny Hamlin, with two wins, five top fives, seven top tens, 149 laps led, and an average finish of 13.6; and Mark Martin, with five wins, 18 top fives, 31 top tens, one pole, 965 laps led, and an average finish of 14.0 in 54 races.

    We can’t forget about Dale Earnhardt, Jr. either, with both of his Michigan wins equating to his last two Sprint Cup Series wins, including his win in this race one year ago. In addition to his two wins, Earnhardt, Jr. has six top fives, 10 top tens, two poles, 293 laps led, and an average finish of 14.8 in 27 races. Earnhardt will also be running a special “Man of Steel” paint scheme this weekend, and the driver of the No. 88 Chevrolet could very well take a superhero themed car to Victory Lane for the second year in a row.

    Nationwide Series – Alliance Truck Parts 250

    The first standalone race of the season for the Nationwide Series at Iowa last weekend surely did not disappoint as the race that was postponed to Sunday due to rain saw Trevor Bayne overtake a dominant Austin Dillon in the closing laps to win. The Nationwide drivers head north to Michigan this weekend for another companion weekend with their Sprint Cup counterparts. With only a few Sprint Cup regulars running this race, we could possibly see a Nationwide regular get to Victory Lane once again on Saturday.

    Driver Races Win Top 5 Top 10 Pole Laps Led Avg. Start Avg. Finish
    Kyle Busch 5 1 4 4 0 119 7.4 4.8
    Joey Logano 4 1 1 4 0 31 6.8 5.0
    Brian Vickers 5 0 2 3 1 114 5.2 9.0
    Paul Menard 7 0 2 6 1 50 12.9 9.3
    Justin Allgaier 4 0 1 2 0 14 14.0 9.5
    Austin Dillon 2 0 1 1 1 11 19.0 12.0
    Brian Scott 3 0 0 1 0 0 15.0 13.7
    Elliott Sadler 8 0 0 4 0 10 20.6 14.5
    Michael Annett 4 0 0 0 0 0 18.5 15.0
    Trevor Bayne 3 0 1 1 0 1 5.7 15.3

    Who To Watch: Two of the three Sprint Cup regulars running on Saturday, Kyle Busch and Joey Logano, lead in the stats category at Michigan with each driver having one win apiece. Busch has slightly better stats than Logano with four top fives, four top tens, 119 laps led and an average finish of 4.8 in five starts versus Logano’s one top five, four top tens, 31 laps led and an average finish of 5.0 in four starts. Logano and Busch are also the only drivers that will be racing on Saturday that have a Nationwide Series win at Michigan.

    Others to keep an eye on include: Brian Vickers, with two top fives, three top tens, one pole, 114 laps led, and an average finish of 9.0 in five starts; Paul Menard, the third of the three Sprint Cup regulars, with two top fives, six top tens, one pole, 50 laps led, and an average finish of 9.3 in seven starts; Justin Allgaier, with one top five, two top tens, 14 laps led, and an average finish of 9.5 in four starts; and Austin Dillon, who nearly won last week in Iowa, with one top five, one top ten, one pole, 11 laps led, and an average finish of 12.0 in two starts.

  • Surprising and Not Surprising: Party in the Poconos 400

    Surprising and Not Surprising: Party in the Poconos 400

    With a picture-perfect race day after a qualifying rainout, here is what was surprising and not surprising from the 32nd annual Party in the Poconos 400.

    Surprising:  With good practice times and a decent starting position set on owner’s points, it was most surprising to see the No. 5 Hendrickcars.com Chevrolet  head to pit road and then to the garage on the first lap of the race.

    “We have no idea what happened with the car yet,” Kasey Kahne said. “The crew and engineers have been looking at things but they’re still unsure.”

    “II know that when I took off, in second gear, I had no power and it was just vibrating like crazy,” Kahne continued. “The faster I went, the worse the vibration was.”

    With the garage time, Kahne finished nineteen laps down in the 36th position. He also lost two positions in the point standings, falling from the fifth to seventh spot.

    Not Surprising:  With the controversy of the Dover restart still ringing in his ears, Jimmie Johnson put it all behind him, leading a record setting 128 laps out of the total 160 at Pocono Raceway.

    And with a lap leading percentage of 80%, there was no surprise that the driver of the No. 48 Lowe’s/Kobalt Tools Chevrolet found Victory Lane for the third time of the season and the third time at Pocono.

    “I’m sure we’ve had some other really strong races like that, but not in recent memory,” Johnson said. “What a race car.”

    “There are only so many tricks you have if you play by the rules with those restarts,” Johnson continued. “Fortunately, I was able to get the lead and have clean air again at the end.”

    Surprising:  With all the struggles of team Ford, it was most surprising to see Greg Biffle, in the No. 16 3M Ford, surge at the end to score the runner up position.

    “We had some good restarts and we were lucky with the lane choices and my car ran pretty good on restarts,” Biffle said. “Clearly we’re not celebrating that we finished second quite yet and have our cars figured out, but this is definitely a step in the right direction.”

    “We certainly ran better here than we have been all season and certainly that’s a positive for us going to next week, so hopefully we’ll continue to build on that.”

    Not Surprising:  With a third place finish in the books, NASCAR’s most popular driver pronounced it all good, as well as predicting that the momentum might just carry the No. 88 National Guard Chevrolet into Victory Lane soon.

    “We are all right,” Dale Earnhardt, Jr. said. “We know what we need to do.”

    “Confidence is there so all the fans can rest assured we feel like we are on the right track,” Junior continued. “We want to get a win, man.”

    “If we keep getting close, we are going to get one.”

    Surprising:  The announcement of Toyota Racing Development backing down the horsepower to improve reliability surprisingly came at the worst time for Denny Hamlin, who has been battling intently to recover from his injury and make the Chase.

    “We weren’t competitive,” the driver of the No. 11 FedEx Ground Toyota said after finishing eighth. “We’re just trying to do everything we can and grind and finish good when we don’t have a winning car.”

    “And by no means did we have a winning car this weekend.”

    Not Surprising:   Fellow Toyota teammate Kyle Busch was the top Toyota finisher, bringing his No. 18 M&Ms Toyota Camry home in the sixth position.

    “The car was loose in turn three all day, but we got the car feeling pretty good towards the end,” Busch said. “We probably had a seventh place car all day long.”

    “I just couldn’t get going on that last restart,” Busch continued. “I just didn’t do a good job there and we found ourselves in sixth.”

    “We’ll take that and go on to Michigan.”

    Surprising:  Stewart-Haas Racing had a surprisingly good time at the Party in the Poconos, with Tony Stewart finishing in fourth, Ryan Newman finishing fifth, and Danica Patrick finishing on the lead lap at her first ever try on that tricky track.

    “It’s one thing if one car runs good, but to have two or all three of us running good shows that we are gaining momentum,” Tony Stewart, team owner and driver of the No. 14 Mobil 1/Bass Pro Shops Chevrolet, said . “Really proud of our group at SHR.”

    Not Surprising:  Kurt Busch, behind the wheel of the No. 78 Furniture Row Chevrolet, once again faced adversity, this time with a problem on pit road. And not surprisingly, he and his team rallied yet again to finish top-10.

    “We had a fast car again, ran up front but a mistake on my part on pit road stalled our momentum,” Busch said. “But we battled back with a solid finish.”

    “The good news is that we know how to overcome adversity and the more we perform the way we have been, the better we’ll get.”

    Surprising:  Matt Kenseth had an uncharacteristically and surprisingly tough day, doing some synchronized spinning with Juan Pablo Montoya and then wheel-hopping on pit road and having some contact with Dale Earnhardt, Jr.

    “I mean, disappointing,” the driver of the No. 20 Home Depot/Husky Tools Toyota said. “I thought we had a top-five at the very worst or seventh or eighth-place car.”

    “Whenever you don’t finish where you are running, it’s always disappointing.”

    Not Surprising:  Earnhardt Ganassi Racing just keeps gaining ground, this week with Jamie McMurray finishing thirteenth and Juan Pablo Montoya finishing fourteenth.

    “We just have to execute,” Montoya said. “Each person has got to do its own little thing.”

    “We just have to keep our heads down and keep doing our work and we will be fine.”

    Surprising:  AJ Allmendinger had a surprisingly difficult day in the No. 51 Phoenix Construction Services Chevrolet, finishing a disappointing 33rd. The ‘Dinger was responsible for the next to the last race caution after experiencing significant tire troubles.

    In spite of this, Allmendinger was surprisingly chosen to replace Bobby Labonte when the Cup crowd heads to Michigan next weekend. JTG Daugherty Racing’s leadership apparently selected ‘Dinger to shake down the car to see if and how the performance can be enhanced.

    “I have raced for Phoenix Racing some this year and feel confident I’ll be able to provide JTG Daugherty Racing with a good comparison,” Allmendinger said. “I’m thankful for this opportunity to work with the team and Bobby.”

    Not Surprising:  For Chad Knaus, crew chief, and team Jimmie Johnson, the focus still remains on the point standings. And this team not surprisingly knows exactly how important their points lead is, now 51 points ahead of Carl Edwards.

    “As far as points go, it’s always important,” Knaus said. “We’ve got some very tricky race tracks coming up and we want to make sure that we get as many points accumulated as possible.”

    “That’s just the way we roll.”

     

  • Jimmie Johnson Party of One in Pocono Victory Lane

    Jimmie Johnson Party of One in Pocono Victory Lane

    After dominating at Dover last week and not getting the result he wanted due to a restart penalty, Jimmie Johnson ordered up a table for one at the Party in the Poconos 400 Presented by Walmart, right in Victory Lane.

    Although challenged by some late race cautions, Johnson dominated the race, leading a career high 128 laps.

    He also dominated the race weekend, from being quickest in first practice to being at the front of the field in the final practice session. And thanks to the rainout of qualifying, the driver of the No. 48 Lowe’s/Kobalt Tools Chevrolet also started from the pole, which was critical for track position.

    The win was Johnson’s 63rd career victory, his third win of the season, and his third checkered flag in 23 races at the Tricky Triangle.

    “What a race car,” Johnson said. “Not only the car and the handling and the grip that it had, but also the engine and what was under the hood.”

    “When I would lean on the throttle, this baby would yard anybody and everybody,” Johnson continued. “Today everything worked out.”

    Not only did Chad Knaus, Johnson’s crew chief, concur but he also enjoyed every minute of the Pocono competition.

    “Wow, it was a lot of fun,” Knaus said. “I really love this race track.”

    “It’s always been one of my favorites,” Knaus continued. “When you come up here you have to have a race car that will handle, great horsepower and so many cool things that come into play.”

    “When we showed up on Friday, we realized that we had a great car,” Knaus said. “Jimmie did a fantastic job and his car control was second to none.”

    Greg Biffle, who had a great run at Pocono, particularly on the last restart, finished in the runner up position with his No. 16 3M Ford. Although this was his fifth top-10 finish in 21 races at Pocono and his fifth top-10 finish of the season, Biffle acknowledged that the good finish did not come quite as easily as he would have liked.

    “It was definitely a struggle for us,” Biffle said. “We had two pit stops that weren’t the greatest and hung a lug nut.”

    “We were struggling for track position all day,” Biffle continued. “Turns 3 and 4 (or whatever you call it) was where we struggled.”

    “I was terrible there and anything I would gain in turns 1 and 2, I would lose.”

    Biffle acknowledged that he simply did not have anything for the 48 bunch. But he took the runner up finish as a positive, particularly going into Michigan next week, a track where he has had success in the past.

    “The 48 was super fast,” Biffle said. “He just drove away from everybody.”

    “We had some good restarts and we were lucky with the lane choices, but most of the top five cars were faster than us on sheer speed,” Biffle continued. “We still have work to do but this is a step in the right direction.”

    “That’s a positive for us going to next week.”

    Fan favorite Dale Earnhardt Jr. led the Hendrick Motorsports team in the finishing order, taking the checkered flag third in the No. 88 National Guard Chevrolet. This was Junior’s 10th top-10 finish in 27 races at Pocono.

    But even with the top-five finish, Earnhardt Jr. acknowledged that the restarts at the Tricky Triangle were the most challenging for him to overcome.

    “Them last restarts were kind of tough,” Junior said. “Being on the inside on the front row really ain’t the cat bird’s seat.”

    “The guys behind you can get good runs and put you three-wide,” Earnhardt Jr. said. “So, I was more in defense mode there and Greg (Biffle) just got around us on the outside.”

    “But I’m pretty happy with the way we ran,” Junior said. “Just looking forward to going to Michigan, a track we run pretty good at, next week.”

    Stewart-Haas Racing had a great time at the Party in the Poconos, with Tony Stewart, in the No. 14 Mobil 1/Bass Pro Shops Chevrolet, finishing fourth and teammate Ryan Newman, in the No. 39 HAAS Automation Chevrolet, finishing fifth.

    “The restarts got tight,” Stewart acknowledged. “The good thing is we got confidence from the last three weeks in a row.”

    The third member of the Stewart-Haas team, Danica Patrick, finished 29th in her first ever run in a Cup car at Pocono. She did, however, bring her No. 10 GoDaddy.com Chevrolet to the checkered flag on the lead lap.

    “For Ryan and I to finish in the top five and Danica doing better, we’re just gaining on it,” Stewart said. “I’m just proud our group had a good run.”

    Stewart’s teammate Ryan Newman did indeed have a good finish, playing both the speed and strategy cards throughout the race, even on the restarts.

    “Well we did have the speed today,” Newman said. “Strategy worked out to our benefit.”

    “I thought I was going to be in the middle of a Busch (brother Kurt and Kyle) sandwich there at the end going into Turn 2,” Newman continued. “But I have to thank them for giving me a little bit of room.”

    “Strategy worked to our benefit with the yellows there at the end,” Newman said. “Just a good rebound for us and that’s really what we needed for this team.”

    The Busch brothers, Kyle and Kurt, finished sixth and seventh respectively. Both, however, had their share of adversity from which they had to battle back.

    “We just kept working on our M&M’s Camry all day,” Kyle Busch said. “We probably had a seventh-place car all day long and found ourselves in third on the last restart.”

    “I just couldn’t get going for some reason,” Busch continued. “I just didn’t do a good job there and we found ourselves in sixth.”

    “We’ll take that and go on to Michigan.”

    “We had a fast car again, ran up front but a mistake on my part on pit road stalled our momentum,” Kurt Busch said, after overshooting his pit box on Lap 126. “But we battled back with a solid finish.”

    “We’ve made great strides in the past month and need to continue the progression,” Busch continued. “I don’t see any reason why we can’t.”

    Denny Hamlin, driver of the No. 11 FedEx Ground Toyota, Kevin Harvick, behind the wheel of the No. 29 Rheem Chevrolet, and Joey Logano, just back from Iowa in time to jump behind the wheel of the No. 22 Shell/Pennzoil Ford rounded out the top ten finishers for the 32nd annual Party in the Poconos.

     

     

  • NASCAR Top-10 Power Rankings: Dover

    NASCAR Top-10 Power Rankings: Dover

    Note: The quotes in this article are fictional.

    1. Jimmie Johnson: Johnson was black-flagged for jumping the final restart at Dover, a mistake that most likely cost him his third win this season. After serving a drive-through penalty, Johnson finished 17th, one lap down.

    “Much like NASCAR did by allowing the NRA to sponsor a race,” Johnson said, “I jumped the gun. Needless to say, I won’t be exchanging pleasantries with NASCAR any time soon. We’re certainly not ‘BFF’s.’ After getting black flagged, it appears I got ‘BF-F’d.’

    “I don’t agree with the call. Obviously, it’s NASCAR’s last-ditch effort to add some color to the sport.”

    2. Matt Kenseth: Kenseth’s day ended abruptly in Dover, as his engine blew on lap 159 with the lead. He finished 40th, his worst finish of the year, and fell one spot in the point standings to fourth, 74 behind Jimmie Johnson.

    “That’s not the first engine to blow,” Kenseth said. “If it’s not our engine, it’s our ‘suspension’ holding us back. What do our engine and ‘suspension’ have in common? They both will ‘expire’ soon.”

    “But there’s one good thing about blowing an engine. The faulty parts get burned beyond recognition. Ha! Take that, NASCAR inspectors.”

    3. Carl Edwards: Edwards finished 14th at Dover, as Roush Fenway Racing cars all finished in the top 15. Edwards remained second in the point standings, 30 out of first.

    “Roush cars took the 13th, 14th, and 15th spots,” Edwards said. “All week long, Ricky Stenhouse has been singing Al Green’s ‘Let’s Stay Together.’ I guess Greg Biffle and I thought he was singing to us.

    “But it remains to be seen what lasts longer for Stenhouse—his relationship, or his manhood.”

    4. Kyle Busch: Busch led a race-high 150 laps and finished fourth in the Fed Ex 400 at Dover International Raceway, posting his sixth top 5 of the year. He is ninth in the Sprint Cup point standings, and trails Jimmie Johnson by 99.

    “NASCAR races will soon be covered on TNT,” Busch said. “Interestingly enough, that’s home to the series Falling Skies. Fox recently became the home to a new series—Falling Cables.”

    5. Clint Bowyer: Bowyer came home fourth at Dover, scoring the top finish for Michael Waltrip Racing. He moved up one spot to third in the point standings, and is 50 out of first.

    “We’re still searching for our first win of the year,” Bowyer said. “It’s not a matter of ‘if,’ it’s a matter of ‘when.’ That also applies to the matter of whether a Toyota engine will explode. In that respect, Toyota’s got a lot of ‘whens’ this year.”

    6. Kevin Harvick: After winning in Charlotte last week, Harvick finished eighth at Dover for his fifth top-10 result of the year. He is now fourth in the Sprint Cup point standings, 74 out of first.

    “The finish at Dover begs the question,” Harvick said. “Who’s faster? Jimmy John’s or Jimmie Johnson. All I know is that Jimmy John’s, unlike Jimmie Johnson, can’t get their too fast.”

    7. Kasey Kahne: Kahne led two laps early and was headed for a sure top-10 finish before a late incident left him with rear-end damage. He finished 23rd, four laps down, and fell two spots to seventh in the point standings, 81 out of first.

    “Have you heard?” Kahne said. “There’s a new swimsuit calendar coming out featuring 12 of NASCAR’s sexiest inspectors in bikinis. It’s called ‘Sanctioning Bodies.’”

    8. Brad Keselowski: Keselowski posted his first top-10 finish since Kansas with a fifth at Dover. The defending Sprint Cup champion is now eighth in the point standings, 98 behind Jimmie Johnson.

    “I’m well behind Johnson,” Keselowski said, “and my car failed post-race inspection at Dover. I’m the defending Cup champion, but I’m not driving like it. I don’t know who’s ‘come down’ harder this year—-NASCAR or me.

    “NASCAR said the front of our car was too low, and I was penalized for it. That’s odd, because as A.J. Allmendinger found out, Penske drivers are often penalized for being too high.”

    9. Tony Stewart: Stewart benefitted on Jimmie Johnson’s black flag and caught Juan Montoya with three laps to go to win the Fed Ex 400 at Dover. The win ended a four-month winless drought, and moved Stewart up to 16th in the point standings.

    “I like my wins like I like my food,” Stewart said. “Served on a silver platter. And apparently, I like my wins like I like my women—single. And, I like my wins like I like my engines—gift-wrapped from Hendrick Motorsports.”

    10. Dale Earnhardt, Jr.: Earnhardt posted a quiet 10th-place finish at Dover, collecting his eighth top 10 of the year. He remained sixth in the point standings, where he trails Jimmie Johnson by 75.

    “I still feel like we’re building on something here,” Earnhardt said. “Unfortunately, it’s another long winless streak.”

  • Surprising and Not Surprising: FedEx 400 Benefiting Autism Speaks

    Surprising and Not Surprising: FedEx 400 Benefiting Autism Speaks

    With the temperatures soaring and the ‘monster’ on the prowl, here is what was surprising and not surprising from the 44th annual FedEx 400 benefiting Autism Speaks at Dover International Speedway.

    Surprising:  With even the drivers predicting that the ‘usual suspects’ would run well at Dover, there was a most surprising and surprised driver in Victory Lane instead.

    “If somebody would have told me it was going to be this way, I would have told them they were crazy,” race winner Tony Stewart declared in Victory Lane. “This was not a car that could win the race.”

    Stewart had not won a race at the Monster Mile since 2000 and has struggled for the most part at the track. This was not only Smoke’s first win of the season but, also surprisingly, his first top-10 finish in 2013.

    “Our guys at the shop have been digging, “ the driver of the No. 14 Code 3 Associates/Mobil 1 Chevrolet said of his team. “That is what carries you to days like today at the end of the day.”

    Not Surprising:  Restart gamesmanship, which has been discussed all season long this year, played a major factor as well at the Monster Mile. This time the games played out between then race leader Juan Pablo Montoya and Jimmie Johnson, the latter of whom was undoubtedly the strongest car on the track.

    Late in the race, NASCAR deemed that Johnson jumped the restart and black flagged him, forcing him to serve a pass through penalty. Johnson ended the race in the 17th position while Montoya finished second after the late pass on the high side by race winner Stewart.

    “Jimmie (Johnson) was laying off about nearly a car length from me, and I knew he was trying to jump the restart,” the driver of the No. 42 Energizer Chevrolet said. “When we got to the line, I think he wanted to time it and he timed it too well.”

    “He wanted to get the jump on me and he just jumped it too much,” Montoya continued. “I would have tried to have done the same.”

    “It’s one of those deals that when you time it too good, it actually hurts you.”

    Johnson of course had a different take on the restart gamesmanship, blaming Montoya instead.

    “I was at half throttle,” Johnson said. “At some point you have to go.”

    “I’m waiting for Montoya and he never comes,” Johnson continued. “Chad (Knaus, crew chief) told me to take off and not worry about it.”

    “Not a good way to lose the race,” Johnson said. “We had the strongest car.”

    Surprising:  Jeff Gordon, this week driving the No. 24 AARP Credit Cards from Chase Chevrolet, was surprisingly the best finisher amongst the Hendrick Motorsports group.

    Gordon finished third, while teammates Dale Earnhardt, Jr. finished tenth, Jimmie Johnson finished 17th and Kasey Kahne took the checkered flag in 23rd after spinning out on lap 318.

    “Yeah it was a fantastic finish for us,” Gordon said. “We battled hard all day long.”

    “Today was a great race for us, just because we were sitting there 12th, 13th, 14th, and we stayed out and all of a sudden, here we are third.”

    “So that’s a great lesson for us to learn when we go to other tracks as well.”

    This was Gordon’s 23rd top-10 finish in 41 races at Dover International Speedway. The third place finish was also critical to Gordon, who jumped from fifteenth to eleventh in the point standings.

    Not Surprising:  Another parts failure played a role in Kyle Busch’s failure to score the finish that he wanted. In spite of that, however, he did end the race in the top—five, finishing fourth.

    “We must have broken a right front bump stop or something,” Busch said. “Just past halfway, that’s when it took a dump on us.”

    “I hate it,” Busch continued. “It’s unfortunate we weren’t able to capitalize on getting a win.”

    Surprising:  Kyle Busch was not the only Toyota driver to experience mechanical failures as both Matt Kenseth and Martin Truex Jr. surprisingly suffered blown engines.

    “Something let go in the motor,” Truex Jr. said. “Just dropped a cylinder and started smoking all at once.”

    “We were one or two adjustments away there from having something for them,” the driver of the No. 56 NAPA Auto Parts Toyota said. “Damn, I wish we could have made it to the end.”

    “Something broke in our engine too,” Kenseth said. “Pretty disappointing.”

    “Something went wrong with a part,” the driver of the No. 20 Dollar General Toyota said. “There’s nothing I can do about it.”

    Not Surprising:   Michael Waltrip Racing, with the exception of Martin Truex, Jr., showcased their survival skills at the Monster Mile , with Clint Bowyer and Mark Martin finishing sixth and ninth respectively.

    “We got a pretty decent finish but we just didn’t run very good all weekend long,” Bowyer said. “Definitely need to go back and do our homework and figure some things out for our 5-Hour Energy Toyota.”

    “It was a really great effort by our team,” Martin said. “Our Aaron’s Dream Machine Toyota had more potential at the end than we were able to show.”

    “We’re making progress.”

    Surprising:  Denny Hamlin, who described himself as being on a mission to win and who snagged the coveted pole position, had a surprisingly bad day at Dover.

    On lap 378, Hamlin blew a tire and hit the wall, bringing out the seventh caution of the day. The driver of the No. 11 FedEx Freight/Autism Speaks Toyota finished 34th and fell to 26th in the point standings.

    Not Surprising:  With the temperature being so high, it was no surprise that tempers ran a little hot as well. Ryan Newman, manhandling his No. 39 Haas Automation Chevrolet without power steering, had his own temper flare-up while trying to pass David Gilliland, behind the wheel of the No. 38 Long John Silver’s Ford.

    And when the two drivers touched, they both went spinning and crashing hard.

    “We just got wrecked,” Gilliland said. “It is a shame.”

    “Unfortunately someone lost their patience a little bit,” Gilliland continued. “It is too bad but that is just the way it goes I guess.”

    Newman declined comment after the incident.

    Surprising:  Brad Keselowski was the highest finishing Ford, bringing his Blue Deuce to the checkered flag in the fifth position. He also had his crew chief Paul Wolfe back atop the war wagon after serving his penalties and suspension.

    “We drove hard all day, we just didn’t have the speed needed to go win the race,” Keselowski said. “ But we had the speed we needed to have a solid day.”

    “The guys did a great job executing today,” Keselowski said. “We wanted to win too so we will keep working to find a little more speed and get up there.”

    Unfortunately, Keselowski’s good run was marred by NASCAR’s announcement that his car did not pass post-race inspection as its front was too low. Penalties were just announced and include a fine of $25,000 for crew chief Wolfe and the continuation of his probation until year-end.

    The team has also been docked six driver points and six car owner points.

    Not Surprising:  Joey Logano, who won the Nationwide race the day before, exceeded his own expectations, battling back from a flat tire and using the lucky dog position to finally finish the race in the seventh position.

    “We fought all day basically trying to get a lucky dog after that flat tire,” Logano said. “We would get one back and then go down two and then get one back.”

    “This weekend I thought we were going to finish about 15 laps down,” Logano continued. “We weren’t any good in practice and Todd (Gordon, crew chief) and all the guys did a good job making it better for me.”

    “By the end it was a top-five car and we just ran out of time,” Logano said. “ I feel like that we could have finished in the top-five but considering where we were, we will take that all day.”

  • Tony Stewart Outsmoked Juan Pablo Montoya for Monster Mile Win

    Tony Stewart Outsmoked Juan Pablo Montoya for Monster Mile Win

    Tony Stewart defied all odds, coming from a 22nd starting position at the Monster Mile, to battle Juan Pablo Montoya to win the 44th Annual FedEx benefiting Autism Speaks race. This was Smoke’s first victory of the season and only his third top-10 finish in 2013.

    “This was not a car that could have won the race,” Stewart said. “Just great pit strategy at the end.”

    “Steve Addington (crew chief) made a great call there that last caution and gave us the opportunity to race for it up there.”

    “Just really proud of the Code 3 Associates Chevy,” Stewart continued. “Code 3 has done such an awesome job of getting everybody in Oklahoma back on their feet.”

    “I couldn’t think of a better wayto celebrate their work.”

    Stewart acknowledged that this has been a tough season, however, the win will certainly prove that the team is headed in the right direction, thanks to their perseverance.

    “Our guys at our shop have been digging,” Smoke said. “None of these guys get down.”

    “That is what carries you to days like today at the end of the day.”

    Juan Pablo Montoya, finishing second in the No. 42 Energizer Chevrolet for Earnhardt Ganassi Racing, benefitted from a black flag of the strongest car in the race when NASCAR ruled on lap 381 that Jimmie Johnson jumped the restart. The penalty sent Johnson through the pits for a pass through penalty and Montoya to the race lead.

    Montoya, however, could not hold off Tony Stewart and had to settle for the runner up race finish instead. And he admitted that it was a struggle in spite of testing earlier at the Monster Mile.

    “Our car was OK,” Juan Pablo said in the media center after the race. “We came here and did a test before the race.”

    “It was a lot cooler, so when we unloaded we had to do quite a bit of work on the car,” Montoya continued. “We struggled with loose all day.”

    “We were really, really loose and the longer we would run, the looser we would get,” Montoya said. “It was a bit of a hit and miss.”

    “On one of the runs under green, we decided to make a couple changes on the car and it just came to life,” Montoya continued. “It came to life at the right time.”

    “It was a shame to lose but I just couldn’t hold Tony off.”

    While Juan Pablo Montoya thought that Johnson was trying to time the restart just right, he admitted that he would have done the exact same thing given the circumstances.

    “Jimmie was letting off and I knew he was trying to jump the start,” Montoya said. “And I backed up a little bit for him and when we got to the line, he wanted to time it and he timed it too well.”

    “He wanted to get the jump on me and he just jumped it too much,” JPM continued. “I would have tried to do the same thing.”

    Runner up Montoya also traded paint with Kurt Busch, in the No. 78 Furniture Row/Sealy Chevrolet, who finished 12th.

    “It’s weird, I got to his bumper – I don’t think I touched him, got him loose, got into turn three and he gave me a tap and I’m like, I don’t think I hit you,” Montoya said. “But it’s OK.”

    “It’s racing hard.”

    Montoya also credited his good finish to the growing chemistry with his crew chief Chris Heroy. But that relationship has been a struggle as they found ways to work together to get the car to Montoya’s liking.

    “When we started, we sucked and it was hard,” Montoya said. “He had a certain mentality as to how the car should be set up.”

    “He didn’t get that if he set it up that way, I couldn’t drive it,” Montoya continued. “You have to give me something that I can drive and be comfortable.”

    “It took a little time but now we’re clicking real well,” Montoya said. “And we’ve been getting good results every week.”

    Although the car was a handful, Montoya was pleased with the race finish and acknowledged that it bodes well for their continuing success.

    “It was a hell of a finish,” Montoya said. “It’s been awhile since we finished this good.”

    “We’ve had near misses but I think the wins are coming.”Montoya continued. “I’ve said this before, you’ve got to get top-5s and top-10s to be able to add wins.”

    “Today we gave ourselves a good chance but the car was a little too much of a handful there at the end,” Montoya said. “We tried.”

    This was Montoya’s third top-10 finish in 13 races at Dover and his third top-10 finish of the season.

    Jeff Gordon, driving the No. 24 AARP Credit Cards from Chase Chevrolet, finished a strong third, ahead of all of his other Hendrick Motorsports teammates. This was Gordon’s 23rd top-10 finish at Dover.

    “Yeah it was a fantastic finish for us,” Gordon said. “We battled hard all day long, hovering 13th, 14th, I think we got to maybe 10th at one time.”

    “I knew that clean air was making a huge difference,” Gordon continued. “So, we were fortunate there where we only had a few laps on the tires and we decided to stay out.”

    Gordon acknowledged that this run was exactly what he was hoping for to turn his season around.

    “It’s certainly a great feeling,” Gordon said. “We just have to fight.”

    “We fought hard today, very hard and this is a tough place,” Gordon continued. “It was not an easy race but this team never gave up.”

    Gordon jumped  four spots in the point standings, from 15th to 11th, now within  striking distance of Chase contention.

    Kyle Busch, driving the No. 18 M&M’s Toyota Camry, finished in the fourth position, in spite of yet again some sort of parts failure.

    “We must have broken a right front bump stop or something,” Busch said. “Just another parts failure for us.”

    “It’s unfortunate we weren’t able to capitalize on getting a win today,” Busch continued. “I felt like we had something for the 48 but it didn’t come down to having to race the 48.”

    “Just seems to be our two years continuing today.”

    Brad Keselowski in the Blue Deuce, with his crew chief Paul Wolfe back at his side, finished in the fifth position. But the reigning champ was most complimentary of past champ Stewart after the race.

    “We drove hard all day but didn’t have the speed to win the race,” Keselowski said. “It’s good to see Tony win.”

    “That was a good race,” Keselowski said. “I was having fun watching him.”

    After the race, however, NASCAR reported that Keselowski’s No. 2 was found to be too low in the front in post-race inspection, with potential penalties to be announced later in the week.

    Certainly, one of the most dramatic moments of the race was the black flag of Jimmie Johnson, who had worked his way through the pack and looked to be the car to beat. Understandably, Johnson  saw the restart just a bit differently fromJuan Pablo Montoya.

    “No, I was half throttle,” Johnson said of the restart. “At some point you have to go.”

    “I’m waiting for him and he never comes,” Johnson said of Montoya. “Chad (Knaus, crew chief) told me to take off and not worry about it.”

    “Not a good way to lose the race,” Johnson lamented. “We had the strongest car.”

    There were also several engine issues in the race as well, including Matt Kenseth and Martin Truex Jr., both with Toyota engines.

    “Something let go in the motor,” Truex said. “Just dropped a cylinder and started smoking all at once.”

    “Same thing happened to the 20 it looked like,” Truex continued. “Pretty disappointing.”

    Truex Jr. finished 38th while Kenseth finished 40th.

    “Something broke in the engine,” Kenseth said, sounding eerily similar to Truex’s report. “You have to finish these things.”

    “Man, it’s disappointing.”

    The other dramatic moment in the race occurred between Ryan Newman, driver of the No. 39 Haas Automation Chevrolet, and David Gilliland, driver of the No. 38 Long John Silver’s Ford, who traded paint and then wrecked each other.

    “We just got wrecked,” Gilliland said. “It is a shame.”

    “We had a fast race car and a great run going and unfortunately someone lost their patience a little bit and we got wrecked.”

    “It is too bad but that is just the way it goes I guess.”

    Ryan Newman declined to comment after the incident.

    Clint Bowyer, Joey Logano, Kevin Harvick, Mark Martin and Dale Earnhardt Jr. rounded out the top ten finishers in the FedEx 400 benefiting Autism Speaks at Dover International Speedway.