Tag: Jeff Gordon

Jeff Gordon, AARP, and Chase Drove to End Delaware Hunger

[media-credit name=”Photo Credit: Gary Buchanan” align=”alignright” width=”228″][/media-credit]As part of his continuing efforts to not only call attention to the issue of senior hunger but also to do something about it, Jeff Gordon teamed up with Chase Card Services and the AARP Foundation to pack 400 meal boxes for the Food Bank of Delaware this past race weekend.

The boxes that were packed by hundreds of fans of the No. 24 Drive to End Hunger Chevrolet held over 4,800 meals that the Food Bank delivered to needy seniors in the area who would no longer have to choose between food and their medicines or paying their rent.

The fans who packed boxes in the Dover International Speedway on race morning were rewarded with a meet and greet with their favorite driver prior to his running of the AAA 400 at the Monster Mile. Jeff Gordon finished second in the race, keeping his hopes alive for the Chase.

“We’re excited to be a part of this food packing event for the Food Bank of Delaware,” Michael Rittler, General Manager of Affinity and Retail Credit Cards for Chase Card Services, said. “Partnering with Jeff Gordon, the four-time Cup champion, and the Drive to End Hunger AARP initiative, we are thrilled to be a part of it.”

“Hunger among older Americans is a huge issue so we’re packing 12,000 pounds of food to be distributed to thousands of seniors,” Rittler continued. “Chase has been partners with AARP for close to 20 years.”

“Partnering with Jeff Gordon and the NASCAR fans was a great fit for what we are about.”

[media-credit name=”Photo credit: Gary Buchanan” align=”alignright” width=”200″][/media-credit]Chase not only jumped aboard, along with the AARP Foundation, as a sponsor of the No. 24 car, but they also put their money in the game, donating $0.03 to the AARP Foundation Drive to End Hunger for every new credit card account opened through this year.

Chase even doubled that donation throughout the month of September as part of Hunger Action Month.

“We’re excited that every transaction, up to $2 million, will help end senior hunger,” Rittler said. “We raised $2 million last year and it looks good again for that amount or more this year.”

“This is just a great event and we’re proud that so much food will be packed to help local seniors.”

Patricia Beebe, President and CEO of the Food Bank of Delaware, was overwhelmed by Chase’s commitment to the effort and also by the generosity of the NASCAR fans in taking time during their pre-race activities to help others.

“What we’re doing here today is putting together a meal box for seniors,” Beebe said. “These volunteers have made these boxes, which, sometimes takes us hours of volunteer time and effort, so this is such a huge help.”

“To be able to make so many of the boxes and to inform the community about hunger is a very good event.”

Beebe shared that 1 in 20 seniors in Delaware are hungry and she thinks that number may be an underestimate, as many seniors in need go undetected.

“That’s why this event is also critical because a lot of times seniors don’t feel like there is anything for them,” Beebe said. “That’s why events like this show them that there is help for them.”

“This is a great way to reach so many people.”

Both Rittler and Beebe acknowledged that having someone of the caliber of Jeff Gordon involved in their efforts to end senior hunger was priceless.

“Jeff Gordon has name recognition and is someone people look up to and want to listen to,” Beebe said. “People come in droves to talk to him.”

“I had a chance to talk to him and he knows what’s he’s talking about and he believes in this cause.”

“We’ve had the opportunity to talk to Jeff about the issue of hunger,” Rittler said. “It’s not just a sponsorship for him.”

“It’s in his heart and we’re proud to be a part of that,” Rittler continued. “Before we were ever involved in this, I was a Jeff Gordon fan and now I am even more so.”

As the fans cheered for Gordon after the food packing was finished, Gordon stopped them quickly and recognized them for all of their efforts with the meal packing. He also acknowledged one particular young fan who arrived at the speedway at 5:15 am just to lend a hand to the effort.

““I should be thanking all of you for your help,” Gordon told the hundreds of fans gathered to meet him. “So many people are going to benefit and that was a great way to get the race day started.”

“I think cause-related marketing is the way of the future,” Gordon continued, referencing the Chase fundraising effort. “You folks that care about others, especially with hunger issues, and for Chase to step up, is really what’s going to take this effort to the next level.”

Gordon acknowledged that he was not only a supporter of the Chase credit card, but he and his wife Ingrid use it regularly, especially with two young, growing children, daughter Ella and son Leo.

“I’m proud to use the credit card all the time, knowing that a portion of the purchase goes to Drive to End Hunger,” Gordon said. “I think I’m one of AARP’s biggest supporters with that credit card because me and my wife make quite a few purchases, especially having two children.”

“There are a lot of great causes out there and I’m proud to be a part of this one.”

For more information about the Chase AARP credit card, visit www.aarpcreditcard.com and for more information or to volunteer at the Delaware Food Bank, visit their website at www.fbd.org.

October 2, 2012
NASCAR Top-10 Power Rankings: Dover

[media-credit name=”Credit: Patrick McDermott/Getty Images for NASCAR” align=”alignright” width=”242″][/media-credit]Note: The quotes in this article are fictional.

1. Brad Keselowski: A bold fuel strategy boosted Keselowski to the driver’s seat at Dover, and he held off Jeff Gordon to win the AAA 400. It was Keselowki’s second win of the Chase, and put him in the lead of the Sprint Cup point standings, where he is five ahead of Jimmie Johnson.

“While many of my rivals needed fuel,” Keselwoski said, “the No. 2 Miller Lite Dodge didn’t. I guess it’s true what they say: Miller Lite is less filling.’”

2. Denny Hamlin: Along with Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Kyle Busch, Hamlin dominated for much of Sunday’s AAA 400, but was forced to pit with ten laps remaining. Hamlin finished ninth and is now 16 points down to points leader Brad Keselowski.

“I say this with my eyes staring squarely at my gas-guzzling Toyota engine,” Hamlin said. “’This sucks.’ Ironically, a lack of gas took the air out of my race.”

3. Jimmie Johnson: Forced into fuel conservation mode late in the race, Johnson held on and finished fourth after avoiding the late fuel stops that affected much of the field. He fell out of the points lead and now trails Brad Keselowski by five.

“As a five-time Sprint Cup champion,” Johnson said, “I feel qualified to say that I’m not the only driver that’s ‘five behind.’

4. Clint Bowyer: Bowyer came home ninth at Dover, scoring his third consecutive top-10 finish of the Chase. He moved up one spot to fourth in the point standings and trails Brad Keselowski by 25.

“As the driver holding the fourth spot in the point standings,” Bowyer said, “my task at hand is clear: to make sure this doesn’t become just a three-man battle for the Sprint Cup.”

5. Jeff Gordon: Gordon finished second in the AAA 400, his third runner-up finish in the last five races. He is now 10^th in the point standings, 48 out of first.

“I was hoping that Brad Keselowski would run out of gas,” Gordon said. “But once again, he proved that he’s got a ‘reserve’ that no one else does.”

6. Kasey Kahne: Kahne finished three laps down in 15^th at Dover. He is fifth in the point standings, 32 out of first.

“Danica Patrick’s coming to Sprint Cup full-time next year,” Kahne said. “That’s a reason to celebrate for womankind. I’d tell Danica to take a victory lap, but she’d likely end up a lap behind.”

7. Tony Stewart: Stewart fell a lap down early at Dover and never recovered, finishing three laps down in 20^th. He is now fifth in the Sprint Cup point standings, 32 out of first.

“It’s not looking good for a defense of my 2011 Cup title,” Stewart said. “It appears ‘Smoke will be passing the torch,’ words which are sure to raise the eyebrows of the enforcers of NASCAR’s drug policy.

8. Dale Earnhardt, Jr.: Earnhardt finished two laps down and finished a disappointing 11^th, losing further ground to the points leaders. In three Chase races, Earnhardt has yet to post a top-5 result.

“Much like a bootleg screen print t-shirt of my likeness,” Earnhardt said, “my chances at the Sprint Cup title are ‘fading fast.’ It seems the only ‘miraculous comeback’ you’ll get from me is an incredibly clever retort to someone critical of my championship ability.”

9. Martin Truex, Jr.: Truex remained solid in the Chase For The Cup, scoring his second top-10 finish with a sixth in the AAA 400. He improved two places in the point standings to eighth, 42 out of first.

“There are two ‘Junior’s’ in the Chase,” Truex said, “and it looks like neither has a chance to win the Cup. Junior should know better than anyone that it takes ‘Seniority’ to win a championship.”

10. Kyle Busch: Busch led 302 of 400 laps at Dover, but relinquished the lead for a costly fuel stop late in the race. The stop cost him a lap and he finished seventh.

“While fuel mileage issues left of lot of us in ‘neutral,’” Busch said, “Brad Keselowski must have been stuck in ‘reverse,’ because he surely ‘backed’ in to the win at Dover.”

October 2, 2012

Brad Keselowski Tames Monster Mile for First Win and Points Lead

[media-credit id=62 align=”alignright” width=”230″][/media-credit]Brad Keselowski, driving the No. 2 Miller Lite Dodge for Penske Racing, not only tamed the Monster Mile with his first ever win at Dover International Speedway, but also took the points lead, now five points over Jimmie Johnson.

This was Keselowski’s fifth win of the season and his ninth career win. He has now won two of the three races so far in the Chase.

“I’m happy for our day here obviously,” Keselowski said. “We certainly were a lot stronger here than we were in the past.”

“I may not have had the best car but hung around in that top five, just kept creeping around and when you do that, you put yourself in position for good things to happen.”

“That’s what this 2 team has done the last few months.”

“That was the type of performance we needed to stay in this championship and we showed today that we’re going to continue to be there every week,” Paul Wolfe, crew chief for the race winning car, said. “This was another small step to the ten races and I’m proud to be able to come out of here in the points lead.”

One driver that needed a great run actually got it at the Monster Mile. Jeff Gordon, behind the wheel of the No. 24 Drive to End Hunger Chevrolet, held on to finish in the runner up position.

“I thought it was a solid effort,” Gordon said. “Our car was good right from the start.”

Gordon admitted he had a car that was better on the long runs, but that actually helped when it came time to finish up the fuel mileage racing.

“We struggled on the short runs,” Gordon said. “We started really struggling on the restarts and losing positions.”

“But that played to our favor because we could come in and top off,” Gordon continued. “It gave us the opportunity not to have to save fuel.”

“I thought me and Mark Martin were going to be battling for the win”, Gordon said. “We just got a little too tight at the end.”

Although Gordon is still 48 points out in the Chase, he has moved forward into the tenth spot after race three of the Chase.

“This is nice to follow up with what we had last week,” Gordon said. “We’re just taking a few steps in the Chase each week.”

“It was a great day all around.”

Wily veteran Mark Martin, behind the wheel of the No. 55 Aaron’s 2000^th Store/Bronx NY Toyota, finished third for Michael Waltrip Racing.

“I don’t know if everybody really noticed but we had a rocket ship,” Martin said. “Super fast car.”

“We battled from behind all day,” Martin continued. “We were just passing cars left and right.”

“It was a hard fought battle by a great race team,” Martin said. “I had a really, really fast race car.”

“It feels really good, regardless of the points, to run good.”

Jimmie Johnson, in the No. 48 Lowe’s /Kobalt Tools Chevrolet, not only lost the points lead but had to finish off the race in fuel saving mode, for fourth.

“It’s a tough situation to be in, but I’m more focused on the big prize,” Johnson said. “I’m very happy we got to the finish line.”

“We had clean air but I had to give it up because of saving fuel,” Johnson continued. “Today we were fourth, which is not bad.”

Johnson acknowledged that it was difficult to let cars pass, especially those Chase competitors, just to have to save fuel.

“It’s tough,” Johnson said. “But you have to race on all fronts and we had a decent day today.”

Once known as ‘Concrete Carl’, the driver of the No. 99 Fastenal Ford finally had a good day on the concrete banks of the Monster Mile, finishing fifth.

“That was a decent run for us,” Edwards said. “We had a lot of good luck.”

“If I can’t be winning the race, I enjoy seeing the battle out there,” Edwards continued. “We’ve got some work to do and we have to keep working on these cars.”

“We didn’t drop the ball and we had some fun,” Edwards said. “It’s fortunate we came home top five.”

Some Chase contenders salvaged a fairly decent day; however others had dramatically difficult days. Among the latter was Matt Kenseth, who hit the wall twice and finished a miserable 35^th in his No. 17 Ford EcoBoost Ford.

“Today was a struggle,” Kenseth said. “This is probably the worst we’ve run here for as long as I can remember.”

“From the first lap on the track to the last lap on the track, we were pretty much junk.”

Kenseth had the distinction of being the worst finisher of the Chasers and fell into the basement position in 12^th, now 72 points behind leader Keselowski.

Other Chase contenders fared better than Kenseth, including Martin Truex Jr., who finished sixth; Denny Hamlin in eighth; Clint Bowyer in ninth; Dale Earnhardt, Jr. in eleventh; Kevin Harvick in the 13^thspot, and Kasey Kahne who finished 15^th.

The remaining Chase drivers, Greg Biffle, who had a tire issue and a major meltdown, and Tony Stewart, who was just off all day, finished 16^th and 20^th respectively at Dover International Speedway.

Unofficial Race Results
AAA 400, Dover Int’l Speedway
http://www.speedwaymedia.com/Cup/race.php?race=29
=========================================
Pos.	St.	No.	Driver	Make	Points
=========================================
1	10	2	Brad Keselowski	Dodge	47
2	7	24	Jeff Gordon	Chevrolet	43
3	26	55	Mark Martin	Toyota	41
4	11	48	Jimmie Johnson	Chevrolet	41
5	15	99	Carl Edwards	Ford	39
6	3	56	Martin Truex Jr.	Toyota	38
7	5	18	Kyle Busch	Toyota	39
8	1	11	Denny Hamlin	Toyota	37
9	2	15	Clint Bowyer	Toyota	36
10	14	20	Joey Logano	Toyota	34
11	25	88	Dale Earnhardt Jr.	Chevrolet	33
12	17	6	Ricky Stenhouse Jr.	Ford	0
13	13	29	Kevin Harvick	Chevrolet	31
14	16	47	Bobby Labonte	Toyota	30
15	9	5	Kasey Kahne	Chevrolet	29
16	6	16	Greg Biffle	Ford	28
17	18	78	Regan Smith	Chevrolet	27
18	27	9	Marcos Ambrose	Ford	26
19	21	43	Aric Almirola	Ford	25
20	24	14	Tony Stewart	Chevrolet	24
21	8	39	Ryan Newman	Chevrolet	23
22	19	27	Paul Menard	Chevrolet	22
23	28	51	Kurt Busch	Chevrolet	21
24	20	1	Jamie McMurray	Chevrolet	20
25	4	22	Sam Hornish Jr.	Dodge	0
26	35	42	Juan Montoya	Chevrolet	18
27	39	31	Jeff Burton	Chevrolet	17
28	38	10	Danica Patrick	Chevrolet	0
29	33	93	Travis Kvapil	Toyota	15
30	31	34	David Ragan	Ford	14
31	30	13	Casey Mears	Ford	13
32	42	38	David Gilliland	Ford	12
33	41	32	T.J. Bell	Ford	0
34	40	36	J.J. Yeley	Chevrolet	10
35	12	17	Matt Kenseth	Ford	9
36	22	83	Landon Cassill	Toyota	8
37	23	26	Josh Wise *	Ford	7
38	32	98	Michael McDowell	Ford	6
39	37	87	Joe Nemechek	Toyota	0
40	34	195	Scott Speed	Ford	4
41	43	37	Dave Blaney	Chevrolet	3
42	36	23	Scott Riggs	Chevrolet	2
43	29	191	Reed Sorenson	Chevrolet	0

September 30, 2012

Ray Evernham Puts Boots On For Wounded Warriors

[media-credit name=”Gary Buchanan” align=”alignright” width=”212″][/media-credit]Ray Evernham, ESPN analyst for NASCAR, owner of East Lincoln Speedway, and two-time Daytona 500 champ as crew chief for Jeff Gordon, was on a mission at Dover International Speedway this weekend.

Evernham was putting his boots on as part of the Boot Campaign to raise awareness and funds for wounded warriors and troops as they return home.

“I was walking into the Charlotte Motor Speedway for the race when we were there in May and saw a young soldier named Johnny ‘Joey’ Jones,” Evernham said

“The guy was fantastically ripped and looked like the model soldier.”

“He was missing both of his legs,” Evernham continued. “He was wearing a T-shirt that said, ‘Ask Me About My Boots.’

“I walked up to him and asked him about his boots and he told me about a campaign to try to get interest in buying boots to close the gap of the American society and those fighting the wars right now by raising money by selling these boots for things like prosthetics and other needs,” Evernham said. “When they come home, they’re kind of forgotten about.”

“I was so moved by speaking to this young man that I set up a meeting to find out more about it,” Evernham continued. “And I was honored to meet another young man who was a decorated war hero call Sean Parnell, who wrote a book entitled ‘Outlaw Platoon.’

“It’s an incredible book,” Evernham said. “I’ve been through challenging times in my life but there were times reading that book that I had to put it down because it was so emotional.”

“What our warriors are doing over there and making sacrifices overseas so that doesn’t come to our shores is amazing,” Evernham continued. “And when they come home, we really need to support them.”

“So, I’m honored to be part of this program and I’m getting my boots on to help support this program,” Evernham said. “The services are unbelievably needed for the guys and gals coming home.”

“This is not just a news story,” Evernham continued. “These are young people who have made huge sacrifices and they need our help.”

The Boot Campaign is a 501(c) 3 non-profit military appreciation and veteran awareness campaign based in Texas. The charity was started in 2009 by a group of women who call themselves ‘Boot Girls’.

“Those of us, we call ourselves ‘Boot Girls’, and on behalf of the ‘Boot Girls’ we are so invigorated by the support and passion for giving back to the troops,” Meghan McDermott, marketing director of the Boot Campaign, said. “Ray has answered the call and joins Kasey Kahne and a list of other celebrities such as ‘The Rock’ Johnson, the Oak Ridge Boys, Troy Aikman and Dolly Parton among others.”

“Without their support, we couldn’t reach the public,” McDermott continued. “Our motto is ‘When They Come Back, We Give Back.’

The Boot Campaign supports a variety of programs, including urgent family assistance and supports two charity partners, the Armed Forces Foundation and the Marine Recovery Fund. The charity also provides housing for injured and homeless veterans through partnering with the Military Warriors Support Foundation.

One of the most unique programs of the Boot Campaign is the partnership with Wounded Wear, providing free clothing and clothing modifications for wounded warriors with prosthetics or other medical devices.

The Boot Campaign not only supports the troops themselves, but also the families of the fallen through two programs, Bratpack 11 and Special Ops Survivors. Bratpack 11, designed by 14 year old Boot Girl Kenzie, helps grant wishes and dreams of children whose parents have been killed in service. Special Ops Survivors is the sole organization helping surviving spouses of the Navy, Army, Air Force and Marine Corps Special Operations personnel killed in service since September 11^th, 2001.

“There are currently 1.4 million Americans, less than 1% of our population, that serve our country,” McDermott said. “Just like them, we can lace up our boots as a simple sign of support and walking a mile in their shoes.”

“Our goal is simply to have 1.4 million Americans in a pair of boots to represent those who represent their country,” McDermott continued. “By year’s end, we will have raised close to $2 million for our program to do everything from mortgage free housing to wellness retreats to adaptive clothing for prosthetics.”

“We actually also support our survivors, spouses and their families, because they cannot be forgotten,” McDermott said. “Ray’s official boot photo will be featured nationally on Bootcampaign.com starting Monday, October 1^st.”

For more information, visit www.BootCampaign.com.

September 30, 2012
NASCAR’s Confidence Factor

[media-credit name=”Credit: Chris Graythen/Getty Images” align=”alignright” width=”235″][/media-credit]While some still debate it, anyone involved with NASCAR knows not only is it a sport, but one that involves a unique mixture of physicality, good mechanics and a great deal of mental focus, as well as confidence.

The mental aspect of the sport has been gaining increasing attention recently, especially as some of the drivers at the highest level acknowledge the use of sports psychologists and other confidence-building tools.

Probably the most vocal about the mental side of the sport, especially having confidence, has been Denny Hamlin, driver of the No. 11 FedEx Office Toyota Camry for Joe Gibbs Racing. Hamlin employed the skills of a sports psychologist after narrowly missing the championship in 2010.

“I took for granted in 2010 that we were part of a championship battle,” Hamlin said. “We had an amazing season – a career season for myself – but you get so upset about not winning a championship.”

“When you lose a championship and you follow it up the next year and your cars don’t run as well, then it’s very frustrating.”

“From 2010 when we won eight, this year we won five and last year we won one – I didn’t forget how to drive for a year,” Hamlin said. “That part is tough to get over when you become irrelevant after a career year.”

“Our focus is ourselves and knowing that if I’ve got the balance that I’ve got and the car that I need, we can win,” Hamlin continued. “That’s the mental side of it.”

Fellow Chase competitor Martin Truex, Jr., who drives the No. 56 NAPA Toyota for Michael Waltrip Racing, agreed with Hamlin as to the importance of confidence, especially in motivating the race team.

“I obviously, definitely, think it’s a part of it,” Truex said. “But, there are times when you can love a race track and be as upbeat as you’ve ever been and still go in there and have a bad weekend.”

“You know, having a good mental attitude is a good thing to keep the team rallied around you,” Truex continued. “Those guys really feed off the driver and it seems that the driver’s attitude can play a part in how the team is feeling and how they do their job throughout the weekend.”

“I think everyone comes into the weekend, not matter where you go, optimistic,” Truex said. “But at the end of the day, if you can’t get your car to do what you want, it doesn’t matter how much you love the race track.”

“For us, it’s just all about working hard and having a good attitude going in, being optimistic, being positive and just working hard and trying to get the results you’re looking for.”

Four-time champion Jeff Gordon, driver of the No. 24 Drive to End Hunger Chevrolet for Hendrick Motorsports, affirms that confidence is key, especially for him since he is last in the Chase point standings.

“It’s important for us to be aggressive and put pressure on them by being up front and running good,” Gordon said. “Right now we are not really on anybody’s radar.”

“They know we run good and know we can win races and yet, they know we are really far back in points,” Gordon continued. “So right now it’s all on us to go do what we are capable of doing.”

Cup driver Joey Logano, who currently drives for Joe Gibbs Racing but will move to Penske Racing in 2013, has many reasons to focus on improving his confidence, especially with all of the changes in his life and career.

“I worked with a sports psychologist a few times, especially last year more than this year,” Logano said. “It’s a little bit easier with a lot more wins to keep your confidence up.”

“I’ve learned a lot from last year; kind of learning yourself and what makes yourself work and how to handle certain situations with people and how to stay positive,” Logano continued. “I’ve learned a lot from that for sure.”

“It’s the little things,” Logano said. “The people you surround yourself with and how you deal with conflict is so important to keep stress off yourself.”

“My big thing is I always used to avoid controversy and now I hit it head on and then I’m done with it,” Logano continued. “It’s better that way.”

The attention to the mental aspect of the sport, as well as the use of sports psychologist or other experts, transcends from the Cup garage to the Nationwide level as well.

“It’s a really mental sport, probably 40% mental and 60% car,” Michael Annett, driver of the No. 43 for Richard Petty Motorsports, said. “There are times you can get so frustrated and lose time on the race track and the next lap, you make up time.”

“The car didn’t change, but the mentality of the driver did,” Annett continued. “It’s how you bring it back so if you can maintain consistency, that’s your job.”

“I’ve done some things like sports psychologists and the biggest thing you learn is that if you do lose focus, there are things you can do to get you back on track and back where you need to be,” Annett said. “Confidence comes with success obviously.”

“Once you get it, it’s hard for other guys to take it away from you.”

Perhaps rookie driver Danica Patrick had the most unique approach to the mental aspect of racing and having confidence in herself. Patrick drives in the Nationwide Series for JR Motorsports and is trying her hand at some Cup events for Tommy Baldwin Racing in preparation for next year.

“Well I do believe in faking it until you believe it,” Patrick said. “That sort of mind frame or saying came about a few years ago.”

“It’s easy to get down, it’s easy to not be happy or excited in the monotony of the same thing every weekend, and if things don’t go well, being upset and letting that get to you,” Patrick continued. “We just came up with that idea of fake it until you believe it.”

“I encourage everyone to try it,” Patrick said. “If you just smile and are happy and joke, even if you are out of control and not even being honest about how excited you are about something, eventually at some point that day you will be happy.”

“Then you are just having a good weekend and you don’t have to fake it anymore,” Patrick continued. “It’s common sense that if you say you don’t like something it’s not going to go as well.”

“I’m just trying to apply that every weekend,” Patrick said. “I can’t say I’m completely successful.”

“I need to find the good in it and the positive attitude will translate into better results I think.”

September 29, 2012
Denny Hamlin Scores First Ever Pole At Monster Mile

[media-credit name=”Gary Buchanan” align=”alignright” width=”216″][/media-credit]At a track that has been admittedly been monstrous in the past to him, Denny Hamlin pulled off the fastest qualifying lap of his Monster Mile career, scoring his first ever pole at Dover International Speedway.

Hamlin, driver of the No. 11 FedEx Office Toyota grabbed the pole with a fast lap of 22.599 seconds at a speed of 159.299 mph. This is Hamlin’s third pole of the season but his first ever at Dover in 14 races at the Monster Mile.

“That was an amazing run,” Hamlin said. “Definitely wasn’t what I expected, but it sure feels good to get a pole here.”

“Our car was really strong in race trim and really wasn’t all that good in qualifying trim,” Hamlin continued. “Hopefully this is a good sign of things that will give us a strong run here on Sunday.”

“Starting from the pole will help us in tuning our car throughout the day,” Hamlin said. “Obviously track position is going to be very, very crucial and we’ve got to do everything we can to keep that.”

“We’ve got a car that’s very capable of staying in the front and hopefully we’ll have a shot to win.”

Hamlin humbly credited his crew chief Darian Grubb for his pole winning qualifying effort.

“I think there’s a lot of drivers out there that could be able to do what I do with the cars that Darian has been giving me the last few weeks,” Hamlin said. “I’m going to give him pretty much all the credit and ride his back as long as it will hold me.”

The second and third qualifying positions belonged to Michael Waltrip Racing teammates Clint Bowyer and Martin Truex, Jr.

“It was good,” Bowyer, driver of the No. 15 5-Hour Energy Toyota, said. “When you’re that close, it’s disappointing because you know just if you could have put the gas down that much more anywhere around the race track, you’d of had the pole.”

“I will save that for another day.”

Bowyer posted his 12^th top-10 start of 2012 and his fifth in 14 races at the Monster Mile.

“It’s a good day for us,” Martin Truex, Jr., driver of the No. 56 NAPA Toyota, said. “It’s been a good weekend so far.”

“The NAPA Toyota was about perfect,” Martin Truex Jr. continued. “Had to lift off turn four and gave it to him.”

“The car was awesome.”

This was Truex’s sixth top-10 start at Dover International Speedway and his 13^th in 29 races this season.

Sam Hornish, Jr. sat on the pole briefly but was relegated to a fourth place qualifying run in his No. 22 Shell/Pennzoil Dodge Charger.

“The lap was OK,” Hornish said. “From inside the car, I thought that we put together a pretty solid lap.”

“Our race runs yesterday didn’t have the speed that we needed, so I’m really happy that I qualified well.”

Kyle Busch, in the No. 18 Interstate Batteries Toyota Camry, rounded out the top-five in qualifying at Dover. Busch had his hands full, with the car wiggling during the lap.

“I really don’t know what I did wrong,” Busch said. “It stepped out and I just had to catch it and wait and go after it the second lap.”

“Just glad we were able to have a strong second lap.”

While the qualifying lap may have been a bit squirrelly, Busch said he might just have the car to beat on race day.

“I think we’ve definitely got a top-three car right now,” Busch said. “I think we’re one of those in the top elite.”

Ten of the twelve Chase drivers qualified in the top-13 positions during the time trials, with Hamlin in first, Bowyer second, Truex Jr. third, Greg Biffle sixth, Jeff Gordon seventh, Kasey Kahne in ninth, Brad Keselowski in tenth, Jimmie Johnson in eleventh, Matt Kenseth in twelfth and Kevin Harvick in thirteenth.

Chase drivers Tony Stewart qualified 24^th and Dale Earnhardt, Jr. qualified 25^th.

Ricky Stenhouse, Jr., making his first Cup start in the No. 6 Cargill Ford, qualified 17^th and Danica Patrick, in the No. 10 GoDaddy.com Chevrolet, qualified 38^th.

September 29, 2012
NASCAR Mourns Two Legends Chris Economaki and Bob Newton

In this undated photo provided by CBS Sports, journalist Chris Economaki is shown at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Fla. Economaki, regarded as the authoritative voice in motorsports for decades, died Friday, Sept. 28, 2012. He was 91. (AP Photo/File)

NASCAR and the racing world in general lost two legends this week, Bob Newton and Chris Economaki. As news filtered through the NASCAR garage and media center at Dover International Speedway of Economaki’s passing and of the passing earlier in the week of Newton, many in leadership roles, as well as the drivers themselves, took time to remember.

Chris Economaki, who died at the age of 91, was so important to the world of motorsports. The ‘Dean of Motorsports’ worked for more than forty years for venues including CBS, ESPN and ABC’s Wide World of Sports.

“The passing of Chris Economaki is a tough loss for me on both a personal and professional level, having known Chris throughout my life,” Brian France, NASCAR Chairman and CEO, said. “Many people consider Chris the greatest motorsports journalist of all time.”

“He was, indeed, the ‘Dean’ and was a fixture for years at NASCAR events, playing a huge role in growing NASCAR’s popularity,” France continued. “I’ll miss seeing him and of course, I’ll miss hearing that voice.”

“Our thought and prayers are with his daughters Corinne and Tina and the rest of Chris’ family.”

In addition to NASCAR leadership, the leadership of Ford Motor Company and Ford Racing Communications also paid tribute to Economaki.

“All of us at Ford Motor Company are sorry to hear of Chris Economaki’s passing,” Edsel B. Ford II, said. “He was an icon of the sport of auto racing a familiar, knowledgeable face and voice to millions of race fans around the world.”

“Chris’ passing marks the end of a great era of auto racing and how it was covered in this country,” Kevin Kennedy, Ford Racing Communications Director, said. “He truly loved the sport, probably more than any journalist I knew, but he also loved the people who made up the sport and was quick to tell a great story, say a kind word to those new in the sport, and hold court on any subject the sport could dish out.”

“I’ll miss that great voice.”

In addition to NASCAR leadership, the drivers themselves also weighed in on Economaki’s passing, including Jeff Gordon, four-time champion; Tony Stewart, reigning champ; Danica Patrick, making her way in the Nationwide and Cup Series; and past champion Matt Kenseth.

“Speed Sport News was something that I read religiously,” Jeff Gordon said. “Chris did a lot for that newspaper and for motorsports and he was passionate about all of it.”

“The last time I saw him was earlier this year and still, that is all he thought about was racing,” Gordon continued. “And he cared so much about what was happening in this sport and wanted to make a difference and wanted to get those stories out there.”

“It’s just not very often that you come across somebody that puts their heart and soul and entire life mission into that.”

“Obviously, Chris has covered racing for so long, not only been a journalist but a great announcer at the same time and pit report,” Tony Stewart said. “I don’t think anybody here that has been involved in racing for very long didn’t get Speed Sport News every week.”

“Luckily, Speed Sport News is still going on and then it got turned over to some really good hands,” Smoke continued. “The guy that started it all unfortunately we lost.”

“I’ve met him a couple times and am aware of what he’s done and how much he means to journalism and motorsports,” Danica Patrick said. “I just know how instrumental he’s been and how long he’s been around.”

“It’s sad that any time someone who has been around forever and is a legend dies.”

“You would hear him when NASCAR racing first started being on TV, or at least being on TV in Wisconsin before I could see it in person, and you couldn’t help but notice Chris,” Matt Kenseth said. “He was one of the first and probably the most recognizable and famous voices there was with motorsports.”

“I’m sad about his passing.”

The racing world, including NASCAR, also lost another member of the family with the death of Bob Newton this week. Newton founded the company that produced tires for NASCAR cars in the 1980s and in other racing series as well.

“What an impact he made,” Jeff Gordon said. “Bob Newton with Hoosier Tire really changed what short track racing his today.”

“His efforts and that family certainly made a big impact on my life, and racing, and what I raced on for years before I ever got tot eh Cup Series.”

“So, two big losses this week.”

“Bob Newton, I don’t even know where to start,” Tony Stewart said. “There is so much I can say about him. He is just a great guy.”

“I’ve worked with Hoosier Racing Tire since I was probably 20 or 21 years old,” Smoke continued. “They have been a sponsor of mine ever since.”

“The thing about Bob is he always cared about the racers more than he cared about himself.”

“You hate it when you have a week where you lose two great people that meant so much to the sport like this.”

September 28, 2012
Surprising and Not Surprising: New Hampshire Sylvania 300

[media-credit name=”Noel Lanier” align=”alignright” width=”246″][/media-credit]From late-arriving pit crews to the second time around for the Cup Series at the mile track in Loudon, New Hampshire, here is what was surprising and not surprising from the second Chase race, the Sylvania 300.

Surprising: While being in Victory Lane is always special, it was a surprisingly big moment for the winner of the Sylvania 300, his team and his team owner.

For Denny Hamlin, driver of the No. 11 FedEx Freight Toyota, it was truly a big moment as he delivered on his promise, via tweet, to win the race.

And it was a major accomplishment for his team, who after overcoming mistakes of the previous race and during their qualifying lap at New Hampshire, rallied around each other and their driver to score the victory.

But most of all, it was a huge moment for team owner Joe Gibbs, who achieved a milestone, his team’s 100^th NASCAR Sprint Cup win, at the Magic Mile. The 100 wins were scored by Tony Stewart with 33, Denny Hamlin with 22, Bobby Labonte with 21, Kyle Busch with 20, Dale Jarrett with 2 and Joey Logano with 2 wins.

Joe Gibbs Racing is now only one of six teams in NASCAR history to achieve the 100 victory mark.

“It was a huge day for us,” Coach Gibbs said. “Bobby Labonte came into victory circle and I appreciated Bobby, Dale Jarrett, Jimmy Makar, everybody when we first started, Tony Stewart, so it took a lot of people down the road.”

“But, certainly, gosh, thinking back on my 21 years – just doesn’t seem like it was that long ago and you realize that we’ve got a hundred wins.”

“That was a huge deal for us.”

Not Surprising: Runner up for the second week in a row, Jimmie Johnson, continues to not only rack up the points, but count each one most carefully, right to the points lead.

This was Johnson’s 15^th top-10 finish in 22 races at the Magic Mile and his 19^th top-10 finish for the season.

“We had a great race car, just not an amazing car like the No. 11 had,” Johnson said. “To only leave seven points on the table in two races is pretty good.”

“We missed the win last week and this week and we didn’t lead the most this weekend,” Johnson continued. “But it is probably seven points total.”

“That’s not bad.”

Surprising: Brian Vickers did his own surprising Denny Hamlin impersonation, slicing and dicing his way from the back of the field after an engine change to a ninth place finish.

“Really proud of the guys – everyone at MWR, Toyota, just this 55 crew,” said the driver of the No. 55 Freightliner/Jet Edge Toyota. “All the guys did a great job.”

“We had a car good enough to go and race with them for a little while.”

Not Surprising: In spite of still being 45 points behind the leader and in the 12^th Chase position, this driver continues to keep the faith, just like every other four-time past champion should.

Jeff Gordon, in the No. 24 Drive to End Hunger Chevrolet, started on the pole and finished 3^rd at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.

“It was a really solid effort,” Jeff Gordon said. “It’s a shame what happened to us in Chicago last weekend because I think we would have back-to-back top fives.”

“There is no doubt we can get ourselves back into this.”

Surprising: It was surprising just how badly the Ford camp performed, especially Chase competitors Matt Kenseth and Greg Biffle, who finished 14^th and 18^th respectively.

“We were just battling overall grip,” Biffle, pilot of the No. 16 3M/GE Appliances Ford, said. “We chattered the front tires. We chattered the rear tires.”

“There at the end we chattered all four.”

“On a long run, we had about a 10^th place car, which is probably a little bit better than we usually do here,” Kenseth, driver of the No. 17 Zest Ford Fusion, said. “But on short runs, we weren’t very good at all and then we got that caution there at the end and that didn’t work in our favor.”

“We weren’t that great overall.”

Not Surprising: As has his season gone, so did the New Hampshire race play out. Kyle Busch had a great outside pole start go south with engine woes yet again.

And while his crew chief Dave Rogers attempted to put the best spin on it, Busch was less then complimentary behind the wheel of the No. 18 M&M’s Toyota.

“Unfortunately, we picked up a ‘miss’ under the hood,” Rogers said. “We just stayed out there and rode it out, and got the best finish possible.”

When told by his crew chief that he could not fix the car and to just ride it out, Busch said simply “Imagine that.”

Surprising: The two Michael Waltrip Racing teammates in the Chase had diametrically opposite experiences at the Magic Mile this past weekend. Clint Bowyer, in the No. 15 5-Hour Energy Toyota, finished fourth but Martin Truex Jr., in the No. 56 NAPA Auto Parts Toyota, finished 17^th.

“We had a solid race car,” Bowyer said. “But we needed a little bit more.”

“There’s a lot of racing left,” Bowyer continued. “It was a solid finish and kept us in the game going to Dover.”

Not Surprising: While Stewart Haas Racing had a seemingly solid day, with Tony Stewart finishing seventh and teammate Ryan Newman finishing tenth, both were disappointed when the checkered flag flew.

“It might’ve been a solid result, but we need to be better than that,” Stewart said simply.

“It was just not what we wanted,” Newman said. “Two top-10s aren’t bad, but we’d like to get Aspen Dental a win, too.”

Surprising: Kasey Kahne, driver of the No. 5 Farmer’s Insurance Chevrolet, had a surprisingly consistent run at the Magic Mile. He finished in the same place as his number, position five.

“We had another consistent day,” Kahne said. “We have been pretty consistent so far so the first two are good for the Chase.”

“Hopefully, we can keep it going and get a little faster if we want to catch those other guys,” Kahne continued. “That would be pretty cool.”

Not Surprising: With a thirteen place finish and an issue with his pit stop, it was no surprise that the Dale Earnhardt, Jr. was in a state of dislike.

“I didn’t like the car in practice and didn’t really like it all weekend,” Junior said of his No. 88 AMP Energy/Diet Mountain Dew/National Guard Chevrolet. “We’ve got to get our stuff together to compete with these guys.”

“This ain’t good enough.”

Surprising: Regan Smith, celebrating his 29^th birthday and finishing 16^th, got a real surprise. He found out that he was being replaced in his No. 78 Furniture Row/Farm American Chevrolet.

“You just have to keep plugging away,” Smith said. “You need to figure out a way to make the best of the situation.”

Not Surprising: Brad Keselowski, scrappy as ever, could only talk about beating, banging, clawing and digging after his 6^th place finish in the Blue Deuce.

“There was a lot of clawing in the race,” Keselowski said. “We’d have liked to have been a little faster but we still had a decent day.”

“Like my 2 crew does every week, they just keep digging and made something happen.”

When asked about his position in the point standings, now just one point behind Jimmie Johnson, Keselowski was direct and to the point.

“One point doesn’t seem too bad,” Keselowski said. “We’ll go to Dover and give ‘em hell.”

September 27, 2012
NASCAR Top-10 Power Rankings: New Hampshire

[media-credit name=”Credit: Rainier Ehrhardt/Getty Images” align=”alignright” width=”242″][/media-credit]Note: The quotes in this article are fictional.

1. Denny Hamlin: After qualifying 32^nd, Hamlin charged to the front at Loudon and took the lead on lap 94. He led 193 of 300 laps and won for the fifth time this year.

“Last week,” Hamlin said, “I told everyone I would win. And I did. As such, I’m ‘back up’ the point standings.

“Everything went smoothly at Loudon, except for some concerns with our water temperature late in the race. I think all parties involved, including my baby’s momma, agreed that it was an inopportune time to have our water break.”

2. Jimmie Johnson: Johnson took the runner-up position for the second straight week and ascended to the top of the point standings. He now leads Brad Keselowski by one point, and Denny Hamlin by seven.

“Ask anybody who knows me,” Johnson said. “They’ll tell you I’m not used to finishing second. And speaking of ‘2’s,’ I want my fellow Chasers to have no choice but to use two hands when asked how many Cup titles I have.”

3. Brad Keselowski: After winning the Chase opener at Chicagoland last week, Keselowski finished sixth in the Sylvania300, posting his 17^th top-10 of the year. He now trails Jimmie Johnson by one point in the Sprint Cup standings.

“Hamlin did what one would expect of me,” Keselowski said. “He went on Twitter last week and guaranteed a win. I wasn’t much of a factor in this race, so you didn’t hear a peep, much less a tweet, out of me.”

4. Tony Stewart: Stewart took seventh in theSylvania300 after leading 38 laps, scoring his third straight top-7 result. He is now fourth in the Sprint Cup point standings, ten out of first.

“Denny Hamlin ran a great race,” Stewart said. “Congratulations to Joe Gibbs Racing for their 100^th win. I had a hand in many of those victories. I’ve had a hand in a lot of things; I’ve had a hand on a lot more. Just ask any driver who’s crossed me.”

5. Kasey Kahne: Kahne posted his ninth top-5 finish of the year and second of the Chase with a fifth at Loudon. He remained fifth in the Sprint Cup point standings and trails Jimmie Johnson by 15.

“The No. 5 Farmers Insurance Chevrolet was fast,” Kahne said. “I’m certainly pleased with my sponsor, and they are pleased with me. I’m popular with Farmers Insurance, and even more popular with farmers’ daughters.”

6. Clint Bowyer: Bowyer was the second-best Toyota at Loudon, coming home fourth in theSylvania300, which was dominated by Denny Hamlin. Bowyer is 15 points behind Hamlin in the point standings and still very much in the hunt for the Sprint Cup.

“Eastwood might,” Bowyer said, “but this ‘Clint’ doesn’t talk to empty chairs. Or do I? Hopefully, at the NASCAR banquet at year’s end, I will be talking to one empty chair, my own, when I, as champion, take the podium and address the other 11 drivers on the stage. Boy, would that ‘make my dais.’”

7. Jeff Gordon: Gordon won the pole for the Sylvania300 and finished third behind race-winner Denny Hamlin and Jimmie Johnson. He is 12^th in the point standings, 45 out of first.

“It must be a slow week in NASCAR,” Gordon said. “The biggest news is Kurt Busch signing with Furniture Row Racing for 2013. It’s a perfect fit, because Kurt’s had enough ‘seats’ to fill a furniture store.”

8. Dale Earnhardt, Jr.: Earnhardt finished a disappointing 13^th at Loudon, finishing in the same position he qualified. He is seventh in the point standings, 26 out of first.

“Obviously,” Earnhardt said, “I’ve got a lot on my mind. There’s the Chase, and then there’s my split with the Eury’s. I hate to lose those guys, but with my record, what’s another loss?”

9. Matt Kenseth: Kenseth led one lap and finished 14^th in the Sylvania 300, following an 18^th last week at Chicagoland. He is 11^th in the Sprint Cup point standings, 35 behind Jimmie Johnson.

“I’m driving myself right out of the Chase,” Kenseth said. “Luckily, that’s on the way to Joe Gibbs Racing.

“Obviously, the No. 17 Roush Fenway Ford is not fast enough. So, you could say I’m just going through the slow motions.”

10. Kevin Harvick: Harvick finished 11^th in the Sylvania 300, and moved up two spots in the point standings to eighth. He trails Jimmie Johnson by 31.

“Finishing 11^th accurately sums up my season,” Harvick said, “because it’s been a struggle to stay in the top 10 all year.”

September 25, 2012
Surprising and Not Surprising: Geico 400

[media-credit name=”Noel Lanier” align=”alignright” width=”235″][/media-credit]In the opening salvo of the 2012 Chase for the Sprint Cup championship, here is what was surprising and not surprising in the Geico 400 at Chicagoland Speedway.

Surprising: The following words from his Chase video promo proved prophetic for the driver who likened his victory to a win in the opening round of a heavyweight fight for the championship.

“I didn’t start out wanting to be a race car driver,” Brad Keselowski said in the video. “I started out wanting to be a championship race car driver.”

Also, just as he predicted in his Chase video, the driver of the No. 2 Miller Lite Dodge for Penske Racing had to battle a championship veteran, none other than five-time champion Jimmie Johnson, for the race win.

“Of course at every stop up the ranks there was some veteran that wanted to test me,” Keselowski continued in the video. “Someone I had to prove myself to.”

“These days, well, not much has changed. I’m Brad Keselowski and this is my Chase.”

Yes, at least so far in the championship battle, it most certainly is Keselowski’s Chase. With his win, Keselowski now leads the point standings for the first time in his career.

Not Surprising: With the Chase competition in full gear, it was not surprising that a bit of controversy played into the race finish.

Runner up Jimmie Johnson, who has never won at Chicagoland, expressed concerns about Keselowski of blending prematurely, crossing the line a little bit too early after making his final pit stop in his opinion.

“He did cut up early,” Johnson said. “It did impede my progress.”

“But it didn’t affect the outcome, I don’t believe, “Johnson continued. “The way he made quick work in traffic and stretched it out on me, I’m not sure I would have held him off.”

Although NASCAR reviewed the situation, the sanctioning body ruled that there was no foul. Johnson finished second, his ninth top-10 finish in 11 races at Chicagoland and his 18^th top-10 finish in 2012.

Johnson was also the lap leader of the race, leading a whopping 172 laps of the Geico 400. He kept Chase leader Keselowski in his sights, however, and is now just three points back.

Surprising: Both Roush Fenway drivers in the Chase had surprisingly bad days. Matt Kenseth, behind the wheel of the No. 17 Best Buy Ford, had the shock of his life and Greg Biffle, in the No. 16 3M Ford was shocked by how bad his final pit stop was.

“A shock fell off, I guess,” Kenseth said. “I guess it didn’t get tight.”

“We had a brake line get loose at Bristol and a shock fall off in this race, so obviously we have to get to the bottom of that.”

“We were really good there at the end and we did our last stop and the car just went bad,” Biffle said. “It never fails, the last stop of the day we put our tires on and it went bad.”

Kenseth finished 18^th and fell three positions to 11^th in the Chase standings, 26 back of the leader. Biffle finished a bit better in 13^th but lost three positions to 8^th in the Chase standings and is now 19 points behind the leader.

Not Surprising: The grunt of pain when this driver hit the wall hard said it all for his race, as well as being symbolic for much of his 2012 season.

Even bringing back his old school mustache could not help Jeff Gordon as his throttle stuck, hurtling him into the safer barrier and relegating him to a 35^th place finish. Gordon did not budge from the 12^th position, however, is now a daunting 47 points away from the Chase points leader.

“We were having a good day,” Gordon said. “We had a top-5 car and who knows what we could have done.”

“We had a throttle stick,” Gordon said. “I left off and it didn’t come all the way back.

“In this deal, you can’t afford issues like that.”

Surprising: Dale Earnhardt, Jr. had a surprising destination in mind as his goal for the rest of the Chase, especially having to start from the rear due to an engine issue and finishing eighth.

“I was disappointed in myself for making that mistake with the engine and getting us that far back at the start of the race,” the driver of the No. 88 AMP Energy/7-Eleven/National Guard Chevrolet said. “We really couldn’t overcome the track position.”

“We need to be in the media center after all these races as much as possible,” Junior said, noting his new destination goal. “Eighth is all right, but I know Brad is going to run well and Jimmie is obviously going to be tough.”

“You can’t run eighth every week and win the championship.”

Junior maintained his seventh position in the Chase standings and is 17 points back from leader Keselowski.

Not Surprising: Earnhardt Junior’s teammate Kasey Kahne was the Chase’s official biggest mover, gaining six positions to fifth in the standings with his third place finish.

“The Farmers Insurance Chevrolet was good all day,” Kahne said. “The pit stops were awesome and I felt good about it.”

While Kahne was happy about his finish, he also expressed some concerns about what he and his crew chief Kenny Francis will face in the next mile and a half track on the schedule.

“We made a lot of adjustments and Kenny did a nice job, but we just couldn’t figure anything out to make the car better,” Kahne said. “So, I just feel like I was lacking today and hopefully we can talk about it this week and get it better for some of these other 1.5 mile tracks.”

Surprising: Michael Waltrip Racing, after blazing into the Chase with its two primary drivers Clint Bowyer and Martin Truex, Jr., were surprising non-factors for the win in the first race of the championship ten.

Truex, Jr., driving the No. 56 NAPA Auto Parts Toyota, finished ninth and Bowyer, piloting the No. 15 5-Hour Energy Toyota, finished right behind him in tenth. They are sixth and ninth respectively in the point standings after the Chicagoland race.

“It just wasn’t a good day,” Bowyer said simply. “I don’t know whether it was strategy or pit stops or what, but it seemed like we lost spots on pit road all day and it just cost us.”

“You ain’t going to win a championship with decent days.”

“We were horrible at the start,” Truex Jr. said. “We made lots and lots and lots and lots of changes – big changes and it just worked at the end.”

“It wasn’t the way we wanted to start the Chase.”

Not Surprising: The driver that lost his spot in the twelve eligible to run for the Chase at Richmond could only wonder what could have been, especially after having a top-5 run at Chicagoland.

“The day started off really good,” Kyle Busch, driver of the No. 18 Doublemint Toyota, said. “We were following Jeff Gordon up to the front.”

“We had a strong Doublemint Camry,” Busch continued. “Just didn’t quite have enough for the top-three today, but we got a fourth-place effort out of it.”

Surprising: In an unusual move, NASCAR actually reversed a penalty, however, it was still a very big setback for one young driver.

Aric Almirola, in his No. 43 Farmland Ford Fusion, who was penalized by NASCAR for a loose tire, was later told by NASCAR that the call was a mistake, giving him his pass through penalty lap back. Almirola, who was having a good run, just could not recover and finished 17^th.

“That was very bizarre,” Almirola said. “To be running fourth and get a pass through penalty and lose a lap and then have them tell you that they are sorry and give you your lap back, but you are on the tail end of the lead lap so you go from running fourth to 23^rd or 24^th, that was pretty pathetic.”

“They fixed it and gave us our lap back, but it was disappointing.”

Not Surprising: Denny Hamlin, after running out of fuel to finish 16^th in his No. 11 FedEx Ground Toyota, made the challenge of the post race.

“This was just us making a big mistake with our fuel again,” Hamlin said. “It’s tough but we’re strong enough and fast enough this Chase that we can make up 15 points easily.”

In fact, Hamlin expressed such confidence heading into the second Chase race at Loudon that he posted the following tweet @dennyhamlin.

“This is 1 week of 10. We will win next week.”

September 19, 2012