Testing SpeedwayMedia.com

Tag: David Ragan

NASCAR drivers honor Darrell Waltrip with Throwback paint schemes

SONOMA, Calif. – This weekend’s Toyota/Save Mart 350 returns the NASCAR Monster Energy Cup Series to Sonoma Raceway, the furthest west they visit in their annual schedule. It will be the first of three road courses on the 2019 schedule which includes the reinstatement of the carousel last raced in the late ’90s. The K&N Pro West Series will also join the Cup drivers with their race on Saturday.

Darrell Waltrip will also broadcast his final race this weekend.

Over the past several weeks, NASCAR, drivers, teams, tracks and sponsors have all pitched in their appreciation of Waltrip’s Hall of Fame legacy since he announced his retirement from the booth at Bristol Motor Speedway.

“This sport has rewarded me time and time and time again,” Waltrip shared in the media center a couple of months ago at Bristol. “Not just with trophies and the success on the track but with friends, people I’ll never forget. They say you get what you give. Well, I gave a lot, but I got a whole lot more in return.”

And that whole lot more giving in return didn’t stop. A few drivers took the initiative to dedicate a throwback paint scheme.

David Ragan practices on Friday in his #ThanksDW Mustang at Sonoma Raceway. Photo courtesy of Patrick Sue-Chan for Speedway Media.

David Ragan, driver of the No. 38, decided to have his car wrapped with the official hashtag, #ThanksDW. His hood was a headshot of Darrell Waltrip from the booth, and the back had Darrell’s infamous term “Boogity.”

“I think Darrell is one of those guys like Richard Petty, Junior Johnson back in the early days,” Ragan shared reflecting on Waltrip’s legacy in the sport. “He had a really successful driving career, and then he went on to make a real impact on the broadcast side. He’s really dedicated his whole life to NASCAR racing.”

Many drivers spend time outside of NASCAR to catch up with other lifetime hobbies and step out of the spotlight to settle down and enjoy life. Carl Edwards comes to mind as one of the more recent drivers that even car owner Joe Gibbs shared on the Dale Jr. Download that he is still baffled to this day as to why Edwards stepped away from NASCAR.

However, Waltrip stuck with the NASCAR scene.

“A lot of guys you see retire, so you don’t really get to hear from them again. So for him to own race teams to being in the broadcast booth and have a big impact driving cars behind the wheel. He’s definitely one of the biggest influencers we’ve had over the past 40 years.”

For those who knew Waltrip or listened to his broadcasting over the years, he was an honest announcer who called the races as they were.

“When I was a rookie coming into the scene, Darrell was a little bit of a critic for me,” said Ragan as he looked back on his early memories of Waltrip. “I wasn’t running as good as I should have right out of the bat, and I think Darrell’s very honest without that much of a filter. That’s what makes Darrell a cool guy.

“Just don’t mess up your Boogity, Boogity, Boogity.”

Matt DiBenedetto lays down some practice laps around the original carousel at Sonoma Raceway. Photo courtesy of Rachel Schuoler for Speedway Media.

The next driver was Matt DiBenedetto, who drives the No. 95 Procore Toyota for Levine Family Racing. Their affiliation with Joe Gibbs Racing has given DiBenedetto a new spike in confidence. Despite the recent turn of poor luck on their side, he led the most laps of his career in the Daytona 500 before crashing out of the race. He also had a string of mishaps out of his control in the month of March and was on pace to challenge for the win at Bristol before an unscheduled pit stop put him in an uphill battle where he finished 12th. Despite the unforeseen circumstances, his average finishing position has improved by three spots.

But this weekend at Sonoma, his team created a paint scheme in honor of Waltrip’s early racing career. Darrell raced in the No. 95 Mercury and Chevrolet from 1972 to 1974 with 19 top 10 finishes, including runner-up finishes at Darlington and Texas World Speedway (not to be confused by Texas Motor Speedway).

“It was all of us at the team,” Dibenedetto shared in the media center at Sonoma when asked who originally came up with the idea for the paint scheme. “It’s exciting for us because DW has meant a lot to me. He helped me out last year, sponsored my race car at Phoenix. He’s always been a really good person.”

At Phoenix last year, Matt DiBenedetto was racing for GoFas Racing in the No. 32 Ford. The team headed to Phoenix with no sponsorship, after an early season sponsor fallout situation. He originally posted on Twitter sharing the team was not in financial danger and would still make the race, but made the announcement to allow for the potential opportunity of a new sponsor to step in. Not only did he get a big sponsor to take the race with Zynga Poker, but many drivers and NASCAR community members stepped up to help sponsor Matt’s car, including Darrell Waltrip.

“So we all talked about Sonoma and talked to our sponsor Procore,” Matt continued, “And they were on board with us running a paint scheme thrown back to when DW drove the 95 car in the early days of his career.”

Darrell Waltrip drives around Sonoma Raceway in his original Daytona winning “Tide Ride.” Photo courtesy of Patrick Sue-Chan for Speedway Media.

Ricky Stenhouse Jr. also decided to run a No. 17 throwback of Darrell Waltrip, keeping it authentic with chrome numbers around the car. The two-time NASCAR Most Popular Driver ran this number for Rick Hendrick at NASCAR’s top level from 1987 into part of the 1998 season, making this his most driven number.

While Darrell drove his “Tide Ride” as the No. 17 and winning the 1989 Daytona 500 in that car, the white, gray and red striped car with the chrome numbers on the sides was introduced in 1991 when he began to drive as a driver/owner with Western Auto as his new primary sponsor.

“With as much as he’s done in the sport on and off the track, Darrell will definitely be missed,” Stenhouse said. “I have enjoyed all the sit-downs and seeing his passion that he has for the sport. I’ve gotten to pay homage to him with two Darlington throwback schemes so it will be extra special to drive his iconic paint scheme for his last appearance in the booth.”

ICYMI: @StenhouseJr will pay tribute to @AllWaltrip this weekend @RaceSonoma.

Take a look 📸👇 pic.twitter.com/PZMi4lnaSO
— RFK Racing (@RFKracing) June 19, 2019

Denny Hamlin also took the opportunity before practice on Friday to introduce his throwback paint scheme for the new Darlington tradition. The reveal showed Darrell’s No. 11 which he drove from 1981 to 1986 when he drove for Junior Johnson.

“In 2016 when I won the Daytona 500, FedEx gave me the opportunity to choose my own paint scheme for the July Daytona race,” Denny shared during the reveal at Sonoma Raceway. “I had two that I really liked, so we had the shop vote on it. We thought this would be a great idea to honor someone who’s been a big influence for myself and everyone in NASCAR.”

Hamlin also shared memories growing up in the grandstands and watching the competitors on the track.

“I knew he was tough,” Hamlin chuckled when asked about the name of Darrell Waltrip. “I grew up a huge Bill Elliott, but Waltrip was one of the toughest competitors.”

Waltrip and Hamlin then pulled back the cover to officially reveal the paint scheme to be raced later this year in the iconic Southern 500.

“Well, first of all, I’m flattered,” Waltrip shared when he saw the new paint scheme for the first time. “This is one of my favorite paint schemes that I raced. What made this special to me was that this was my car and my team. We started in 1991. We had some pretty good days with this car. Of course, I guess my favorite number is probably the No. 17, but I’ll always love car No. 11.”

“This is the winningest number in NASCAR.”

The crowd shared their input as well.

“You like this?” Waltrip asked the audience while pointing to the car.

The crowd cheered.

“That thing is gonna look great on the race track. Thank you for the tribute.”

June 22, 2019
The Final Word – Daytona and NBC delivered the goods, and the bads, on Saturday night

Daytona delivered. The action and the broadcast were both superb. If you missed it, you really missed something.

Unlike Ricky Stenhouse Jr. He missed nothing. On the good, he claimed the opening two stages. He also managed to punt a third-place car, driven by Kurt Busch, into oblivion when he sent Brad Keselowski up toward him, taking out a pretty fair chunk of the field. He was not done. Later, he got the two lead cars when he hooked Kyle Busch, who proceeded to remove William Byron from the point position. When you’ve taken out the top three cars in any race, including both Busch brothers, you have accomplished something.

Later, when Kyle Larson cut a tire, he hit Stenhouse. Did that finally remove the favorite driver from among his peers? Nope. He managed to finish 17th and collect a total of 40 points for his efforts. Only the race winner matched him in that category. However, Ricky probably lost a hell of a lot of potential Christmas card senders. He should not expect any from a certain family hailing from Las Vegas.

The herd had been severely culled as they neared the end, but when Kasey Kahne looked out his back window with a dozen laps left to run, there were Kevin Harvick and Martin Truex Jr. trying to chase him down. However, that did not last long, as Bubba Wallace hooked Clint Bowyer, who in turn took out Harvick.

Of course, they could not finish this thing in a single overtime. By the time the second hit the green, it was Truex and Erik Jones coming to the line, with Kahne and Chris Buescher right behind them. Jones got the push, fought off the defending champion, and put himself in the list of Cup drivers with a career victory. A first win, and at Daytona no less.

With so many sent to the garage, the rest of the Top Ten were not names we usually associate for such a position. For example…

3. A.J. Allmendinger
4. Kasey Kahne
5. Chris Buescher
6. Ty Dillon
7. Matt DiBenedetto
8. Ryan Newman

Austin Dillon and Alex Bowman were next. Those two names almost sound like Petty and Earnhardt compared to those just ahead of them. Then there was the quartet that finished in the next five positions…

11. Jeffrey Earnhardt
12. Brendan Gaughan
13. D.J. Kennington
14. Bubba Wallace
15. David Ragan

At least one was an Earnhardt and one drove for Petty. For some brighter lights on the marquee, Daytona was a dark, dark Saturday night. Some managed to earn 10 points or less…

10 – Aric Almirola
9 – Paul Menard
9 – Chase Elliott
7 – Jamie McMurray
6 – Kurt Busch
4 – Brad Keselowski
2 – Daniel Suarez
1 – Ryan Blaney
1 – Denny Hamlin
1 – Joey Logano

If you want to know what a pinata feels like, ask Logano. In the first big wreck of the night, that boy had his car hit on every corner and places in between. He described it as the crash that went on and on.

So, with all the mishaps spoiling the betting line, did it shake up our Chase contenders any? Nope. The sixteen in remain the 16 in. Jones is much more secure in his place, while Bowman still holds on to the last rung, 19 points ahead of Stenhouse. I guess you could say Stenhouse hit the wrong guys.

As for NBC, the second broadcast of the season was just as awesome as the Chicago effort. Next week is another Saturday night in Kentucky. If they can pull off another excellent, interesting, entertaining presentation from that venue, then there would be no doubt that they truly are for real.

Daytona delivered. So did NBC. In the words of Warden Norton from Shawshank, “Lord! It’s a miracle!” Let us keep those miracles coming.

July 10, 2018
The Final Word – Talladega, bringing you the thrill of victory…and the agony of defeat

Talladega was sweet. That was the kind of action that captured my attention as a kid, watching Wide World of Sports. As Jim McKay so iconically put it all those years ago, “Spanning the globe to bring you the constant variety of sport… the thrill of victory… and the agony of defeat… the human drama of athletic competition.” That was Sunday at Talladega.

Joey Logano got the thrill. It was his third on the big track and the 19th Cup victory of his career. It was exciting, but not exactly a nail-biter, as Logano led the final 42 laps. Kurt Busch was right there in case he faltered, while Chase Elliott did manage to slip ahead of Kevin Harvick at the line for third.

Thrills for the fans meant the agony of defeat for so many others, as it often does when the circuit visits Alabama. Jamie McMurray had one hell of a spill during practice, tumbling through the air to roll over a half dozen times to totally destroy his primary ride. His back-up fared a little better. Erik Jones caught the apron, went up to get turned by McMurray, then onward to pile into Trevor Bayne along the wall. It also ruined the day for Kyle Larson and Martin Truex Jr. Innovation, thy name is Talladega. To get Truex back out there, the crew busted out a concrete saw in order to make repairs. That was a first.

No big one yet, but the clock was ticking. With 22 laps to run, William Byron took the air off the rear of Jimmie Johnson’s equally unstable auto, and the fun began. While Johnson survived to eventually finish 12th, Byron, Paul Menard, Clint Bowyer, Michael McDowell, Brad Keselowski, A.J. Allmendinger and Austin Dillon were toast on the spot.

We learned a few things at Talladega. First, pit road infractions might set you back, but they did not end your hopes on the 2.66-mile loop. Elliott, Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Alex Bowman, and Daniel Suarez were among those tagged who managed to finish in the Top Ten. However, if you get hit with speeding late in the race and then get hit for speeding again while taking the pass-through penalty, your hopes evaporate. They did for Denny Hamlin, though even he recovered enough over the next hour for a lead lap 14th place conclusion.

We learned that pitting early helps. On the opening segment Ford and Toyota all came in early on, the Chevys did not. They also did not lead the parade at the end of the stage. Lesson learned, so when the Fords came back to the pits early in the second segment, the Toyota boys arrived on the next lap, with Chevrolet just one more behind them. Not that it worked for them all. Six of the Top Seven at Talladega were Fords. Chevy had the third, eighth, and ninth best, with Kyle Busch driving the best Toyota in 10th.

With 58-points, Logano took the lion’s share of points, with only Harvick and Stenhouse among the others breaking 40. David Ragan is 25th on the season, but sixth on the day. Single point days were “enjoyed” by Top 20 drivers Larson and Jones.

From Talladega, we technically stay in the south as the circuit moves to Dover, Delaware. It might not be Talladega, but it sports one of the best trophies in the sport at a track owned by legends. In the first 18 races run there from 1969 through 1978, the winners were limited to Richard Petty (5), David Pearson (5), Bobby Allison (3), Cale Yarborough (3), and Benny Parsons (2). That is some kind of blue-blood pedigree, Hall of Famers all.

By the way, the first time we saw Dover on our television screens it was 1974. The man who got the thrill of victory that day was Yarborough. The agony of defeat was experienced by Petty, as the race leader lost an engine with three laps to go. The action was described by Bill Flemming and Chris Economaki. The program, ABC’s Wide World of Sports.

April 30, 2018
Ragan Fastest at Bristol in Final Cup Series Practice

BRISTOL, Tenn. — David Ragan topped the chart in final Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series practice at Bristol Motor Speedway. The driver of the No. 38 Front Row Motorsports Ford clocked in at a time of 15.051 and a speed of 127.487 mph.

He held the top spot for virtually the entire 50-minute session.

Occupying spots 2-5 were Chase Elliott, who timed in at 15.100 and 127.073 mph, Denny Hamlin, who timed in at 15.109 and 126.997 mph, Kurt Busch, who timed in at 15.164 and 126.537 mph and Michael McDowell, who timed in at 15.193 and 126.295 mph.

AJ Allmendinger, Kyle Busch, Daniel Suarez, Kasey Sahne and Jimmie Johnson rounded out the Top-10.

Kurt Busch comes to a stop on the apron, after his car hit the inside wall on the backstretch in final Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series practice at Bristol Motor Speedway. Photo: Tucker White/SpeedwayMedia.com

In the closing minutes of the session, Kurt Busch broke loose exiting Turn 2, spun down the backstretch and hit the inside wall. His team rolled out the backup car, so he’ll start from the rear of the field tomorrow afternoon.

[pdf-embedder url=”http://www.speedwaymedia.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/C1808_PRACFINAL.pdf”]

April 14, 2018
The Final Word – If they weren’t racing, they were wrecking at Talladega

Dale Earnhardt Jr. started on the pole at Talladega. Most years, that is just par for the course. In this, his final season, it was a return down memory lane. Talladega is where anything can happen, where any lead lap car has a shot to win it, and a where one’s dreams can go up in flames, smoke, and mangled metal without notice.

Just ask Jamie McMurray. He went in clinging to the final berth into the next round of the Chase. Sometimes you make a mistake. Sometimes you decide to turn toward pit road way too high on the track, a place where those with no intention of turning in are still running at high speed. That is what McMurray did just 25 laps in, and got punted to the outside by Erik Jones, then t-boned by Jeffery Earnhardt. By the time Mark Thompson tore off the rear section of his car, the damage had already been done. Done, thy name is McMurray. Somebody needs a win next week.

Unfortunately for Junior, our leader was hitting the pits as that caution came out for the wreck behind him. Pit lane closed in front of his eyes. The penalty sent him, Kyle Larson, and Chase Elliott to the back. Totally unfair, totally unrealistic to expect a driver to react in time, I know, but them is the rules. Still, they had over 160 laps to make up the lost ground.

Earlier in the race, just 14 laps in, the Fords ducked onto pit road and packed themselves together. That paid off in the end of the opening segment, as Brad Keselowski was followed by Joey Logano, Ryan Blaney, and Ricky Stenhouse Jr. All but Logano were current Chasers who came in outside the eight berths for the next round of the playoffs. Sometimes a plan works to perfection.

After two stages, that Ford plan was still paying dividends. Blaney won the stage, with Keselowski right behind him. Jimmie Johnson had his rear folded by Ty Dillon at one point, but he was still running in the top 10. Same for Denny Hamlin, as an early pit for a loose wheel, came at the same time there was a debris caution. No harm, no foul. As for Junior, he was barely in our top 20 as a planned stop just before the end of the stage was waved off for some reason.

Sixty laps remaining, and like magic, Junior was back among the top three. How? He was born to a wizard who did magical things at Talladega, just as his son has done throughout his career. Along with the Legacy were young guns, Blaney and Elliott. Of course, with that many laps to go on this track, it meant nothing as to what might happen by the time they reached the end. It was down to sticking on the lead lap and seeing what fate was willing to deliver.

I said, “WHAT FATE WAS WILLING TO DELIVER.” Keselowski was not hearing much of anything due to a very intermittent radio that only worked on the front stretch. Under a caution caused by a bunch of also-rans at the back of the pack, they reached in to fix it. That left him starting just inside the top 30 with about 30 to go when they returned to green. Junior was sitting inside the top 15 in his final Talladega race.

Fifteen. Interesting number. By the time this thing ended, that was all that was left running. With 17 to go, Martin Truex Jr. touched David Ragan, who collected Kurt Busch, and all hell broke loose. Johnson was toast, along with Kyle Busch and Stenhouse, while Kevin Harvick and Matt Kenseth both got roughed up. They were just getting started.

With 11 laps remaining, Logano and Blaney touched, taking out Blaney, and roughing up Harvick even more, and more was yet to come. Down to six laps, our leaders were Daniel Suarez, Elliott, and Larson. Not for long. Suarez was leading up high when he came down in the corner but Elliott already had his nose there. Suarez got turned into Larson, then came back up to collect Elliott, and that ended the day for two of them while Larson was still able to continue, albeit with a ton of front-end damage.

Finally, we were down to just four laps, 15 cars, with about eight having any shot of winning. On the start, it was Ryan Newman among the survivors up front, but with a pair remaining Keselowski took over and there he was to stay. Trevor Bayne was third, Logano fourth, with Aric Almirola in fifth. Hamlin and Earnhardt were next, followed by Kasey Kahne, Gray Gaulding, and Ragan to round out our top 10. It might not have thrilled so-called “race” fans, but if extreme sports lights your fire, the Alabama 500 got you all warm and toasty Sunday afternoon.

Keselowski had a great day, and advances to the next round of the Chase, to join with Truex. Larson, Harvick, Hamlin, and Elliott are all fine, as long as they stay out of trouble in Kansas. Blaney and Johnson need to have good days, Kyle Busch and Kenseth will have to be even better, while Stenhouse and McMurray need to win to be in.

On Sunday, the television ratings went against the grain and actually went up. Do not expect that to occur again next week. After the thrills and spills of what we just witnessed, it would be an understatement to say that Kansas will not exactly present anything like what was seen at Talladega. Then again, history tells us that might suit the likes of someone like Jimmie Johnson just fine.

October 16, 2017
Kyle Busch Wins First Career Playoff Race at New Hampshire

The Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series (MENCS) continued their playoff run this weekend at New Hampshire Motor Speedway and the second race did not disappoint. Kyle Busch jumped out to the lead after a restart with 23 laps to go and was able to hold on to win his third MENCS race of 2017 and his first ever playoff win.

Busch talked about the strategy moving forward since he is now locked into the next round of the Playoffs.

“I think the biggest thing for us is to just keep focusing on what we’ve done all year long, just keep trying to go out there and run hard, run smooth and be good at what we do,” he said. “Obviously fast race cars help us being able to stay out front. We’ve got a good pit crew. They did a good job today, did everything right, and from there, we’re just trying to collect stage points, go out there and race as hard as we can, get stage wins, get race wins, and do what we can in order to keep padding that cushion that we have for the start of every round.”

Busch started on the pole and led three times for 187 laps. When Stage 1 began, Busch jumped out early but on lap 40 it was all Martin Truex Jr. who took the lead and never looked back, going on to win his 19th stage win of the year. Kyle Larson, Busch, Erik Jones, Ryan Blaney, Matt Kenseth, Brad Keselowski, Jimmie Johnson, Denny Hamlin and Kevin Harvick round out the top 10 in Stage 1.

Stage 2 took place from Lap 83 – Lap 151. Not much happened in this stage until, with one lap to go, Harvick was accidentally spun around by another playoff contender, Austin Dillon. This caused a huge wreck and chain reaction on the backstretch. During this wreck, Truex Jr., Earnhardt Jr., Kurt Busch, Danica Patrick and Jeffrey Earnhardt were all involved during the melee late in Stage 2. Eventual race winner, Kyle Busch barely missed the carnage by inches. The stage ended under caution and gave (Kyle) Busch the win. Kenseth, Larson, Keselowski, Jones, Truex Jr, Hamlin, Johnson, Blaney and Jamie McMurray comprised the remaining top 10 finishers in this stage.

After the craziness in Stage 2, Stage 3 was restarted on lap 159. Busch once again went out and led the way. A few playoff contenders had their fair share of troubles. Hamlin reported a “tire vibration” and pitted for the issue. On lap 186, Austin Dillon was facing microphone issues and could not hear his team communications. With 83 laps to go, non-playoff contender, Earnhardt Jr., had a left front tire blowout and ended his hopes of trying to win for the first time this year.

On lap 219, the caution came out for the fourth time as debris was seen in Turns 3 and 4. Dillon was able to get the free pass and was back on the lead lap.

As often happens late in races, cautions breed cautions. There were three more cautions that slowed the field. On Lap 262, Kasey Kahne slowed in Turns 3 and 4. He eventually was held by NASCAR for intentionally bringing out the caution. Later, he went to the garage for suspension and track bar problems.

“Something broke. I think they said trackbar, but that is all I know I didn’t talk to Darien (Grubb, crew chief). But, that is what he had said while we were in the garage,” Kahne said.

With 33 to go, David Ragan spun around off Turn 2 and the caution flew once more. The last caution came with 28 to go as Trevor Bayne spun out on the backstretch.

The final restart came with 23 to go and Busch was able to hold off Kyle Larson for the win.

“So, we finished second again with our Target Chevy,” Larson said. “That’s a lot of second-place finishes this year, but I’m fine with second. Top fives will get us to Homestead, so hats off to everybody on our Target team. The pit crew was great all day. I think we gained spots every time. Normally I’m struggling on short tracks, but this year we were pretty good.

Truex Jr. rebounded to a fifth-place finish after the wreck in Stage 2. He led three times for 112 laps and retains his position at the top of the playoff leaderboard.

There were six cautions for 32 laps and six leaders among three lead changes.

Playoff Standings
1 . Martin Truex Jr. (W)
2. Kyle Larson -24
3. Kyle Busch (W)
4. Brad Keselowski -43
5. Denny Hamlin -61
6. Matt Kenseth -62
7. Jimmie Johnson -73
8. Ryan Blaney -79
9. Chase Elliott -79
10. Kevin Harvick -80
11. Jamie McMurray -96
12. Ricky Stenhouse Jr. -105
Below the cut line
13. Austin Dillon -105
14. Ryan Newman -106
15. Kurt Busch -122
16. Kasey Kahne -122

Next Up: The Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series heads to Dover International Speedway next Sunday for the final race in the Round of 12.

September 24, 2017
The Final Word – Darlington, crowning NASCAR royalty long before Daytona’s son of a beach

There is no question that the popularity of NASCAR has dropped off significantly over the past decade. There is no question that it also became something of a fad the decade prior to that. It went from a regional sport with limited coverage to one with a national presence and everyone and his dog could answer “how bad have you got it.” Then the fad ended, and while a number of fans and the hoopla drifted away, you have to admit that it remains higher in the sport’s conscientiousness than it was before that.

History and tradition. Often NASCAR sells it out for a corporate buck, but the Southern 500 was a race to win long before they went round and round at Daytona, Talladega, or all those generic races on cookie cutter 1.5-mile tracks across the country. It was the race a driver wanted to win. That legacy continued in Darlington, South Carolina on Sunday night at the track too tough to tame, the famed Lady in Black.

Of course, we had the Chase situation to keep a look out for. Thirteen had won themselves in, with 20 more mathematically still having a shot at those final three berths. Once again, for everyone, it was a story of victory or nothing. Ryan Blaney has his win, and he had a part of the fence in the opening segment. Trevor Bayne and A.J. Allmendinger needed a win but wound up with each other to see their hopes go flying away in the wind. Clint Bowyer needed a win, but he needed his car to re-start as he stalled and went to the garage for the night. Ricky Stenhouse Jr. already had two wins to go with his new nose full of fence and his chances got terminated. As for Martin Truex Jr., he beat Kyle Larson by a hair at the line to take the opening stage. Of the leading eight coming into Darlington, only Stenhouse and Jimmie Johnson were outside the Top Ten after the opening round.

Daniel Suarez needed a win, but when he got more than just a Darlington stripe, he reached the end of his hope rope in the second segment. Allmendinger was still running, and when he collected Matt DiBenedetto no amount of math was going to work for either of them on this night. The segment ended under caution, with Truex again taking it. His amount of bonus points pretty much gives him a free pass into the second round of the Chase. Once again, with the exception of Johnson and Stenhouse, six of our Top Eight in the standings were among our Top Ten to this point in Darlington. A Cinderella finish was not likely, but somebody was still to make history by winning the Southern 500. Who would it be?

David Ragan needed a win but got a spin instead early in the final run. He was 25th, so not a threat to win. I would like to tell you how far back time wise or lap wise he was from the leader, but NBC did not bother to inform us of such trivial things as of yet. Not once. I am guessing they took the 1980’s theme for the night to heart and said to hell with the modern technology.

Bitch and ye shall receive. At least for the final 40 percent of the race, they presented the intervals. That made me happy, but it told us that Danica Patrick was two laps down and out of it. I know, that came as a big surprise. Shortly after, the names of Michael McDowell, Chris Buescher, Kasey Kahne, and Dale Earnhardt Jr. could be added to that list. If only Junior’s crew could add those lug nuts that appeared to be missing in post-race inspection.

The winless seemed pretty likely to remain that way on Sunday night. It appeared it would be Denny Hamlin soaking in the suds, then he decided to spruce things up with a bit of drama. Under green, he missed the pits and had to go around, dropping him from first to 11th. Truex took advantage and returned to the front, but on much older tires than the guy he replaced. Time was not Marty’s friend. When one of his old worn moccasins went down, he slapped the wall, and with three laps to go Hamlin rode the fresher rubber to victory.

For Denny, it was his second Southern 500 triumph and the 31st victory of his career. Truex, meanwhile, claimed the regular season title and the additional bonus points that earned him. As before, we were left with 13 drivers in on wins and three are in as long as one of 20 other boys and girl do not win this Saturday night at Richmond. Three past two-time winners remain winless this season, including Earnhardt and Bowyer, while Matt Kenseth would love to do it again if only to seal the deal.

For the sixth season sponsored by Federated Auto Parts, the former Capital City 400 has been run since 1958. Richard Petty won the fall event seven times, Bobby Allison had a handful, with Darrell Waltrip and Rusty Wallace each with four apiece. Hamlin is the defending event champion and is just a win away from joining their number. Something tells me the name of the winner for the 60th running of this event might not come as a big surprise.

September 4, 2017
Hot 20 – A Southern night with the lady in black at Darlington

With the Southern 500 coming our way from Darlington this weekend, it seems like a good time to talk about tradition. The first one in the books was back in 1950, making it the oldest of the sport’s iconic events. Most of the time, it goes to someone who is in or will be in, the Hall of Fame. That number will only grow once Jeff Gordon and Jimmie Johnson get in, along with a few other contenders I can think of.

Bill Elliott won it three times. Gordon has six. Next year, the current driver of the No. 24 moves over to take over the No. 9 once driven by his daddy. Chase Elliott has the name and soon will have the number. William Byron takes over the former Gordonmobile.

Ray Evernham never drove the race, but he was the man on the stand for four of Gordon’s victories. The soon to be Hall of Famer joins fellow inductees Ron Hornaday Jr., Ken Squier and Robert Yates as the event’s Grand Marshals.

We hear that the No. 5 is about to go into mothballs, considering the No. 24, No. 48, and the No. 88 will soon be joined by the No. 9 in the stable of cars owned by Rick Hendrick. While Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s daddy won the race three times, this is the son’s last shot at claiming his first. An Earnhardt has appeared in Cup action every season since 1975. We might even see a cameo by the legacy of the legend next season, wife permitting. However, even if that was not the case, we could still have nephew Jeffery Earnhardt in the running.

By the way, the Earnhardt NASCAR legacy at its highest division actually started on November 11, 1956 when Ralph Earnhardt finished second to Speedy Thompson in his Grand National debut at Hickory Speedway. Dale’s dad ran 51 races at the sport’s highest level. In fact, he finished ninth in the 1961 Southern 500.

Tradition. Thanks to NASCAR’s capitulation to selling out its naming rights to corporate sponsors, we have few iconic stand alone events left. Talladega and Bristol are iconic tracks, but neither has a traditional branded event. If you are selective as to what races you win, there is the winter race in Daytona, the May contest in Charlotte, the summer run at Indianapolis, and Labor Day at Darlington.

Win this Sunday’s Southern 500, and you will be remembered. Win your first of the season, and you will be rewarded with a place in the Chase.

1. MARTIN TRUEX JR. – 4 WINS (951 Pts)
Tamed the track to tough to tame a year ago, but will she be a lady this year?

2. KYLE LARSON – 3 WINS (845 Pts)
Coming off a win and another Top Ten in his last two, I think the lad is doing alright.

3. JIMMIE JOHNSON – 3 WINS (628 Pts)
This week saw Genevieve’s first day of Grade One. That is a big deal.

4. KYLE BUSCH – 2 WINS (850 Pts)
We need some love ‘em or hate ‘em guys out there. He sure in hell is not colorless.

5. BRAD KESELOWSKI – 2 WINS (728 Pts)
Then, there are some you just hate. I am hoping Momma Kay might disagree.

6. RICKY STENHOUSE JR. – 2 WINS (528 Pts)
Life is not always a day at the beach…but sometimes it is.

7. KEVIN HARVICK – 1 WIN (824 Pts)
His idea of a wild card race to determine the last Chase spot is a good one. We call it Richmond.

8. DENNY HAMLIN – 1 WIN (753 Pts)
Intentionally slow leaving pit road and you risk being sent to the back. Problem solved.

9. RYAN BLANEY – 1 WIN (623 Pts)
One of next season’s sponsors will be Menards. Take that, Paul!

10. KURT BUSCH – 1 WIN (586 Pts)
After a Daytona 500 and a Brickyard 400, another jewel would appear to be in order.

11. RYAN NEWMAN – 1 WIN (574 Pts)
Newman and Dillon will sport autos that will remind us of a certain Wrangler of the 1980s.

12. KASEY KAHNE – 1 WIN (451 Pts)
Sometimes when Hendrick makes an announcement, it is good news. Sometimes, it is not.

13. AUSTIN DILLON – 1 WIN (437 Pts)
When it comes to throwbacks, I still love the black Goodwrench…no offense Wrangler.

14. CHASE ELLIOTT – 711 POINTS
Nothing can be finer than driving the number niner.

15. MATT KENSETH – 703 POINTS
Two ex-champs, one quality ride left. Does either get the chair when the music stops?

16. JAMIE MCMURRAY – 700 POINTS
Seven wins at Charlotte, Daytona, Indianapolis, and Talladega. Why not one at Darlington?

17. CLINT BOWYER – 642 POINTS
Would he wreck a rival to make the Chase? Maybe, if he was running second.

18. JOEY LOGANO – 583 POINTS (1 Win)
Thought he had a plan to get into the Chase, but the President pardoned Sheriff Joe instead.

19. ERIK JONES – 574 POINTS
Pocono (eighth), Watkins Glen (10th), Michigan (third), Bristol (second). His stock is rising.

20. DANIEL SUAREZ – 537 POINTS
Whatever happens to the guy who fails to tighten a lug nut that costs his crew chief $10,000?

The rest of the contenders

21. TREVOR BAYNE – 470 POINTS
22. DALE EARNHARDT JR. – 416 POINTS
23. PAUL MENARD – 408 POINTS
24. TY DILLON – 395 POINTS
25. CHRIS BUESCHER – 387 POINTS
26. A.J. ALLMENDINGER – 381 POINTS
27. MICHAEL MCDOWELL – 378 POINTS
28. DANICA PATRICK – 352 POINTS
29. DAVID RAGAN – 303 POINTS
30. ARIC ALMIROLA – 268 POINTS
31. MATT DIBENEDETTO – 264 POINTS
32. COLE WHITT – 241 POINTS
33. LANDON CASSILL – 241 POINTS

August 30, 2017
The Final Word – Daytona…best race of the season

Daytona. Dale Earnhardt, Jr. A win to be in.

Well, that is what many were hoping for Saturday night. Junior led from the pole, was sitting up near the front, and finished only behind Brad Keselowski when the opening stage came to a conclusion. No problem. He was contending and that was good enough for the moment.

Sadly, rather than a presentation of The Greatest Story Ever Told, a flat tire and some grinding work against the fence made it more like the Life of Brian. Earnhardt, who is retiring from full-time racing after this season, still walked among us, just a couple of laps behind where his fans had hoped he might be.

It could have been worse. Kyle Busch had a tire go down, wiggled briefly in front of his brother, then found himself in the middle of a crap storm. By the time the cars quit hitting each other and the wall, Martin Truex Jr., Joey Logano, and Austin Dillon were among them with time on their hands. Kyle may have departed, but at least Kurt Busch was left on the track, if that was any consolation.

The only constant was that nothing was constant. You had the feeling that when they began the final half of the 400-mile journey, everyone had a shot at it. Well, everyone not already beaten to a pulp. Maybe Ryan Blaney would win again. Maybe Chase Elliott would claim his first. If either was to come to pass, they had their work cut out for them. With 155 miles left, Chase Elliott got turned, went across in front of Blaney, and the pair went on a tear through the grass. They were bowed, though not yet beaten.

Remember Earnhardt? When they went back under green, he was 16th and back on the lead lap. Did the man whose career from 2001 to 2004 read like sensationalized fiction have one more fairytale ending in his library? With 140 miles left, Junior was back in the Top Ten as Hendrick teammate Jimmie Johnson took over the lead.

Then it happened. You know how Cinderella ends? Pretty sweet, eh? Well, in this version, Kevin Harvick lost a tire, spun in front of Earnhardt, and it was pumpkin pie for them both. Others spun, but Happy and Dale were the pair that were done.

Maybe Clint Bowyer was going to lock his spot in the Chase. He trailed only Ricky Stenhouse Jr. with a hundred miles remaining, which is when Keselowski checked out of this one. Tire went down, the nose inhaled the wall, and as he headed to the garage, the two leaders headed to the pits. Good time as any for a much-needed fuel stop. We might have known who was not going to win at this time, but the identity of the winner was still a total mystery. Maybe this is why Daytona races are a joy to watch.

Sixty miles to go. The top four all looking for a win to vault ahead into a Chase place. Daniel Suarez was followed by Kasey Kahne. Bowyer and Matt Kenseth were in on points, but barely, and that would be in jeopardy if either of those first two claimed this thing. David Ragan, Erik Jones and Paul Menard all desperately need a win, and all were in the mix as the laps counted down. I tell you, it was pretty darn hard to sneak away to get that final cold one the way they were racing.

With 35 miles to go the winless Chris Buescher, A.J. Allmendinger, and Ty Dillon had moved up to join the others hoping for a season-defining result among the top dozen. Daddy’s adult pop was still calling, but I was still not moving. Incredible action.

Twelve miles left, and still, we had no idea who would win. We did get a definite idea of who else would not. Kyle Larson got hooked by Stenhouse and went airborne. It was a Days of Thunder conclusion for him and Kenseth, as Blaney had his straw house blown down. As for Kurt, he managed to avoid an accident earlier, only to find that fate was just waiting to claim his auto.

Eight laps left. Every lap an exciting one, but the only one that was going to matter in the end was the one that ended it. That lap would come in overtime, and while Menard, Bowyer, and Michael McDowell were second through fourth, it was Stenhouse coming home for his second victory of the season. He was a heart-breaker, especially when you consider that, other than Ryan Newman in fifth, the rest of the top 11 Saturday night remain winless on the season.

Most entertaining race of the year. If you are hoping for another possible Earnhardt storyline in Kentucky next Saturday night, you should expect to be disappointed. In six previous events held at that venue, the winners have gone by such names as Keselowski (3), Rowdy (2), and Kenseth. That is all.

Now I can go get that frosty beverage.

July 3, 2017
Ryan Blaney Captures First Career Coors Light Pole at Kansas

Ryan Blaney scored his first career Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Coors Light Pole Award Friday at Kansas Speedway.

Blaney raced to the top of the qualifying leaderboard with a lap of 189.600 mph in his No. 21 Wood Brothers Racing Ford to earn his first pole in 64 Cup starts. It was the 117th pole for Wood Brothers Racing and their first since April 2004 when Ricky Rudd led the field to green in the Aaron’s 499 race at Talladega Superspeedway.

“We’ve been really close a few times this year and it’s nice to finally get it done,” said Blaney. “I know it’s only qualifying but it feels really cool to get the first pole because qualifying hasn’t really been my best thing. That says a lot about this whole team. I can’t tell you how proud I am of this 21 team.”

Blaney gave credit to his team and Ford for their improved performance this season.

“It’s just hard work in the off-season,” he explained. “Ford made a big dedication to our team, really all the Ford teams and they stepped it up. I think you can see it this year, not only in qualifying but racing as well. It’s nice to be part of a team that’s so hard-working and dedicated.”

Joey Logano will start the Go Bowling 400 on the outside pole in his No. 22 Team Penske Ford after delivering the second-fastest qualifying lap of 189.540 mph.

Logano was disappointed but said, “Congratulations to Blaney. That is cool. Your first pole is a big deal. It is a big deal for him. I just hate being second. I have to be honest.”

Furniture Row Racing’s Martin Truex Jr. qualified third in his No. 78 Toyota with a speed of 189.201 mph, followed by Ricky Stenhouse Jr.’s No. 17 Roush Fenway Racing Ford in fourth. Kyle Busch, the defending race winner, rounded out the top five in his No. 18 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota.

Eleven drivers missed the opening qualifying session after problems during the pre-qualifying inspection, including Clint Bowyer, Landon Cassill, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Timmy Hill, Erik Jones, Jimmie Johnson, Kasey Kahne, Corey LaJoie, Carl Long, David Ragan and Reed Sorenson.

Michael McDowell had engine trouble and also missed qualifying.

The Cup Series Go Bowling 400 is set for Saturday evening at 7:30 p.m. and will be televised on FS1.

Starting Lineup for the Go Bowling 400:

[pdf-embedder url=”http://www.speedwaymedia.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/Kansas-Go-Bowling-400-C1711_STARTROW.pdf” title=”Kansas Go Bowling 400 C1711_STARTROW”]

May 12, 2017