Testing SpeedwayMedia.com

Tag: joey logano

  • Crunching The Numbers: Chicagoland

    Crunching The Numbers: Chicagoland

    After a wild and controversial weekend for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series and NASCAR Nationwide Series at Richmond and for the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series in Iowa, all three series meet back up for another tripleheader weekend in Chicago as we’re getting down to 10 races or less in the championship race for each series.

    Sprint Cup Series – Geico 400

    26 races down. 10 to go. For the third straight year, Chicagoland kicks off the Chase for the Sprint Cup and can set the early tone for a successful Chase. Last season, Brad Keselowski won at this track and used the momentum gained from the victory here to carry himself all the way to the championship. Can one of the Chase contenders do the same this season? We’ll find out at the end of 400 miles on Sunday.

    Driver Races Win Top 5 Top 10 Pole Laps Led Avg. Start Avg. Finish
    Jimmie Johnson 11 0 6 9 2 537 7.5 9.3
    Brian Vickers 6 0 1 3 1 12 5.8 9.5
    Clint Bowyer 7 0 1 6 0 8 15.0 10.1
    Kevin Harvick 12 2 6 7 0 282 18.8 10.5
    Jeff Gordon 12 1 6 7 1 134 12.1 12.1
    Mark Martin 12 1 1 5 0 239 15.5 12.6
    Matt Kenseth 12 0 2 4 1 348 17.1 12.8
    Kyle Busch 8 1 3 3 0 174 15.4 13.4
    Brad Keselowski 4 1 2 2 0 80 19.5 14.0
    Dale Earnhardt, Jr. 12 1 3 5 0 121 17.0 14.2

    Who To Watch: When it comes to excelling in races in the Chase, the first driver that usually comes to mind is five-time champion, Jimmie Johnson, so it should be no surprise that Johnson leads all active drivers in stats at Chicago. Despite never having won at Chicago, Johnson has six top fives, nine top tens, two poles, 537 laps led, and an average finish of 9.3 in 11 races.

    Brian Vickers will be running both the Sprint Cup race and the Nationwide Series race this weekend at Chicago and in six Cup races at the track, Vickers has a pretty good track record. In those six races, Vickers has one top five, three top tens, one pole, 12 laps led, and an average finish of 9.5.

    Others to keep an eye on include: Clint Bowyer, who will have a little added pressure on himself after what took place at and after Richmond last week, with one top five, six top tens, eight laps led, and an average finish of 10.1 in seven starts; Kevin Harvick, with two wins, six top fives, seven top tens, 282 laps led, and an average finish of 10.5 in 12 starts; and Jeff Gordon, with one win, six top fives, seven top tens, one pole, 134 laps led, and an average finish of 12.1 in 12 starts.

    Nationwide Series – Dollar General 300

    As the Nationwide Series heads to Chicago for the second time this season, Sam Hornish, Jr. still holds onto the points lead by 18 points over second place Austin Dillon. With only eight races remaining in the Nationwide Series schedule, the current four man race for the championship between Hornish, Dillon, Regan Smith, and Elliott Sadler is poised to go right down to the wire

    Driver Races Win Top 5 Top 10 Pole Laps Led Avg. Start Avg. Finish
    Austin Dillon 3 0 2 3 0 77 2.3 4.0
    Sam Hornish, Jr. 4 0 2 4 1 79 3.8 5.2
    Joey Logano 5 2 3 4 1 249 4.8 6.4
    Justin Allgaier 7 1 2 5 0 9 12.6 8.1
    Parker Kligerman 3 0 0 2 0 0 13.3 8.7
    Brian Scott 6 0 2 3 1 5 14.0 9.2
    Brian Vickers 5 0 4 4 0 3 7.2 9.2
    Matt Kenseth 7 0 3 4 0 62 11.0 11.4
    Michael Annett 7 0 1 3 0 2 17.7 12.0
    Kyle Larson 1 0 0 0 0 4 22.0 12.0

    Who To Watch: No surprise that the top two in points are also the top two statistically at Chicagoland. Austin Dillon, sitting second in points, holds the upper hand at this track with two top fives, three top tens, 77 laps led, and an average finish of 4.0 in three starts. Points leader Hornish isn’t far behind though, with two top fives, four top tens, one pole, 79 laps led, and an average finish of 5.2 in four starts.

    Others to keep an eye on Saturday afternoon include: Joey Logano, who will be driving the strong No. 22 Ford, with two wins, three top fives, four top tens, one pole, 249 laps led, and an average finish of 6.4 in five races; Justin Allgaier, with one win, two top fives, five top tens, nine laps led, and an average finish of 8.1 in seven races; and Parker Kligerman, with two top tens and an average finish of 8.7 in three starts.

    Camping World Truck Series – EnjoyIllinois.com 225

    With seven races remaining in the Camping World Truck Series schedule, points leader Matt Crafton, who has been Mr. Consistency this season, still holds a points lead of 37 points over defending series champion, James Buescher, as the series heads to Chicago. Without any drastic changes between now and Homestead, it looks like this championship is Crafton’s to lose. Time will tell if Buescher or any of the other series regulars can make any headway on Crafton’s points lead.

    Driver Races Win Top 5 Top 10 Pole Laps Led Avg. Start Avg. Finish
    Kyle Busch 3 2 3 3 0 210 7.3 2.3
    Ron Hornaday 4 0 1 3 0 12 10.8 7.8
    Brendan Gaughan 2 0 1 1 0 83 11.5 8.0
    Matt Crafton 4 0 1 3 1 23 9.5 8.0
    Johnny Sauter 4 0 2 3 0 2 11.0 9.2
    James Buescher 4 1 1 1 0 6 9.0 11.0
    Ty Dillon 1 0 0 0 0 17 3.0 12.0
    Miguel Paludo 2 0 0 1 0 5 9.5 12.5
    Timothy Peters 4 0 1 2 0 8 16.0 12.5
    Joey Coulter 2 0 0 0 0 3 6.5 13.5

    Who To Watch: No surprise at who is tops statistically at Chicago in the Truck Series. In three races, Kyle Busch has two wins, three top fives, three top tens, 210 laps led, and an average finish of 2.3. Whichever driver has their sights set on Victory Lane will definitely have to go through Busch to get there.

    Others to keep an eye on are Ron Hornaday, Jr., with one top five, three top tens, 12 laps led, and an average finish of 7.8 in four races; Brendan Gaughan, with one top five, one top ten, 83 laps led, and an average finish of 8.0 in two starts; points leader Matt Crafton, with one top five, three top tens, one pole, 23 laps led, and an average finish of 8.0 in four starts; and Johnny Sauter, with two top fives, three top tens, two laps led, and an average finish of 9.2 in four starts.

  • Hot 20 over the past 10 – Newman gets justice while Gordon will have to rely on vengeance

    Hot 20 over the past 10 – Newman gets justice while Gordon will have to rely on vengeance

    Sometime over the next ten weeks, at one of ten tracks hosting the Chase, Clint Bowyer will be sailing along. He will feel a sudden nudge in his left rear quarter-final, just a touch but enough to cause him to feel the car getting out from under him. Bowyer will try to save it, and come close in doing so but, alas, his car will find the wall. His race and his Chase hopes, done in an instant.

    Over the car radio we will hear Jeff Gordon, “I did not mean to do that; I sure hate it.” Then silence, at least over the air waves, as laughter explodes from behind the wall, just beyond the #24 pit box and spotter’s stand. High above the track, Mike Helton will look on, a hint of a smile appearing behind that bushy mustache. He will know, just as was the case with Bowyer at Richmond, that he will not have definitive proof that Gordon did anything intentional. No doubt just a racing deal. Just like Bowyer. Then, all will be right with the world.

    Bowyer was not penalized for intentionally spinning out to cause that late caution at Richmond. Not enough definitive proof, though enough to tarnish the reputation of the personable driver for the foreseeable future among fans. No, this was not an individual penalty, but one aimed at an entire organization for attempting to manipulate the outcome of an event and the standings to benefit one of their own. A $300,000 fine to Michael Waltrip Racing, a indefinite suspension of General Manager Ty Norris, 50 point penalties to each of the organization’s cars and drivers, and probation for all three of its crew chiefs.

    In order for Martin Truex Jr to make the Chase, Ryan Newman could not win and Joey Logano had to claim a Top Ten spot in the standings in order to keep him out of the wild card scenario. When a startled Brian Vickers was ordered to the pits, just before the re-start, in order to allow Logano to move ahead of him on the track, combined with Bowyer’s dawdling on pit road to do the same, the proof was there. Logano made it, taking Jeff Gordon out of the Chase and allowing Truex to slip into the final wild card position.

    At least until the penalties. They dropped Truex behind Newman in points, so Newman takes over that position. Logano was simply a pawn, so there was no reason to sanction him. Other than to invent a rule to award Gordon an extra Chase place, NASCAR’s hands were tied. Bowyer gets penalized from his season total, which will not affect his Chase standing going in. He was going to be tied for 8th at Chicago, penalty or no penalty. Where is the justice, you might ask. For Gordon, the best he can do is discover an itch in his hot car, just enough for him to need to scratch it, sometime over the next few weeks as his right front fender nears Bowyer’s left rear quarter-panel. We know it could happen. We have all already seen it.

    As they enter the Chase, five race winner Matt Kenseth takes a three point lead over Jimmie Johnson and Kyle Busch in to Chicago.  The leader has been as hot as Johnson has not, as of late, but Rowdy is the one to watch. He has won there, while Kevin Harvick has done so twice. While they have not yet claimed a victory at the track, the two we will be watching who have the best average finish at Chicagoland are Johnson and Bowyer.  Ironically, Gordon owns a piece of one of those cars and would like just a piece of the other.

     

    Name Points Pos LW Rank W T5 T10
      Kyle Busch  350 1 2 (2) 2 4 6
      Kurt Busch  337 2 1 (8) 0 4 7
      Matt Kenseth  326 3 7 (1) 2 3 5
      Jamie McMurray  326 4 9 (14) 0 2 3
      Ryan Newman  323 5 8 (8) 1 4 5
      Kevin Harvick  318 6 5 (4) 0 2 5
      Joey Logano  312 7 3 (6) 1 4 7
      Jeff Gordon  309 8 6 (13) 0 1 7
      Dale Earnhardt, Jr.  302 9 10 (8) 0 1 5
      Kasey Kahne  294 10 11 (8) 1 3 5
      Carl Edwards  294 11 14 (4) 1 2 4
      Juan Pablo Montoya  285 12 17 (19) 0 2 4
      Greg Biffle  280 13 15 (6) 0 0 3
      Jimmie Johnson  268 14 13 (2) 1 2 5
      Brad Keselowski  266 15 18 (15) 0 2 3
      Marcos Ambrose  258 16 16 (21) 0 0 2
      Paul Menard  253 17 19 (16) 0 2 3
      Clint Bowyer  251 18 4 (8) 0 3 4
      Martin Truex, Jr.  238 19 12 (17) 0 2 4
      Ricky Stenhouse, Jr.  238 20 22 (20) 0 0 1
      Aric Almirola  236 21 20 (18) 0 1 1
  • The 2013 Chase – What Has Changed?

    The 2013 Chase – What Has Changed?

    Just three years ago, the Chase looked a lot different than what we’re faced with in 2013. Back in 2010, the Chase field was made up of Denny Hamlin, Matt Kenseth, Carl Edwards, Greg Biffle, Kyle Busch, Tony Stewart, Kurt Busch, Jeff Gordon, Kevin Harvick, Jeff Burton, Jimmie Johnson, and Clint Bowyer. Today, Hamlin, Stewart, Gordon, and Burton didn’t make the cut. Replacing them is Martin Truex, Jr., Dale Earnhardt, Jr., and Joey Logano.

    It is almost a changing of the guard. Sure, Hamlin is young and will be back as will Stewart hopefully, but Gordon? For the second straight year, it came down to the last race for the four time champion. Is his run over? I wouldn’t count him out, given the resources of Hendrick Motorsports, but it may be time to say that his star is dwindling a bit. It happens to everyone and every team.

    Hidden in all of this is the madness of how the final ten races are seeded. In 2013, the point leaders went into the Chase based on the standings after Richmond. It wasn’t enough that the Chase was born after Matt Kenseth’s championship in 2003 when Kenseth only had one win, the seating was tweaked to include a bonus point system that took into consideration the number of wins a driver had. The theory was that wins should be considered. The bonus points goes against anything in sports. It’s like giving the Cincinnati Reds or Los Angeles Dodgers bonus points for winning the most games. It’s unheard of in the annals of sports. Thus, Carl Edwards who won the regular season points race is going to be fifth in the final seeding going into the final standings going into the Chase. Matt Kenseth will be seeded first and Jimmie Johnson second because of their wins. Kasey Kahne, Joey Logano, and Martin Truex, Jr. got in because of wins, and Jeff Gordon and reigning champion Brad Keselowski were lift out because they didn’t win. How would the 2013 Chase look different because of that rule?

    The wins rule only continues to give the advantage to the super teams (Hendrick, Richard Childress Racing, Roush-Fenway, Penske, and Joe Gibbs Racing). In the old system, it was consistency that counted, and wins were rewarded because a race was won. These days, qualifying for the championship run has more to do with the regular season 26 races and more to do with the ability to win races. It’s a noble attempt, but a lot of good teams get left out. My theory has always been that only a few really good teams will have a chance anyway, but this lets teams who really didn’t have a good season, but had a couple of wins the advantage. Only drivers of the previously mentioned super teams have a chance. Regardless, the field (including two cars from Roush-Fenway, three from Hendrick, one from Penske, two from Michael Waltrip Racing, three from Joe Gibbs Racing, and one from Furniture Row—nine from the super teams). The consistency from the first 26 races gives us a clue on who will be the 2013 champion. Just like always.

    Of course there is always a chance that a miracle can happen, just like 2011 when Tony Stewart stormed back to win when all odds were against him. I don’t really see that happening this year. If a team is not in the top six, it’s likely that they will fall to the wayside. With all the changing and tweaking of the “playoff,” will it really make any difference? Money talks and we will see that in the 2013 Chase.

  • Matty’s Picks 2013 – Race 26 Federated Auto Parts 400 – Richmond International Raceway – September 7, 3013

    Matty’s Picks 2013 – Race 26 Federated Auto Parts 400 – Richmond International Raceway – September 7, 3013

    The cliché holds true this week as “it all comes down to this”. Six guys have already claimed their top-10 spots when The Chase begins next week at Chicago – Jimmie Johnson, Clint Bowyer, Kevin Harvick, Carl Edwards, Kyle Busch, and Matt Kenseth…that’s 2 Chevy’s, a Ford, and 3 Toyotas in case you’re keeping score.

    Seventh-place Dale Earnhardt Jr. faces the least pressure among non-qualifiers, needing only a finish of 32nd or better in the 400-lap race on Saturday night to enter the postseason. Joey Logano, Greg Biffle and Kurt Busch complete the provisional top 10 – 16, 14 and six points ahead of 11th-place Jeff Gordon who is still in the hunt for a top-10 spot going into the chase, as he stands no chance at making a Wild Card without a win on Saturday Night.

    Logano and Biffle each have a single victory giving them some Chase insurance as potential Wild Cards, but both have to turn around their historical finishes at Richmond to ensure they’re racing for a championship the next ten weeks.

    Former NASCAR Sprint Cup champions Kurt Busch and Jeff Gordon, however, both are without victories on the season and need to have solid finishes, along with poor finishes from other drivers to punch their tickets to the big dance starting next week at Chicagoland. Both have done what they need to do to lead a lap on Saturday by qualifying their Chevy’s on the front row, so it will be interesting to see if they can spoil a few Chase hopefuls by winning on Saturday Night. This Race is shaping up to be even more exciting than I expected with 3 Wild Card hopefuls staring in the top 3 spots on Saturday Night.

    Two-time 2013 race-winner Kasey Kahne (12th) and Sonoma winner, Martin Truex Jr. (13th) hold the provisional Wild Cards as the points run right now.

    Five drivers have clinched Chase berths on the final night of the regular season since the start of The Chase for the Sprint Cup began in 2004. Ryan Newman’s sixth-place finish in 2005 is the best among the “last in” drivers. Brian Vickers (2009), Kasey Kahne (2006) and Jeremy Mayfield (2004) also were final-race qualifiers. Most recently, Jeff Gordon waited until the final race of the season to solidify his spot in the chase by finishing second in this race last season, so this parody is nothing we’ve not seen before….but we’ve NEVER seen this many drivers on the fence for The Chase. The backstretch wall at Richmond has never seen as many car numbers in yellow (meaning the driver has NOT clinched a spot in the NASCAR Playoffs) as are painted in yellow this season, so for anyone whose never watched a NASCAR race before, Saturday Night is the one to watch.

    I will save my words this week and not recap my poor picks last week at Atlanta and roll right into my picks for Saturday Night’s Federated Auto Parts 400 (even though my Dark Horse Pick last week finished 3rd with a broken wrist).

    Winner Pick

    Richmond has been Clint Bowyer’s best track over his career, and to no surprise, he’s been the best driver statistically over the past 5 races at Richmond.

    Clint has finished outside the top 12 just twice in 15 races at Richmond – averaging a finish of 9th in the meantime. Bowyer is one of just 3 drivers averaging a top-10 finish at Richmond, behind Kyle Busch and Denny Hamlin for third on the best average finish at the 3/4 mile short track. He’s got a couple wins, most recently and notably his win in THIS race last season. In the loop stats, Bowyer is 4th in Average Running position, Driver Rating and Quality Passes, and he’s 5th in 2 more of the 6 loop stats, Average Green Flag Speed and Laps in the Top 15.

    Clint Bowyer holds the record for the deepest in the field ANY Richmond race-winner has started, that was his win from the 31st starting position back in 2008, and throw in the fact that he’s starting 4th on Saturday Night, Bowyer is still my top guy this week. Keep in mind, he led 113 laps and finished 2nd in the April race at Richmond…

    Dark Horse Pick

    I was on the fence on Thursday as I previewed the race with Greg on The Prime Sports Network, but after practice and qualifying, I’m a bit more confident with my selection do go with Dale Earnhardt Jr. as my Dark Horse guy this week.

    He was 7th in first practice and 3rd in Happy Hour earlier today at Richmond International Raceway, and probably took a conservative approach to his qualifying lap today as a 32nd or better finish will punch Jr.’s ticket to the big dance next week.

    Richmond actually ranks as Jr.’s 4th best track over his career with the other two short tracks ranking first (Bristol) and third (Martinsville), much to my surprise as everybody knows the Earnhardt’s for their restrictor-plate racing.

    Jr. has 3 career wins at Richmond, granted none since 2006 but in the loop stats he ranks anywhere from 6th in Fastest Laps Run to 13th in

    Driver Rating.

    Dale Jr. would certainly like to have those 3 bonus points to start The Chase, so I think we’re looking at him staying out of trouble early, then a march to the front during the closing laps on Saturday Night.

    That’s all for this week, enjoy the race and the hunt for The Chase and be sure to tune in Monday to the Prime Sports Network (www.primesportsnetwork.com) as Greg and all the folks from SpeedwayMedia.com preview the 2013 Chase for the Sprint Cup! And as always….You Stay Classy NASCAR (and Dale Earnhardt Jr.) NATION!

  • Goodyear Pronounces New Tire Success at Atlanta and Ready for Kansas

    Goodyear Pronounces New Tire Success at Atlanta and Ready for Kansas

    This past weekend at Atlanta Motor Speedway, Goodyear, the official tire of NASCAR, debuted a new tire technology utilizing multi-zone tread technology.

    And after several tests, as well as during the race with multiple green flag stops with no major issues, Goodyear has pronounced their new tire good.

    “Without question, the debut of our multi-zone tread technology at Atlanta was a success,” Greg Stucker, Goodyear’s Director of Racing, said. “The right-side tire, with the firmer, heat resistant compound on the inboard portion of the tire, and the more tractive compound on the outboard, enabled the cars to put on great races in both the NASCAR Sprint Cup and Nationwide Series.”

    “Certainly this confirms our plan to utilize this technology for the October ace weekend in Kansas, and actively evaluate its application at other tracks.”

    “I would agree that the new tire debut at Atlanta was a complete success,” Justin Fantozzi, Marketing Manager for Global Race Tires for Goodyear, said. “Folks here are very proud of the result.”

    While the technology is certainly different, the process of development for the new tire was different as well. With this new tire technology, the concept came from the passenger vehicle side to the racing venue, which is opposite of how most tire advances take place.

    “Normally, it is track to street but this was one of the technologies that was street to track,” Fantozzi said. “This technology was used in our triple tread passenger tires for dry, rain and snow.”

    “So, for the racing tires, the idea was to balance durability and heat versus grip and traction whereas on a consumer tire, it is all about the weather balance.”

    “Since we don’t race in the rain, we had to balance the durability and heat instead.”

    One of the other challenges for the new tire was to ensure that the zones where positioned where they needed to be.

    “You have to be very diligent that the zones go where you need them to go,” Fantozzi said. “But for us, that’s very simple because the yellow letters are only on one side of the tire and they are always facing out.”

    “So, we know exactly which zone has the firmer compound on it and which zone has the more tractive compound.”

    What most fans may not realize is that the development of this particular new tire technology has been two years in the making for Goodyear.

    “There isn’t a call center or an 800 number that the crew chiefs and drivers call to get to a customer service representative for the tires,” Fantozzi said. “We actually send our development team to the race track.”

    “There is a one-to-one relationship so that if someone has an issue at the race track, we get the feedback as we develop the tire,” Fantozzi continued. “At the same time, there are folks who don’t travel that are working on developing the new technology.”

    “So, that’s how it all started.”

    After the Goodyear scientists worked their magic in the lab, the tire actually was tested not just once but twice before showing up at Atlanta.

    “We brought it to the race track in a couple of tests,” Fantozzi said. “The first test was the development test, which was about 65 days ago.”

    “And then we felt that a change was enough that each and every team needed to feel it,” Fantozzi continued. “So, we went back to Atlanta with a confirmation test thirty days before the event.”

    “At the development test, we had one of each of the manufacturers there and at the confirmation test, we invited one of each one of the teams,” Fantozzi said. “So, we had 13 vehicles at the confirmation test.”

    “Then we were ready to take it to the track,” Fantozzi continued. “We had three fuel stops at Atlanta with no issues so everybody was pretty proud of that and we’ll continue the cadence on the development side and see where else the technology can fit and become a solution at the race track.”

    Goodyear also had the challenge of not only developing their new tire technology but also melding that into the new Gen 6 race car. And while Goodyear had to balance speed and safety, they also had to deal with a new challenge, heat.

    “The other part of it that we’ve seen with the new car is the heat,” Fantozzi said. ”And it doesn’t come in the traditional sense that the faster you go, the more heat you have.”

    “We’re seeing a lot of the heat not only in compartment where the tires are but in the race car itself,” Fantozzi continued. “So, the crew chiefs are balancing off the heat as well.”

    “That’s probably the biggest change with the car,” Fantozzi said. “It is different from a dynamic standpoint when the tires are able to seal off and there is no air flow through the tire compartment or in the car because that’s where the challenge comes.”

    Surprisingly, Goodyear did not have to bring extra personnel to the Atlanta Motor Speedway to assist with the new tire. But for Goodyear, they always come with an extensive cadre of staff and engineers, ready to assist with any and all tire issues that may occur.

    “We had a couple more engineers on site at Atlanta than we would normally have but not extreme,” Fantozzi said. “I think we had just one or two more folks.”

    “Because of the cadence we keep every weekend, with the mounters, changers and engineers and those on the business side of it, there can be sixty folks on the ground carrying the Goodyear banner,” Fantozzi continued. “So, we didn’t need to bring too many more folks.”

    “One of the guys that doesn’t travel but has worked eighteen or twenty-four months on the tire wanted to see it, so he came,” Fantozzi said. “It’s those type of folks who joined us in Atlanta.”

    While there were no doubt a few Goodyear nerves on pit road, all was dispelled after the race got underway.

    “You can test as much as you want to but at Atlanta, when we got through the first set of green flag stops, the confidence level went up with the assurance that what we had brought to the race track was proven,” Fantozzi said. “We were very, very happy with that first green flag run and then we ended up having another set and a third and that just led to even more confirmation.”

    “We have pride in what we bring to the race track.”

    Although Goodyear pronounced the new tire good, there were plenty of drivers and crew chiefs who concurred as well.

    “I think Goodyear did a good job there from my perspective,” Dave Rogers, winning Atlanta crew chief, said.

    “It ran pretty good for me,” Joey Logano, driver of the No. 22 Penske Ford, said. “Every time we had a pit stop Todd (Gordon, crew chief) came on the radio and said that the tires look good.”

    “It seemed like it was a pretty solid tire,” Logano continued. “It hung in strong and I thought it put on a good race.”

    Goodyear confirmed that it will next race the special zone-tread tires at Kansas Speedway.

    “We waited until after we got confirmation in Atlanta that the concept was valid,” Fantozzi said. “And so we’ll have a multi-zone tire, a different one, for the Kansas fall race.”

    “And that is in the cadence of development for 2014 and we have to get to the race track to get that balance and then see where else it will fit into the race events.”

     

  • Surprising and Not Surprising: Atlanta Advocare 500

    Surprising and Not Surprising: Atlanta Advocare 500

    In one of the closest races to the Chase, here is what was surprising and not surprising from the 54th running of the Advocare 500 at Atlanta Motor Speedway.

    Surprising:  While many drivers felt that the Atlanta race would be critical, Kyle Busch surprisingly found his race win to be positively pivotal after clinching a spot in the coveted Chase.

    “Well, it started a little ugly,” the driver of the No. 18 M&Ms Toyota said. “I was a little ill on the radio, I’m sure, but I can’t say enough about Dave Rogers (crew chief) right here and the team that he’s assembled around us.”

    “I think if you can pin a championship night on one race, I think tonight was the night,” Busch continued. “We certainly had a lot to do and a lot to overcome, and I think that Dave and these guys stuck with me.”

    “For as bad as I may have been talking, they certainly never gave up,” Busch said. “The Lord was with us and blessed us today with a great night.”

    This was Busch’s 38th win in 318 Cup Series races, his fourth victory of the season and his second checkered flag at Atlanta. This was also the 250th win for Toyota and the 100th win for Kyle Busch in a Toyota across the three national series.

    Not Surprising:  There were two very disappointed drivers following closely on the heels of race winner Kyle Busch.

    And although they disagreed on a few issues post-race, they did agree on two things, that they were disappointed with the finish and that they had to overcome adversity, one with a pit road problem and the other related to his fractured wrist.

    “We’re both mad because we didn’t win,” Truex Jr. said after finishing third in his No. 56 NAPA Auto Parts Toyota said.

    “Yeah, we both agree that sucks,” Logano, who finished second behind the wheel of the No. 22 Shell Pennzoil Ford, said.

    “We overcame a loose wheel early in the race and cycled ourselves back to the lead after all of that,” Logano said. “I just needed 30 laps of green flag to get all the way up there to the front.”

    “The cast just inside my hand here got all soft,” Truex Jr. said after the race. “I think maybe it’s just gotten wet from sweat or something and softened up, so we’ll have to look into that.”

    Surprising:  There were some angry drivers after the race at Atlanta, which surprisingly occurred at this mile and a half track instead of a short track.

    Denny Hamlin was one angry bird, from altercations with other drivers to anger at NASCAR. Four-time champ Jeff Gordon and Carl Edwards were also at odds with one another after some hard racing and contact.

    “Our night was ruined because of a penalty putting us two laps down that we couldn’t overcome,” Hamlin, who finished 38th in his No. 11 SportClips Toyota, said. “We got wrecked by the No. 27 (Paul Menard), blew the tire, blew the fender off and blew another engine.”

    Hamlin was also angry with his teammate Kyle Busch, at one point hollering over his radio ““Tell Kyle if he would f****** let me go, he’d learn how to drive this track and not be an idiot.”

    “We’re just getting kicked in the nuts every weekend by something and I just can’t catch a break,” Hamlin said after the race.

    Jeff Gordon and Carl Edwards also had their angry moments, both during and after the race.

    “He just slide-jobbed me and I thought it was really out of character for him and I didn’t understand what was going on there,” Edwards said, after finishing 18th in his No. 99 Subway Ford. “I did everything I could not to wreck us both.”

    “I’ve never seen him drive me like that,” Gordon, driver of the No. 24 Drive to End Hunger Chevrolet said of his battle with Edwards. “It was pretty wild.”

    “He didn’t like that I slid him early in the race,” Gordon, who finished sixth to keep his Chase hopes alive, continued. “We went into (Turn) 1 and he took my line away to keep me behind him and I was a lot better than him and I just dove inside.”

    “I came up a little bit too short on him,” Gordon said. “And that was my fault.”

    “But he decided he was going to give me back, I guess, and he did all night,” Gordon continued. “I tried to have a regular conversation and that didn’t seem to be possible with him.”

    “We don’t agree on what happened and finally he got frustrated enough with the conversation that he just walked away,” Edwards said of Gordon. “That might have been smart.”

    Not Surprising:  Even though he has signed with another race team for 2014, Kurt Busch not surprisingly continues to impress. The driver of the No. 78 Furniture Row Beautyrest Chevrolet motored from tenth to second on one of the restarts, and went on to finish the race in fourth, climbing into the tenth spot in the Chase standings.

    “I noticed the 78 and I was like okay, they’re having a decent day,” Kyle Busch said of brother Kurt. “Then he was in my mirror and I’m like did everybody wreck?”

    “The kid was wheeling it, I guess,” Kyle Busch continued. “That was pretty impressive.”

    Brother Kurt Busch agreed, saying simply, “I can’t tell you what I did right, but it all went right.”

    Surprising:  For the third week in a row, five-time champion Jimmie Johnson struggled and at one point during the race had even lost the points lead.

    Johnson was involved in the first true caution, following the competition yellow, when the field stacked up on a restart, collecting teammate Kasey Kahne, Jeff Burton and Mark Martin in addition to himself.

    The driver of the No. 48 Lowes Dover White Chevrolet next hit the tire carcass from the Paul Menard vehicle, sustaining further damage, and went on later in the race to spin out.

    Although Johnson finished 28th, he still managed to hold serve over Clint Bowyer in the point standings by 28, ironically the same number of points as his finishing order.

    Not Surprising:   Clint Bowyer, behind the wheel of the No. 15 RKMotorsCharlotte.com Toyota for Michael Waltrip Racing not surprisingly decided that he would just go have an adult beverage after his experimental engine expired, resulting in a 39th place finish.

    “Well, it certainly sucks,” Bowyer said. “That was a super big bummer right there.”

    “I wanted to go for the win,” Bowyer continued. “It was ours to lose and we found a way to lose.”

    “I’m going to go have a beer.”

    Surprising:  Kevin Harvick, was surprisingly conflicted, happy with securing his role in the Chase, but not so happy with his race car.

    “Obviously we’re happy to be in the Chase, but our day wasn’t very good,” the driver of the No. 29 Jimmy John’s Chevrolet said. “Our car was just terribly tight all night long and drove nothing like it did in practice.”

    We’ll work on that.”

    Not Surprising:  Although Dale Earnhardt Jr. finished eighth, he was most grateful to leave Atlanta in one piece and in good Chase contention, hanging tough in the seventh spot in the point standings.

    ““I was real thankful the car was as good as it was,” the driver of the No. 88 National Guard/Race2Achieve.org Chevrolet said. “We have struggled here and not ran great here the last several trips.”

    “All in all I’m real pleased with the way the car performed and the job the guys did.”

    Surprising:  After finding out this week that he would no longer be driving for Earnhardt Ganassi Racing in NASCAR, being replaced by young up and coming driver Kyle Larson, Juan Pablo Montoya has surprisingly been reacting like a weight has been lifted off his shoulders.

    Montoya’s performance has also picked up since then as well, demonstrated by his seventh place finish at Atlanta in his No. 42 Target Chevrolet.

    “It was a good night,” Montoya said. “The guys made great changes and the car was good at the end.”

    “Happy that we were able to bring home another top-10 finish for Target tonight.”

    Not Surprising:  So often, the outcome of any race is outside the control of the man or woman behind the wheel. So, not surprisingly after engine troubles, reigning champ Brad Keselowski felt out of control, especially regarding his chances to make the Chase.

    “Some things you can’t control and this was one of those days,” Keselowski said after finishing 35th in his Blue Deuce. “It just broke.”

    “There’s only so much you can control,” Keselowski continued glumly. “Maybe this was control, and maybe it wasn’t.”

    “I don’t know until the guys take (the engine) apart and look at it.”

     

  • Crunching The Numbers: Atlanta

    Crunching The Numbers: Atlanta

    After three nights of battling in the bullring that is Bristol Motor Speedway last weekend, the Sprint Cup Series and Nationwide Series head to Atlanta Motor Speedway for Labor Day weekend and more racing under the lights on the fast 1.5 mile speedway. With a track surface that is old and worn, having not been repaved since its reconfiguration in 1997, the track has gotten rave reviews from drivers who enjoy slipping and sliding around on the worn out asphalt. The Sprint Cup Series will have their shot at the track on Sunday night, while the Nationwide Series takes to the track the night before for their race.

    NASCAR Sprint Cup Series – Advocare 500 at Atlanta Motor Speedway

    Only two races remain until the cut-off for the Chase for the Sprint Cup and the points standings heading into this weekend’s race are still as tight as they were prior to Bristol. After having a 77 point lead just two weeks ago, Jimmie Johnson’s points lead has shrunk to 18 points over second place Clint Bowyer after finishes of 40th and 36th in the past two races. Both Johnson and Bowyer are locked into the Chase and with his win last weekend at Bristol, Matt Kenseth locked himself into the Chase as well. Several drivers are fighting for the remaining Chase berths, with only 24 points separating Kasey Kahne in eighth with defending champion Brad Keselowski in 11th. Two other former Sprint Cup champions, Kurt Busch and Jeff Gordon, are lurking just behind Keselowski, only six and 11 points back, respectively. The fight to make the Chase is going to come right down to the wire and how these drivers perform at Atlanta will go a long way in helping their Chase fortunes.

    Driver Races Win Top 5 Top 10 Pole Laps Led Avg. Start Avg. Finish
    Jimmie Johnson 21 3 11 13 0 440 8.6 11.1
    Jeff Gordon 39 5 16 25 2 1280 12.3 11.9
    Dale Earnhardt Jr 25 1 8 11 2 632 16.2 12.5
    Matt Kenseth 24 0 8 14 0 253 21.6 12.7
    AJ Allmendinger 7 0 0 2 0 1 27.9 14.4
    Carl Edwards 15 3 8 10 0 345 10.3 15.1
    Greg Biffle 18 0 3 9 1 291 12.5 16.0
    Denny Hamlin 13 1 2 5 1 314 13.4 16.2
    Brian Vickers 15 0 1 7 0 8 16.2 16.4
    Jeff Burton 35 0 8 14 0 104 25.3 16.5

    Who To Watch: After two dismal finishes in the past two weeks, Jimmie Johnson has to be happy to be heading to Atlanta this weekend since his stats at the 1.5 mile track are tops in the series. In 21 starts, Johnson has three wins, 11 top fives, 13 top tens, 440 laps led, and an average finish of 11.1.

    Johnson’s Hendrick Motorsports teammates, Jeff Gordon and Dale Earnhardt Jr., fall in second and third with their stats at Atlanta. Gordon has 39 starts, with five wins, 16 top fives, 25 top tens, two poles, 1280 laps led and an average finish of 11.9. In 25 starts, Earnhardt Jr., has one win, eight top fives, 11 top tens, two poles, 632 laps led, and an average finish of 12.5.

    Besides the Hendrick Motorsports contingent, others who run well at Atlanta include: Five-time winner in 2013, Matt Kenseth, with eight top fives, 14 top tens, 253 laps led, and an average finish of 12.7 in 24 starts; A.J. Allmendinger, with two top tens, one lap led, and an average finish of 14.4 in seven starts; Carl Edwards, with three wins, eight top fives, 10 top tens, 345 laps led, and an average finish of 15.1 in 15 starts; and Greg Biffle, with three top fives, nine top tens, one pole, 291 laps led, and an average finish of 16.0 in 18 starts. 

    NASCAR Nationwide Series – Great Clips/Jeff Foxworthy’s Grit Chips 300 at Atlanta Motor Speedway

    With 10 races remaining in the Nationwide Series schedule, the points standings remain tight after Bristol with just 39 points separating the top five in points and the gap for Sam Hornish, Jr. over second place Austin Dillon sitting at just six points. None of the top five in points has been able to win at Atlanta heading into this weekend, so if any of the championship contenders find themselves in Victory Lane or find trouble on Saturday night, the points standings could be shaken up once again.

    Driver Races Win Top 5 Top 10 Pole Laps Led Avg. Start Avg. Finish
    Austin Dillon 1 0 0 1 0 0 9.0 6.0
    Joey Logano 2 0 0 2 0 0 10.5 6.0
    Cole Whitt 1 0 0 1 0 0 12.0 8.0
    Kevin Harvick 11 1 6 8 0 376 8.2 8.5
    Justin Allgaier 4 0 1 2 0 15 20.0 10.2
    Kasey Kahne 11 0 4 7 1 95 10.5 10.6
    Sam Hornish Jr 2 0 0 1 0 1 5.5 12.0
    Kyle Busch 9 0 5 6 3 490 3.4 13.9
    Michael Annett 4 0 0 1 0 0 23.5 16.2
    Brian Scott 3 0 0 0 0 0 21.3 17.0

    Who To Watch: With the points lead up for grabs, Austin Dillon has to be happy to be at Atlanta this weekend since he has the best stats of the series at the track. In his lone start at Atlanta last season, Dillon started ninth and finished sixth.

    Sprint Cup regular Joey Logano, driving the dominant No. 22 Ford this weekend, falls in just behind Dillon with two top tens in two starts, giving him an average finish of 6.0.

    Others to keep an eye on include: Cole Whitt, with an eighth place finish in one start at the track; Kevin Harvick, with one win, six top fives, eight top tens, 376 laps led, and an average finish of 8.5 in 11 starts; Justin Allgaier, with one top five, two top tens, 15 laps led, and an average finish of 10.2 in four starts; Kasey Kahne, with four top fives, seven top tens, one pole, 95 laps led, and an average finish of 10.6 in 11 starts; and points leader Sam Hornish, Jr., with one top ten, one lap led, and an average finish of 12.0 in two starts.

    NASCAR Camping World Truck Series – Chevrolet Silverado 250 at Canadian Tire Motorsports Park

    With the Sprint Cup Series and Nationwide Series headlining at Atlanta, the Camping World Truck Series heads to Canada for their inaugural race at Canadian Tire Motorsports Park near Toronto, which also is the first race for the series outside of the United States and marks the return to a road course for the first time since 2000. This race is basically a toss-up since only one driver in the field, Ron Hornaday Jr., has previous Truck Series road course experience, so this will be an interesting race to see who will become the inaugural race winner. The Trucks will take to the track for their race on Sunday afternoon, prior to the Sprint Cup Series race from Atlanta later that night.

  • 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.

     

  • Dale Jarrett and Nicole Briscoe Excited for NASCAR Contenders Live Event

    Dale Jarrett and Nicole Briscoe Excited for NASCAR Contenders Live Event

    While the contenders for the NASCAR Chase may still be uncertain at present, there are two NASCAR personalities who are most certainly looking forward to the special event, NASCAR Contenders Live Sponsored by Toyota and Sprint, where fans will formally meet the twelve Chase competitors.

    Nicole Briscoe, ESPN analyst, and her colleague and NASCAR Hall of Famer Dale Jarrett will both take lead roles in the NASCAR Contenders Live event at Chicago’s Navy Pier in the Grand Ballroom from 1:30 to 3:00 PM CT on September 12th. The event, back by popular demand for the second year in a row, will be featured prior to the first Chase race at Chicagoland Speedway.

    NASCAR Contenders Live will begin with Dale Jarrett sitting down in front of the fans with NASCAR President Mike Helton to discuss how NASCAR will approach officiating of the final races to decide the Sprint Cup championship.

    “I think the biggest thing that I’m excited about in the NASCAR Contenders Live event is creating a little excitement with the fans before the get to see the twelve Chase drivers,” Jarrett said. “Mike Helton and myself have been around this a long time, have experienced a lot and seen a lot of things happen and this is an opportunity to set things up for the fans and to give them a perspective from the NASCAR-side of the Chase.”

    “We’ll talk about what NASCAR expects from the drivers and even what they may or may not tolerate just because it’s kind of the playoffs,” Jarrett continued. “I wasn’t a big fan of the Chase when Mike Helton first talked to me about it but I’ve become a huge fan of it because it is exactly what our sport needs.”

    Jarrett is excited to talk to Helton about the Chase format, as well as other aspects of the Chase scenario itself.

    “NASCAR knows that every driver involved will make a great champion for the sport but they want to make it as fair as they can make it,” Jarrett said. “I want to ask Mike if they scrutinize with these twelve teams any more than others.”

    “I’ll talk to him about the pressure ramping up in NASCAR control to make calls and are they more lenient or strict with those Chase drivers as they battle for the championship,” Jarrett continued. “I think it’s great for the fans to see the NASCAR side of it.”

    “We’re very fortunate in our sport to have someone like Mike Helton who understands about everything involved in our sport,” Jarrett said. “He can answer and talk on all different levels and I think the fans appreciate that.”

    Jarrett is not only looking forward to discuss the Chase format with Helton but also sharing his thoughts with the NASCAR President on the Chase itself.

    “From my side, even though I’m going to do most of the questioning, there will also be opportunities to throw in my ideas on the Chase,” Jarrett said. “Right now we have no idea who is going to be in the Chase and that’s a great thing.”

    “For us in television, it gives us the next three weeks to keep up with and talk about all the scenarios.”

    Jarrett has some ideas about who may be a favorite for the Chase, but is also intrigued by the wide-open nature of the Chase to date.

    “You have to make Jimmie Johnson a favorite but after what happened this past week, you have to wonder just how much anyone can be considered a favorite,” Jarrett said. “We say this every year, but the competition does get stronger each year.”

    “There are more teams capable of putting together a ten race stretch where they do things right,” Jarrett continued. “It literally could come down to four or five drivers at Homestead to win the race and take the championship.”

    “And it might take like a Tony Stewart a few years ago winning the race to win the championship.”

    “I’m more excited about this year than I ever have been because you have drivers trying to make history and those that are looking for that first ever opportunity,” Jarrett said. “And then you look at someone like Kurt Busch at what some would consider a small team showing his muscle.”

    “And you have his brother Kyle Busch, who wants to do well in the Chase just so we will quit asking him about it,” Jarrett continued. “So, there are a lot of great storylines and I think it’s pretty wide open.”

    So what advice would the NASCAR veteran give to the drivers who will be competing for that coveted Sprint Cup?

    “Although I’ve never raced for the championship in this format, I know what this time of year is like when you are racing for a championship,” Jarrett said. “The biggest thing is to embrace the moment in these final ten weeks.”

    “You like to think that you will be in that position again but the reality is that you may not,” Jarrett continued. “It’s not that you can get rid of the pressure because that pressure is there every week but have to have fun with it.”

    “Have a good time because if you can’t do that, it’s not worth doing.”

    Dale Jarrett photoIn addition to sharing his words of wisdom for the twelve special drivers and lobbing questions at the NASCAR President, Dale Jarrett thinks that the NASCAR Contenders Live event is special for one other reason.

    “With this event, the thing that intrigues me is the opportunity for the fans to see the drivers as they prepare for the Chase,” Jarrett said. “There will be serious questions but there will also be some fun.”

    “I love the fans interactions with the drivers.”

    After his portion of the program concludes, Dale Jarrett will hand the baton over to his ESPN colleague Nicole Briscoe for the main event of introducing the Chasers to the fans.

    “I am the host of NASCAR Contenders Live, which for me is super-exciting because it’s more of a relaxed event,” Briscoe said. “The drivers are away from the track and not in that competitive place so you get to have more fun with the guys.”

    “Plus the fans are involved and that is the most fun.”

    While Briscoe approaches every aspect of her job seriously, she has not yet developed the questions that she will ask of the Chase drivers and for one very good reason.

    “At this point, we don’t even know the bottom half of the Chase,” Briscoe said. “I can pretty much guarantee Jimmie Johnson and I think this weekend a few more drivers may lock into the Chase.”

    “But the rest, I swear will be decided on that last lap at Richmond.”

    Like Jarrett, Briscoe acknowledges that the NASCAR Contenders Live event is one where the drivers’ personalities can shine. And she too has the opportunity to relax a bit herself and let the fans see her personality as well.

    “The fans want to see the drivers’ personalities and I’ll let them go wherever they want to go,” Briscoe said. “It’s totally an opportunity for me to let my hair down as well.”

    “I enjoy the personality side of it because that makes this so interesting and different.”

    Does Briscoe expect some interplay between the drivers as they come out to be questioned by her?

    “I think there will be some trash talking because the drivers will come on in groups,” Briscoe said. “You will have those different personalities up there and that will make it be the event.”

    Just like Jarrett, Briscoe is also most intrigued with the whole notion of the Chase because in her mind, it is ‘one giant question mark’ at present.

    “I think when I look at the season right now to me it is one giant question mark on how the Chase will play out and who will make it,” Briscoe said. “You look at Joey Logano who just won and he got closer but that doesn’t guarantee him a wild card.”

    “Then you look at a guy like Martin Truex Jr. who was so excited after his win at Sonoma and then look at how the next races have played out,” Briscoe continued. “Then you have to look at the question marks around Kurt Busch in terms of what is he going to do next year and what can the little team that could do.”

    “And then if you look at the top of the points, what Jimmie Johnson has done so far is really quite remarkable.”

    “He is one of the greatest drivers that the sport has ever seen and I have so much respect for what he has done,” Briscoe said. “So, I look at who can compete against Jimmie Johnson and is there anyone that can run with him?”

    “That’s my question mark about how this is going to play out.”

    Fans who wish to participate in NASCAR Contenders Live Sponsored by Toyota and Sprint can visit www.NASCAR.COM/ContendersLive to purchase tickets for $10 dollars and to enter the Contenders Live sweepstakes for a chance to win a new 2014 Toyota Tundra CrewMax Limited, as well as other prizes.

  • Surprising and Not Surprising: Pure Michigan 400

    Surprising and Not Surprising: Pure Michigan 400

    Sporting some of the fastest speeds at any track this season, here is what was surprising and not surprising from the 44th running of the Pure Michigan 400 in the Irish hills.

    Surprising:  While the driver of the No. 22 Shell Pennzoil Ford did his job in qualifying, scoring the pole position for the race start, it was all about team Penske when the 23 year old Joey Logano took the checkered flag and found his way to Victory Lane at Michigan International Speedway.

    “This was a hard-fought win throughout this whole Penske team,” Logano said. “This 22 team gave me a great Shell Pennzoil Ford that was capable of winning.”

    “This race team did a fabulous job,” Todd Gordon, crew chief, said. “Really proud of this whole team.”

    “As I go back probably 30 years here at the track, this is probably one of the biggest wins,” Roger Penske, team owner, said. “It’s clearly a team effort.”

    This was Logano’s first victory of the 2013 season, his first victory at Michigan International Speedway and his first victory with team Penske Ford.

    Not Surprising:  Because the race was at Michigan, it was not surprising that fuel mileage, tires and track position played critical roles in how the race unfolded.

    In fact, fuel mileage bit one of the sports veterans, who was racing all out for the ‘W’.

    “We were just hoping for one more yellow,” Mark Martin, driver of the No. 55 Aaron’s Dream Machine Toyota said, after running out of gas while leading to finish 27th.

    “Just stayed ahead of Joey there, but if he would have slowed down, I could have maybe saved enough,” Martin said. “I had to go that fast just trying to stay in the lead.”

    Tires also played a significant role in the Pure Michigan 400, to which Dale Earnhardt, Jr. could definitely attest.

    “It’s just the tire; we’ve had a lot of problems with,” the driver of the No. 88 National Guard Youth Foundation Chevrolet said after experiencing a right-front tire problem on lap 135. “I think this is the same tire we struggled with the last race.”

    Because of his tire troubles, Junior finished the race in the 36th position and fell one position to seventh in the point standings.

    Track position was also key as is so often the case at Michigan, a point driven home for young substitute driver Austin Dillon, behind the wheel of the No. 14 Mobil 1/Bass Pro Shops Chevrolet for the recuperating Tony Stewart.

    Dillon wrecked early in the race and had to work diligently with crew chief Steve Addington to garner the track position that led to their respectable 14th place finish.

    “Definitely scared myself at the beginning as it was too early to be wrecking out there,” Dillon said. “Luckily we had saved enough car where we could work on it and get some track position.”

    “Steve made some great calls on track position and them guys did a great job.”

    Surprising:  In addition to Austin Dillon’s comeback, Clint Bowyer made a surprisingly good comeback to finish 5th in his No. 15 5-hour Energy Toyota after a first lap spin. Bowyer was the highest finishing Toyota and the only Toyota in the top ten at the finish of the Pure Michigan 400. And while Bowyer struggled, he took great pride in his ability to bounce back from the adversity.

    “Man, what a long day,” Bowyer said. “Beats the hell out of me how I recovered to finish fifth.”

    “Spinning out on the first lap I’m like – I couldn’t figure it out,” Bowyer continued. “Hard fought battle.”

    “Those days are what wins championships.”

    Bowyer took over second in the point standing and is 41 points behind leader Jimmie Johnson.

    Not Surprising:  But for a tricky restart, the driver known as the ‘Closer’ almost closed the deal in the Irish hills of Michigan. Kevin Harvick, piloting the No. 29 Rheem Chevrolet, finished second, his 10th top-10 finish at MIS and his 12th top-10 finish in 2013.

    “I just mistimed the last restart there,” Harvick said. “I had to check up and that allowed the No. 22 to kind of make it three-wide and get under me and then we had to fight back from there.”

    “But all in all it was a good day.”

    Surprising:  The points leader and five-time champ had a surprisingly challenging day at Michigan, having to drive through the field in his back up car due to a practice lap wreck. Although he looked strong and even led two laps, Jimmie Johnson experienced engine failure and ended up his day finishing 40th in his No. 48 Lowes Chevrolet.

    “The engine broke there,” Johnson said. “When we came in for a green flag pit stop, something started then it definitely dropped a cylinder.”

    “This track is hard on engines,” Johnson continued. “Days like today am thankful for the big points lead and the bonus points in the Chase.”

    “We’ll dust ourselves off and go on to next week.”

    Not Surprising:   Kurt Busch, who after the race reportedly received an offer to driver for Stewart-Haas Racing in 2014, proved the caliber of his driving abilities and the value of his team with a third place finish. This was Busch’s ninth top-10 finish in 26 races at MIS and the good finish moved him up two spots to ninth in the point standings.

    “To be in position and run well, to post a top-three finish, just got to thank the guys,” the driver of the No. 78 Furniture Row Chevrolet said after the race. “Furniture Row is acting like a big-time player right now.”

    “We had a little bit of weaknesses here and there but overall, we keep positing good results and it’s very satisfying.”

    Surprising:  Paul Menard, driver of the No. 27 NIBCO/Menards Chevrolet, surprisingly scored his first top five of the season.

    “We really needed a good run,” Menard said. “We have been crashing a lot.”

    “We had a good car all weekend.”

    Not Surprising:  Jeff Burton, who has been running better and better as the season progresses, finished top-10 in his No. 31 Cheerios Chevrolet. And even with that, Burton ended up both happy and disappointed.

    “It’s good to be disappointed with eighth,” Burton said. “That is a good thing.”

    “That’s a step in the right direction, no drama, got what we deserved and we will go on.”

    Surprising:  Marcos Ambrose had a surprising bump up into the top-10 finishing order after a tough run at Watkins Glen, finishing sixth in his No. 9 Dewalt Ford.

    “We ran in the top-10 for a lot of the day and it was a better day for us,” Ambrose said. “I am proud of Drew (Blickensderfer, crew chief) for calling a great race.”

    “He got us up there with track position and we were able to hold on.”

    Not Surprising:  There was no surprise in seeing Greg Biffle, who is usually strong at Michigan, finish in the ninth position in his No. 16 3M Ford. And according to the Biff, he would have done even better had it not been for some problems in the pits.

    “We bumped the No. 2 coming out of the pits in that scramble at the end and hurt the left front fender,” Biffle said. “That was really tough for us.”

    The next race will be tough for all of the drivers as they head to the beating and banging at Bristol Motor Speedway under the Saturday night lights.