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  • Matty’s Picks Vol. 19 – Pure Michigan 400 – Michigan International Speedway – August 18, 2013

    Matty’s Picks Vol. 19 – Pure Michigan 400 – Michigan International Speedway – August 18, 2013

    Off to Michigan this week for the second and final stop in The Great Lakes State this season and Michigan International Speedway is the 2.5-mile D-shaped superspeedway with 18 degrees of banking in the corners, 12 on the frontstretch, and 5 on the long backstretch. We see speeds top 210 MPH at MIS, making it the fastest track on the schedule.

    Qualifying is fairly important this week, but not nearly as important as last week as 16 of the 88 races at Michigan have been won from the pole – unlike 9 of 30 last week at Watkins Glen. 66 of the 88 have been won from inside the top 10 however, but Mark Martin won from the furthest back – 32nd – in the spring race of 2009.

    As far as the manufacturers go, Ford has the edge by winning 33 of the 88 races all-time but only three of the last 10 races with the next best being Chevrolet with 20 wins. Ford driver Greg Biffle will go for his 3rd straight victory at MIS this week, also for Roush Fenway Racing who happens to have the most wins of any team at Michigan, with 13 wins all-time.

    In news outside of Tony Stewart, it was announced on Tuesday, Juan Montoya would not return to Earnhardt Ganassi Racing in 2014. Juan came to EGR in 2007, his first ride in a stock car – he made The Chase in 2009, but has not finished better than 17th in the points since then for car owner Chip Ganassi.

    My thought is the departure could open the seat for it’s 21-year-old development driver Kyle Larson, who currently competes in the Nationwide Series for Turner Scott Motorsports. Chip Ganassi was actually at Larson’s car, giving him a pep-talk for the majority of the pre-race at Watkins Glen this past weekend before the Nationwide race, so to me he’s probably at the top of the list to replace Juan next season.

    We’ve seen these mid-season announcements before – this season even with Kevin Harvick going to Stewart-Haas – we’ve seen what he’s done sitting 4th in points for RCR and even Ryan Newman losing his ride at SHR and winning the Brickyard. Bottom line is these guys are competitors and they want to win today, next week, next month, and next year. There are no discounted parts put on these cars to guys who are leaving at the end of the season, and these guys without rides next season want a win now more than ever.

    Watkins Glen Recap

    It was a fantastic weekend last week for me at my hometown track, and I was 50/50 on my picks last week at Watkins Glen.

    It was extremely difficult to go to The Glen and not look at Marcos Ambrose to win. He had won back-to-back races at Watkins Glen and was the overwhelming favorite going into last week’s Cheez-It 355 at The Glen for a number of reasons, mainly because he had won those two previous races and because he put his No.9 Ford on the pole, the most proficient starting spot for race-winners over the years at Watkins Glen.

    Well, if the race last week was 51 laps instead of 92, Marcos Ambrose would have been a fantastic pick last week as he completely dominated the early stages of the race last week at Watkins Glen. An unfortunate caution for Ambrose came out in the middle of pit sequences for the majority of the field, and Ambrose was shuffled back in the pack after leading the majority of the early stages of the race.

    Being shuffled back at Watkins Glen is never a good thing, due to the limited passing opportunities, and Ambrose learned the hard way after being tangled up in an accident between Turn 2 and 3 on lap 84. The wreck would end Ambrose’s march towards the front last week and would land him a disappointing 31st place finish.

    As far as my Dark Horse goes, Martin Truex Jr’s. race at Watkins Glen was much less eventful, running in the top 5 all day, and being in the front of the field for the majority of the day paid its dividends as Truex would score a 3rd place finish behind Kyle Busch and Brad Kesolowski. I’m not sure I’ll be allowed to call Truex a Dark Horse next season with his win at Sonoma in June and his 3rd place finish at The Glen last week, bringing his season road-course average finish to runner-up finish.

    Michigan Picks
    Winner Pick

    Up until this year, Matt Kenseth added to the dominance of Roush-Fenway Racing at Michigan International Speedway, winning twice for Jack Roush in 2002 and 2006. On top of the wins, he’s got 12 Top 5’s and 18 top 10’s at MIS in 28 races, making him the 2nd best driver overall at Michigan all-time.

    Kenseth is in the top 5 in ALL BUT ONE….of the pre-race loop stats, he’s second in Average Running Position and Driver Rating, he’s third in Average Green Flag Speed, Laps in the top 15, and quality passes, and the one loop stat he’s not in the top 5……Fastest Laps Run – he’s got 159 and that’s good enough for 6th on the list. He’s qualified 12th which doesn’t scare me because of the great passing stats he has over the years at Michigan.

    He was 7th at California in March, 6th at Michigan earlier this year in June, and with the way he’s running this season, it’s been 5 weeks since he’s won and without a win this week, he’ll tie his longest stretch this season without a win….so I’m going with Matt Kenseth as my top pick this week.
    Dark Horse Pick

    On Thursday while previewing this week’s race at Michigan with Greg on the Prime Sports Network, I picked Joey Logano as my longshot play of the week. Qualifying has really helped my cause with Logano because yesterday in NASCAR Sprint Cup Series qualifying, Logano shattered the track record at Michigan International Speedway and captured the Coors Light Pole, another week for me picking the pole-sitter before any cars hit the track.

    Logano won the Nationwide race at Michigan last season, but MIS hasn’t been too kind to him in the cup series. Besides his 9th earlier this season, he’s finished 31st, 35th, and 21st in his previous 4 starts at Michigan. He did lead 21 laps in that race in June race, the only laps he’s ever led at Michigan, and with his teammate Brad Keselowski coming alive down the stretch here this season, I think this team is only going to get better. Considering 16 of the 88 races at Michigan have been won from the pole position, I like my chances this week with Logano, he’ll stay my longshot play of the week.

    That’s all for this week, so until we head for the Hills of Tennessee…..You Stay Classy NASCAR NATION!

  • How To Improve The Nationwide Series

    How To Improve The Nationwide Series

    How can NASCAR turn the yawn fest that has become Nationwide Series Racing into something the fans will enjoy again?  My twitter and Facebook time lines both blow up when Kyle Busch, Joey Logano, Brad Keselowski, Kasey Kahne, or even Matt Kenseth take the lead at any point in the race.  It quickly becomes a stream of “Anybody but……(fill in Cup Regulars name here).

    For the longest time I defended allowing the cup regulars racing in the lower series, mainly because my favorite driver was still doing it from time to time and ran well in that series at points.  I even defended it more when NASCAR made the rule that drivers had to declare which series they were going to race for a championship in before the season really began.

    The excuse that I often used was, “Well it helps the track promoters out by getting butts in the seats to see their favorite drivers one more time during the race weekend.”  Granted this was back before the Cup regulars truly dominated the lower series.  Would they win often? Yes, but they would not go on an eight race winning streak, or in the case of this year’s races, winning sixteen of twenty-one races, or a winning percentage of 1.3125 percent of the time.  Now, honestly it is keeping people OUT of the seats more than it is putting butts in seats.

    I have also heard and understand the argument that having the Cup drivers in the lower series gives the lower series guys a chance to see what they will be up against when they get into the Cup series.  For the longest time, I really didn’t have a comeback for this statement, now I do.  While the younger driver may learn something about driver etiquette on the track, they are not learning anything else for the most part.  The Cup cars are not the same cars the Nationwide series cars are, and therefore the driver in the NNS isn’t learning very much that will help them once they graduate into the Cup series.  About the only thing it shows them is that if they want to be successful in the Cup series they will need to land at a top tier team or their hopes of challenging for a win each week is out the window.

    The cars in the Nationwide series are great, they look incredible on T.V. and on the track. They afford for some nice side by side racing.  Only when the cars that are being raced aren’t from an over funded team with an over talented driver, holding off someone who is simply trying to get a handle on the series.  I could actually understand a lower talented Cup driver trying to get extra seat time to try and improve their performance for their main sponsor on Sunday.  Take Bliss, Blaney, Stremme, or any other driver, hell even take Danica and put her in the Nationwide series and allow them more seat time to improve the racing on Sunday, and I would get it much better than I do these days.

    These days unless the series is split like it is this weekend with the Cup cars in Michigan and the Nationwide cars in Ohio; it basically takes a catastrophic incident or failure by the Cup regulars team or car for the Nationwide series drivers to even stand a chance to win the race.  Which is what leads to my timeline being blown up with people changing the channel, going to the pool, or horror of all horrors heading to the store or mall to get some last minute shopping done.

    My solution is a relatively simple and painless one to implement and simply builds upon the declaring which series a driver is running for a championship.  Limit the number of starts that a Cup regular can have in the lower series, to five.  Which would mean that the track promoters would still be able to promote the fact that Dale Earnhardt Jr will be running both Daytona and Talladega races, without stacking the deck at the races against the Nationwide drivers.  It would allow the drivers like Kyle Busch, and Brad Keselowski to race the Nationwide and Camping World Series trucks, but on a limited basis.  Let’s just call it the Mark Martin schedule for simplification purposes.

    Let’s face facts, drivers in the Cup series retire, where will that leave fans that still love the sport but don’t have a driver to root for?  In my case I know that in the next year to two my driver Jeff Burton will be retiring.  I have followed Jeff’s career since I attended my first Cup race and Jeff won for the first time in Texas.  I know that I will have to find someone else to root for week in and week out.  Are there drivers suitable enough for me to start cheering for already in the Cup series?  Of course there are, but I do not want to have to repeat this cycle in another five to ten years.  I would much rather have a driver that I can cheer for week in and week out in the Trucks or Nationwide series, see him or her grow into the next series and root for them when they finally reach the Cup series.

    Can I realistically do that now? Yes, but I honestly do not get to “KNOW” the driver these days in the lower series.  The main focus by main stream media is either how well the cup drivers or doing, or when things are going wrong for them, how badly things are going.  I will gladly put a large portion of the blame for the Cup regulars doing double duty on the shoulders of main stream media since it is these same media members that focus so greatly on the Cup drivers.  Aside from Kyle Busch I honestly do not think that the other regular drivers would run as many races, of course this isn’t taking into account sponsorship obligations, as they do now if they weren’t almost guaranteed almost unfettered T.V. time each week.  Kyle is the lone amalgam in this situation; he in a lot of ways is the same as Tony Stewart.

    Tony is a racers racer, and so is Kyle.  They both see seating behind the wheel of a vehicle and trying to get something out of it that no one else can as therapeutic.  It is their weekend golf game, or shooting hoops with the guys.  The difference is this, while Tony does it in a series that doesn’t directly impact the potential for up and coming drivers; Kyle almost relishes in the fact that he is potentially holding back a future driver in the Cup series.

    With the limited number of races it would be an excuse for people like Matt Kenseth, Brad Keselowski, Joey Logano, Mark Martin and Kyle Busch to actually MENTOR potential drivers on a weekly basis.  Especially when you take into account that two of the five drivers I named own a lower series team.  To mentor someone, means teaching not showing someone how to do something, allowing them to fail in their own unique way, and being there to pat them on the back when they succeed.  It does not mean, “Step out of my way, let me show you how this is done, and oh by the way don’t even THINK about passing me late to steal a victory away from me,”

    We worry about the future of the NASCAR sport, and trying to fix so many things that are wrong with it, how about we start looking at what truly IS the future of the sport in the lower series and attempt to give them something to hope for on their own?

  • Penske Racing Dominates Zippo 200 at Watkins Glen

    The three Penske cars combined to lead 73 of the 82 laps in the Zippo 200 and swept the top two spots while leaving the rest of the field to fight for the leftovers. Logano was running inside the top five on the final lap as well but ran out of fuel which relegated him to a disappointing 21st place finish. Brad Keselowski was able to hold off teammate and NASCAR Nationwide Series (NNS) title threat, Sam Hornish Jr for the victory; the 24th of his NNS career and his 4th in his last four starts.

    The race started off with a jaw-dropping moment when Kyle Busch spun just seconds after the initial start while trying to take the lead. He escaped with only minor damage until Mike Wallace made heavy contact with the left front of the No.54. Kyle Busch finished the race 24th and five laps down while his rival in the owner’s championship, Brad Keselowski put the No.22 in victory lane and significantly cut down the 54’s points lead.

    Austin Dillon was able to maintain his position at the top of the standings, although it did shrink after a 12th place finish which could partly be attributed to fuel pick-up problems.

    Sam Hornish Jr. is just eight markers back of Austin with Regan Smith five points back. Sadler and Vickers are also within reasonable striking distance.

    The NNS will return to a road course again next weekend with their inaugural trip to Mid-Ohio.

    1.) Brad Keselowski

    2.) Sam Hornish Jr.

    3.) Brian Vickers

    4.) Regan Smith

    5.) Elliott Sadler

    6.) Parker Kligerman

    7.) Justin Allgaier

    8.) Cole Whitt

    9.) Nelson Piquet Jr.

    10.) Trevor Bayne

    11.) Brian Scott

    12.) Austin Dillon

    13.) Alex Bowman

    14.) Brendan Gaughan

    15.) Travis Pastrana

    16.) Reed Sorenson

    17.) Landon Cassill

    18.) Kasey Kahne

    19.) Kyle Kelley

    20.) Jeremy Clements

    21.) Joey Logano

    22.) Michael Annett

    23.) Bryan Silas

    24.) Kyle Busch

    25.) Derek White

    26.) Andrew Ranger

    27.) Mike Bliss

    28.) Eric McClure

    29.) Tony Raines

    30.) Kyle Larson

    31.) Carl Long

    32.) Anthony Gandon

    33.) Joey Gase

    34.) Kenny Habul

    35.) Morgan Shepherd

    36.) Blake Koch

    37.) Jeff Green

    38.) TJ Bell

    39.) Josh Wise

    40.) Mike Wallace

  • Crunching The Numbers: Watkins Glen

    Crunching The Numbers: Watkins Glen

    After some exciting races at Pocono Raceway and Iowa Speedway last weekend, the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series and NASCAR Nationwide Series head north for some road course racing at Watkins Glen International, the always entertaining 2.45 mile road course in Upstate New York. This weekend will mark the second road course race for both series after the Sprint Cup Series visited Sonoma Raceway and the Nationwide Series was at Road America back in June.

    NASCAR Sprint Cup Series – Cheez-It 355 at the Glen

    As the Sprint Cup Series heads into Watkins Glen for the second road course race of the year, the Race to the Chase is also heating up with only five races remaining until the Chase begins and several drivers still in contention for those coveted spots. There are several drivers, including some in Chase contention who always run well at this track, so this race should be a fight from beginning to end as we get one step closer to finalizing the field for the Chase.

    Driver Races Win Top 5 Top 10 Pole Laps Led Avg. Start Avg. Finish
    Marcos Ambrose 5 2 5 5 0 46 13.2 2.0
    Brad Keselowski 3 0 2 2 0 39 16.0 8.0
    Kyle Busch 8 1 3 7 1 159 7.4 9.0
    AJ Allmendinger 4 0 1 2 0 8 15.2 9.0
    Carl Edwards 8 0 3 5 1 1 12.5 9.4
    Kevin Harvick 12 1 2 6 0 29 13.2 13.1
    Jimmie Johnson 11 0 4 6 1 11 6.2 13.2
    Martin Truex Jr. 7 0 2 4 0 0 18.7 13.7
    Jeff Gordon 20 4 6 9 2 233 9.4 14.8
    Juan Pablo Montoya 6 1 2 4 1 81 10.3 15.0

    Who To Watch: After winning at Watkins Glen in the past two seasons, the driver who runs best at the track is none other than road course ace Marcos Ambrose, whose stellar Watkins Glen career includes the two wins, five top fives, five top tens, 46 laps led, and an average finish of 2.0 in five starts. The lowest that Ambrose has ever finished is third, so the road to victory on Sunday will have to go through Ambrose.

    Tony Stewart falls in second statistically at this track and is undoubtedly one of the best at Watkins Glen with five wins, but unfortunately Stewart will be missing the race Sunday due to a broken leg that he suffered in a Sprint Car wreck on Monday night.

    With Stewart out, the next driver in line statistically is Brad Keselowski, who has finished second to Ambrose the last two years, and in three starts has the two top fives, two top tens, 39 laps led, and an average finish of 8.0.

    Others who run well at the road course include: Kyle Busch, who has one win, three top fives, seven top tens, one pole, 159 laps led, and an average finish of 9.0 in eight starts; A.J. Allmendinger, who won the Nationwide Series race at Road America in June, with one top five, two top tens, eight laps led, and an average finish of 9.0 in four starts; and Carl Edwards, with three top fives, five top tens, one pole, one lap led, and an average finish of 9.4 in eight starts.

    The others in the top ten statistically (Kevin Harvick, Jimmie Johnson, Martin Truex Jr., Jeff Gordon, and Juan Pablo Montoya) will also be strong contenders for the win this weekend. 

    NASCAR Nationwide Series – Zippo 200 at the Glen

    This weekend at Watkins Glen marks the second of three road course races this season for the Nationwide Series with a date at Mid-Ohio awaiting the drivers next weekend. With the points lead swapping between Austin Dillon, Sam Hornish Jr., and Regan Smith over the past few weeks, the unpredictability that is Watkins Glen is sure to shake up the points standings once again.

    Driver Races Win Top 5 Top 10 Pole Laps Led Avg. Start Avg. Finish
    Brad Keselowski 4 0 2 4 0 44 7.8 5.2
    Nelson Piquet Jr. 1 0 0 1 0 0 10.0 7.0
    Kyle Busch 6 0 4 5 0 90 7.2 9.3
    Kasey Kahne 2 0 0 1 0 0 6.5 10.0
    Brian Scott 3 0 0 1 0 0 16.7 12.3
    Joey Logano 5 0 2 3 0 8 8.4 13.4
    Elliott Sadler 4 0 0 1 0 0 13.0 14.8
    Michael Annett 4 0 0 0 0 0 26.2 17.2
    Justin Allgaier 4 0 0 1 0 1 17.0 18.0
    Trevor Bayne 2 0 0 1 0 0 15.0 19.0

    Who To Watch: While Brad Keselowski has been a runner-up on the Sprint Cup side statistically, he takes one step up in the Nationwide Series at Watkins Glen with the best statistics of the drivers entered on Saturday. In four starts, Keselowski has two top fives, four top tens, 44 laps led, and an average finish of 5.2.

    Next is Nelson Piquet, Jr., who has a Nationwide Series road course win at Road America and in his lone Watkins Glen start in 2010 finished in seventh. Piquet’s road course skills are likely to have him in contention for the win.

    Others who run well at the track include: Kyle Busch, with four top fives, five top tens, 90 laps led, and an average finish of 9.3 in five starts; Kasey Kahne, with one top ten and an average finish of 10.0 in two starts; Brian Scott, with one top ten and an average finish of 12.3 in three starts; and Joey Logano, who will be driving a special No. 48 Ford this weekend, with two top fives, three top tens, eight laps led, and an average finish of 13.4 in five starts.

  • Surprising and Not Surprising: Pocono Go.Bowling.com 400

    Surprising and Not Surprising: Pocono Go.Bowling.com 400

    At a track known as tricky, with a bowling sponsor for its second race of the season, here is what was surprising and not surprising from the 40th annual GoBowling.com 400, at Pocono Raceway.

    Surprising:  Probably most surprising about the Pocono race weekend was what followed shortly thereafter, with top-ten finisher Tony Stewart flipping in a sprint car accident at Southern Iowa Speedway, which resulted in a fractured leg.

    This was eerily and scarily ironic after joking with the media during his Pocono availability about his sprint car racing escapades, including a flip prior to the Pocono race.

    Stewart had to undergo surgery and because of the break of both his tibia and fibula, Stewart Haas Racing announced that Max Papis will pilot Smoke’s Cup ride at the Glen.

    Not Surprising:  In a Pocono race weekend where the victors in both the ARCA and Truck Series were determined on restarts, it was not surprising that the winner of the Cup race Kasey Kahne also made it to the checkered flag thanks to a restart.

    “I about gave it away,” the driver of the No. 5 Farmers Insurance Chevrolet said after scoring his second win of the season, as well as his second victory at Pocono. “I spun the tires a little bit and Jeff (Gordon) got a great jump and Kurt (Busch) pushed me all the way to Turn 1, which really helped.”

    “And then I had one opportunity,” Kahne continued. “It was either go for it and make it work or not.”

    “It was a great race.”

    Surprising:  A pair of birthday boys, Jeff Gordon and Kurt Busch scored surprisingly good finishes on their special days. The driver of the No. 24 Drive to End Hunger Chevrolet and the driver of the No. 78 Furniture Row/Denver Mattress Chevrolet finished second and third respectively.

    “It’s funny how our emotions go up and down in this sport,” Gordon said. “Before the race, if you told me that I’d finish second, I’d say that was a great birthday gift.”

    “I’m disappointed that we didn’t get this win.”

    “This was a phenomenal run today,” Busch said. “Right now, we’re getting the job done.”

    “So, I’m happy for this finish and this team and just the job we’re doing.”

    Not Surprising:  The vibration plaguing Dale Earnhardt Jr. continued to be a hot topic, with the driver of the No. 88 National Guard Youth Foundation Chevrolet discussing it even after his top five finish.

    “Well, we changed every part on the car but the engine,” Junior said. “We got it to the point where we could drive it.”

    “I felt good coming in here and thought we might win the race, but we came up a little short.”

    Surprising:  Timmy Hill was the surprising Rookie of the Race after finishing 27th in his No. 32 Oxy Water Ford. ROTY competitors Ricky Stenhouse Jr. and Danica Patrick both had troubles on the track, with Stenhouse Jr. crashing on the very first lap and Patrick bringing out the seventh caution of the day in a tangle with Travis Kvapil, Paul Menard and Jeff Burton. Stenhouse Jr. finished 34th and Patrick finished 35th.

    “It’s not the way we wanted to start the day,” Stenhouse Jr. said. “I was kind of hoping everyone would stay in line but it didn’t play out like that.”

    “We were just having a steady race and a good race, and it was over,” Patrick said. “We were competitive and we were making good calls in the pits.”

    “Everything was going; it just happens.”

    Not Surprising:   Even with a tire issue and a resulting crash that was so hard it knocked a spark plug wire off, Jimmie Johnson managed to finish the race, in which he had started on the pole with a new track record, in the 13th position.

    And even with all the challenges of the day, the driver of the No. 48 Lowe’s Planes Chevrolet managed to increase his points lead to 77 over second place Clint Bowyer.

    “My day kept needing to be re-calibrated,” Johnson said. “I really felt like we had a shot to win, unfortunately blew a tire off of Turn On and ended those hopes there.”

    “We salvaged a very nice finish though.”

    Surprising:  Contrary to all the Bloomin’ Onion fans, driver Ryan Newman was surprisingly unhappy with his fourth place finish in his No. 39 Haas Automation 30th Anniversary Chevrolet.

    “It’s a good run but not as good as it could have been,” Newman said. “Just a horrible day in the pits for us.”

    “We have to get that figured out.”

    Not Surprising:  Having come into the Pocono weekend with high hopes for not only a good finish but also making the Chase, there was no one, not surprisingly, more frustrated with being caught up in a wreck not of his doing than Jeff Burton.

    The driver of the No. 31 FXI Gutterclear 365 Chevrolet was so upset that he put a nice sized dent in the roof of his car after pounding it royally after getting caught up in the Danica Patrick, Paul Menard and Travis Kvapil mess.

    “By the time I got there, they were wrecked,” Burton said. “We had a good car but we just kept getting in trouble.”

    “It’s just kind of how the year’s going.”

    Surprising:  Although teammates and the highest finishing Fords, Brad Keselowski and Joey Logano had surprisingly different views on the challenge of the restarts.

    “We caught that one yellow at the worst possible time with 50 or 60 to go and pitted for four and we were going to be okay but then we caught another yellow which killed our strategy,” the driver of the No. 2 Redd’s Apple Ale proclaimed. “Damn, we were just a little bit short.”

    “Those restarts helped us,” the driver of the No. 22 Shell Pennzoil Ford said. “The cautions at the end helped us make up what we lost.”

    “It’s kind of funny how it worked out.”

    Not Surprising:  Kyle Busch, driver of the No. 18 M&Ms Peanut Butter Toyota, was the highest finishing Toyota, ending the race in the eighth position.

    “We were just a little bit off today,” Busch said. “It seemed like we could get going good on restarts and it would drive well for a few laps, then we couldn’t keep up as well on the long run.”

    “That’s about all we had with our M&M’s Peanut Butter Camry,” Busch continued. “We were able to get a top-10 out of a day where we were just a little behind.”

     

  • Kasey Kahne Pays Tribute to Jason Leffler in Pocono Victory Lane

    Kasey Kahne Pays Tribute to Jason Leffler in Pocono Victory Lane

    Kasey Kahne, driver of the No. 5 Farmers Insurance Chevrolet, came from the eighteenth starting spot to finish first in the GoBowling.com 400 at Pocono Raceway.

    And in the midst of his celebration in Victory Lane, he took a moment to pause and pay tribute to his friend Jason Leffler, with whom he had ridden home with before and after the last Pocono race prior to Leffler’s fatal sprint car accident.

    “This summer has been tough on some racers,” Kahne said. “I thought about it on my way up here because Jason flew up and back with me.”

    “It was tough and there are so many people that were good friends with Jason so I wanted to mention him.”

    This was Kahne’s 16th victory in 345 NASCAR Sprint Cup races, his second victory in 2013, and his second victory at Pocono. He advanced one position in the point standings to the eighth spot.

    “I felt like our Farmers Insurance Chevrolet was the best car,” Kahne said. “Once I cleared Jeff (Gordon), that was pretty much the race.”

    “To come here and dominate the race and get the win was really cool,” Kenny Francis, crew chief said. “We were all about to jump off the box when Kasey made that pass.”

    Jeff Gordon, who suffered that fateful pass by teammate Kasey Kahne, celebrated his birthday by finishing runner up in his No. 24 Drive to End Hunger Chevrolet.

    This was Gordon’s 29th top-10 finish in 42 races at Pocono and his ninth top-10 finish of the season.

    “He was super-fast all day,” Gordon said of Kahne. “Those guys deserved and earned that win today.”

    “We had them though,” Gordon continued. “We had the position and got a good restart and I’m pretty disappointed that I allowed him to get to the outside of me in Turn One.”

    “That’s the advantage you have of being second, just like the restart before that where I had a little bit of an advantage being in second and got position on him,” Gordon said. “I thought that last restart I did everything I needed to do and I looked in my mirror and I really thought that the inside lane got a good run. I thought all I needed to do was get the bottom but man, he caught me by surprise and blasted by me.”

    “And in that scenario, it just kills your momentum.”

    While Gordon was disappointed, he was definitely counting his blessings, especially as it pertains to the point standings and getting into Chase contention.

    “I feel fortunate to come in second,” Gordon said.  “I feel like we had a great day all in all and I’m very proud of that.”

    “That’s something we can build a lot of momentum on,” Gordon continued. “Yeah, I’m frustrated right now because we had a shot at it and I know how important wins are, but second is a great points day for us as well.”

    Gordon moved up one spot in the point standings up to the ninth position.

    Fellow birthday boy Kurt Busch, driver of the No. 78 Furniture Row/Denver Mattress Chevrolet, finished third. And for him it felt like a victory, having conquered some of the demons that had plagued the team.

    “It was definitely a run that we were able to close the chapter on having little problems here and there,” Busch said. “What I mean by that is that we executed really well today.”

    “It was pit strategy, pit stops, two tires, four tires and all to be in position at the end,” Busch continued. “When the 48 had their trouble, we were even able to get into the pits before they closed them.”

    “It just seems like the team is flowing really well and I’m excited for this portion of the season because we now get to go back to all these tracks a second time and we have fresh notes,” Busch said. “So, working together, what I’m happy about is that we’re small but we can shoot from the hip a lot and make up a lot of ground by being aggressive.”

    “Even though we didn’t win, I feel good about this third place finish because this was a championship effort.”

    This was Busch’s 14th top-10 finish in 25 races at Pocono and he moved up one position to 13th in the point standings.

    Ryan Newman, coming off the race win at the Brickyard, continued riding the momentum wave with a fourth place finish in his No. 39 Haas Automation 30th Anniversary Chevrolet.

    “Well it was a good run no doubt,” Newman said, in spite of some pit road challenges. “Big for Quicken Loans and their ‘Bring it Home’ sweepstakes.”

    And of course Newman reminded all that Bloomin’ Onions would be available for all at Outback on Monday.

    Rounding out the top-five was Dale Earnhardt, Jr. in the No. 88 National Guard Youth Foundation Chevrolet.

    “We had a good car but not as good as it needed to be,” Junior said. “We just didn’t have the edge that we needed.”

    “I want to thank my guys who did a good job on strategy and pit stops.”

    While Chevrolet dominated the top five, team Penske flew the Ford team colors, with Brad Keselowski finishing sixth and Joey Logano finishing seventh.

    “We were close to the 5 and 24 but they were probably a tad faster,” the reigning champ and driver of the No. 2 Redd’s Apple Ale Ford said. “Damn, we were just a little bit short.”

    “We were a lot better than we finished,” the driver of the No. 22 Shell Pennzoil Ford said. “Seventh isn’t bad but I thought we were a top-three car today.”

    “We just have to keep our heads in the game and keep trying to make up points.”

    Both Logano and Keselowski each moved up one position in the point standings, with Logano now in 17th and Keselowski now in wild card contention in 12th.

    Kyle Busch was the highest finishing Toyota. He brought the No. 18 M&M’s Peanut Butter Toyota to the checkered flag in the eighth spot.

    “We were just a little bit off today,” Busch said after starting from the outside pole. “It seemed like we could get going good on restarts and it would drive well for a few laps, then we couldn’t keep up as well on the long run.”

    “That’s about all we had.”

    Points leader Jimmie Johnson had a very eventful day in his No. 48 Lowe’s Planes Chevrolet, but battled back to a 13th place finish after blowing a tire and hitting the wall. In spite of all that, Johnson actually increased his points lead over Clint Bowyer to 77 points.

    “Yeah, my day kept needing to be calibrated as the day went on,” Johnson said. “I really felt like we had a shot to win, unfortunately blew a tire off of Turn One and ended those hopes there.”

    “We worked on the car and got it better,” Johnson said. “Then I hit the wall so hard that it knocked a spark plug wire off the spark plug.”

    “They were able to get everything hooked back up and the engine took off,” Johnson continued. “Off we went and salvaged a very nice finish.”

     

  • Jimmie Johnson Runs from Tech to Track Record Pole at Pocono

    Jimmie Johnson, who after having issues in tech and sprinting to the qualifying grid, flew his Disney Planes car to the head of the field to qualify P1 for the GoBowling.com 400 at Pocono Raceway.

    Johnson put his No. 48 Lowe’s Planes Chevrolet into pole position with a speed of 180.654 miles per hour and a time of 49.819 seconds, scoring a new track record.

    This was Johnson’s second pole of the 2013 season, his 31st pole in his 420 Cup Series races and his third pole at Pocono Raceway. This was also the eleventh track qualifying record broken so far this year by the new Gen-6 race car.

    “I knew it was fast but I didn’t know how fast,” Johnson said. “I was challenging the car and it stuck.”

    “Track records are cool,” Johnson continued. “It makes all drivers and teams smile.”

    Johnson had an interesting time making it to the qualifying grid, once again having difficulty getting through tech and having to run with his car and team to make it in time.

    “We had the left rear tow off by one thousandth of an inch,” Johnson said. “We got on the clock, which is always a scary thing, but we beat the clock.”

    “I’m glad we got it sorted out.”

    Johnson said that he would not wish that stress on any other driver and took exception to the notion that his team might have delayed a bit to go out a bit later in the qualifying order.

    “I wish there was some master plan behind it,” Johnson said. “My heart was pounding out of my chest and I don’t wish that stress on anyone.”

    “That’s not what I want to go through.”

    Johnson admitted that in spite of the stress, both he and his crew chief Chad Knaus really do enjoy the ‘Tricky Triangle’ and all of its challenges.

    “Shifting here makes this track so much fun,” Johnson said. “The gear change makes in interesting.”

    “We have excelled on quirky race tracks,” Johnson continued. “Chad really enjoys setting up the car and the engineering side of it.”

    “We’ve had that knack for odd-shaped race tracks.”

    Kyle Busch, in the No. 18 M&Ms Peanut Butter Toyota, came in runner up in the qualifying effort, with a speed of 180.639 miles per hour and a time of 49.823 seconds. This will be Busch’s 17th top-10 start of 2013 and his tenth top-10 start in 18 races at Pocono.

    “Our Peanut Butter Camry was really fast in practice today,” Busch said. “One run we got a little bit off base but then we backed it right up and the third run we were pretty good.”

    “So, we were excited going into qualifying,” Busch continued. “Fortunately, it was a really fast lap for going that early in qualifying.”

    Busch admitted that going later in the qualifying order would have been beneficial, especially at a track where pit selection and track position are key.

    “I wish we would have gone later because we would have had a better race track, but it was about all I could get,” Busch said. “I wish it was the pole.”

    “That’s what you’d like to have,” Busch continued. “You get so close and it would be nice to have that award, being able to start first and get the number one pit selection.”

    “We’ll take it,” Busch said. “It was a good effort.”

    “And hopefully our car will be better and beat the other guy who beat us today.”

    Busch did, however, take a bit of a jab at pole sitter Johnson during his media availability after his qualifying run.

    “Probably not the clock that he was on made the difference but the draw he had being twenty cars later was beneficial,” Busch said. “It’s just that a lot of these other teams figure out how to play by the rules, you know.”

    “It seems like there is one that is quite often late, more often than the rest.”

    Carl Edwards was the fastest Ford in qualifying, with a time of 49.950 seconds and a speed of 180.180. The driver of the No. 99 Fastenal Ford came in third in the Pocono time trials.

    Edwards posted his seventh top-10 start at Pocono and his eleventh top-10 start in 21 races this season.

    “We got very fortunate with our draw because the track kept getting faster and faster,” Edwards said. “That and my superior skills and my humility helped.”

    “We didn’t expect to pick up that much and have that much grip,” Edwards continued. “Starting position is really important here.”

    “I’m ready to go racing,” Edwards said. “I’m pretty excited about hopefully our turnaround from last week because that was miserable.”

    Ryan Newman, driver of the No. 39 Haas Automation 30th Anniversary Chevrolet, and Kurt Busch in the NO. 78 Furniture Row/Denver Mattress Chevrolet, rounded out the top five.

    “It was a good lap,” Newman said. “We picked up a second from what we practiced.”

    “Man that is fast here.”

    “To go for the pole, we were just a little bit too tight,” Busch said. “The pace was so fast that you are on the edge.”

    Three Fords took the sixth, seventh and eighth spots in qualifying, with Joey Logano, Greg Biffle and Marcos Ambrose in those spots respectively.

    “Yeah, that was not bad,” Logano, behind the wheel of the No. 22 Shell Pennzoil Ford, said. “I feel like my lap was pretty good.”

    “I think I got what I needed,” Biffle, driver of the No. 16 3M Ford, said. “I’m really happy with that lap and our pick up.”

    “I wish I would have gotten a little more out of it but that’s all the car had.”

    Denny Hamlin, driver of the No. 11 FedEx Office Toyota, and Aric Almirola, in the Petty No. 43 GoBowling.com Ford, qualified in the ninth and tenth spots.

    “That was definitely good pick up,” Almirola said. “We had to make so many adjustments and I was trying to be a little conservative.”

    “I will take that.”

     

  • Crunching The Numbers: Chicago

    Crunching The Numbers: Chicago

    With the Sprint Cup Series drivers and teams enjoying their final off weekend of the year before beginning the grueling 17 race stretch to end the year and the Camping World Truck Series drivers gearing up for their dirt racing debut at Eldora next week, the Nationwide Series takes center stage this weekend in Chicago.

    This weekend’s STP 300 at Chicagoland Speedway marks the first of two trips the series will make to the Windy City this season. This race also marks the third leg of the Nationwide Insurance “Dash 4 Cash” with Austin Dillon, Brian Vickers, Brian Scott, and Michael Annett vying for the $100,000 bonus this weekend.

    Driver Races Wins Top 5 Top 10 Pole Laps Led Avg. Start Avg. Finish
    Austin Dillon 2 0 1 2 0 53 2.0 4.5
    Sam Hornish, Jr. 3 0 1 3 0 23 4.7 6.3
    Joey Logano 4 1 2 3 1 214 4.2 7.8
    Justin Allgaier 6 1 2 4 0 9 12.0 8.2
    Brian Scott 5 0 2 3 1 5 15.0 8.8
    Reed Sorenson 6 0 0 5 0 30 15.7 9.5
    Parker Kligerman 2 0 0 1 0 0 15.0 10.0
    Brian Vickers 4 0 3 3 0 3 7.5 10.2
    Michael Annett 6 0 1 3 0 2 17.7 11.3
    Trevor Bayne 4 0 1 1 0 0 12.8 14.5

    Who To Watch: Although he’s never won at Chicago, Austin Dillon has the best statistics of the current Nationwide Series drivers at the track. In two starts, Dillon has one top five, two top tens, 53 laps led, and an average finish of 4.5. Dillon also has the best average start of 2.0 and with the way he has been winning poles this season, could be a serious threat for both the pole and the win.

    Others to keep an eye on on Sunday include: Sam Hornish, Jr., who has one top five, three top tens, 23 laps led and an average finish of 6.3 in three starts; Joey Logano, the only Sprint Cup regular who will be racing on the off weekend, with one win, two top fives, three top tens, one pole, 214 laps led, and an average finish of 7.8 in four starts; Justin Allgaier, the only other driver in the field with a win at Chicago, also has two top fives, four top tens, nine laps led, and an average finish of 8.2 in six starts; and Brian Scott, with two top fives, three top tens, one pole, five laps led and an average finish of 8.8 in five starts.

  • Surprising and Not Surprising: Camping World RV Sales 301

    Surprising and Not Surprising: Camping World RV Sales 301

    On a steamy day in New England where the action on the track was just as hot, here is what was surprising and not surprising from the Camping World RV Sales 301 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.

    Surprising:  While usually on target, Chad Knaus’ prediction of his driver motoring through the pack to the front only partially came true. Johnson, who started dead last in his No. 48 Lowes Chevrolet due to failing post qualifying inspection, made his way through the field to finish just shy of the top-five in the sixth spot.

    But although his prediction of a last to first performance was not fulfilled, crew chief Knaus felt that he and team 48 had made the statement they wanted to make in light of their inspection failure.

    “We made the best of a bad situation and that’s all you can do,” Knaus said. “We wanted to make it a non-issue and I think that’s exactly what we did.”

    “We didn’t need to win, but the most important thing is we didn’t need to lose,” Knaus continued. “And I think we came out of here with a solid run.”

    With that top-10 finish, Johnson remains solidly in the points lead as well, 56 points ahead of runner up Clint Bowyer.

    Not Surprising:  Just as the chemistry between Knaus and Johnson led to a decent run after adversity, it was not surprising that the chemistry between Rodney Childers and Brian Vickers achieved their dream of taking the Michael Waltrip Racing’s No. 55 Aaron’s Dream Machine to Victory Lane.

    Vickers, who battled back from life-threatening blood clots to race again, credited his relationship with crew chief Childers, which has spanned almost his entire lifetime, as making the difference in his win at the Magic Mile.

    “I can remember the day Clyde (Vickers, Brian Vickers’ father) walked into our go-kart shop in Cornelius, North Carolina and said he wanted to buy his eight-year-old kid a go kart,” Childers said. “So, we got it together overnight and they came and picked it up the next day and then a good friend of ours helped Brian get started.”

    “This means a lot to me.”

    “I just thank God for the chance and opportunity to come back and this team and Rodney believing in me and giving me a second chance,” Vickers said. “That’s a testament to the whole team and everyone at Michael Waltrip Racing.”

    Surprising:  Joey Logano, a former New Hampshire winner, was surprisingly the first caution of the day, blowing a tire and spinning out on Lap 4 of the race. This is the second race in a row where tire failure has contributed to the No. 22 Shell Pennzoil Ford team’s struggles.

    “The left rear tire blew out,” Logano said. “It isn’t like we touched anyone and rubbed it to make it go down, it just blew out.”

    “I am just mad right now.”

    Logano has a right to be mad, as he finished 40th and even more important took a significant hit in the point standings, losing three positions and falling to 18th.

    Not Surprising:  Whether it was the combination of the heat or the grueling schedule as the garage readied for the first weekend off in a very long time, it was not surprising that tempers were flaring on the one-mile track and that there were more cautions in this one race than in the past three New Hampshire races combined.

    The most caustic exchange happened right after the race end when Kyle Busch had some choice words for Ryan Newman and vice versa.

    “Newman is the biggest stupid idiot out here and a big ogre,” Busch said. “I’m glad he’s out of a job.”

    “I’m just afraid if I re-arranged his face I might fix it,” Newman responded. “He’s frustrated finishing third or wherever he was after hitting me.”

    “He’s a heck of a talent but he’s not very bright,” Newman continued. “I’ll leave it at that.”

     Surprising:  Just when it appeared that Stewart-Haas Racing was on the upswing, another surprisingly bad day occurred in New Hampshire.

    Smoke ran out of gas on the final lap to finish 26th, Patrick wrecked into her Rookie of the Year competitor to finish 37th, and Newman had his aforementioned tangles with the Busch brothers and finished 39th.

    “Thought we were about three quarters of a lap to the good,” Smoke said. “Obviously didn’t get as much gas saved as I thought we would.”

    “I feel bad,” Patrick said. “What can I say? We were having a reasonable race and just didn’t mean to do it.”

    “The worst part is that I didn’t want to take anybody with me.”

    Not Surprising:   The unfortunate struggles of Denny Hamlin continued at New Hampshire, with a lug nut issue and a 21st place finish. The driver of the No. 11 FedEx Toyota sits 25th in the point standings, very far out of Chase contention.

    Surprising:  One of the surprises of the race was Aric Almirola, driver of the No. 43 Smithfield Ford, who finished fifth thanks to some good pit strategy and a great call from atop the box.

    “When everybody else stayed out that gave us the opportunity when everyone else came to pit to make it on fuel,” Almirola said. “And we stayed out.”

    “That was a great call by Todd Parrott (crew chief),” Almirola continued. “It is a great way to go into the off weekend.”

    Not Surprising:  At a track that he loves, Jeff Burton finished top three to no one’s surprise. And with his good finish, Burton pronounced that he was still in Chase contention, contrary to everyone’s perception.

    “We had a really good car,” the driver of the No. 31 Caterpillar Chevrolet said. “A lot of people have given up on this team but we haven’t given up on ourselves.”

    “We are going to keep working,” Burton said. We feel like we have an uphill battle but we feel like we still have a shot at it.”

    Surprising:  Brad Keselowski and company showed his championship caliber by bouncing back at the Magic Mile. The driver of the Blue Deuce finished fourth, in spite of the ‘grueling race.’

    “We fought hard all day and came home with a fourth so that was a decent day,” Keselowski said. “Not the win I wanted for sure.”

    “But it is still a solid day though and something to be proud of.”

    Not Surprising:  While all the drivers complained about the difficulty of the track and race, Carl Edwards not surprisingly termed it a battle field.

    “That was a hell of a battle,” the driver of the No. 99 Fastenal Ford said. “Everybody fought really hard the whole time and we ended up with a top-10.”

    “We were able to get a good finish out of a crazy day.”

    Surprising:  Even with having to stop in the middle of the race track to avoid the Newman/Kurt Busch crash, Matt Kenseth pulled off a surprisingly good finish. The driver of the No. 20 Dollar General Toyota finished in the ninth position.

    “I had a good car, probably the best car I’ve ever had here,” Kenseth said. “Kind of lost track position when Kurt cleaned out Newman.”

    “I had to stop and miss that wreck.”

    Not Surprising:  After a grueling race and first part of the season, everyone needed to relax according to Jeff Gordon, who managed to salvage a tenth place finish after a challenging race at New Hampshire.

    “Everybody, no matter whether you’re leading the points or running where we are in points or 30th in the points, everybody has to take moments to step away and relax a little bit and regroup,” Gordon said. “And so, this off-weekend will be good for everybody.”

     

  • Joey Logano Is Making Dreams Come True at the Magic Mile

    Joey Logano Is Making Dreams Come True at the Magic Mile

    Joey Logano announced the fulfillment of a dream come true today at New Hampshire Motor Speedway with the establishment of a foundation bearing his name at a track which means so much to him.

    “We’re here to announce the formation of the Joey Logano Foundation, which is something that I’ve been wanting to do the last few years,” the driver of the No. 22 Shell Pennzoil Ford said. “This is a great race track to announce this, being my home track here in New Hampshire.”

    “I won my first Cup race here and actually watched my first Cup race here so to announce my Foundation is the best place for that to happen.”

    With Logano being able to fulfill his dream job behind the wheel of a Cup car for Penske Racing, he now feels in the position to help others achieve their dreams. And he hopes that his NASCAR fan base will be right there with him helping others.

    “I feel like I’ve been very blessed and to be able to drive a race car for a living is a dream come true for me,” Logano said. “I realize that not everyone is as fortunate as myself so what I want to do with my Foundation is directly impact people’s lives to make them better, whether that’s fixing someone’s roof or helping a soldier who came back from Iraq outfit his home for a wheelchair.”

    “Whatever that is, I want to be able to do that,” Logano continued. “And I want the NASCAR fans to help point out who these people are and then we will help them.”

    Logano is already busy fulfilling the dreams of others through his brand new Foundation. In fact, the first event of five more to come will happen right at the Magic Mile this weekend.

    “Our first event is actually this weekend,” Logano said. “We have the Connecticut State Police Crime Squad, who investigated the Newtown school shooting, here this weekend.”

    “I was in Las Vegas for the race and walking around the Caesar’s Palace shops when a group of guys recognized me,” Logano continued. “I found out they were part of the Crime Squad at Newtown.”

    “I really wanted to do something for Newtown at the time but I didn’t know what to do because there were a lot of people helping out,” Logano said “But I wanted to find the people that were getting lost in the shuffle.”

    “After talking with these guys, I realized that they were the guys that were getting lost in the shuffle,” Logano continued. “With New Hampshire Motor Speedway’s help, we’ve been able to bring 200 of them up here with their families to enjoy an all-American NASCAR race.”

    “I’m really excited about that as the first deal we’re going to do and we have four more coming up, at Atlanta, Charlotte, Michigan, and Phoenix.”

    Logano has also had some help with making his Foundation dream come true. Some of his major partners in his new endeavor include Coca Cola, the NASCAR Foundation, and his sponsor Shell Oil Company.

    “This organization wouldn’t have started without the Coca Cola’s Chug for Charity program,” Logano said. “It helped me out with my charity donations and to have them help me start this is a dream come true.”

    “Also, with NASCAR, we will be doing some online auctions with the NASCAR Foundation, some for race experiences which will be cool,” Logano continued. “Obviously Shell Pennzoil has also helped and backed me one hundred percent.”

    Tom Swindell, NASCAR Director of Racing Operations, presented Logano with a $10,000 check on behalf of the NASCAR Foundation, as did the Shell Oil Company, who also presented their young driver with a $10,000 dream gift.

    “I’ve been around Shell for a long time, thirty-three years, and I’ve watched what we’ve done for charity and kids in the community,” Paul Stanifer, Shell Oil Company General Manager, said. “For him at his age to decide to do what’s right for the community is kind of phenomenal.”

    “It fits well with us because our customers live in the communities,” Stanifer continued. “So, this will be a national fit.”

    “We’re going to throw a lot of resources to Joey and try to engage our wholesalers in areas that are important to us,” Stanifer said. “That will be a nice fit because it’s more about people helping people.”

    While Logano is most excited about making his Foundation dream a reality, he also hopes to have a dream finish at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. And the driver of that No. 22 Penske race car is counting on his recent tire test at the track to help him to do just that.

    “This has been a hit or miss track for me,” Logano admitted “I have either run decent or really struggled here.”

    “I came up here and we did the tire test and we left here and I didn’t feel like we were very good,” Logano continued. “So, we used one of the Penske tests here and we came up here and felt like we would make up some ground.”

    “This is a very difficult race track to make a car work,” Logano said. “There will be a few cars that can do it and they will stand out.”

    Logano is certainly hoping that he will be one of those race cars standing out at the Magic Mile. But even more important to the young driver is that he can do something good by making dreams come true for others.

    “This Foundation is not about me,” Logano said. “My name is on it, but that is to bring awareness to it.”

    “This Foundation is about other people and about how we can help other people,” Logano continued. “This was the right time for me to do this.”

    “I plan to have a lot of fun with it.”