Testing SpeedwayMedia.com

Tag: hendrick motorsports

  • Johnson’s Early Struggles Will Not Define His Success

    Johnson’s Early Struggles Will Not Define His Success

    Although Jimmie Johnson is currently 35th in points with back to back finishes of 27th or worse, he is still optimistic about the 2018 season.

    The uncharacteristic results of the 2017 season seem to have rolled over into the first two races and both exhibition events of the season. Last year, Johnson posted a career-worst 11 top-10 finishes and a 10th place finish in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series championship. So far this season, he has been involved in a crash in every event, has a DNF in three of the four races, and has yet to lead a lap.

    In the Daytona 500, the No. 48 Lowe’s Chevrolet crashed when the field entered Turn 3 coming to the green-checkered flag at the end of Stage 1, resulting in a 38th place finish. This past week at Atlanta Motor Speedway, the team struggled with handling and car setup all weekend. Johnson spun on the backstretch on lap 159 after a right front tire came apart. He finished in the 27th position, five laps down.

    When asked about the crash at the Daytona 500, Johnson wasn’t pleased with how the competition was racing so early in the event.

    “Unfortunately, many thought that was the black and white checkered flag and not the green and white checkered flag,” Johnson said after he was released from the infield care center. “On Lap 59 to be throwing blocks like that just let to a lot of wrecked race cars.”

    The exhibition races proved no different. In the Advance Auto Parts Clash, Johnson was involved in a last-lap crash coming to the checkered flag. Later, during Daytona Speedweeks, he crashed on Lap 8 in the first Can-Am Duel qualifying race with a sudden flat left-rear tire at full speed at the exit of the tri-oval, collecting Aric Almirola.

    However, ‘Seven-Time’ is determined not to let the end of last season and the first two rounds of 2018 determine his success for this year. He reassured his fans and team through a tweet Monday after the Atlanta race.

    The Hendrick Motorsports veteran doesn’t seem fazed two races into the season and is confident about his pursuit of a record-breaking eighth championship. Johnson looks to break through this weekend at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, where he holds four career victories. To witness the race in person on March 4, you can order tickets for the Pennzoil 400 on the speedway’s website at http://www.lvms.com/tickets/pennzoil_400/.

  • Young Alex Bowman Takes Over the No. 88 at HMS

    Young Alex Bowman Takes Over the No. 88 at HMS

    CHARLOTTE, NC – Alex Bowman spent a year at Hendrick Motorsports subbing for Dale Earnhardt Jr. and generally helping out and waiting. When Earnhardt decided to retire at the end of last season, Bowman was pegged to replace him in the No. 88 Chevrolet CamaroZL1. He met with the media at the Charlotte Convention Center during the Charlotte Motor Speedway Media Tour and answered a gaggle of questions.

    ARE YOU FEELING ANY PRESSURE?
    “Not really. I have a pretty strong desire to go win races and I’m really hungry for wins. I think that really matters more to me than any pressure anybody is going to put on me.”

    WHAT ABOUT THE COMPARISONS TO DALE, JR.? DID YOU GET OVER THAT A LONG TIME AGO WHEN YOU SUBBED FOR HIM?
    “Yeah, I just try to go have fun and enjoy every situation and every opportunity I am given, the most I can. I’m just going to enjoy it, have the most fun I can and not really let any of that get to me.”

    DO YOU THINK MAYBE BEING MORE REFRESHED THAN SOME OF THESE OTHER DRIVERS WILL BE AN ADVANTAGE?
    “Yeah, I think so. Obviously, I know how long this crazy long schedule is. I didn’t have too bad of a schedule last year. Probably worked a lot during the week more than some of the other guys in the (Chevrolet) simulator and everything, but had a lot of weekend’s off and really enjoyed myself. So, I guess I’m probably a little fresher, but it’s been a good offseason, so I think that helps as well.”

    WOULD YOU CALL THIS THE PAY OFF FINALLY FOR ALL THE PATIENCE AND ALL THE PERSISTENCE THAT YOU HAD JUST WAITING FOR THE RIGHT OPPORTUNITY TO COME ALONG?
    “Yeah, I think so. I’m glad that it all worked out this way. I could have easily gone a different direction. Very thankful for how things have gone. Hopefully, we will see a big payoff with race wins and contending for a championship.”

    WAS THE XFINITY WIN AT CHARLOTTE LAST YEAR A PRECURSOR IN YOUR MIND OF WHAT’S TO COME? HOW GOOD DID IT FEEL TO JUMP RIGHT BACK IN THE CAR AND GET A VICTORY?
    “Yeah, absolutely. There were a lot of questions in my mind of whether I would be fast off the bat or ready to get back in a car and all that. So, very encouraging to be out of a car for seven months and then right off the bat get a win. I think it just proves that I can come out of the box strong and gave me a lot of confidence this offseason.”

    THERE HAS BEEN A LOT OF TALK ABOUT HOW THE OLDER MORE ESTABLISHED DRIVERS ARE FADING OUT AND THERE IS A NEW WAVE OF YOUNG GUYS COMING IN. DO YOU VIEW THIS AS ONE OF THOSE YOUNG GUYS IN A GREAT OPPORTUNITY TO GRAB NOT ONLY YOUR SPOT IN THE SPORT BUT WITH FANS AND STUFF LIKE THAT?
    “Yeah, absolutely, there are a lot of fans looking for a new guy and hopefully I can be a guy that people want to cheer for. Obviously, the No. 88 has a larger following and I’m going to do my best to keep JR Nation happy and keep that No. 88 car up front. That is what they hired me to do. I’m a regular, down to earth guy and I feel like I’m pretty relatable to a lot of the average NASCAR fans. I work on a lot of street car and race car stuff myself. I’m not afraid to get my hands dirty and I’m very appreciative of this opportunity. So, hopefully, they can kind of relate to me and become fans.”

    DID YOU PLAY ANY ROLE IN INTERACTING AND KEEPING SOME OF THOSE FANS? DID HE OFFER ANY ADVICE?
    “I hope so. He has been really helpful and really influential so obviously what he says carries a lot of weight with his fan base. Hopefully, we can make him proud and make all of them proud as well.”

    DO YOU SEE SOME PARALLELS BETWEEN YOU AND DALE, JR?
    “It’s hard for me to look at, not that Dale, Jr. is not down to earth, but it’s hard for me to look at him and relate to him as far as his status. I mean he is so popular everywhere he goes, he is followed by a huge crowd of people and everybody wants to talk to him, wants an autograph, wants a picture, he is so popular. I can’t really look at myself and see that in any way. I’m so thankful to hopefully get some of those fans and have some of that carry over. But, as far as a person he is very down to earth and very regular. I think there is a big parallel there.”

    JIMMIE JOHNSON TOLD US THAT BASED ON SIMULATION THAT YOU ARE POSSIBLY GOING TO GO 15-20 MPH FASTER AT DAYTONA. IS THAT THE CASE? ARE YOU EXCITED TO HAVE THAT SPEED IN THE CAMARO?
    “Yeah, I don’t know. I don’t think any of us know until we get down there really what it is going to do. It didn’t in the test. We didn’t go any faster at all in the test. I got to be a part of that test and to drive the race cars and I thought that honestly taking the ride height rules away made them a little harder to drive, especially on corner entry and corner exit. So, I think we’ve got to get some handling back in the race cars for sure. Those speedways as they’ve gotten worn out have gotten harder. I think handling is going to be a little more important than you have seen in year’s past. As far as the speeds go, we will see when we get down there.”

    YOU ARE FROM TUCSON, ARIZONA, NOT EXACTLY A HOT BED FOR NASCAR TALENT DO YOU FEEL LIKE IT IS KIND OF MIND BLOWING THAT YOU MADE IT TO THIS LEVEL?
    “I mean everything happens for a reason, but I wouldn’t say it’s mind-blowing by any means. There is a lot of really talented race car drivers that have come from that area. Just because they didn’t make it to NASCAR, IndyCar guys and Sprint Car guys. I mean you have legends from Tucson. It’s a cool place to be from. There are a lot of really cool racing in that area and I’m glad to represent it in NASCAR.”

    HAVE YOU BEEN ABLE TO DEVELOP A GOOD COMRADERY WITH JIMMIE (JOHNSON) AND CHASE (ELLIOTT) AND HOW MUCH HAVE YOU GOTTEN TO KNOW WILLIAM BYRON?
    “Yeah, absolutely, everybody has been an open book and it’s been awesome to get to work with them. I’ve got to spend quite a bit of time with William actually, which has been really cool. He is a great guy. I think all of us bring different, unique things to the table that is going to make the entire organization better.”

    WHEN CAN WE EXPECT TO SEE YOUR MIDGET BACK ON TRACK? ARE YOU GOING TO DO MORE THAN JUST CHILI BOWL?
    “Well, I think if some of the rumored races end up happening at the end of November, probably see it back out. It will be two of them though it won’t just be one. We are working on the second car already. The car we had this year is already stripped and going to the chassis shop to get duplicated. I love that style of racing. I love getting my hands dirty. Chili Bowl was probably a little more stressful than I would have liked this year. I didn’t anticipate to show up and have everything that could go wrong, go wrong. But, worked really hard and worked more than I would have expected. But, the previous two years we haven’t had a single issue with the race car at all. So, to go there this year and have all those issues, hopefully, I will get another couple of years without any issues.”

    WOULD RICK HENDRICK EVER CONSIDER LETTING YOU JUMP BACK IN ONE OF YOUR OWN CARS? OR IS IT GOING TO BE A SITUATION WHERE YOU HAVE TO FIND ANOTHER DRIVER?
    “That’s a good question. I don’t know. I’m going to have to talk to him about it. Because I obviously have a large desire to drive those race cars. They are my favorite race cars in the world. They are cool. The races that I like to run with them are cool in particular. Whether it’s the Chili Bowl or the December Du Quoin show. Just having no rules and there is so much innovation that you can do and things that you can do different. Hopefully, I will get to drive one again. We will just kind of have to wait and see.”

    IS THAT INNOVATION FACTOR IS THAT SOMETHING WHERE YOU LOOK AT NASCAR AND MAYBE WISH SOMETIMES MAYBE YOU COULD HAVE MORE OF THAT?
    “I don’t know. I think it’s different when you innovate on a $30,000 race car than when you have a $35 million-dollar budget and you try to innovate, stuff gets a little crazy. The nice thing about the innovation on the midget stuff is aside from some of the titanium and carbon fiber parts, nothing is really crazy expensive. So, I think that is what makes it good because it doesn’t get unobtainable. You don’t have a big spread in race teams. You see small guys going out to Chili Bowl like you look at Travis Berryhill last year winning, that was pretty big for him. You have standard heavy race cars that have nothing special on them. Look at Jake Swanson running fifth there on Saturday last year, that is pretty cool. That car is heavy, old, it was built in like 2007. Mitch does a good job taking care of it, but there is nothing special about it. To see guys like that compete with guys that have a lot of time and trick pieces like Bondio and Chad Boat and some of the other guys that build just beautiful race cars, it’s cool to see the level playing field no matter what. It really doesn’t matter how much money you put into one of those cars it just comes down to how well they work.”

    IS THERE ANY DIFFERENT WAY YOU PREPARE FOR THIS YEAR?
    “Well, I think I am just able to lean on a lot of people with a lot more knowledge and I have a lot more resources at my disposal. Very thankful for that and I think I have more tools to use to be ready.”

    WHO ARE SOME OF THE PEOPLE YOU HAVE FOUND YOURSELF LEANING ON THE MOST?
    “There is this guy named Jimmie Johnson that has won seven championships. Yeah, I think I’m going to lean on him the most I can. So, very thankful to have him to lean on and looking forward to learning as much as I can from him.”

    WHAT ARE YOUR EXPECTATIONS FOR THIS SEASON?
    “Well, they hired me to go win races and contend for championships and that is what I plan on doing.”

    WHAT WOULD BE SUFFICIENT TO MEET THOSE GOALS FOR THIS SEASON? DO YOU HAVE TO WIN A RACE IN 2018 FOR IT TO BE A SUCCESS?
    “Personally, yeah, I want to win I have a huge drive to go win, so that is what I’m going to try to do. I think it’s more of a personal goal than anything. There is not a lot of pressure being put on me from any side. I just really want to win races.”

    DO YOU FEEL LIKE PHOENIX IS YOUR BEST OPPORTUNITY TO WIN THIS SEASON?
    “Yeah, I mean I think we have a lot of unfinished business there at that place. I’ve been close to winning races there a few times. To dominate the Cup race in 2016 it’s a special place for me and hopefully, we will go finish the job this year.”

    DO YOU THINK YOU HAVE ANY KIND OF ADVANTAGE IN GETTING SOME OF DALE, JR.’S FANS TO GET BEHIND YOU?
    “I don’t know if it’s necessarily an advantage or not, but hopefully, they stick around the No. 88 car. We are going to try our best to give them something to cheer for, for sure. But, very thankful for those that have stuck around.”

    WHAT WOULD YOU SAY TO CONVINCE JUNIOR FANS TO SUPPORT YOU?
    “I don’t know. I’m just a regular guy. It’s hard for me to really brag on myself I guess. I don’t really know what exactly to say to them. But, I’m very thankful for those that have stuck around and I know we are all going to try our best on the No. 88 team to keep that car up front.”

    HAVE YOU SEEN JIMMIE (JOHNSON) COME INTO A BIGGER MENTORING ROLE WITH BEING THE ELDER STATESMAN?
    “He is getting a little old, huh? (laughs) I think it’s been really cool to watch Jimmie work at being more of a leader and take over more of a leadership role for Hendrick Motorsports. He has always been a leader, but now it’s more of a clear-cut leadership. It’s been really cool to see and looking forward to leaning on him as much as I can.”

    DO YOU GUYS GIVE HIM A HARD TIME AT ALL?
    “We call him Grandpa every now and then.”

    TO HIS FACE OR BEHIND HIS BACK?
    “Well, I mean, sometimes to his face. That one time I sat in his (Chevy) Tahoe in the car seat in the back… so that was pretty funny. He drove me and (William) Bryon to lunch and we were sitting in the car seats in the back. So, that was a little bit comical.”

    HOW MUCH DO YOU GUYS, AMONG THE ROOKIE DRIVERS THIS YEAR, YOU ARE ALL FRIENDS, HOW CLOSE ARE YOU?
    “You know I don’t know. I’m close with William (Byron) and that’s about it. I know those rookie guys are chomping at the bit for rookie of the year. I’m glad I have 81 Cup starts to lean back on and to use to my advantage and use the knowledge that I gained from them to hopefully be better.”

  • Jimmie Johnson Looks Forward to 2018, Loves His Young Team, and Won’t buy the Panthers

    Jimmie Johnson Looks Forward to 2018, Loves His Young Team, and Won’t buy the Panthers

    CHARLOTTE, NC – Seven-Time NASCAR Cup champion Jimmie Johnson faces having a new race car (the Chevrolet Camaro ZL1) and a changing Hendrick Motorsports organization. As the seasoned and senior driver of the No. 48 Lowe’s Chevrolet, a leadership role emerges, even if last year’s performance was not up to the team’s usual standards. He talked with the press at the annual Charlotte Media Tour being held this week in Charlotte.

    “I went from the young gun. Every time I’d see my name written, it was Rookie Jimmie Johnson,” he said. “Now I’m grandpa. It’s gone fast.”

    Many have looked for reasons why the so-called Super Team didn’t do as well or win as many races as many thought they would. Jimmie’s theory comes down to execution.

    “For us, last year I think we had the right approach entering the season. We just, unfortunately, couldn’t execute like we needed to. This year with all the changes going on internally at Hendrick Motorsports, the debut of the new Camaro for us, I think we’re going to have a better product. I know we’re going to have a better product on the racetrack,” Johnson said.

    “In order to capitalize on all those points, you’ve got to start towards the front. I’ve made a great career out of winning from deep in the field or the back. But the way these points work, that’s just not the case. We need to qualify better.

    We definitely tried last year. Just, unfortunately, couldn’t get there. I feel that this year we’ll have a better product. I should be able to start closer to the front and make that a lot easier.”

    Johnson’s teammates, William Byron, Alex Bowman, and Chase Elliott are close to half his age, but with youth comes enthusiasm, and that’s a trait the “grandpas” have a rough time generating. It’s in good supply at HMS and Johnson thinks that is a valuable thing. He hasn’t given up hope on that eighth championship, either.

    “Enthusiasm? Without a doubt. That fresh blood brings great excitement and it also brings just a different vantage point,” Johnson explained. “When you look at William, for the longest time, like using our simulator, I watch something happen with another driver, that’s just a gaming way to go about it, you can’t do that in the real world. Well, it’s starting to happen in the real world. That new vantage point is really helpful.”

    A new body style car throws a curve at any organization, but Johnson sees the work paying off in the new season. He explains.

    “The effort has been massive to get this right and be as good as we can be,” Johnson said. “But with testing being so minimal, for myself, there’s going to be an adaptation period. I need to understand the side force, how hard I can lean on it. You climb out of the gas, with less downforce, how much it slows down. Trying to find the sweet spot with the car, some minor handling characteristics that go with it.

    “Atlanta, it’s such an abrasive track, and the drivers’ style, so many other things play into the performance there, I think we’ll get a flavor of where we sit. Once we get to the West Coast swing, I think that will really tell us where we sit.”

    Will he buy the Carolina Panthers, the NFL team that is for sale in Charlotte?

    “No, my pockets aren’t that deep. I don’t think they can look at me.”

  • The Players – The Best Teams’ 2018 Lineup in NASCAR Cup

    The Players – The Best Teams’ 2018 Lineup in NASCAR Cup

    It’s only a short time until the annual Media Tour at the Hall of Fame in Charlotte. We will learn a lot there, but a couple things are obvious. There will be 24 major teams running next year (10 Fords, nine Chevrolets, and five Toyotas). Each camp has stars in their lineup, but Toyota’s dominance of the 2017 season (with only six competitive cars) is favored. Let’s look at each team’s lineup.

    Chevrolet has the four Hendrick Motorsports cars. HMS fell on hard times last year despite their dominance for several years. Jimmie Johnson will be back in the Lowe’s Camaro. You read that right. The older SS they have fun the last few years is no longer being manufactured, so a change had to be made. Besides, finding a dealer with a Chevy SS was about as hard as finding a needle in a haystack anyway. After Johnson, the rest of the team will be made up of a group of youngsters. Chase Elliott is back, this time taking his father’s No. 9, William Byron, in the 24, and Alex Bowman in the 88. Of this team, only Johnson has ever won a Cup race. You might call this a rebuilding year for HMS.

    Richard Childress Racing will field the 31 for Ryan Newman, the 3 for Austin Dillon, and the 27, with the driver rumored to be Brennan Poole, but nothing has been announced. Both Newman and Dillon won races last year.

    Chip Ganassi Racing will feature Kyle Larson in the 42, coming off an excellent season. Jamie McMurray will be back in the No. 1 Chevrolet.

    Ford will field one more competitive car in 2018. Team Penske has expanded to three cars with Brad Keselowski in the No. 2 and Joey Logano in the No.22 Fords. Ryan Blaney, who earned his first victory in 2017 with the Wood Brothers will pilot the No. 12 Ford. The team’s alliance with the Wood Brothers continues with Paul Menard taking over the driving chores. Penske bought a charter for the No. 12 from Roush Fenway Racing, meaning the No. 16 is not coming back. The Charter was leased to the No. 37 JTG Daugherty team last year.

    Roush Fenway will see their improved team have the same driver lineup. Trevor Bayne in the No. 6 and Ricky Stenhouse, Jr. in the No. 17. Stenhouse won two restrictor plate races in 2017 and Bayne won the Daytona 500 in 2011.

    Stewart-Haas Racing will see it’s lineup jumbled somewhat. The Ford team will have Aric Almirola move over from the Richard Petty Motorsports No. 43 and drive the No. 10, formerly driven by Danica Patrick. Otherwise, things stay the same with 2017 Final Four driver Kevin Harvick in the No.4, Clint Bowyer in the 14, and Kurt Busch in the 41.

    Toyota saw its field go down a car this year. The Joe Gibbs Racing stable will have the 11 with Denny Hamlin, the 19 with Daniel Suarez, the 18 with Kyle Busch, and Erik Jones, who raced for Furniture Row Racing in 2017 in the No. 20. Much like Team Penske does with the Wood Brothers, Furniture Row and 2017 champ Martin Truex, Jr. will field the 78 Toyota. Furniture Row did not have sponsorship for the No. 77 car, so Toyota’s stable goes from six to five for 2018

    These are the teams that I predict will land in victory lane in 2018. Oh, we may get a surprise winner, but these 24 teams will battle race in and race out for the checkers. We will know more in a couple of weeks when the teams meet with the media in Charlotte, but this how I see it now. A big hole was left in the sport with the retirements of Dale Earnhardt Jr, Danica Patrick and Matt Kenseth at the end of the year. How many will stay away from the sport because these drivers are not in the lineup? Time will tell.

  • Elliott’s Strong Playoff Performance Indicative of Team’s Strength

    Elliott’s Strong Playoff Performance Indicative of Team’s Strength

    While the Round of 12 of this year’s NASCAR Playoffs is in full effect, Martin Truex Jr. and Kyle Busch are currently at the top of the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series headlines as usual. However, sitting in fourth in the playoff standings is Chase Elliott, who reeled off yet another runner-up finish at Charlotte on Sunday to score his sixth-career runner-up finish and 19th top-five finish in 71 Cup Series starts.

    “It’s been a solid start,” said Elliott. “Obviously we’d like to pick up one spot, but overall just the way we’ve been running since the playoffs started has been refreshing, and definitely makes it a lot of fun to come to the track and know that our car is going to drive pretty good, our pit stops have been really nice, and now is definitely the time of year to do that.  So hopefully we can carry it forward, what, five or six more weeks and see what it’s got to offer.”

    Elliott’s runner-up finish in the Bank of America 500 was his ninth top-five and 17th top-10 of 2017, a performance that should have resulted in a win by now; surely a team this strong has what it takes to win, right?

    Well, he isn’t entirely at fault for his lack of Cup victories at this point. If anything, he’s got his father’s laid-back demeanor, and although it’s pleasant to see such a young and laid-back driver he ultimately needs to bring some of the aggressiveness that he showed during his 2014 XFINITY Championship campaign. He’s had opportunities come his way only for them to slip past. That’s not to say that he’s not one of the hardest working, strongest drivers on track right now.

    As a matter of fact, he has the capability to share the spotlight with Kyle Larson as the top Chevy drivers in the Monster Energy Cup Series, if only he would take the aggression to another level. Still, that very well may be the case during the Playoffs; four races in and he has finished second, 11th, second, and second. He’s been down a similar road before as a rookie and it would be all too easy to become too hyped. But he’s no longer a rookie. He’s got 71 starts on his belt, and he’s properly educated in what it would take to score a win.

    He’s got all the right equipment. He’s got the talent and it has shown. He can win and if he keeps up this string of strong runs he will win. It would help if it happens while he’s a Playoff contender. He needs this win to alleviate the pressure he currently has himself under. It’s a conundrum: In order to get rid of the pressure to win, he needs to put the pressure on winning.

    Once he does that, one can only wonder how he’ll feel for his crew.

  • Has Dale Earnhardt Jr’s popularity stunted NASCAR growth or did he save it from itself?

    Has Dale Earnhardt Jr’s popularity stunted NASCAR growth or did he save it from itself?

    Heading into Michigan, Kevin Harvick made some headlines on his radio show when he laid blame for the sport’s lack of progress in recent years in the lap of Dale Earnhardt Jr. That never is a good thing to do.

    “For me, I believe that Dale Jr. has had a big part in kind of stunting the growth of NASCAR because he’s got these legions of fans and this huge outreach of being able to reach different places that none of us have the possibility to reach, but he’s won nine races in 10 years at Hendrick Motorsports and hasn’t been able to reach outside of that,” Harvick said. So, is Junior a “big part in kind of stunting the growth of NASCAR?”

    Junior is an interesting, unique story. In fact, his life story from the date of his father’s death to his winning the 2004 Daytona 500 is pure Hollywood gold. His win when they returned to Daytona in 2001, his four straight Talladega victories, to 2004 when the 500 was his first of six victories that season. Pure gold, damn near fictional if we had not lived to see it happen with our own eyes. The Legend’s fans became those of the Legacy, and those 15 wins in his first five seasons put the focus squarely on him.

    After 2004, he went from extraordinary to ordinary, yet his legion of fans remained. Is it his fault Jimmie Johnson has not been marketed properly? I mean, you shouldn’t see a poster of Jimmie without seeing him flanked by Richard Petty and Dale Earnhardt. He is NASCAR royalty. Still, he was not the son of a legend.

    Junior is popular because he is the son of that Legend, a young man who had tremendous early success to allow the Earnhardt fans to keep on cheering. He also had enough of a good ole boy personality to keep them loyal through all the tribulations to come.

    Did his lack of success over recent years stunt NASCAR’s growth? Maybe, it was his continued presence that kept it from sliding further down the tubes. In fact, the champion has only taken the Most Popular Driver award six times in the season they won the championship. The last was Bill Elliott nearly 30 years ago. So much for Harvick’s theory.

    The Most Popular Driver award has been handed out 66 times. On 50 occasions, the most popular driver had the last name of Petty, Allison, Elliott, or Earnhardt. In fact, since 1970 only David Pearson and Darrell Waltrip (twice) has interrupted that dynasty.

    Mr. Harvick is wrong. It is a combination of success and personality and royal jelly that makes one the Most Popular. Neither Jeff Gordon or Tony Stewart laid claim to the award. Neither has Brad Keselowski, Matt Kenseth, or either Busch brother. Neither has Kevin Harvick.

    I guess next year we will have to find another Most Popular Driver. My guess? How about another Elliott. These families have carried NASCAR on their back for decades. Why stop now?

  • Byron taking over No. 5 Hendrick ride next season

    Byron taking over No. 5 Hendrick ride next season

    One more silly season question was settled today with the announcement that William Byron will drive the No. 5 Chevrolet for Hendrick Motorsports in 2018, the team officially announced today.

    First reported by Adam Stern of Sports Business Journal, a number of outlets broke the story before the team officially announced it today.

    “It hasn’t sunk in yet,” said Byron. “Mr. (Rick) Hendrick has built such a great team. The people at Hendrick Motorsports have dedicated their lives to giving their drivers the best chance to win every weekend. I have a responsibility to them to work hard and put everything I have into this opportunity. They need to know I’m always giving 100 percent because that’s what they do.”

    Speculation had swirled for months regarding whether Byron would race another year in the XFINITY Series or jump up to the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series after the conclusion of this season. When HMS announced on Monday that Kasey Kahne wouldn’t return to the seat of the No. 5 car next season, it added to the possibility that Byron would replace him.

    His hot-commodity status makes sense, coming off a rookie season in which he took the Camping World Truck Series by storm with a record-setting seven wins, on his way to a fifth-place finish in points. He’s also running hot in the XFINITY Series this season with three wins and sits second in points.

    “At every step, William has proven how quickly he can adapt,” said Rick Hendrick. “Some drivers have raw talent and some have a strong work ethic. William has both. It’s impressive to see a young guy who never gets rattled and instinctively knows how to communicate with his team. That level of commitment, poise and pure ability is rare at any age. I think he’s just scratching the surface.”

  • Hendrick Motorsports Shouldn’t Promote Byron To Cup…Yet

    Hendrick Motorsports Shouldn’t Promote Byron To Cup…Yet

    According to Sports Business Journal, Hendrick Motorsports is expected to replace Kasey Kahne with William Byron as the driver of the No. 5 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series team in 2018. On the surface, this seems the logical next step for Byron’s meteoric rise up the NASCAR ranks. He currently sits second in the XFINITY Series regular season points, leads their playoff standings with three wins in 20 starts, and set a rookie record in the Camping World Truck Series in 2016 by winning seven races. Not only is he consistent, he is strong and is almost always at or near the front.

    However, it is too soon to be promoting Byron to the Cup Series. He just hasn’t been established enough to make a successful jump. Granted, he’s no stranger to Victory Lane, but as has been proven time and again, Cup cars are entirely different animals from XFINITY, Trucks, and so forth.

    Take at look at Joey Logano, for example. In the years leading up to his June 2008 XFINITY Series debut at Dover, he was hyped as the literal second coming of Jeff Gordon. He backed that up with a sixth-place run in his first race, won the pole the next week at Nashville, then won his first career race at Kentucky the week after that. In 19 starts, he won once, earned five top-fives, and 14 top-10s. He was promoted to Cup the next season in 2009.

    Although he earned a win (a rain-shortened event at Loudon in July), three top-fives, and seven top-10s, he finished 20th in points. The next season improve to 16th in points, but in 2011 he fell back to 24th in points. In 2012 he scored his second career win, but finished 17th in points. It wasn’t until his 2013 move to Team Penske that his Cup career finally started to rise.

    Another example would be a former Hendrick Motorsports driver of the No. 5, Kyle Busch. In his rookie XFINITY campaign in 2004, he won five times and finished second in points with 16 top-fives and 22 top-10s. With the sort of numbers he put on the board he was immediately moved to the Cup Series, where he took over the No. 5 from Terry Labonte. He won twice, but finished a dismal 20th in points. He won twice more over the next two seasons, but he didn’t start becoming a serious contender until his move to Joe Gibbs Racing in 2008.

    Photo Courtesy: Simon Scoggins

    Byron has the talent and wherewithal to become a Cup champion, but he needs more time to hone those skills before he shows up on the big stage. Chase Elliott, another Hendrick driver, spent two full seasons in the XFINITY Series and although he has yet to win a race, his quiet consistency and ability to stay out of trouble has kept him in Playoff consistency two years in a row.

    That said, although wins are a plus and a must in the current points system, Byron is still young and impressionable. He doesn’t need to be rush like Logano or Busch. He’s such a talent, easily a championship-caliber XFINITY driver, it would benefit both Hendrick and Byron if they waited at least a year.

    That does leave Hendrick in a tight spot, though. Who will drive the No. 5? Well, there will be some free agents out and about for 2018. Give the ride to Matt Kenseth, at least for a year. Reasonable agreement with a strong, established driver. Nothing would be lost on the arrangement and Byron would also have the benefit of learning from a Cup champion.

    Or just make the No. 5 a part-time ride, much like the No. 25 is for up-and-coming drivers linked up with Hendrick. Let Byron learn about Cup the way Elliott did with his brief (albeit rough) tenure in a limited Cup run. That would be better than thrusting him front and center when he isn’t ready. Give him time to work with a Crew Chief that isn’t Keith Rodden (who hasn’t done the No. 5 any favors besides winning Indy with Kahne) and actually learn the proper nature and communication with his Cup crew.

    He’ll bring the Liberty University sponsorship. He’ll bring his otherworldly talent behind the wheel. He’s a well-spoken, ideal face of NASCAR’s next generation of drivers. But pushing him into the No. 5 Cup team, essentially putting him in the spotlight at this point, would only serve to do more harm than good. Give Byron a chance to learn and grow before he graduates to the big leagues.

  • NASCAR Top-10 Power Rankings: Indianapolis

    NASCAR Top-10 Power Rankings: Indianapolis

    Note: The quotes in this article are fictional.

    1. Martin Truex Jr.: Truex and Kyle Busch wrecked as they battled for the lead on a restart with 50 laps remaining at Indianapolis. Both cars were unable to continue, and Truex’s No. 78 became engulfed in flames. Truex finished 33rd.

    “Oddly enough,” Truex said, “Kyle was ‘on fire’ before that. He won the first two stages and was well on his way to winning the race.

    “The wreck was my fault; I won’t lie and say it wasn’t. And given my penchant for collecting extra points for stage wins and whatnot, I have to ask, do I get bonus points for honesty?”

    2. Kyle Larson: Larson finished 28th at Indianapolis after a late crash that sent the No. 42 Target Chevrolet into the wall and into flames.

    “Thankfully,” Larson said, “I was able to escape the flames. In most cases, I only get burned by NASCAR inspectors.

    “The race was quite boring until about 20 laps remaining. Much like my cars, the Brickyard 400 is famous for its lack of ‘passing.’”

    3. Kevin Harvick: Harvick started on the front row alongside pole sitter Kyle Busch and finished sixth, posting his 13th top 10 of the year.

    “My spotter had his credential revoked after he tossed a sandwich and it fell off the top of Indy’s Pagoda,” Harvick said. “Joey Logano’s family had quite a scare when reports stated ‘Sliced Bread Thrown From Indianapolis Motor Speedway Pagoda.”

    4. Kyle Busch: Busch’s quest for a third-straight Brickyard 400 victory ended when he crashed with Martin Truex Jr. on a restart with 50 laps to go.

    “Before that fateful restart,” Busch said, “Truex and I played a game of ‘Deal Or No Deal.’ However, instead of finding out what was behind the door, we both found out what was behind the wall.”

    5. Jimmie Johnson: Johnson started at the rear of the field after a transmission change and was battling for the lead late when he crashed as his engine smoked after the restart following the races 11th caution. Johnson finished 27th.

    “I went three-wide with Kasey Kahne and Brad Keselowski late in the race at Indianapolis,” Johnson said. “It was basically a game of chicken. I guess I lost, but that’s okay because my seven Cup titles make this chicken the most likely to get ‘roasted’ at the NASCAR awards banquet.”

    6. Brad Keselowski: Kasey Kahne beat Keselowski into Turn 1 on the final restart and won the Brickyard 400 under caution. Keselowski finished second.

    “When all was said and done,” Keselowski said, “most drivers had spent over six hours in their cars. That’s way longer than most fans spent in their seats.”

    7. Denny Hamlin: Hamlin finished 17th at Indianapolis, one lap down to the leaders.

    “My Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Kyle Busch said he had a ride lined up for the Indianapolis 500 back on Memorial Day weekend,” Hamlin said. “But Joe Gibbs refused to let Kyle run. I think if you asked Joe, he would tell you that Kyle may be a gigantic ass, but he’s an even more gigantic asset.”

    8. Jamie McMurray: McMurray came home 15th in the hot and grueling Brickyard 400.

    “The race was a marathon,” McMurray said. “By that, I mean the final 26 miles lasted over two hours.”

    9. Chase Elliott: Elliott finished 39th in the Brantley Gilbert Big Machine 400 at Indianapolis after blowing an engine just 18 laps into the race.

    “Dale Earnhardt Jr. will be joining the NBC booth next year as a race analyst,” Elliott said. “To the legions of Earnhardt Jr. fans out there, NBC will heretofore be known as ‘Junior Station.’”

    10. Kasey Kahne: Kahne outlasted the weather, late crashes, and several restarts to win the Brickyard 400, ending a 102-race winless streak.

    “After a long hot day at Indianapolis,” Kahne said, “I stole a win and got to kiss the bricks. You could say I made out like a bandit.”

  • Bowman Named as Earnhardt’s Successor

    Bowman Named as Earnhardt’s Successor

    Alex Bowman will take over as the driver of the No. 88 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet from the retiring Dale Earnhardt Jr. in the 2018 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series season, the team announced in a press release this morning.

    The team didn’t disclose the length of his deal.

    “Ever since I was a kid, racing is all I’ve wanted to do,” Bowman said. “I’ve had so many people believe in me along the way. My family has sacrificed a lot and always been behind me. I would never have this chance without the support of Dale and everyone involved with the No. 88 team. To be part of Hendrick Motorsports and for Mr. Hendrick to have this confidence in me, it’s just amazing.

    “The No. 88 team is such a great group of people. I know we can pick up where we left off last year, and I truly believe we can win races and contend for a championship. I’m excited to build on the relationship with Nationwide and all of our partners. It means the world that they have faith in me, and I’m thankful to have them on my side. Now I just want to go win.”

    Nationwide Mutual Insurance Company also signed a one-year extension to remain the primary sponsor for 19 races. In addition, Axalta Coating Systems will remain on-board and as a primary sponsor for 15 races, up from 13.

    Since the moment Earnhardt announced back in April that he was retiring at the conclusion of this season, Bowman has been at the top of the list of drivers to replace him in the No. 88. The speculation is understandable given that Bowman drove as a substitute driver place of Earnhardt, who was sidelined the second half of the 2016 season with a concussion. Bowman earned three top-10 finishes in his 10-race substitute role, compared to two top-10’s in eight races by Jeff Gordon.

    His breakthrough race came last November at Phoenix when he started on pole and led a race-high of 194 laps, on his way to a sixth-place finish.

    He most recently raced the No. 88 in the unofficial season kickoff Advance Auto Parts Clash at Daytona International Speedway, by virtue of his aforementioned Phoenix pole, to a third-place finish.

    “Alex impressed the heck out of us last year with his talent, poise and professionalism,” said team owner Rick Hendrick. “He stepped up in a very demanding situation and showed that he can run with the best and compete for wins. His ability to stay focused through it all, and the way he’s handled himself since then, has shown a lot of character. Greg (Ives) and the team loved working with Alex, and that dynamic will get even better with more time together.”

    This deal puts to rest speculation of the No. 88 being taken over by drivers such as JR Motorsports rookie driver and HMS development driver William Byron, Matt Kenseth and Brad Keselowski to name a few.