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NASCAR’s Confidence Factor

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

September 29, 2012
Joey Logano Pumped Up, Upbeat and Ready to Go

[media-credit id=62 align=”alignright” width=”227″][/media-credit]With his trademark smile in place, Joey Logano said he was “pumped up, upbeat and ready to go”, not only for the weekend racing at Dover, but for the next step in his career and life as well.

Logano had an exciting start to his Monster Mile weekend as he was on one of the planes impacted in the incident on the runway at the Charlotte airport on the way to Dover, Delaware.

“We were in our plane about to get ready to go and the other plane drove off the runway a little bit,” Logano said. “I figured the runway was the easy part, but I don’t know I never drove one.”

In spite of being delayed, Logano finally made it to the race track, one where he has admittedly had his share of ups and downs. Logano’s high at Dover was winning his K&N Pro Series East championship in 2007 and his low at the Monster Mile was barrel-rolling his No. 20 Cup car seven times down the banking of one of the turns.

But for the ever-upbeat Logano, he only remembers the ‘ups’ from all of his experiences at Dover.

“I love this track,” Logano said passionately. “I think it’s mainly up when it comes to Dover.”

“I think it’s a great track and a great place to race,” Logano continued. “It’s just fast.”

“It’s one of those tracks where you really feel like you’re hauling the mail,” Logano said. “It puts on great racing and I’ve had great cars most every time I’ve been here.”

Logano will certainly see his fair share of the Monster Mile this weekend as he is doing double duty in the No. 18 Sports Clip Toyota in the Nationwide race and his familiar No. 20 Home Depot Toyota ride on the Cup side.

How does the young driver balance all of that racing? Logano acknowledged the challenges but also expressed that there are great rewards in doing the Dover double.

“It’s definitely a challenge,” Logano said. “Today’s the biggest challenge, running back and forth from car to car.”

“The hardest part is when you practice the Cup car, qualify the Nationwide car and then come back and qualify the Cup car because they’re so different,” Logano continued. “You’ll run around a lot.”

Logano said it is almost like having to keep a score card on each car in his head. And just so he does not get too confused by it all, he debriefs just as quickly as he can after each run in the two cars.

“You have to keep track of what you did in this car and what changed in each car and then debrief with both of them,” Logano said. “That’s the challenging part.”

“I try to debrief right then, so that way I did it and I can move on,” Logano continued. “But there are also great rewards in driving both cars because you can learn a lot in the Nationwide car that can come over and help your Cup program.”

Logano definitely agreed with his Nationwide crew chief, Adam Stevens, in that the Monster Mile requires great aggression but can also prove most punishing if any mistakes are made.

“Dover is an intense track,” Logano said. “You’ve got to take every opportunity you can.”

“But when you start overheating your tires and overworking your car, it’s also a finesse track,” Logano said. “So, it’s a combination of both.”

“It’s hard to do both but that’s what makes it fun and a cool track to race.”

Logano said that he truly has learned from his racing experience at the Monster Mile, especially from his runs that did not go so well.

“You learn that throughout your career, being put in certain situations,” Logano said. “You learn from your mistakes and you try to use them the best you can to make those changes.”

“This is one of those tracks where you use a lot of your tools.”

For Logano, Dover also feels a bit like coming home, which may just contribute to his comfort level at the Monster Mile.

“The northeast tracks are a lot of fun for me,” Logano said. “This is where I’m from and I like being able to see everyone.”

“I just like these tracks,” Logano said. “Dover is one of my favorites, and it might actually be my favorite.”

“It feels like home.”

Although Logano is feeling at home at Dover, he only has a few more races, eight to be exact, before he makes the next major change in his life. He will move from his home at Joe Gibbs Racing to his new home at Penske Racing in the No. 22 Shell Pennzoil Ford.

“We plan to finish off as hard as we can,” Logano said. “I got a really great team where I’m at and I’m going to a really great team.”

“I’m fortunate to have two situations like that,” Logano continued. “But my life has become very busy lately, trying to learn a new team and get to know those guys and trying to finish off this year the best you can and try to get eight more wins.”

“It’s definitely difficult but I’m very lucky and fortunate to be in a position like this.”

Whether lucky or busy, do not call Joey Logano a ‘lame duck’.

“There is no such thing as that at this level,” Logano said. “Each one of these races is equally as important as before Penske came along.”

“This is all very, very important to me,” Logano continued. “This is all we work for.”

Logano also admitted, with all of these changes, that this is probably the most interesting time in his young life and in his racing career.

“It is interesting for sure,” Logano admitted. “There are a lot of new things and I look at things in a different way for sure.”

“It’s cool.”

“I don’t know if I can sum it up in one word, but it is exciting,” Logano said. “I’m pretty upbeat about it all.”

“I’m ready for it,” Logano continued. “I’m pumped up to go do it and make a new step in my life.”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“That was a huge deal for us.”

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

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

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

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

“That’s not bad.”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“There at the end we chattered all four.”

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

“We weren’t that great overall.”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“This ain’t good enough.”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

September 27, 2012
Surprising and Not Surprising: Irwin Tools Bristol Night Race

[media-credit name=”David Yeazell” align=”alignright” width=”225″][/media-credit]With their intro songs, as well as the voices of their children singing the national anthem ringing in the drivers’ ears, here is what was surprising and not surprising from 52^nd Annual Irwin Tools Night Race at the new, old Bristol.

Surprising: This driver not only proved he can dance the ‘Dougie’ but he can also win the night race at Bristol, scoring one of the biggest wins of his career.

Denny Hamlin, driving the No. 11 FedEx Ground Toyota for Joe Gibbs Racing, scored his third victory of the season, but more importantly his 20^th career Cup victory and the 200^th win for the No. 11 car.

“You dream about winning at this place and I’ve come so close and never won,” Hamlin said. “This is just a big win.”

“It’s big because it’s my 20^th, 200^th for the car, and you look at the names, Ned Jarrett and those guys that have driven the No. 11.”

“I’m just a spec on that stat sheet of wins for this number,” Hamlin continued. “This is a number that has been big in NASCAR history.”

“And it’s big for me.”

Not Surprising: Ever the showman, it was not surprising that track owner Bruton Smith delivered exactly what he wanted for the fans of Bristol Motor Speedway, pronouncing that the ‘old’ Bristol, complete with beating and banging, was back at the newly changed track.

“I will be the first to admit that I was somewhat hesitant going into the race at Bristol after the changes that were made to the track,” Larry McReynolds, former crew chief and NASCAR analyst, said. “Now, after what I saw last weekend, I believe we have reached a balance that everyone can be happy with.”

“We still have some of what I call the new Bristol, which is side-by-side racing, while at the same time, we sure did have a lot of the old Bristol again,” McReynolds continued. “Saturday night brought us 13 cautions, which is the most at Bristol since March 2007.”

“What’s interesting about that, March 2007 was the last race before they re-did the surface the last time.”

Surprising: While Tony Stewart, driving the No. 14 Mobil 1/Office Depot Chevrolet, had a miserable night on the track, tangling with competitor Matt Kenseth while racing for the lead and wrecking to finish 27^th, he received surprisingly high marks from one of his other competitors on his helmet toss at the No. 17 Valvoline NextGen Ford.

“I saw him lingering, kind of waiting with his gear,” Jimmie Johnson, driver of the No. 48 Lowe’s Dover White Chevrolet, said. “I figured something was going to happen.”

“I heard he had a good toss on it,” Johnson continued. “I know he impressed our crew. They said he had an arm on him; he hit a good throw and hit it dead center.”

Not Surprising: Apparently one other quasi-member of the Stewart Haas racing team, rookie Danica Patrick learned her lessons well from team collaborator and mentor Tony Stewart.

While the driver of the No. 10 GoDaddy.com Chevrolet for Tommy Baldwin Racing did not throw her helmet after a late race altercation with Regan Smith cost her a top-20 finish in her first Bristol Cup race, she did her fair share of finger wagging at her nemesis as he came around the track.

“We’re all racing hard,” Patrick said. “This is Bristol and that is why people love this track is because you see a lot of that and you see tempers flare.”

“It was just a bummer because I really felt like the GoDaddy Chevrolet was going to get a solid, maybe a top-20 , finish and on the lead lap.”

“So, it’s a shame we lost that,” Patrick continued. “But you know,Bristol is a place where you find out who’s playing fair and who’s not.”

Surprising: The ‘Sheriff’ showed his badge at Bristol, as well as how hungry he was to be back behind the wheel of a competitive race car. Brian Vickers, driving the No. 55 MyClassicGarage.com Toyota for Michael Waltrip Racing, finished fourth in a race which he also had the privilege of leading.

“I gave it all I could,” Vickers said “But it wasn’t enough.”

“I’m still really happy with a fourth place,” Vickers continued. “Obviously please, but not satisfied.”

“I’d loved to have won this thing and we had a shot at it.”

Not Surprising: Casey Mears, behind the often start-and-park wheel of the No. 13 Ford Fusion for Germain Racing, scored his first pole in many, many years, thanks to a surprise rain washing out the qualifying session.

Yet, even with the great starting spot, it was not surprising that Mears faded throughout the race, finishing 21^st.

“It’s been a couple of years,” Mears said of his pole position. “The team has really grown in strides and we’ve made a lot of big improvements this year.”

“We still have a lot to learn and still have a lot to grow.”

Surprising: While Joey Logano, driver of the No. 20 Dollar General Toyota, faces an uncertain future as well as a battle for a Chase spot, it was still surprising just how frustrated the young driver was even with an 8^th place finish at Bristol.

“This was the most frustrating race I think I’ve ever been a part of,” Logano said. “I had a good care in the beginning of the race and the track changed and we just couldn’t keep up with it.”

“We need a win and anything short of that is not good enough.”

Not Surprising: ‘Mr. Consistent’, otherwise known as Dale Earnhardt Jr., clinched his spot in the championship hunt with a twelfth place finish at Bristol. He was joined by fellow clinchers teammate Jimmie Johnson and Greg Biffle, the current points leader.

“I feel good about it,” Junior said of his clinch. “We worked real hard all season and I want to thank my guys.”

“I made a little mistake and came down a closed pit,” Earnhardt, Jr. continued. “But we had a fast car.”

Surprising: Kyle Busch, who has had quite a prior record at Carl Bristol with four wins, five top-five finishes and seven top-10s in the last ten Cup races there, surprisingly struggled at this new/old Bristol.

The driver of the No. 18 M&M’s Toyota did, however, pull off a top-10 finish in spite of it all.

“Our night was decent,” Busch said. “I think I screwed us up in practice – just not getting the right setup underneath the car.”

“I took our guys in a little bit of the wrong direction so I hate it for them,” Busch continued. “We fought hard and did all we could.”

While Busch did not get a needed win, he did keep his hopes alive in the ‘wild card’ race for the Chase. He sits now in the 13^th spot, second in the wild card standings thanks to Carl Edwards’ gas gamble and 22^nd place finish at Bristol.

Not Surprising: Perhaps it was the Farmville-themed race car, but Jeff Gordon, veteran and four-time champ was have a great deal of fun racing at a track that has been very good to him in the past.

And with his third place finish, the driver of the No. 24 Farmville/Drive to End Hunger Chevrolet, moved up two spots in the standings to the 14^th position.

“What I loved about the racing, even though it was really tough to pass, is it just reminded me of old school Bristol,” Gordon said. “You did slide jobs on guys when you got runs and that’s what we had tonight.”

“So, I think it was a success and I certainly had a lot of fun.”

Surprising: Whether a road course, oval or short track, Marcos Ambrose continued his reign of good finishes with another top-5 finish. The good run at Bristol moved the driver of the No. 9 DeWalt Ford up one position to 16^th in the point standings.

“I’m just trying hard,” Ambrose said. “That’s two top-fives in two weeks for us.”

“It’s been a great month,” Ambrose continued. “I’m just really proud to represent the King, have a strong run and give them a shot to make the Chase.”

Not Surprising: After being hit with a hefty penalty for irregularities with the frame rails of the No. 27 Menards/Schrock Chevrolet, Paul Menard, crew chief Slugger Labbe and the team battled back for a 10^th place finish on the short track.

“This entire team overcame a lot for this top-10 finish,” Menard said. “The pit crew was amazing tonight too.”

“Once we were able to move into the high groove, the car was pretty good.”

Because of the penalty, Menard and his team are now in the 17^th position in the point standings. Team owner Richard Childress is appealing the severity of the penalty.

August 29, 2012
Surprising and Not Surprising: Pure Michigan 400

[media-credit name=”Dan Sanger” align=”alignright” width=”217″][/media-credit]From the older pole sitter Mark Martin, celebrating thirty years of racing at MIS, to Kid Rock giving the command, here is what was surprising and not surprising in the 43^rd annual Pure Michigan 400 at Michigan International Speedway.

Surprising: It was surprising that the race winner, standing in Victory Lane in the Irish hills of Michigan, had another city, Las Vegas, on his mind.

Greg Biffle, driver of the No. 16 3M Ford, capitalized on the Jimmie Johnson’s engine woes to score his second victory of the season and his third at Michigan International Speedway.

He is now 20 points ahead of his teammate Matt Kenseth in the point standings and has a Vegas-style championship celebration on his mind.

“It’s an important win,” Biffle said. “We have been working really hard to get back into Victory Lane.”

“We are going to make a run at the title,” Biff continued. “I know they don’t talk about us a lot, but they will when we get to Vegas.”

Biffle’s win also catapulted Roush Fenway Racing to its 12^th win at MIS, breaking a tie with the Wood Brothers for most wins at that race track.

Not Surprising: For the second week in a row, Brad Keselowski was the enthusiastic runner-up, heading quickly to Victory Lane to congratulate the race winner.

“He just did a great job,” Keselowski said of Biffle. “He had a fast car and passed me legit and I couldn’t keep up with him.”

“I tell you what, it felt good to be racing up there at my home track here at Michigan,” The driver of the Blue Deuce continued. “It’s an honor to race with guys like Greg and be door-to-door.”

“I feel like the best is yet to come.”

This was Keselowski’s second top-10 finish in seven races at Michigan and his best finish at his home track. He has now finished 1^st, 8^th, 5^th, 9^th, 4^th, 2^nd and 2^nd in the last seven races.

Surprising: Mr. Hendrick found himself in a surprising role, that of referee between two of his drivers, veteran Jeff Gordon and the sport’s most popular Dale Earnhardt, Jr.

The two tangled on the track after a restart, which led to consternation from the driver of the No. 24 Drive to End Hunger Chevrolet and confusion from Junior and company.

“He took me four-wide and then he slid up in front of me,” Gordon said after the race. “I didn’t think it was very smart what he did.”

“I didn’t feel like I did anything wrong,” Earnhardt, Jr. said. “I thought there was plenty of room.”

Not Surprising: Marcos Ambrose, winner of last week’s race at the Glen, continued riding the wave of momentum on his mission to try for a Chase berth. Ambrose, in the No. 9 Stanley Ford Fusion, finished fifth and currently sits 17^th in points with one win.

“It was a really strong day,” Ambrose said. “We came off a win and sometimes you struggle to keep that mojo going.”

“It’s great to run top five, but winning is what it’s all about now for us.”

Surprising: While races can sometimes be full of challenges and surprises, Kasey Kahne, driver of the No. 5 Farmers Insurance Chevrolet, sure had his hands full in the Irish hills.

Kahne was caught up in the one of the major wrecks of the day, yet was still able to overcome to finish third, his eighth top-10 finish in 18 races at MIS.

“Man, there was a lot that went on for us,” Kahne said. “Slid through the grass and thought it destroyed my car.”

“Fortunately it just pushed the right fender in,” Kahne continued. “The guys were able to pop it up out and we came back to third.”

“Solid day, solid recovery.”

Not Surprising: In spite of a wreck that could have been devastating, with his car practically impaled, the ever effervescent Mark Martin had only praise for his team after getting out of his fiery, destroyed race car.

“I just want to thank all the race fans,” the driver of the No. 55 Aaron’s Dream Machine Toyota said. “Michael Waltrip gave me a chance to drive an awesome race car.”

“I’m glad I’m OK too and I’m glad I got to drive this thing.”

Martin was rewarded for his efforts with a deal announcement that he will drive 22 races for MWR in 2013.

Surprising: With an engine shop that is usually the gold standard, it was surprising that drivers were in defense mode of the Hendrick motors after four failures during the race.

Tony Stewart was one of those drivers affected by a broken valve spring in his No. 14 Mobil 1/Office Depot Chevrolet, relegating him to a 32^nd place finish. This was Stewart’s first DNF in 42 races.

“It’s not something that’s the norm,” Smoke said. “I appreciate everybody at the Hendrick engine department.”

“We have the best engine department in the world, definitely in the series, and they did everything they could,” Stewart continued. “It was just a bad day.”

Not Surprising: In spite of his teammate’s engine troubles and his own flu-like symptoms, Ryan Newman said hello to an eighth place finish at MIS. This was also his eighth top-10 finish for the season, keeping him in potential Chase contention in the wild card spot.

“I’m better,” Newman said after stepping out of the car. “I think adrenaline took over for the most part.”

“Finishing eighth, I think we’re proud of that.”

Surprising: Traditionally at a track like Michigan, four-wide racing is the norm. But surprisingly, MIS may have become the new Bristol, thanks to the beating and banging on the track and the feuds developing in the aftermath.

One such duo that tangled at MIS was Juan Pablo Montoya, driver of the No. 42 Target Chevrolet, and young Joey Logano, driver of the No. 20 Home Depot Chevrolet.

“He came down on me twice,” Logano said of Montoya. The youngster soldiered on after a hard hit to the wall to finish 31^st.

“Well anything that could go wrong today did,” JPM, who finished 26^th, said. “It was a rough day.”

Not Surprising: Sam Hornish Jr. continued to show just how badly he wants to retain the seat of the No. 22 Shell/Pennzoil Dodge Charger. After finishing second in the Nationwide race in Montreal, Hornish returned to MIS and worked his way up from the back of the field to finish 12^th in the Cup race.

“Not a bad day,” Hornish Jr. said. “I felt like it was pretty good from the point that we started in the back and worked our way up and by the midpoint of the race, we were running in the top five.”

“We just got off on our strategy and that kept us from getting the finish that we wanted.”

“Hopefully I get the opportunity to be here in the Cup Series.”

August 22, 2012
Pure Michigan 400 Review: Bizzare Day at Michigan

[media-credit name=”Dan Sanger” align=”alignright” width=”232″][/media-credit]As the 43^rd Annual Pure Michigan 400 came to a close, the race was anyone’s game with some of the top names in the sport racing for the lead position. Brad Keselowski held the lead with 10 laps to go, as five-time champion Jimmie Johnson was putting the pressure on him. Keselowski’s No. 2 Miller Light Dodge got loose one lap later and Johnson was able to sneak by him to take over the lead. Greg Biffle, who was running third with ten to go, was able to pass Keselowski for second as Johnson took over the lead.

It looked as if Johnson would drive on to win his fourth race of the season, until his engine expired with 6 laps remaining – making that the third Hendrick Motorsports engine with problems this weekend. The race would finish under green-white-checkered as Biffle held off a hard-charging Keselowski to win for the second time this season and third time at MIS. Kasey Kahne finished in third position, with Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Marcos Ambrose rounding out the top five.

“It was a wild race. We struggled with our car throughout the weekend, worked real hard on it overnight,” said Biffle after the race. “My car was super good at the beginning of the race when the track was green. Once I got on restarts and in traffic, I wasn’t that good.

“We just kept working on it, trying different things. But, we were so good out front. I knew once we got out front we’d be tough to beat. I know that a lot of people don’t expect us to win the championship, and don’t think we can compete for the title. But, we will be a factor when it comes down to Homestead.”

This moves the No. 16 team to the points lead, with 20 points over Roush Fenway Racing teammate Matt Kenseth. Earnhardt moves to third position in standings, with his teammate Johnson dropping three positions to fourth. Keselowski rounds out the top five, 47 points behind the leader.

Cautions Breed Cautions

First caution of the day occurred on Lap 6 when Aric Almirola and David Gilliland got together on the front stretch. Unfortunately for the rest of the field, this was just the start of the cautions for the day.

[media-credit name=”Wesley Hitt/Getty Images” align=”alignright” width=”221″][/media-credit]Mark Martin started the race from the pole position and ended his day with a bizarre crash on Lap 64. Juan Pablo Montoya and Bobby Labonte were racing in front of Martin in an attempt to stay on the lead lap, when the two got together coming out of Turn 4. Martin dove low to try and avoid the incident, but sent his car spinning down pit road. His car then crashed into an opening of the pit wall just in front of the No. 5 team’s pit stall. Crew members dove to safety as debris flew from the pit stall and the No. 55 Toyota.

“That was a pretty freak angle that I got at that,” Martin said. “I’m not sure what you could do. It could have been really bad if I would have got in that hole a little deeper where it caught me in the door instead of in the crush area back there. It’s hard to keep up with what exactly is going to be happening there. I was hoping that I was going to miss the pit wall completely and not tear the car up, but then I saw that the angle I was going that I was going to hit the end of pit wall.”

Luckily, Martin was able to walk away from the incident safely, along with the crews on pit road. If the car would have hit any closer to the driver’s door than it did, Martin may not have been so lucky. Martin will continue driving part-time for Michael Waltrip Racing in 2013, with 22 Sprint Cup races on his schedule.

Drivers were having a tough time getting their cars to stick to the track in Turn 4 on Sunday, including Watkins Glen winner, Marcos Ambrose. On Lap 77 his Stanley Tools Ford got loose and slid up the track and tapped the No. 78 sending him into the Turn 4 wall. Regan Smith was able to continue, but finished the race in 29th position, 47 laps down.

The numerous amounts of cautions continue on Lap 90 when Joey Logano blew a right front tire due to a fender rub he sustained a few laps earlier. Two laps earlier the No. 42 of Juan Pablo Montoya got into Logano and forced him into the outside wall, causing the fender rub. Montoya finished in 26th position, Logano in 31st place.

On Lap 135 Kurt Busch’s bad luck continued as he appeared to break something in the right front of his No. 51 Toyota and slammed into the wall. This brought out a caution and changed up pit strategy as 11 cars did not pit, including Earnhardt who assumed the race lead. Earnhardt led the field for a total of 25 laps after starting in the back of the field due to wrecking his car in final practice on Saturday.

The last crash-induced caution occurred when Trevor Bayne blew his right front tire on Lap 182, causing him to finish in 24th position.

Chase for the Sprint Cup

With only three races left until the Chase for the Sprint Cup, all eyes are on drivers like Tony Stewart and Denny Hamlin who are riding the line for falling out of the top ten in points. Kahne is only 33 points away from jumping into the top ten and continues to hold one of the wild cards that will allow him access into the Chase. If he races his way into the Chase and Hamlin or Stewart were to drop out of the top ten, this would give the wild card slot to one of them. As of now, Kahne and Ryan Newman hold these cards.

Kyle Busch, Jeff Gordon, Marcos Ambrose, and Joey Logano still have a shot to steal the wild card away from Newman, as they all hold one win this season. The wild card option goes to the drivers outside of the top ten who have the most wins this season; so far the only driver with more than one win outside of the top ten is Kahne.

August 20, 2012
Matty’s Picks 2012 – Vol. 19 Pocono Raceway – Pennsylvania 400 – August 5, 2012

Well, what can I say other than it’s been a month since you’ve heard from me. Since my last edition of Matty’s picks, AJ Allmendinger has been suspended indefinitely, Kasey Kahne has slid into the number one ‘wild card’ spot, Jimmie Johnson won his fourth Brickyard 400, and Dale Jr has taken the points lead. I didn’t miss much did I?

Dale Earnhardt Jr. is a guy who started the season with two major feats to tackle, one being his four-year winless streak, the other, a Sprint Cup Championship. With the first of the two monkeys in Jr’s closet being taken care of in June, there’s just one left to conquer. Earnhardt hadn’t occupied the No. 1 points position since September of 2004, until his 4th place finish last week at the Brickyard vaulted him into garage stall number two. Dale Jr. has had a consistent season thus far, and keeping his streak of solid finishes alive is the goal for the No. 88 team in these coming five weeks.

Jimmie Johnson and the No. 48 team flexed their muscles last week in Indianapolis in Johnson’s fourth win at the yard of bricks, but also joined the short list of NASCAR Sprint Cup Series drivers with three wins in this 2012 season. Reigning Sprint Cup Series champion Tony Stewart and Brad Keselowski are the other two drivers visiting Victory Lane, three times this season. Since his fourth place finish at Pocono back in June’s Pocono 400, Johnson has one victory, four top-fives, and six top-tens, truly morphing into championship form. The summer time is when Jimmie tends to flex his muscles, and the heat of the summer is where we’re at.

The ‘wild card’ race is shaping up to be as big of a craps shoot as ever, and these last five races before the start of the Chase for the Sprint Cup begins have become must-wins for drivers sitting 11th through 20th in the points standings. Kasey Kahne sits in the top ‘wild card’ spot with his two wins, and Kyle Busch sits in the second of the two ‘wild card’ spots, after a tie-breaker with Ryan Newman and Joey Logano, who visited Victory Lane after our first trip to the Tricky Triangle back in June. Time is ticking for 2012 non-winners Carl Edwards who played a major role in last year’s Chase for the Sprint Cup championship, currently 12th in points, and Jeff Gordon, currently 15th in points, a five time winner at Pocono. Drivers with their hopes riding on snagging a win in these last five races will surely be dicing it out this weekend in the Keystone State.

Following two samples testing positive for banned substances, indefinite suspension from NASCAR, and near silence from the public eye, AJ Allmendinger found himself officially unemployed on Wednesday. Penske Racing announced on Wednesday that Allmendinger would no longer be a part of their organization following his failing of a random NASCAR drug test before last month’s race at Daytona, and a face-to-face meeting with team owner Roger Penske. Allmendinger must complete NASCAR’s ‘Road to Recovery’ program before there is any chance of being reinstated, giving no timeline for the possibility of return to the sport.

Pocono Picks

Now that I’ve recapped the last month of NASCAR Sprint cup action in just over 500 words, I can get going on my picks for this week’s Pennsylvania 400. Much to my surprise, June’s Pocono 400 was not nearly as uneventful as I had projected. With the new racing surface facilitating a glimpse of passing opportunities , the pit road timing line fiasco, and the race being shortened from the traditional 500-mile mark to 400, I found the Pocono 400 moderately tolerable to watch. Though the weather in Long Pond, Pa is not looking great for tomorrow’s Pennsylvania 400, I am hopeful the race will go on as scheduled and these summer story lines live up to their hype.

Winner Pick

Its got to be Denny Hamlin this week in Pocono…

He’s one of the most decorated drivers to come out of Pocono Raceway with four wins, eight top-fives, and nine top-tens, after just thirteen starts at the Tricky Triangle. Pocono has been one of Hamlin’s best tracks since his rookie sweep of the two races in Eastern Pennsylvania back in the 2006 season, and his practice speeds from yesterday were certainly good enough to throw him to the top of the list of favorites for the win tomorrow afternoon. Fast forwarding to his most recent six starts at Pocono, Hamlin has an average finish of 17.50, a stat Hamlin is eager to boost with a solid finish this weekend. He’s a flat track specialist, and looks to join Jimmie Johnson, Tony Stewart, and Brad Keselowski as drivers with three wins on the season.

Dark Horse Pick

Mark Martin is a guy little talked about around the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series garage after taking his shortened schedule this season. He is not to be overlooked this weekend in Long Pond as he leads active drivers in both top-fives (20) and top-tens (34) in an unprecedented 51 starts at Pocono. Looking back to June’s Pocono 400, Martin lost the lead to eventual race-winner, Joey Logano, late in the race and earned his seventh runner-up finish in his storied NASCAR history. His average finish at Pocono in the last three years is 12.67, after failing to crack the top ten in both races at the Tricky Triangle last season. Martin is motivated to improve on his second place finish back in June, but has some work on his hands hovering around tenth place during both practice sessions yesterday at Pocono.

That’s all for this week, and be sure to stay tuned next week for my 20th or so consecutive trip to the road course located in the Finger Lakes of Central New York for live updates all weekend. I look forward to sharing another great race at Watkins Glen International with the great group of folks that make the trip each year to the 2.45-mile tyrant.

Until the wheels turn right…You Stay Classy NASCAR NATION!

August 4, 2012
Zack Jarrell Saving the Ocean One FASCAR Lap at a Time

[media-credit name=”Photo Credit: Barry Vaught/Sea Shepherd” align=”alignright” width=”225″][/media-credit]Nineteen year old FASCAR (Florida Association of Stock Car Auto Racing) racer Zack Jarrell has two passions, driving his race car and saving the ocean, both important parts of his life.

So, it was natural for Jarrell to marry those passions on the race track, flying the conservation organization Sea Shepherd’s Jolly Roger logo on his No. 18 Chevrolet Impala at a recent FASCAR Pro Late Models race at New Smyrna Speedway in his home state of Florida.

“My passion for the ocean really started in high school, “Jarrell said. “I was a little bit of a science major in high school, taking environmental science and marine biology.”

“I actually knew of Paul Watson, founder of Sea Shepherd Conservation Society, before I ever knew about the movement against whalers and marine poachers,” Jarrell continued. “So, I learned about his work at the Cove and his documentaries.”

“Later on I saw the TV show Whale Wars, the Animal Planet TV Series, so that interest continued,” Jarrell said. “I live right on the beach and this is something that is close to home to me.”

This young racer sees absolutely nothing strange about his ocean and race car marriage. In fact, he thinks the two actually go hand in hand.

“Race cars these days are very scientific and very technical,” Jarrell said. “The science side of racing is something I’ve always enjoyed.”

“So, having Sea Shepherd on the car was the perfect combination of my passion for racing with my interest in science, all combined into one.”

Jarrell also believes that racing and being out on the ocean, especially enjoying his ocean passion of surfing, engender similar feelings.

“Being on the ocean, it’s a calming feeling,” Jarrell said. “I have the feeling like I belong there.”

“When I’m behind the wheel of the race car, it’s like I’m at home and I belong there,” Jarrell continued. “I feel like it’s meant for me to be there and it comes very naturally to me.”

Jarrell has been racing for quite some time, in fact since 2005 where he started in quarter midgets. In 2007, he started racing stock cars and then trucks at New Smyrna, racing 27 times with one win.

“It was a big culture shock, coming from a quarter midget to a full-size stock car with 450 horse power,” Jarrell said. “I ended up second in points for my first season and was Rookie of the Year.”

“That was a really big deal for me and I really tried hard for that, especially competing against some of the bigger name and bigger budget teams.”

Jarrell continued racing trucks in 2009, however, was unable to run the full season because of sponsorship. In spite of that, he ran sixteen select races and won seven of them.

“It was an amazing feeling showing up at race tracks and having great equipment,” Jarrell said. “But then we had to take the year off for 2010 because we didn’t have the sponsorship and I had a racing injury, a broken leg.”

“So, we decided to let my leg heal and focus on 2011,” Jarrell continued. “We were able to put sponsorship together and went racing in late models for the first time that year.”

“That was a different beast too but I was the happiest kid in the world being back in a race car,” Jarrell said. “I felt like I was back home.”

Jarrell was ‘home’ indeed, proving to many that he still had the ability to get behind the wheel of a race car and win. And this year, Jarrell has seen even more success.

“This year, I couldn’t ask for much more,” Jarrell said. “It’s been the best racing year I’ve ever had.”

“Even though I haven’t won yet, I’m racing in this new series, the Pro Late Model Series, against some of the best drivers I’ve ever seen,” Jarrell continued. “To be able to compete with them and even be mentioned in the same sentence as them, I’m so fortunate.”

“This last race, when I had the Sea Shepherd on board, I finished third, which was an amazing feeling,” Jarrell said. “It gave me a calming sense and I showed everyone I deserved to be out there driving a race car.”

“I was so happy that the race was able to go so well.”

Jarrell has big plans for next year’s season, which includes hopes for either a NASCAR K&N Pro Series ride or competing in the ARCA Series.

“Some new people have been approaching us this week because we are a low budget team and they have been impressed with what we have done in spite of that,” Jarrell said. “I’m proving to people that I can take a low budget car and finish up front with it.”

“I’m very happy,” Jarrell continued. “My only thing is to prove that I deserve to be out there.”

The youngster definitely fashions himself as a NASCAR up and comer, particularly dreaming of one day driving for one of the major teams.

“Growing up, my favorite race car drivers were the whole Hendrick Motorsports team, including Jeff Gordon and Jimmie Johnson,” Jarrell said. “Drivers I’d like to follow are Joey Logano and also the Dillons (Ty and Austin).”

“They are closer to my age and I’ve seen them race at short tracks,” Jarrell continued. “Just to have an opportunity to start in a NASCAR Truck or Nationwide race ultimately, that’s my goal.”

Until he achieves that goal, Jarrell is content to race hard and also do all he can to save the ocean, one lap at a time.

“My career has paralleled the ocean,” Jarrell said. “I feel like when you’re surfing and you have that momentum and you’re getting ready to stand up and ride the wave in.”

“That’s the point I feel that my career is at right now,” Jarrell continued. “I’m just catching the wave and all I need to do is stand up.”

July 29, 2012
Coke Zero 400 Review: Daytona Knows Drama

NASCAR announced 90 minutes before the start of the Coke Zero 400 on Saturday that driver AJ Allmendinger would be temporarily suspended from competition after failing a drug test taken at Kentucky Speedway last weekend. The Penske Racing organization scrambled to find a replacement driver; the team flew in Penske’s Nationwide driver Sam Hornish Jr. from Charlotte, NC to Florida to fill the ride. Hornish arrived with police escort in Daytona just in time for pre-race ceremonies to begin.

“You know it’s a disappointment at this particular time, but we’re going to wait and see what the second test results are before we make any comment or decisions. I don’t think it’s fair to him,” team owner Roger Penske said Sunday before the IndyCar race in Toronto. Penske was vacationing in Europe and was traveling to Toronto when the news was released.

[media-credit name=”Credit: Chris Graythen/Getty Images” align=”alignright” width=”311″][/media-credit]The fate of Allmendinger rests with the results from his “B” drug test sample. He has 72 hours from the time he was notified of testing positive on Saturday to request his “B” sample be tested. If the sample comes back positive, Allmendinger will be subject to being suspended from NASCAR indefinitely.

Allmendinger’s will remain suspended for the upcoming Cup race at New Hampshire and Hornish will continue to pilot the No. 22 Pennzoil Dodge until the results of the “B” sample are released.

Penske Racing hired the former Red Bull driver in late December after the team parted ways with Kurt Busch at the end of the 2011 season. Allmendinger was 23rd in the Sprint Cup Series standings heading into Daytona, where he won the Rolex 24 Hours of Daytona sports car race in January.

Allmendinger is the most well-known driver suspended from NASCAR for a failed drug test since Jeremy Mayfield in 2009. Mayfield has fought NASCAR over the test for many years and has not raced a NASCAR event since. If Allmendinger’s “B” test does come back positive, he may have the opportunity to go through NASCAR’s drug rehabilitation program and return to competition in the future.

Roush Duo Comes Up Short

Matt Kenseth won the pole for the Coke Zero 400 and with the help of Roush Fenway Racing teammate, Greg Biffle, led the first 41 laps of the race. The No. 17 was trying to accomplish something that no driver has done since 1982 – win both Sprint Cup races at Daytona in the same year.

The duo was a force to be reckoned with all throughout the race, despite Biffle being penalized and sent to the rear of the field for making a pit stop while pit road was closed under caution. The RFR teammates were able to reconnect and rebound to take over the lead once again.

With half a lap remaining in the Coke Zero 400, Kenseth remained in the lead with Biffle following closely. The No. 17 Ford was passed by Tony Stewart after Kenseth slowed down to reconnect with his teammate on the back straightaway. The No. 16 was involved in a multi-car wreck that unfolded coming to the checkered flag, resulting in a disappointing 21st place finish for Biffle. Kenseth finished in third position, with Jeff Burton passing him for second on the final lap.

“I guess you need to be happy when you finish that good, but also when you have restrictor plate cars that fast, that doesn’t happen very often and sure want to figure out how to win with so the last two I feel like you always second-guess your moves, but I feel like we had one of the fastest cars all three races this year really”, Kenseth said in the media center after the race.

“Happy to get third but on the other hand, I am incredibly disappointed. My team kind of deserved to be down there holding the hardware and I kind of let them down. But overall, we had a really fast car, we had a pretty good race, made our way back to the front after the pit road thing and were in contention, just didn’t get it done that last lap.”

Kenseth remains the point’s leader with 25 points over Dale Earnhardt Jr., who finished 15th after being involved in the crash on the final lap. Biffle was able to gain one position in standings, moving him to third position.

Point’s Battle Heats Up

[media-credit name=”Credit: Tom Pennington/Getty Images” align=”alignleft” width=”285″][/media-credit]Tony Stewart scored his 18th overall victory at DIS, second-most all-time to Dale Earnhardt. This is the No. 14 team’s third win of the season and has propelled him in Cup standings. The Stewart Haas driver and team owner gained four position’s in points with his win Saturday night and is now in 5th position, 84 points out of the lead. The three-time series champion looks to be on another championship run heading into New Hampshire, a track where he has three previous wins.

Clint Bowyer has fallen three positions to 10th place in standings after a 29th place finish in the Coke Zero 400. After riding in the back of the pack for most of the night, Bowyer looked to be heading to the front in the final laps of the race. His potentially good night came to a halt with eight laps to go after being involved in a multi-car accident, ending his night. The No. 15 5-Hour Energy Toyota is now 104 points behind the leader, just three points behind 9th place of Brad Keselowski.

The Michael Waltrip racing team has high hopes heading to Loudon, where Bowyer has won twice; including his first Cup series victory in 2007, where he started on the pole and led 222 of 300 laps.

The Wild Card battle – the two positions in the Chase given to the two drivers with the most victories ranked 11th to 20th in points – is heating up between some of the sport’s most popular contenders. The battle is as close as it’s ever been after top-five runs by Joey Logano and Ryan Newman at Daytona. A seventh-place finish for Kasey Kahne has increased the intensity of the wild-card hunt; with only eight races remaining until the Chase, anything can happen!

July 9, 2012
Surprising and Not Surprising: Coke Zero 400

[media-credit name=”Credit: Tom Pennington/Getty Images” align=”alignright” width=”214″][/media-credit]From drivers on ‘baby watch’ to the suspension of A.J. Allmendinger for failing his random substance abuse test, here is what else was surprising and not surprising from the Coke Zero 400 powered by Coca-Cola at Daytona.

Surprising: One of the most sought after drivers for this race weekend was surprisingly Kenny Wallace. This Nationwide driver and Speed on-air personality actually had two offers to drive, first as back up for Kevin Harvick, whose wife DeLana held off on delivering ‘Baby Otis’ (now Keelan Paul Harvick) until after the race and then for Sam Hornish, Jr., just in case he did not make it to the race track to sub for suspended driver Allmendinger.

“Well, that was drama,” Wallace said. “It was a feather in my cap for these car owners to think of my superspeedway driving.”

“It was a little uncomfortable for everybody,” Wallace continued. “What happened with all the sponsors and all the automakers, this was all people helping people at this point.”

Not Surprising: In the midst of a heat wave and in spite of starting at the back of the field due to post-qualifying tech issues, the proverbial Smoke rose to the top, of the leader board in this case.

Tony Stewart, in the No. 14 Mobil 1/Office Depot Chevrolet, sliced and diced his way to the checkered flag to score his 47^th victory in the Cup Series, now 14^th on the all-time win list.

This was Smoke’s third victory of the season, putting him in a tie with Brad Keselowski for Cup Series wins this year. This was also Stewart’s 18^th win at Daytona International Speedway, second most all-time to Dale Earnhardt.

“The great thing about restrictor-plate racing is that 43 cars all have the same shot at winning the race,” Stewart said. “But that’s also part of what makes it frustration too.”

“It’s just being at the right place at the right time,” Smoke continued. “And when those last two big wrecks happened, we were in the right spot.”

Surprising: In spite of wrecking both on the track and on pit road, this driver salvaged a surprisingly good finish. Jeff Gordon, driver of the No. 24 Pepsi Max Chevrolet, survived the melee of the race and the final laps to bring his bruised vehicle to the checkered flag in 12^th place.

“There were moments tonight when I felt like we had a car that could win,” Gordon said. “And then that wreck happened when we were trying to come to pit road that just changed our night.”

“I even got in the wreck on that last lap and still finished 12^th,” Gordon said. “We don’t have much of a race car, but we got a 12^th place finish.”

Not Surprising: Dale Earnhardt, Jr. continued to keep his streak of consecutive laps finished alive, in spite of being caught up in the final wreck of the race like so many others.

Although poised for a top-five, the driver of the No. 88 National Guard ‘An American Salute’/Diet Mountain Dew Chevrolet crossed the finish line in 15^th.

“My mama told me she hoped the Cup race wasn’t as wild as the Nationwide race, but they always are, you know?” Junior said. “All these races are always like that and you just try to survive.”

“We just came up a little short.”

Surprising: After a tough season to date, Jeff Burton, in the No. 31 Wheaties Chevrolet, had a surprisingly good second place finish. This was his 11^th top-10 finish in 38 races at Daytona and his best finish of the season to date.

“Well it certainly feels good to have a good finish,” Burton said. “We’ve had a miserable year.”

“To get out of Daytona with a second tonight is probably more than I can expect with all the wrecks and stuff,” Burton continued. “Hopefully we can build on this.”

Not Surprising: From starting from the pole to having a car at the front of the field for much of the race, it was not surprising that Matt Kenseth scored a strong third place finish. Yet it was also not surprising to see just how bereft the driver of the No. 17 Zest Ford was when the race was done.

“I’m really disappointed,” Kenseth said. “We thought we had one of the best cars.”

“I was hoping it was going to be me or the 16 in Victory Lane,” Kenseth continued. “I feel like my team kind of deserved to be down there holding the hardware.”

“We were in contention but we just didn’t get it done that last lap.”

Surprising: After a pit road mishap that turned this driver backwards and almost into Brad Keselowski’s pit stall and crew, Ryan Newman made a surprising recovery. The driver of the No. 39 Aspen Dental Chevrolet managed to finish top-five.

“After what happened on pit road, I really didn’t know what to expect,” Newman said. “But the guys did a great job with the repairs.”

“I’m just happy to bring a car home in one piece from one of these races.”

Not Surprising: Joey Logano, driver of the No. 20 Dollar General Toyota, continued to dig for a potential Chase spot, finishing fourth. Logano moved up two spots to 14^th in the point standings after the Daytona race.

“It didn’t go as planned, but ended up pretty good,” Logano said. “So, we’ll take that for sure – a fourth place finish.”

“That’s how we’ve got to keep fighting.”

Surprising: Two drivers known primarily for past glories did surprising well at Daytona. Michael Waltrip, driving the No. 55 Aaron’s Dream Machine Toyota, and Bobby Labonte, behind the wheel of the No. 47 Kingsford Charcoal Toyota, finished ninth and tenth respectively.

“At the end of the race, I was confident I could push,” Waltrip said. “We just had a damaged car and probably pretty lucky we got a top-10.”

“We got close, but that was all we could do is get close.”

“We were a tortoise out there tonight,” Labonte said. “We just ended up missing those wrecks and that’s all that saved us tonight.”

Not Surprising: There were plenty of hard hits out there to no one’s surprise and one particularly hard hit befell five-time champ Jimmie Johnson. The driver of the No. 48 Lowe’s Chevrolet was involved in one of the ‘big ones’ on lap 123.

“We were all getting ready to pit so I was waving my hand out the window,” Johnson said. “And as soon as I let off the gas, someone got into the back of me.”

“I went down on the inside wall,” Johnson continued. “As I was spinning, I could see a lot of other cars were collected too.”

Surprising: Father of Chase Elliott, who has been tearing up the NASCAR ladder, made some headlines himself in the No. 50 Walmart Chevrolet. ‘Awesome Bill from Dawsonville’ was having a heck of a good race until crashing with many others on lap 123.

“We were just a victim of circumstances,” Elliott said. “But man I was proud of all those guys on Turner Motorsports and Walmart.”

“That’s the best I’ve run in a long time.”

Not Surprising: Frustration, to no one’s surprise, was the feeling of the day at Daytona International Speedway under the lights. Perhaps Carl Edwards, driving the No. 99 Subway Ford Fusion, summed it up best.

“Frustrating describes this whole type of event,” Edwards said. “It’s very difficult.”

“You’re just really trying hard not to wreck and ruin your day or other people’s day,” Edwards continued. “It’s a tough race.”

July 8, 2012