Tag: Jeff Gordon

Dale Jr. Daytona Win, Danica Drama, and Kurt Busch Double Down Showcases NASCAR

While NASCAR sometimes struggles to gain the national attention that it so desires, the sport has gotten off to a strong start with three major stories, including Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s big win in the Daytona 500, some Danica Patrick drama, and Kurt Busch’s announcement that he will run the Indy 500 as well as the NASCAR Coke 600, that have garnered publicity in the very young 2014 season.

The first story that caught the national eye was the victory of NASCAR’s most popular driver, Dale Earnhardt Jr., in the biggest race of the season, the Daytona 500. The win was especially noteworthy as Junior, the anointed heir, won on the track where his father not only was so dominant but also where he lost his life thirteen years ago.

The Dale Jr. Daytona 500 race win was almost picture perfect, with the exception of a six hour plus rain delay. But Junior was not to be deterred and refused to suffer yet again another runner up finish, which he had experienced in three of the previous four Daytona 500 races.

In fact, after the rain delay, Earnhardt Jr. led a race-high 54 laps, staying up front six times during the race. The win also ended a 55-race losing streak, with the victory coming a decade after his first Daytona 500 win.

With his trip to Victory Lane, Dale Earnhardt Jr. scored his 20^th victory in the Cup Series and joined Bill Elliott, Michael Waltrip, Sterling Marlin, Matt Kenseth and Jimmie Johnson as two-time Daytona 500 winners.

“Winning this race is the greatest feeling that you could feel in this sport besides accepting the trophy for the championship,” said Earnhardt, after bear hugging every member of his Hendrick Motorsports crew in Victory Lane. “I didn’t know if I’d ever get the chance to feel it again and it feels just as good.”

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

While Junior celebrated with his team and his owner Rick Hendrick, who hitched a ride in his window, to Victory Lane, the fans also went crazy with delight.

Even Jeff Gordon, four-time champion and veteran Hendrick driver, got into the act of celebrating with his most popular teammate.

“The world is right right now — Dale Junior just won the Daytona 500,” Gordon said. “That’s a sign it’s going to be a great season.”

Junior Nation, as his extensive fan base are known, was indeed beside themselves with joy, especially since the win qualified their driver for the championship Chase. And with that pressure off and the confidence at its height, Dale Earnhardt Jr. might have their hopes and dreams of a Cup championship come true.

“We might be in the Chase — I ain’t going to worry about that,” Earnhardt said. “Trust me, man, we’re going to have a blast this year.”

As Dale Earnhardt Jr. moved through his national media post-Daytona 500 responsibilities, another story that had also been brewing in the early season took hold, that of the drama surrounding the lone female in the sport, Danica Patrick.

A major part of the drama began when NASCAR Hall of Fame driver Richard Petty shared his opinion that Patrick could only win a Sprint Cup Series race “if everybody else stayed home.” Petty added that Patrick gets the attention that she does because of her gender, but added the caveat that that was still good for the sport.

“This is a female deal that’s driving her,” Petty said. “There’s nothing wrong with that. More fans come out, people are more interested in it. She has helped to draw attention to the sport, which helps everybody in the sport.”

The drama ratcheted up, however, as Patrick responded to Petty’s allegations.

“It’s true that there are plenty of people who say bad things about me; I read them,” Patrick countered. “At the end of the day, you get over that stuff and trust that you are doing a good job.”

“The people that matter the most to me are my team, my sponsors and those little 3-year-old kids that run up to you and want a great big hug and say they want to grow up to be like you. That’s the stuff I really focus on.”

“More than anything, I love the conversation it creates,” Patrick said. “Across the board, it makes sports interesting. It makes life interesting when people have different perspectives. That’s fine with me. … It really just doesn’t matter. It’s interesting conversation. I’m fortunate I’m in it.”

Whether the conversation was a distraction or not, Patrick has also had drama in the first two races of the season, crashing out in both the Daytona 500 and the Phoenix race. And she found herself at odds with another racer yet again, this time Justin Allgaier with whom she tussled in last weekend’s race.

“She was just upset because she got involved in the crash that we had,” Allgaier said. “She said she’s been through this and that she felt like I needed to settle down at that point.”

“I explained my position on why everything happened. I think she understood where I was coming from. It doesn’t fix either one of our racecars; it doesn’t fix either one of our days.”

“It’s tough,” Patrick said. “That’s two weeks in a row we’ve had good cars and nothing to show for it.”

“I’m starting to think if we didn’t have bad luck, we’d have no luck at all.”

If Danica’s drama does not soon come to an end, perhaps as early as this weekend’s race in Las Vegas, a major headline may just be that she will begin to have trouble even qualifying for the race down the road.

The final story that has captured national headlines for NASCAR was the recent announcement that Kurt Busch, driver of the No.41 HAAS Automation Chevrolet for Stewart-Haas Racing, will attempt to double down, racing both the Indy 500 and the NASCAR Coca Cola 600, all in the same day.

Busch will have to qualifying his way in for Andretti Autosport in the Indianapolis 500 and then fly to Charlotte to participate in the longest race of the NASCAR season.

“I’m a fan of motorsports, a student of motorsports, and I view this as a challenge for myself,” Busch said in an interview with The Associated Press. “Memorial Day weekend, the central focus of all motorsports is Monaco, Indianapolis and Charlotte and this is a tremendous opportunity to be right in the middle of it.”

“It’s a great opportunity for Kurt and I fully support him,” team owner Tony Stewart said. “He’ll have a lot to learn in a short amount of time, but he has an overwhelming amount of driving talent on his side. He has a great car owner with Michael Andretti, who’s not only an owner, but he’s been a driver too.”

“Michael has so much to offer Kurt in terms of knowledge and firsthand experience. It really seems like a natural pairing.”

Busch is also hoping to continue the buzz of the national story with a website that he recently launched, www.kurtbuschdouble.com, that will showcase his efforts to make history.

“I think this is something that is good for NASCAR, good for IndyCar, good for the fans to get behind and rally feel like they are part of,” Busch said. “There was no social media, or the means for fans to get an in-depth look at what goes into the double when the others tried it. We think we’ve got an opportunity to make people feel like they are part of the experience with me.”

NASCAR’s new rules also make the Busch double down possible since the driver would just need that one race win to get into the Chase. And with that win, he could afford to miss the start of the Coke 600 and still not hurt himself or his team.

“As long as we attempt to qualify for every race, we are eligible for the Chase under the new rules,” Busch said. “It’s like you are in New York City, on Broadway, and you look up at all the bright lights — they are clearly pointing to this being the right time to do this. The green light is on.”

The green light has indeed been switched on for all of these headlines, including Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s win of the Daytona 500, the drama surrounding Danica Patrick, and the doubling down of Kurt Busch in the IndyCar Series and NASCAR on Memorial Day weekend.

And it will be no doubt interesting and intriguing to see if the season continues to unfold, next in the race in Las Vegas this weekend, with additional storylines that piques the interest of even the most casual race fan across the county.

March 6, 2014
NASCAR Top-10 Power Rankings: Phoenix

Note: The quotes in this article are fictional.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

March 5, 2014
Surprising and Not Surprising: The Profit on CNBC 500

With the first knock out qualifying of the season and special guests like AJ Foyt celebrating the 50^th anniversary of Phoenix International Speedway, here is what else was surprising and not surprising from The Profit on CNBC 500 presented by Small Business Fueling America.

Surprising: While Kevin Harvick may be known as the ‘Closer’ and ‘Freaky Fast’, he can now add a surprising new moniker, that of ‘Leader’.

Harvick led more than 200 laps for the fourth time in the Cup Series, as well as leading a race-high 224 laps.

The driver of the No. 4 Jimmy Johns Chevrolet also took the lead from six-time champ Jimmie Johnson as the winningest driver at Phoenix International Raceway with five victories.

Finally, Harvick became the leader of the pack at Stewart-Haas Racing, grabbing the team’s first win, as well as his first win with his new team.

“This just solidifies so many things and so many decisions,” Harvick said after the race. “What a race car.”

Not Surprising: With PIR being a one-miler, it was not surprising that there was at least one short-track temper tantrum. And this time, that honor went to Danica Patrick, who was more than annoyed with Justin Allgaier.

“That damn 51 was driving like a complete jack**s out there,” Patrick said. “I’m not at all surprised we wrecked.”

Patrick went on to spin out again as a result of the damage inflicted in the incident with Allgaier’s car, finishing 36^th. Since she also crashed out in the Daytona 500, she now sits 41^st in owner points for the 2014 season, potentially endangering her chances in making races if she continues on that path.

Surprising: In spite of significant and integral parts of their team missing, with Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s spotter TJ Majors out for medical reasons and Brad Keselowski’s crew chief Paul Wolfe out for the birth of his child, both drivers did their missing compadres proud.

Dale Junior finished second in his No. 88 National Guard Chevrolet and Brad Keselowski finished right behind him in third in his No. 2 Alliance Truck Parts Ford. This was Earnhardt Jr.’s 11^th top-10 finish and Keselowski’s fourth top-10 finish at Phoenix International Raceway.

“Yeah we had a great car,” Junior said. “We leaned on our teammates and got the car a lot better. Steve (Letarte) and those guys just keep getting better and better. These cars I’m driving I think are the best in the garage.”

“That was everything we could do to get up there and get third,’ Keselowski said. “We did the best we could and that was really all we had.”

Both drivers texted and tweeted their respective missing team members before and after the race, keeping them as connected as possible, as well as celebrating their good finishes together.

Not Surprising: With Team Penske being stout in qualifying it was no surprise that Joey Logano also had a good finish in his No. 22 Shell Pennzoil Ford, taking the checkered flag in the fourth spot. In addition, Logano also had the quote of the race day.

“It was fun out there,” Logano said. “I had a really good Shell Pennzoil Ford but that 4 car was just so fast.”

“I was joking on the radio that on the back bumper of that car it says freaky fast and they weren’t lying when they put that on there.”

Surprising: Kasey Kahne, who had surprisingly been the lone Hendrick Motorsports struggler, fought off an ill handling car to catch up to his teammates, finishing 11^th.

“The guys battled hard today,” Kahne tweeted after the race. “11th was good for us after all that. On to Vegas!”

HMS drivers Jeff Gordon and Jimmie Johnson also had good runs, finishing fifth and sixth respectively.

Not Surprising: Phoenix International Raceway, which requires some finesse and experience, was not quite so kind to the rookies in the field. In fact, the highest finishing rookie was Kyle Larson in the 20^th position.

Austin Dillon finished 24^th; Cole Whitt 27^th; Justin Allgaier 30^th; Michael Annett 34^th; Ryan Truex 35^th; Alex Bowman 41^st and Parker Kligerman 42^nd.

Surprising: Casey Mears, behind the wheel of the No. 13 Geico Chevrolet had another surprisingly good run finishing top-15. Mears had a great run in the Daytona 500, taking the checkered flag in the tenth spot.

So, after leaving Phoenix, albeit only the second race of the season, Mears now sits 11^th in the point standings, having one of his best starts to the year.

Not Surprising: Kurt Busch, who had been a student at the University of Arizona, returned to the state to learn one tough lesson at PIR, blowing an engine to finish 39^th in the No. 41 Haas Automation Chevrolet.

“That was another disappointing finish for the No. 41 team,” Busch said. “We had a good Haas Automation Chevrolet early on and ran in the top-10 for more than 200 laps but we dropped a cylinder late in the race and couldn’t do anything to fix it.”

“We learned some things today,” Busch continued. “The school of hard knocks happens out on the road and in life.”

Surprising: While Kurt Busch was fighting his own engine demons, Brian Vickers was facing some surprising challenges of his own, turning his No. 55 Aaron’s Dream Machine Toyota into a nightmare.

“The second run we were trying to make an adjustment and the left rear jack screw broke so we didn’t get our adjustment,” Vickers said. “I think we even went the wrong way and that killed us — we lost track position and went a lap down.”

Vickers soldiered on to finish the race in the 25^th position.

Not Surprising: Ryan Newman served as leader of the Richard Childress Racing team, finishing seventh in his No. 31 Quicken Loans Chevrolet.

“The guys did a good job in the pits,” Newman said. “We caught a good break with the debris caution but that happens. I’m sure we’ll get the opposite at some point this year, too.”

The next event on the Sprint Cup schedule is the Kobalt 400 on Sunday, March 9th at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. The race starts at 3 p.m. EDT, with live coverage provided by FOX beginning with its prerace show at 2 p.m.

March 4, 2014

The Final Word – Harvick wins at Phoenix, Junior remains hot, but as for Danica…

Daytona was great. Phoenix was not bad, once you got used to the differences. One week we had a 2.5-mile superspeedway, the next we got was a single mile circuit. It rained in Florida, yet despite the forecast the only rain came to prematurely end the Nationwide race on Saturday. They ran in big packs in the southeast, not so much in the southwest. Rather than the huge grandstands, the feature of the PIR was Lonely Mountain and its band of hobbits just beyond the track. There was one similarity of note, however.

Dale Earnhardt Jr did run out front all day, just like at Daytona. He was almost the most dominant car on the day. Almost. The only difference was that Kevin Harvick remained ahead of him. All day. In the end, he had the horses to record his first victory as part of the Stewart-Haas team and an all but certain berth in the Chase, barring injury or alien abduction. Happy’s fender stated that it was Freaky Fast, and that was no lie.

If this was a wedding party, we had the happy couple at the alter, and the best men just behind them. Team mates Brad Keselowski and Joey Logano started on the front row and never seemed to fade beyond the top four. You need ushers, and Jimmie Johnson and Jeff Gordon were visible for the first half of the race, disappearing for much of the second half before returning at the end to round out the top half dozen. No one else really mattered from start to finish on Sunday in what was a great day for Hendrick, Penske, and Stewart-Haas.

The Hendrick weak sister was not all that delicate, with Kasey Kahne 11th. Not everyone at SHR was as stout. Tony Stewart was 16th, Danica Patrick 36th, and Kurt Busch 39th. Busch ran out the string with an ailing auto until it finally blew up with 20 laps left.

As for Patrick, she has still yet to show she can race, as the new qualifying rules left her starting closer to the rear. While a Top 20 might be a victory for her, she never got a chance to even get that far. Already a lap down, in 25th, she tangled with Justin Allgaier, which left her rear left quarter-panel buckled in. While the broadcast crew saw the tire rub, her crew did not, so they were probably the only folks surprised when the tire finally blew.

With wins pretty much equaling a Chase challenge, the only folks of note in trouble early are Patrick and Martin Truex Jr, both outside the top thirty in the standings. Truex was 22nd last Sunday after finishing dead last at Daytona, with Patrick still unable to crack the top 35 on race day. Still, it is early and you would think any fully funded driver surely would have to be able to crack the Top 30. Right?

So, off we go via FOX to Las Vegas this Sunday for a 400 miler on a 1.5-mile layout. Johnson has four wins there, while Gordon was best once back during his last championship season. Matt Kenseth has three, including the one last year. Carl Edwards has a pair, with Tony Stewart and Kyle Busch each with one.

Talking about Busch, does anyone give a damn that he won his all-time series best 64th Nationwide race in Phoenix on Saturday? NASCAR sees what we see, they are concerned that the big leaguers stomp all over the up and comers, but are not sure exactly what to do about it just yet. The tracks want the stars to bring out the fans, the team owners want them as they bring in sponsorship dollars, but they are for sure killing this series.

Regan Smith won at Daytona, but series regulars have just three of ten Top Five finishes, and 11 of a possible twenty Top Tens. What I wonder about is why bother wasting my time gushing over Kyle kicking minor league ass, when the most relevant finishers at Phoenix were Elliott Sadler (6th), Trevor Bayne (7th), and Smith (8th)? You know, the top three in the Nationwide standings, the boys who are truly relevant. I think the problem is not that the Cup drivers are allowed to race, but that the media focuses in on those who do not matter at the expense of those who do.

Winning is good, but at least one needs to strive to be relevant. Win a Cup race, stay in the Top 30, and one becomes relevant. Go winless, and one better be in the Top 16 in points to stay relevant. With a career average finish of 27.0, I think I can already identify one who is not. I believe Richard Petty might even agree with me.

Here are the sweet 16 as we head to Las Vegas.

Pos.	Drivers	Wins	Points
1	Dale Earnhardt, Jr.	1	90
2	Kevin Harvick	1	79
3	Brad Keselowski	0	84
4	Jeff Gordon	0	80
5	Jimmie Johnson	0	78
6	Joey Logano	0	75
7	Matt Kenseth	0	70
8	Denny Hamlin	0	68
9	Carl Edwards	0	65
10	Jamie McMurray	0	64
11	Greg Biffle	0	64
12	Casey Mears	0	64
13	Ricky Stenhouse, Jr.	0	63
14	Kyle Busch	0	61
15	Ryan Newman	0	60
16	Austin Dillon	0	56

March 3, 2014

NASCAR BTS: Travis Okulski Tells All In Wild Ride With Jeff Gordon

When Jeff Gordon and sponsor Pepsi Max teamed up to do ‘Test Drive’, a video showing Jeff Gordon pranking a sales person at a car dealership, there were many critics of its authenticity. One of the most vocal was writer and Deputy Editor with Jalopnik, Travis Okulski.

“The sales person was an actor and the guy that drove the car was a stunt driver not Jeff Gordon,” Okulski said. “I wrote three stories and made a couple of phone calls because it was one of those things where it was being passed off as true.”

“And it obviously wasn’t true,” Okulski continued. “It was a great ad and entertaining but it just wasn’t true.”

Given that criticism, Pepsi Max and Jeff Gordon decided to team up for Prank Number Two. So, in “Test Drive 2”, Jeff Gordon plays an ex-con taxi cab driver who took his fare for the day, Travis Okulski, for one wild ride trying to outrun the coppers who were hot on his trail.

“When you look at all the comments from the first video, I think that it was really the bloggers, the media, the fans, it was everybody really challenging us to go and do this because of their comments of saying, ‘Hey, Jeff wasn’t driving the car or this or that wasn’t real,’ ” Jeff Gordon said. “We wanted to go out there and show everybody how authentic and how real this can be.”

So, just how did Okulski feel when ‘convicted con’ taxi cab driver Jeff Gordon tried to outrun the law with him along for the ride?

“I thought I was going to die,” Okulski said. “I was really scared and was freaking out.”

“I tried at first to get out when the cab was stopped but the door was locked. That cab was a Chevy Caprice which is only sold to police fleets,” Okulski continued. “I figured it was bought at municipal auction and converted to a cab. So, I tried to get out of the cab and unbuckle my seat belt but that didn’t work.”

“Then I guess I tried to kick through the seat and knock the guy out,” Okulski said. “But then I figured that if the cab crashed, that would be bad thing to happen. So, I kept screaming and pleading but I tried to keep it polite too because I figured if I showed him some respect he might not kill me.”

“I didn’t want to end up tied up in his basement or something,” Okulski continued. “There’s only so long you can keep up screaming. So, then I tried to reason with him and then I just got quiet because I saw that wasn’t going to work.

“But I kept begging him to let me out.”

While Okulski can look back on the video now with a great sense of relief after having survived it, it is still difficult for him to see as he truly feared for his life.

“Obviously I don’t like watching the video very much because I’m too close to it,” Okulski said. “I find seeing myself terrified is not my best look. So, I’m not much of a fan of seeing myself frightened like that.”

“I understand why it’s funny but it’s just not something that I find entertaining I guess,” Okulski continued. “I’m being a good sport about it but I’m not like going home and watching it and thinking that’s really hilarious.”

Okulski admits that he really did not realize this was a prank until right at the very end when Gordon pulled the cab into a garage and the confetti flew.

“I was that terrified right up to the end,” Okulski said. “You look at it now and wonder how I would not know but in the moment, when you are there, it’s all very real.”

“Running from an actual State Police car is bad news, with sirens and all. It was so real and terrifying that there was no way you would think that was a prank,” Okulski continued “You watch Cops and Wildest Police Videos and that’s on it. This was the sort of thing that happens on those shows and there was no time to even think that someone was pranking me. I didn’t understand why anyone would want to prank me that much.”

“I figured it out when we pulled into the garage and that’s why you can see me laughing in the back,” Okulski said. “My day had just gotten exponentially better than it could have ever been. I only figured out it was Jeff Gordon when he walked around, opened the door and said he was Jeff Gordon.”

Okulski said that once he found out what was really going on that he was not mad at all, especially because he is a Jeff Gordon fan. And he enjoyed the face time with his favorite driver once the prank was revealed.

“It’s not often you get to meet your heroes and so it was pretty cool,” Okulski said “I hung out for another hour or so talking to Jeff and he took me for another ride when I wasn’t terrified.”

“He took me around the whole course which was actually wonderful because having a ride with one of the greatest drivers of our generation is not something that happens every day,” Okulski continued “I decided that I would be an idiot not to do that.”

“When I was riding in the car, I wasn’t thinking that he is a great driver but Jeff obviously is a fantastic driver,” Okulski said. “He was on the edge the whole time. He was flying and moving real good. I’ve always been very impressed with Jeff so it was great to get a ride with a race car driver.”

“I’m a motorsports fan for sure,” Okulski continued. “I raced go karts when I was a kid and have been into cars my whole life. I went to college, got an English degree and started writing about cars three years ago.”

“And I have the best job in the world and now I have a great story to tell.”

So, what does Okulski want Jeff Gordon and Pepsi Max fans to know now about ‘Test Drives 1 and 2’?

“It’s 100 percent real,” Okulski said of his wild ride. “It’s 100 percent terrifying.”

“But the first one is still not real.”

“We did it and we can now laugh,” Jeff Gordon said of the prank ride. “Travis can laugh about it and we can all enjoy the risk that paid off.”

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dRIgmKGDqFM&feature=youtu.be

February 28, 2014
Daytona 500 and Olympics End With Similar Storylines

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

Gold Medal Pressure Packed Performances

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

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

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

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

“It was a heavy weight that was lifted.”

Silver Medal Disappointments

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Cinderella Stories

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Agony of Defeat

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Just Happy to Be in the Show

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

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

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

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

In the End, It’s All About Family

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

February 25, 2014
NASCAR Top-10 Power Rankings: Daytona

Note: The quotes in this article are fictional.

1. Dale Earnhardt, Jr.: Earnhardt withstood a long rain delay and held off numerous challenges to win his second Daytona 500, beating Denny Hamlin to the line. The win ended a 55-race winless streak and instantly qualified Earnhardt for the Chase For The Cup.

“That six hour, 22 minute rain delay didn’t bother me at all,” Earnhardt said. “What’s 6:22 when I’m used to waiting 55 races for a win? And what better way to celebrate such a huge win than to join Twitter. By the time you read this, I should have 750,000 followers, and the best thing is, none will require a restraining order.”

2. Denny Hamlin: Hamlin topped off a successful Speedweeks with a runner-up finish in the 500, making a bold move at the front befire finishing behind Dale Earnhardt, Jr. Hamlin won the first Gatorade Duel and led 16 laps in Sunday night’s race.

“How about that piece of black plastic that clung to Dale, Jr.’s grill?” Hamlin said. “Some say it was the ‘Man In Black,’ Dale Earnhardt, Sr., making his presence known. NASCAR made an even more outlandish claim—that it was proof that their ‘Drive For Diversity’ program is actually working. Here’s the most interesting part: ghosts are a lot like NASCAR drivers—-mostly white.”

3. Brad Keselowski: Keselowski, in the No. 2 car with the classic Miller Lite paint scheme, challenged for the win at Daytona and finished third behind Dale Earnhardt, Jr. and Denny Hamlin.

“I hear that Danica Patrick exceeded 1,000,000 Twitter followers,” Keselowski said. “That’s a lot, maybe too many for one web site to handle. I can see this ending in one way only—with a ‘crash.’”

4. Jeff Gordon: Gordon finished fourth at Daytona as Hendrick teammate Dale Earnhardt, Jr. powered to the win. Gordon gave Earnhardt a boost on the final lap, helping Junior hold off Denny Hamlin at the end.

“Dale deserved to win,” Gordon said. “His No. 88 National Guard Chevrolet was by far the strongest. This could very well be the year Junior wins the Sprint Cup. In other words, it could finally be when ‘A Little E Goes A Long Way.’”

5. Jimmie Johnson: Johnson started 39th after going to a backup car and finished fifth after leading 15 laps. Last year’s Daytona 500 winner joined race winner Dale Earnhardt, Jr. and Jeff Gordon as Hendrick Motorsports took three of the top five spots.

“That rain just wouldn’t stop,” Johnson said. “And, trust me, I know long ‘reigns.’

“I’m on a quest for my seventh Sprint Cup championship. It would be awesome to be mentioned in the same sentence with Richard Petty and Dale Earnhardt, Sr. Contrary to what Tony Stewart says, six titles give you the right to ‘challenge’ Petty, not two.”

6. Matt Kenseth: Kenseth started third after winning Thursday’s second Gatorade Duel and finished a long day at Daytona with a sixth-place finish. Joe Gibbs Racing teammates Denny Hamlin and Kyle Busch finished second and 19th, respectively.

“Did you see Kyle cross the finish line?” Kenseth said. “He did it in reverse. But that’s really no surprise. Just look at the sponsors on the No. 18 car—it’s got ‘good backing.’”

7. Austin Dillon: Dillon survived involvement in three accidents at Daytona and put the Richard Childress Racing No. 3 Chevy in the top 10 in the return of the “3” made famous by Dale Earnhardt, Sr.

“That ‘3’ on the side of my car means a lot,” Dillon said. “At Daytona, it indicated the number of crashes I caused.”

8. Ricky Stenhouse, Jr.: Stenhouse led the way for Roush Fenway Racing with a seventh at Daytona, joining teammate Greg Biffle, who finished eighth, in the top 10. It was Stenhouse’s best finish ever in the 500.

“That was one of the best Daytona 500’s of all time,” Stenhouse said. “I can’t wait to catch a replay of the race, and neither can Dale Earnhardt, Jr. fans. That’s the only way their favorite driver will have multiple wins this season.”

9. Greg Biffle: Biffle battled Dale Earnhardt, Jr. over the final laps at Daytona before the mad scramble relegated him to a finish of eighth.

“How about Madison Rising’s performance of the national anthem before Saturday’s Nationwide race?” Biffle said. “They claim to be America’s most patriotic band. I certainly agree. Their music is best listened to with a hand over the heart, and two over the ears.”

10. Kevin Harvick: Harvick finished 13th at Daytona in the No. 4 Chevrolet, the highest finisher among the Stewart-Haas Racing stable.

“Tony Stewart challenged Richard Petty to race Danica Patrick,” Harvick said, “and the ‘King’ accepted. But really, what does King Richard stand to gain with a win? The last thing he needs is another feather in his cap.”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

February 24, 2014
Marshall’s Madness: Jeff Gordon Chasing Final Championship

Jeff Gordon’s luxurious career began racing quarter midgets in Rio Linda, California at five-years-old, now at 42-years-old he’s became one of the most successful NASCAR competitors in history. However, his impressive 22-year NASCAR Sprint Cup Series career is nearing its conclusion.

Following and impressive sixth place finish in the 2013 NSCS standings, Gordon and Hendrick Motorsports hinted to fans that once Gordon’s current sponsorship deal concludes, in 2016, Gordon will step down from driving duties, which will conclude his reign with Hendrick. Seizing control of the No. 24 Chevrolet will be up and coming star Chase Elliott, who is the son of former NASCAR champion Bill Elliott.

Despite his existence in NASCAR winding down, Gordon wants to end his career with one last Sprint Cup championship. Gordon, who’s won four Cup titles, hasn’t been involved in the champion’s celebration at Homestead-Miami Speedway since the 2001 season.

“I’ve put in 20-plus great years,” Gordon said “I do this now because I love it, because I like being competitive, and because I want another championship. I want to get a (fifth) Sprint Cup championship.”

This off-season NASCAR implemented a new Chase system that will benefit Gordon greatly. The format of the new system is shown in the picture below.

The format focuses on consistent finishes and eventually winning the final race. Last season, Gordon average finishing position was 13.0, which is quite impressive with the level of competition in this era. Therefore, Gordon’s consistency will assist him to be successful with the new system.

Nevertheless, Gordon knows he has two-years before his tenure closes making his last two seasons as crucial as ever. The 2014 Daytona 500 will begin Gordon’s quest towards a fifth, and probably final, Sprint Cup championship. He’ll begin the race eighth after finishing second in the Budweiser Duel.

February 22, 2014
1/7th of a Human Hair

The warm Floridian sun illuminated the Daytona International Speedway as cars were on track to complete the only single-car qualifying round of the season. Then there was Jimmie Johnson, once again struggling to get his car through inspection.

Naturally, Twitter exploded with comments about Knaus’ cheating habits and his troubles with pushing the envelope too far. Just how far did Knaus push the envelope this time? Johnson’s car was too wide by 0.0001 inches.

I realize that NASCAR has to draw the line somewhere, but a ten-thousandth of an inch is ludicrous. To put that into perspective, the width of a human hair can be as thin as 0.0007 inches. Take a very thin hair, cut it in sevenths length-wise, and take one of those microscopically thin pieces. That’s the difference between a legal car and an illegal car. This tells me that NASCAR has become way too stringent with its rules, and the line in the sand should be moved back. In other words, instead of having 0.0001 inches being illegal, they should have anything above 0.01 inches be illegal.

Although I wasn’t watching NASCAR in 1997, I know the story about Jeff Gordon’s T-Rex car, and it’s unfortunate that we will never see another T-Rex car again. There simply aren’t enough gray areas in the rule book to allow for some serious experimentation. The elimination of the ride height rule gives teams some area to experiment, and I can picture many teams trying out a plethora of different ride heights, especially at rough tracks such as Auto Club Speedway.

And as much as non-Johnson fans are bored of seeing him win all the time, you have to give Chad Knaus credit for at least trying to find some gray areas in the rule book. However, with the way things are in NASCAR these days, I don’t see them making their rules any less strict, and that’s a shame, because I know all of us want to see T-Rex Car 2.0.

February 18, 2014