Tag: Denny Hamlin

The Final Word – Earnhardt and Keselowski rule Cup, Cup guys rule Nationwide and SHR is run out of Vegas

Three races in, and the story of the 2014 Cup season is the success of Dale Earnhardt Jr. He wins at Daytona, finishes second in Phoenix, and a hiccup in his fuel pick up was all that kept him from victory at Las Vegas. That and Brad Keselowski. Still, take a gamble, have it turn sour, and still come home second is not all that bad.

As for Brad, he joins Junior and Kevin Harvick atop the standings with a win apiece. He was in the front row when it started, again, and saw his season output now read as an almost as sizzling third, to third, to first. It would almost seem that this season’s early winners are also the most charmed, or simply the best out there. Almost.

That brings up to Kevin Harvick. His Phoenix victory came off a 13th place result at Daytona, which led into a 41st place conclusion in Las Vegas. Talk about rolling craps, and I’m not even referring to the dice game. Among the Stewart-Haas quartet, Harvick was the lone bright spot, even led for 23 laps. Then he broke his left front wheel hub and that made driving just a bit difficult. It is much easier when all the wheels on the car go round and round, and one did not really want to.

You know your operation had a bad day when Danica Patrick, at 21st, was your best finisher. SHR saw Kurt Busch come home 26th three laps down. As for Tony Stewart, he was four off and 33rd. Even Patrick had a better car than these two right out of the gate. Hell, you probably have a better contender sitting in your driveway right now.

Life has been good for both Hendrick and Penske. While Keselowski was winning, team mate Joey Logano was fourth, just as he was last week, to go with an 11th at Daytona. Junior’s trophied mates also have been hot to start. Jimmie Johnson matched his Phoenix finish by finishing sixth, to go with Daytona’s fifth place result. Jeff Gordon went from fourth, to fifth, to “slumping” to ninth at Las Vegas. Still, it is early and there are others in the neighborhood who hope to raise some arguments of their own as they head to Bristol.

Regan Smith continues to lead the Nationwide ladder. After winning at Daytona, he has come up with Top Tens the past two events. That is good. That makes him relevant. That should give him TV time. So, does anyone give a damn that the past two events have been won by Cup drivers Kyle Busch and Keselowski? I mean, I give his crew credit for getting his car back in contention on Sunday, but it is hard to be impressed when a former Cup champion kicks ass against an under-funded, less experienced field. Cup drivers took five of the six top spots. Only Keselowski deserved any face time, and I am not even sure about that.

If they wanted to talk to the relevant guys who took part on Saturday, you can give Keselowski a moment to celebrate his win, then move on to the fifth place Chase Elliott, Brian Scott in seventh, Trevor Bayne in eighth, and the over-all leader in Smith. You know, those who are actually running for a championship, those who are trying to work their way up, not just slumming to make the track owners and some sponsors happy.

Those who matter would include…

	Driver	Races	Win	T5	T10	Points	Diff
1	Regan Smith	3	1	1	3	117	—
2	Trevor Bayne	3	0	1	3	114	-3
3	Elliott Sadler	3	0	1	2	108	-9
4	Ty Dillon	3	0	0	2	105	-12
5	Chase Elliott	3	0	1	2	103	-14

In short, let the Cup guys run but if they do not win, they do not matter. Put the focus on those in Nationwide who do. Just a thought.

Bristol is next up on the calendar for this weekend. Two springs ago Elliott Sadler won the Nationwide race there. Joey Logano won it that fall. Kyle Busch has won five of the past seven, including season sweeps in 2011 and last season. Whoop-de-bloody-do.

Kyle has won four of the past ten Cup races there, as well, though none of the past five. Matt Kenseth hopes to repeat from the fall, Kasey Kahne from last spring, Denny Hamlin from before that, and Keselowski had back-to-backs before being shut out these past three. Usually the winner at Bristol is someone who matters, someone with title thoughts on his mind. More than likely, he will come from our sweet 16…

	Driver	Races	Win	T5	T10	Points	Diff
1	Dale Earnhardt, Jr.	3	1	3	3	133	—
2	Brad Keselowski	3	1	3	3	132	-1
3	Kevin Harvick	3	1	1	1	83	-50
4	Jimmie Johnson	3	0	1	3	117	-16
5	Joey Logano	3	0	2	2	116	-17
6	Jeff Gordon	3	0	2	3	115	-18
7	Matt Kenseth	3	0	0	2	105	-28
8	Carl Edwards	3	0	1	2	105	-28
9	Denny Hamlin	3	0	1	1	101	-32
10	Ryan Newman	3	0	0	2	97	-36
11	Kyle Busch	3	0	0	1	95	-38
12	Jamie McMurray	3	0	0	1	93	-40
13	Greg Biffle	3	0	0	1	86	-47
13	Austin Dillon	3	0	0	1	84	-49
15	Kasey Kahne	3	0	0	1	83	-50
16	Casey Mears	3	0	0	1	80	-53

March 10, 2014

NASCAR Top-10 Power Rankings: Phoenix

Note: The quotes in this article are fictional.

1. Dale Earnhardt, Jr.: Earnhardt finished second at Phoenix and maintained the Sprint Cup points lead. He leads Brad Keselowski by six.

“It easily could have been my second win this year,” Earnhardt said. “And two consecutive wins would have sent Junior Nation into a frenzy, which is another word for ‘alcohol-induced coma.’

“But I’m really pleased with our start to the season. This could be the year that I finally fulfill my destiny and win the Sprint Cup championship. I’m hoping fate can lead me there, because no one else has been able to.”

2. Kevin Harvick: Harvick led 224 of 312 laps in winning the Profit For CNBC 500 at Phoenix, his second consecutive spring win in the desert. Harvick kept his challengers at bay on a number of restarts in the final 50 laps.

“It was great to celebrate in Victory Lane with Miss Sprint Cup,” Harvick said. “Richard Childress is not a woman, but you can call him ‘Misses Kevin Harvick’ anyway.

“And speaking of the ‘misses,’ I celebrated my 13th wedding anniversary. After 13 years, my wife DeLana has assured me that she has no intentions of replacing me with Austin Dillon.”

3. Brad Keselowski: Keselowski won the pole and finished third, leading a strong Penske Racing at Phoenix. Teammate Joey Logano started alongside Keselowski and came home fourth.

“I won the pole in NASCAR’s first knockout qualifying session,” Keselowski said. “In my book, that’s called a ‘BKO.’

“And congratulations to my crew chief Paul Wolfe. He missed the race to be by his wife’s side for the birth of their first son. I’ve already bought little Caden a gift. It’s a Kyle Busch driver’s suit he can wear on Halloween. That way, he’ll be a ‘Wolfe in sheep’s clothing.’”

4. Jeff Gordon: Gordon finished fifth in the Profit For CNBC 500 as Hendrick Motorsports again placed three driver in the top 10, duplicating their feat from Daytona. Gordon is fourth in the point standings, ten behind Dale Earnhardt, Jr.

“Most importantly,” Gordon said, “I finished eight spots ahead of Clint Bowyer. That was weird, because I always feel like Clint is only two steps behind me.”

5. Jimmie Johnson: Johnson posted his second top-10 result with a sixth at Phoenix, following a fifth at Daytona. The six-time Sprint Cup champ is fifth in the points standings, 12 behind Dale Earnhardt, Jr.

“Have you heard?” Johnson said. “Texas Speedway president Eddie Gossage is upset that Formula 1 has a race scheduled in Austin on the same day in November that NASCAR is in Fort Worth. I’m not sure what Eddie stands to gain. Of course, it’s not the first time NASCAR has been accused of ‘running in circles’ where Formula 1 is concerned.”

6. Joey Logano: Logano finished fourth at in The Profit On CNBC 500, joining Penske teammate Brad Keselowski, in third, in the top 5. Logano is sixth in the points standings, 15 out of first.

“In case you didn’t know,” Logano said, “’The Profit’ is a show on CNBC. It’s only slightly more informative than Michael Waltrip’s pre-race walk through the pit lane on Fox. But you’ve got to commend Michael. He’s not afraid to ask to tough questions. Heck, he asked if he could kiss 50 Cent at Daytona. And I don’t even think it was a rhetorical question.”

7. Matt Kenseth: Kenseth finished seventh in the Joe Gibbs Racing No. 20 Home Depot car, posting his first top 10 of the season. He is seventh in the Sprint Cup points standings, 20 out of first.

“That car was made famous by Tony Stewart,” Kenseth said. “What else has been made famous by Tony Stewart? This Danica Patrick-Richard Petty feud. One would think that after starting his own race team, Tony would learn to mind his own business.

“Personally, I would love to see Patrick and Petty in a race. It could be huge. All that’s needed is a pay-per-view audience, Stewart to continue his role as hype man, and a catchy slogan, like ‘The King And Eye (Candy),’ or ‘Age Before Beauty?,’ ‘Is This Really Necessary?’”

8. Denny Hamlin: Hamlin followed up his second-place run at Daytona with a disappointing 19th at Phoenix. Hamlin pitted during a late caution while most of the leaders stayed out, costing him track position which he could not recover.

“The No. 11 FedEx Toyota dealt with handling issues all day long,” Hamlin said. “I can’t tell you how many pit stops we made. Luckily, with the race being in Arizona, I wasn’t denied service based on my sexuality.”

9. Carl Edwards: Edwards led the Roush Fenway Racing contingent at Phoenix, scoring an eighth-place finish in the Profit For CNBC 500. He is ninth in the points standings, 25 out of first.

“What a performance by Kevin Harvick,” Edwards said. “He was so much better than everyone else, especially on restarts. Just ask Richard Childress—when Kevin says ‘goodbye,’ he means it.”

10. Ryan Newman: Newman posted a seventh at Phoenix, leading the way for Richard Childress Racing as former RCR driver Kevin Harvick won easily.

“I’m driving the No. 31 car formerly piloted by Jeff Burton,” Newman said. “But I’m not your typical RCR driver. Two things to remember: I’m not Richard Childress’ grandson, and Wadd Button is not my brother.”

March 5, 2014
Preview and Predictions: The Profit on CNBC 500

I kept trying to pry my jaw off the floor this entire week after Dale Earnhardt, Jr. won the Daytona 500, but I decided it was going to remain there for quite some time. Although I really shouldn’t be as surprised as I am, since the Hendrick driver has finished second in 2010, 2012, and 2013. It was bound to happen soon.

Now the series moves on to what many fans consider to be the real start of the season: The Profit on CNBC 500 at Phoenix International Raceway (PIR). This track will play host to a couple firsts in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. It will be the first race that uses the new aero package for 2014, and it will be the first race that uses the new knockout qualifying format. We did see a teaser of what the new format might look like during Nationwide Series qualifying at Daytona, and it looked much more exciting than single car runs. As for the new aero package, I will be looking for an increase in side by side racing and passing in order to judge the success of the new package.

While the Sprint Cup Series is extremely competitive and winning is never guaranteed, there are still a few drivers who I believe have an advantage over the competition. First off, we have the 6-time champion Jimmie Johnson. Over the past 10 races at PIR, Johnson has scored the most points there, and has tallied one win, eight top-5 finishes, and an average finish of 7.1. Look for Johnson to run up front and most likely end up in victory circle.

Another driver that has shown strength at PIR is Kevin Harvick. The man they call Happy has posted two victories in the past four races at Phoenix, along with finishing 5th or better in four of the past ten races there. The question of whether or not Harvick will be just as competitive with Stewart-Haas Racing remains to be answered, but I suspect he will find himself somewhere towards the top of the leaderboard in the closing stages. But in order to get there, he’ll have to fight off a Joe Gibbs Racing driver named Denny Hamlin.

Denny Hamlin won this race in 2012, and that happens to be his only win at Phoenix, but don’t let that fool you. His average finish of 10.9 is second only to Jimmie Johnson, and he has posted a very solid eight top-5s in 17 starts at PIR. Couple that with the fact that Hamlin seems to be back with a vengeance in 2014 and he may even beat Johnson on Sunday.

While some familiar faces will probably run up front all day, I’m more curious as to how the new car will race. If I see an increase in close racing and passing, the new aero package will surely receive a thumbs up from me. Let’s just hope all of that testing at Charlotte paid off.

February 27, 2014
Daytona 500 and Olympics End With Similar Storylines

This past weekend, the 56^th running of the Daytona 500 kicked off the 2014 NASCAR season, while the Winter Olympics wrapped up business in Sochi, Russia. Yet, as disparate as the competition was, from stock car racing to ice dancing, there were some surprisingly similar story lines when all was said and done.

Gold Medal Pressure Packed Performances

Both the Daytona 500 and the Winter Olympics undoubtedly featured gold medal performances, including the first US gold medal in Alpine skiing, as well as the Great American race win by NASCAR’s most popular driver.

And yet interestingly enough for both competitors, Ted Ligety and Dale Earnhardt Jr. respectively, their gold medal, award winning performances ended up like weights being lifted off their shoulders.

“This is the event I wanted most,” Ligety, the first American man to win two Alpine skiing gold medals, said. “It’s the event I’ve been putting so much pressure on myself to win, so to pull through is an awesome feeling. I’m super happy.”

“It’s a big race and you want to win it so badly, and your team wants to win so badly,” Earnhardt Jr. said. “You realize at that moment that there are countless people watching on television and there are countless people sitting in the grandstands with your shirts and hats on, and your team is over on the pit wall and your family back home — there are so many people pulling for you and want to see you win.”

“It was a heavy weight that was lifted.”

Silver Medal Disappointments

While the runner up position might feel like a triumph to many athletes, to the US Women’s Hockey team and to Joe Gibbs racer Denny Hamlin, second place was an absolute disappointment.

The US Women’s Hockey team surrendered a two goal lead in the final period of the game, losing to their Canadian rivals, who scored the gold.

“We were up two goals, so it’s heartbreaking and shocking that we didn’t win the game,” forward Kelli Stack said. “It feels like a bad dream.”

Just like the US Women’s Hockey Team, who appeared to have everything going for them until the bitter end, Denny Hamlin, behind the wheel of the No. 11 FedEx Express Toyota, was having a stellar Speedweeks, winning the Sprint Unlimited and one of the Duels.

But then along came the Daytona 500, where the driver had an almost catastrophic situation develop in that he had not radio communication with his spotter. Between the radio issue and the loss of speed, Hamlin finished a disappointing second in the Great American Race.

“Our cars just weren’t as good as the week progressed,” Hamlin said. “Maybe we were the same, but the competition definitely got better. It wasn’t as easy to pass as it was early in the week.”

“It’s a tough business,” Hamlin continued. “Our car was OK. Given the right circumstances, it was a race winner.”

Cinderella Stories

Another similar storyline that emerged from both the Daytona 500 and the Winter Olympics were those inspiring Cinderella stories. In the Olympics, one such story was Mikaela Shiffrin, who became the youngest slalom champ in Olympic history at age 18.

Her run, however, was not completely smooth as she lost her balance a bit going through the gates and also lost her left ski which rose way too far off the course.

She persevered and did not give up, moving from having what she described as a “terrifying” run to an Olympic gold medal run.

“It’s going to be something that I chalk up as one of my favorite experiences for the rest of my life,” Shiffrin said. “But my life’s not over yet.”

In the Daytona 500, another Cinderella story unfolded with rookie driver Austin Dillon, who was bringing the storied No. 3 car back to the track after being driven by the late Dale Earnhardt, Sr.

Dillon actually started the Great American race from the pole position, battled some difficulties and some crashes throughout the race, yet finished in the top-10 as the highest finishing rookie.

“I think the yellow stripe on the bumper (signifying a rookie) showed a little bit tonight, but we made it through it,” Dillon said. “It was fun. I had a blast. The car was fast.”

Agony of Defeat

Every Olympic athlete, as well as every NASCAR driver, goes into competition with the full intent on doing their very best. Unfortunately, things sometimes go awry and the defeat can be a most bitter pill to swallow.

Both Shaun White, infamous snow boarder, and Martin Truex, Jr., behind the wheel of his new ride in the No. 78 Furniture Row Chevrolet, shared their own versions of the agony of defeat.

White lost out on a medal after crashing in the halfpipe competition, ending his ‘three-peat’ effort.

“I didn’t really get to break out everything, which is frustrating. Tricks were still in my pocket,” White said. “I definitely knew what run I wanted to put down, and my dream scenario was I was going to land that first run and then maybe have the opportunity to do something that hadn’t been done before. I tried to win. I went for it.”

Martin Truex Jr. had a similar experience to White in that he started out with high hopes on the outside pole for the Daytona 500, only to crash out in the qualifying race, relegating him to the back of the starting field in a backup car.

Then on lap 32, Truex’s backup car blew an engine and his hopes and dreams went up in smoke with the car.

“It’s definitely a tough break for the team,” Truex said. “I went to bed the night before the race thinking this was my best chance to win the Daytona 500.”

Just Happy to Be in the Show

In both the Olympics and the Daytona 500, there are competitors that are just happy to be part of the even itself, no matter where they finished. And for the Jamaican bobsled team as well as for Michael Waltrip, sometime racer and broadcaster, that was just the case.

“It’s a great race for the fans and it was really fun to be out there and to be part of it,” Waltrip said after finishing 41^st in his No. 66 Blue-Def/AAA Toyota.

The Jamaican Bob Sled team finished 29^th in their two-man competition, yet remained as upbeat as ever, channeling their inner ‘Cool Runnings.’

“We have the athletic ability. We have shown we can do it,” Chris Stokes, president of the Jamaica Bobsleigh Federation, said. “We just have to pull things together in Jamaica itself.”

In the End, It’s All About Family

Whether in NASCAR or the Olympics, the athletes and teams who compete only do so with the support of their families and extended families.

For Olympic Skeleton racer Noelle Pikus-Pace, it was all about her loved ones as she slid to a silver medal, all with her family by her side. In fact, the mother of two, a 6 year old daughter and a 2 year old son, said that her children were her inspiration as she trained for the international competition.

“After all of the hard work that not only I but my family put in to achieve this dream, it came in those minutes, those seconds,” Pikus-Pace, 31, told PEOPLE of her Sochi success. “It really was a fairytale ending.”

The same fairytale ending was true for the Hendrick family in NASCAR, with Hendrick Motorsports driver Dale Earnhardt, Jr. in victory lane and HMS teammates Jeff Gordon and Jimmie Johnson in the top-five.

“Oh my God, I am so excited for the Hendrick family and Hendrick Motorsports right now,” Jeff Gordon said. “This team did an amazing job and gave me a great race car at the end of the show.”

And so as the Olympic flame was extinguished and as the confetti flew at the end of the Daytona 500, the competitions ended with very similar storylines.

For the Winter Olympians, there will be a four year hiatus and wait until the next big event. But for the NASCAR competitors, the next race is simply around the bend at Phoenix International Speedway next weekend.

February 25, 2014
Surprising and Not Surprising: The Daytona 500

In spite of the unusual happenings that perpetually occur at Daytona, this year a six hour plus rain delay with tornado warnings, here is what was surprising and not surprising from the 56^th running of the Great American Race.

Surprising: With so much focus pre-race on the return of the No. 3, formerly driven by Dale Earnhardt Sr. and now by rookie Austin Dillon, the son of the Intimidator and NASCAR’s most popular driver Dale Earnhardt Jr. instead stole the show with his second Daytona 500 victory.

This was Junior’s 20^th victory in the Cup Series and, with the win, he joined Bill Elliott, Michael Waltrip, Sterling Marlin, Matt Kenseth and Jimmie Johnson as two-time Daytona 500 winners.

“I’ll never take this for granted,” Junior said. “We’re two time Daytona champions.”

In addition to the coveted win at Daytona, Earnhardt Jr. had a big weekend overall. The team bearing his name, JR Motorsports, won the Nationwide Drive4COPD 300 race with driver Regan Smith at the wheel.

Not Surprising: In spite of several on-track incidents, the driver of the aforementioned No. 3 for Richard Childress Racing, did quite well for himself, starting from the pole and finishing ninth.

Austin Dillon was also the highest finishing rookie of the race, taking the early lead in a Sunoco Rookie of the year battle.

“That’s what this year is about — experience, trying to finish races and getting better each week,” Dillon said, “We have a long year ahead of us, I’d like to use some of this momentum going forward. I know it’s going to be a long, tough year, and hopefully we’ll be there at the end of these races and try to learn something.”

Surprising: Goodyear had a little scare early in the race when both Kyle Larson and Greg Biffle had tire problems, causing hard hits into the wall for the rookie and veteran racers.

Larson, in the No. 42 race car formerly driven by Juan Pablo Montoya, actually hit the wall twice in the opening laps, going a lap down and soldiering on to finish 38^th.

In spite of his blown tire early in the race, Biffle had a much better finish than Larson, taking the checkered flag in the eighth spot in his No. 16 3M Ford.

“It was a good night,” Biffle said. “We had a really strong car but the 88 was real fast. We just couldn’t hold him off.”

Not Surprising: With the combo platter of the rain delay, potential for additional weather coming in, and the pent up energy of the first race of the season, it was not surprising that there were a number of pit road incidents that created some major mayhem for several drivers.

Early in the race, Matt Kenseth had contact on pit road and ended up spinning to pit backwards in his box. Both Kyle Busch and Aric Almirola removed equipment out of their pit boxes and had to serve costly penalties.

And then there was one of the more controversial calls, with Kasey Kahne called for speeding, all of which he did in an effort not to get hit by Michael Annett who had lost control of his vehicle coming to his pit.

Surprising: After dominating most everything during Speedweeks, from the Sprint Unlimited to the second Duel race, it was a bit surprising that Denny Hamlin did not claim the big prize. He did, however, come home in the runner up position in his No. 11 FedEx Express Toyota, which was his best finish ever in the Daytona 500.

“I thought — the Duels and the Unlimited — I felt like our car didn’t have quite the speed,” Hamlin said. “It was a solid run for us and really it was a fun race.”

Not Surprising: Given the manufacturer change to Chevrolet and a new alliance with Richard Childress Racing, it was not surprising that Casey Mears and his GEICO No. 13 team had a great run in the Great American Race.

In fact, team GEICO finished in the top-10, getting their driver and crew chief Bootie Barker off to a great start for the season.

Surprising: The Labonte brothers, Bobby and Terry, not only made the race but had surprisingly good finishes, 15^th and 20^th respectively.

Brother Bobby extended his consecutive start street for the Great American Race to 22 while elder brother Terry most likely ran his last Daytona 500 competition.

Not Surprising: Because it was after all Daytona, there were several big crashes, collecting many good drivers, to no one’s surprise. One of those hard hits, however, impacted the only female in the field Danica Patrick.

“I think more than anything I am just upset because the GoDaddy car felt really good and it was the best car that I had all Speedweeks,” Patrick said. “I felt like everything was going pretty well, so it’s just upsetting.”

“It’s a bummer, but you know that is the excitement of speedway racing that anything can happen, and it was unfortunate that I was on the short end of the accident.”

Surprising: With a more than six hour rain delay, some of NASCAR’s finest were up to some surprising activities to pass the time away. In fact, several of the racer dads were busy with their children, from Jeff Gordon making Lego creations to Keelan Harvick suiting up in his dad Kevin’s fire suit.

Probably most novel, however, was David Ragan, still clad in his own fire suit, who went out to pick up pizza for his team during the break.

Not Surprising: While Junior reigned triumphant in Victory Lane, just like in the Olympics, there was some agony of defeat in this year’s running for the Great American Race.

Most agonizing were those drivers impacted by engine or fuel pick up woes, including Clint Bowyer, Martin Truex, Jr. and Tony Stewart.

“If it was going to blow up, I wish it would have blown up four hours ago,” Clint Bowyer said. “I could have been home watching. Just disappointing — the guys work so hard for this race. Everybody is out there having fun and we broke our toy.”

“It’s definitely a tough break for our team,” Martin Truex Jr. said. “I went to bed thinking this was my best chance to win the Daytona 500.”

The Cup Series moves on next to Phoenix International Raceway in Avondale, Arizona for The Profit on CNBC 500 on March 2^nd.

February 24, 2014
Denny Hamlin Rebounding From Dismal 2013

Denny Hamlin was entangled in multiple issues during the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series last season. The problem that halted Hamlin’s charge towards his first career Sprint Cup title occurred in Fontana, California after he slammed the inside barrier and was diagnosed with a severe back injury that sidelined him multiple weeks.

However, the setback injury was just the beginning to Hamlin’s dismal 2013 Sprint Cup season. Following his return to the racetrack, Hamlin posted a horrific 17 finishes that were worse then 20th position. But, he concluded the season with a victory in the season finale at Homestead Miami-Speedway which is proving to be the only momentum Hamlin needs to rebound from the dismal season.

Budweiser Speedweeks began and it was obvious that Hamlin was back with vengeance. He easily stole the Sprint Unlimited and the Budweiser Duel victories and quickly focused on winning his first career Daytona 500.

But, Hamlin came up one position short from scoring the biggest victory and moment of his racing career. However, the second place finish proves that Darien Grubb, crew chief for Hamlin, is prepared to give his driver a chance at the 2014 NSCS championship.

The quest towards an elusive first title officially has began for Hamlin and moving towards Phoenix International Raceway and other events he’ll have to continue to improve and solidify his name in the championship discussion.

February 24, 2014
Surprising and Not Surprising: Sprint Unlimited

After an off-season filled with snow, as well as major changes in the rules of the sport, here is what was surprising and not surprising from the 2014 Sprint Unlimited.

Surprising: After twenty Sprint Unlimited victories for Chevrolet, it was surprising that Toyota was in Victory Lane instead. Denny Hamlin won the non-points race, scoring his second win in the Sprint Unlimited at Daytona and becoming the ninth driver to win multiple times.

“The best car won, that’s for sure,” Hamlin said. “It was survival of the fittest.”

“This car was just phenomenal.”

Not Surprising: Daytona International Speedway, especially under a full moon, seems to lend itself to something catching on fire. This time, however, it was the pace car that burst into flames, causing Brett Bodine and a passenger to bail out as quickly as they could.

“The pace car experienced a fire in the trunk area, which contains a purpose-built auxiliary electrical kit to operate the numerous caution lights during the race,” Chevrolet said in a statement. “The pace car driver and passenger safely exited the vehicle. An assessment is underway.”

Surprising: While Jeff Gordon may have been jacked up with excitement thanks to his record of 20 consecutive Sprint Unlimited appearances, he was also jacked up, literally, in the race.

The back end of the No. 24 Drive to End Hunger was sent high in the air during a multi-car crash on lap 36, causing Gordon to have to settle for a 12^th place finish.

“Yeah when you get hit like that it’s pretty soft,” Gordon said. “I mean it sends you up in the air pretty good, but it’s not really that severe of an impact for me because the back of the car absorbs so much of it.”

“I knew it was flying up in the air and I was just hoping it was going to sit back down on all four wheels,” Gordon continued. “The funny thing is that we slid in there and I was into Tony (Stewart) and I thought well I will try to drive it back.”

“I put it in reverse I didn’t realize my rear tires were off the ground.”

Not Surprising: It may have been a small field, with just 18 cars on the track, but that did not stop tempers from flaring. Just ask Dale Earnhardt, Jr. who was none too happy with the driver from down under.

“It looks like I was trying to get down a little bit there, and Marcos (Ambrose) went to the outside,” Junior said. “I didn’t know he was out there. Hard racing, and I was upset with him.”

“A lot was happening right there and we just got turned around.”

Surprising: There was no one more surprised with the incident with Earnhardt, Jr. as Marcos Ambrose, especially since in his mind, he was just trying to help.

“I was trying to help Junior there and ended up hurting him and hurting myself,” the driver of the No. 9 Stanley Ford said. “I was trying to push him and there was a little bit of a zig and a little bit of a zag and the next thing you know I helped him in the fence.”

“That’s just what happens here.”

Not Surprising: While Danica Patrick and Ricky Stenhouse Jr. remain romantically involved off the track, they certainly created sparks on the track when Stenhouse rammed Patrick after she got away clean from one of the Sprint Unlimited’s bigger wrecks.

Not surprisingly, however, all was forgiven thanks to some dark chocolate from Godiva.

“Well he got me 18 tin cans of Godiva dark chocolate for Valentine’s Day so I don’t know if he’s trying to butter me up,” Patrick said. “If his hood wouldn’t have been up and had the inability to see obviously there would have been more frustration. It was one of those racing things.”

Surprising: Jimmie Johnson continued his streak of surprisingly poor finishes in the Sprint Unlimited, finishing 14^th in the past two years and 18^th this year.

“The back of the car got light off of turn four there,” Johnson said. “The car went into a drift and for a second there I thought I could keep it off the inside wall, but the longer I slid the more the wall became a reality and I got it.”

Not Surprising: Kevin Harvick proved yet again that he is nicknamed ‘the Closer’ for good reason. In fact, the driver of the No. 4 Jimmy John’s Chevrolet was the only Stewart Haas Racing driver to finish the race, let alone finish in the top-five.

“For us, we had a really good car,” Harvick said. “Led several laps in the beginning. Then on that restart we couldn’t get organized and wound up getting shuffled to the back.”

“We about got lapped,” Harvick continued. “We kept working on it and working on it and the next thing you know, it was at least drivable and you could hold it wide open again.”

“Heck at one point coming to the white flag, I thought we were going to win the race,” Harvick said. “To come out of here with a fifth place finish and do all the things they did to the car to make it go was pretty awesome.”

Surprising: There was no one more surprised than Kyle Busch with the sparse number of cars racing at the end of this year’s Sprint Unlimited.

“There’s so little cars out there that you’re just kind of on your own trying to figure things out,” the driver of the No. 18 M&Ms Toyota said after finishing third. “That’s kind of the way the race played out tonight.”

“It was interesting there at the end and I don’t know that we’ve ever had so few cars at the end.”

Not Surprising: Joey Logano, driver of the No. 22 Shell/Pennzoil Ford for Team Penske, was no doubt humming Carol King’s song ‘So Far Away’ as he finished fourth.

“I’m trying to relive it all in my head right now. It’s crazy,” Logano said. “It’s just so frustrating when you’re that close. It’s so close and you can see it, but it’s so frustrating because you’re going as fast as you can and that’s all you’ve got.”

“These things don’t mean anything unless you win.”

February 16, 2014
HOORAHS & WAZZUPS: The Sprint Unlimited

HOORAHS & WAZZUPS: A FULL MOON OVER DAYTONA

Just prior to the opening ceremonies for NASCAR’s annual Sprint Unlimited, the Fox Sports 1 Network presented television viewers with a gorgeous shot of a full moon boldly shining over the Daytona International Speedway. For centuries the great philosophers have found themselves staring at the majesty of a full moon while wondering if it indeed had some unknown power source capable of creating unexplainable moments. That may very well be true. There were some rather powerful, and even bizarre, moments underneath that Daytona moon during the Sprint Unlimited.

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HOORAH. With less than two laps remaining, in the third and final segment, of the Sprint Unlimited, Denny Hamlin, and his Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota, made a beautiful low line move on the backstretch that placed him in the lead for good. It was the type of driver move that makes fans jump out of their seats while yelling “WHOA, DID YOU SEE THAT?”Hamlin made that move in a car that, later in victory lane, he called “phenomenal.” Actually, the driver was also phenomenal. Hamlin led 27 of the special exhibition event’s 75 scheduled laps. Oh yeah, he also got to collect a huge check worth $201,139 for a job well done. It’s well known that the 2013 NASCAR season was difficult for Hamlin. A savage crash at the Auto Club Speedway last spring led to a serious back injury that caused Hamlin to miss some races and spend the remainder of the season in pain while dealing with an intense rehab program. However he finished the year by winning the season ending race at the Homestead-Miami Speedway. Now, with the Sprint Unlimited win, he’s two for two in the victory department and his team’s momentum is as powerful as the full moon. Don’t be too surprised if Hamlin and company emerge as major players during the upcoming Daytona 500.

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WAZZUP. The first of the Sprint Unlimited full moon situations came during lap 28 of the event’s first 30 lap segment. That’s when Jimmie Johnson’s Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet went spinning off of the speedway’s tri-oval and directly into the inside wall of the frontstretch. At first a theory was presented indicating that Johnson may have been tapped by driver Kevin Harvick. However, television replays, from multiple camera angles, quickly proved that Harvick had nothing to do with this incident. This was a rare miscue by NASCAR’s reigning, and six time, champion. Johnson had to settle for a 17th place finish in the 18 car line up.

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WAZZUP. The next full moon incident hit hard and fast and arrived on lap 37. Fronstretch contact between Matt Kenseth and Joey Logano triggered a Daytona style “big one” that also heavily impacted the cars driven by Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Jeff Gordon, Tony Stewart, Carl Edwards, Kurt Busch, Danica Patrick and Kevin Harvick. Kenseth later noted that he was riding behind the Ford of Brad Keselowski which checked up. That led to Kenseth’s sudden move to avoid hitting him which, in turn, led to the contact with Logano.

HOORAH. Always a class act, Kenseth accepted responsibility for the wreck and said he truly felt bad about the number of cars that got wrecked.

HOORAH. Everyone at Daytona, as well as everyone watching on television, was delighted to see Tony Stewart climb out of his wrecked car. Stewart is still recuperating from a broken leg sustained from a sprint car racing accident last summer which required three rounds of surgery as well as a lengthy rehab process that is still ongoing. The Sprint Unlimited was Stewart’s first race since that accident.

HOORAH. Danica Patrick actually did a very good job threading the needle to avoid contact in the big one. But, in the process of taking that evasive action, her left side tires ran into the frontstretch grass which sent her Stewart Haas Racing Chevrolet into a spin. Still, at this particular moment, her worst case scenario was a set of flat spotted tires.

WAZZUP. Patrick’s free pass from the “big one” carnage came to an end when her stopped car was hit hard by, of all people, her boyfriend, Ricky Stenhouse Jr. His Roush Fenway Racing Ford sustained major front end damage in the crash. Beyond the fact that turning the wheels of the car was just about impossible, there was the added element of a badly buckled hood on the car that made it impossible for the driver to see where he was going. Stenhouse simply didn’t know Patrick was parked in his path until the extremely hard collision.

HOORAH. Despite the severity of the crash they were involved in, the first couple of NASCAR still managed to maintain their sense of humor. During a post wreck interview Stenhouse said: “I don’t think Jack, (team owner Jack Roush), has insurance on these cars. Maybe that would be a good thing.” Patrick concluded her comments with: “hey, I just got hit by my boyfriend, isn’t that a bummer?”

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WAZZUP. Imagine, if you will, that you are a NASCAR official on duty in race control located high above the speedway. All of a sudden you receive a bizarre radio transmission that says, “Tower-we’re on fire!”That message came from Brett Bodine, NASCAR’s official pace car driver, after the interior of the Chevrolet SS pace car filled with smoke due to actual flames coming from the trunk of the car. It was later revealed that the trunk of these pace cars contain battery packs that power the emergency lighting system. It’s now believed that there was an electrical short in one of the batteries that caused the fire. Fortunately, there was a back up pace car available and the show went on. NASCAR officials had no immediate comment on the incident and suggested to the media that they should contact the official Chevrolet representative in the garage area. It was later reported that the factory rep absolutely had no comment on the fire.

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WAZZUP. With a better than good chance to win the Sprint Unlimited, Dale Earnhardt Jr. found himself hitting the turn one wall, with less than ten laps remaining, following some contact with Marcos Ambrose. While making his way to pit road, an incensed Earnhardt found Ambrose and solidly hit his rear bumper followed by placing a scrape mark down the right side of Ambrose’s Ford.

WAZZUP. More and more, in NASCAR Sprint Cup Series racing, we’re seeing evidence that indicates victims of crashes really should examine a video replay before taking their frustrations out on another driver. After seeing the replay of his wreck, Earnhardt realized that the incident wasn’t entirely Ambrose’s fault and immediately reduced his anger level.

WAZZUP. Earnhardt’s post wreck video reality check likely didn’t appease his massive fan club known as the Junior Nation. They’re probably still hissing at the Australian driver who helped their driver find the retaining wall. In fact, they’ll probably start calling him “Kangaroo Meat” again.

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HOORAH. There were some fast thinking crew chiefs, backed by fast moving crew members, who took advantage of lengthy caution periods to make repairs on their battered race cars that led to strong finishes. These crews effectively made chicken salad out of chicken doo-doo. A perfect example is the Joe Gibbs Racing crew who services Kyle Busch’s No. 18 Toyota. In the opening laps of the third segment of the race, Busch went spinning through turn four and wound up taking a rough ride through the frontstretch grass area. It was a fantastic save by the driver that kept him from wrecking the car, but the ride through the crash did cause a lot of front end damage. The crew went to work, during multiple trips to the pits, and made the effective repairs that allowed their driver to finish third in the final rundown. The same principle applies to Kevin Harvick whose Stewart-Haas Racing Chevrolet was badly damaged following the race’s nine car “big one.” Multiple visits to the pits allowed the team to give their driver a car that was manageable and the result was a fifth place finish. During the first segment of the race, Ryan Newman lost the power steering in his Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet. That prompted Michael Waltrip, working the Fox Sports 1 broadcast booth, to quip: “he’s a big dude, he can handle that.” Actually, the loss of power steering in a race car isn’t exactly an easy situation, but, again, through multiple stops, Newman’s crew also rose to the occasion, made the repairs, and helped their driver to an eighth place finish.

This is what it takes to win races and championships.

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SOME FINAL THOUGHTS:

HOORAH to the performance levels of NASCAR’s Generation Six race car. It was clearly evident that the detailed process that went into the new 2014 rules package has created an increase in competition and passing ability.

HOORAH to NASCAR for again allowing the fans to vote on the strategic aspects to the Sprint Unlimited format. The final vote that required mandatory pit stops prior to the third, and final, segment was especially well received.

DOUBLE HOORAH. The wait is finally over. When the green flag fell on the Sprint Unlimited, it also signaled the official start of NASCAR 2014.

February 16, 2014
What the Sprint Unlimited Taught Us

The 2014 Sprint Unlimited is in the books and we can put this one under the “odd” category….but I’m sure the ominous full moon above the track had nothing to do with it. We had big wrecks, angry Earnhardt’s, three wide passes for the lead, the pace car going back to the garage on the hook, and even a dancing orange cone. Yeah, it was a wild and wacky night.

Expect More Passing in This Year’s Daytona 500

This year’s Sprint Unlimited was a big step up from its 2013 predecessor, which was fairly forgettable. There was passing galore and cars were able to suck up to each other better and actually bump draft, contradictory to last season. The closing speed was hard to judge for spotters and drivers alike, which resulted in a massive pileup in the tri-oval during the second segment. Slingshot moves for the lead were abundant and even after the crash that left just eight raceable cars on track, the drivers continued to put on a heck of a show and race hard for the lead. The race was very exciting and bodes well for what we will most likely see in the Daytona 500, when we put 43 cars on the track and dangle a Harley J. Earl trophy in front of them.

When in Daytona, Start Stuff on Fire

Well, this is becoming some kind of odd tradition at Daytona International Speedway – in the last two years, we’ve watched a jet dryer, the race track, and now, the pace car catch fire during a race. While Brett Bodine led the field under caution, smoke started to pour out of his Chevy SS pace car, so he and his co-pilot bailed out of the machine as the trunk area started to burn. A statement from Chevrolet regarding the strange incident…

“The pace car experienced a fire in the trunk area, which contains a purpose-built auxiliary electrical kit to operate the numerous caution lights during the race. The pace car driver and passenger safely exited the vehicle. An assessment is underway.”

2013 Injuries Not Bothering Stewart & Hamlin Anymore

The Sprint Unlimited was Tony Stewart’s first race back since he broke his leg last summer and not surprisingly, he was one of the first to try to mix it up early on, picking off drivers who were riding around the outside one-by-one. During the second segment though, Matt Kenseth cut across Joey Logano’s nose and consequently, carnage ensued. Nine cars, including Stewart were involved; seven of which were destroyed. Tony was unhurt in the crash and walked away under his own power. Denny Hamlin, who suffered a broken back at Auto Club Speedway last year, picked up where he left off in 2013 when he won the season finale. He took the pole (due to a fan vote), and then won the every segment en route to the victory after an enthralling three wide pass for the lead with less than two laps to go.

Fox Sports New Running Order Graphic Needs to go Away

Fox Sports has decided to replace the ticker that runs across the top with a box that takes up the entire far-right side of the screen. Many fans have complained about it, Brad Keselowski has expressed his displeasure with it, and hopefully it will be changed before the Daytona 500. Brad Keselowski tweet – “Not cool- @FOXSports1 new graphic that covers the right side of the screen.”

Jimmie Johnson’s Love-Hate Relationship with Daytona Continues

Jimmie Johnson and Daytona International Speedway have had an interesting relationship since 2006. In the last eight Daytona 500’s, he has finished 27th or worse six times. The two races that he finished higher than that were wins. In this year’s Sprint Unlimited, he was attempting to make a pass on Denny Hamlin for the lead at the end of segment one when he lost control and crashed into the inside wall off of turn four. It was the third time in as many years that the six-time series champion has DNF’ed in the exhibition race.

February 16, 2014
NASCAR 2014 Season Predictions

*Kyle Busch leads 54 laps and passes Ryan Newman on the final lap to win the Daytona 500, his first Sprint Cup win at the season opener. In a post-race interview with Erin Andrews, Busch announces that he and his wife Samantha are pregnant with their first child. Busch beams to Andrews that “I’m sure I’ll be a good father, because I know what it’s like to be a baby.”

Busch finishes second in the Sprint Cup point standings, winning five races, and caps his year with a win at Homestead and his first Sprint Cup championship.

*Tony Stewart vows to win his third Sprint Cup championship in 2014, and fans and other drivers notice his new attitude. Former teammate Ryan Newman quips in an interview at Daytona that Stewart seems to be “walking with a purpose, as well as a limp.”

Stewart wins at Watkins Glen and qualifies for the Chase, but finishes a disappointing seventh in the final standings.

*Dale Earnhardt, Jr.’s No. 88 car gets a new sponsor just in time for the Daytona 500 when an online funeral planning service signs on for 12 races. The service, known as “Final-E” sees a boom in business after their logo appears on Earnhardt’s Chevy.

Earnhardt finishes second in the Daytona 500, and wins at Daytona in July on his way to a fourth place finish in the Sprint Cup points standings.

*Kevin Harvick coins the name “Two Men And A Babe, And Kurt Busch” to describe the Stewart-Haas Racing stable of Stewart, Harvick, Kurt Busch, and Danica Patrick after a heated drivers’ meeting following wreck at Fontana initiated by aggressive driving from Busch.

Harvick, aided by new buddy Stewart, exacts his revenge the following week at Martinsville, where the two craft an elaborate hoax in which a phony façade of Busch’s hauler placed in front of a Port-A-Potty lures Busch into a trap. Once inside, Busch is fork-lifted to an outer parking lot, and is forced to walk back and misses qualifying.

*E! Network and ABC collaborate on a new reality show called “Keeping Up With The Chase Format: Extreme Makeover: NASCAR Edition.” In the show, host Brad Daugherty roams around NASCAR events asking fans if they understand not only the Chase For The Cup format, but Daugherty’s hayseed, mountain drawl.

*Richard Childress Racing rookie Austin Dillon bulls his way to the win in a wreck-filled race at Bristol on March 16, as only 22 cars are running at the end. In Victory Lane, Dillon salutes his detractors with a middle finger, then pops the top on a beer before shouting “Austin 3:16 says I just whipped your ass!”

The outburst makes Dillon a sensation, but also saddles the driver of the Childress No. 3 Chevy with the nickname “The Imitator.”

*In an interview promoting a partnership between the No. 48 team and Caesar’s Palace before the March race in Las Vegas, Jimmie Johnson coins his quest for his seventh Sprint Cup championship “VIIni, VIIdi, VIIci.”

Later, after International Speedway Corporation CEO Jim France makes Smith an insulting offer for Las Vegas Motor Speedway, Smith slaps France, leading a fallen France to quip, “Et tu, Bruton?”

Johnson leads the points standings for most of the year, and heads to Homestead with a chance to win No. 7, but engine trouble ends his day. He finishes third in the points standings.

*Danica Patrick and Ricky Stenhouse, Jr. elope in Barbados on April 19th at a ceremony presided over by Russell Brand and streamed live on GoDaddy.com. Patrick wears a Vera Wang gown crafted from fire-suit material and accented with a HANS device and also featuring a plunging neckline that leaves little to the imagination.

Patrick’s good fortune continues when she wins at Talladega on May 3rd, darting from 23rd to first on the final lap as a wild pileup eliminates half the field. A wild celebration ensues in Victory Lane, where Patrick delivers a message to her competitors, “There’s a party at my house. I hate to be ‘Petty,’ but no one’s invited, so you can all go home.”

*In a new advertisement for ESPN’s Sportscenter, Clint Bowyer leads a spin class in the ESPN company workout facility, while Michael Waltrip is seen guiding a tour group from Finland around ESPN’s headquarters. The commercial ends when Bowyer and Waltrip dupe the tour group into paying a second admission fee before they’re busted by Jeff Gordon and Ryan Newman, who accuse the MWR duo of “manipulating the Finnish.”

*Carl Edwards is scheduled to make an appearance in the March 2nd episode of AMC’s The Walking Dead, in which he portrays the leader of a brainless following of half-dead dimwits, a group eerily similar to the Carl Edwards Fan Club.

To publicize the event, the No. 99 sports a Subway/The Walking Dead paint scheme bearing the slogan, “Subway: Eat Flesh” at Phoenix. Edwards leads 88 laps and wins in a race that features only three lead changes. In Victory Lane, Edwards performs his trademark back flip while disappointed fans file out like zombies.

*Matt Kenseth wins the Duck Commander 500 at Texas Motor Speedway on April 6th, and is presented the winner’s trophy by “Duck Dynasty” patriarch Phil Robertson, who oddly comments that his favorite parts of the 1.5-mile track are the “straights.”

*After a crash at Kentucky Speedway on June 28th, Brad Keselowski and Carl Edwards are summoned to the NASCAR hauler for a talk with NASCAR officials. Keselowski creates a firestorm when he tweets a picture from inside the hauler, a photo which shows he and Edwards smoking cigars and playing ping-pong while officials in the background relax in a hot tub.

Keselowski is placed on probation for two weeks, while NASCAR bans cell phones and all liquids in excess of 3.4 ounces. 5-Hour Energy shots takes advantage of the opportunity, and becomes the official drink of drivers called to the NASCAR hauler.

*June’s road race at Sonoma is delayed for three hours after a mild earthquake strikes the region, causing slight damage to the circuit’s surface. Swan Racing part-owner 50 Cent is seen inspecting a fissure in the track along pit road, leading to TNT’s Kyle Petty to make the controversial statement, “Well, he was a crack dealer.”

50 laughs off the comment, and later in the year makes a big splash when, as honorary starter at Dover in June, eschews waving the green flag and instead fires a starters pistol nine times. In doing so, 50 becomes the first rapper to be “shot nine times” twice.

*Gene Haas abandons his plan to enter Formula 1 and instead opts to field a funny car in the NHRA. Haas car flops, failing to qualify for a single final, and becomes the laughingstock in the drag racing garage, leading to the nickname “Funny Haas Haas.”

*A healthy Denny Hamlin wins four races on the season, including March’s Martinsville race, where he fights off a challenge from Joey Logano, than challenges Logano to a fight after the race. Hamlin and Logano settle their differences in a charity 1-on-1 basketball game, which ends in a tie, 1-to-1.

Hamlin qualifies for the “Elimination Round” of NASCAR’s revamped Chase For The Cup format, and wins at Phoenix on November 9th, but tweaks his back shaking an oversized champagne bottle and struggles the following week at Homestead.

February 12, 2014