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  • Hot 20 – Remove a dozen from the field and we could still have good racing in Kentucky

    Hot 20 – Remove a dozen from the field and we could still have good racing in Kentucky

    This Saturday we are off to Kentucky, a day early and an entry short. Well, early if you think of Sunday as the usual race day, and short as we will have 42 entries instead of the usual 43. Michael McDowell, who was 24th at Sonoma last Sunday, won’t be joining us.

    No start and park entries this year, which I am pleased to see. However, of the 43 cars out there most weeks, only 24 drivers representing nine teams have the pedigree to actually compete. Even that is debatable, but I include everyone from Hendrick, Gibbs, Penske, Ganassi, Roush, Stewart-Haas, Childress, Waltrip, and Petty. It is more than just talent and experience, but cash and equipment that separate the wheat from the chaff. That chaff, going by last week’s grid, would include 19 drivers from 13 companies. That is not to say they will never compete, but rather they can not run with the big boys at the moment.

    NASCAR deems a driver in the Top 30 in points as worthy of contending for a place in the Chase, via a victory. Taking that into consideration, A.J. Allmendinger, Casey Mears, Martin Truex Jr, Justin Allgaier, and Michael Annett might not be so much chaff, but more like Grade B grain. Time will tell what winds up in the hopper.

    No, I do not think we will lose much sleep having the field down one, or a dozen, as long as they do not include anyone from among our hottest 20 drivers.

    (By points, with race winners given 25 instead of just 3 bonus points)

    1 – Jimmie Johnson – 622 POINTS – 3 WINS
    2 – Jeff Gordon – 602 – 1
    3 – Dale Earnhardt, Jr. – 599 – 2
    4 – Carl Edwards – 553 – 2
    5 – Brad Keselowski – 534 – 1
    6 – Joey Logano – 525 – 2
    7 – Matt Kenseth – 515 – 0
    8 – Kevin Harvick – 514 – 2
    9 – Kyle Busch – 487 – 1
    10 – Denny Hamlin – 475 – 1
    11 – Ryan Newman – 473 – 0
    12 – Kyle Larson – 470 – 0
    13 – Paul Menard – 459 – 0
    14 – Clint Bowyer – 452 – 0
    15 – Greg Biffle – 444 – 0
    16 – Kasey Kahne – 429 – 0
    17 – Tony Stewart – 427 – 0
    18 – Austin Dillon – 427 – 0
    19 – Jamie McMurray – 425 – 0
    20 – Brian Vickers – 424 – 0

     

  • Hot 20 – NASCAR Still Needs to Award More Points to Race Winners

    Hot 20 – NASCAR Still Needs to Award More Points to Race Winners

    There is no doubt about it; winning is big in the Cup series this year. Race enough to be deemed a regular, sit among the top 30 in points, and a win pretty much gives one a pass to the promised land. It is exciting and has that all-important unpredictability factor we love. Just as we celebrate the possibility of a Buster Douglas knocking out a Mike Tyson for the heavyweight boxing title, we relish in the hope that just maybe a Danica Patrick, Justin Allgaier, or Michael Annett might steal one at Talladega and wind up with a berth to challenge for a championship.

    Kurt Busch has no problem with that. As long as the list of winners remains no higher than sixteen as they leave Richmond, Busch would be in. This is despite the fact he currently sits 26th in points, 15 behind Martin Truex Jr. Still, to be honest, I rather like this “win and you’re in” concept, but are race winners given their just due for taking the checkered flag and being consistently up front, where it matters?

    I cannot see how anyone could fail to see that Jimmie Johnson is currently having the best season in Cup to date. He has run consistent and has won three times. Yet, he ranks second in points, 15 behind Jeff Gordon. Do not get me wrong, Gordon is having a great season. I just argue that Johnson has been better.

    Throughout this season, we have seen what the standings would have been like had we left the points system as it is, with one change. Instead of just awarding a race winner with a bonus three points, we give him 25. No automatic free pass, but a significant points recognition for the accomplishment. The only change among the Sweet Sixteen for the Chase at this time would see Kurt out and his boss Tony Stewart in, via points.

    The whole idea behind the Chase, and the institution this year of having wins trump points, an expanded Chase, and elimination rounds are all geared to keeping the possible championship outcome unpredictable until the final laps at Homestead. This could still happen with just one more tinker to the tabulations. I guess it all comes down to who do you think is the most deserving of a Chase place, Kurt Busch or Tony Stewart (or those closely behind him), and who you think has been the best thus far this season, Jeff Gordon or Jimmie Johnson.

    (Points reflect race winners receiving 25 bonus points, rather than 3)

    Pos –      Driver    –   Points – Wins
    1 – Jimmie Johnson – 588 – 3
    2 – Jeff Gordon – 559 – 1
    3 – Dale Earnhardt, Jr. – 558 – 2
    4 – Matt Kenseth – 513 – 0
    5 – Brad Keselowski – 512 – 1
    6 – Joey Logano – 498 – 2
    7 – Kevin Harvick – 491 – 2
    8 – Carl Edwards – 484 – 1
    9 – Kyle Busch – 468 – 1
    10 – Denny Hamlin – 457 – 1
    11 – Kyle Larson – 454
    12 – Ryan Newman – 440
    13 – Paul Menard – 420
    14 – Clint Bowyer – 417
    15 – Greg Biffle – 409
    16 – Tony Stewart – 402
    17 – Austin Dillon – 400
    18 – Brian Vickers – 394
    19 – Kasey Kahne – 391
    20 – Jamie McMurray – 384

  • Surprising and Not Surprising: Texas Duck Commander 500

    Surprising and Not Surprising: Texas Duck Commander 500

    In a rain-filled race day fit only for the ducks, so much so that the race was postponed from Sunday to Monday, here is what else was surprising and not surprising from the 18th Annual Duck Commander 500 at Texas Motor Speedway.

    Surprising:  He may have finished second in the race, but Jeff Gordon achieved the top spot in the point standings, a position that he surprisingly has not held since 2009.

    And with his runner up status, the consistent driver of the No. 24 No. 24 Axalta/Texas A&M School of Engineering Chevrolet scored his 12th top-10 finish at Texas and his fifth top-10 finish for the season.

    “It was a great second‑place finish for me,” Gordon said. “I knew it was going to be hard to hold those guys off.”

    “Looked out my mirror, those guys were racing hard behind me,” Gordon continued. “At that point I was thinking, I just want to finish.”

    “I feel very fortunate to have finished second.”

    Not Surprising:  It was after all the Duck Commander 500 race, so it was not at all surprising for the seventh winner in seven races to capitalize on that duck theme.

    “Obviously these wins are so important this year to get into the Chase and to have both Team Penske cars with a win already is big, so we feel good about that,” Joey Logano, driver of the No. 22 Shell/Pennzoil Ford, said after celebrating his first victory of the season. “You kind of start getting your ducks in a row for Chase time and making sure you get everything ready for then.”

    “You feel a little bit more comfortable now that we have won than what we would have been.”

    This was Logano’s first ever win at Texas Motor Speedway and he also became the youngest winner in TMS history at the tender age of 23 years, 10 months and 14 days.

    Surprising:  Brian Vickers had a surprisingly good run, in fact the best of his season in fourth place. The driver of the No. 55 Aaron’s Dream Machine Toyota also climbed four places in the point standings to crack the top-10 in points, currently sitting in the ninth position, 54 points behind leader Jeff Gordon.

    “Really proud of everyone on this Aaron’s Dream Machine team,” Vickers said. “Just really proud of the effort.  We probably didn’t have a car to win, but we made the most of it.”

    “We’ll learn from this and we’ll move on to the next race and we gave it our best there at the end.”

    Not Surprising:  The ‘Kyle and Kyle’ show continued its run at Texas, with Kyle Busch battling young Rookie of the Year contender Kyle Larson yet again for a top-five finish.

    Busch, who scored third place in his No. 18 Interstate Batteries Toyota, posted his eighth top-10 finish in 18 races at Texas while Larson, behind the wheel of his No. 42 Target Chevrolet, finished fifth as the highest finishing ROTY candidate.

    “It was a good afternoon for us,” Busch said. “Just drove the hell out of it there those last two laps and got all she could and come home third.  Good, deserving finish for us here today.”

    “We were really good today, pretty much good from the start,” Larson said. “Our Target Chevy was average on a short run, but long runs I thought we probably had the best car.”

    “Just kept sticking with it, got it better and better each run,” Larson continued. “Put ourselves in position there on that last restart to get a good finish.”

    Surprising:  Two drivers were surprisingly up in smoke early in the race, with Dale Earnhardt Jr. hitting the grass and exploding in flames on lap 13 while Kevin Harvick’s engine expired in a huge puff of smoke just 27 laps into the race.

    “Something happened with the engine right after that restart,” Harvick said. “The Jimmy John’s Chevrolet was really fast.”

    “It’s frustrating. I don’t know what else I can say,” Harvick continued. “I didn’t get any indication that anything was going wrong.”

    “We’ll take it back to the shop and figure out what happened. But that’s a disappointing end to the day.”

    Earnhardt Jr.’s day also ended up in flames and smoke but for a very different reason.

    “Just didn’t see the grass. Didn’t know the grass was down there,” Junior said. “With the way the A-post is on these cars you can’t really see that good to that angle. I just didn’t have a good visual of where the apron and the grass was and got down in there pretty good.”

    “You can’t run through there the way they have these cars on the ground like that,” the driver of the No. 88 National Guard Chevrolet said. “Just a mistake on my part. I just didn’t know I was that close to the grass, and made a mistake.”

    Not Surprising:  With rain in the air and the track changing throughout the race day, it was not surprising that gremlins in the flaps and hoods reared their ugly heads. In fact, because of the force of air from the jet dryers, at least four cars had hood flaps popping up, including the cars of Brad Keselowski, Ryan Newman, Danica Patrick and Justin Allgaier.

    “I was definitely wondering what happened,” the driver of the No. 2 Miller Lite Ford said on seeing his hood flap pop up. “I knew it was the jet dryer that caused it, but it was one of those freak deals.”

    Surprising:  As much as the race fans wanted to see the sun, it was surprisingly not Tony Stewart’s friend as his car fared better in the gloomier conditions.

    “We had a really good racecar for what the track conditions were most of this weekend,” the driver of the No. 14 Mobil 1/Bass Pro Shops Chevrolet said. “I think we showed that with getting the pole on Saturday and then leading all those laps at the first part of the race.”

    “But the track changed a lot and the setup we had didn’t really change with it.”

    In spite of handling struggles late in the race, Smoke led 74 laps and did manage to finish top-10 for the day, advancing one position up in points to fourteenth.

    Not Surprising:   Along with his heavy heart on the untimely death of his brother-in-law due to a sky-diving accident, Jimmie Johnson had heavy damage to match, unfortunately being the recipient of the mud and debris from his teammate Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s foray into the grass and wall.

    Johnson finished the race with a disappointing 25th place run in his No. 48 Lowe’s Spring is Calling Chevrolet.

    “It’s kind of surreal what happened,” the six-time champion said. “Junior hit the grass there and something off his car like a splitter or something just destroyed my windshield and then something hit the nose of the car too.”

    “We were in a good position and were running decent lap times when the right rear blew,” Johnson continued. “It was a day of bad luck. We had a fast race car, so there was a little silk lining in it, but it was a terrible finish.”

    Surprising:  The third time was not a charm for Kurt Busch, previous race winner at Martinsville, who suffered not one, not two, but three tire failures in the Duck Commander 500 and finished 39th.

    “That was a very disappointing day after having a fast Haas Automation Chevrolet all weekend,” Daniel Knost, Busch’s crew chief, said. “We brought out a backup car after a wreck early in the weekend due to a tire issue.”

    “We took a little too aggressive setup today, and it cost us,” Knost continued. “I hate that we had a day like this, but we’ll continue to learn and get better each week.”

    Not Surprising:  While Aric Almirola and his Eckrich sponsor granted wishes for a local veteran injured in Afghanistan, the driver of the No. 43 Richard Petty Motorsports Ford, had his own wish for improvement in his point standings come true as well.

    “The car was loose all day,” Almirola said. “Our intermediate track program is still not where we want it to be, but this was a good improvement.”

    “We hung in the Top-15 all day, and hopefully, a 12th-place finish will help us in the points.”

    Almirola and his team indeed moved up four spots in the points standings to 22nd as he and his fellow Cup compatriots head into the night race this upcoming weekend at Darlington Raceway.

     

  • Dale Jr. Daytona Win, Danica Drama, and Kurt Busch Double Down Showcases NASCAR

    Dale Jr. Daytona Win, Danica Drama, and Kurt Busch Double Down Showcases NASCAR

    While NASCAR sometimes struggles to gain the national attention that it so desires, the sport has gotten off to a strong start with three major stories, including Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s big win in the Daytona 500, some Danica Patrick drama, and Kurt Busch’s announcement that he will run the Indy 500 as well as the NASCAR Coke 600, that have garnered publicity in the very young 2014 season.

    The first story that caught the national eye was the victory of NASCAR’s most popular driver, Dale Earnhardt Jr., in the biggest race of the season, the Daytona 500. The win was especially noteworthy as Junior, the anointed heir, won on the track where his father not only was so dominant but also where he lost his life thirteen years ago.

    The Dale Jr. Daytona 500 race win was almost picture perfect, with the exception of a six hour plus rain delay. But Junior was not to be deterred and refused to suffer yet again another runner up finish, which he had experienced in three of the previous four Daytona 500 races.

    In fact, after the rain delay, Earnhardt Jr. led a race-high 54 laps, staying up front six times during the race. The win also ended a 55-race losing streak, with the victory coming a decade after his first Daytona 500 win.

    With his trip to Victory Lane, Dale Earnhardt Jr. scored his 20th victory in the Cup Series and joined Bill Elliott, Michael Waltrip, Sterling Marlin, Matt Kenseth and Jimmie Johnson as two-time Daytona 500 winners.

    “Winning this race is the greatest feeling that you could feel in this sport besides accepting the trophy for the championship,” said Earnhardt, after bear hugging every member of his Hendrick Motorsports crew in Victory Lane. “I didn’t know if I’d ever get the chance to feel it again and it feels just as good.”

    “I’ll never take this for granted,” Junior said. “We’re two time Daytona champions.”

    While Junior celebrated with his team and his owner Rick Hendrick, who hitched a ride in his window, to Victory Lane, the fans also went crazy with delight.

    Even Jeff Gordon, four-time champion and veteran Hendrick driver, got into the act of celebrating with his most popular teammate.

    “The world is right right now — Dale Junior just won the Daytona 500,” Gordon said. “That’s a sign it’s going to be a great season.”

    Junior Nation, as his extensive fan base are known, was indeed beside themselves with joy, especially since the win qualified their driver for the championship Chase. And with that pressure off and the confidence at its height, Dale Earnhardt Jr. might have their hopes and dreams of a Cup championship come true.

    “We might be in the Chase — I ain’t going to worry about that,” Earnhardt said. “Trust me, man, we’re going to have a blast this year.”

    As Dale Earnhardt Jr. moved through his national media post-Daytona 500 responsibilities, another story that had also been brewing in the early season took hold, that of the drama surrounding the lone female in the sport, Danica Patrick.

    A major part of the drama began when NASCAR Hall of Fame driver Richard Petty shared his opinion that Patrick could only win a Sprint Cup Series race “if everybody else stayed home.”  Petty added that Patrick gets the attention that she does because of her gender, but added the caveat that that was still good for the sport.

    “This is a female deal that’s driving her,” Petty said. “There’s nothing wrong with that. More fans come out, people are more interested in it. She has helped to draw attention to the sport, which helps everybody in the sport.”

    The drama ratcheted up, however, as Patrick responded to Petty’s allegations.

    “It’s true that there are plenty of people who say bad things about me; I read them,” Patrick countered. “At the end of the day, you get over that stuff and trust that you are doing a good job.”

    “The people that matter the most to me are my team, my sponsors and those little 3-year-old kids that run up to you and want a great big hug and say they want to grow up to be like you. That’s the stuff I really focus on.”

    “More than anything, I love the conversation it creates,” Patrick said. “Across the board, it makes sports interesting. It makes life interesting when people have different perspectives. That’s fine with me. … It really just doesn’t matter. It’s interesting conversation. I’m fortunate I’m in it.”

    Whether the conversation was a distraction or not, Patrick has also had drama in the first two races of the season, crashing out in both the Daytona 500 and the Phoenix race. And she found herself at odds with another racer yet again, this time Justin Allgaier with whom she tussled in last weekend’s race.

    “She was just upset because she got involved in the crash that we had,” Allgaier said. “She said she’s been through this and that she felt like I needed to settle down at that point.”

    “I explained my position on why everything happened. I think she understood where I was coming from. It doesn’t fix either one of our racecars; it doesn’t fix either one of our days.”

    “It’s tough,” Patrick said. “That’s two weeks in a row we’ve had good cars and nothing to show for it.”

    “I’m starting to think if we didn’t have bad luck, we’d have no luck at all.”

    If Danica’s drama does not soon come to an end, perhaps as early as this weekend’s race in Las Vegas, a major headline may just be that she will begin to have trouble even qualifying for the race down the road.

    The final story that has captured national headlines for NASCAR was the recent announcement that Kurt Busch, driver of the No.41 HAAS Automation Chevrolet for Stewart-Haas Racing, will attempt to double down, racing both the Indy 500 and the NASCAR Coca Cola 600, all in the same day.

    Busch will have to qualifying his way in for Andretti Autosport in the Indianapolis 500 and then fly to Charlotte to participate in the longest race of the NASCAR season.

    “I’m a fan of motorsports, a student of motorsports, and I view this as a challenge for myself,” Busch said in an interview with The Associated Press. “Memorial Day weekend, the central focus of all motorsports is Monaco, Indianapolis and Charlotte and this is a tremendous opportunity to be right in the middle of it.”

    “It’s a great opportunity for Kurt and I fully support him,” team owner Tony Stewart said. “He’ll have a lot to learn in a short amount of time, but he has an overwhelming amount of driving talent on his side. He has a great car owner with Michael Andretti, who’s not only an owner, but he’s been a driver too.”

    “Michael has so much to offer Kurt in terms of knowledge and firsthand experience. It really seems like a natural pairing.”

    Busch is also hoping to continue the buzz of the national story with a website that he recently launched, www.kurtbuschdouble.com, that will showcase his efforts to make history.

    “I think this is something that is good for NASCAR, good for IndyCar, good for the fans to get behind and rally feel like they are part of,” Busch said. “There was no social media, or the means for fans to get an in-depth look at what goes into the double when the others tried it. We think we’ve got an opportunity to make people feel like they are part of the experience with me.”

    NASCAR’s new rules also make the Busch double down possible since the driver would just need that one race win to get into the Chase. And with that win, he could afford to miss the start of the Coke 600 and still not hurt himself or his team.

    “As long as we attempt to qualify for every race, we are eligible for the Chase under the new rules,” Busch said. “It’s like you are in New York City, on Broadway, and you look up at all the bright lights — they are clearly pointing to this being the right time to do this. The green light is on.”

    The green light has indeed been switched on for all of these headlines, including Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s win of the Daytona 500, the drama surrounding Danica Patrick, and the doubling down of Kurt Busch in the IndyCar Series and NASCAR on Memorial Day weekend.

    And it will be no doubt interesting and intriguing to see if the season continues to unfold, next in the race in Las Vegas this weekend, with additional storylines that piques the interest of even the most casual race fan across the county.

  • Surprising and Not Surprising: The Profit on CNBC 500

    Surprising and Not Surprising: The Profit on CNBC 500

    With the first knock out qualifying of the season and special guests like AJ Foyt celebrating the 50th anniversary of Phoenix International Speedway, here is what else was surprising and not surprising from The Profit on CNBC 500 presented by Small Business Fueling America.

    Surprising:  While Kevin Harvick may be known as the ‘Closer’ and ‘Freaky Fast’, he can now add a surprising new moniker, that of ‘Leader’.

    Harvick led more than 200 laps for the fourth time in the Cup Series, as well as leading a race-high 224 laps.

    The driver of the No. 4 Jimmy Johns Chevrolet also took the lead from six-time champ Jimmie Johnson as the winningest driver at Phoenix International Raceway with five victories.

    Finally, Harvick became the leader of the pack at Stewart-Haas Racing, grabbing the team’s first win, as well as his first win with his new team.

    “This just solidifies so many things and so many decisions,” Harvick said after the race. “What a race car.”

    Not Surprising:  With PIR being a one-miler, it was not surprising that there was at least one short-track temper tantrum. And this time, that honor went to Danica Patrick, who was more than annoyed with Justin Allgaier.

    “That damn 51 was driving like a complete jack**s out there,” Patrick said. “I’m not at all surprised we wrecked.”

    Patrick went on to spin out again as a result of the damage inflicted in the incident with Allgaier’s car, finishing 36th.  Since she also crashed out in the Daytona 500, she now sits 41st in owner points for the 2014 season, potentially endangering her chances in making races if she continues on that path.

    Surprising:  In spite of significant and integral parts of their team missing, with Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s spotter TJ Majors out for medical reasons and Brad Keselowski’s crew chief Paul Wolfe out for the birth of his child, both drivers did their missing compadres proud.

    Dale Junior finished second in his No. 88 National Guard Chevrolet and Brad Keselowski finished right behind him in third in his No. 2 Alliance Truck Parts Ford. This was Earnhardt Jr.’s 11th top-10 finish and Keselowski’s fourth top-10 finish at Phoenix International Raceway.

    “Yeah we had a great car,” Junior said. “We leaned on our teammates and got the car a lot better.  Steve (Letarte) and those guys just keep getting better and better.  These cars I’m driving I think are the best in the garage.”

    “That was everything we could do to get up there and get third,’ Keselowski said. “We did the best we could and that was really all we had.”

    Both drivers texted and tweeted their respective missing team members before and after the race, keeping them as connected as possible, as well as celebrating their good finishes together.

    Not Surprising:  With Team Penske being stout in qualifying it was no surprise that Joey Logano also had a good finish in his No. 22 Shell Pennzoil Ford, taking the checkered flag in the fourth spot. In addition, Logano also had the quote of the race day.

    “It was fun out there,” Logano said. “I had a really good Shell Pennzoil Ford but that 4 car was just so fast.”

    “I was joking on the radio that on the back bumper of that car it says freaky fast and they weren’t lying when they put that on there.”

    Surprising:  Kasey Kahne, who had surprisingly been the lone Hendrick Motorsports struggler, fought off an ill handling car to catch up to his teammates, finishing 11th.

    “The guys battled hard today,” Kahne tweeted after the race. “11th was good for us after all that. On to Vegas!”

    HMS drivers Jeff Gordon and Jimmie Johnson also had good runs, finishing fifth and sixth respectively.

    Not Surprising:  Phoenix International Raceway, which requires some finesse and experience, was not quite so kind to the rookies in the field. In fact, the highest finishing rookie was Kyle Larson in the 20th position.

    Austin Dillon finished 24th; Cole Whitt 27th; Justin Allgaier 30th; Michael Annett 34th; Ryan Truex 35th; Alex Bowman 41st and Parker Kligerman 42nd.

    Surprising:  Casey Mears, behind the wheel of the No. 13 Geico Chevrolet had another surprisingly good run finishing top-15. Mears had a great run in the Daytona 500, taking the checkered flag in the tenth spot.

    So, after leaving Phoenix, albeit only the second race of the season, Mears now sits 11th in the point standings, having one of his best starts to the year.

    Not Surprising:   Kurt Busch, who had been a student at the University of Arizona, returned to the state to learn one tough lesson at PIR, blowing an engine to finish 39th in the No. 41 Haas Automation Chevrolet.

    “That was another disappointing finish for the No. 41 team,” Busch said. “We had a good Haas Automation Chevrolet early on and ran in the top-10 for more than 200 laps but we dropped a cylinder late in the race and couldn’t do anything to fix it.”

    “We learned some things today,” Busch continued. “The school of hard knocks happens out on the road and in life.”

    Surprising:  While Kurt Busch was fighting his own engine demons, Brian Vickers was facing some surprising challenges of his own, turning his No. 55 Aaron’s Dream Machine Toyota into a nightmare.

    “The second run we were trying to make an adjustment and the left rear jack screw broke so we didn’t get our adjustment,” Vickers said. “I think we even went the wrong way and that killed us — we lost track position and went a lap down.”

    Vickers soldiered on to finish the race in the 25th position.

    Not Surprising:  Ryan Newman served as leader of the Richard Childress Racing team, finishing seventh in his No. 31 Quicken Loans Chevrolet.

    “The guys did a good job in the pits,” Newman said. “We caught a good break with the debris caution but that happens. I’m sure we’ll get the opposite at some point this year, too.”

    The next event on the Sprint Cup schedule is the Kobalt 400 on Sunday, March 9th at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. The race starts at 3 p.m. EDT, with live coverage provided by FOX beginning with its prerace show at 2 p.m.

  • Kevin Harvick Destroys Field for Phoenix Victory

    Kevin Harvick Destroys Field for Phoenix Victory

    Kevin Harvick, though, known as, “The Closer,” for the past couple of seasons, Harvick did it all on Sunday, leading 224 of the 312 laps, as he went on to easily cruise to victory at The Profit for CNBC 500, Presented by Small Business Fueling America.

    Over the offseason, after driving for Richard Childress Racing for 13 years, Kevin Harvick switched to Stewart-Haas Racing. In just his second start with his new team, Harvick has already found his way to victory lane. Harvick’s victory was his 24th in 468 career starts in NASCAR’s elite series. Harvick’s win was his fifth at PIR, leading all drivers.

    “Enthusiasm is contagious at SHR. You are only as good as the people around you,” Harvick said. “It is quite an honor to be apart of that.”

    When asked about the advantages of being a part of SHR, compared to RCR, Harvick mentioned Tony Stewart, Kurt Busch, and Danica Patrick. Stewart is a three-time series champion, Kurt Busch won the championship in 2004, and Danica Patrick is a driver that wants to get better. “It’s a hard sport. It’s really hard to win. Celebrate every win like it is your last because you never know when it is going to be your last one.”

    Dale Earnhardt Jr., last weeks Daytona 500 champion, finished second, with Brad Keselowski coming home third. “Got to congratulate Kevin. Those guys were two-tenths faster than everyone during practice. That was just phenomenal,” Earnhardt Jr. said. Before the final caution, Earnhardt Jr., had run his fastest lap of the race. However, Jr., could not make any ground on Harvick on the following restart. “We just didn’t have enough laps,” Earnhardt Jr. said. “We needed about ten laps and we did not have ten laps.”

    Brad Keselowski, who swept the poles for the weekend, was third, leading 4 laps. At the tweet up before the race, Keselowski said, “The cars are easier than ever to drive solo, but harder than ever in traffic.” Keselowski led four laps and praised Kevin Harvick on a dominating win.

    Joey Logano finished fourth, following his Team Penske teammate, Keselowski, after a solid weekend in the desert.

    Hendrick Motorsports teammates Jimmie Johnson and Jeff Gordon finished fifth and sixth, as Ryan Newman, Carl Edwards, Kyle Busch, and Jamie McMurray completing the top 10.

  • Surprising and Not Surprising: Geico 400 at Chicagoland

    Surprising and Not Surprising: Geico 400 at Chicagoland

    After a wild week of penalties, shakeups to the Chase line up, and a lengthy rain delay to boot, here is what else was surprising and not surprising in the first race of the Chase, the Geico 400 at Chicagoland Speedway.

    Surprising:  While it was surprising that the race was run in its entirety, albeit into the wee hours of the night, the biggest surprise was the impact of the change from day to night on the engines, forcing two of the Chasers right into the basement of the standings as a result.

    Dale Earnhardt Jr., driver of the No. 88 Time Warner Cable Chevrolet for Hendrick Motorsports, and Joey Logano, behind the wheel of the No. 22 Shell Pennzoil Ford for Penske Racing, both had catastrophic engine failures, finishing 35th and 37th respectively.

    Even more devastating, Logano lost six positions in the standings to the 12th spot and Junior lost four positions falling to the newly formed 13th Chase position. Both are not only in the basement spots in the standings but also over 50 points behind leader Matt Kenseth.

    “I’m pretty angry,” Logano said after dropping out of the race. “That was such a fast race car but unfortunately the motor blew up.”

    “It is a bummer to have it in the Chase when you are running for a championship,” Logano continued. “It just wasn’t our day I guess.”

    “I’m not really sure if it was motor or transmission, but it has got us sitting on the sidelines,” Junior said. “Something broke there in the motor.”

    “It’s tough,” Earnhardt Jr. said. “It’s going to be really hard to win a championship this far behind.”

    Not Surprising:  Coach and team owner Joe Gibbs not surprisingly reacted as a proud papa when it came time to visit one of his drivers in Victory Lane and the other in the runner up role.

    JGR racer Matt Kenseth scored his first ever win at Chicagoland and his career best sixth win for the season while Kyle Busch missed the weekend sweep by just one position, bringing his JGR Toyota home in the second spot.

    “We won the race tonight,” Gibbs said. “We were one and two there.”

    “My wife probably said it best, she said it’s like having babies, they’re all great,” Gibbs continued. “That’s the way you feel about it.”

    Surprising:  Two future Stewart Haas Racing teammates and yes, lame duck Chase contenders both, had a surprisingly good battle going between the two of them late in the race, with Kevin Harvick finishing third and Kurt Busch finishing fourth.

    “Yeah we had a lot of fun,” the driver of the No. 29 Budweiser Designate a Driver Chevrolet, said. “Came up a couple short, but a good day.”

    “Yeah, we had a battle with Harvick and we brought our Chevy home in fourth,” Kurt Busch said. “Top fives are what it’s all about in the Chase so one down and nine to go.”

    Not Surprising:  He’s back……After a four-week downward spiral of twentieth place finishes or worse, Jimmie Johnson and team No. 48 got their mojo back, finishing top-five and representing the Hendrick Motorsports in the third position in the Chase standings, just eleven points behind the leader.

    Even more impressive, although not surprising, the No. 48 bunch had to overcome two problematic episodes on pit road to regain their forward momentum.

    “From a jack failing to a call on pit road for a lug nut that was not supposedly on, and a variety of issues, it was a great comeback,” Johnson said. “We wanted to finish better of course, but we’re very proud of all the hard work from Hendrick Motorsports, Chad Knaus, and this No. 48 Lowe’s race team.”

    “We’re off to a good start.”

    Surprising:  Apparently a little off-track action was all that was needed to score another surprising top-10 finish, at least for Rookie of the Year contender Ricky Stenhouse Jr.

    “We started the race and thought we were in big trouble,” Stenhouse Jr. said. “Luckily after the rain delay, it kind of helped our car turn a little bit better and we were able to get an eighth place finish.”

    “Yes, we went to Sonic,” Stenhouse Jr. continued, describing his drive-through rain delay adventure. “Gave me a little bit of energy.”

    “Took a nap and really played it out well.”

    Not Surprising:  For someone who came to the Chase party a bit late and who also may have been up a bit past his veteran bedtime, Jeff Gordon was not only wired after his sixth place finish, but he looked like he could actually run another race or two.

    “Well, that was an incredible accomplishment,” the driver of the No. 24 Drive to End Hunger Chevrolet, said after his top ten finish which propelled him into the seventh spot in the Chase standings. “It just shows how much fight this team has in them.”

    “Can’t wait to get to this next race,” Gordon continued. “Where is it? Loudon? We’re ready!”

    Surprising:  Although not in the Chase, the reigning champ had a surprisingly good run, scoring the highest finish for the Ford Camp at Chicagoland. Brad Keselowski, driver of the Blue Deuce, took the checkered flag in the seventh position.

    “I think we were probably a top-five car,” Keselowski said. “I don’t know if I had anything for the 20 or 18.”

    “It was hard to tell because we never got a shot to find out.”

    Not Surprising:  In addition to Logano’s engine failure, the other Ford Chasers did not fare well either. Carl Edwards, in the No. 99 Fastenal Ford, finished 11th and Greg Biffle, behind the wheel of the No. 16 Post-It Ford Fusion, finished 16th.

    “There are a couple of things I wish I could take back,” Edwards said. “We were just missing something at this style of race track.”

    “That was a rough night,” Biffle said. “We had major issues.”

    “That wasn’t our best night.”

    Surprising:  Young up and coming driver Cole Whitt had a surprisingly fiery Cup debut for Swan Racing. His No. 30 Swan Racing/Lean 1 Toyota, had an engine failure that resulted in quite the fire ball.

    “It just jumped out of gear on the front stretch and blew up,” Whitt said. “It’s not the debut I was looking for at Swan Racing but I look forward to continuing to work with them.”

    Not Surprising:  After a cut tire resulted in a 32nd place finish, it was not surprising that Juan Pablo Montoya announced that he would be ending his NASCAR career at the end of the 2013 season and heading back to the IndyCar Series.

    Montoya will be racing for the Captain, Roger Penske, joining teammates Will Power and Helio Castroneves back in the open wheel ranks.

    “I’m really excited,” JPM said. “If you really dream of any ideal position for a driver, and you could say, you could race for Penske, I think that would be No. 1.”

    “And you know ‑‑ when I heard and it was announced that I wasn’t going to be in the 42 car next year, my No. 1 choice was going to be in a winning car,” Montoya continued. “I really want to be in a winning car.”

    Surprising:  In spite of spinning twice, Justin Allgaier loved every minute of his 27th place run in his Cup debut with Phoenix Racing in the No. 51 Brandt Chevrolet.

    “There have been a lot of drivers who have come through and raced in the sport’s top tier,” Allgaier said. “For me, it’s a cool feeling to know my name will go on that list of drivers to run a Sprint Cup Series race.”

    “There are so many names of guys that I looked up to and respected,” Allgaier continued. “I’m excited to get there.”

    Not Surprising:  In spite of the rain delay, with the red flag lasting five hours, ten minutes and 21 seconds, at least one driver recognized that the fans were the real heroes at Chicagoland Speedway.

    “Matt (Borland, crew chief) and the guys were able to discuss strategy with the break we had, and they made some good adjustments once we went back racing,” Ryan Newman, driver of the No. 39 Quicken Loans Chevrolet said. “I’m glad we were able to get the whole race in.”

    “And I’ve got to thank the fans that stuck it out to see the finish.”

  • Crunching The Numbers: Chicagoland

    Crunching The Numbers: Chicagoland

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

    Sprint Cup Series – Geico 400

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

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

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

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

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

    Nationwide Series – Dollar General 300

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

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

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

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

    Camping World Truck Series – EnjoyIllinois.com 225

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

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

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

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

  • Crunching The Numbers: Atlanta

    Crunching The Numbers: Atlanta

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

    NASCAR Sprint Cup Series – Advocare 500 at Atlanta Motor Speedway

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

  • Crunching The Numbers: Michigan

    Crunching The Numbers: Michigan

    After a wild weekend of turning left and right at the fast road course at Watkins Glen, the three national NASCAR series head their separate ways this weekend with the Sprint Cup Series and Camping World Truck Series heading to Michigan to take on the 2 mile Michigan International Speedway and the Nationwide Series heading to their second road course race in a row for their inaugural race at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course.

    NASCAR Sprint Cup Series – Pure Michigan 400 at Michigan International Speedway

    With only four races left until the cutoff for the Chase for the Sprint Cup begins at Chicago, the battle between those fighting for a spot in the 12 driver playoff keeps ratcheting up with only 31 points separating the drivers between 10th and 17th in the standings. From this point on every race, every position, and every point matters that much more. Drivers at Michigan will have a balancing act between playing it safe for points or gambling for a win and putting themselves in position for a Wild Card Chase berth.

    Driver Races Win Top 5 Top 10 Pole Laps Led Avg. Start Avg. Finish
    Carl Edwards 18 2 9 14 1 291 19.9 8.2
    Matt Kenseth 28 2 12 18 0 284 17.9 9.4
    Greg Biffle 21 4 10 13 1 565 13.5 11.3
    Jeff Gordon 41 2 18 25 5 954 11.5 12.4
    Danica Patrick 1 0 0 0 0 0 37.0 13.0
    Mark Martin 55 5 18 31 1 965 11.9 14.2
    Kevin Harvick 25 1 4 9 0 149 18.2 14.3
    Denny Hamlin 15 2 5 7 0 149 14.3 14.7
    Dale Earnhardt, Jr. 28 2 6 10 2 327 14.9 15.6
    Kyle Busch 17 1 4 6 0 169 14.6 15.6

    Who To Watch: Coming off of an eighth place finish in the first race at Michigan in June, Carl Edwards boasts the best statistics in the Sprint Cup Series at the track with two wins, nine top fives, 14 top tens, one pole, 291 laps led, and an average finish of 8.2 in 18 races.

    Matt Kenseth comes up next with two wins, 12 top fives, 18 top tens, 284 laps led, and an average finish of 9.4 in 28 starts. Kenseth finished in sixth in June in his first race at Michigan for new car owner Joe Gibbs.

    Others who run well at the track include: Greg Biffle, who won in June and has a total of four wins at the track, along with 10 top fives, 13 top tens, one pole, 565 laps led, and an average finish of 11.3 in 21 starts; Jeff Gordon, with two wins, 18 top fives, 25 top tens, five poles, 954 laps led, and an average finish of 12.4 in 41 starts; and Danica Patrick, who finished in 13th in her first start at the track in June.

    The remainder of the top ten statistically (Mark Martin, Kevin Harvick, Denny Hamlin, Dale Earnhardt, Jr., and Kyle Busch) also run well at Michigan and have a total of 11 wins between them.

    NASCAR Nationwide Series – Inaugural Nationwide Children’s Hospital 200 at Mid-Ohio

    Since there have been no Nationwide Series races at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, there are obviously no statistics to pull from to see who will run well at the track. So, the best bet for Saturday’s race will be to go with drivers who run well on road courses. Drivers such as Ron Fellows in the JR Motorsports No. 5, Marcos Ambrose in the No. 9 for Richard Petty Motorsports, A.J. Allmendinger in the No. 22 for Penske Racing, and Max Papis in the No. 33 for Richard Childress Racing should find themselves up front along with Nationwide regulars Sam Hornish Jr. and Justin Allgaier.

    NASCAR Camping World Truck Series – Michigan National Guard 200 at Michigan

    After a few weeks off since last racing at Pocono, the Camping World Truck Series makes their return at Michigan with points leader Matt Crafton holding onto a commanding 52 point lead over rookie Jeb Burton in the standings. The race also marks the return of the Truck Series for consecutive weekends and the debut of Fox Sports 1 for the broadcast of the Truck Series race on Saturday.

    Driver Races Win Top 5 Top 10 Pole Laps Led Avg. Start Avg. Finish
    Ty Dillon 1 0 0 1 0 3 5.0 6.0
    Miguel Paludo 2 0 1 2 0 3 6.0 6.5
    Kyle Busch 6 0 4 5 1 149 5.8 6.8
    Brendan Gaughan 7 1 3 4 0 48 18.4 8.9
    Joey Coulter 2 0 0 1 1 7 10.5 12.5
    Ron Hornaday, Jr. 9 0 1 6 0 15 10.3 12.7
    Dakoda Armstrong 2 0 1 1 0 0 20.5 13.5
    Johnny Sauter 4 0 0 0 0 1 8.0 13.5
    James Buescher 4 0 2 2 0 5 7.8 14.5
    Timothy Peters 6 0 1 3 0 0 16.7 14.8

    Who To Watch: Championship contender Ty Dillon leads all active drivers at Michigan with three laps led and a sixth place finish in his lone start at the track last season.

    A driver who has been running strong as of late is Miguel Paludo and he falls in second statistically at Michigan. Paludo has two starts at the track and in the two starts has one top five, two top tens, 3 laps led and an average finish of 6.5.

    Others who could find their way to Victory Lane include: Kyle Busch, who has six starts at the track, and in those six starts has four top fives, five top tens, one pole, 149 laps led and an average finish of 6.8; Brendan Gaughan, who has one win, three top fives, four top tens, 48 laps led and an average finish of 8.9 in seven starts; and Joey Coulter, who has one top ten, one pole, seven laps led and an average finish of 12.5 in two starts.

    Last, but certainly not least would be the promising crop of rookies in the series this year (Jeb Burton, Ryan Blaney, Darrell Wallace, Jr.), who are giving the veterans a run for their money. It certainly would not be a surprise to see one of those drivers win either.