Tag: Kasey Kahne

Kyle Larson ‘Felt Like a Super Star’ With Top Ten Truck Finish

[media-credit name=”Photo Credit: kylelarsonracing.com” align=”alignright” width=”157″][/media-credit]Making his NASCAR Camping World Truck Series debut in the UNOH 225 at Kentucky Speedway, one young driver just wanted to learn and finish the race.

But Kyle Larson, behind the wheel of the No. 4 Chip Ganassi Racing Teams Mobile App, finished top ten and simply “felt like a super star.”

“That was a big surprise,” Larson said. “I didn’t get much practice there so I didn’t really know how I was going to do.”

“And with me blowing a motor up and not having much practice, as well as being a go or go homer, I didn’t push it too hard in qualifying,” Larson continued. “I just wanted to spend the first part of the race figuring out how the truck handled and how the air moved around.”

“Once I learned some stuff, I could really race and I could start picking off people,” Larson said. “And then I found myself in the top ten, so I was really excited about it.”

“I felt like a super star.”

With a top-ten in his Truck debut, Larson also garnered a fair amount of attention, particularly from the media. But the young driver took it all in stride.

“I don’t pay too much attention about it,” Larson said. “The spot light’s been on me for quite a while now.”

“I just try to go out and race because that’s my job and I love doing it,” Larson continued. “I just want to go out and win. And if I keep winning, the spot light will be even better.”

Although Larson seemingly sprang onto the NASCAR scene, he has been driving since the age of seven. And he has an extremely impressive racing resume.

“I started racing outlaw karts when I was seven,” Larson said. “They’re 400 pound go karts with 500 cc engines. So, they have way too much power for how much they weigh.”

“I did that for about seven or eight years and moved into 360 and 410 sprint cars on dirt when I was 14,” Larson continued. “I won a couple races the first two years and my fourth year I won the championship and last year was my first year racing nationally in USAC in all their divisions.”

“I also ran some outlaw races and I’m the only other driver besides I think Tony Stewart to win in all the open wheel national touring series all in one year,” Larson said. “I swept the four crown last year at Eldora Speedway and I did it my first try. That was cool to do.”

“Last year I won a lot of big races so last year stands out to me because of that.”

Larson has also been part of NASCAR’s Drive for Diversity program, running in the K&N Pro Series East under the auspices of Rev Racing. And the young racer credits much of his success so far to that program.

“It’s helped me a lot,” Larson said. “My mom’s Japanese so that’s how I’m in the diversity program.”

“I run for Rev Racing and we’ve been pretty good all year,” Larson continued. “We got a win at Gresham a couple weeks ago.”

“We just got to make the right calls for the race,” Larson said. “That’s our biggest problem we’ve had this year, not keeping up with the race track because it changes so much.”

“I think if we work on that, we’ll be better and win some more races.”

While Larson enjoys driving all types of race cars, his favorite being the winged sprint car, he sees himself racing in NASCAR’s highest levels. And ultimately, he would like to own his own race team.

“Hopefully the route I’m going will take me to the Sprint Cup Series some day,” Larson said. “That’s my goal and that’s what I want to do.”

“I want to race with Stewart and Gordon and Kahne and all those guys every week,” Larson continued. “And I’d like someday to own my own team like Kahne and Tony do.”

“That’s my goal is to get to the Sprint Cup Series so I can help young kids coming up.”

Larson aspires to be like two drivers in the Cup Series currently, but for very different reasons.

“As far as a driver, I’d like to be like Kyle Busch because he wins, not a whole lot this year, but he’s a talented driver and he always gives 110%,” Larson said. “As far as off the track goes, I think I need to be like Jimmie Johnson.”

“He’s really good with the fans and really good with the sponsors too,” Larson continued. “I’d like to be a driver like Kyle and like Jimmie off the track.”

But for now, the young up and comer just hopes he can do some more truck racing, which of course is dependent on sponsorship.

“Yeah, sponsors mean a lot as far as getting rides,” Larson said. “I’ve been lucky being with Chip Ganassi Racing and he helped out a lot with this year and also with the truck race at Kentucky.”

“He has been a great help to me and hopefully we can find some more sponsors to get some more races,” Larson continued. “It’s tough to do with the economy being so bad.”

“They’ve talked about a few more races but it all depends on if we get a sponsor,” Larson said. “If it were up to me, I’d be racing every weekend in that truck.”

“I had a lot of fun.”

Larson’s family also had a great time watching him race in his first ever Truck race. Although his parents still live in his native California, they have taken off this summer to watch their son and to enjoy the fruits of their labor.

“Right now, my mom and dad are with me at these races, hanging out,” Larson said. “My dad just retired so he has some time now to come watch me.”

“They were really happy after the Truck race,” Larson continued. “My dad’s a crier so he was up in the stands tearing up.”

“They were really excited and happy that I did good in my first start.”

For fans who want to get to know the young Larson, he has two surprises to share. The first is his passions off the track and the other is his interesting exercise regimen, or lack thereof.

“These past few weeks, I raced every day,” Larson said. “I don’t get a lot of free time but when I do, I’m out fishing.”

“During the winter, I like to go snowboarding when I can,” Larson continued. “I’m not good at it but I like going down the mountain.”

“I’m also really skinny but I love to eat,” Larson continued. “And no, I don’t work out at all.”

“I worked out a few times this year with Rev Racing but then I started racing so I didn’t have time,” Larson said. “I don’t get tired though.”

“That’s what I think people would find surprising about me,” Larson said. “I never get winded. I think it’s just because I stay calm.”

Finally, the young racer is simply enjoying his time in the sun, especially during his Truck debut.

“That’s really the first time I’ve ever raced with all that media around,” Larson said. “So that was cool to get interviewed.”

“I really did feel like a super star.”

July 2, 2012
Surprising and Not Surprising: Quaker State 400

[media-credit name=”Adam Lovelace” align=”alignright” width=”200″][/media-credit]Racing, rather than traffic, ruled the day at the second annual running of the Quaker State 400. Here is what was surprising and not so surprising from Kentucky Speedway.

Surprising: It was surprising the odds that Brad Keselowski played to get to Victory Lane. He finished No. 1 in the Quaker State 400 in the No. 2 Miller Lite Dodge to score his No.3 win for the 2012 season.

Keselowski, in a back-up car after a practice accident with Juan Pablo Montoya, scored his first ever win at Kentucky.

“Who’d have figured my best finish would have came in the hardest race but that just shows the importance of teamwork,” Keselowski said. “The group of guys that I have on this Miller Lite Dodge, they’re just bad asses.”

“They put together a back-up car from last year in the hundred degree heat in an hour’s time,” Keselowski continued. “And that’s what got us to Victory lane today and I’m proud of these guys for it, damn proud of ‘em.”

“I think that sums it up.”

Not Surprising: Penske Racing’s other car, with A.J. Allmendinger behind the wheel, also beat the odds at Kentucky. The ‘Dinger brought the No. 22 Shell/Pennzoil Dodge home in the ninth position, in spite of running out of gas on the last lap.

“I was happy with the way most of the day went, especially around here because I haven’t been good around here,” Allmendinger said. “A lot of the credit goes to Brad helping me out. He’s obviously really good.”

“But for a track that I’m not very good at, that I really struggle at and tough conditions, running inside the top 10 for pretty much all of the day and getting a ninth out of it, which I’d like to have been a little bit better, but it’s something to build on.”

Surprising: Stewart Haas Racing had a surprisingly bad day in the Blue Grass State. Tony Stewart, in the No. 14 Office Depot/Mobil 1 Chevrolet, had ignition problems early in the race which led to his 32^nd place finish.

With that dismal finish, Smoke became NASCAR’s biggest loser, dropping four positions to ninth position in the point standings.

Teammate Ryan Newman, behind the wheel of the No. 39 Tornados Chevrolet, finished 34^th after blowing his engine and careening into the wall. Although Newman was not physically hurt, his psyche took a hit with his second DNF of the season.

Not Surprising: On the flip side, Hendrick Motorsports had a fabulous day at Kentucky Speedway, with Kasey Kahne finishing second, Dale Earnhardt, Jr. fourth, Jeff Gordon fifth, and Jimmie Johnson sixth.

This was Kahne’s first top-10 finish in two races at Kentucky and his eighth top-10 finish of the season.

“Well, we had a really good Quaker State Chevrolet,” Kahne said. “We had to pass a ton of cars and came up a little short.”

“But the team was awesome.”

Kahne’s HMS teammate and four time champ Jeff Gordon echoed his sentiments.

“It was a pretty flawless night for our Drive to End Hunger Chevrolet,” Jeff Gordon said. “I was pretty excited that we came home with a fifth place finish, battling up front like we did.”

Surprising: After three straight engine issues in a row and a smack against the wall at Kentucky, Kyle Busch, who was dominant early in the race, finished with a surprising top-10.

“It was definitely not any fun – not as much fun as we were having early on,” Busch said. “We just had to persevere and try to get through it the best we could.”

“So, tough night again for these M&M’s guys,” Busch continued. “We salvaged a heck of a finish for what all we had to go through.”

Not Surprising: Every race, even in the heart of horse country, has its share of drivers unhappy with one another. And this race was no exception, with drivers Joey Logano and Ryan Newman getting into it.

“I’m not really sure what’s going on with the boy in that No. 20 car,” Newman said. “He’s got a few things to learn and I’m going to have to be the one who teaches him.”

Surprising: Matt Kenseth’s announcement that he would leave Roush Fenway Racing at the end of the season for pastures unknown had surprisingly no effect on him on the track. Kenseth, in his No. 17 Fifth Third Ford Fusion finished 7^th and maintained his points lead in the Chase standings.

“It was a huge struggle for us tonight,” Kenseth said. “I am happy to finish seventh for as big of a struggle as it was.”

Not Surprising: Denny Hamlin, driver of the No. 11 FedEx Express Toyota, announced via Twitter prior to the race that he would be staying on with Joe Gibbs Racing and, to no one’s surprise, finished third in the Quaker State 400.

This was Hamlin’s first top-10 finish in two races at Kentucky Speedway.

“Our car was really strong,” Hamlin said. “I’m proud of this FedEx team. We needed a finish and that was my first priority on that last run.”

“Anybody that follows me on Twitter – I like to give them the information first,” Hamlin continued. “A proud moment for us and Joe Gibbs Racing to sign an extension and know where we’re going to be for the foreseeable future.”

“Hopefully we’ll win a championship together.”

Surprising: Forget the consistent points racing, Dale Earnhardt, Jr. has a surprising new attitude – he just wants to win. Junior, behind the wheel of the No. 88 Diet Mountain Dew/National Guard Chevrolet, finished fourth, however, still had his Michigan win of two weeks ago on his mind.

“It was really fun,” Junior said of his top-5 at Kentucky. “But we’re just ready to win.”

“I really had fun winning the other week,” Junior continued. “I’m ready to get back to Victory Lane. I ain’t going to be as patient this time.”

Not Surprising: Martin Truex Jr., in the No. 56 NAPA Auto Parts Toyota, continued to fly the flag for Michael Waltrip Racing, finishing eighth.

“We weren’t very good all night,” Truex Jr. said. “We had a good finish – – I guess.”

“We were just really tight all night and we couldn’t do anything to fix it.”

Surprising: Carl Edwards and company made a rare mistake on pit road, having to come for a splash of gas to finish the race. The No. 99 UPS Ford Fusion took the checkered flag in the 20^th position at race end.

“We had a pretty good car at the end,” Edwards said. “Bob (Osborne) called me onto pit road.”

“He knew we should have pitted that last time but I was already so far around that cone that I just didn’t feel right cutting across traffic and slamming the splitter down to make it to pit road.”

“We were put in a box,” Edwards continued. “I am real frustrated. We need to get this in gear.”

Not Surprising: After a 21^st place finish, it is not surprising to lose positions in the point standings. And Greg Biffle, driver of the No. 16 American Red Cross Ford Fusion, did just that, falling to the fourth spot in the Chase.

“We qualified a little better this year than we did last year but the end result was the same,” Biff said. “We were off a little bit and just couldn’t get a handle on it.”

The Cup Series next travels to Daytona International Speedway for the Coke Zero 400 for another Saturday night of racing under the lights

July 1, 2012
NASCAR Drivers Are Athletes According to New Research

[media-credit id=62 align=”alignright” width=”240″][/media-credit]A recent, first of its kind study published in The Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research proved definitively that not only are athletic skills needed behind the wheel of a stock car, but also that there is a significant correlation between performance on the track and the length of resistance training sessions.

The study also revealed that those stock car drivers who assessed their own fitness positively performed better on the track. Their conditioning also correlated with less fatigue and less susceptibility to injuries.

“The sport is actually more demanding now than it used to be,” four-time NASCAR Cup champion Jeff Gordon stated. “We’ve gotten smarter on the physical side of it, working out more.”

“So, I think the drivers are in a little bit better physical shape than what they used to be as far as preparing for the races.”

The study also showed that “upper body strength was identified as the most important physical ability for driving stock cars by 100% of the subjects in the study.”

“I do a lot of strength training,” Danica Patrick, NASCAR Nationwide driver, said. “I work with a trainer and he sends me programs every four or five weeks.”

“The most important thing is performing in the car so that is what I’m weight training for,” Patrick continued. “I feel that weight training is very beneficial for your physique.”

“I do two days upper and one day lower,” Patrick said. “The program changes throughout the year.”

“I take a month off at the end of the year to recover so I don’t get injured,” Patrick continued. “As the year goes on, I work on peak strength so what I do in the car is easy.”

“I think working out has to help and I’ve always felt that it helped me,” Patrick said. “I’ve always worked out since I started in racing and I work out as hard as I ever had right now.”

“I’m in as good a shape as I’ve ever been,” Patrick continued. “I think being prepared physically and mentally is a big part of racing for me. For myself, I know it helps me.”

The study revealed that “62.5% of the subjects reported cardiovascular endurance as one of the top physical demands of driving a stock car.” According to the research, this is consistent with the reports of the drivers who often feel intense fatigue, elevated heart rate and shortness of breath as a result of the physicality of their racing.

“I work with weights four days a week – just the different muscle groups and trying to get more endurance and strength,” five-time NASCAR Cup champ Jimmie Johnson said. “The mindset being that I’ll have more energy and perform better at my job.”

One important aspect of racing that the study highlighted was the need for strength training in order to assist in thermoregulation and heat tolerance. In fact, being able to cope with the temperatures in the race car was found to be the third most important physical demand of stock car racing.

“I don’t know if there’s a direct correlation but I think you might have a little bit of an edge if you can stay in shape,” NASCAR Nationwide Series reigning champion Ricky Stenhouse Jr. said. “I do work out. We have a great trainer at the shop.”

“When you’re in the seat every week, you work out every muscle,” Stenhouse Jr. continued. “The main thing is to stay hydrated in the cars and that’s what I really focus on.”

NASCAR Camping World Truck Series rookie driver Paulie Harraka agrees with his racing compatriot, especially as far as working out to deal with the heat. Harraka also added the element of dealing with the gravitational forces in the race car as another reason to include strength training in preparation for being on the track.

“Certainly as a driver, you’ve got to train for the g-forces that you feel,” Harraka said. “One lap is tough but it’s when you get to lap 150 and you’ve been in there and not able to move that you get fatigued.”

“You have to deal with that and with the heat inside the race cars.”

Finally, the study revealed that one of the major physical demands of stock car racing included hand/eye/foot coordination, reflexes and reaction time. In fact, 30% of the drivers indicated that “hand, eye, and foot coordination was an important physical demand associated with stock car racing.”

Two NASCAR drivers, Kasey Kahne and Carl Edwards, have taken this aspect of training to heart, using Dynavision™ D2, a machine that tracks and improves reaction time, peripheral awareness, hand-eye coordination and other visual-motor skills.

The D2 has a sphere of buttons that light up in random succession and the drivers have to call out the random flashing numbers in the midst of noises simulating those on the track.

“That’s the kind of environment that we race in,” Edwards said. “There is a lot of noise; you are focusing on different things.”

“You’re having to verbalize something a lot of times about the car,” Edwards continued. “So, that’s actually a good test.”

Whether strength conditioning, cardiovascular exercising or improving reaction times, the study in the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research proves once and for all the athletic component of NASCAR racing and the correlation between working out and improving on-track performance.

June 27, 2012
Kasey Kahne Riding the Momentum Wave

[media-credit id=26 align=”alignright” width=”225″][/media-credit]From an abysmal 29^th place finish at Daytona and with even more bad luck in the next few races at the start of the season, Kasey Kahne has made a phenomenal turnaround, with top-10 finishes in the last seven races and a win in the Coke 600.

So, there is no wonder that the driver of the No. 5 Farmer’s Insurance Chevrolet for Hendrick Motorsports is riding high on the wave of momentum.

“Well, momentum and confidence has a lot to do with running well in racing and being up front,” Kahne said. “Our team has been building that momentum and seems like we get more of it each week.”

“So, it’s been really positive,” Kahne continued. “It’s tough to do this without momentum and confidence and once you get it, it can really turn your season around.”

Kahne is also riding the wave of momentum as the rookie member of the Hendrick Motorsports team. He joins teammates Jimmie Johnson, who won last weekend’s race at Dover, and Dale Earnhardt, Jr. who is third in the point standings, in the HMS surge.

“I feel like our company is really strong right now,” Kahne said. “The cars are great. The engines are great.”

“They’re always trying to get more and trying to get better,” Kahne continued. “I’m really enjoying working with my teammates.”

Kahne does, however, feel for one of his Hendrick Motorsports teammates, Jeff Gordon, who is struggling even more than he has this season. But he thinks that the driver of the No. 24 Dupont Chevrolet just has to gut it out before he too finds that momentum upswing.

“Jeff’s been as fast as any of us but he just hasn’t had the best of luck,” Kahne said. “I have no advice for Jeff.”

“When it turns around, it turns around,” Kahne said. “There is nothing you can do about it.”

To what does Kahne attribute his own turn-around and momentum-gathering?

“We’re just getting a little more familiar with things,” Kahne said simply. “At the start of the year, we were probably as fast as we are right now but we just weren’t able to finish the weekends off.”

“We’ve been fortunate enough the last six or seven weeks to put the full race together and finish it off,” Kahne continued. “It’s been a lot better for us.”

[media-credit name=”Gary Buchanan” align=”alignright” width=”223″][/media-credit]Kahne admits that, because of his difficult season start, his momentum currently has also helped his position in the point standings, with potential to even make the Chase. Kahne sits currently in 14^th in points, with the one win.

“Well, I’ve had to think about the points as bad as we started out,” Kahne said. “We were getting ready to miss races, we were so far back in points.”

“So, I had to think about points and where we’re at and how to get back in the hunt,” Kahne continued. “And we’ve been able to do that. So, we’ve got to keep that mentality the rest of the season.”

Has the point situation changed the way Kahne races?

“Well I mean in certain situations, you probably are more cautious because you know what the end result can be if you’re not,” Kahne said candidly. “So, at times you need to be cautious and at other times you just race as hard as you can.”

“And if you don’t race as hard as you can with this group of guys, you’re going to get passed or left behind,” Kahne continued. “So, it’s tough.”

“You just think about points in certain circumstances,” Kahne said. “But other than that, you race as hard as you can.”

Kahne is looking forward to continuing to ride the wave of his momentum at Pocono Raceway, especially on the repaved track and with the shortened race format.

“I think that 400 miles is great,” Kahne said. “500 miles was just a long time at this track.”

“The repave is perfect,” Kahne continued. “It’s as nice as I’ve seen and felt and the transitions on the track are really good.”

“Hopefully we can get enough rubber on the track to create some racing,” Kahne said. “I know as time goes on the track will open up and be a really good one to race on but the first one’s going to be tough.”

“But with the two days of testing prior to the race weekend, it will really help everything and hopefully we’ll be able to do some passing on Sunday and move up if we have a car that can move up.”

While Kahne acknowledges that Pocono will be a challenge, particularly with the one groove currently and the chaos expected in the turns, he knows that with time the track will be even better.

“It will slowly rubber in and open up and you’ll be able to pass but it will be a little more difficult than what you’d want as a driver and as someone running a race track,” Kahne said. “But when you have a repave, it takes a little bit of time and that’s part of it.”

“Eventually it’s going to be really good,” Kahne continued. “But on Sunday, you’ll be able to pass but it will be difficult at times.”

“Yeah, I think Turn One will be utter chaos,” Kahne said. “The big thing will be making sure you’re in a good position off the corner to where you can be in a good spot getting to the Tunnel Turn.”

“That’s where you’re going to be where it’s going to be treacherous, especially if you try three-wide.”

Kahne’s wave of momentum also continues off, as well as on, the track. The young driver has also been busy with a variety of events run by the Kasey Kahne Foundation, created in 2005 to help chronically ill children and disadvantaged youth.

“Our Foundation is doing well,” Kahne said. “We’re setting up different events and things to make sure we raise some money each year.”

“The ‘Five Kahne 5K’ will be in October again during the Charlotte weekend, which is always pretty cool,” Kahne continued. “A lot of people in the Charlotte area really enjoy it.”

“We have a lot of fun running and trying to raise some money to put some smiles on some kids’ faces.”

June 9, 2012
FedEx 400 Review: Predictions and Previews

Self Inflicted Bad Luck for Gordon

Jeff Gordon undoubtedly had the fastest car in the field on Sunday and even led a portion of the FedEx 400. After pit stops with about 150 laps to go, Gordon had to pit again for a loose wheel, forcing him to give up his lead position.

Gordon still had a good chance to win the race, after putting himself in the lead by four seconds, even after the loose wheel. Unfortunately for Gordon, being on a different pit cycle than the rest of the field, he had to pit with 76 laps to go. For Gordon to find the lead again, he needed the rest of the field to pit under green to cycle back around as the leader.

A caution flag waving 16 laps later for debris made it nearly impossible for Gordon to get back to the lead. Gordon did put himself back on the lead lap, but finished a disappointing 13th position.

[media-credit name=”Patrick McDermott/Getty Images” align=”alignright” width=”300″][/media-credit]”The fastest car doesn’t always win the race,” Gordon said. “And we’re sitting here in 13th, or whatever — it’s silly. It’s always more frustrating when you’ve got a car that can win, and you show it by going up there and taking the lead.

“We don’t care about finishing top-15 or top-10 right now. That does nothing for us. We need wins.”

Gordon did gain one position in points, moving to 21st position, but is still 175 points behind the leader.

My view on Gordon’s bad luck this season is – every driver has an off season. This season is Gordon’s off season. He is a four-time champion of the Cup series and his bad luck can’t continue for long. For Gordon to make the Chase, he has to have wins now. The five upcoming races are tracks that Gordon can and has won at before.

Next week we head to Pocono Raceway where Gordon won just last year and has four previous wins at. He has scored two wins at Michigan International Speedway; five wins at Infineon Raceway; and 6 wins at Daytona International Speedway. He has not won at Kentucky Speedway, where the Cup series just started racing at last season; however, Gordon did finish in 10th position in the Quaker State 400 in 2011.

Earnhardt Improves Stats at Dover

Before the running of Sunday’s FedEx 400, Dale Earnhardt Jr. had not finished in the Top 10 at Dover International Speedway since September of 2007. Earnhardt Jr’s fourth-place finish on Sunday marks the 10th time in 13 races this season that he has finished in the Top 10. With this finish, Earnhardt has gained one spot in points standings moving to third, only 10 points behind the leader.

After starting in 17th position, Earnhardt reached the Top 10 in less than 100 laps. By the middle of the race, he was in the Top 5, where he ran the rest of the day.

“We are getting close,” Earnhardt said after finishing in fourth position. “We are finishing good when we are not winning. I can’t complain too much about how we are doing. We’ve got some tricky tracks coming up for us. The summer months aren’t really my thing, the tracks at least, but hopefully we can have some more good runs.”

Next weekend at Pocono mark four years and 143 races that Earnhardt has gone without a win. However, this is only his second season working with crew chief Steve Letarte, and we have already seen vast improvement among the team in 2012. With tracks that Earnhardt has won at coming up on the schedule – Daytona and Michigan – I expect Earnhardt to get his first win of the season soon.

Predictions for Pocono

Like I said before, Gordon’s luck will turn around; and what better track for him to do that at than Pocono? Gordon is the reigning winner of last year’s race and has four wins under his belt at this track. He has also scored two pole starting position here in 98’ and 96’.

“Bad” Brad Keselowski, who won last year’s fall race at Pocono can’t ever be counted out to win any race. Keselowski is sitting comfortably in 11th position in points, 86 points behind the leader, and is looking to get his third win of the season.

When NASCAR comes to Pocono, all eyes are on four-time winner, Denny Hamlin. Hamlin is the master of the tricky triangle, where he swept both races here in 2006 starting from the pole. He knows how to get the job done at this track and is eyeing the points lead, sitting in fourth position, just 22 points behind the leader.

[media-credit name=”Doug Pensinger/Getty Images” align=”alignright” width=”305″][/media-credit]The not-so underdogs of the race would have to be Greg Biffle and Kasey Kahne. Biffle is the current point’s leader of the Cup standings and has one win at this track in 2010. Kahne, who won the race from the pole in 2008, is on a role from his win at Charlotte Motor Speedway two weeks ago. He has finally gotten the bad luck off of his shoulders and is ready to gain points and rise from his 14th position in standings.

Last but not least, you can’t count out five-time champ Jimmie Johnson who is still beaming from scoring Hendrick’s 200th win at Darlington. Johnson has won at Pocono twice in his career and has started on the pole twice at this track. He is currently sitting fifth position in points, 33 points behind the leader.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. quote via SPEEDTV.com

June 5, 2012
Surprising and Not Surprising: Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte

[media-credit name=”Brad Keppel” align=”alignright” width=”230″][/media-credit]In the NASCAR season’s longest race of the year, here is what was surprising and not surprising from the 53^rd running of the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway.

Surprising: Although billed as the sport’s longest race, usually known for the endurance factor moving from day to night, this year’s Coke 600 was the quickest one ever.

The race took a total of 3 hours, 51 minutes and 14 seconds.

Prior to 53^rd running of the Coca Cola 600, the longest race was in 1995 at 3 hours, 56 minutes and 55 seconds.

Not Surprising: After finally scoring his 200^th win for the company that bears his name, Rick Hendrick’s prediction of more wins to follow came true. Kasey Kahne, in the No. 5 Quaker State Chevrolet, secured his first win as a Hendrick Motorsport’s driver, which came on his 300^th career start.

The win was also Kahne’s first win of the season. The 32 year old driver has now won in a Dodge, Ford, Toyota and now a Chevrolet.

“It’s been an exciting three weeks for Hendrick Motorsports,” Kahne said. “It’s exciting to be a part of that.”

“It’s so special and awesome to drive for Rick and Linda Hendrick,” Kahne continued. “For them to make me a part of their company; this is unbelievable to drive for Hendrick Motorsports and be a part of everything they do.”

Surprising: After winning last weekend’s Sprint All-Star Race, it was surprising to see Jimmie Johnson have a rare pit road miscue, especially since he was running the top-5 at that time. Johnson received a stop-and-go penalty for leaving his pits with both the gas man and the gas can on Lap 354.

“We had a couple little mistakes on pit road tonight,” Johnson said. “It happens.”

“Last week things couldn’t have gone any better and then this week we had a few little issues.”

Not Surprising: As he has been all season, it was not surprising that Greg Biffle, in his No. 16 Fastenal Ford, was a contender all race long. In fact, Biff received the 3M Lap Leader award, leading 204 laps.

Biffle maintains the points lead, ten points ahead of Matt Kenseth.

“The car was really, really good,” Biffle said. “But there at the end when the speeds picked up, we would kind of slide across the track.”

“We gained a little in points, but we really wanted to win.”

Surprising: After a most abysmal start to the season, it was surprising to see Jeff Gordon finally get a top ten finish under his belt. Gordon, behind the wheel of the No. 24 Drive to End Hunger Chevrolet, ran strong, finishing seventh.

“We had an awesome race car and we showed it right from the drop of the green,” Gordon said. “We drove up through there.”

“This is a great effort for this team,” Gordon continued. “I’m so proud of them.”

Not Surprising: HMS teammate Dale Earnhardt, Jr. continued his consistent streak, scoring his seventh top-10 in eight races.

“It just says we are consistent and we want to win a race,” Junior said. “That’s all I can tell you.”

“It feels good to be competitive,” Junior continued. “I don’t want to take our consistency for granted but we would like to improve just a little bit more and we’ll get some wins.”

Surprising: It was surprising how badly the Petty Motorsports drivers finished, especially after securing the pole and outside pole respectively.

Aric Almirola, who started on the pole with his famed No. 43 US Air Force Ford Fusion, finished 16th. Outside pole sitter Marcos Ambrose finished 32^nd in his No. 9 Dewalt Ford.

“When you start on the front row or the pole, you know you’ve got a fast car,” Almirola said. “So, this is tough.”

“But I can’t reiterate enough that we’re making improvement,” Almirola continued. “We see light at the end of the tunnel and that’s what it’s all about.”

“I’m proud of everybody at Richard Petty Motorsports.”

Not Surprising: Despite the naysayers, Danica Patrick achieved her goal of completing every lap of the race. The driver of the No. 10 GoDaddy Chevrolet finished 30^th, five laps down.

“We had a lot of green-flag running and for me as a driver in general in NASCAR but especially as a new driver in the Cup Series, that hurts me,” Patrick said. “I’m just not great at making the best out of a car that’s not perfect and those runs really show that.”

“We brought the GoDaddy car home and one of the goals was to finish,” Patrick continued. “I would have liked to have been a little faster overall but I think there were some times in there when it was decent.”

Surprising: It was a bit surprising to see Ryan Newman outshine his boss at a track where Tony Stewart is traditionally strong. Newman, driving the No. 39 US Army Chevrolet, finished 14^th and his boss and team owner in his No. 14 Office Depot/Mobil 1 Chevrolet finished 25th .

Smoke was moving forward after adjusting on his car throughout the race only to have a tussle with Brad Keselowski on pit road. Stewart spun as a result of that contact and had to turn around to reach his pits, putting him two laps down.

Teammate Danica Patrick acknowledged that her mentor had a tough evening.

“Tony is a fantastic driver and if he had a tough day, that’s just the way the season goes,” Patrick said. “So this is NASCAR and sometimes you do and sometimes you don’t.”

Not Surprising: While he may not have totally lived up to his ‘Closer’ moniker, Kevin Harvick brought his No. 29 Budweiser Folds of Honor Chevrolet home in eighth place.

“We had a solid night,” Harvick said. “We snuck up there in the top-five and got our bonus point for leading a lap.”

“The pit crew was awesome and we were able to adjust our car,” Harvick continued. “This isn’t our strongest race track, but I feel like we had a solid package to build on.”

Surprising: Young Landon Cassill, in his No. 83 Burger King Real Fruit Smoothies Toyota, had a great run in the prestigious Coca Cola 600, finishing 18^th. It was his team’s best finish of the season to date and the first time that the team started and finished inside the top-20.

“Last’ week’s performance at Charlotte was a real confidence booster for us,” Cassill said. “I feel like we’re getting stronger each week and it gets me excited as a driver.”

Not Surprising: Two of the principals of Joe Gibbs Racing had a good run as they usually do. Denny Hamlin, in the No. 11 FedEx Ground Toyota, finished in the runner up spot and teammate Kyle Busch, in his No. 18 M&Ms Red White and Blue Toyota, finished right behind him in third.

“It’s also good to finish like that,” Busch said. “We just need to carry on that momentum.”

“This is a good race for us so we can bring back some good notes for when we come back in October.”

May 31, 2012
Coca Cola 600 Review: Kahne Scores First Win For Hendrick

Kahne Scores First Win for HMS

Kahne blew the doors off of his competitors Sunday night to score his fourth win at Charlotte Motor Speedway in the 53rd Annual Coca-Cola 600. This win is extra special for Kahne because it is his first win as a driver for Hendrick Motorsports, and his first win of the season.

When Kahne made the move to HMS at the end of the 2011 season, Kahne had very high expectations of his performance with his new team. However, his expectations did not go according to plan; for the first five races of the season, Kahne finished outside of the Top-10. His first top-10 finish of the season did not come until Texas.

Kahne started in the 7th position and slowly made his way up to the front, taking the lead from Kyle Busch on Lap 258. On the final restart of the race with 76 laps to go, Kahne restarted in 6th position after taking four tires on pit road. It took Kahne only four laps to rocket past his competitors to take over second position and threaten leader Denny Hamlin for the win. With 68 laps to go, Kahne took the lead back and held on to it until the drop of the checkered flag.

[media-credit name=”Brad Keppel” align=”alignright” width=”300″][/media-credit]“It feels really good”, Kahne said after the race. “It’s so special and awesome to drive for Rick and Linda Hendrick. For them to make me a part of their company, this is an unbelievable to drive for Hendrick Motorsports and be a part of everything they do there.”

“Our Hendrick engine was awesome ton, brand new car that so many people put a lot of effort into. Thanks to Quaker State and the durability of the oil we did 600 miles, no problem, with tons of power. Farmer’s Insurace, HendrickCars.com, and Chevrolet have all been a huge part of our season and it feels good to get a win tonight.”

Kahne gained one position in points with this win, moving him to 15th position, 123 points behind the leader.

Greg Biffle Keeps up Consistency

Greg Biffle has been in prime form this season, running in the Top-5 week-in and week-out. Driving in the car that he won with at Texas Motor Speedway, Biffle finished a solid fourth position Sunday night. Biffle came into this race as the point’s leader and will hold that position leaving Charlotte, with ten points over his Roush Fenway teammate Matt Kenseth.

“We were super-good early. I can’t believe how fast we were, but the guys did a great job. We gained a little in the points, but we really wanted to win,” Biffle said after the race. “We have to go back to the drawing board a little bit. We need a little more grip, a little bit more turn when the sun goes down.” Biffle finished the race in fourth position.

Gordon’s Luck Begins to Change

Before the Coca-Cola 600, Jeff Gordon sat uncharacteristically in 24th position in Cup standings. However, Sunday night at Charlotte Motor Speedway, Gordon’s luck slowly began to change for the better. After starting in 23rd position in the Coca-Cola 600, Gordon drove his No. 24 Drive to End Hunger Chevrolet to the front to finish in seventh position. With his top-10 finish, Gordon has moved to 22nd in standings.

“We had an awesome race car and we showed it right from the drop of the green,” Gordon said. “We drove up through there. Obviously, it got tougher as you got further to the front. We still had a few things that needed to go a little bit better for us. We stayed out that one time and showed how good our car was. When we could be up front with those guys and we were on older tires hung out there in fourth.”

May 29, 2012
Kasey Kahne Wins First Of The Season

[media-credit id=38 align=”alignright” width=”225″][/media-credit]Charlotte, NC- Sunday night at Charlotte Motor Speedway, Kasey Kahne picked up his first win with Hendrick Motorsports by winning his 3rd Coca-Cola 600 in his 300th career start becoming only the second driver to do so.

On lap 333, Kahne took the lead from Denny Hamlin and was able to hold him to take the checkered by nearly 5 seconds in the fastest Coca-Cola 600 ever. In winning his first with Hendrick and of the 2012 season, it has turned his season around completely. After the first six races Kahne, 32, has had an average finish of 28th. Looking at the last six races, Kahne hasn’t finished outside the top ten.

“I never really doubted myself. I was upset at some of the things that may have happened. It feels good to get a win for Hendrick Motorsports. It’s something I’ve been looking forward to, for a year and a half, to drive for Hendrick Motorsports.” Kahne said.

With his win on Sunday, Kahne has moved up one spot in the points to 15th, seven points out of 131th. Greg Biffle still leads the points followed by Kenseth, Hamlin, Earnhardt Jr, and Johnson.

May 29, 2012

2012 Sprint All-Star Review: The No. 48 Team Dominates All-Star Week

Sprint Showdown: Dale Jr Back To Victory Lane

AJ Allmendinger put his No. 22 Pennzoil Dodge on the pole; however, as the field was coming out of Turn 4 to take the green-flag, Allmendinger was forced to pit for a flat left front tire. This moved Allmendinger to the back of the field, remaining on the lead lap. Allmendinger’s loss was Dale Earnhardt Jr’s gain. Because of Allmendinger’s misfortune, Earnhardt took over the pole position, with Martin Truex Jr. starting in second. Earnhardt looked like a bullet shot out of a gun when he jumped out to a 1.398 second lead over Truex within three laps of the green-flag.

Earnhardt held onto the lead through the end of the 20-lap segment. While under caution, majority of the teams from third position back went down pit road for adjustments. Earnhardt remained on track to hold onto the lead for the restart and once again jumped ahead of the field by half a straight away. After starting in the back of the field, Jamie McMurray stayed on track during this caution to pick up the second position.

[media-credit name=”Credit: Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images” align=”alignright” width=”225″][/media-credit]Allmendinger and Truex battled aggressively for third position for nearly 10 laps, with Allmendinger finally taking the position with 12 laps to go. Allmendinger then caught McMurray with 10 laps to go, battling for the position to advance to the All-Star race. This battle continued in the final ten laps – all the while, Dale Jr. held onto a two second lead.

With a lap and a half to go, McMurray got loose coming off the backstretch which allowed Allmendinger to get under his bumper and make an aggressive pass on him. Earnhardt went on to win the Sprint Showdown, with Allmendinger getting the second place transfer spot. “I got to give most of the credit of our performance to the team”, Earnhardt said. “They put a great car out on the line today that was fast right out the gate.”

Earnhardt was assumed by many to win the fan vote. With Earnhardt winning the showdown race, this opened up the fan vote to Bobby Labonte. “Actually, the story is two weeks ago we weren’t even going to show up here because this is not in our budget to run this race”, Labonte said. “Guys stepped up, so we got this far. Hopefully we can just keep going. Again, just thank the fans for doing that. That’s really a great deal.”

Sprint All-Star Race: Johnson Steals All-Star Victory

Kyle “Rowdy” Busch started on the pole for the race, with Ryan “Rocket Man” Newman on the outside pole. Jimmie Johnson showed he had a fast car right off the bat, taking over the lead on Lap 16. After the first segment ended, pit stops and strategy began to play out. Jimmie Johnson pitted twice under this caution; while seven other drivers, including Earnhardt and Denny Hamlin, did not make a pit stop. Hamlin restarted the race in first position, with a fast Earnhardt restarting in 6th position.

Caution waved on Lap 26 when Carl Edwards’ engine expired. The race restarted on Lap 31 with Hamlin and Marcos Ambrose, who did not pit, leading the field. Just one lap later, Kenseth wasted no time taking over the second position from Ambrose. On the same lap, Earnhardt began to put pressure on Ambrose for third position. Kenseth took over the lead just before the end of the second segment, with Earnhardt taking over third.

Seven drivers stayed out under caution, allowing Keselowski, Kasey Kahne, and Kevin Harvick to take over the top three positions. Right at the start-finish line, Kahne tried his best to steal the lead from Keselowski, but was about an inch shy of taking it.

Beginning the fourth segment, Kurt Busch took over the lead of the race after staying on track under caution. It only took Earnhardt, who restarted in second, two laps to take over the lead. Running on old tires, Busch dropped back to fourth position, as Allmendinger and Kahne took over the second and third positions.

Caution waved on Lap 68 when the second Roush Fenway Ford of Greg Biffle, lost an engine. With 16 to go on the restart, Earnhardt took over the lead once again and jumped out to a hefty lead. As the final segment came to a close, the 10-lap shootout began. Johnson led the field off pit road, with Kenseth, Keselowski, and Earnhardt following. In the same week that his No. 48 Lowes team won the pit crew challenge, Johnson took his Lowes Chevrolet to victory lane in the All-Star race for the third time in his career. This win has tied Johnson for most All-Star victories with Dale Earnhardt and his teammate, Jeff Gordon.

[media-credit name=”Credit: Chris Graythen/Getty Images” align=”alignright” width=”342″][/media-credit]At the end of the race, instead of driving the flag around the track in victory, Johnson took his car owner for a victory lap. Rick Hendrick was at the end of pit road and told Johnson to come pick him up. Once Hendrick put his leg inside the car, he was in for a ride. Rather than driving his owner to victory lane, Johnson took his car owner for a little joy ride around the tri-oval. Rick waved to the fans around the track in a humorous manner. Johnson won a total of $1,071,340 with his All-Star win.

Race Results : Sprint All-Star Race
Sprint All-Star Race – May 19, 2012 – Exhibition

Pos.	No.	Driver	Make	Speed	Time	Bnd
1	48	Jimmie Johnson	Chevrolet	0	90	Running
2	2	Brad Keselowski	Dodge	0	90	Running
3	17	Matt Kenseth	Ford	0	90	Running
4	18	Kyle Busch	Toyota	0	90	Running
5	88	Dale Earnhardt Jr.	Chevrolet	0	90	Running
6	29	Kevin Harvick	Chevrolet	0	90	Running
7	9	Marcos Ambrose	Ford	0	90	Running
8	51	Kurt Busch	Chevrolet	0	90	Running
9	5	Kasey Kahne	Chevrolet	0	90	Running
10	39	Ryan Newman	Chevrolet	0	90	Running
11	22	AJ Allmendinger	Dodge	0	90	Running
12	78	Regan Smith	Chevrolet	0	90	Running
13	24	Jeff Gordon	Chevrolet	0	90	Running
14	15	Clint Bowyer	Toyota	0	90	Running
15	21	Trevor Bayne	Ford	0	90	Running
16	27	Paul Menard	Chevrolet	0	90	Running
17	14	Tony Stewart	Chevrolet	0	90	Running
18	34	David Ragan	Ford	0	90	Running
19	47	Bobby Labonte	Toyota	0	90	Running
20	11	Denny Hamlin	Toyota	0	90	Running
21	55	Mark Martin	Toyota	0	90	Running
22	16	Greg Biffle	Ford	0	67	Out of Race
23	99	Carl Edwards	Ford	0	25	Out of Race

May 20, 2012

Matty’s Picks 2012 – Vol. 11 Darlington Raceway – Bojangles’ Southern 500 – May 12, 2012

[media-credit name=”darlingtonraceway.com” align=”alignright” width=”199″][/media-credit]Tonight we head to NASCAR’s oldest superspeedway. The track “Too Tough to Tame” is the spot for the 63rd running of Bojangles’ Southern 500 tonight on FOX, (live 7 p.m. ET) and when the engines fire tonight, it will be the last time the 43-cars making the start tonight have four straight fenders. The cars that exit the racetrack this weekend will surely go to the same scrap pile as the cars raced at Bristol and Martinsville. With the aging track surface and 43 drivers itching to claim hardware from The Lady in Black, the fenders will connect tonight when the green flag files.

Darlington Raceway dates all the way back to 1950 as NASCAR’s first asphalt oval that measured over a 1/2-mile in length. The track’s first NASCAR race was held on Labor Day in 1950, won by Californian Johnny Mantz in a six-cylinder Plymouth, amongst a field of 75 cars! Much like this month’s Indianapolis 500, the first Southern 500 staged a 2-week qualifying scheme to whittle down the field of more than 80 entrants and align the 75 car field into 25 rows of three cars. When the dust settled, it was Mantz, driving a car owned by Bill France Sr., that would claim the $25,000 purse, a reward that was 7-times the average wage in 1950.

Talladega Recap

I had the honor of watching last week’s Aaron’s 499 with a very close family friend whom happens to be a Brad Keselowski fan (or maybe he’s just a fan of the Blue Deuce, or Miller Lite, or maybe just beer in general), and I have to give him credit for my win last week in Alabama. I happened to be writing my column last Saturday afternoon when Uncle Scotty walked through my front door, and I admit to asking his advice with my picks last week. “Pick Bad Brad” he said, “Remember when we were at Talladega and he put (Carl) Edwards in the fence for his first win. The kid can race in Alabama.”

Thanks Uncle Scotty for the pick as Brad Keselowski ran as flawless of a race last week by Talladega standards as ‘flawless’ comes. Keselowski put himself in second coming out of the final turn at the 2.66-mile superspeedway, a position which conventional wisdom says the driver in the second spot on the final lap of a restrictor-plate race has a much better chance of winning than the leader.

“I had this whole plan if I ever got in that situation where I was leading,” Keselowski said. “I thought about it and thought about it — dreamed about what to do — and sure enough, going into (Turn) 3, it was just me and (Kyle) Busch. And I knew the move I wanted to pull.”

“. . . I went into Turn 3 high and pulled down off of Kyle and broke the tandem up. That allowed me to drive untouched to the checkered flag. It wasn’t easy to convince myself to do that, but it was the right move. I’m glad it worked.”

My Dark Horse pick, Joey Logano got caught up in a wreck with 10-laps to go and finished 26th. I guess sometimes you just have to take the hi’s with the low’s.

Darlington Picks

Winner Pick

As much as I hate to jump on the Biffle bandwagon, I believe it is in my best interest to make an educated pick this week and go with the Roush-Fenway racing driver. He’s starting from the pole at a track where passing is extremely difficult to complete and the eventual race-winner has come from the pole position 19-times, you’ve got to go with a driver starting towards the front tonight.

Once in the last 10 races at Darlington has a driver won the race after starting the race outside the top-12 positions. That one time occurring in last year’s Southern 500 when Regan Smith made a late-race gamble to stay on-track and not take on tires during the race’s 11th and final caution, a call that would win him the race after starting in 23rd.

Biffle enters the weekend as the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series’ points leader, and took the pole by breaking the tie between Jimmie Johnson and Kasey Kahne for the top spot late in qualifying Friday evening. He was second fastest in both NASCAR Sprint Cup Series’ practice sessions yesterday at the track Too Tough To Tame. The last time Biffle started from the pole at Darlington was back in 2008, and the top spot was not too kind to the Washington native, as he blew an engine and finished just 234 of the scheduled 367 laps at The Lady in Black, finishing dead last in 43rd. I’m hoping Lady Luck is on my side tonight and Biffle becomes the 20th winner from the pole at Darlington Raceway.

Dark Horse Pick

I’m not sure you can qualify the guy sitting 6th in NASCAR Sprint Cup Series points a Dark Horse, but a Dark Horse isn’t always a driver that is way outside the realm of possibility of winning. This week it’s a guy that tends to fly under the radar of most NASCAR writers and fans. Martin Truex Jr. has been leading the charge of Michael Waltrip Racing drivers to boost the Toyota team to the upper echelon of race teams. Last week’s 28th-place finish marked Truex’s worst finish of the season, and he is looking for a quick rebound this week at a track where he has finished no-better than 6th in his six tries to tame The Lady in Black.

6th in the first practice Friday afternoon, Truex slipped back to 12th on the leader board during Happy Hour, and rebounded to claim a starting spot for his NAPA Auto Parts Toyota in the third-row tonight in South Carolina. He’s had a great season so far, and a win tonight at Darlington would make a statement that Michael Waltrip Racing is a force to be reckoned with in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series.

That’s all for now, so until the All-Stars come out in Charlotte…You Stay Classy NASCAR NATION!!

PS: Happy Mother’s Day to all the NASCAR Moms this weekend!

May 12, 2012