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Tag: Homestead

The Final Word – Is it a big swing and a miss as NASCAR makes big changes for 2020?

In answer to Sheryl Crow’s question of more than a decade ago, “I don’t.” Other than for Daytona, which usually is a visually thrilling spectacle on its own, this has not been a banner season for the televised version of NASCAR. Sadly, that has been the case for at least 10 years now. Unless you are a stats freak, know who is where in the standings, are a gear head who just loves cars, there is nothing much to see or hear to keep you glued to the tube each week. So, now they plan to shake things up for next season. A lot.

As a traditionalist, I do not like it at first glance. However, what is, well, no longer seems to be working. In fact, just 13 dates from this season will be the same for next. The Daytona 500 still opens the season in mid-February. Then the changes begin.

Las Vegas replaces Atlanta the next week as they, along with California, play musical chairs. The biggest change has Homestead moving from 36th to sixth on the schedule as fans of Martinsville will have a big change coming to their lives.

Martinsville does not appear until nearly two months later, with dates in May and a playoff run in early November. They will have not one but three short track courses to help determine a champion. Richmond and Bristol still have their April dates and, while Richmond retains its September run, they will move Bristol’s second date from August to early November.

Three iconic events are also on the move. The Southern 500 in Darlington is on the move…again. It drops back a week to take over the Indianapolis playoff spot. The Brickyard 400 will now welcome the fireworks in early July. The former Firecracker 400 will become the final regular season event, as Daytona takes the Darlington date in late August.

While some dates for other tracks will be moved slightly out of order compared to this season’s schedule, it at least is somewhat recognizable. Even the season conclusion in Phoenix will be on the same date, concluding the year a week earlier and at a different venue.

There is one more exception. It will no longer be your daddy’s Pocono experience. Instead of visits in early June and then in late July, now it will be two visits in late June on two successive days. A Saturday-Sunday doubleheader. Tell me, how bad have you got it?

Some of the changes are interesting. Moving the season ending event matters not, as Homestead has never become an iconic event in most minds anyway. Adding a third short track is good. Keeping the roval in Charlotte as part of the mix is fine. Adding some tradition with the Southern 500 becoming even more meaningful actually comes across as a fine idea.

Moving the summer Daytona date is an eye opener. Maybe it will work out. A doubleheader at Pocono? What would cause fans, who care less and less about the sport, to love the thought of spending a lovely full weekend in Pennsylvania for a double hit of what they do not watch now?

Pack racing is visually stimulating. Events where the competitors are strung out all over the track are not. It is a simple fact. How to change that perception is something they have yet to find an answer for. For those contests, if the announcers are not entertaining in their own right, only the die-hard fans remain. The rest are gone. Maybe with NBC’s return later in the season with their new approach to covering the action, entertaining us along with describing the action, they can help save the day.

Since Daytona, the races at Atlanta, Las Vegas, Phoenix, Fontana, and Martinsville have been just painful to watch. I only hope the live experience, at the track, is a much more enjoyable experience. God, I sure hope so.

How bad have I got it? You know the answer. I miss those days when I did.

March 27, 2019
The Final Word – The championship hopes of four were unable to rise from the ashes at Phoenix

LEADERSHIP…sucks. Usually, when you lead a race, when you are the guy kicking ass and taking names, it is a good thing. Not at Phoenix. It turned out to be steering the leading car was very similar to being the moral compass on the Walking Dead. You just wind up being some zombie’s souffle. Just when a boy became the golden child, the man out front, the driver all alone leading the parade, fate kicked him in the teeth.

Kevin Harvick was the man to start. He had the pole, he took the lead, he beat back all challenges from Chase Elliott. Then, with a couple of laps to go in the opening stage, a tire went down, his lead went out the window, and he was forced to pit. Elliott grabbed the points. Harvick wound up with a bucket of something less tasteful than honey.

Off to the second stage. Elliott lost the front to Kurt Busch. He dominated. He was the man. Joey Logano already had his pass to Homestead, so when his left rear let go and wrecked out, no big deal. However, with about 20 laps left, Clint Bowyer’s own left rear departed to end his day as well as his championship hopes.

It was time to pit, to get some fresh rubber. Harvick stayed out after the caution had put him back on the lead lap. A win by Busch would have made that fact meaningless, but he decided to gas it coming to the pits and that pushed him past the pace car. A lap penalty was his reward. Once again, Harvick was back in the top four in the battle to advance, along with Logano, Martin Truex Jr. as well as Kyle Busch, who went on to win the stage.

So, when it came down to the final push, Harvick was just three points ahead of Kurt in points banked, but sitting a lap and more than 20 positions ahead of him on the track. Of course, if Elliott could win it, it would not matter what either of those two boys did. As for Kyle and Truex, they just had to avoid disaster to run against Logano for the championship next week.

It was all Kyle Busch. For a while. Then he gave up the lead to Elliott. Just in time, as it turned out. When Elliott pitted under green, he was a little too speedy. So much for the lead, but on an interesting track, both the action and the intrigue just went up a notch. Who was going to be in and who was going to be left on the outside? All the contenders were back on the lead lap, all had a shot coming down to the final 50 laps.

Some of the mystery went away late in the run. Kurt Busch was not leading, but he was close. When Denny Hamlin got loose and went up the track, he got very close to Busch. Too close. They made contact, Busch caught the fence, then turned down to take out Elliott. Three on the outside were now done, with only one challenger remaining.

Aric Almirola needed to win. He needed to catch Kyle Busch. He looked good for a short time. Too short. There were just not enough ponies under his hood. When they hit the line, Kyle won his 51st career Cup race, with Brad Keselowski and Kyle Larson between him and Almirola. Harvick finished fifth, Truex was 14th.

Despite the storylines, the quartet for Homestead remained as expected. Logano and the Big Three go in, with the best of the four in Florida in that one race taking home the championship. Next week, leadership will mean everything.

November 12, 2018
Hot 20 – Smokey just tagged the Bandit to make Phoenix a lot more interesting

If NASCAR was a certain 1977 hit movie, you could say that Sheriff Buford T. Justice finally got his hands on the Bandit. It might not have derailed the adventure, but there is a danger the Snowman might not be able to deliver that truckload of suds to their destination on time.

That quest could be spoiled by spoilers. Specifically, NASCAR tagged the team of Kevin Harvick with a top drawer penalty violating the rules that explicitly points out that spoilers must be used exactly as supplied from the manufacturer and not altered. Instead of getting that free pass to contend at Homestead, the boys are just three points in.

Gone are all the benefits of the win at Texas. No free pass, though Harvick does keep the guns and the hat. Gone are 40 of the sixty points he picked up in that race. Gone is crew chief Rodney Childers for the rest of the season. Gone is $75,000 from Childers’ pocket. Gone is car chief Robert Smith until the campaign is over. Stewart-Haas Racing will not appeal the penalties, as production manager Tony Gibson returns to the box he last sat atop a year ago, when he directed Kurt Busch to the 2017 Daytona 500 victory. With the decision, Busch now finds himself just three points out of the Homestead final four.

Post-race tear downs at the NASCAR Research and Development Center can be a real bitch. Ryan Blaney lost 20 points from Texas, along with crew chief Jeremy Bullins, who was fined $50,000, and car chief Kirk Almquist for the rest of the season. Same goes for Erik Jones, as crew chief Chris Gayle coughs up the same amount of cash and he joins car chief Jason Overstreet on the sidelines until the smoke clears in Florida.

Of course, neither of those rulings have anywhere close to the same impact as the hit taken by the No. 4 crew. It could all still end the same way most expect, with Logano joined by the Big Three at the big dance. Now, however, it will take a little more action before this movie runs the final credits.

In the words of Sheriff Justice, “What we’re dealing with here is a complete lack of respect for the law.” Well, message delivered.

Now it is time for the Bandit to keep his foot hard on the peddle, son, never mind them brakes. Let it all hang out ’cause you’ve got a run to make. Phoenix just got a lot more interesting.

1. JOEY LOGANO – ROUND VICTORY – 4119 Pts (7 Wins)
Shell Pennzoil is his Phoenix sponsor. At Homestead, maybe it should be Target.

2. KYLE BUSCH – 4128 POINTS (7 Wins)
Nothing has changed for him, other than there are now three opens spots instead of just two.

3. MARTIN TRUEX JR. – 4125 POINTS (4 Wins)
Do not expect him to go down this week without having vengeance in his heart for the next.

4. KEVIN HARVICK – 4103 Pts (8 Wins)
A nine-time Phoenix winner suddenly could sure use a 10th about now.

5. KURT BUSCH – 4100 POINTS (1 Win)
Would hate to break his brother’s heart but as for those other two…

6. CHASE ELLIOTT – 4086 POINTS (3 Wins)
Phoenix has been kind to him in the past. She needs to be downright romantic on Sunday.

7. ARIC ALMIROLA – 4068 POINTS (1 Win)
His schedule reads, “Win this week or destroy Logano next week.” Not sure about the word “or.”

8. CLINT BOWYER – 4052 POINTS (2 Wins)
If anyone needed a tinkered spoiler last week, it was him.

9. RYAN BLANEY – 2263 POINTS (1 Win)
I am not sure if being in danger of dropping to 10th in the standings is that big a deal.

10. BRAD KESELOWSKI – 2259 POINTS (3 Wins)
The Miller Lite Ford will look a lot like a giant pysanka this weekend.

11. DENNY HAMLIN – 2220 POINTS
Well, Texas sure sucked.

12. KYLE LARSON – 2211 POINTS
Tires. If Fred Flintstone ran Goodyear things might have gone differently.

13. JIMMIE JOHNSON – 2195 POINTS
Sometimes Jimmie screws up. Sometimes it is Chad. In Texas, it was all NASCAR.

14. ALEX BOWMAN – 2187 POINTS
A Tucson boy returns to Arizona.

15. ERIK JONES – 2184 POINTS (1 Win)
He probably would prefer to lose those 20 points rather than $50,000.

16. AUSTIN DILLON – 2184 POINTS (1 Win)
The winless streak has now reached 34.

17. RYAN NEWMAN – 721 POINTS
Are we done yet?

18. RICKY STENHOUSE JR. – 676 POINTS
You could say that Stenhouse was in the eighth fastest unpenalized car at Texas.

19. PAUL MENARD – 672 POINTS
Does not exactly have the biggest social media footprint.

20. DANIEL SUAREZ – 666 POINTS
Still nothing set for 2019.

November 7, 2018
The Final Word – It was the AAA Happy Harvick Texas 500

After Texas, then there were two locked into Homestead. One stole the show at Martinsville and then attempted to deny the second his ticket. Joey Logano failed to pull it off as he wound up third. Ryan Blaney had something to showcase and he had his moments. Not enough of them, as he had to settle for second.

No, Texas was all about Kevin Harvick and nothing but Kevin Harvick. He dominated to sweep the stages, to win by four-tenths of a second to claim his eighth victory of the season. Taking the maximum amount of points was nice, but the goal was to advance to Homestead and join Logano among the final championship contenders. Mission accomplished.

It could have been different. The vibrations being felt by the boys on Sunday were not good. Was it a loose wheel or just how the tires were reacting? Harvick almost pulled in but was talked out of it. They could not talk Kyle Busch from doing so, and he was buried in 17th. Martin Truex Jr. did the same, even picked up a penalty on pit road, but at least managed a Top Ten finish. Two of our Big Three are not yet in, but they remain 28 and 30 points, respectively, ahead of the seventh-place finisher, Kurt Busch, as they head to Phoenix.

We saw little of Chase Elliott, who was sixth, but now needs to win next weekend, barring a catastrophe or two to hit his rivals. Aric Almirola is now seventh in the standings, 18th at Texas, and not even the world’s best mathematician can come up with any scenario that does not involve a win to allow him to advance.

Then there was Clint Bowyer. He wiggled and came together with Denny Hamlin on the opening lap. Ten circuits later, both cars were in for deflating rubber. They were gone from the lead lap, going beyond a lap down, and things just got worse all day long. Neither would be seen among the Top 25 on the day. For Bowyer, winning has also become everything.

What can we expect at Phoenix? Harvick has nine wins there. Nine. Jimmie Johnson has four, but no one expects a vintage version of Jimmie to emerge this season. As for the remaining six contenders seeking a win, only the two Busch boys have won at Phoenix, and both of those wins came in the Busch Brother sweep of 2005.

Hope is not all lost. Elliott has finished second and third in the past two events at the venue. Kyle was runner-up earlier this year, and his average over the past six is better than a fourth-place result. Truex was fifth in the spring, and third last autumn. Kurt had a Top Ten in their last visit. Almirola has had a pair of Top Tens in the past two. Bowyer was sixth in March.

Who am I kidding? Harvick will march into Phoenix and do what Harvick often does. Barring very bad tidings for one or two of them at Phoenix, Homestead will feature the Big Three and the Big Logano. Anything else would be considered a major surprise.

November 5, 2018
Hot 20 – For some it comes down to a Texas sized win or hoping for a Big Three free fall

We have our Big Four. Finally. Joey Logano will join Kyle Busch, Kevin Harvick, and Martin Truex Jr. racing for the championship at Homestead. That is, unless someone takes one of those spots away either this weekend or next. To be frank (and who wouldn’t want to be Frank?), unless one of the latter trio decides to give it away, one of those four boys below them in the standings is in adios country without a victory.

Texas will be the first of just two opportunities to do just that. Based on past history, Chase Elliott might have a shot. No wins, but four Top Tens in five attempts must mean something. Busch has won three, Harvick one, while Truex might be winless but like Elliott, he shows up to be one of the best on race day. The sibling, Kurt Busch, can be a threat and even has a win on the track. Maybe it is his time to rise and shine in Texas. Maybe. Clint Bowyer is decent there, but he will need to be more than just a pretty face on Sunday coming in with just three Top Fives in 25 outings. As for Aric Almirola, forget about it. That is not happening.

Maybe none of the principles will win on Sunday. Jimmie Johnson has seven wins on that track. Does the team of Jimmie and Chad have one more magic moment left between them? Denny Hamlin is another driver hoping to keep a yearly win string going, and the two-time Texas troubadour has been strong lately.

Not that any among our Big Four would mind too terribly if Texas was taken by one of those boys. Just as long as they are close and the pretenders are far behind coming to the checkered flag. That would give them all a Yosemite Sam-like moment for celebration.

Now, who wants a set of six-guns?

1. JOEY LOGANO – 1 ROUND WIN (4074 Pts, 2 Wins)
Will he find a championship at Homestead or a Truex inspired heartbreak?

2. KYLE BUSCH – 4104 POINTS (7 Wins)
Just needs a really good day at Texas, not even a great one, to get his ticket punched.

3. MARTIN TRUEX JR. – 4083 POINTS (4 Wins)
Do not allow the guy you are racing to do the hitting…do the hitting yourself.

4. KEVIN HARVICK – 4083 POINTS (7 Wins)
When Newman started driving his car as wide as his neck, Harvick could not find room past him.

5. KURT BUSCH – 4058 POINTS (1 Win)
Needs to drive Sunday like it is 2009.

6. CHASE ELLIOTT – 4052 POINTS (3 Wins)
Prior to Watkins Glen, he had not won anywhere. Why not add Texas to his newly growing list?

7. CLINT BOWYER – 4041 POINTS (2 Wins)
Might not have dressed like Rowdy for Halloween, but driving like him at Texas isn’t a bad idea.

8. ARIC ALMIROLA – 4033 POINTS (1 Win)
A win. Anything less is just losing at this point.

9. RYAN BLANEY – 2232 POINTS (1 Win)
Popular driver with a popular NASCAR sanctioned podcast.

10. BRAD KESELOWSKI – 2227 POINTS (3 Wins)
One unsecured lug nut and Paul Wolfe is $10,000 lighter. As for the tire changer…

11. DENNY HAMLIN – 2213 POINTS
Was wishing Logano and Truex would have hit a lot harder last week.

12. KYLE LARSON – 2179 POINTS
Has Larson replaced Danica and Jeff Gordon as NASCAR’s prettiest Cup driver?

13. JIMMIE JOHNSON – 2173 POINTS
Lowe’s is about to leave, but Ally’s Financial is preparing to arrive in a big way.

14. ALEX BOWMAN – 2164 POINTS
Might be soon able to drive the Jimmy himself all the way to Cow Town.

15. ERIK JONES – 2159 POINTS (1 Win)
At Atlanta, while brother was testing, sister Lindsey was taping for a school project.

16. AUSTIN DILLON – 2157 POINTS (1 Win)
The highlight of the season was eight months ago.

17. RYAN NEWMAN – 702 POINTS
A wide neck? I guess he has one. Here I thought he had to wear his ties dangling from his chin.

18. DANIEL SUAREZ – 655 POINTS
Hoy es un gran día para agradecer a los fans !!

19. RICKY STENHOUSE JR. – 650 POINTS
Like the rest of us, he discovered that a World Series game could turn out to be an all-nighter.

20. PAUL MENARD – 645 POINTS
Had as many Top Fives in 2014 as he has enjoyed since. He does have a reliable sponsor, though.

October 31, 2018
The Final Word – Logano steals a musical chair from Truex at Martinsville

We are down to a game of musical chairs. Four spots, with eight drivers who very much want one of them. Let me just say that musical chairs sucks. When you are a reserved fat kid, the more athletic aggressive lads are going to go after those seats hard. Also, you will never be a hero dropping a young lady on her ass. Fortunately for the gents at Martinsville on Sunday, not a young lady to be found. No fat kids, either, come to think of it.

A fat aggressive butt might be useful, but not as much as a fast aggressive Busch with a good cushion in points coming in. Kyle Busch came in with a 40 point advantage over the outsiders and was third in the opening stage to bump his margin up by one. Hey, every point counts, as seven of eight contenders added to their totals in that initial run, with Chase Elliott being the lone exception. As for Bill’s boy, he fell from fourth to seventh in points locked and secured in the bank at that point, but they had a lot more racing left on the day.

As long as the car stays together, that is. During the fueling intermission, Clint Bowyer had moved to within a couple of points of Elliott’s replacement in fourth, Joey Logano, when he made hard contact with William Byron in the pits. Surprisingly, his car showed little damage. Instead of a Ford, he must have been driving something made from Tonka. Martin Truex Jr. tested it further during the run, as the pair made some contact in the tight corners.

Bowyer and five others among our contenders managed stage points in the middle frame. Logano dominated to gain the max amount of points, with Kyle Busch again third. Denny Hamlin, who won that first round, was second this time out. Some guys do not need to be part of no stinkin’ playoffs to make themselves relevant. Neither Kevin Harvick or Aric Almirola collected any bonuses, but the former was still more than 30 to the good. Almirola, on the other hand, seemed about to make like the Titanic and sink out of view. You could almost hear the band playing.

Truex had some issues going through spec and started this one at the back of the field. He had never won at a short track. He took the lead from Logano with 140 of the scheduled 500 laps to go as weather threatened to move in. That was exciting. It was for about 15 laps when Logano charged back in front.

We had not seen much of Brad Keselowski. Neither had Logano until his teammate passed him with just over 40 miles to go. Only eight drivers mattered coming in, but nobody told the 2012 Cup champion.

Bowyer was one who mattered coming in. However, a spin with about 20 miles to go when track position mattered a lot did him no favors. The caution, on the other hand, was welcomed by a few others. Logano and Kyle Busch hit the green up front, while Keselowski and Hamlin were right behind them. It was the contenders against the pretenders for a big ole grandfather clock awaiting the winner in Victory Lane.

Keselowski could not care less about playing nice with the playoff posse. He roughed up Busch to take over second. He roughed up his teammate but Logano held him off. That is when Truex, who was in the third row for the re-start, re-emerged to tango with Logano, to make a bid for that elusive short-track victory as the pair went fender to fender over the final three miles.

They were rubbing. They were banging. They were sliding. It was Logano coming across the line to punch his ticket to Homestead. It marked his second of the season and the 20th victory of his Cup career.

With Truex out of shape, he had to settle for third as Hamlin got by him on the inside. The result means Logano has one of the four seats reserved for Homestead. Kyle Busch is 46 points to the good, with Harvick and Truex sitting 25 on the sunny side. Kurt Busch finds himself 25 away, while Elliott, Bowyer, and Almirola needing to win at Texas or Phoenix to steal a chair or two from the Big Three.

Musical chairs suck…unless you are watching the pratfalls from the sidelines. One thing to watch for in Homestead is Logano finding the wall instead of the championship. Truex is already installing the sights in his car as we speak.

October 29, 2018
Hot 20 – Martinsville and it is getting late, as those who matter are now down to eight

Then there were eight, as the surviving championship contenders take to the track this weekend at Martinsville. It is damn near over, but that overweight soprano has yet to warble, so we have a few notes to wait for between now and Homestead.

First, Kyle Busch and Kevin Harvick are bound to be among the final four. Probably. Maybe. If they manage to record Top Ten finishes this Sunday, as well as at Texas and Phoenix, add a few stage points, then all will be fine. If. A blown engine. A failed part. A wreck. Now, that could change everything. Not much wiggle room, but those two boys have more than anyone.

Martin Truex Jr. is our defending champion on a team about to become a ghost after this season. He is 23 points to the good. That is almost enough for a free pass…for one race…almost.

We have been waiting to see which of the new generation would firmly put his foot down and emerge as a true star of the future. Chase Elliott has provided us with the answer. In claiming two of the past three, he is the gent in that final transfer spot. It is not by much. Three points. Three points can come and go in a lap.

Three hounds are chasing the fox. Clint Bowyer, Joey Logano, and Kurt Busch are tied for fifth. For them, everything will be a big thing. Qualifying. Stage points. Finishes. Everything.

Finally, there is Aric Almirola. There are no more Talladega experiences coming up. No teammates to take him down the yellow brick road. This week, especially, he is on his own. As he comes in nine points out, he has to prove he belongs in this company. This week. Next week. The following week. If he can do that, he will truly deserve to be in the hunt in mid-November at Homestead.

The third round of the playoffs begins this Sunday at Martinsville with eight men out to lay a claim on a championship.

1. KYLE BUSCH – 4055 POINTS (7 Wins)
The Big Three…

2. KEVIN HARVICK – 4054 POINTS (7 Wins)
…remain the Top Three…

3. MARTIN TRUEX, JR. – 4038 POINTS (4 Wins)
…but will there be room for all three when they arrive at Homestead?

4. CHASE ELLIOTT – 4018 POINTS (3 Wins)
Three wins in his last 11 starts mean the lad has finally arrived and is a contender.

5. CLINT BOWYER – 4015 POINTS (2 Wins)
Just four spots remain to be in that final run for the championship…

6. JOEY LOGANO – 4015 POINTS (1 Win)
…but should a couple of the boys down here claim a win…

7. KURT BUSCH – 4015 POINTS (1 Win)
…then all bets are off.

8. ARIC ALMIROLA – 4006 POINTS (1 Win)
Almirola will not be among them. I love Talladega, but it is not a true indicator of what is to come.

9. RYAN BLANEY – 2212 POINTS (1 Win)
Had a good day last week, but as things turned out he needed to sweep the stages or win.

10. BRAD KESELOWSKI – 2194 POINTS (3 Wins)
To be a Top Ten ranked driver these days one has to win, though sometimes three is not enough.

11. KYLE LARSON – 2178 POINTS
Even a Top Three finish proved too little too late for some.

12. DENNY HAMLIN – 2159 POINTS
A Fistful of Dollars and a Handful of Martinsville wins. It is never too late to be a winner.

13. AUSTIN DILLON – 2150 POINTS (1 Win)
Do you remember Daytona in February? Me neither.

14. ERIK JONES – 2148 POINTS (1 Win)
Jones is in a Toyota, one of the few who are. How does that bode for 2019?

15. JIMMIE JOHNSON – 2148 POINTS
Here is hoping for a 10th and final Jimmie-Chad Martinsville celebration.

16. ALEX BOWMAN – 2144 POINTS
Bowman drives a bowtie. Am I the only one seeing the advertising potential of this?

17. RYAN NEWMAN – 663 POINTS
Newman drives a bowtie. Next season, it will be a blue oval. At least it is not a Toyota.

18. RICKY STENHOUSE JR. – 632 POINTS
No sweat working with Stenhouse, but driving is an entirely different matter for Kasey Kahne.

19. PAUL MENARD – 630 POINTS
There was a Menard sighting at Kansas, but that ended in the middle of the second stage.

20. DANIEL SUAREZ – 627 POINTS
Former crew chief Scott Graves will join Newman with Roush next season.

October 24, 2018
The Final Word – Some had to be great at Kansas, while others had to be just good enough

It might have been Kansas, but the action was a whole lot like a Las Vegas slot machine. Gold bar. Gold bar. Grapes. Dammit!

Take Kevin Harvick, for example. He was second best on the opening stage. He was the best in the second stage. He was dominating the third stage, at least until he went speeding on pit road. Dammit!

Alex Bowman was needing a win. Then Daniel Suarez clipped him on the second lap. Then he hit the wall on his own. He soldiered on and finished ninth. Nice job, but he needed to win. Dammit!

Boys needing to pick up points did. Kyle Larson even contended for a time for the win, finishing third. Brad Keselowski came across the line in Kansas in sixth, one spot ahead of Ryan Blaney. Good results. Not enough. Blaney came the closest, but even with top three runs in both opening stages he still wound up six points shy of both Kurt Busch and Clint Bowyer. Dammit!

As for Chase Elliott, Harvick’s miscue was to his benefit. He inherited the lead and held it. For the second time in this round, and the third time this season, Bill’s boy was a winner. Like Aric Almirola, he entered Kansas locked into the next round. After the opening stage, so was Harvick. Kyle Busch and Joey Logano followed after the second. That left it to Martin Truex Jr., Bowyer and the elder Busch, who was a lap down in 18th, to survive. They did.

Rowdy and Happy enter Martinsville and the third round of playoffs up by 40 and 39 points respectively in their quest to be among the final four at Homestead. Stay out of trouble, and they should be good as gold. Easier said than done. Almirola, in eighth, enters 12 points shy of Elliott in fourth place.

Some contenders have done well at the upcoming venue. Kyle Busch has a pair of wins. Bowyer has one. Logano, Blaney, and Harvick usually find themselves at least in the Top 15. Nothing but top ten finishes, however, should be the minimum goal. As for the top three among active drivers at Martinsville, that most definitely would include Jimmie Johnson, Denny Hamlin, and Keselowski. Unfortunately, all have already been eliminated from championship contention.

Dammit!

October 22, 2018
Hot 20 – If only the action at Pocono could be as cool as its name

Some things matter. Some do not. Every weekend, no more than 30 entries matter to some degree. The rest do not.

Most weekends NASCAR features a race and while some matter to race fans, most do not. Bristol, Charlotte, Darlington, Daytona, Sonoma, and Talladega races matter due to what they deliver and a long history of tradition.

Some are loyal to the short tracks at Martinsville and Richmond. Indianapolis is an over-hyped crown jewel, great history but not much gripping action delivered. Homestead gets the nod as long as it hosts the final race of the season. Those tracks present 16 of the 36 points events each season.

Pocono gives us two. It is a track ranked by some down amongst such venues as Chicago, Fontana, Kansas, and Kentucky. Cool name. Interesting layout. Lovely trees in the background. Like Indianapolis, it might be more entertaining for open-wheel racing than for the fender folk. Still, twice a year they return there, and twice a year I forget about the last one and actually look forward to the tri-oval. Each year I hope that it will all come together for a terrific contest.

Maybe this year. Maybe this will be the one. It is a track that boasts of the performances put in by the likes of Jeff Gordon, Emerson Fittipaldi, Danny Sullivan, Juan Pablo Montoya, and A. J. Foyt. Kyle Busch won there last July. Ryan Blaney is the defending June race champion. Chris Buescher won there for Bob Jenkins in 2016. Denny Hamlin has four Pocono wins. Jimmie Johnson and Kurt Busch each have claimed three.

Yes, the highlight packages of the past from Pocono look truly awesome. The highlights. The actual action come race day….well, maybe this will be the year. I sure hope so. Such things matter.

1. KYLE BUSCH – 4 WINS – 573 Pts
If he runs at Pocono like he did at Charlotte, he might be the only one who matters.

2. KEVIN HARVICK – 4 WINS – 1 E.W. – 485 Pts
Today, that encumbered win comes in to play.

3. JOEY LOGANO – 1 WIN – 506 Pts
Picks up an average of 39 points per race. You do not have to be loved to be awesome.

4. MARTIN TRUEX, JR. – 1 WIN – 430 Pts
If he only had some Kryptonite to toss as Superman on Sunday, he could have won it.

5. CLINT BOWYER – 1 WIN – 421 Pts
Crew chief Mike (Buga) Bugarewicz would love a happy homecoming.

6. AUSTIN DILLON – 1 WIN – 244 Pts
If he had finished second at Daytona, he would be less successful than Suarez.

7. BRAD KESELOWSKI – 437 POINTS
Won Saturday’s Xfinity race. Please raise your hand if you give a damn.

8. KURT BUSCH – 429 POINTS
The only driver in NASCAR to have seen Kyle Busch wearing a diaper. I hope that is true.

9. DENNY HAMLIN – 429 POINTS
“We’re either really good or we’re average at best.” Finishing third is average?

10. KYLE LARSON – 382 POINTS
Raced Sunday in Charlotte, North Carolina. Raced Wednesday as an outlaw in Fairbury, Illinois.

11. ARIC ALMIROLA – 376 POINTS
The decision to move over from the King to join Smoke has proven to be a good one.

12. RYAN BLANEY – 375 POINTS
A cylinder let go around lap 150 and they tried to limp it home. Instead, they started a barbecue.

13. JIMMIE JOHNSON – 327 POINTS
Imagine. Almost an entire year with a single win. I bet Michael McDowell can.

14. ERIK JONES – 314 POINTS
Three bad luck pit road moments buried any hope of shining last Sunday.

15. ALEX BOWMAN – 299 POINTS
One of the greatest coaches in NHL history. What? Sorry, wrong Bowman.

16. CHASE ELLIOTT – 296 POINTS
According to TMZ, he believes “Judging Hooters Competition Harder Than Racing Cars”

17. RICKY STENHOUSE, JR. – 296 POINTS
His Charlotte experience was better than someone else’s Indianapolis adventure.

18. PAUL MENARD – 263 POINTS
Another Cup guy racing Xfinity on Saturday. One more young driver fails to get a ride.

19. DANIEL SUAREZ – 245 POINTS
More than 50 points out of the Chase…unless he wins. Winning is always good.

20. JAMIE MCMURRAY – 231 POINTS
One ahead of Newman and Byron, two up on Wallace.

May 30, 2018
The Final Word – Homestead sees the end of the Junior era, as another Junior wins it all

It was an amazing two weeks. In that time, Kevin Harvick locked his way into the final four, along with Kyle Busch and Martin Truex Jr. We got to see Matt Kenseth win, spoil things for Chase Elliott, and allowed Brad Keselowski to round out our championship contenders. During that time, I was among eight family members enjoying 80 plus degree temperatures in Hawaii.

I know you did not click in to let me reminiscence about our time in paradise, but I do have one question. When did WestJet, what had been a very special, passenger orientated airline, become just like Air Canada? It appears that if you want to fly the friendly skies in comfort these days, you need to be Leonardo DiCaprio winging his way to Europe on a private jet to pick up an environmental award…but I digress.

Less than 24 hours after arriving back to the land of snow and ice, once again I could witness palm trees and 80 plus degree temps under the sunshine as NASCAR wrapped up its season in Homestead, Florida.

Of course, more than four would have our attention. Dale Earnhardt Jr. was in his final race as a full-time driver, though by the end of the second stage he was outside of the top twenty. Danica Patrick will be in the Daytona 500 and the Indianapolis 500 next season, but she failed to make the end of this one when she crashed out. Kenseth’s career might be coming to an end, and after winning last week he concluded this campaign with a top 10 result. As for the next face of the sport, Elliott finished fifth at Homestead, giving in him a top 15 in 10 of his final dozen events. His time is coming, and right soon.

All that was left to decide was the championship, and all four contenders were in the top five heading down the stretch. Keselowski faded to seventh, while Harvick would wrap things up in fourth. That left a duel between Truex and Busch. Truex held the lead as the laps counted down, but Busch had pit strategy working in his favor. Well, he did until his brother Kurt brought out the caution with less than 40 laps remaining.

Busch remained within a second of his rival from that point onward. However, the closest he got was 0.20 seconds…as they crossed the line. Martin Truex Jr. won his eighth of the season, just the 15th of his career, to become the 2017 Cup champion. It is his first, and the first for team owner Barney Visser and Furniture Row Racing out of Denver, Colorado.

It was a satisfying conclusion to the season. As for the broadcast, well, you cannot win them all. In 2007 I was part of another group of family members who flew in to watch the Daytona 500. Harvick beat out Mark Martin at the line while Clint Bowyer ended the race on his lid. It was an amazing experience. We flew in on WestJet, even watching the Duels run live on the television provided for each and every passenger. It was an amazing experience. That was in 2007. Those were the days of “how bad have you got it.” I sure miss those days.

November 20, 2017