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  • NASCAR Top-10 Power Rankings: Phoenix

    NASCAR Top-10 Power Rankings: Phoenix

    Note: The quotes in this article are fictional.

    1. Jimmie Johnson: Johnson started on the pole and finished third in the AdvoCare 500, well ahead of Matt Kenseth, who struggled and finished 23rd. Johnson has a 28-point lead heading into Homestead, and needs only a finish of 23rd or better to clinch the Cup.

    “Anything can happen at Homestead,” Johnson said. “But I’d prefer that nothing happen.

    “I’m close to my sixth Cup title, which would place me only one behind Richard Petty and Dale Earnhardt. My goal is to be mentioned in the same sentence with ‘The King’ and ‘The Intimidator,’ and I don’t see anything stopping me, except a cool nickname.”

    2. Matt Kenseth: Kenseth finished 23rd on a disastrous day at Phoenix, handicapped by a car that proved unresponsive to adjustments. He started the day seven points behind Jimmie Johnson, and finished in a 28-point hole.

    “I won my first Cup championship ten years ago,” Kenseth said. “Likewise, my second Cup championship is history, also.”

    3. Kevin Harvick: Harvick won at Phoenix, recording his fourth win of the year in his next-to-last race with Richard Childress Racing. He is third in the points standings, 34 out of first.

    “This may be my last victory burnout,” Harvick said. “And speaking of ‘burnout,’ I am so ready to leave RCR. When you combine nepotism with narcissism, you get RCR. There’s no ‘I’ in team, and trust me, there’s no ‘me’ in that team.”

    4. Dale Earnhardt, Jr.: Earnhardt continued his strong finish to the Chase with a fourth in the Advocare 500, his fourth-consecutive top 10 and seventh of the Chase. He is fifth in the Sprint Cup points standings, 63 out of first.

    “It’s important to build momentum for next year,” Earnhardt said. “And we have. So, contrary to the fans of Junior Nation, who have a habit of saying ‘Wait ‘til next year,’ I can’t wait ‘til next year.”

    5. Jeff Gordon: Gordon bounced back from a difficult Sunday at Texas with a solid 14th at Phoenix. He is sixth in the points standings, 80 behind Jimmie Johnson.

    “Jimmie Johnson may be leading the points,” Gordon said, “but I’m looking over my shoulder, as well. Is Clint Bowyer behind me?”

    6. Kyle Busch: Busch finished seventh in the AdvoCare 500, posting his 21st top-10 result of the year. He is currently fourth in the points standings, 57 out of first.

    “On a more positive note,” Busch said, “I won my 12th Nationwide race of the season on Saturday. My civilian driving record says I’m not a ‘Sunday driver,’ and, apparently, so does my Sprint Cup driving record.”

    7. Brad Keselowski: Keselowski led 27 laps and finished 12th in the AdvoCare 500.

    “Sadly, this just wasn’t the year for the No. 2 Miller Lite Ford,” Keselowski said. “Thus, my championship reign is ending at one year. It seems it was ‘2’ time only one time.”

    8. Greg Biffle: Biffle took 13th at Phoenix on a day when Jimmie Johnson all but clinched the Sprint Cup championship. Biffle is now seventh in the points standings, 83 out of first.

    “I plan to confront Johnson again,” Biffle said, “and ask him, ‘What’s your problem?’ If he responds, ‘I got 99 problems, but a ‘Biff’ ain’t one,’ then he’s officially the greatest driver of all time.”

    9. Clint Bowyer: Bowyer finished 20th at Phoenix, another disappointing result in the Chase For The Cup. Bowyer has only two top-5 finishes in the Chase.

    “The race was called the ‘AdvoCare 500,’” Bowyer said, “but not by everyone. To me, it was the ‘I Don’t Care 500.’”

    10. Joey Logano: Logano scored another top-10 finish with a ninth at Phoenix. He is ninth in the points standings, 97 out of first.

    “I almost took out Jimmie Johnson on the first lap,” Logano said. “But I didn’t, and that’s too bad, because I really wanted to have an impact on the Chase.”

  • The Final Word – Jimmie and Matt continue their battle, Harvick starts a family feud at Martinsville

    The Final Word – Jimmie and Matt continue their battle, Harvick starts a family feud at Martinsville

    We were wrong. We were wrong about the big wild card that is Talladega, though to our credit neither Jimmie Johnson nor Matt Kenseth finished in the top ten that day. Still, even with a runner up finish there, Dale Earnhardt Jr remained miles away from the leaders. Kyle Busch made up all of seven points on Johnson and a whopping 15 on Kenseth, but still nowhere near enough.

    We were wrong about Martinsville, which should be renamed Johnsonville the way Jimmie lays it down there. While Jeff Gordon tied Five Time in wins at the paper clip, claiming his 8th at the track and the 88th of his Cup career, and while Johnson made it 17 top fives in 24 attempts, Kenseth finished second. It was only his 4th top five there in 28 attempts. So, it would appear that whatever the 2003 champ did while employed by Jack Roush no longer applies in any negative sense since he joined Joe Gibbs. For Matt, his history is history as he forges a new path.

    What we have is a new Matt, a renewed Jimmie, and as we change our focus to Texas we have these boys tied in points, 27 points ahead of Gordon and 28 up on Kevin Harvick. It remains a two way fight, unless fate intervenes and messes up the plans of one or both of them. Could that intervention come in Texas? Based on the past two weeks, how in hell should I know?

    Still, both leaders have done well at Fort Worth in the past. Both have a couple of wins there, both have an average finish of better than tenth, both are tied with 15 Top Tens on this track. So, both should do well on Sunday. Should.

    There should be peace and harmony the world over, but Kevin Harvick is preparing to leave RCR after a thirteen year association by crapping all over the bosses grandsons. It is one thing to criticize a young driver with whom he had issues in the truck race on Saturday. It is another to state that a reason for the job change next year was due to these punk-ass, rich kids, who have had everything spoon fed to them, coming up to eventual Cup rides with grand pappy while having no respect for the sport. Who urged the boy to run into Harvick to get things nice and hot? Well, that would be Grandpa Childress himself, never mind the less than loving comments the two had in regards to Harvick in the garage area afterwards. Kevin said on Sunday’s telecast that he was sorry. I am sure that will make everything all better between all concerned. Hallmark, no doubt, has a new card to write.

    Rating Martinsville – 5.5/10 – The oldest venue on the NASCAR circuit deserved better on Sunday’s telecast. We all did.

    Fort Worth just means more of the same. A two-man race with a few waiting in the wings for something bad to happen to the front duo. Maybe we should dub this the Tango in Texas, because it takes two to…ah, forget it. Enjoy the week.

  • NASCAR Top-10 Power Rankings: Talladega

    NASCAR Top-10 Power Rankings: Talladega

    Note: The quotes in this article are fictional.

    1. Matt Kenseth: Kenseth survived to finish 20th at Talladega, seven spots behind Jimmie Johnson. Kenseth’s four point lead became a four point deficit to Jimmie Johnson in the standings.

    “I drove like I was expecting the ‘big one,’” Kenseth said, “and it never came. So the fans weren’t the only ones upset that there wasn’t a big crash. I guess I should have been more aggressive. If I’ve been faulted for being anything, it’s too ‘laid back.’”

    2. Jimmie Johnson: Johnson finished 13th in the Camping World RV Sales 500 at Talladega, leading a race-high 47 laps to earn two crucial bonus points. He took over the lead in the points, and holds a four-point edge over Matt Kenseth.

    “I was playing ‘catch’ with points-leader Kenseth,” Johnson said, “and I ‘overthrew’ him.”

    3. Kevin Harvick: Harvick, in the No. 29 Jimmy Johns Chevrolet, took 12th at Talladega and is fourth in the Sprint Cup points standings, tied with Kyle Busch 26 points out of first.

    “This is the only way I can possibly share space with Kyle Busch,” Harvick said.

    “That was one of the least exciting Talladega races, despite the fact that cars were topping out at near 200 miles per hour. I guess that’s why they call it ‘full bore.’”

    4. Kyle Busch: Busch posted his second consecutive top-5 finish, taking fifth at Talladega. He is tied for third in the points standings, 26 out of first.

    “I’m back in the championship hunt,” Busch said. “But if I don’t have a good finish at Martinsville, I’ll likely be done. The last time I was ‘officially eliminated,’ I was taken off the road by a state trooper in North Carolina.”

    5. Jeff Gordon: Gordon led 19 laps at Talladega and finished 14th at Talladega, rendering unable to make up ground in the Sprint Cup points standings. He is now fifth in the Sprint Cup points standings, 34 behind Jimmie Johnson.

    “Jimmie’s got the lead,” Gordon said. “Let’s see if he can hold it. With Martinsville up next, history says he can. He’s won eight races there, rewarded with a grandfather clock for each victory. It’s just further proof that the 5-time Cup champ’s greatness is measure in ‘times.’”

    6. Kurt Busch: Busch came home 18th at Talladega and is now ninth in the Sprint Cup points standings, 61 out of first.

    “We had Wonder Bread on the No. 78 Chevrolet,” Busch said. “As if you needed more proof that I’m as white bread as they come.”

    7. Clint Bowyer: Bowyer finished tenth at Talladega, his first top-10 finish since a tenth at Dover. He is eighth in the points standings, 57 out of first.

    “Kudos to 5-Hour Energy for their contribution to NASCAR,” Bowyer said. “Like its name states, 5-Hour Energy will stay with you for awhile, which is more than I can say about some of Michael Waltrip’s other sponsors.”

    8. Greg Biffle: Biffle finished 11th in the Roush Fenway Racing No. 16 Ford, while teammate Ricky Stenhouse, Jr. took third. Biffle is seventh in the points standings, 53 behind Jimmie Johnson.

    “That was a great run by Stenhouse,” Biffle said. “He finished 30 places better than his girlfriend Danica Patrick. Contrary to popular belief, Danica is the one who is ‘whipped.’”

    9. Dale Earnhardt, Jr.: Running second on the final lap, Earnhardt’s bid for victory at Talladega ended when the caution flew on the final lap, allowing Jamie McMurray to coast to victory. Earnhardt’s second was the best result among Chase drivers, and moved him up to sixth in the points standings.

    “I’ve made second a habit at Talladega,” Earnhardt said. “And speaking of ‘habits,’ I’ve got as many wins this year as that lady wearing the habit—none.”

    10. Ryan Newman: Newman started 17th and finished ninth at Talladega, earning his 16th top 10 of the year.

    “That was the most incident-free race at Talladega I’ve ever seen,” Newman said. “Take it from me, that race was turned upside down.”

  • NASCAR Top-10 Power Rankings: Dover

    NASCAR Top-10 Power Rankings: Dover

    Note: The quotes in this article are fictional.

    1. Matt Kenseth: Kenseth finished 7th at Dover, failing in his quest to become the first driver to win the first three Chase For The Cup races. Kenseth leads Jimmie Johnson by eight points in the standings.

    “The No. 20 Toyota sported the ‘Let’s Do This’ logo at Dover,” Kenseth said. “That’s opposed to Clint Bowyer’s No. 15, which read ‘I Did This.’”

    2. Jimmie Johnson: Johnson captured a big win at Dover, taking the AAA 400 as Joe Gibbs Racing rivals Matt Kenseth and Kyle Busch finished 7th and 5th, respectively. Johnson trails Kenseth by eight in the Sprint Cup points standings.

    “Kenseth won’t have this championship handed to him on a silver platter,” Johnson said. “Why? Because that platter is full, because I just served notice on it.”

    3. Kyle Busch: Busch led 30 laps and finished fifth at Dover, posting his 14th top 5 of the year. He is third in the point standings, 12 behind Matt Kenseth.

    “I’m tired of playing second fiddle to Kenseth,” Busch said. “I’m used to being called a ‘tool,’ not an ‘instrument.’

    4. Jeff Gordon: Gordon finished fourth at Dover as Hendrick Motorsports took three of the top four spots, with Jimmie Johnson winning. Gordon is fifth in the points standings, 39 out of first.

    “I’d say I’m doing pretty good,” Gordon said, “considering I was a wild-wild card addition to the Chase.

    “My odds are slim and my chances are fat. It appears that for my fifth Sprint Cup championship, the ‘wait’ is on.”

    5. Kevin Harvick: Harvick finished sixth in the AAA 400 at Dover, recording his 15th top 10 of the year. He is fourth in the Sprint Cup points standings, 39 out of first.

    “Matt Kenseth, Jimmie Johnson, and Kyle Busch are slugging it out at the top,” Harvick said, “while I’m merely an afterthought. I, along with others, am what you call a ‘sleeper.’ That’s because if I win the Cup, someone will have to wake me up, because I was obviously dreaming.”

    6. Greg Biffle: Biffle took ninth at Dover, the top finisher among Roush Fenway Racing drivers. He is sixth in the point standings, 41 out of first.

    “I heard Clint Bowyer did yoga before Sunday’s race,” Biffle said. “Ironically, I find myself in a similar position, because it’s a ‘stretch’ to believe either one of us has a chance to win the Cup.”

    7. Clint Bowyer: Bowyer finished 10th in the AAA 400 after starting 23rd and leading one lap. He is eighth in the points standings, 51 out of first.

    “Luckily,” Bowyer said, “5-Hour Energy will remain as the primary sponsor of the No. 15 car. I guess I talked them in to staying. You could say I put a positive ‘spin’ on the situation.”

    8. Kurt Busch: Busch finished 21st in the AAA 400, three laps off the pace. He is now ninth in the points standings, 55 out of first.

    “We had four new pit crew members at Dover,” Busch said. “You could say Furniture Row Racing ‘benched’ some guys. It didn’t seem to make much of a difference, though, because our chances to win the Cup have been put to bed.”

    9. Ryan Newman: Newman finished eighth at Dover and is now seventh in the points standings, 48 behind Matt Kenseth.

    “Quicken Loans is following me to Richard Childress Racing,” Newman said. “Unlike Stewart-Haas Racing, they didn’t leave me hanging.”

    10. Dale Earnhardt, Jr.: Earnhardt started on the pole and finished second to Hendrick teammate Jimmie Johnson at Dover. He is tenth in the points standings, behind Matt Kenseth.

    “I won the pole with a record lap at Dover,” Earnhardt said. “It was a historic moment for Junior Nation, because they had good reason to do a pole dance and a lap dance.

    “I thought my four tires would catch Johnson’s two. Four is usually better than two. Likewise, five is always better than zero.”

  • The Final Word – After New Hampshire, we are down to three contenders heading to Dover

    The Final Word – After New Hampshire, we are down to three contenders heading to Dover

    No one wishes Matt Kenseth any bad fortune, but if something should happen, like a 35th place at Dover next weekend, I am sure a dozen other fellows would not be terribly upset.

    Things have gone so right for the 2003 Cup champion since moving from the Roush to the Gibbs racing stable. For the first time, he has won seven races in a single season, and for the first time in 28 starts he is a winner in New Hampshire. All this in his 500th career start, where only Richard Petty was victorious on the day he reached the same milestone.

    Come to think of it, bad things for both Kenseth and team mate Kyle Busch probably would not tear up the opposition terribly much. Rowdy has ran second in both Chase events, and trails Matt by 14 points in the chase for the title. Let us sum up. Over the past five events, Carl Edwards won a race, Kyle won another, and Kenseth has claimed three. So much for sharing.

    Jimmie Johnson remains in the hunt, and as of right now he is the only other invitee to this party. A fourth place result, following a fifth at Chicago, has him 18 points in the rearview. That is just half the distance the fourth ranked team of Edwards is sitting, with seven of the 13 contenders now 40 or more points back. They need to see smoke, bad tires, bad handling, loose lug nuts, a broken jack, a meeting with a wall, an alien abduction of a certain somebody, something to get them all back into contention.

    Rating New Hampshire – 6/10 – I believe I have seen more exciting soccer games. It was not an entertaining broadcast by any measure, not visually and certainly not from the announcers, unless you were cheering for Kenseth or Shrub. If so, give it a 9. With ESPN departing after next season, do not expect things to improve anytime soon. Well, not until February.

    Expect Johnson to do well at Dover on Sunday, where he has won 7 in 23 attempts, compiling 16 Top Tens. Mind you, nine Chasers have wins there, with Kenseth having a couple himself. Clint Bowyer, Kevin Harvick, Joey Logano, and Kasey Kahne have not yet tasted victory on the Monster Mile. In nine races, Logano has led just one lap, but considering what went down at Loudon he just might win the damn thing. Well, maybe if he still drove for Joe Gibbs.

    But that honor belongs to Matt Kenseth and Kyle Busch, with Jimmie Johnson a Hendrick co-star in this production as they move to Delaware. As long as that trio continues to run well, this Chase is over for the other ten. Enjoy the week.

  • Hot 20 over the past 10 – Montoya soon to be rid of fenders, NAPA soon to be rid of Michael Waltrip

    Hot 20 over the past 10 – Montoya soon to be rid of fenders, NAPA soon to be rid of Michael Waltrip

    So, what have we learned lately? Well, if one cheats, one must not do so in a fashion that allows them to be quickly caught. Caught by everybody. Caught on scanners, radios, and in full view of millions at the track and watching on television. Nothing good can ever come from that. That is, if one decides that they must cheat in the first place.

    Since February, 2001 NAPA and Michael Waltrip have been synonymous in NASCAR. That comes to an abrupt end at the conclusion of this year when the company terminates its association with MWR, and it is all due to the events at Richmond. It is a very high price to pay and as much as I did not condone that team’s actions, as much as I applaud NASCAR’s reaction to them, I hate to have seen it come to this. I understand why the team did what it did. I understand why the fans reacted as they did, with those actions affecting two drivers who have become sentimental favorites. I understand why NAPA did what they did, being sensitive to public perception. However, it gives me no joy to read about it. The price has been paid. It is time to move on.

    Juan Pablo Montoya is moving on. After seven seasons and two victories in NASCAR’s Cup series, he returns to the open wheeled racing in which he thrived between 1999 and 2006. Over the course of those eight campaigns, he won 18 races, claimed the CART championship as well as the Grand Prix of Monaco in claiming seven Formula One events. Ironically, while he joins the Penske organization in IndyCar, he has run only one race in that circuit, winning the 2000 Indianapolis 500. We look forward to his return to the track in St. Petersburg, Florida in late March.

    Matt Kenseth returns to the track this Sunday at Loudon, New Hampshire. Unlike the other five drivers among our hottest half dozen, which includes the Busch Brothers, Ryan Newman, Kevin Harvick, and Jeff Gordon, Kenseth has never won at Loudon in 27 attempts. Then again, he has never won six races in a season before, either, and that Joe Gibbs car of his might be just what he needs to break that streak in New Hampshire.

     

    Name Points Pos LW Rank W T5 T10
      Kyle Busch  354 1 1 (2) 2 4 6
      Kurt Busch  339 2 2 (6) 0 5 7
      Ryan Newman  328 3 5 (8) 1 4 6
      Matt Kenseth  327 4 3 (1) 2 3 5
      Kevin Harvick  326 5 6 (4) 0 3 5
      Jeff Gordon  312 6 8 (7) 0 1 7
      Jamie McMurray  310 7 4 (15) 0 1 2
      Carl Edwards  304 8 11 (5) 1 2 4
      Greg Biffle  299 9 13 (11) 0 0 3
      Kasey Kahne  293 10 10 (10) 1 3 4
      Brad Keselowski  293 11 15 (14) 0 2 4
      Joey Logano  280 12 7 (12) 1 3 6
      Dale Earnhardt, Jr.  279 13 9 (13) 0 1 5
      Jimmie Johnson  271 14 14 (3) 1 3 5
      Juan Pablo Montoya  269 15 12 (20) 0 2 4
      Paul Menard  261 16 17 (16) 0 2 3
      Marcos Ambrose  256 17 16 (21 0 0 2
      Ricky Stenhouse, Jr.  247 18 20 (19) 0 0 2
      Clint Bowyer  245 19 18 (9) 0 2 4
      Aric Almirola  239 20 21 (18) 0 1 1
      Jeff Burton  230 21 22 (22) 0 1 2
      Martin Truex, Jr.  227 22 19 (17) 0 2 3
  • Surprising and Not Surprising: IRWIN Tools Bristol Night Race

    Surprising and Not Surprising: IRWIN Tools Bristol Night Race

    From NASCAR children National Anthem singing to cars colliding and tempers flaring, here is what else was surprising and not surprising from the 53rd annual IRWIN Tools Night Race at Bristol Motor Speedway.

    Surprising:  Disappointment surprisingly abounded atop the Chase leaderboard, with both point’s leader Jimmie Johnson finishing worse than 36th for the second week in a row and second place Chaser Clint Bowyer being spun out while in the lead, finishing 14th.

    “This racing stuff happens,” Jimmie Johnson, driver of the No. 48 Lowe’s Dover White Chevrolet said after finishing 36th. “Luckily, we had a big point’s lead that we can kind of deal with right now.”

    “We’ve locked into the Chase and certainly want to clean things up,” Johnson continued. “We’ll keep after it and be back again next week.”

    Having once had been in the lead by over 70 plus points, Johnson is now just 18 points ahead of the second place driver Clint Bowyer.

    “I felt like we had a shot at winning and then I got spun out by a lapper, of all things,” Bowyer said after the race. “It hit that left-front tire, and the car never turned the center (of the corners) as good the rest of the night.”

    “I’m really just disappointed … because we had a really good car,” Bowyer continued. “Absolutely nothing went our way all night.”

    Not Surprising:  Although he has been a bit quiet over the last month or two, the resurgence of Matt Kenseth at Joe Gibbs Racing continued, with the driver of the No. 20 Dollar General Toyota rolling right into Bristol’s Victory Lane for the fifth time this season.

    This was Kenseth’s 29th win in 496 Cup Series races and his third victory in 28 races at Bristol Motor Speedway.

    “The last month and a half, two months has been a little bit more of a, I hate to say reality check,” Kenseth said. “We’ve struggled just a little bit more, haven’t quite had the speed so it was really, really encouraging this weekend to get to the track and be really fast.”

    “It’s a huge win for us,” Kenseth continued. “The Bristol night race is one of the biggest races of the year.”

    “I’m glad we were able to pull it off.”

    Surprising:  The driver of the No. 5 Farmers Insurance Chevrolet seemed surprisingly befuddled at the end of the race in spite of finishing runner up under the Bristol lights.

    “I didn’t get it done,” Kasey Kahne said dejectedly. “We ended up second and it was a good point’s day but I didn’t figure out how to win the race.”

    “I don’t know, I just don’t know,” Kahne continued. “I think at the end of the day I just don’t wreck people.”

    This was Kahne’s ninth top-10 finish in 20 races at Bristol and his 11th top-10 finish of the season. He also moved up three positions in the Chase standings to the eighth spot.

    Not Surprising:  Joey Logano, riding the wave of momentum from last week’s race win at Michigan, not surprisingly proved, at least in his own mind, that he has the mettle to make it into the Chase.

    The driver of the No. 22 Shell/Pennzoil Ford finished fifth and moved up three spots in the points to the tenth position.

    “We came from the back three times to get a top-five finish,” Logano said. “They can’t put us down and can’t keep us down.”

    “We deserve to make this Chase and if we keep doing this on days that they’re trying to put us down, we deserve it.”

    Surprising:  Although admittedly hoping that the leaders would wreck each other so he could score the win, Juan Pablo Montoya surprisingly credited his third place finish to, of all things, a speeding penalty.

    “I got caught speeding there with like 170 to go or something and that kind of hurt us,” the driver of the No. 42 Target Chevrolet said. “But I’ll tell you the truth, I think it helped us because if it would have played right, we probably would have run out of gas.”

    “It made it more interesting,” Montoya continued. “I really cooked the front tires there at the end but it was fun.”

    This was JPM’s fourth top-10 finish in 14 races at the Bristol Motor Speedway.

    Not Surprising:   Well, it was Bristol after all so, to no one’s surprise, there were a few tempers flaring, especially after a late race wreck took out many of the best cars, including some Chase contenders.

    Denny Hamlin and Kevin Harvick, who do have a history with one another, had a rather vigorous discussion on pit road after the wreck when Harvick pulled into Hamlin’s pit stall and Hamlin gave him a shove out of the box.

    As a result, Harvick jumped out of his car and beat a path to the door of Hamlin’s car to have a few words about the incident.

    “I just saw the No. 11 shoot across the track,” Harvick said. “He said the No. 56 got into him and so I just wanted to know what happened.”

    “He just told me his version of it,” the driver of the No. 29 Jimmy John’s Chevrolet said. “It’s all good.”

    “It’s Bristol racing.”

    Harvick finish 34th but maintained his fourth spot in the point’s standings while Hamlin finish 28th, well out of Chase contention in 25th in the point’s standings.

    Surprising:  In spite of some greetings from Smoke’s recovery bed, the Stewart-Haas Racing team had a surprisingly tough day. Mark Martin, subbing for the ailing Stewart, finished 20th with Ryan Newman right behind him in 21st and Danica Patrick in 26th.

    “We had some tough luck and a few things that we could’ve done better, but we were pretty fast at the end,” Martin said. “That’s why I go home feeling good about it because we were able to improve the car and get it competitive.”

    “This one is behind us and hopefully we’ll move ahead from here.”

    “I really don’t know what happened there,” Newman, behind the wheel of the No. 39 Quicken Loans Chevrolet, said. “A couple of guys around us made contact and that triggered a big mess.”

    “Our Quicken Loans Chevrolet was damaged pretty significantly; it was a handful to drive those last 50 laps with,” Newman continued. “I basically tried to just stay out of everyone’s way and bring the car to the finish.”

    “There is nothing you can do about getting into the wall and having damage,” Patrick said. “We came back as best as we could and made the car as good as it was at the end.”

    “We will take it and move on.”

    Not Surprising:  In spite of finishing top-10, Jeff Gordon, driver of the No. 24 Axalta Coating Systems Chevrolet, could only talk about opportunities lost at Bristol, especially after gaining just one position in the standings to the 13th spot.

    “I think we were better than that,” Gordon said of his seventh place finish. “I don’t know if we had enough for Matt but we fought hard and gave it our best effort.”

    “Gained points on 10th but not as much as we could have,” Gordon continued. “But we gained something.”

    Surprising: While the Truex brothers were excited to be racing against one another yet again, both Ryan Truex, making his Cup debut, and Martin Truex, Jr. had surprisingly difficult days.

    Young Ryan Truex spun and hit the wall, retiring his No. 51 Seawatch Chevrolet after 39 laps to finish 42nd in his first ever Cup effort.

    Brother Martin had a very hard crash late in the race, causing him to finish 35th in his No. 56 NAPA Auto Parts Toyota. Although maintaining his wild card status thanks to his win, Truex Jr. also suffered in the point standings, losing two positions to 14th.

    “We ran up towards the front all night,” Truex Jr. said. “Just disappointed.”

    “They start wrecking and you’re an innocent victim,” Truex Jr. continued. “We didn’t deserve that tonight.”

    Not Surprising:  Another brother duo, this one with the surname Busch, had eventful days at Bristol as well, with Kyle Busch having to start from the rear of the field to finish 11th and Kurt Busch suffering wheel hub issues resulting in a 31st place run.

    “Yeah, I guess we had a right-rear hub fail where the studs pulled through or they weren’t tightened,” the driver of the No. 78 Furniture Row Racing/Sealy Chevrolet said. “We just rode around.”

    Kurt Busch lost three positions in the point’s standings, falling to the 12th spot. Kyle Busch remains in the fifth spot in the standings, 82 points behind leader Jimmie Johnson.

    Surprising: There was a surprising first-of-the season engine failure at Roush Fenway Racing and it happened to none other than the race lap leader Carl Edwards, driver of the No. 99 Fastenal Ford.

    “I didn’t have any warning,” Edwards said. “The car was almost perfect and the engine ran awesome until it broke.”

    “The engine ran great until it blew up, so if we run like that the rest of the year, it’s going to be awesome.”

    Not Surprising:  Marcos Ambrose finished top-10 for two weeks in a row and he said that the devil made him do it.

    “That’s two top-10s in two weeks and we’ve got to take that,” the driver of No. 9 Stanley Ford Fusion said. “Yeah, I guess a little bit of the Tasmanian Devil comes out in me at this track.”

    “This is a really aggressive track and you’ve got to be aggressive all night,” Ambrose continued. “You’ve got to gnaw on that steering wheel and I just like getting up on the wheel like that.”

    “These are good nights to test your mettle and see what kind of man or lady you are out there and get after it.”

    The Cup Series will head next to Atlanta for the next to the last race before the Chase begins.

     

  • NASCAR Top-10 Power Rankings: Michigan

    NASCAR Top-10 Power Rankings: Michigan

    Note: The quotes in this article are fictional.

    1. Jimmie Johnson: Johnson’s day ended when his engine blew on lap 55 and he eventually finished 40th, but still maintained a healthy lead in the Sprint Cup point standings. He leads Clint Bowyer by 41.

    “We’re not sure what broke,” Johnson said, “but we tried to repair it. With a nod to all the conspiracy theorists who think NASCAR has handed me five Cups, you could say the ‘fix’ was on.’”

    2. Clint Bowyer: Bowyer finished 5th in the Pure Michigan 400, posting his seventh top-5 result of the year. He trails Jimmie Johnson by 41 in the points standings.

    “How anxious am I to do a victory burnout?” Bowyer asked. “So anxious, I spun on the first lap.”

    3. Kyle Busch: One week after winning at Watkins Glen, Busch finished 31st, three laps down, at Michigan, ending a run of six consecutive races with finishes of 12th or better. He remained fifth in the point standings, and now trails Jimmie Johnson by 107.

    “The handling of the No. 18 Toyota was off all day,” Busch said. “Denny Hamlin and the No. 11 FedEx car were not much better. For those two Joe Gibbs Racing cars, you could say ‘shipping and handling’ was an issue.

    “It’s off to Bristol now, where I’ve won five times. I love Bristol, and not just because the tracks suits my style. It’s the one place where people call me their ‘favorite’ and mean it.”

    4. Kevin Harvick: Harvick took the runner-up spot at Michigan, recording his best finish since a third at Charlotte in May. He is now fourth in the points standings, 64 behind Jimmie Johnson.

    “Is Kurt Busch joining Stewart-Haas Racing?” Harvick said. “If he does, the SHR team will consist of Tony Stewart, Danica Patrick, Busch, and myself. I like the makeup of that team, especially the gender balance.”

    5. Matt Kenseth: Kenseth finished 15th in the Pure Michigan 400, posting the best finish among Joe Gibbs Racing cars. Since winning his fourth race at Kentucky in late June, Kenseth has only two top-10 results.

    “NASCAR’s Facebook page directed viewers to the wrong channel for the race,” Kenseth said. “It appears the rule book isn’t the only thing of NASCAR giving mixed signals.

    “And speaking of Facebook, Carl Edwards is a very active user. It’s just like old times for me, because that son of a gun won’t stop ‘poking’ me.”

    6. Carl Edwards: Edwards posted his 12th top-10 finish of the year with a tenth at Michigan, joining teammate Greg Biffle, who finished ninth, in the top 10. Edwards is now 51 behind Jimmie Johnson in the Sprint Cup points standings.

    “Roush Fenway Racing could very well have two drivers in the Chase,” Edwards said. “That’s got to make Jack Roush happy. They call Jack “The Cat In The Hat” because he’s always wearing his trademark Panama hat. And when the Chase For The Cup is all said and done, we might all be wearing some form of headgear. Chances are, though, it won’t be a crown.”

    7. Dale Earnhardt, Jr.: While leading on lap 136, Earnhardt blew his right front tire and slammed the wall, severely damaging his No. 88 Chevrolet. He eventually finished 36th, 29 laps down, and is now seventh in the points standings, 134 out of first.

    “My car took a hard turn right, directly into the wall,” Earnhardt said. “Usually, the fans of Junior Nation and their conservative political views love anything that’s to the ‘extreme right.’ And my fans, much like my car after the wreck, won’t ‘turn left’ for anything.”

    8. Kasey Kahne: Kahne was the top finisher for Hendrick Motorsports, piloting the No. 5 Farmers Insurance Chevrolet to seventh at Michigan while Jimmie Johnson and Dale Earnhardt, Jr. finished 40th and 36th, respectively.

    “Who would have though Tony Stewart and Kurt Busch would be teammates?” Kahne said. “That could happen in 2014, and lead to an interesting situation: Stewart is Busch’s car owner, responsible for getting Busch from race to race. Tony’s never been accused of being slow, but in this case, he’ll really have to haul ‘ass.’”

    9. Joey Logano: Starting from the pole, Logano led 51 laps at Michigan and assumed the lead when Mark Martin ran out of gas with three laps to go. Logano’s win in the Pure Michigan 400 was his first win of the season, and moved him to 13th in the points standings, in sound position to challenge for a wildcard Chase spot.

    “There are some who think Martin will never run out of gas,” Logano said. “So it was a surprise when he did.

    “Martin got the call to drive the No. 14 Stewart-Haas Chevy for Tony Stewart for the remainder of the year. It makes sense that Martin is there for the reinvention of “Smoke;” after all, he was there for the invention of fire.”

    10. Kurt Busch: Busch overcame a loose lug nut issue that cost him track position before a late dash moved him up to his sixth top-5 finish of the year. He is ninth in the Sprint Cup points standings, two points ahead of Greg Biffle in tenth.

    “This was huge for my Chase hopes,” Busch said. “I’m in the top 10 now. There’s a good chance there will be two Busch brothers in the Chase. That’s good news for television ratings, and even better news for the other ten Chasers.

    “There are reports that I have a formal offer to drive a fourth car for Stewart-Haas Racing next year. Tony and I have had our differences over the years, but with this contract, I guess we’ll finally be ‘on the same page.’”

  • NASCAR Top-10 Power Rankings: Pocono

    Note: The quotes in this article are fictional.

    1. Jimmie Johnson: Johnson started from the pole at Pocono but found trouble on lap 76 when he cut a tire and hit the wall. Despite the damage, he finished 13th and actually increased his lead in the points standings to 77 over Clint Bowyer.

    “I’ve got a lot of empathy for that tire,” Johnson said, “because we both ‘blow’ victories.”

    2. Matt Kenseth: Kenseth posted a disappointing 22nd in the GoBowling.com 400 after his No. 20 Husky Chevy was collected in a lap 1 wreck involving Ricky Stenhouse, Jr. and Juan Montoya. Kenseth dropped one spot in the points standings to seventh, 134 out of first.

    “What do you call drivers who cause a wreck on lap 1 of the GoBowling.com 400?” Kenseth said. “Pinheads.”

    3. Kasey Kahne: Kahne zoomed past Jeff Gordon with two laps to go to win the GoBowling.com 400 at Pocono, his second win of the year. Kahne solidified his Chase For The Cup standing and is now eighth in the Sprint Cup points standings, 160 behind Jimmie Johnson.

    “Those restarts were nerve-racking,” Kahne said. “As one would expect in the GoBowling.com 400, I was on pins and needles.

    “What a run by the No. 5 Farmers Insurance Chevrolet. It insured victory, and was at a premium. The pit crew made all the right adjustments. As a result, we had the field covered.”

    4. Kyle Busch: Busch was the top Toyota finisher at Pocono, finishing eighth for his 12th top-10 finish of the year. He is seventh in the points standings, 130 behind Jimmie Johnson.

    “Normally,” Busch said, “you can find a Toyota in the top 5. Not on Sunday. There were no cars from Japanese automakers there. In other words, there was a case of ‘Oriental hooky’ at Pocono.”

    5. Dale Earnhardt, Jr.: Earnhardt led two laps and finished fifth at Pocono, posting his fifth top-5 result of the year. He is fifth in the points standings, 116 behind Jimmie Johnson.

    “Pocono Raceway is in the vicinity of Pennsylvania Dutch country,” Earnhardt said. “Combine that fact with the smell of a Junior Nation tent after three days in the infield and you’ve got yourself a ‘dutch oven.’”

    6. Clint Bowyer: Bowyer remained winless on the year with a 14th at Pocono as Michael Waltrip Racing teammate Martin Truex, Jr. finished close behind in 15th. Bowyer is still second in the point standings and trails Jimmie Johnson by 77.

    “I’m still without a win this year,” Bowyer said. “That could change this Sunday at the Cheez-It 355 At The Glen. In fact, I’m going to go out on a limb and predict a win. If I’m wrong, I’ll certainly complain about it. That would make Watkins Glen much like Sonoma—whine and Cheez country.”

    7. Kevin Harvick: Harvick finished 17th at Pocono on a topsy-turvy day for Chase front-runners. After a run of nine consecutive top-10 finishes, Harvick has posted finishes outside the top 15 in the last two weeks.

    “How I wish I could have waited until Sunday to announce my departure from Richard Childress Racing,” Harvick said. “What better place than the GoBowling.com 400 to announce a ‘split.’”

    8. Brad Keselowski: After winning the Nationwide Series race in Iowa on Saturday, Keselowski took sixth in the GoBowling.com 400 on Sunday. Last year’s Sprint Cup champion holds the 12th spot in the Sprint Cup point standings, four points ahead of Kurt Busch in 13th.

    “There are many that don’t believe I’ll even make the Chase,” Keselowski said. “And there are just as many that believe I will. I’m just glad some people are willing to come to my ‘defense,’ because I may not be.”

    9. Jeff Gordon: Gordon used a late caution to snatch the lead from Kasey Kahne, but after another late caution, Kahne got past Gordon with two to go to win the GoBowling.com 400. Gordon finished second and moved up one spot to 10th in the point standings.

    “Sunday was my 42nd birthday,” Gordon said. “I didn’t exactly have my birthday wishes come true, but I did get a spanking from Kasey.”

    10. Carl Edwards: Edwards finished 11th at Pocono, one spot behind Roush Fenway teammate Greg Biffle. Edwards is third in the points standings, 84 behind Jimmie Johnson.

    “Danica Patrick wrecked Travis Kvapil for the second time in three races,” Edwards said. “Let’s not go so hard on Danica. She will be a good driver one day. For now, though, she’s just an accident waiting to ‘happen.’”

  • Surprising and Not Surprising: Samuel Deeds 400 at the Brickyard

    Surprising and Not Surprising: Samuel Deeds 400 at the Brickyard

    At one of the most historic tracks on the NASCAR Sprint Cup venue, here is what was surprising and not surprising in the 20th running of the Crown Royal Presents the Samuel Deeds 400 at the Brickyard Powered by BigMachineRecords.com.

    Surprising:  It is not often that Chad Knaus, one of the best crew chiefs in the business, gets outfoxed, however he surprisingly did at the Brickyard by none other than Matt Borland who won his first race since being reunited with driver Ryan Newman.

    Borland made the gutsy two-tire call with just eleven laps left in the race to score the kissing of the bricks for his driver and the team of the No. 39 Quicken Loans/The Smurfs Chevrolet.

    “Matt Borland just made an awesome call,” Newman said. “I have won more races with him on old tires and out of gas than I have with four tires and the best car.”

    This was the first win of the season for soon to be unemployed driver Newman and the first win at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway for his team, Stewart-Haas Racing.

    “It’s just a fantastic day,” Borland said. “This is Ryan’s hometown and the Brickyard is the Brickyard.”

    “We were finally able to get everything right on race day.”

    Not Surprising:  Five-time champ Jimmie Johnson was disappointed but not surprisingly gracious in defeat. And the driver of the No. 48 Lowes/Kobalt Tools Chevrolet did not even throw anyone under the bus in the process.

    “Second is never fun especially at the Brickyard,” Johnson said. “Bummed out with that, but stuff happens.”

    “I believe the No. 39 took two (tires) as well where we took four (tires),” Johnson continued. “I don’t fault the call by any means.”

    “We win as a team we lose as a team, it’s just how it is.”

    Surprising:  Matt Kenseth, driver of the No. 20 Home Depot Toyota for Joe Gibbs Racing, was the highest finishing Camry, taking the checkered flag in the fifth spot. But even with that good run, Kenseth admitted that he had nothing for the surprisingly fast two-some of Ryan Newman and Jimmie Johnson.

    “They were way faster than us and they were up there pretty far,” Kenseth said. “Jimmie went by me so quick that I thought he was going to suck the numbers off the doors.”

    “Ryan had a really fast car,” Kenseth continued. “We had a top-10 car most of the day, but I couldn’t run with those guys.”

    Not Surprising:  Hendrick horsepower ruled the day at the Brickyard, with six of the drivers in the top-ten having that power under their hood. One of those drivers, Kasey Kahne even credited team Hendrick power in the engine of his No. 5 Great Clips Chevrolet with his third place run.

    “We had a really fast Great Clips Chevrolet,” Kahne said. “Great Hendrick horsepower was key.”

    Not surprisingly and not coincidentally, Hendrick Motorsports also just named engine whiz Doug Duchardt as their new Executive Vice President and General Manager, effective immediately.

    “Doug has led by example from his first day with us,” Mr. H. said “He understands the importance of relationships and has helped promote a culture of teamwork and communication.”

    Surprising:  Dale Earnhardt Jr. pulled off a surprisingly good finish, in fact a sixth place finish, in spite of troubles on and off the race track. The driver of the No. 88 National Guard Chevrolet battled a loose wheel at the start of the race and troubles with the car running at the end of the race, as well as coping with the loss of his uncle Randy Earnhardt, whose death Junior learned of while at the track.

    “The car was shaking real bad,” Earnhardt Jr. said. “Steve (Letarte, crew chief) is a good strategist and we ended up alright.”

    “Randy was always there,” Junior said of his uncle who passed away. “It is just very, very sad but I am glad his suffering is over with.”

    “I loved him dearly and will miss him a lot.”

    Not Surprising:   Kurt Busch has been running so well as of late that, not surprisingly, he was distressed with a top-15 finish. The driver of the No. 78 Furniture Row/Beautyrest Chevrolet finished the race in the 14th position, which was exactly where he stood in the point standings when the race was over.

    “The 14th place finish is unacceptable,” Busch said. “We’ve accomplished a lot thus far this season, but one area we need to improve upon is finishing strong.”

    “No question we have to run better than we did today if we want to get into the top-10,” Busch continued. “We need to have strong finishes in the next six races.”

    Surprising:  Brad Keselowski was the biggest Indy loser, falling four spots in the point standings to 13th with his 21st place finish in his No. 2 Miller Lite Ford.

    “That was definitely not the day we wanted,” Keselowski said. “We weren’t a 21st place car.”

    “It is just the way things worked out,” Keselowski continued. “That has been the story of the year.”

    Not Surprising:  With a hard fought battle, Jeff Gordon bounced back into the top ten in the point standings with his top ten finish in his No. 24 Pepsi Max Chevrolet at the Brickyard.

    “You had to fight extremely hard in this race,” Gordon said. “It was just pit strategy and speed in the car and traffic.”

    “It was not easy I can tell you that.”

    Surprising:  There is a surprisingly tight Sunoco Rookie of the Year battle going on at present, with Ricky Stenhouse, Jr. leading by just nine points over Danica Patrick in the ROTY standings.

    Patrick, however, did not help her case with her 30th place finish at the Brickyard, although her ROTY competitor Stenhouse Jr. did not fare much better, finishing 25th.

    “We tried something, it just didn’t work, and that’s that,” Patrick said. “It just was what it was.”

    “It would have been nice to have a better day than this and be able to march forward,” Patrick continued. “We just didn’t and that’s just all there is to it.”

    Not Surprising:  With the lack of passing on the track, it was not surprising that many were calling for some changes, including driver Carl Edwards, who finished 13th in his No. 99 Fastenal Ford Fusion.

    “When you rely on down force and your car is going 200 mph and everything has to be perfect and there is a car up there in front of you that disrupts that air, it just becomes difficult,” Edwards said. “I don’t know that there is a fundamental problem with the car but I would be really curious to see what no front splitter and a really tiny rear spoiler would do.”

    “I think it would allow Goodyear to make a tire that is softer so it would fall off more and I think you would see those great races.”