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The Final Word – Four were hot at Atlanta while most others were in a deep freeze

Any more global warming and a guy could freeze to death. Last week, we had temperatures higher than Sunday at Atlanta. It is actually snowing where I am, a ten hour drive north of the Montana border, so seeing somewhere warm at this time of year is a good thing. Atlanta did not provide that good thing, unless you happened to be a fan of one of four drivers.

Joey Logano took the pole, led early, and finished fourth. Kevin Harvick then led a bunch, the most of anyone, and wound up second. Dale Earnhardt Jr. led for a moment, a brief moment, but was near the point the entire day, finishing third. Then there was Jimmie Johnson, who closed the door on the Closer, after he got caught up in traffic, to claim his 71st Cup victory.

Johnson started beyond 30th, as did 13 others who failed to even make it through tech inspection, never mind even attempting to qualify. Jeff Gordon failed four times. We are left to wonder if all these teams became that dumb that quick, or have the lasers used for measuring become that precise that quick, or is there another explanation? Only 15 of 49 cars made it through on their first attempt, with Tony Stewart and Matt Kenseth among those who failed to get in a qualifying run.

Okay, Travis Kvapil did not either, but he had better reason. Among the many reasons the cars get taken to the track in a majestically painted hauler apparently is to warn thieves that this is something too hot for them to handle. Put the car in a plain white trailer towed behind a pick-up truck, park it outside a hotel, and a thief could wind up with the surprise of his life. They found the car left parked in a rural area after the thieves unloaded it, but the tools, and spare engine are as gone as the trailer they were in at the moment. You can see the No. 44 car at Las Vegas this weekend.

Winning or being in the Top 16 is the goal in order to make the Chase. Logano and Johnson are pretty much locked in. A.J. Allmendinger (seventh on Sunday), Carl Edwards (12th), and Danica Patrick (16th) are now in, while Denny Hamlin (38th), Michael Annett (29th), and Austin Dillon (39th) have slipped to the outside. Others heading to Las Vegas seeking to move up are such veterans as Kenseth (18th in the standings), Ryan Newman (21st), Brad Keselowski (23rd), Jamie McMurray (32nd), Gordon (35th) and Stewart (36th).

Brian Vickers returns to the No. 55 Toyota this weekend after mending from a heart issue. His stand-in at Atlanta was 22-year old Brett Moffitt, who finished eighth in just his eighth Cup event. Interestingly enough, that one result has him just 14 points out, 24th in the rankings, and just two behind Keselowski. I hope somebody has the kid’s phone number.

There is no excuse to have a bad announcer who was a former driver. Keselowski did a good job during his Xfinity broadcast stint. Harvick was great during his. I still love Kyle Petty and Wally Dallenbach. There is a lot of talent out there. While announcing is a very important component to keeping fans watching and listening, I have noticed some other components.

There is the visual excitement, like a tight battle for the lead, a formation of drivers only inches apart, or charging at break neck speed down city streets, as they do at Monte Carlo. Atlanta was not like that, at least it wasn’t until Hamlin or Greg Biffle went sideways. Then it became exciting, in a video game kind of way.

There is the leader of the race. You like that driver, it is entertaining. If you do not, it is not as enjoyable. I found my own enjoyment factor went up when Kevin and Jimmie replaced Joey on point. I am sure the new Mrs. Logano saw this differently, as she should.

There was a time when we were made to feel like we were part of a fraternity, with promos and commercials geared to fans just like you. When was the last time we were asked “how bad have you got it?” Do you look at a big brown truck any differently? NAPA was not just car parts, it was about teammates and being at the wrong track. Is anyone still sorry about what happened to Tony’s little car? In the words of Hank Williams, why doesn’t NASCAR and its sponsors love us like they used to do?

I loved being in Las Vegas 14 months ago. It got so cool there I damn near had to put a jacket over my T-shirt, shorts, and sandals. What a wonderful way to experience winter. Yet, the Deep South was almost a deep freeze Sunday at Atlanta, and when I was at Daytona one February a few years ago. If that is how things are now in the south, there is no way I am visiting Boston until the Red Sox are playing in front of a short-sleeve crowd at Fenway. I will risk a sun burn over frost bite any day.

March 2, 2015
Surprising and Not Surprising: Atlanta Folds of Honor QuickTrip 500

With several of the sport’s biggest names starting from the back of the field, from missing qualifying sessions to missing driver introductions, here is what else was surprising and not surprising from the 56th annual Folds of Honor QuickTrip 500 at Atlanta Motor Speedway.

Surprising: The top ten finishers at Atlanta were a fascinating mixture of everything from four past champions to two one-car team drivers and one young replacement driver.

The four past champions included winner Jimmie Johnson, runner up and immediate past champ Kevin Harvick, fifth place finisher Matt Kenseth and Brad Keselowski, who finished ninth. And in the midst of those champions ran young Brett Moffitt, who replaced Brian Vickers in the No. 55 Aaron’s Dream Machine for Michael Waltrip Racing to finish eighth, as well as the single car teams of Martin Truex Jr. and AJ Allmendinger, who finished sixth and seventh respectively.

“This thing was just bad fast,” the race winner and driver of the No. 48 Lowe’s Chevrolet said. “I had a blast racing with the No. 4 (Kevin Harvick). He was awfully strong today. I think track position there at the end just kind of set things in place. We had the restart we needed to and off we went.”

“This is truly amazing,” Moffitt said after finishing top-ten in his No. 55 replacement ride. “We showed good speed all weekend long. We just couldn’t bust off a quick lap on fresh tires and we kept adjusting on the car during the race. It wasn’t where we needed it to start and I kept learning how to be more aggressive on the restarts and use other people’s air to benefit me.”

“I can’t thank Michael Waltrip Racing, Toyota and Aaron’s enough for this opportunity. Definitely learned a lot out there. Wish I could be in the car more often.”

Not Surprising: Jeff Gordon had an immediate partner in commiseration after again hitting hard into a wall sans a safer barrier.

“Pretty convenient to see that SAFER Barrier end just before @jeffgordonweb pounds wall,” Kyle Busch tweeted ironically from his home while recuperating from his lack of safer barrier crash injuries. “Hope he’s healthy! When will this end @NASCARsafer barrier.”

“I’m very frustrated the fact that there was no SAFER barrier down there,’’ Gordon said after exiting the infield care center. “I know it was a hard hit. I didn’t expect it to be that hard. I go out and looked and ‘Oh well, big surprise I found the one wall on the back straightaway that doesn’t have a SAFER barrier.’ ‘’

“I don’t think we can say any more after Kyle’s incident at Daytona. Everybody knows they’ve got to do something. It should have been done a long time ago. All we can do now is hope they do it as fast as they possibly can and get it done.’’

Surprising: While he treasured his former crew chief Steve Letarte in the role, there is apparently a new cheerleader on top of the box for fan favorite Dale Earnhardt Jr. And this new cheerleader helped his driver right to a 3rd place finish at Atlanta, backing up his 3^rd place finish at Daytona the week before.

“The communication is great and he’s actually a pretty good cheerleader to be honest with you,” Dale Jr. said. “Who knew? I think he’s going to be awesome to work with and he’s got a hell of a future and I’m glad to be able to have a few years with him here while he’s sort of learning the ropes.”

Not Surprising: Reviews were mixed on the use of track bar adjustability, from drivers who loved it and felt it made a tremendous difference to those that did not use it at all.

“I thought it was great,” Martin Truex, Jr., driver of the No. 78 Furniture Row Racing Chevrolet said about his track bar use after finishing sixth. “I used it all day. I thought it was something neat to play with.”

“We made a decision last night to drop ours a little bit for the start of the race. Had we not had that adjustment we would have been in big trouble. It helped us a lot today just having that. We were up and down, back and forth with it.”

“I thought it was a great little tool. It wasn’t like you were going to go from a 10th-place car to winning the race with it. But it was something there that you could tune on to make your car more comfortable on shorter and longer runs.”

“My crew chief Brian Burns says I’m not smart enough to have one in there right now,” AJ Allmendinger, driver of the No. 47 Better Than Bouillon Chevrolet, said about the track bar. “We never had one all weekend. We were letting everybody get the bugs worked out of it.”

“I don’t like having it in there because it gives me one less excuse to yell at my crew chief about why my car is not very good (laughs),” the seventh place finisher continued. “We will work on that.”

Surprising: For Danica Patrick, it was all about the tape, ‘bout the tape.

“I’d have to say one of our biggest problems today – aside from getting going on the start and getting the car tuned in – was that the tape kept coming off the front,” the driver of the No. 10 GoDaddy Chevrolet said after finishing 16th. “The tape was making me handle. It wasn’t only running pretty cool but the tape helps front downforce.”

“It was pretty noticeable when the tape came off. That was our biggest problem today as far as a better result goes. I believe we wouldn’t have been a lap down if we had kept that tape on.”

Not Surprising: For many drivers, it is sometimes where you are happy not to be that makes all the difference.

“That’s kind of been our goal going into the season is to not start in such a big hole like we did last year,” Aric Almirola said after finishing 11th in his No. 43 Fresh From Florida Ford for Richard Petty Motorsports. “We got a little bit behind right before halfway and then we got it back, so I’m proud of this run and proud to start this season off with two top-15 finishes.”

“Last year I think going into the third or fourth race we were outside the top 30 in points, so so far, so good. “

Surprising: While not a superspeedway per se, Atlanta did see the ‘big one’ late in the race when Greg Biffle got loose and collected five other cars.

“I think the 16 and 34 got together, something up front there,” Ricky Stenhouse Jr., driver of the No. 17 Fifth Third Bank Ford, said after being involved in the crash. “I was committed to the top and got in the brakes and got in the back of the 15, which was down on power I guess.”

“And then a lot of smoke and somebody was in front of me as I was still on the brake and went ahead and ended our day.”

Not Surprising: Replacement drivers Regan and Ragan had solid runs but were not stellar, finishing in 17th and 18th place respectively.

“It was a battle all day,” Regan Smith, replacement driver for Kurt Busch, said. “We kind of struggled with the handling on the No. 41 Haas Automation Chevrolet SS. Finally when we got it where I was happy with it, we were a lap down already. It was kind of too late at that point.”

“Right after we got it where I was happy, we got damage on the nose. I don’t know… somebody up there wrecked and everybody stopped. Tony (Gibson, crew chief) made some great pit calls to somehow get us back to one lap down. I still don’t know how that happened. It was a good job by him to salvage the day for the team.”

“The first 100 laps of the race, our M&M’s Crispy Camry was fast, had speed and track position means a lot at any race and as we fell back a little bit and I think it was a snowball effect,” David Ragan said, in for the recovering Kyle Busch, said. “We just really probably were a little behind on our adjustment and that’s probably just my inexperience with these guys and being a little timid on making a few adjustments.”

“We had some good speed, but we had lost too much ground. We learned a lot, brought the car back in one piece, but we can run better than that.”

Surprising: Landon Cassill experienced déjà vu all over again. For the second time in two races, his engine let go in the No. 40 Snap Fitness Chevrolet. Cassill finished the race dead last in the 43rd spot and fell to the basement as far as the points standings.

Not Surprising: Although the Team Penske drivers described their race day as being up, down and all over the place, both Joey Logano and Brad Keselowski managed to finish top-ten at Atlanta. In fact, Logano, who started from the pole position, finished fourth in his 22 Shell/Pennzoil Ford, while teammate Keselowski finished ninth in his No. 2 Detroit Genuine Parts Ford.

“We raced hard and raced up toward the front all day,” Logano said. “Those Hendrick cars are fast, and obviously the 4 car, but the other guys would just take off and leave me. I did everything I could to maintain on restarts and be aggressive and that’s where we ended up.”

“We were just kind of up and down and floating all day long,” Keselowski said. “At one point, I thought we were gonna have a 15th-place day and towards the end I thought we were gonna have a fifth-place day.”

“We cycled out to a ninth-place finish, which wasn’t our best and wasn’t our worst today. It just was what it was.”

March 1, 2015
Matty’s Picks 2015 – Vol. 2 – Atlanta Motor Speedway

The 2015 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series is off and running and taking shape with its own headlines. Whether it’s Jeff Gordon’s farewell tour, domestic violence in the sport, driver safety, stolen race cars, or the qualifying fiascoes, the 2015 is quickly creating its own identity just two weeks into the eleven-month racing season.

This week, we’re at Atlanta Motor Speedway, a race that was moved from the end of August/early September to the number two slot in the series schedule. The never-ending winter this year may have it’s way with the scheduling of the Folds of Honor QuikTrip 500 on Sunday, however, with a 50 percent chance of rain and temperatures expected to be in the mid 40’s on Sunday. As the most recent winter weather system moves across the Midwest and into the Southeast, the teams have more to compete with than just the weather this weekend in Atlanta, like thieves, and passing inspection.

(more…)

February 28, 2015
Inaugural Century Poll Picks Jimmie Johnson as 2015 NASCAR Champion

There is a new poll making its way through the NASCAR garage and media center. The Century Poll, instituted by Mike Siberini, asks a question a month of the NASCAR community to get a pulse of what is really happening in the world of stock car racing.

There are currently 100 voters in The Century Poll, 50 from the NASCAR media and 50 from the NASCAR garage, which includes drivers, crew chiefs, crew members, team owners, PR reps, sponsors and even track officials.

For the first question of The Century Poll, all voters were asked to choose their pick for the driver that will win the 2015 NASCAR Sprint Cup championship.

The results showed that the early championship pick was none other than six-time champ Jimmie Johnson. The driver of the No. 48 Lowes Chevrolet for Hendrick Motorsports garnered 23 of the 100 votes. He captured 10 of the 50 garage votes and 13 of the 50 media votes.

The second highest vote getter was perhaps the most sentimental. Jeff Gordon received 22 total votes, 10 of which were from the garage and 12 of which were from the media.

There were only two other drivers with double digit votes, Carl Edwards, who received 18 total votes, and Kevin Harvick, who garnered 14 votes to go back to back as champ.

The fifth highest vote getter was Daytona 500 winner Joey Logano. The Team Penske driver scored 4 garage votes and 5 media votes for a total of 9 votes. His teammate Brad Keselowski scored only a total of 3 votes, all of which were from the media.

Matt Kenseth received 3 garage votes and 1 media vote for a total of 4. Surprisingly perennial fan favorite Dale Earnhardt Jr. only received 3 total votes to be this year’s champion, all of which were from the garage.

The final vote recipients were Denny Hamlin, with a total of 3, including 2 from the garage and 1 from the media, and Tony Stewart, who received 1 vote, the sole one being from the garage.

As one of the voting members, I was one of the many who picked Jimmie Johnson. So apparently I am in good company!

But we need to hear now from our loyal Speedway Media readers…..who would you pick right now with the second race looming as your 2015 champ?

Weigh in and let’s see where YOU fit in The Century Poll!

February 26, 2015
NASCAR Top-10 Power Rankings: Daytona

Note: The quotes in this article are fictional.

1. Joey Logano: Logano surged to the lead late at Daytona and held off Kevin Harvick, Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Denny Hamlin to win his first 500.

“Oh what a feeling,” Logano said. “I feel like this win validates my nickname. So, this is the greatest thing, hence ‘Sliced Bread.’ And enrollment in my fan club, ‘Flour Power,’ is growing exponentially.

“I guess I have to thank my father, Tom Logano, for much of my success. I fondly remember fondly being strapped unwillingly to the seat of a midget car at a very young age. I guess that was my introduction to racing ‘restraint’ systems.”

2. Kevin Harvick: Harvick finished second in a tightly-contested Daytona 500, taking the runner-up spot behind Joey Logano.

“Logano is lucky I couldn’t get close to his bumper,” Harvick said. “After what he did to me in the Sprint Unlimited, I owed him. But I’m sure Joey doesn’t want to mess with me. To Logano, I’m like a weight scale to Tony Stewart—-he wants no part of it. If you’re gonna tell Tony to ‘step on it,’ you might want to be very specific.”

3. Denny Hamlin: Hamlin started 42nd and methodically worked his way to the front and into position for a last-lap run at Joey Logano. Hamlin came up short for the win, but posted a solid fourth as Toyota’s top finisher.

“I tangled with Danica Patrick in the second Gatorade Duel,” Hamlin said. “I found out that there’s only one thing worse than racing with Danica, and that’s talking to her.”

4. Dale Earnhardt Jr.: Earnhardt led 32 laps and fell back late before a strong, final charge gave him a third-place finish. On a restart with 19 laps to go, Earnhardt lost the draft and was shuffled back to 19th before charging back to the front.

“I let down the fans of Junior Nation,” Earnhardt said. “When I fell back, you could hear the collective gasp emanate from the mouths of the Nation. What’s worse, you could smell it.”

5. Jimmie Johnson: Johnson overcame an early drive-through penalty, charging from the back of the field to claim fifth, joining Hendrick teammate Dale Earnhardt Jr., who finished third, in the top five.

“At first,” Johnson said, “NASCAR officials wouldn’t tell us why we were being penalized. Usually, they can’t wait to tell us what we did wrong.

“We were penalized for having too many men over the wall,” Johnson said. “As we found out, it’s easier to get over the wall than get over the hump.”

6. Jeff Gordon: Gordon won the pole and dominated early, leading 87 laps at Daytona, but found himself mired in traffic late and vulnerable to the inevitable accident. It happened on the final lap, when the No. 24 was clipped and spun by Austin Dillon. Gordon finished 33rd.

“That’s certainly not what I meant when I said this would be my last ‘go-round,’” Gordon said.

“But let’s be serious. Do you really think I’ll never race in a 500 again? I just got a retirement gift from Mark Martin. It’s a shirt that says, ‘Retirement is for quitters.’”

7. Clint Bowyer: Bowyer gave Joey Logano a push to the front late at Daytona, a lead Logano maintained while Bowyer finished seventh.

“Penske drivers are always getting a ‘push’ when they least expect it,” Bowyer said. “I don’t think Logano’s been pushed that hard by anyone except his father. Ton Logano is the Joe Jackson of NASCAR.”

8. Casey Mears: Mears finished sixth at Daytona after starting 41st, giving Germain Racing a huge boost to start the season.

“The No. 13 car is sponsored by Geico,” Mears said. “Usually, when you see a reptile in NASCAR, you’re looking at one of the repulsive track owners.

“A good showing for me at Daytona always draws comparisons to my more famous uncle, Indy car great Rick Mears. I like to tell myself I’m just like him, and I am—he never won a Daytona 500, either.”

9. Greg Biffle: Biffle quietly finished 10th at Daytona after qualifying eighth and avoiding trouble throughout the day. Biffle was the top finisher for Roush Fenway Racing, as Ricky Stenhouse Jr. and Trevor Bayne finished 29th and 30th, respectively.

“With Carl Edwards gone,” Biffle said, “I’m now the face of RFR. And that’s scary.”

10. Martin Truex Jr.: Truex finished eighth at Daytona, giving Furniture Row Racing a strong start to the 2015 season.

“We had a great run,” Truex said, “and it was great publicity for Furniture Row. By the way, Furniture Row has some of the best furnishings in the business, especially our tables, which are varnished to a brilliant sheen. You could say they all come with a ‘top 10 finish.’”

February 25, 2015
The Final Word – Daytona saw no Kyle, no Kurt, but for Joey, oh my

Speeds over 200 mph. Three wide racing to the end. Dale Earnhardt Jr. had time at the front. So did Jeff Gordon and Jimmie Johnson. Excellent announcing on FOX. Nice weather. What was there not to love about the Daytona 500?

Okay, if you were not a fan of Joey Logano and saw that caution come out as they were wrecking behind them on that final lap, maybe you were upset. Especially so as Kevin Harvick and Junior were trying to challenge at the end. Yet, they kept wrecking back there so NASCAR decided to err on the side of safety.

Gordon was involved in the melee, and was ranked 33rd, the final car on the lead lap of a race that went to green-white-checkers. If you were a fan of Tony Stewart or Matt Kenseth, early damage left them non-factors the rest of the day, with Smoke finishing 42nd. With 40 laps to go, Brad Keselowski went up in smoke to sit 41st. Danica Patrick was 21st, but rarely to be seen on the day.

If you are a Busch fan, any Busch, you were left cheering for Matt Crafton, who was 18th in his Cup debut, while Regan Smith was 16th. Neither picked up drivers’ points with each being registered in one of the other two national series. Both Casey Mears and Martin Truex Jr. each earned a Top Ten, with David Gilliland, Sam Hornish Jr., and Michael Annett all in the Top Fifteen. Now if they can only follow that up with solid results next week in Atlanta.

Still, not a Busch to be found in Georgia, either. I have always thought that by running an average of 25 races in the junior circuit, Kyle Busch was taking a seat away from an up and comer. That has been solved for the time being, but not in a fashion any of us wanted. That was a damn scary hit last Saturday, on a regular concrete wall, causing Busch a broken right leg and left foot. If there is a need for a wall, it is due to the possibility a car might hit it, and if the possibility exists, so does the need for a safer barrier to exist. I dislike Kyle driving so much in the Xfinity Series, but I dislike even more him having to be in hospital.

A Daytona 500 with neither Busch brother. At least Kyle’s situation is straight forward, which is more than one can say about that of Kurt. From my understanding, a despondent Busch texted his former girlfriend who then sent these along to his coach driver who encouraged her to visit. This she did, out of either compassion or to get Kurt to tell her son the relationship was over, I am no longer sure as to which. Kurt was naked the entire time of the visit, an image I am trying to keep out of my head. He tried to get her to leave by either cupping her face aggressively or choked her and slammed her head into a wall. No charges have yet been laid and a judge says he believed more of her story than that of the driver yet stated she lied during her testimony. In the end, he gave her a protection order to keep Busch away, causing NASCAR to react with the suspension. I find this whole situation a train wreck with more drama than most of us can be bothered to dwell upon. I wish them both well.

For most others, the season opened well, especially for the fans. While Junior had a strong car, Logano had the one that could challenge him. Sometimes luck decides how things work out, but Sunday at Daytona the car that was the stoutest when it counted, won. Sure, he was helped when Junior made a lane change that cost him too much for too long too late into the event, but Joey was the one guy who could, and did, take full advantage. Now it is off to Atlanta for 500 miles, the scene of Kasey Kahne’s lone victory of 2014. If you loved Daytona, you might as well stick around to see how Atlanta might measure up.

February 23, 2015
Surprising and Not Surprising: Daytona 500

After an incredibly eventful Speedweeks, here is what was surprising and not surprising from NASCAR’s first and one of the biggest races of the season, the 57th annual Daytona 500.

Surprising: The various Daytona 500 race watching venues were definitely most surprising, from Kurt Busch watching from who knows where after his indefinite suspension due to domestic violence allegations to his brother Kyle watching from a hospital bed after breaking his leg and foot in an Xfinity race crash.

The other two unusual seats for the Daytona 500 were for Regan Smith and Matt Crafton, who substituted for the Busch brothers, in the No. 41 and No. 18 race cars respectively. Smith finished 16th for Stewart Haas Racing and Crafton finished 19th for Joe Gibbs Racing.

“Started off really tight with the race car and never got it turning,” Smith said from his race seat. “I don’t know, kind of frustrating. I actually anticipated a much better day and nothing much more to show for it. Those guys did a nice job all weekend but we just plowed through the corners.”

“It was a learning curve,” Crafton said from his unexpected race seat. “The first half we just rode around and tried to learn, learn, learn.”

“It was very, very tough, but that’s what we get paid to do – drive race cars and figure it out quick. I felt fine, just my back from being in that seat hurt. Under yellows I would loosen up the belts as much as I could and just try to bow myself up in the seat just because my back was just cramped so unbelievable bad.”

“I should have had a little better finish there at the end, but it is what it is.”

Not Surprising: There was a visual dichotomy, from Jeff Gordon greeting the fans with his two children at the start of the race to the 24 year old Joe Logano embracing his father in Victory Lane, truly signifying the passing of the torch in the sport.

This was Jeff Gordon’s last Daytona 500 and Joey Logano’s first ever win in the Great American race.

“Congratulations to Joey Logano,” Jeff Gordon said after finishing 33rd in a late race crash. “That moment you saw there with his dad that is what it’s all about. These types of moments, such a big race it means so much to all of us. You want to share that with the people that you are closest to that have been there along the way.”

“Congratulations to him and I don’t know what else to say other than I enjoyed it.”

Surprising: Even great plate racers can make a mistake and yet still manage finish in the third spot and that is just what the driver of the No. 88 Nationwide Chevrolet did. Even with the miscue, Dale Earnhardt Jr. managed his 18th top-10 finish in 31 races at Daytona International Speedway.

“I made a really bad decision on that restart with 19 to go,” Junior said. “I made a poor choice and you can’t afford to do that. I got shuffled back and lost a ton of spots.”

“I had one of the best cars out there and that gave me a ton of confidence to keep digging. We were able to get back up to third place. It’s really disappointing because the Nationwide team gave me the best car and we should have won the race.”

“It was a fun day out there. Just came up short and a little disappointed about that.”

Not Surprising: With the exception of Kevin Harvick, who finished in the runner up position, Stewart Haas Racing continued its struggles of the previous year, with Kurt Busch suspended, Tony Stewart hitting the wall and finishing 42nd and Danica Patrick being a non-factor, finishing 21st.

Stewart wrecked his No. 14 Chevrolet on Lap 41 when his car turned right, slammed into the wall, and completely wrecked his steering. This extended Stewart’s losing streak to seventeen races.

“I take the blame for that one,” Smoke said. “One-hundred percent my fault.”

Surprising: After winning one of the Duel races and starting at the front of the pack alongside teammate Jeff Gordon, six-time champion Jimmie Johnson saw the race win slip through his fingers in the final restarts. Johnson finished fifth in his No. 48 Lowe’s Chevrolet instead.

“With about 10 to go, I thought we were in position to win the Daytona 500,” Johnson said. “I wish we were in Victory Lane right now but with plate racing you honestly have no clue what’s going to happen.”

“Really the last two restarts just didn’t work for us. I was ahead of one lane and the guys behind us just weren’t bumper to bumper. Then on the last restart the same thing on the bottom. So it is just the way things happened.”

“A fun day here in Daytona, of course I wish I was in Victory Lane right now, but we had a very strong day nothing to be embarrassed about.”

Not Surprising: At restrictor plate tracks, where anything can happen and anyone can win, it was not surprising that two single-car race teams had great runs and emerged from Daytona with great optimism for the season ahead.

“It was a good run and has been a good 10 days down here,” Martin Truex, driver of the No. 78 Furniture Row/Visser Precision Chevrolet said after finishing eighth. “I had a lot of fun today. We had to go to the back a few times but our car was strong enough to drive up through there.I thought we had a shot there until that last caution. I got in the wrong lane on the last restart and got held up a little bit. All in all, we came out of here last year with a 43rd and to come out of here today with an eighth-place and top-10 is a good start to the year for us.”

“It was a really solid day,” Casey Mears said after finishing sixth, his fourth top-10 in the past five restrictor-plate races. “We have run up front at a lot of these things now or towards the front. We are getting a little bit greedier. We definitely want to win one of these races. I think our standards are getting a lot higher. From going from possibly not being in the show to finishing sixth that is definitely a good spread and a good way to start the season for sure.”

Surprising: In spite of being dubbed a good pusher by race winner Logano, Clint Bowyer was surprisingly ticked after his seventh place finish in the Great American race.

“I don’t know what I could have done different,” the driver of the No. 15 5-Hour Energy Toyota said. “I have to go back and look at it. Just you’re damned if you do and damned if you don’t there. I had them stacked up – some pretty good cars there behind me and I knew they were going to shuffle me out. I was kind of the lone wolf in the whole group other than the 22 (Joey Logano) and he happened to be leading.”

“Once they got me in the middle, three-wide, I just didn’t really have – I was stuck and screwed.”

Not Surprising: Denny Hamlin in his No. 11 FedEx Express Toyota for Joe Gibbs Racing was the highest finishing Toyota, scoring the 4^th spot.

“You know, you’ve got a 50-50 shot of winning it when you’re on the green-white-checkered on the front row,” Hamlin said. “Our line didn’t form up and it’s typically whatever line gets organized the most usually goes forward on these green-white checkers and we just – inside line didn’t get going.”

“We came up a little short again.”

Surprising: In spite of feeling helpless, Greg Biffle still managed a top-10 finish for Roush Fenway Racing, a great accomplishment after a disappointing 2014 season.

“It’s a little disappointing because we want to win the Daytona 500,” the driver of the No. 16 Ortho Ford said. “It just seemed like our car didn’t quite have the speed it needed. I really struggled to try and stay in line and handling was a huge issue. My car was so tight. There was nothing I could do at the end because I was totally boxed in.”

Not Surprising: Forget girls that just want to have fun, boys wanted to have fun as well and Carl Edwards did just that, in spite of finishing 24th with his new Joe Gibbs Racing No. 19 ARRIS Toyota team.

“Actually I had a very strong car and I had a lot of fun,” Edwards said. “I just didn’t pick the right lines there at the end – it just didn’t work. We got far enough back that it made it kind of hard to get back to the front. I had fun – I really did.”

“Had a great car and we didn’t tear anything up – just had a good time.”

February 22, 2015
Matty’s Picks 2015 – Volume 1 – Daytona

After a one-year sabbatical, Matty’s Picks is back for the 2015 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season. I had a great year last year, enjoying a few races from the stands as a fan, but I’m back in action this year on the keyboard and behind the camera lens bringing you my less than expert picks for the races each Sunday.

This year, I’ve decided to expand my picks and because the world of fantasy sports has exploded since the first Matty’s Picks column hit SpeedwayMedia.com back in 2010, I’ll be sharing my Fox Sports Fantasy Auto roster each week. In case anyone is unfamiliar with the Fox Sports Fantasy Auto rules, here’s the skinny; Each week, participants pick a roster of up to five drivers who are given a value each week based on past performances, stats and trends. Players are given a pool of $50,000 to play with each week and drivers earned points based on laps led, positions gained and finishing position. I’ll provide a brief recap of my weekly picks, provide an update of how my team is stacking up and even mix in some Vegas odds for those who might be interested in some financial advice throughout the season.

Hoping to have a bit more success in picking winners this year than in 2013, the year before my sabbatical from sports writing, I’ll be soliciting advice throughout the season, so feel free to drop me a note with your picks throughout the season at mattl@speedwaymedia.com.

Wasting no time getting into my picks for The Great American Race, I’ll disclaimer my column this week by letting everyone know my picks were made prior to the finish of both of the Budweiser Duel at Daytona races on Thursday night – my once-a-year excuse for making poor picks due to the qualifying procedures for the Daytona 500. Without further ado, here are my picks to start the 2015 season off this Sunday at the 2.5-mile superspeedway in Daytona Beach, Florida:

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February 21, 2015
NASCAR Nightmare: Group Qualifying Is a Bust at Daytona

NASCAR fans will be shaking their heads in disappointment even when racing’s biggest event, the Daytona 500, starts on Sunday. The Daytona qualifying pole is finished, but both drivers and fans are distraught about a new rule that NASCAR debuted at the race.

That rule is known as group qualifying, and it’s part of NASCAR’s competition reformation in 2015. Last racing season, the organization tried it out at both Talladega and the July Daytona race. Despite the fact that it caused chaos and upset drivers at those races, NASCAR officially premiered it at this past Sunday’s pole. So what’s the fuss all about?

What Is Group Qualifying?

The format for NASCAR qualifying is usually just a random draw. The drivers, in the order of the draw, then get two laps to try and set their best qualifying times.

The new format, group qualifying, pits groups of cars against each other for lap times. There are a series of five-minute sessions where this takes place. The top two cars in the final round of qualifying make up the front row for the Daytona 500. The remaining positions are set in the Budweiser Duels.

A Game of Chicken

Obviously, this is not a conventional format, particularly at restrictor plate tracks, and both fans and drivers, expressed their dissatisfaction. When the Daytona qualifying started, drivers thought they could outsmart their competition by playing a game of chicken. They hung out in the pits, waiting for their next lap to start so they could get a slower time.

Jeff Gluck of USA Today Sports expressed his frustration on this tactic. He lamented that the pole event used to be proof that drivers and race teams fine-tune their cars for months on end to set great qualifying times. He said:

“It was a one-time experiment that should become extinct, at least for the 500. This pole used to come after an offseason of hard work in the wind tunnel and by the engine shop, with attention paid to the smallest detail to make the car just hundredths of a second faster.”

Further Frustrations

Before Gluck even made his post, drivers were making comments at a post-race news conference addressing the problems of the new format.

Clint Bowyer, who wrecked during qualifying in a four-car accident caused by a block from Reed Sorenson, bashed the process. He told the NASCAR officials it was “a mess … Just extremely disappointed and I hate to say it, but I’m disappointed in NASCAR for putting us out in this situation.”

Even Jeff Gordon, who won the pole, admitted his frustrations. He said, “There’s so much going on in your mind. It’s literally like playing chess at 200 miles an hour.” Gordon’s last victory was at Dover on September 28, 2014, and he’ll want to have victories later into the year with this being his last season. He’ll already have so much on his mind that this extra element could hurt his performance.

NASCAR Executive Vice President Steve O’Donnell defended the change in format, reminding the people in the news conference that it was the teams who called for some of the change from single-car qualifying runs to group qualifying.

He further mentioned that the NASCAR board was open to suggestions, but said “We can’t rely on one driver, one owner, the track. We have to balance that and see what’s in the best interest of the entire sport.”

One thing is for certain, though. NASCAR followers definitely have some choice topics to talk about before the big race next weekend.

February 20, 2015
The Final Word – A Lack of Love at Daytona

We have just gotten the season underway, and already we got guys torqued. I mean, some got downright ornery.

Take the Sprint Unlimited race last Saturday. Joey Logano seemed just a flying fist of fate away from being all gums, no teeth. In fact, the best save of the day came when one of his crew grabbed his driver by the scruff of the neck and dragged his butt out of harm’s way. Down to the final couple of laps, Logano was driving up Kevin Harvick’s exhaust when that battered car tagged the wall. That was enough for a post-race discussion, but when Joey decided to stick his mug into Harv’s face to drop the f-bomb, he was suddenly hauled away. In doing so, he avoided a possible sock-it-to-me moment.

Oh, by the way, Matt Kenseth won the race, ahead of Martin Truex Jr. and Carl Edwards.

The next day, NASCAR’s wacky method to determine the front row for the Daytona 500 came into play. Instead of just finding out who is the fastest, we now include cars actually racing during qualifying, blocking to maintain position and to interfere with another’s time, along with jockeying on pit road as to who goes when to take advantage of what. The result is a nonsensical farce just to provide some kind of show for the fans. If you do not believe me, ask Clint Bowyer. He ignored his crew chief’s pleas to leave his smoking wreck to yell at Reed Sorenson, who had tried to block, which caused one hell of a mess. By being taken out early, the best Bowyer could do was record the 41st best qualifying time.

Jeff Gordon and Jimmie Johnson survived it all to take the front row spots in the Daytona 500. On Thursday, the duels will decided the other 41 positions.

So, Bowyer is not happy. After getting out of his car to jaw with Sorenson, a rule violation, he could wind up even unhappier. The fact he called the new qualifying format idiotic, saying “It’s NASCAR’s fault for putting us out here in the middle of this crap for nothing,” it is doubtful he has endeared himself to the powers that be. However, among the drivers, he is not alone in that observation.

If Kurt Busch’s ex is some kind of trained assassin, she must truly suck at her job if Busch can assault her, and live. The judge must think so, too, according to his ruling, ordering that Kurt stay away from her. If she is fearful of mean ole Kurt, she must be scared crapless of Jimmy Spencer.

Having to go home is a fear for a few on Thursday, but with Carl Edwards securing a spot last weekend in his new entry, all the familiar faces are locked in. Almost. 13 are in, with Jeff Gordon and Jimmie Johnson on the front row. Aric Almirola, Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Edwards and Jamie McMurray are in through their qualifying times. Kevin Harvick, Ryan Newman, Denny Hamlin and Joey Logano get a pass from their 2014 owner’s points, with Tony Stewart in as the most current past champion.

On Thursday, a Top 15 finish in one of the duel races locks a driver into the Daytona 500. If that driver already has a secure spot, the pass goes to the driver with the most 2014 owner’s points not already in the field. The six with the fewest owner’s points need to race their way in Thursday, with Ryan Blaney, Reed Sorenson, Michael Annett, Cole Whitt, Justin Marks and Ron Hornaday currently on the outside looking in. Those they are hoping to leap over include, in order, Michael McDowell, currently on the bubble, Johnny Sauter, Ty Dillon, Mike Wallace, Bobby Labonte, with Josh Wise the most secure of the bunch. Of course, if any of those bubble boys finish 15th or better in their Thursday race, they lock themselves into Sunday’s field. Simply put, for those high in 2014 owner’s points, it is less crucial to do well on Thursday. For those who are not, Thursday could mean everything.

Fans of Dale Earnhardt Jr have to love the fact that the next available spot would go to their guy, who has the best total in 2014 owner’s points among those not yet locked in. There is a chance, a very small chance, that Junior could fail to make the field. For that to happen, he would need to miss the Top 15 in his duel, as well as see every one of the 13 drivers currently locked in to finish their race 16th or worse. If just one of them finishes 15th or better, Earnhardt is in, and his fans have to love that.

Thursday they run the duels, Friday the trucks (except in Canada), Saturday the junior league, and Sunday it is the Daytona 500. What is not to love?

February 16, 2015