Testing SpeedwayMedia.com

Tag: Engine

History Says That Title Hopes May Be Over For Earnhardt & Logano

Joey Logano and Dale Earnhardt Jr. were both having respectable runs at Chicagoland until their races went up in smoke…literally. Engine failures ended their days prematurely and the pair brought home disappointing results of 35th and 37th in the chase opener. The rain delay that forced NASCAR to finish at night definitely had a deleterious effect on the engines which may have consequently ended the dreams of two championship hopefuls very early in this chase…the nose damage to the No.88 may have been the reason for Dale’s motor giving up though. Whatever the reason, the fact is that these two are now 52 and 53 points back of the leader which is a margin that will certainly be difficult to make up. Can it be done? Of course it can; especially with Talladega on the schedule but history says that they can’t do it.

Last Place In Points After Chase Race #1

2012: Jeff Gordon was 47pts out and went on to finish 10th in the standings

2011: Denny Hamlin was 41pts out and went on to finish 9th in the standings

2010: Clint Bowyer went on to finish 10th in the standings with the old points system

2009: Kasey Kahne went on to finish 10th in the standings

2008: Matt Kenseth went on to finish 11th in the standings

2007: Kurt Busch went on to finish 7th in the standings

2006: Kyle Busch went on to finish 10th in the standings (10 Driver Chase Field)

2005: Kurt Busch went on to finish 10th in the standings

2004: Jeremy Mayfield went on to finish 10th in the standings

If the pattern continues, these two will most likely finish 9th or worse in points this year. The deficit they now face is more than a race’s worth of points but if they can be spot on the rest of the season while others use up their mulligans; they can definitely work their way back into contention. Unfortunately, I don’t see Earnhardt or Logano being able to put together nine consecutive perfect races although a large contingent of the NASCAR fan base, aka JR Nation would argue otherwise.

Eventual Champion’s Points Position After Chase Race #1

2004: 1st

2005: 1st

2006: 9th

2007: 1st

2008: 1st

2009: 2nd

2010: 6th

2011: 2nd

2012: 1st

History also tells us that Matt Kenseth or Kyle Busch will most likely come away with the championship this year. Only twice in the chase’s nine year history has the eventual champion left the first race worse than 2nd in points. On both occasions, it was 5-time champ Jimmie Johnson. That 9th place in ’06 really stands and it was only a ten person chase at that time so how did Jimmie come back to win the title after that? He had five consecutive top two finishes at the end of the year; that’s how. With six races to go; he was still back in 8th spot. It would take an incredible run like the one Johnson had to put yourself back into contention for the championship after a dismal start to the chase.

We used to talk about mulligans in the chase and how everyone has one that they can use. That’s no longer the case. With how competitive the Sprint Cup Series has become, you have to be perfect with no mistakes in every single race from Chicagoland all the way to Homestead. In 2011, Carl Edwards finished 2nd in the final three races of the year, led laps in eight of the ten chase races, put together seven top five’s, nine top 10’s and his worst finish in those ten weeks was 11th but it still wasn’t enough to win the championship!

I think this year’s chase is going to be the most competitive one ever. I feel that there are about ten drivers with a legitimate shot at the title but Kenseth, Kyle Busch and Johnson are the obvious favorites. Those three also dominated the regular season but when we left Richmond; it was Carl Edwards leading the points so it’s anyone’s guess who will hoist the Cup in November. I believe that this chase will be about survival and winning will be a necessity to keep your title hopes alive. It will come down to the final race, the final laps and maybe even the last corner of the last lap.

September 18, 2013
Winning Engine From Matt Kenseth’s Kansas Car Illegal

Major news is breaking in the racing world today after the connecting rod in the engine of Kenseth’s winning Kansas car was found to be illegal following the race. The engine is supplied by Toyota Racing Development but Joe Gibbs Racing will be held accountable in the eyes of NASCAR. I expect major penalties much like we saw with Penske Racing following the NRA 500 at Texas; possibly even harsher due to the fact the team raced with it and won.

NASCAR is even very strict when it comes to the engines of these cars. If you remember a few years back, a tremendous fine was handed to Carl Long when he showed up to Charlotte with an over sized motor and the penalty basically ended his NASCAR Sprint Cup Series career. He was suspended for eight weeks, fined $200,000 and lost 200 pts (equivalent of about 50 today) for having an engine that was 0.17 cubic inches over limit.

With the new Generation 6 car, NASCAR has been more than willing to drop the hammer on these teams and I don’t think it pleases them one bit to find out after someone won the race with an illegal car. The winning car, the second place finisher and a randomly selected one get taken back to the R&D Center each week. This week, that was Matt Kenseth, Kasey Kahne and Bobby Labonte. The No.5 and No.47 passed NASCAR’s scrutiny with no issues. The advantage of lighter connecting rods could be that the engine will respond quicker and can turn a higher RPM.

At this time, it is unclear if the team manipulated the connecting rods or exactly how much it was under the minimum weight. NASCAR officials have yet to confirm or deny the violation but they will most likely update the situation later today. This is very surprising to me and caught a lot of people off guard considering we usually hear things like this on Monday or Tuesday.

*As a result of this violation, NASCAR has assessed the following penalties:

·         Crew chief Jason Ratcliff has been fined $200,000 and suspended from NASCAR until the completion of the next six NASCAR Sprint Cup Series championship points events (a period of time that also includes the non-points NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race) and placed on probation until Dec. 31.

·         Car owner Joe Gibbs has lost 50 championship car owner points; the first place finish from April 21 at Kansas Speedway will not earn bonus points toward the accumulated aggregate car owner points total after the completion of the first 26 events of the current season and will not be credited towards the eligibility for a car owner Wild Card position; has had the owner’s license for the No. 20 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series car suspended until the completion of the next six championship points events, therefore being ineligible to receive championship car owner points during that period of time.

·         Driver Matt Kenseth has lost 50 championship driver points; the Coors Light Pole award from April 19 at Kansas Speedway will not be allowed for eligibility into the 2014 Sprint Unlimited; the first place finish from April 21 at Kansas Speedway will not earn bonus points toward the accumulated aggregate driver points total after the completion of the first 26 events of the current season and will not be credited towards the eligibility for a driver Wild Card position.

·         The loss of five NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Manufacturer Championship points.

*credit NASCAR.

You can follow my twitter account, @ndegroot89 for more updates as this drama with the No.20 team unfolds.

April 24, 2013
Race City Engine School Opens in Mooresville

Mooresville, NC (February 2, 2013) – Have you ever wanted to learn how to build your own engines? That is exactly what Forster Fry wants to teach you to do. Fry is a former NASCAR engine builder, formerly employed by Richard Childress Racing and former owner of Fry Racing Cylinder Heads, and was inspired to start an engine school right in the heart of racing.

Race City Engine School, located in Mooresville, NC, offers a quick and efficient way to teach you how to build engines. With a hands on learning approach and one-on-one teaching experience, you will learn everything you need to know in just one weekend.

In two days you will learn every step of engine construction and will be confident in your knowledge. Not only does this class teach you the fundamentals of engine assembly, it will teach you the secrets to keeping your engine running for years. Fry believes that racing is much more fun when you know how to build and race your own engines. This is exactly what he taught Late Model Stock Car driver David Scites, who Fry taught to build engines and helped build race winning engines for though out his career.

“You will learn more in two days than you would in years,” says Fry. “Get started on the right foot and save all of the blown engines and money. I am sure you will save the price of this school on your first engine build. Everyone needs a teacher, I had one, now you have one.”

Race City Engine School offers a weekend class so it does not interfere with your busy work schedule. With six students or less per class you get plenty of one-on-one time with the instructor, so all of your questions get answered. You will be building engines within your first hour of class.

At Race City Engine School you will have the proper equipment, the right instructor, and will gain an incredible amount of knowledge in a short amount of time.

For more information visit . Be sure to “like” Race City Engine School on Facebook and follow them on Twitter @racecityengines.

February 2, 2013