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Tag: Darian Grubb

  • Hélio Castroneves joins Trackhouse Racing for first NASCAR & Daytona 500 bid in 2025

    Hélio Castroneves joins Trackhouse Racing for first NASCAR & Daytona 500 bid in 2025

    Hélio Castroneves will etch a new chapter to his iconic racing career by attempting to make his NASCAR Cup Series debut for this year’s 67th running of the Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway.

    The four-time Indianapolis 500 champion from São Paulo, Brazil, will join forces with Trackhouse Racing’s PROJECT91 program and pilot the organization’s No. 91 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 entry sponsored by Wendy’s throughout Daytona Speedweeks that leads to the 2025 Great American Race, which is scheduled to occur on February 16. In addition, Darian Grubb, the 2011 Cup Series championship-winning crew chief, will work atop the No. 91 pit box.

    The news comes as Castroneves is coming off a part-time campaign in the NTT INDYCAR SERIES with Meyer Shank Racing (MSR), an organization that he is an ownership partner to and delivered the team’s first victory during the 105th running of the Indianapolis 500 in 2021. Throughout the 2024 season, he competed in three events, including the 108th Indy 500. He will compete with MSR for a starting spot in this year’s 109th Indy 500 in May, which would mark his 25th consecutive start in the Great Spectacle in Racing.

    “Never in my wildest dreams did I think I would enter a NASCAR race and certainly not the Daytona 500 with a team like Trackhouse Racing,” Castroneves said. “This is an opportunity that nobody in their right mind could ever turn down. I am so thankful to Wendy’s for allowing me to wear their uniform and drive their car, [Trackhouse owner] Justin Marks and everyone that made this happen. I wish the race were tomorrow!”

    Castroneves, who grew up competing in go-karts before his career blossomed within open-wheel and sports car competition, is a four-time champion of the Indianapolis 500, where he claimed his first two victories in back-to-back seasons in 2001 and 2002. After winning his third in 2009, the Brazilian endured a 12-year winless journey, where he finished second twice within the span before he claimed his fourth in 2021, which placed him in a tie with AJ Foyt, Al Unser Sr. and Rick Mears for the most Indy 500 victories of all time.

    In addition to his four Indy 500 victories, Castroneves has accumulated a total of 25 INDYCAR victories and has finished in the runner-up spot in the final championship standings four times. He also claimed three consecutive 24 Hours of Daytona victories (2021-23) and is the 2020 IMSA SportsCar champion, the latter of which he accomplished while driving for Team Penske.

    Should he both qualify and win this year’s Daytona 500, Castroneves would join Mario Andretti and A.J. Foyt as the only competitors to win both the Great American Race and the Indianapolis 500.

    “I know how much of a challenge this is going to be, but I also know the type of people and team Trackhouse Racing will bring to the effort,” Castroneves added. “I can’t wait to get to the Trackhouse race shop in North Carolina to meet everyone and prepare for Daytona. There is so much I must learn and I’m ready to get started.”

    The addition of Castroneves to Trackhouse Racing’s PROJECT91 program brings enthusiasm and excitement for owner, Justin Marks. The team debuted PROJECT91 in 2022, featuring iconic motorsports competitors around the globe to compete in NASCAR’s premier series.

    Thus far, PROJECT91 has made a total of four appearances in the Cup Series between the 2022 and 2023 seasons. Kimi Räikkönen, the 2007 Formula 1 champion, debuted the program at Watkins Glen International in 2022 before he returned to compete at Circuit of the Americas in 2023. Then in July 2023, Shane van Gisbergen, a three-time Supercars champion, took the occasion by storm when he won at the Chicago Street Course during his NASCAR debut. After making an additional start with Project 91 a month later at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Road Course, van Gisbergen landed a full-time Xfinity Series ride at Kaulig Racing this past season. In 2025, he will compete on a full-time Cup basis with Trackhouse Racing.

    The 2025 Daytona 500 will mark the first time Trackhouse Racing has fielded four entries in a single event if Castroneves successfully qualifies. It will also be the first Cup event featuring PROJECT91 since Indianapolis in 2023. Trackhouse is fielding three full-time entries in a Cup season for the first time in 2025. Van Gisbergen, Ross Chastain and Daniel Suarez will all return as full-time competitors for the organization.

    “Hélio is one of the greatest drivers of all time and exactly the type of driver we want to bring to NASCAR,” Marks said. “I think race fans around the world will be excited to see Hélio in NASCAR’s most prestigious race. It also exposes our sport to a global audience and allows them to see just how great of a series we have in NASCAR.”

    To make this year’s Daytona 500 as a non-chartered entry, Helio Castroneves’ 2025 Daytona Speedweeks schedule commences with the Busch Light Pole Qualifying session on February 12 at 8:15 p.m. ET on FS1. He will have to out-qualify any non-chartered entries to be guaranteed a spot. His alternative form of qualifying for the main event would next be the Daytona Duel qualifying races that will occur the following day, February 13, beginning at 7 p.m. ET on FS1, where he would have to outduel any non-chartered entries on the track to claim a starting spot.

    The 2025 Daytona 500 will occur on February 16 with its coverage slated to commence at 2:30 p.m. ET on FOX.

  • Hendrick Motorsports’ No. 24 car to achieve 1,000 Cup career starts at The Glen

    Hendrick Motorsports’ No. 24 car to achieve 1,000 Cup career starts at The Glen

    A significant milestone start is in the making for the Hendrick Motorsports’ No. 24 car, which is currently competing in its 29th full-time season in the NASCAR Cup Series and being piloted by William Byron. By taking the green flag in this weekend’s event at Watkins Glen International, the No. 24 HMS car will reach 1,000 career starts in NASCAR’s premier series.

    The No. 24 car competing under the Hendrick Motorsports banner made its debut at Atlanta Motor Speedway in November 1992, the final event of the season, with Jeff Gordon, a California-Indiana native who was competing in the Xfinity Series, piloting the car after being recruited by team owner Rick Hendrick. Starting 21st, Gordon finished 31st in his series debut after retiring due to an accident. Gordon’s Cup debut was one of three headlines highlighting the 1992 Atlanta event, with the others being seven-time NASCAR champion Richard Petty making his 1,184th and final career start in NASCAR and driver/owner Alan Kulwicki capturing the season’s championship over Bill Elliott.

    Gordon competed as a full-time HMS competitor in the 1993 Cup season, driving the No. 24 HMS Chevrolet Lumina led by crew chief Ray Evernham. Despite the season being a winless one, Gordon achieved a pole, seven top-five results and 11 top-10 results before finishing in 14th place in the final standings. In addition, Gordon captured the 1993 Cup Rookie-of-the-year title.

    The following season, it took the first 11 races of the schedule for Gordon to capture his first victory in NASCAR’s premier series, which occurred in the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway following a late two-tire pit stop call from Evernham that gave Gordon the track position to win. The victory was also the first for the No. 24 overall in NASCAR history. Eight races later, Gordon achieved his second Cup career win in the inaugural Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. In addition to his first two NASCAR Cup career victories, Gordon recorded a pole, seven top-five results and 14 top-10 results before finishing in eighth place in the final standings.

    In 1995, Gordon won seven of the 31 races in the schedule and he managed to beat seven-time Cup champion Dale Earnhardt by 34 points to capture his first NASCAR Cup Series championship, which was also a first for Hendrick Motorsports.

    From 1996 to 2000, Gordon and the No. 24 HMS car achieved 43 race victories, 23 poles, 98 top-five results and 118 top-10 results. They also captured back-to-back Cup championships in 1997 and 1998 along with two Daytona 500s (1997 and 1999), a second Brickyard 400 title (1998), four Southern 500s (1995-98), two Coca-Cola 600s (1997 and 1998) and two All-Star Races (1995 and 1997). By then, Gordon surpassed 50 Cup career victories. During the 2000 season, the No. 24 team was led by crew chief Brian Whitesell, who won three races with Gordon.

    In 2001, Gordon and the No. 24 HMS team received a new crew chief, Robbie Loomis, a former crew chief for Richard Petty and Petty Enterprises. During the season, Gordon drove the No. 24 Chevrolet to six victories, six poles, 18 top-five results and 24 top-10 results. He also added a third All-Star title and a third Brickyard 400 victory to his resume. When the season concluded, Gordon went on to claim his fourth Cup championship.

    From 2002 to 2004, Gordon and HMS’ No. 24 team earned 11 victories, 13 poles, 44 top-five results, 65 top-10 results and top-five results in the final standings, with a best result of third place in 2004. By then, Gordon surpassed 60 Cup career victories.

    In 2005, Gordon kickstarted the season on a high note when he drove the No. 24 Chevrolet Monte Carlo to his third Daytona 500 victory, which marked his 70th career win in the Cup circuit. Despite winning two more times during the following eight races, Gordon failed to make the Playoffs following an inconsistent regular-season stretch. He managed to achieve a win at Martinsville Speedway in October before settling in 11th place in the final standings. By then, the driver and team welcomed Steve Letarte as their new crew chief.

    Following the 2006 season, where Gordon won twice, made the Playoffs and finished sixth in the final standings, Gordon and the No. 24 HMS Chevrolet team achieved a productive 2007 Cup season, where the driver won six races and notched seven poles, 21 top-five results, a modern-era record 30 top-10 results and an average-finishing result of 7.3. The victories in 2007 totaled Gordon’s career victories to 81 as he also surpassed the late Dale Earnhardt for sixth place on the all-time wins list. Despite leading the standings for the majority of the season, Gordon settled in the runner-up position in the final standings and 77 points shy of a fifth Cup title to teammate Jimmie Johnson and the No. 48 team.

    In 2008, Gordon and the No. 24 HMS team went winless for the first time since 1993, with the driver managing four poles, 13 top-five results, 19 top-10 results and a seventh-place result in the final standings. He rebounded the following season by winning at Texas Motor Speedway in April, which snapped a 47-race winless drought for Gordon and the No. 24 team. Gordon went on to record a pole, 16 top-five results, 25 top-10 results and an average-finishing result of 10.2 before finishing in third place in the final standings behind teammates Jimmie Johnson and Mark Martin. During the 2010 season, however, Gordon and the No. 24 team went winless for the second time in three seasons. The four-time Cup champion only achieved a pole, 11 top-five results and 17 top-10 results before settling in ninth place in the final standings.

    Entering the 2011 season, Hendrick Motorsports reshuffled its crew chief lineup that saw Letarte paired with Dale Earnhardt Jr. while Gordon and the No. 24 Chevrolet team were led by crew chief Alan Gustafson. It only took the first two races into the 2011 season for Gordon, Gustafson and the No. 24 team to snap a career-long 66-race winless drought and return to Victory Lane at Phoenix Raceway in February following a late battle with former teammate Kyle Busch. The driver and team went on to win at Pocono Raceway in June and at Atlanta Motor Speedway in September. By then, Gordon achieved his 85th Cup career victory and was ranked in third place on the all-time wins list behind Richard Petty and David Pearson. Including the three victories, Gordon and the No. 24 team achieved a pole, 13 top-five results, 18 top-10 results and a spot in the Playoffs before finishing in eighth place in the final standings.

    The 2012 Cup season was a roller coaster season for Gordon and the No. 24 HMS team, which started the season with a harrowing rollover accident in the Shootout at Daytona in February followed by an engine failure in the Daytona 500 and seven results outside of the top 20 through the first 11 scheduled events. After finishing in the top 10 in six of the following nine events, Gordon notched a rain-shortened victory at Pocono Raceway in August and placed himself in contention to make the Playoffs. Despite finishing 21st and 28th the following two weekends, Gordon earned three consecutive top-three results and secured the final spot in the Playoffs. While he achieved another round of three consecutive top-three results through the first four races of the Playoffs, Gordon’s title hopes came to an end midway by October. The low point of his career occurred at Phoenix in November, when Gordon intentionally wrecked championship contender Clint Bowyer in the closing laps as a result of an earlier on-track contact between the two. The incident led to a brawl in the garage as Gordon was fined $100,000 and docked 25 points. Gordon, though, rebounded the following week at Homestead-Miami Speedway, the final event of the 2012 season, when he held off Bowyer in a fuel-mileage battle to win and claim his 87th Cup career victory. When the season concluded, Gordon managed to claim 10th place in the final standings.

    After finishing in sixth place in the final standings in 2013 while recording a single victory at Martinsville in October, Gordon and the No. 24 HMS team won four races in 2014 (Kansas Speedway in May, Indianapolis Motor Speedway in July, Michigan International Speedway in August and at Dover International Speedway in September). By then, Gordon surpassed 90 Cup career victories. He went on to record three poles, 14 top-five results and 23 top-10 results as he entered the Playoffs as a title favorite. A late incident and brawl with Brad Keselowski at Texas in November, however, prevented Gordon and the No. 24 team from earning a spot in the Championship Round at Homestead-Miami Speedway in November as Gordon concluded the season in sixth place in the final standings. 

    Coming off a strong 2014 season, Gordon announced in January 2015 that the upcoming Cup season would be his last as a full-time competitor. Gordon kickstarted his final NASCAR season by winning his second pole award for the Daytona 500. The achievement also marked Gordon’s 23rd consecutive season of winning a pole in a Cup season. Despite finishing 33rd in the 500 following a last-lap wreck and earning 13 top-10 results throughout the 26-race regular-season stretch, Gordon managed to secure a spot in the Playoffs for the 11th and final time in his career. At Martinsville in November, Gordon secured the lead late and fended off veteran Jamie McMurray in a two-lap shootout to score his 93rd Cup career win and earn a one-way ticket to the Championship Round at Homestead. His final hopes for a fifth time, however, came to an end after Gordon finished sixth in the finale and third in the final standings in his 797th and final start in HMS’ No. 24 car.

    Following Gordon’s retirement, Chase Elliott, the 2014 Xfinity Series champion from Dawsonville, Georgia, took over the driving responsibilities of the No. 24 HMS Chevrolet SS with continuous support from Alan Gustafson for the 2016 season. In his first laps in the No. 24 car, Elliott won the pole position for the season-opening Daytona 500 and became the youngest pole-sitter of the 500 at age 20. During the main event, however, Elliott finished 37th following an early accident. He rebounded the following week at Atlanta by finishing eighth and recording his first top-10 result in the Cup Series. While he did not achieve a victory in his rookie season, Elliott achieved his first two Cup career poles, 10 top-five results, 17 top-10 results and a spot in the 2016 Cup Playoffs before finishing in 10th place in the final standings. Elliott also claimed the Rookie-of-the-Year title in his first season piloting the iconic No. 24 HMS car.

    In a similar fashion to the previous season, the No. 24 HMS car commenced the 2017 Cup season on pole position for the Daytona 500 as Elliott achieved his second consecutive 500 pole. Finishing in 14th place in the 500, Elliott and the No. 24 team went on to achieve 12 top-five results, 21 top-10 results and a spot in the Playoffs before finishing in fifth place in the final standings. By then, Elliott had collected seven runner-up results in his first two Cup seasons.

    For the 2018 season, William Byron, the reigning Xfinity Series champion from Charlotte, North Carolina, took over the No. 24 HMS Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 as a full-time Cup rookie while Elliott transitioned to sport his father Bill’s famous number, 9. In addition, former Cup championship-winning crew chief Darian Grubb was named crew chief for Byron and the No. 24 team while Gustafson remained as Elliott’s crew chief. In his first full-time Cup season while piloting the No. 24 car, Byron recorded four top-10 results before finishing in 23rd place in the final standings. Despite an inconsistent season, Byron managed to capture the 2018 Cup Rookie-of-the-Year title over Bubba Wallace as he became the third competitor to achieve the rookie title as driver of Hendrick Motorsports’ No. 24 car.

    In 2019, Byron and the No. 24 team received a new crew chief as Chad Knaus, seven-time Cup championship-winning crew chief who was a pit crew member of the No. 24 car in the mid-1990s, inherited the leadership role for the team following a 17-year run with Jimmie Johnson and the No. 48 HMS team. The new relationship between Byron and Knaus commenced on a high note when Byron rocketed the No. 24 Chevrolet to pole position for the Daytona 500. Despite finishing 21st in the 500 following a late multi-car wreck, Byron earned nine top-10 results throughout the 26-race regular-season stretch, which were enough for him to make his first appearance in the Playoffs. His title hopes, however, came to an end following the second round as Byron and the No. 24 team finished in 11th place in the final standings. While he did not record a victory, Byron earned a career-high five poles, five top-five results. 13 top-10 results and an average-finishing result of 14.9.

    The No. 24 car commenced the 2020 season on a strong note when Byron won the second Bluegreen Vacations Duel event at Daytona prior to the Daytona 500. The 500 event, however, ended on a disappointing note for Byron, who wrecked early and settled in 40th, dead last. Through the first 25 regular-season event, Byron recorded eight top-10 results and was above the top-16 cutline to the Playoffs by a mere margin. Everything changed, though, during the following event at Daytona in August when Byron notched his first Cup career victory and secured his spot in the Playoffs. By then, he joined Jeff Gordon as the only competitors to achieve a victory in the No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports car. Byron also snapped a two-year winless drought for crew chief Chad Knaus, who appeared in the Playoffs for a 17th consecutive season. Following an early exit in the Playoffs following the first round, however, Byron went on to finish 14th in the final standings.

    This season, Byron and the No. 24 team received a new crew chief as Ryan “Rudy” Fugle joined Hendrick Motorsports and replaced Knaus, who became HMS’ vice president of competition. The move was a reunion for Byron and Fugle, who guided Byron to seven NASCAR Truck Series wins in 2016 when Byron competed for Kyle Busch Motorsports. Three races into this season, Byron and Fugle captured a dominating win at Homestead, which marked Byron’s second Cup career triumph following two consecutive results outside of the top 20 to start the new season. The victory was also a first for Fugle in the Cup circuit.

    Through the first 22 Cup events of this season, the No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports car piloted by Byron has achieved a win, a pole, eight top-five results and 14 top-10 results, with the team currently ranked in sixth place in the regular-season standings.

    Through 999 previous starts, HMS’ No. 24 car has achieved four championships, 95 victories, 90 poles, 364 top-five results, 558 top-10 results and 26,514 laps led with three different competitors.

    The No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports car is set to make its 1,000th career start in NASCAR’s premier series at Watkins Glen International on Sunday, August 8, with the race scheduled to start at 3 p.m. ET on NBCSN.

  • Four Gears: Chris Buescher, crew chief swaps, road courses and ‘ringers’

    Four Gears: Chris Buescher, crew chief swaps, road courses and ‘ringers’

    Time to cycle through the transmission for this week’s edition of Four Gears.

    This week, our staff takes a look at some of the hot topics in the world of NASCAR. We discuss Chris Buescher getting into the Chase, ponder if Hendrick Motorsports should make some crew chief swaps, move a road course into the Chase and wonder if the bygone days of the “road course ringers” are a good thing or a bad thing for NASCAR.

    FIRST GEAR: Chris Buescher enters this weekend six points behind 30th in points. After his shocking win at Pocono, can the driver of the No. 34 Front Row Motorsports Ford get into the top 30 and steal a spot in the 2016 Chase?

    On the one hand, I want to lean towards no because their performance has been no better than a 27.8 average finish. On the other hand, given Chris Buescher’s relationship with Jack Roush, perhaps Roush Fenway Racing and the folks at Ford Performance might step in to ensure that he makes the Chase. I think, for this week, the jury is out. — Tucker White

    Absolutely. Chris Buescher is the most underrated rookie in the Sprint Cup Series right now, and although he hasn’t had the results that Ryan Blaney or Chase Elliott has he’s made the most of his Front Row Motorsports equipment. He’s good on his equipment as well as with his equipment, and keep in mind he’s no slouch on road courses, having won at Mid-Ohio in 2014. — Joseph Shelton

    If Roush is going to be providing more support to the team after that win, they should be in the top 30 by a comfortable margin. — Michael Finley

    SECOND GEAR: Paul Menard has had a down year in general, but Richard Childress Racing changed his crew chief last week and Menard responded by being fast all weekend. Save for a third at Indianapolis due to a late charge by Jimmie Johnson, Hendrick Motorsports has struggled ever since Sonoma. With Darian Grubb waiting in the wings at HMS, should Hendrick hit the panic button and make some crew chief changes or should any possible changes wait until the end of the year?

    I think it worked at Richard Childress Racing because they’ve been up on performance this year. Hendrick Motorsports is just down right now. Regardless of whatever is plaguing HMS all of a sudden this season, I have my doubts that swapping crew chiefs mid-season will make that much of a difference. —  Tucker White

    Maybe making the changes at year’s end would be the best, and it’ll have to be something more than Crew Chiefs. Maybe some key faculty changes as well. HMS also had a down year in 2000, winning only four races, but after making appropriate changes they took home the 2001 championship. Following what they did all those years ago could help. — Joseph Shelton

    Yes, they should reunite Greg Ives with Chase Elliott and Alan Gustafson with Jeff Gordon, then replace Keith Rodden with Grubb for Kahne. It’s obvious the 5 team needs a shake-up, and Ives worked so well with Elliott in the XFINITY Series they would be better together. — Michael Finley

    THIRD GEAR: Entering Watkins Glen weekend, the track president has projected a record crowd for a race that has arguably put on some of the best races of the past few years. Should NASCAR move this race into the Chase or is it better not to mess with perfection?

    I’ve been pushing for a road course in the Chase for years. I know we only run it two times a year, but if Talladega can be in the Chase, which isn’t my way of saying it shouldn’t be in the Chase, there’s no reason we can’t have a road course in the Chase. — Tucker White

    A thousand times yes. Road course racing defines the true spirit of NASCAR, and Watkins Glen never fails to put on an excellent show. It should be in the Chase as well. We try to determine the season champion by using the Chase; NASCAR should recognize that an over-saturation of cookie cutter racetracks isn’t an accurate way to determine a champion. Add a road course! — Joseph Shelton

    It should be moved to between Bristol and Darlington so that the regular season ends on a strong note with four really good racetracks. — Michael Finley

    FOURTH GEAR: With only one road course “ringer” in the field this week (Boris Said in the No. 32 Ford), it seems the days of road course specialists are at best numbered. Is this good or bad for the sport?

    Perhaps I’m not the best to speak on this because I came into this sport long after the days when the series regulars started to out-perform the road course “ringers,” but I don’t think it’s necessarily a bad thing for NASCAR because I believe it truly speaks to the talent of the drivers in NASCAR. It shows they’re capable of more than just turning left for three hours. They can also drive the cars left and right on road courses with muscle and technique. These are traits of a true road course racer and it speaks volumes on just how great the drivers in this sport are. — Tucker White

    I loved the days of road course ringers, especially Boris Said. But now that the days of road ringers are about gone, it is good for the sport. Those guys who make the field week in and week out, are the focus of the sport and the focus should be on them and their talent on the track, no matter if the track is a road course or a short track. — Joseph Shelton

    It’s a bad thing because the ringers ensured there would be some different guys near the front rather than the same old, same old. It created a variety that wasn’t available at other tracks and made both road course races more special — Michael Finley

    Please join us again next week and become a part of the conversation by sharing your thoughts in the comment section below.

  • The View from my Recliner

    The View from my Recliner

    It’s Pocono week and I can tell you from experience, the infield at Pocono rivals Talladega for the things you can see and learn.

    One Pocono race, you saw porn on a big screen and a Chevy Vega and Ford Pinto chained axle to axle with a fire pit in the middle in the ultimate game of tug of war. I have witnessed a deer cross the track and a streaker on the track. Boy, there are some memories at Pocono.

    Since they dropped the racing from 500 miles to 400 miles at Pocono, it has drastically improved. I can’t explain why, but eliminating those extra 100 miles changed the way the drivers attack the track.

    It has been a little while since I wrote my column due to technical issues, but everything is ironed out and we’re all ready to set the world on fire with some predictions for the second half of the regular season.

    Prediction 1: This is from my heart probably not my head, but Tony Stewart will win a race and make the Chase. The best chance for Smoke to earn his win is at Daytona or the two road courses.

    Prediction 2: Keith Rodden will not finish the season as Kasey Kahne’s crew chief. Kasey Kahne has not run consistently well for the past three years. Rookie Chase Elliott is regularly running around the top-10 and Kahne is ranging from 15th to 20th. Hendrick Motorsports has a Cup-winning crew chief in the organization in Darian Grubb who could get right on the box and change the culture of the team.

    Prediction 3: NASCAR will make the right call with the rules package for Michigan and Kentucky and will change the rules and use that package for the rest of the season. The racing was fantastic for the All-Star race and NASCAR will try to re-create that racing.

    Prediction 4: Ty Dillon will be announced as the new driver of the No. 31 car. Kevin Harvick said before leaving RCR that those kids will get everything. It is a shame because Ryan Newman is a talented racer but you can see that he isn’t getting the best RCR equipment.

    Prediction 5: Joe Gibbs Racing will announce that Aarons will sponsor Matt Kenseth in 2017. Kenseth’s dry humor will be great for the Aarons commercials and hopefully, get Michael Waltrip off of my television.

    Kudos to Mike Joy who made sure during the Fox broadcast to seamlessly work in the names of the fallen on the windshields and the stories behind them throughout the race. It wasn’t forced and the way he told their stories was heartfelt.

    Enjoy the racing at Pocono and I’ll be back next week with the View from my Recliner.

  • Your Guide to the 2016 NASCAR Season – Driver, Crew Chief Changes & More

    Your Guide to the 2016 NASCAR Season – Driver, Crew Chief Changes & More

    As the beginning of a new year of racing approaches, it’s often difficult to keep up with the off-season changes. Drivers move to different teams, crew chiefs come and go, new sponsors are announced and more. To aid your transition into the 2016 NASCAR season, I’ve compiled a list of the major changes.

    Tony Stewart – No. 14 Stewart-Haas Racing Chevrolet

    Stewart, who announced that 2016 will be his last season driving in the Sprint Cup Series, will end his career with a new crew chief. Mike Bugarewicz, the former race engineer for Kevin Harvick’s car, will be on top of the pit box in Stewart’s final season. He replaces Chad Johnston who is moving to the crew chief position for Kyle Larson.

    Kyle Larson – No. 42 Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates Chevrolet

    Chad Johnston moves from Stewart-Haas Racing to become Larson’s new crew chief, replacing Chris Heroy. Johnston was most recently crew chief for Tony Stewart.

    Brian Scott – No. 9 – Richard Petty Motorsports Ford

    Scott will replace Sam Hornish Jr. as he heads to Richard Petty Motorsports to drive the No. 9 RPM Ford. He will be paired with crew chief Chris Heroy (Larson’s former crew chief). Scott has 17 previous Cup starts but this will be his first full-time Sprint Cup season. He will be competing for Rookie of the Year.

    Danica Patrick – No. 10 Stewart-Haas Racing Chevrolet

    Patrick will have a different crew chief in 2016 as Billy Scott moves from Michael Waltrip Racing who closed their doors at the end of the 2015 season. He replaces Daniel Knost who was promoted to a senior leadership position within the company. This is Patrick’s third crew chief in as many seasons. Nature’s Bakery will join Patrick as a new primary sponsor.

    Clint Bowyer – HScott Motorsports Chevrolet

    Bowyer will move to HScott Motorsports for one season before moving to Stewart-Haas Racing in 2017 to replace Tony Stewart after his final season. 5-Hour Energy will make the move with Bowyer as primary sponsor for 24 races in 2016.

    Justin Allgaier – No. 7 – JR Motorsports Chevrolet

    Allgaier will move to the XFINITY Series in 2016 with JR Motorsports. He competed for the last two years in the Cup Series with HScott Motorsports but lost his ride when the organization added Clint Bowyer to their lineup. He has three wins in the XFINITY Series.

    Greg Biffle – No. 16 – Roush Fenway Racing Ford

    Biffle will also be the recipient of a new crew chief, veteran Brian Pattie. Pattie replaces Matt Puccia who had been with Biffle since mid-2011.

    Sam Hornish Jr. – Unknown

    Hornish previously drove the No. 9 Ford for Richard Petty Motorsports but Brian Scott takes over driving duties in 2016. Hornish has not announced his future plans.

    AJ Allmendinger – No. 47 JTG Daugherty Racing Chevrolet

    Allmendinger will have a new competition director as Ernie Cope moves to JTG Daugherty Racing. Cope’s most recent position was as crew chief for Chase Elliott in the XFINITY Series in 2015. Allmendinger will also have a new crew chief, Randall Burnett. Burnett was an engineer on Kyle Larson’s car this past season.

    Chris Buescher – No. 34 Front Row Motorsports Ford

    After winning the 2015 XFINITY Series championship, Buescher is moving to the Sprint Cup Series in 2016. He had six Cup starts for FRM last year with a best finish of 20th place at Auto Club Speedway. Buescher will be in the running for Rookie of the Year.

    Darian Grubb – Vehicle Production Director – Hendrick Motorsports

    Hendrick Motorsports recently named Grubb to the newly created position of vehicle production director where he will oversee every facet of race car manufacturing for the organization. Grubb was formerly employed by HMS in 2003 in various capacities including race engineer and crew chief before leaving to join Tony Stewart at SHR in 2009. He moved to Joe Gibbs Racing and in 2012-2014 worked with Denny Hamlin. In 2015, he was the crew chief for Carl Edwards. He has 23 Sprint Cup victories as a crew chief.

    Ryan Blaney – No. 21 Wood Brothers Racing Ford

    Blaney will run a full schedule in the No. 21 in 2016. It will be the first time since 2008 that Wood Brothers Racing has run a full-time schedule in the Sprint Cup Series. Blaney has 18 Cup starts with a best finish of fourth at Talladega in 2015. Because he has not run for Sprint Cup points in his career, Blaney will be eligible to compete for the Sunoco Rookie of the Year award.

    Denny Hamlin – No. 11 – Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota

    Hamlin will have a new crew chief in 2016 as Mike Wheeler, who has been Hamlin’s race engineer for much of his career, takes over the position. Wheeler also served as crew chief in 2015 for the No. 20 car in the XFINITY Series. He replaces Dave Rogers who will move to the pit box for Carl Edwards.

    Carl Edwards – No. 19 – Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota

    As noted above, Edwards will have a new crew chief in 2016 with Dave Rogers taking over the job, replacing Darian Grubb. Rogers is an experienced leader having worked previously with Kyle Busch as well as Hamlin with 15 Sprint Cup victories.

    Jeffrey Earnhardt – Go FAS Racing – No. 32 Ford

    Earnhardt recently signed a multi-year deal with Go FAS Racing to drive in the Sprint Cup Series beginning in 2016. He will run the majority of the races for the No. 32 team while Bobby Labonte will drive for several events. Earnhardt made his Cup debut at Richmond in 2015 and also competed at Loudon. He will be eligible for the Rookie of the Year award.

    Chase Elliott – No. 24 – Hendrick Motorsports

    Elliott moves into the No. 24 ride in 2016 after Jeff Gordon’s departure in 2015. He captured the XFINITY Series championship in 2014, the youngest driver, at age 18, to win a NASCAR national series title, and finished second last year. Elliott made five Cup starts last year in preparation for this season and will be competing for Rookie of the Year honors in 2016.

    Furniture Row Racing – Will change manufacturers from Chevrolet to Toyota in 2016

    After running only Chevrolets since their debut in 2005, Furniture Row Racing has entered into a partnership with Toyota and will field the No. 78 Toyota of Martin Truex Jr. in 2016. Toyota Racing Development will build the engines and Furniture Row Racing will also benefit from a technical alliance with Joe Gibbs Racing.

     

  • Surprising and Not Surprising: Pocono GoBowling.com 400

    Surprising and Not Surprising: Pocono GoBowling.com 400

    From the impact of crew chief suspensions inspired by the No. 11 Denny Hamlin penalty to the forecasted rain that never reared its ugly head, here is what else was surprising and not surprising in the 41st Annual GoBowling.com 400 at Pocono Raceway.

    Surprising: They may have swept Pocono for the first time since Denny Hamlin did it in 2006 and also scored their third victory of the season, but what Dale Earnhardt Jr. and crew chief Steve Letarte were most eloquent about after the race was their praise for the positive impact of team owner Rick Hendrick on their lives.

    “I just told him thanks for believing in me and making my life better,” Dale Jr. said of the call he made to Mr. H. in Victory Lane. “He has that effect on all the people that work for him. He makes everybody’s life better.”

    “He put me with Steve and I think that Steve was in a place where he was looking for something new and I was definitely needing something new, and it worked out,” Earnhardt Jr. continued. “I was, it was a touch and go there for a while, but we have worked, we have done some good things together and we have continued to get better and we finally are realizing that potential and doing the things on the racetrack that we dreamed about doing when we first started working together.”

    “Mr. Hendrick has helped me become a better person, put me around people that influence me to be a better person, so just want him to know that I appreciate it.”

    “He’s the kind of guy that through the low times in your life you can lean on and you don’t worry about talking to him about it,” crew chief Steve Letarte said of Mr. H, in support of his driver’s opinion. “He’s given me a tremendous amount of advice without probably ever even knowing it. He’s just that kind of guy.”

    “People don’t work at Hendrick Motorsports because we win races, people work at Hendrick Motorsports because they want to work for Rick Hendrick and that’s a big difference.”

    Not Surprising: Jeff Gordon may not have won the race in spite of leading 63 laps, but he did achieve two career milestones as a result of his sixth place run in the GoBowling.com 400. The driver of the No. 24 Axalta Chevrolet broke the 24,000 career laps led mark and also achieved the milestone of leading 1,000 laps at Pocono Raceway.

    “I’m really happy with the way our car performed,” Gordon said. “It’s just so awesome and encouraging and has got my confidence sky high. And I just can’t wait to get to the next race.”

    Surprising: Tony Stewart and Paul Menard had a close encounter of the on-top-of-each-other-yet-again kind after a multi-car pileup on Lap 118.

    “I told Tony the last time we did that was about two years ago at Talladega,” Menard, driver of the No. 27 Certainteed/Menards Chevrolet, said. “So, we have got to stop doing that.”

    “Yeah, I tend to end up on Paul (Menard) a lot,” Stewart said, followed by a quick clarifying statement. “Car wise, our cars tend to end up on top of each other for some reason.”

    “I think that is the second time I’ve landed on top of him,” Smoke continued. “This time at least we weren’t’ looking windshield in at each other.”

    Not Surprising: For at least one driver, who officially locked himself into the Chase with his second place Pocono finish, there were lessons to be learned at the Tricky Triangle.

    Kevin Harvick described his team’s biggest lesson learned as the ability to scramble after suffering damage in the multi-car wreck that sent their car into a drain and then the wall.

    “Well, I think today was very important,” the driver of the No. 4 Mobil 1 Chevrolet said. “We didn’t have the car that we wanted, I felt like we had a top three car today, we were going to need track position and things were not really going well.”

    “They were able to fix the car after we wrecked it,” Harvick continued. “So that’s what we talked about as we came back from the break was just scrambling, being able to scramble and get a finish of some sort to get something out of a day.”

    “That’s what you’re going to have to do the last 10 weeks and today we were able to accomplish that and hopefully this is a good sign of things to come.”

    Surprising: Danica Patrick and Jimmie Johnson had one surprising thing in common at Pocono. Both of their races were pretty much ruined by tire issues, which coincided with hitting the wall issues as well.

    Six-time champ Johnson had his tires go down twice, once early in the race and the second time on lap 113, sending him into the wall.

    Patrick actually hit the outside wall first on lap 14, which resulted in a severe tire rub. Just one lap later, her right-rear tire failed as she was trying to make her way to pit road.

    Johnson finished 39th and Patrick ended her day in the 30th spot.

    “Unfortunately, we had some trouble early and were able to really rally back and get ourselves in the top-five,” the driver of the No. 48 Lowe’s Chevrolet said. “So disappointed for sure, but really unclear as to what happened going into Turn 2. The car went straight down into the Tunnel Turn.”

    “I feel so badly that I started the problems when I hit the fence there in Turn 2,” the driver of the No. 10 GoDaddy Chevrolet said. “I just wish I would have been smart enough to bring our GoDaddy Chevy to pit lane as soon as it happened, but sometimes tire rubs seem worse than what they are, so I stayed out there and we lost the tire.”

    “I’m really disappointed, and I know all the guys are, too.”

    Not Surprising: After scoring the pole with a new Pocono track record of 183.438 mph and 49.063 seconds, it was not surprising for rookie Kyle Larson to yet again score Rookie of the Race honors with his 12th place race run.

    NASCAR Camping World Truck race winner and Sunoco Rookie of the Year contender Austin Dillon finished in the 15th position as the next highest rookie runner.

    Surprising: While Kyle Busch is quite often the dominant Toyota, the driver of the No. 18 M&Ms Toyota Camry for Joe Gibbs Racing, exited early with some sort of engine issue and Clint Bowyer instead led the charge in his No. 15 RK Motors Charlotte Toyota Camry, finishing 4th.

    “We had a good car all weekend and we unloaded good,” Bowyer said. “I’m proud of (Brian) Pattie (crew chief) and all these guys that work so hard.”

    “It’s the work during the week, day in and day out, that makes the difference when you come to these weekends and it’s good to be getting a good finish.”

    Not Surprising: Denny Hamlin, sans his regular crew chief Darian Grubb, deemed his substitute crew chief Mike Wheeler good after a top-10 finish at the Tricky Triangle.

    “You know, he (Mike Wheeler) did a really good job,” the driver of the No. 11 FedEx Office Toyota said. “He called the race nice. Good communication and we were on the same strategy as far as what I was thinking and what he was thinking so that was good.”

    “So really pretty seamless for the most part.”

    Surprising: Matt Kenseth’s predictions of Pocono not being the best track for him came true when he finished a disappointing 38th after having his car destroyed in the Pocono version of the ‘Big One.’

    “It’s never been a wonderful track for me,” Kenseth said prophetically prior to the race. And after the race, he simply said. “We just got all collected.”

    Not Surprising: There was at least one driver that was ready to accept his 15th place finish and head on to the road course at Watkins Glen for next weekend’s race.

    “If you had asked me at the start of the day would I take a top-15 finish, I would have said yes but it was just a little frustrating there at the end,” Marcos Ambrose, driver of the No. 9 DeWalt Ford Said. “We had some issues and I probably let a few spots go, but we’ll keep digging and keep working on it.”

    “It’s frustrating for all of us to not be as competitive at these downforce tracks as we want, but we’ve got a good one next week coming up and hopefully we can get rolling there.”

  • Loss of Crew Chief a Matter of Perspective

    Loss of Crew Chief a Matter of Perspective

    While the penalty to Denny Hamlin’s No. 11 FedEx Office Toyota team, resulting in the suspension of crew chief Darian Grubb, continued to reverberate throughout the garage and media center at Pocono Raceway, there were varying reactions from the drivers as to just how impactful that situation really was to a race team.

    And, as always, that reaction seemed very dependent on perspective, particularly whether the driver was in the thick of the experience at present or not.

    “It’s a tough deal,” Hamlin, the driver currently in the throes of crew chief loss, said. “It’s something that obviously affects our team.”

    “As an organization we were heading in the right direction so it kind of sucks because you lose a little bit of that momentum.”

    During his media availability at Pocono Raceway, Hamlin definitely attempted to put the best face on losing his crew chief for six weeks, citing the technology available to the team and also his familiarity with interim crew chief Mike Wheeler as giving him some comfort in the situation.

    “Darian is in constant contact with Wheels (Mike Wheeler) at all times and myself,” Hamlin said. “So, it’s not too bad as far as that’s concerned.”

    “Really, I’m in pretty good hands,” Hamlin continued. “I’ve been with Mike Wheeler longer than I’ve been with anyone in the Cup Series. Even though it’s tough losing those guys, I get who was car chief for 10 years, get him back to the race track.”

    Six-time champion Jimmie Johnson, who has also experienced crew chief loss due to suspension but is not currently in the throes of it, had a slightly different yet serious take on the situation.

    “Oh, it’s huge not having your crew chief there,” the driver of the No. 48 Hendrick Motorsports Lowe’s Chevrolet said. “And the fact that we won without Chad (Knaus, crew chief) at the track is pretty amazing to be honest.”

    “The first portion of the suspension, the first weekend or two, it’s real tough on the morale,” Johnson continued. “Everywhere you go, you’re answering questions. So, there’s an emotional piece in the beginning and that’s really tough.”

    “Then you can’t wait for the first weekend’s practice to start and to figure out how you’re going to work through this and what kind of speed the car will have and how the team will perform”, Johnson said. “The element of truly having a conversation with someone and understanding how tight the car might be or how uncomfortable you might be, that element is so vital in our sport,”

    “And when somebody is in North Carolina and the others are at the track, it’s impossible to get that pulled together.”

    “But I wouldn’t wish it on anyone,” Johnson said. “It’s such a difficult thing to go through.”

    Matt Kenseth, driver of the No. 20 Dollar General Toyota for Joe Gibbs Racing, had a different perspective, seeming to take any crew chief loss more in stride. In fact, from his vantage point, he did not think losing a crew chief to suspension was that bad at all.

    “I think it’s probably not as hard today as it was in the past just because of electronic communications and technology and all the ways they can chat on the computers,” Kenseth said. “The way they can do all of that stuff certainly I think it makes it easier as far as the technical aspect and changes to the car and setups and all of that kind of stuff.”

    In spite of minimizing the impact due to the technology, Kenseth did acknowledge that it is difficult simply from a lack of presence perspective when the crew chief is cast out due to a penalty.

    “You’re still missing your head coach, the guy who leads the people and gets them together and talks strategy and you’re still not looking in his eyes and talking face to face and doing all of that kind of stuff,” Kenseth said. “So, I think it’s not as hard as it was at one time but I think certainly you’d still want him here.”

    Four-time champion Jeff Gordon lent his perspective on losing a crew chief due to suspension.

    “I think it depends on your communication and the overall team morale,” Gordon, driver of the No. 24 Axalta Chevrolet, said. “The quality of the cars doesn’t go away. In some ways, that  might allow a little bit more time preparing the cars at the shop.”

    “But with the Chase format, I couldn’t imagine going through that without Alan (Gustafson, crew chief) calling the shots,” Gordon continued. “You build this special relationship with your crew chief and it would be strange and awkward to be doing that with someone else.”

    “I think it’s impactful but it doesn’t mean you could not win races without them.”

    Hamlin, the only driver currently in the throes of the crew chief loss experience, admitted that he is trying his best to be positive about the penalty situation involving his crew chief. In fact, the driver is taking the perspective of using it as the ultimate in motivation for his performance in the upcoming GoBowling.com 400 at Pocono Raceway.

    “Well, you use stuff like this as motivation to go out there and prove that you can run fast no matter what and you can run well,” Hamlin said. “We were on a run there last month and a half to two months that I feel like our cars were really starting to turn the corner.”

    “So, really, I’m excited about what these next six weeks brings,” Hamlin continued. “We’ve got some great race tracks ahead of us – a lot of them which we feel like we can win.”

    Losing your crew chief indeed seems to be just a matter of perspective.

     

  • Hot 20 – Hamlin Penalty Shows the Downside of Win and You’re In

    Hot 20 – Hamlin Penalty Shows the Downside of Win and You’re In

    Seventy five point penalty and nothing. No meaningful consequences, not even a dip in the standings. When Denny Hamlin’s car got tagged for leaving the covers on the rear firewall loose in order to leak high pressure air from under the car into the cockpit, something they were told not to do going into Indianapolis, NASCAR came down hard. Well, sort of.

    Darian Grubb’s wallet is $125,000 lighter and the crew chief is gone until after Richmond. The same penalty was given to car chief Wesley Sherrill. A 75 point penalty would be crippling if not for that win in Talladega and his lock inside the Top 30 in points. With standings based first on wins, and then points, Hamlin was ninth and remains ninth, if only by just a point up on Aric Almirola and still 41 ahead of Kurt Busch. For a car that was running so slow in practice Grubb said he did not have enough air time to list its ailments, its sudden emergence to finish third on Sunday was a revelation. Sometimes, NASCAR is not big on revelations, especially after mandating that the one in this case had been specifically outlawed. It is enough to make Michael Waltrip wave his finger in admonishment.

    Now, I love the win and you are in format. I like that someone like Aric Almirola can make it with just one great day, or that Kurt Busch can spin silk from an otherwise crap season. Sadly, now if you win, it seems you can also sin. Take the risk, and if it goes south just make sure you can afford the cash and the downtime.

    This season I have been tinkering with an alternative system that erases win and you are in by simply inflating the win bonus from three to 25 points. It pays big to take the checkered flag, but without handing one immunity. Under that system, Hamlin would have dropped from 11th to 19th and under the Chase format he would now be 31 points out of the Top 16. That would have hurt. Instead, he will get back a well rested, albeit poorer and wiser, crew chief when they hit Chicago in mid-September. Oh, the humanity.

    *Win bonus expanded from 3 to 25 points

    1 – Jeff Gordon – 761 Points – 2 Wins
    2 – Dale Earnhardt, Jr. – 737 – 2
    3 – Brad Keselowski – 732 – 3
    4 – Jimmie Johnson – 694 – 3
    5 – Matt Kenseth – 661 – 0
    6 – Carl Edwards – 647 – 2
    7 – Joey Logano – 635 – 2
    8 – Kyle Busch – 631 – 1
    9 – Kevin Harvick – 609 – 2
    10 – Ryan Newman – 606 – 0
    11 – Clint Bowyer – 577 – 0
    12 – Kyle Larson – 562 – 0
    13 – Austin Dillon – 559 – 0
    14 – Kasey Kahne – 555 – 0
    15 – Paul Menard – 551 – 0
    16 – Greg Biffle – 550 – 0
    17 – Brian Vickers – 532 – 0
    18 – Tony Stewart – 529 – 0
    19 – Denny Hamlin – 519 – 1
    20 – Aric Almirola – 518 – 1

     

  • Surprising and Not Surprising: Homestead Ford EcoBoost 400

    Surprising and Not Surprising: Homestead Ford EcoBoost 400

    With the crowning of just one last champion to join Matt Crafton, Truck Series Champion, and Austin Dillon, Nationwide Series Champion, here is what was surprising and not surprising in the final race of the season, the Ford EcoBoost 400, at Florida’s Homestead-Miami Speedway.

    Surprising:  For someone used to winning championships, especially after his sixth, Jimmie Johnson was surprisingly emotional in Victory Lane, especially as he remembered his grandmother who had passed away and when he saw his wife and daughter Genevieve appear to congratulate him.

    “I know there was an angel, at least one, but maybe four angles riding on this car,” the driver of the No. 48 Lowe’s Chevrolet said. “My Grandmother passed away a month or so ago, and I am without grandparents now which is a sad thing.”

    “But, I know my Grandma and my other grandparents were helping me guide this car around this car around the track,” Johnson continued. “This one is for her.”

    “She was my biggest fan.”

    Johnson became most emotional when he talked about his wife and mother of his two children Chandra.

    “She is the strongest woman on the planet,” Johnson said. “She makes me who I am, and makes me a better man.”

    “She does a fantastic job raising these kids and keeping me in line; I am her third kid,” Johnson continued. “I am so thankful to have her as wife.”

    “We are going to have a lot of fun and enjoy this moment.”

    Johnson finished the Homestead race in the ninth position, which put him 19 points ahead of Kenseth for the Sprint Cup championship. This was the 11th championship for Hendrick Motorsports and makes Johnson only one of three competitors, including Richard Petty and Dale Earnhardt, to win six or more championships.

    Not Surprising:  There were at least two drivers, the second and third place finishers at Homestead-Miami Speedway, that along with many fans have one simple wish – that the season would not end.

    “For me, when you’re running good, you kind of don’t want the season to end in a way,” Matt Kenseth, runner up in the last race and in the championship, said. “You want to keep going to the track.”

    “To me as I get older, the seasons go faster and faster honestly,” Kenseth, driver of the No. 20 Dollar General Toyota, continued. “It was more fun this season so in a way, you don’t want it to end.”

    Third place finisher Dale Earnhardt Jr. could not agree with Kenseth more.

    “Ever since I started working with Steve (Letarte, crew chief) and that whole team, I hadn’t wanted the year to end,” the driver of the No. 88 National Guard Chevrolet said. “We seem to get better as the season goes.”

    “You would just love to go to another race next week.”

    Surprising:  After a surprisingly tough season of injury, recovery and struggles, Denny Hamlin, driver of the No. 11 FedEx Express Toyota, scored his first victory in the last race of the year. This was Hamlin’s second win in nine races at Homestead-Miami Speedway.

    “It was just an amazing drive,” Hamlin said. “Just proud of Darian (Grubb, crew chief) and this whole team for giving me a race-winning car.”

    “It just gives us huge momentum,” Hamlin continued. “We started kicking things into gear about two months ago and then last week with a horrific effort and that kind of gets your spirits down, but then to come here to Miami and back it up with a win — this is something we can think about for the entire winter.”

    Not Surprising:  The reigning champ of 2012, Brad Keselowski, was the highest finishing Ford, bringing the Blue Deuce to the checkered flag in the sixth position.

    “We definitely had the car on the short runs, but just weren’t close on the long runs,” Keselowski said of his last race of the season. “If we could have got the long run speed to go with the short run speed, we would have killed them tonight, but we just didn’t have that.”

    Even with a solid top-ten finish, Keselowski could not help but reflect on the championship year that ended when Jimmie Johnson hoisted the champion’s trophy.

    “A champion is forever,” Keselowski said thoughtfully. “It might not be reining, but you’re still a champion forever.”

    “I’m proud of that.”

    Surprising:  Kevin Harvick is looking forward to a surprisingly new adventure with now former team owner Richard Childress.

    “I think Martinsville brought a lot of things to a head and we were able to talk about a lot of things,” Harvick said of the controversy between him and Childress. “Really this was the way I would want to leave with everybody shaking hands and happy that we have been together and been successful together.”

    “I can’t wait for our first hunt together as friends,” Harvick continued. “That will be good times.”

    Harvick, in his last race with the ‘ole two niner’ finished tenth at Homestead and third in the championship points, 34 points behind six-time winner Jimmie Johnson.

    Not Surprising:   In his first year with Penske Racing and with an eighth place finish in the No. 22 Shell/Pennzoil Ford at Homestead, Joey Logano pronounced his year good.

    “I’m more impressed with our year,” Logano said. “We did a good job this year and learned a lot about each other, and learned a lot about where we could have done a better job in races and where we need to improve next year and where to work on our cars during the off-season.”

    “I had a lot of fun this year and this was my best season personally,” Logano continued. “We’ve got areas we need to improve and we’ll do it.”

    Logano also had a significant moment off the track to top off the 2013 season as he got engaged as well.

    Surprising:  One of the most surprising moments of the race occurred when Paul Menard, who had sustained damage during a wild restart, came to pit road in flames. The right rear tire then exploded sending parts and pieces flying throughout pit road.

    Thankfully no one, including the driver of the No. 27 MOEN/Menards Chevrolet, was injured. Menard, who at times was in the top-five running order, finished 39th.

    “That was pretty wild,” Menard said. “We were having a great day.”

    “On that restart, everybody kind of checked up and we got some right rear damage and had a flat tire,” Menard continued. “I guess a bunch of rubber got wrapped up underneath around the axle I guess.”

    “Came in a couple of times trying to fix the damage and try to get the rubber off,” Menard said. “We didn’t get it all and I guess it just caught fire.”

    “I didn’t really know it until there was a little bit of spark coming in the car and landed on the window net, thought that was kind of weird,” Menard continued. “About a lap later they said I was on fire; I lost my brakes, then the damn wheel blew right off (the car).”

    Not Surprising:  Even four-time champions can make a mistake or two and Jeff Gordon did just that, spinning his wheels on a restart, with almost catastrophic results for at least one of the championship contenders.

    “Yeah, I was trying to get some momentum and he (Denny Hamlin) checked up and it just messed the whole thing up and I got wheel spin,” Gordon said. “That is the second time this year I have done that right in front of Matt (Kenseth) and he has drove right into the back of me and about wrecked us both.”

    “The last thing I would want to do in front of Matt is that, but you can’t run into the guy you know,” Gordon continued. “It was a bad unfortunate situation and it just trickles on back from there.”

    “It could have been even worse.”

    Surprising:  Danica Patrick had a surprisingly good run for the last race of the season and in fact was the highest finishing rookie in 20th. This was Patrick’s eighth top-20 of her rookie 2013 season.

    “It’s one thing to have the yellow stripe on the car,” Patrick said. “It’s another thing with all the things being a rookie signifies, which a lot is, ‘I don’t know what I’m doing.’

    So I think that’s what I’m most pleased about is, now I’ve done the whole season, I’ve gone to every track and learned a lot about a lot of things — not just cars but about the team — and it just makes me more prepared for the future.”

    Not Surprising:  Even with Patrick finishing ahead of him, boyfriend Ricky Stenhouse Jr. still scored the 2013 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Rookie of the Year honors.

    “It means a lot, looking at all the other names that have won this award,” Stenhouse Jr. said. “It definitely wasn’t the season that we wanted, but we slowly but surely got better throughout the season.”

    “I was proud of what we did throughout the season, of getting better, qualifying better, having runs up front, and leading laps throughout the year,” the driver of the No. 17 Ford EcoBoost Ford said. “Thought we had a chance at winning some races there, at least being in contention.”

    “I was proud of those moments.”

    This concludes the Surprising and Not Surprising column for the 2013 season. Thanks for all the reads and comments, have a great holiday season, and cheers to an exciting 2014 season, coming in just 100 days at Daytona!

     

  • Denny Hamlin Taking Lessons Learned Into New Season

    Denny Hamlin Taking Lessons Learned Into New Season

    Photo Credit: Gary Buchanan
    Photo Credit: Gary Buchanan

    Denny Hamlin, driver of the No. 11 FedEx Express Toyota for Joe Gibbs Racing, has learned plenty of lessons from last season as well as the off season. And he intends to take every bit of that new learning right into the 2013 season.

    One of the biggest lessons that Hamlin learned last season was the need for consistency as a race team. And Hamlin definitely wants to banish any inconsistency to the past and focus so that he can focus on that coveted championship prize.

    “We’ve won a lot of races year after year,” Hamlin said. “We’re always in the hunt and then something mechanical happens to our cars and it takes us out of the championship.”

    “You can’t have any DNFs,” Hamlin continued. “There are no mulligans.”

    “Our key in the offseason has been reliability and coming up with a system to make sure our cars are bullet proof when they hit the race track.”

    “Things that went wrong with our cars or things that fell off or got loose or whatever, it was human error,” Hamlin said. “You need to take that out of the equation.”

    “Hopefully those bugs have been fixed,” Hamlin continued. “We’re working on a new process to make our cars more tough and rigid and making sure they don’t fall apart.”

    “To do that, you have to have more than one set of eyes working on your cars,” Hamlin said “We’re hopefully working on some things to make sure that our cars are reliable as the planes you fly in the air.”

    Another lesson Hamlin learned, perhaps the hard way last year, is the need to do a better job in his qualifying efforts.

    “I always have to learn and keep up with what I need to do,” Hamlin said. “One thing I know I have to work on is qualifying.”

    “We greatly improved that last year and Darian (Grubb, crew chief) helped with that a bit,” Hamlin continued. “I’m getting better but the results haven’t always shown that.”

    “It’s just a matter of time before we are in the number one spot.”

    Hamlin is also hoping to learn some lessons from both of his new teammates, including current teammate Kyle Busch and especially his new teammate Matt Kenseth, in the upcoming season.

    “When I knew Matt was coming to Gibbs, we started talking and chatting through text messages quite a bit,” Hamlin said. “I’m so excited to have us on the same track together.”

    “I think he’s going to bring a ton of experience,” Hamlin said of his new teammate. “I can’t wait to compare data.”

    One other area that Hamlin acknowledged that he needed to pay attention to was learning how to better handle his emotions.  And he definitely wants to take that lesson into the new season.

    “The biggest lesson I’ve learned would have to be not letting my emotions get to me when something bad happens that I cannot control,” Hamlin said. “I think it’s very important to let your emotions be kept at an even keel and not let things get to you.”

    “It’s very hard, especially when I wear my emotions on my sleeve as to my performance,” Hamlin continued. “When I run well, I’m happy and when I don’t, I’m not.”

    “That’s tough for all of us as competitors when you have a bad day and not letting it affect you when you are on the race track,” Hamlin said. “I wear my performance on my sleeve.”

    “It will be all about managing those emotions and not to get down on the bad days,” Hamlin continued. “That’s another thing that Matt Kenseth will bring because he doesn’t let the bad things get to him.”

    In addition to handling the emotions on the track, Hamlin has a whole new set of emotions to deal with in his newest role, parenthood. And Hamlin intends to take those lessons with him on race day as well.

    Hamlin and his girlfriend Jordan Fish welcomed daughter Taylor James Hamlin to their world last month. Baby Hamlin, weighing in at six pounds, five ounces, made her arrival during Hamlin’s Daytona testing.

    “The experience has been great,” Hamlin said of being a new daddy. “Your outlook changes when you have to leave home and when you have to get home and how excited you are to pull in the drive knowing that you get to see your daughter.”

    “So that part of it is cool.”

    “She’s sleeping most all the time and in between feedings,” Hamlin said. ““It actually hasn’t been too bad.”

    Hamlin, however, admitted that it will definitely be a difficult lesson to bear when he leaves this week to head to Daytona International Speedway for Speedweeks and the start of the 2013 season.

    “Leaving the house for sure will be hard,” Hamlin said. “I have solace in knowing in just a few months I’ll get to see her all the time every day.”

    Hamlin’s last lesson learned is his strong desire to carry his charitable and philanthropic endeavors into the new season. For the third time in a row, Hamlin will be organizing the Denny Hamlin Short Track Showdown during the Richmond race weekend.

    The race raises funds for the Denny Hamlin Cystic Fibrosis Research Lab at the Children’s Hospital of Richmond at VCU.

    Last year, Hamlin, through the Foundation that bears his name, gave a multi-year grant of $150,000 for the Children’s Hospital. Funds raised at this year’s race will help train the next generation of CF research scientists.

    “The Showdown has had some of the best late model racing in the past,” Hamlin said. “This year will be no different.”

    “We’ve invited the region’s finest drivers to compete against some of my Sprint Cup Series friends,” Hamlin continued. “It’s going to be wild.”

    “Every dollar we give to cystic fibrosis makes a different,” Hamlin said. “You never know. This could be the year we find a cure.”

    So, how does Hamlin sum up all of his life lessons learned as he heads into the brand spanking new season?

    “My life is very different now,” Hamlin said. “It’s one of the most gratifying times.”