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  • Ryan Newman’s Loudon Love Affair Continues with Pole Run

    Ryan Newman’s Loudon Love Affair Continues with Pole Run

    In spite of the rain drops that yet again delayed action on the track, Ryan Newman continued his love affair with the ‘Magic Mile’, scoring a record-setting sixth pole.

    [media-credit name=”Gary Buchanan” align=”alignright” width=”225″][/media-credit]Newman, behind the wheel of the No. 39 Haas Automation Chevrolet, turned a lap of 28.213 seconds and a speed of 135.002 mph.

    This was Newman’s third pole in 2011 and his 59th career pole, tying him for ninth all-time with Bobby Isaac, Hall of Fame Nominee. In spite of it being a personal career pole best, it was the drama of it all that most impressed Newman.

    “In general, I don’t think I’ve seen that kind of drama going into the last five cars qualifying in my ten or eleven years of experience,” Newman said. “It’s kind of a tough situation, one hand you’re thinking other guys had to qualify in the sprinkles.”

    “My track was dry,” Newman continued. “I don’t know if it was any faster. I think we picked up the same speed as the other guys did earlier in qualifying.”

    The drama particularly played out with five-time champion Jimmie Johnson, driver of the No. 48 Lowes Chevrolet, who started his qualifying run but then pulled off the track, only to be resoundly booed and heckled by the crowd, who were desperate for the completion of qualifying.

    “Some of them did and some of them didn’t go out, but in the end we’re supposed to have dry track conditions or at least not be raining when we go out on the race track,” Newman said. “So, I understand where Jimmie (Johnson) came from when he pulled in.”

    “I’m just really proud of my team,” Newman said. “We backed up what we did here at least on Friday from the spring race and give the Haas Automation a good starting spot.”

    The Red Bull teammates of Kasey Kahne, behind the wheel of the No. 4 Red Bull Toyota, and Brian Vickers, driving the No. 83 Red Bull Toyota, were also part of the drama that played out in Loudon qualifying.

    Vickers went out prior to the rain drops falling, where Kahne had to cool his heels with the five remaining cars awaiting the drying of the track. In the end, Kahne still scored the outside pole, while Vickers lost the provisional pole, falling to the third spot.

    “Obviously the conditions were tough,” Vickers said. “I would have liked to have seen it play out just running straight through.”

    “It is what it is,” Vickers continued. “Either way we started out better than we would have.”

    “We ended up with a top-three start,” Vickers said. “So, that’s great and both Red Bull cars are up front.”

    “But again, I would have liked to have seen our laps hold if we were heads up in the same position.”

    Outside pole sitter Kasey Kahne was second quickest when he finally got to qualify, with a lap of 28.263 seconds and a speed of 134.763 mph.

    “It was a good effort,” Kahne said. “We ended up right where we would have been if it would have ended up if it hadn’t rained.”

    “The track was definitely slicker,” Kahne continued. “The way my car handled, we were definitely quicker in practice. But I’m glad we got qualifying in.”

    Greg Biffle, driving the No. 16 Ford40MPG.com Ford, and Kurt Busch, behind the wheel of the No. 22 Shell Pennzoil Dodge, rounded out the top five for the 15th annual Sylvania 300.  The remainder of the top ten qualifiers were Kevin Harvick, Jeff Gordon, Kyle Busch, Martin Truex, Jr. and Jimmie Johnson.

    Starting Lineup
    Sylvania 300, New Hampshire Motor Speedway
    http://www.speedwaymedia.com/Cup/qual.php?race=28
    ===========================================
    Pos. No. Driver Make Speed Time
    ===========================================
    1 39 Ryan Newman Chevrolet 135.002 28.213
    2 4 Kasey Kahne Toyota 134.763 28.263
    3 83 Brian Vickers Toyota 134.648 28.287
    4 16 Greg Biffle Ford 134.587 28.3
    5 22 Kurt Busch Dodge 134.382 28.343
    6 29 Kevin Harvick Chevrolet 134.354 28.349
    7 24 Jeff Gordon Chevrolet 134.16 28.39
    8 18 Kyle Busch Toyota 134.146 28.393
    9 56 Martin Truex Jr. Toyota 134.146 28.393
    10 48 Jimmie Johnson Chevrolet 134.075 28.408
    11 33 Clint Bowyer Chevrolet 134.056 28.412
    12 88 Dale Earnhardt Jr. Chevrolet 133.981 28.428
    13 43 A.J. Allmendinger Ford 133.82 28.462
    14 27 Paul Menard Chevrolet 133.816 28.463
    15 47 Bobby Labonte Toyota 133.792 28.468
    16 2 Brad Keselowski Dodge 133.769 28.473
    17 78 Regan Smith Chevrolet 133.755 28.476
    18 31 Jeff Burton Chevrolet 133.595 28.51
    19 0 David Reutimann Toyota 133.572 28.515
    20 14 Tony Stewart Chevrolet 133.445 28.542
    21 5 Mark Martin Chevrolet 133.357 28.561
    22 36 Dave Blaney Chevrolet 133.245 28.585
    23 99 Carl Edwards Ford 133.203 28.594
    24 20 Joey Logano Toyota 133.114 28.613
    25 1 Jamie McMurray Chevrolet 132.905 28.658
    26 6 David Ragan Ford 132.896 28.66
    27 17 Matt Kenseth Ford 132.665 28.71
    28 11 Denny Hamlin Toyota 132.591 28.726
    29 9 Marcos Ambrose Ford 132.572 28.73
    30 51 Landon Cassill Chevrolet 132.429 28.761
    31 42 Juan Montoya Chevrolet 132.232 28.804
    32 38 J.J. Yeley Ford 132.213 28.808
    33 34 David Gilliland Ford 132.048 28.844
    34 30 David Stremme Chevrolet 131.856 28.886
    35 66 Michael McDowell Toyota 131.797 28.899
    36 7 Robby Gordon Dodge 131.352 28.997
    37 13 Casey Mears Toyota 131.293 29.01
    38 55 Travis Kvapil Ford 131.058 29.062
    39 87 Joe Nemechek Toyota 130.833 29.112
    40 32 Mike Bliss Ford 130.613 29.161
    41 37 Josh Wise Ford 130.55 29.175
    42 71 Andy Lally+* Ford 128.784 29.575
    43 46 Scott Speed Ford 130.305 29.23
  • Surprising and Not Surprising: Chicagoland Geico 400

    Surprising and Not Surprising: Chicagoland Geico 400

    After a valiant attempt to battle the rain drops and start the race as advertised on Sunday, NASCAR finally gave in and postponed the race until Monday. This is what was surprising and not surprising from the 11th running of the GEICO 400 at Chicagoland Speedway.

    [media-credit name=”Dan Sanger” align=”alignright” width=”229″][/media-credit]Surprising:  Although without fuel for a burnout, smoke still surprisingly rose from Victory Lane as the driver of the No. 14 Office Depot/Mobil 1 Chevrolet, Tony Stewart, celebrated his first win of the season with crew chief Darian Grub and his team.

    This was Stewart’s 40th victory in 455 Cup races, tying him with Mark Martin for 16th on the all-time victory list. This also ended 32-race winless streak, but extended Smoke’s streak of having one win every season for the past 13 years.

    “You couldn’t pick a better weekend to get that first win of the year than here at Chicago,” Stewart said. “We’ve had a miserable year, by our standards. But the last three weeks we’ve really started coming into it.”

    “At the end you hate to have to play the fuel mileage game,” Stewart continued. “We didn’t do any wild burnouts or anything like that and ran out before we ever got on pit road.”

    “So, we were closer than I wanted to be,” Smoke said. “But I had a good enough car to get us there and Darian and his calls gave us the opportunity to get the lead. I was glad I saved as much as I did.”

    Stewart’s win catapulted him up seven spots in the Chase point standings, moving from the ninth position to second, only seven points out of first.

    Not Surprising:  While driver and team owner celebrated in victory lane, it was not surprising to see the other half of Stewart-Hass Racing dynamic duo also have a good day at the office.

    Ryan Newman, driver of the No. 39 US Army Medicine Chevrolet, finished eighth. Newman led twice during the race, for a total of 18 laps.

    Highlighting on his hood the medical men and women of the US Army, Newman also scored his 14th top-10 finish of the season and his sixth top-10 finish in his 10 career Cup starts at Chicagoland Speedway.

    Newman’s finish garnered him one step up in the Chase, moving from eighth to seventh. He is in a tie, however, with sixth place Keselowski, who has three wins to Newman’s one on the season.

    Surprising:  Granted that the race was delayed due to rain and decided by fuel mileage, it was still surprising the lack of impact qualifying had on the race finish. At one extreme was Matt Kenseth, driver of the No. 17 Crown Royal Ford, who not only qualified on the pole but also led off and on throughout the race only to be done in by fuel mileage but also by a penalty for being pushed by J J Yeley on the last lap.  Kenseth finished 21st and fell six positions in the Chase standings to tenth.

    “It is really frustrating to be a race car driver and they drop the green on the last run of the day when you are supposed to put on a show for the fans and you have to run full throttle and can’t floor it or you will run out of gas,” Kenseth said. “It is pretty aggravating to do all the work and qualifying and pit stops and adjustments but none of it makes a difference.”

    On the flip side of the coin was Kevin Harvick, behind the wheel of the No. 29 Budweiser Chevrolet, who qualified 30th only to live up to his ‘Closer’ reputation to finish second in the race. This was Harvick’s seventh top-10 finish in 11 races at Chicagoland Speedway and his 14th top-10 finish in 2011.

    Harvick’s finish catapulted him into first place in the Chase standings.

    “I knew that we had saved a little bit under caution and a little bit at the beginning of that run,” Harvick said of his fuel status at the end of the race. “Everybody on our Budweiser Chevrolet did a great job knowing exactly how far we could go, so good first race for us.”

    Not Surprising:  When it comes to fuel mileage racing, it is never surprising to see Dale Earnhardt, Jr. and his crew chief Steve Letarte go for broke and roll the dice.  The race at Chicagoland was no different with the driver taking his No. 88 Amp Energy/National Guard Chevrolet to a 3rd place finish.

    “We worked real hard all weekend trying to be smart,” Junior said. “The car was a bit of a struggle in the middle part of the race but in that last run, we were one of the best cars on the track.”

    “We started trying to save a little gas and we made it further than most,” Junior continued. “It was a good weekend for us.”

    Surprising:  The driver of the No. 18 Wrigley’s Doublemint Toyota and the driver of the No. 24 Dupont Chevrolet had a surprising statistic in common. Kyle Busch and Jeff Gordon both lost eight positions in the Chase standings due to their Chicagoland race struggles, thanks to their 22nd and 24th finishing positions respectively.

    “We had a good car and kept fighting back all day long,” Busch said. “I saved as much fuel as I could but I guess it just wasn’t enough and we ran out with two to go. Just a really disappointing day.”

    Gordon echoed those sentiments, although he acknowledged that not only did he qualify poorly but his car was a handful all race long.

    “It was just one of those days,” Gordon said. “We were just off.”

    “We actually got the car halfway decent there at the end,” Gordon continued. “Then it came down to saving fuel and we obviously didn’t save enough fuel.”

    Not Surprising:  In spite of burying the hatchet with his nemesis Jimmie Johnson and having a decent finish, it was not surprising that controversy continued to dog the driver of the No. 22 Shell/Pennzoil Dodge Charger. After skirmishing with the media at last weekend’s race, Kurt Busch skirmished instead with his crew chief and team, sharing a few choice words over the radio during the race.

    “We had speed in the car early, but just didn’t keep up with the track,” Busch said after the race. “We just struggled with making adjustments as the race went on.”

    Not surprisingly, Busch’s crew chief Steve Addington seemed to especially take the criticism to heart, falling on the sword for the team.

    “It seems like we can get our cars tightened up, but can’t free them up at all and we struggled with that,” Addington said. “I’m disappointed that we led a lot of laps and should have had a better showing with the Shell/Pennzoil Dodge.”

    “We just couldn’t stay on top of the race track like we needed to once the track got rubbered-in,” Addington continued. “I’m disappointed in myself.”

    Surprising:  It was surprising to watch the metamorphosis that took place for Brad Keselowski as he moved from the ‘Iron Man’ performance that got him into Chase contention to NASCAR’s version of Cinderella.

    Keselowski, behind the wheel of the No. 2 Miller Lite Dodge finished the race in the fifth position. With that top-five finish, he also moved up five positions to sixth in the current Chase standings.

    “Whew, an amazing day to get this Miller Lite Dodge Charger a top-five finish,” Keselowski said. “It wasn’t easy.”

    “It really was a matter of trying to be patient,” Keselowski continued. “Our fuel mileage was awesome.”

    “It was a good first step for us in the Chase.”

    Not Surprising:  With the futures of several drivers uncertain, it was not surprising to see them achieve some hopefully eye-catching finishes.  Tops among those drivers who finished alongside the elite Chase contenders were Clint Bowyer, who took seventh, as well as Mark Martin with a top-10 finish and Brian Vickers with a top-15.

  • NASCAR Top-10 Power Rankings: Chicagoland

    NASCAR Top-10 Power Rankings: Chicagoland

    Note: The quotes in this article are fictional.

    [media-credit name=”Bill Gutweiler” align=”alignright” width=”200″][/media-credit]1. Tony Stewart: Stewart leaped to the forefront in the Chase For The Cup, leading the final 30 laps to win the Geico 400 at Chicagoland. He shot seven places in the point standings to second, and trails Kevin Harvick by seven.

    “Just days ago,” Stewart said, “I declared several drivers as favorites to win the Cup. My name wasn’t on the list. Was I sandbagging? Unlike some drivers, I can only play dumb. But it’s obvious I went from ‘pretender’ to contender in a hurry, even faster than Brad Keselowski earlier this year.

    “But of all people, Harvick should appreciate the intricacies of getting every last drop out of an engine. His Craftsman Truck team made plenty of ‘dry runs,’ racing despite a lack of funding.”

    2. Kevin Harvick: Harvick finished second to Tony Stewart at Chicago, running out of time as many others ran out of fuel. Harvick took sole possession of the points lead as Kyle Busch ran out of fuel with one lap to go. Harvick now leads Stewart by seven points and Carl Edwards by ten.

    “I was running on fumes,” Harvick said, “so a caution wouldn’t even have helped me. So, it helps to have gas in your tank, or a teammate in your pocket. Luckily, we didn’t need Paul Menard in order for the No. 29 Budweiser car to finish strong.”

    3. Jimmie Johnson: Johnson led 39 laps at Chicagoland, and was running third when his fuel tank ran dry entering the final lap. He still finished tenth, and fell three places in the point standings to eighth, 16 behind Kevin Harvick.

    “Tony Stewart’s not the only driver who ‘tanked,’” Johnson said. “However, he wisely did his tanking before the race. I still contend that I’ll ‘coast’ to my sixth Sprint Cup title; I just didn’t think it would be this soon.”

    4. Carl Edwards: Edwards had a solid start to the Chase, finishing fourth in the Geico 400 after leading 39 laps. He improved two spots in the point standings, and now trails Kevin Harvick by ten points.

    “What do you know?” Edwards said. “There’s a caveman giving the ‘Gentlemen, start your engines’ command. And Matt Kenseth says I’m the only ‘Neanderthal’ in racing.”

    5. Kyle Busch: Busch’s title hopes took a hit at Chicagoland Speedway, running out of fuel on the last lap to see a top-10 result turn into a 22nd. He tumbled eight places in the point standings to ninth, 19 out of first.

    “Now I can say I’ve ‘run out of gas early’ in the Chase,” Busch said, “literally and figuratively. If form holds, I’ll next run out of steam, then patience.”

    6. Kurt Busch: Busch led the most laps in the Geico 400, 64, and came home sixth, despite being generally unhappy with his car for much of the day Monday. The No. 22 Shell/Pennzoil Dodge was good when it counted, and Busch is now fourth in the point standings, 11 out of first.

    “I never stop complaining,” Busch said. “Even after a top-10 finish in a fuel mileage race, I wasn’t happy, and I let the No. 22 hear about it on the radio. They were shocked, that after 400 miles of radio belligerence, I still didn’t run out of ‘sass.’

    “You may have seen me throw out the first pitch at the Chicago Cubs game on Monday. Silly me. I thought they asked me to throw out the first ‘bitch.’”

    7. Dale Earnhardt, Jr.: Earnhardt posted his best finish since a second in Kansas in June with a third at Chicagoland, buoyed by the fuel mileage problems of several Chase contenders. Earnhardt moved up four spots to fifth in the points, and trails Kevin Harvick by 13.

    “I’m impressed by my fuel conservation abilities,” Earnhardt said. “And so are my fans. Junior Nation loves it when Junior rations.”

    8. Brad Keselowski: Keselowski’s Chase debut was a success, as he piloted the No. 2 Miller Lite Dodge to a fifth in the Geico 400, his sixth top-6 finish in the last seven races. He is now tied for sixth in the Sprint Cup point standings, 14 out of first.

    “I’ll take a firth-place finish,” Keselowski said. “Unlike the former driver of the Miller Lite car, I can’t complain. I know when to shut up, and when to put up. Confidence is the name of the game in the Chase, and I feel I’m as talented as any one else. Maybe that’s youth talking. That makes me too young to know ‘better.’”

    9. Ryan Newman: Like many, Newman ran out of gas on the final lap, but coasted to a still-solid eighth in the Geico 400 as Stewart-Haas teammate Tony Stewart took the victory. Newman is tied for sixth in the point standings, 14 out of first.

    “Next up on the schedule isNew Hampshire,” Newman said. “As you know, Me and Tony finished one-two at New Hampshire back in July. Hopefully, we can repeat that. Most drivers fear the Newman-Stewart one-two punch, especially Joey Logano and Kurt Busch.”

    10. Matt Kenseth: Kenseth had the best car for much of the day, but fuel worries forced him to back off the throttle near race’s end. Nevertheless, he ran out of gas with a lap to go, and with a push from J.J. Yeley, was scored with an eighth-place finish until NASCAR ruled the push illegal. Kenseth was credited with a 21st-place finish, and dropped six places in the standings to tenth.

    “I couldn’t go ‘all out,’” Kenseth said, “but, ironically, I ended up going ‘all out’ anyway.”

  • Tony Stewart Wins Geico 400 Vaults to Second in Points

    Tony Stewart Wins Geico 400 Vaults to Second in Points

    For a guy who did not think heading into the this race weekend that he had a chance at winning the championship Tony Stewart found himself leaving the Windy City only 7 points behind the new leader, Kevin Harvick. Stewart had enough gas while many of the stronger cars of the day and fellow chase participants were running out on the white flag lap.  Harvick was behind by almost a second and Dale Earnhardt Jr. followed Stewart with Carl Edwards and Brad Keselowski rounding out the top five.  Eight of the top ten finishers were chase participants with Clint Bowyer and Mark Martin finishing seventh and ninth respectively.

    Defending champion Jimmie Johnson and Kenseth, both who led part of the race today ran out of fuel.

    Stewart said, “It is huge; I had a migraine all day yesterday so I am kinda glad we didn’t race. Man, this Office Depot/ Mobil One Chevy was awesome! All of our partners … we have had a rough year so this is a good way to start off the Chase.”

    Stewart, who was winless up to today is headed to New Hampshire where he and his teammate had their best showing of the season earlier when they finished 1-2 with Newman taking the checkered flag.  Stewart said, “The way we ran there in the spring, I am real excited about going to New Hampshire.  So I am just excited and proud of everyone on our Office Depot/Mobil 1 Chevy team and they did an awesome job all weekend and Darien and these guys made some awesome calls and great pit stops by the crew.  We just had a good day today.”

    Stewart’s crew chief Darian Grubb said, “Boy does champagne feel good right now. It’s pretty sweet. It’s the way to start the Chase off, especially with the year we’ve had. We’ve had some really good cars, really fast cars and some bad luck and circumstances that kept us from winning races. To get our first win leading into the Chase feels really good.”

    The new points leader and second place finisher Kevin Harvick said,”We worked real hard all weekend trying to be smart.  The car was a bit of a struggle in the middle part of the race but in that last run we were one of the best cars on the track.  My guys had great pit stops and worked really hard trying to get better so I really have to thank those guys for what they got us today and we had a good car and we were just real smart all weekend and did a good job and I am real happy with the team.”

    Jeff Gordon ran out of fuel and dug himself a hole dropping from third to eleventh in points. Gordon said, “We were just off. We didn’t qualify good. That got us behind right there. It was just one of those days. You know. We had a right front tear apart. We actually got the car halfway decent there at the end. Then it came down to saving fuel and we obviously didn’t save enough fuel.”

    Gordon noted that they need to have some improvements saying, “We have to qualify better; we can’t have days like we had today. That’s for sure.”

    Official Race Results
    Geico 400, Chicagoland Speedway
    =========================================
    Pos. St. No. Driver Make Points
    =========================================
    1 26 14 Tony Stewart Chevrolet 47
    2 30 29 Kevin Harvick Chevrolet 42
    3 19 88 Dale Earnhardt Jr. Chevrolet 41
    4 5 99 Carl Edwards Ford 41
    5 6 2 Brad Keselowski Dodge 40
    6 3 22 Kurt Busch Dodge 40
    7 21 33 Clint Bowyer Chevrolet 37
    8 4 39 Ryan Newman Chevrolet 37
    9 25 5 Mark Martin Chevrolet 35
    10 12 48 Jimmie Johnson Chevrolet 35
    11 15 6 David Ragan Ford 33
    12 24 4 Kasey Kahne Toyota 32
    13 8 83 Brian Vickers Toyota 31
    14 16 42 Juan Montoya Chevrolet 30
    15 22 31 Jeff Burton Chevrolet 29
    16 10 20 Joey Logano Toyota 28
    17 13 78 Regan Smith Chevrolet 27
    18 20 56 Martin Truex Jr. Toyota 27
    19 17 9 Marcos Ambrose Ford 25
    20 2 27 Paul Menard Chevrolet 24
    21 1 17 Matt Kenseth Ford 24
    22 9 18 Kyle Busch Toyota 23
    23 28 21 Trevor Bayne Ford 0
    24 23 24 Jeff Gordon Chevrolet 20
    25 42 32 Mike Bliss Ford 0
    26 7 16 Greg Biffle Ford 18
    27 18 43 A.J. Allmendinger Ford 17
    28 40 71 Andy Lally * Ford 16
    29 41 13 Casey Mears Toyota 15
    30 31 51 Landon Cassill Chevrolet 0
    31 27 11 Denny Hamlin Toyota 13
    32 29 0 David Reutimann Toyota 12
    33 39 36 Dave Blaney Chevrolet 11
    34 32 38 J.J. Yeley Ford 11
    35 35 46 Scott Speed Ford 0
    36 38 34 David Gilliland Ford 8
    37 11 47 Bobby Labonte Toyota 7
    38 14 1 Jamie McMurray Chevrolet 6
    39 37 7 Robby Gordon Dodge 5
    40 36 87 Joe Nemechek Toyota 0
    41 34 30 David Stremme Chevrolet 3
    42 43 37 Josh Wise Ford 0
    43 33 66 Michael McDowell Toyota 1
  • The Chase is On – Here’s What the Drivers are Saying

    The Chase is On – Here’s What the Drivers are Saying

    The NASCAR Sprint Cup Chase field has been set and the contenders have been all over the country in a media blitz. Each of the 10 tracks that are included in the Chase hosted one of the 12 Chase drivers. They participated in everything from go-kart races to pep rallies to golfing and more.

    [media-credit name=”CIA Stock Photo” align=”alignright” width=”251″][/media-credit]The media has made their picks and the fans have weighed in.

    Now it’s time to hear from the drivers.

    It’s no surprise that five-time champ Jimmie Johnson is on everyone’s mind.

    Although some have suggested that he may be more vulnerable this year, Kevin Harvick is not buying it.

    “I heard the same conversation last year. They’re still the team to beat. They’ve won it so many different ways.”

    But the other drivers are still hoping that Johnson will falter.  Brad Keselowski quipped, “He is human, right?”

    Jeff Gordon is looking forward to the Chase and thinks this could be the year he captures his fifth championship.

    “I’m excited about going to the race track every weekend,” said Gordon. When I won my four championships, it was under the old format. You had to be consistent, and yeah, you had to win, but at the end you were trying to beat two or three guys. With this format you’re going up against 11 other guys. But I do think this is the best chance we’ve ever had at winning the championship [in the Chase].”

    And while many consider Dale Earnhardt Jr. an underdog going into the Chase, he feels like he has a shot.

    “I’m going in with the attitude that we have as good a chance as anybody. The opportunity is on the table. We’re going to make the most of it.”

    One sentiment echoed by many of the drivers is that there is nothing to lose and everything to gain. This is what they have been working toward all season long and each race will bring them one step closer to their goal.

    Kurt Busch, who has been in the spotlight lately because of his rivalry with Johnson, is ready to leave the past behind and focus on winning a second championship.

    “The Chase is intense. Every year you have your rivalries. I have a sibling rivalry with my brother Kyle, too. But you have to put that stuff away.”

    Tony Stewart thinks this is the toughest group of drivers we’ve ever seen in the Chase.

    Stewart went on to add that “Realistically, there’s seven guys who really have a shot at winning this thing.”

    In no particular order, Stewart’s top seven picks include Jimmie Johnson, Jeff Gordon, Kyle Busch, Carl Edwards, Kevin Harvick, Ryan Newman and Brad Keselowski.

    It should be noted that he doesn’t include his name on the list of potential championship winners and says “I feel like we’re the underdog right now.”

    The reigning champ, Jimmie Johnson, heads into the Chase feeling confident that the possibility of a sixth consecutive championship is within his grasp.

    “We’re in a good spot,” said Johnson. “Our win total isn’t what it’s been in the past, but we’ve had opportunities.”

    As the first race approaches this weekend at Chicagoland Speedway, it’s time to get down to business.

    Stay tuned for Round One of the Chase. The real fun is about to begin.

  • NASCAR Top-10 Power Rankings: Richmond

    NASCAR Top-10 Power Rankings: Richmond

    Note: The quotes in this article are fictional.

    [media-credit name=”CIA Stock Photo” align=”alignright” width=”234″][/media-credit]1. Kyle Busch: Busch finished sixth in the Wonderful Pistachios 400 at Richmond, overcoming two instances of falling a lap down to score his 16th top 10 of the year. Busch will start the Chase atop the standings, tied with nemesis Kevin Harvick, each with four wins.

    “It’s great to be back on top of the standings,” Busch said. “The question is, can I stay there? Now would be a great time for Pedigree to adorn the No. 18 Toyota, while I order it to ‘stay.’

    “I don’t expect Harvick and I to share the top spot for long. As everyone knows, we can’t be in the same place for long. I’m sure he’s reveling at another chance to ‘knock me out.’”

    2. Kevin Harvick: Harvick won the race off pit road on the final caution and held off a charging Carl Edwards to win at Richmond. It was Harvick’s fourth win of the year, and first since may, and placed him in a tie with Kyle Busch for the top seed in the reset point standings.

    “Thanks to my pit crew,” Harvick said, “we were able to win this race. This isn’t the first time I’ve had my crew to thank for keeping Edwards off of me.

    “It’s quite a relief to know that Richard Childress will be running my Nationwide team. That’s a burden I can do without, and it just goes to show that it’s easier to ‘unload’ on Richard Childress than Kyle Busch.”

    3. Jimmie Johnson: The Jimmie Johnson-Kurt Busch feud intensified at Richmond, just in time for the Chase. Johnson was clipped by Kurt Busch and spun on lap 185, and Johnson retaliated on lap 246 after diving into the corner sideways and sending Busch for a smoky spin. Johnson finished 31st, and will start the Chase eighth in the standings, nine points out of first.

    “I don’t know if Busch wrecked me intentionally,” Johnson said. “One could argue that’s why I wrecked Busch—-because I just had to stop and ask.

    “If Busch wants to continue this feud, that’s his prerogative. I don’t mind. I think I’ve been pretty patient with Kurt. After all, I haven’t slapped him, which is yet another characteristic that separates me from most other drivers. Whether surrounded by Cups or controversy, I’m comfortable in the middle of it.”

    4. Jeff Gordon: Gordon passed Kevin Harvick for the lead with 22 laps to go, but Paul Menard’s spin six laps later brought out the final caution, and Harvick beat Gordon out of the pits. Harvick went on to win, while Gordon finished third and will start the Chase For The Cup three points down to top seeds Harvick and Kyle Busch.

    “We gave that one away,” Gordon said. “Normally, exchanging ‘24’ for a ‘case’ of Budweiser would be considered fair. Not this time.

    “My car may say ‘Drive To End Hunger,’ but I’m saying I’m the ‘Driver To End Hunger For Five.’”

    5. Carl Edwards: Edwards gained some much-needed momentum for the Chase For The Cup with a runner-up finish at Richmond. Edwards chased Kevin Harvick over the final 12 laps after a restart, but couldn’t get close enough to make the pass. Edwards will start the Chase nine points down to co-leaders Kevin Harvick and Kyle Busch.

    “I knew I probably couldn’t get close enough to pass Harvick,” Edwards said, “but I was hoping to at least pressure him into a mistake. As is well known, my way of getting at Harvick is to make him ‘choke.’”

    6. Brad Keselowski: Keselowski finished 12th in the Wonderful Pistachios 400, his first result outside the top 10 since a 35th at New Hampshire. As a wildcard Chase qualifier, he’ll start the Chase 12 points out of the lead.

    “Thanks to NASCAR’s screwy wildcard rules,” Keselowski said, “I get no credit for my three wins. Instead of starting three points off the pace, I’m 12 behind. I don’t know what’s harder—winning three times, or proving myself twice.”

    7. Matt Kenseth: Kenseth finished 23rd at Richmond, one lap down, after a night filled with handling challenges and several scrapes with other cars. By virtue of his two wins this year, Kenseth will start the Chase six points behind co-leaders Kyle Busch and Kevin Harvick.

    “It’s certainly not the way we wanted to enter the Chase For The Cup,” Kenseth said. “The No. 17 Ollie’s Bargain Outlet Ford faced a number of issues on Saturday, but don’t ‘discount’ chances to win the Sprint Cup.”

    8. Kurt Busch: Busch finished fifth at Richmond, posting his seventh top-5 result of the season. He’ll start nine points off the lead when the Chase For The Cup begins Sunday at Chicagoland.

    “As my brother Kyle well knows,” Busch said, “it’s not where you start, it’s how you finish. And I’m 100% committed to finishing—Jimmie Johnson.”

    9. Ryan Newman: Newman finished eighth at Atlanta, his 13th top-10 result of the year, and will start the Chase alongside Stewart-Haas teammate Tony Stewart, who finished 12th in the standings.

    “It’s great to have a teammate in the Chase,” Newman said, “but Tony knows as well as I that once the Chase starts, it’s every man for himself. I’m as well prepared as anyone for that situation—that’s one, and likely the only, advantage to teaming with Rusty Wallace for several years.”

    10. Denny Hamlin: With his Chase-qualification hopes on the line, Hamlin overcame damage sustained in an early accident to finish 9th, locking up a wildcard berth in the Chase.

    “We certainly don’t enter this year’s Chase with the momentum we had last year,” Hamlin said. “Obviously, this team has regressed, but our off-season overhaul will take place in the same manner as a potential Cup-winning Chase—from the bottom up.”

  • Surprising and Not Surprising: Richmond Wonderful Pistachios 400

    Surprising and Not Surprising: Richmond Wonderful Pistachios 400

    [media-credit name=”Ted Seminara” align=”alignright” width=”231″][/media-credit]With tributes to the troops, America and to all lost on September 11th, NASCAR’s finest took to the Richmond International Raceway to determine the twelve who will Chase for the Championship. Here is what was surprising and not surprising from the 54th annual Wonderful Pistachios 400.

    Surprising:  The unhappiness of this driver with his car at the beginning of the race contrasted starkly with his surprisingly overwhelming joy and happiness in Victory Lane. And yet even in victory, the winner of the race stopped to pay tribute to those who serve and to the country, as well as to his mother on her birthday.

    Kevin Harvick, driver of the No. 29 Budweiser Chevrolet, claimed his fourth victory of the 2011 season and his second victory in 22 races at Richmond, locking him into a tie for the top seed in the Chase.

    “This is pretty awesome,” Harvick said as he climbed out of the car to cheers and spraying of the sponsor’s product. “First thing I want to do is thank all of our troops for everything they do for us. This is a special weekend.”

    “And I want to say ‘happy birthday’ to my mom tomorrow,” Harvick continued. “This is just a great night and a great weekend.”

    Not Surprising:  Although getting in by the skin of their teeth, Tony Stewart, Dale Earnhardt, Jr., and Denny Hamlin overcame problems during the race to finish seventh, sixteenth, and ninth respectively, establishing their places in the Chase, ninth, tenth and twelfth respectively.

    “I’m probably most proud of the fact that we’ve had six opportunities to be in the Chase and we’ve made it five out of the six,” Stewart, driver of the No. 14 Office Depot/Mobil 1 Chevrolet, said. “We’re able to sit up here tonight and say we’ve made this thing.”

    “I wouldn’t have predicted it halfway through the year with the way our season was going, but real appreciative of our guys who kept their heads up and kept working really hard.”

    “Well we just kept working and trying to fix the car,” Dale Earnhardt, Jr. said of his No. 88 Amp Energy/National Guard Chevrolet. “We were tore up pretty bad in the front end and was just really loose in. We worked on it and worked on it and fought for everything we could.”

    “It was an unbelievable comeback,” Hamlin, behind the wheel of the No. 11 FedEx Express Toyota. “This car really is destroyed and it’s amazing how fast we got this car considering the circumstances.”

    “We were just able to motor up through there.”

    Surprising:  Although Richmond is a short track and tempers traditionally run hot, it was surprising the intensity of the feelings between one-time champion Kurt Busch and five-time champion Jimmie Johnson, who managed to find one another yet again to bring out the eleventh caution of the race.

    “We raced down into Turn One and I locked up the left front trying to avoid him,” Busch, driver of the No. 22 Shell/Pennzoil Dodge, said of Johnson. “When he came back to us, you could see it coming.”

    “That’s not something you see from Jimmie Johnson every day,” Busch continued. “So I know we’re in his head.”

    “He’s got to learn to race,” Busch said. “He’s been able to beat guys the last five years just by out driving them just what he has for equipment.”

    “I’m going to beat him fair and square with my Penske Dodge.”

    “I got run over going into (Turn) One,” Johnson, driver of the No. 48 Lowe’s/Power of Pride Chevrolet, said after the race. “If you’re going to spin me out, I’m going to spin you out.”

    “It’s just part of it,” Johnson continued. “I’m sure I’ll go find him and talk to him and he’ll run his mouth and we’ll go from there.”

    “I’ve worked very hard to not have any contact with him,” Johnson said. “I made a move to break the draft and I didn’t touch his car.”

    “He instigated it and ran into the side of me,” Johnson continued. “If he can stop running into my Lowe’s Chevrolet, everything will be just fine.”

    Busch finished fifth in the race and, in stark contrast, Johnson finished 31st. Johnson, however, now becomes the only driver to qualify for each of the eight Chase competitions, from 2004 to 2010.

    Johnson is seeded sixth in the Chase and Busch is ironically right behind him in the seventh spot.

    Not Surprising:  In contrast to the hot tempers, three drivers in particular remained calm, cool and collected to not only finish the race with top ten finishes, but secure their places firmly in the Chase.

    Carl Edwards, driver of the No. 99 Kellogg’s/Cheez-It Ford, almost caught winner Kevin Harvick in the final laps of the race, settling instead for a second place finish. This was Edwards’ seventh top-10 finish in 15 races at Richmond and his 17th top -10 finish this season.

    “Well, once I get over the frustration of not winning this thing, I am going to be really excited about how fast our team is,” Edwards said. “We really turned things around tonight.”

    “That is the best we have run on a short track in years,” Edwards continued. “That was huge. I had a good time and I am ready to go get this Chase on.”

    Jeff Gordon, driver of the No. 24 Drive to End Hunger Chevrolet, was bitten by the final caution to score a third place finish. This was, however, Gordon’s 24th top-10 finish in 38 races at Richmond.

    “That definitely did not fall our way, but that was a great battle,” Gordon said. “That was fun.”

    “This team has got me excited and they’re on fire,” Gordon continued. “To be up there to take the lead and have a shot at winning that thing was awesome. We’re very excited.”

    And Kyle Busch, behind the wheel of his No. 18 M&Ms Toyota, decked out in a red, white and blue 9/11 tribute paint scheme, scored a sixth place finish after recovering from losing a lap due to a loose wheel.

    “It was just a hard-fought battle tonight, and certainly we had to battle through more adversity than we would have like to,” Busch said. “But that’s what’s going to make us better.”

    “We fought through everything it seemed,” Busch continued. “It was fun to drive that thing.”

    Surprising:  Red Bull Racing had a surprisingly bad day, with Kasey Kahne, behind the wheel of the No. 4 Red Bull Toyota, wrecking twice, once with a tire going down and once into his own teammate Brian Vickers, behind the wheel of the No. 83 Red Bull Toyota, as a result of contact with Marcos Ambrose.

    “I just know I started to turn when the 83 hit me hard,” Kahne said. “It was a weird deal.”

    Vickers had an even stronger reaction, expressing his anger both on and off the track at Ambrose. Although speculation had it that Vickers had been parked by NASCAR, he ended up spending a great deal of time on pit road attempting to repair the car before visiting the NASCAR hauler after the race.

    Not Surprising:  It was not surprising that several drivers just out of the top twelve came oh, so close to making their Chase dreams a possibility.

    A.J. Allmendinger, behind the wheel of the No. 43 Best Buy Ford, had a great run, finishing 11th. Yet he still came up short, remaining in the 13th position in the point standings.

    Clint Bowyer, driving the No. 33 Cheerios/Hamburger Helper Chevrolet, also gave it his best college try, only to finish 22nd after a difficult run, including losing his air conditioning ten laps into the race and tangling with fellow competitor David Ragan, also trying to  make the Chase in his No. 6 UPS ‘We Love Logistics’ Ford.

    “I got under David and I didn’t get any room left and spun myself out,” Bowyer said. “I drove as hard as I could and gambled and did what we could to try to win the race.”

    “Nothing’s gone our way since Charlotte half way through our season,” Bowyer continued. “There’s always next year.”

    Surprising:  Stephen Leicht, in only his second career race, had a good run for the No. 36 Golden Corral Chevrolet. Although Leicht finished 24th, he was in contention throughout, demonstrating that his time away from the sport has not hurt his abilities behind the wheel.

    Not Surprising:  Brad Keselowski, again showing that he is NASCAR’s hottest driver, brought the Blue Deuce to the checkered flag in the 12th position. ‘Kes’ has now cemented his place firmly in the Chase seeded 11th.

    “We just didn’t give up,” Keselowski said. “We got a little momentum going.”

    “When the Chase comes you’ve got to out-finish what you have for a car and we’re doing that,” Keselowski continued. “It’s Chase time and we’ve got the Blue Deuce in it.”

  • As Expected, Earnhardt Jr., Stewart and Hamlin All Make the Chase, But Went Through Hell to Get There

    As Expected, Earnhardt Jr., Stewart and Hamlin All Make the Chase, But Went Through Hell to Get There

    The day started off well, beautiful blue sunny skies complimented an emotional tribute to the tenth anniversary of 9/11, which included a planned moment of silence from laps nine through 11 to honor the victims, survivors and those who served in response to the attacks. Danny Rodriguez, the “singing New York City policeman sang “God Bless America, the 29th Infantry Division Band played the National Anthem and R. Lee Ermey, retired US Marine, Actor and Wonderful Pistachios spokesman gave the command, “Drivers let’s get crackin! Drivers, start your engines!”

    [media-credit name=”CIA Stock Photo” align=”alignright” width=”230″][/media-credit]The cars rolled off the track at 7:46 pm and Wonderful Pistachios 400 began with three warm-up laps behind the pace car before Pole Sitter, David Reutimann brought the field to green. That’s where things started to get a little weird. Jaime McMurray quickly took over the lead, followed by Jimmie Johnson who then stole Reuity’s second place position.

    Then came lap two where all hell just broke loose and never stopped.

    The first caution of the night flew on lap two after Andy Lally got into the wall. No one hit pit road except Mike Bliss because well, the race just started ¾ miles earlier. McMurray led the field to green on lap six, with Johnson, Reutimann, Mark Martin and Clint Bowyer rounding up the top-five.

    And then bam, another caution just two laps later after Bowyer and Reutimann got together in turn four, spinning Bowyer’s No. 33 Chevy and collecting Denny Hamlin, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Scott Speed , Robby Gordon,  Matt Kenseth, Martin Truex Jr. Casey Mears, Marcos Ambrose, , David Gilliland and Travis Kvapil.

    Seriously? Seriously! Two of the three hopefuls to make the Chase involved in a wreck! Gasps could be heard track wide as hearts immediately sank and speculation began. Could NASCAR’s most popular driver Earnhardt Jr. and his crew bandage his broken racecar enough to get him a 20th place finish? How about Richmond’s hometown boy Hamlin? Did he even stand a chance or we’re all hopes dashed at that very moment?

    Both drivers took to pit road on lap 12. Hamlin for front and left sided damage, Earnhardt Jr. for serious front-end damage. Junior was back on pit road on lap 13, as were Kenseth, Truex and Mears. On lap 14 Hamlin went a lap down for an extended pit stop.

    Lap 15 saw crash victims, Earnhardt Jr., Kenseth, Truex and Bowyer back on pit road for repair. Lap 16 brought Kenseth back again and Hamlin with his hood up; possibly dashing his chances of making the Chase.  Lap 17 brought back Earnhardt Jr. and Kenseth and Hamlin once more on lap 18.

    The green flag flew on lap 19 with McMurray in the lead, only to be taken over by Johnson on lap 20, but Kasey Kahne shook things up after a hard hit in turn two bringing out caution number three. The green flag waved four laps later with Johnson leading the pack.

    Yellow flag number four flew on lap 37 after Earnhardt Jr. got into the back of Marco Ambrose, crashing him in the backstretch. Hamlin was the “lucky dog” putting the No. 11 Toyota back on the lead lap. At lap 40 both Ambrose and Hamlin were on pit road. Johnson once again led the field to green on lap 43.

    Lap 51 brought out the fifth caution of the night and ended Kahne’s night after wrecking into the outside and inside wall. Kahne was three-wide with teammate Brian Vickers and Ambrose when Kahne and Vickers got together.  Vickers expressed his displeasure with Ambrose on lap 53 by intentionally wrecking him under caution by slamming Ambrose’s No .9 Ford and blocking his entrance to pit road with his No. 83 Toyota. Vickers is told by NASCAR to park his Red Bull machine in the garage until further notice.

     

    Kenseth stayed out on the track and took the lead on lap 61 before the restart. Lap 69 brought an unexpected pit stop for Kyle Busch, who thought he had a loose wheel, putting him a lap down and in the 33rd position.  Harvick took over the lead position on lap 73 and by lap 93 was closing in on a 28th place Earnhardt Jr, about to put the No. 88 Chevy a lap down. Three laps later Harvick made that happen.

    On lap 103 Tony Stewart quietly clinched his place in the Chase by riding in the 13th position. Earnhardt Jr. sits in 10th place but just 12 points ahead of Keselowski. Mike Bliss brings of the yellow flag for the sixth time on lap 116, nailing the wall in turn two after a tire goes down.

    Vickers returned to the track on lap 120 after sitting in the garage for 68 laps. Harvick led the green flag restart on lap 122. Earnhardt Jr. delivered some earlier payback to Travis Kvapil on lap 152 sending him into the wall in turn two and bringing out the seventh caution of the evening. NASCAR deems Earnhardt Jr. responsible for the accident and did not grant him the free pass to get back onto the lead lap.

    New leader Greg Biffle led the field to green on lap 160 but of course that was short lived because in just two short laps later as Harvick was passing the Biff on the frontstretch, you guessed it another caution! Landon Cassill spun on the frontstretch and the yellow flag flew for the eighth time. Earnhardt Jr. is the “lucky dog” for the second time. Harvick led the pack out again on lap 168.

    History repeated itself again and again. Caution came out again on lap 172 as Paul Menard made hard contact with the wall and sent to the garage, ending his hopes to make the Chase. In a separate incident on the same lap, Regan Smith spun out but was able to keep it off the wall. Lap 185 we saw yellow again for the 10th time as Johnson spun in turn two after making contact with Kurt Busch. Montoya’s No. 42 Chevy was also involved.

    Harvick once again led the field to green on lap 190 with Edwards in second, looking for a dog fight and overtook the lead on lap 201. By lap 224 it was looking a little bleak for Earnhardt Jr. has he rode in the 24th position and Keselowski took over the second spot, threatening to move from his Wild Card place in the Chase to a legit top 10, which in effect would have ended Earnhardt’s chances of making the Chase.

    Edwards in the meantime is pecking off drivers one by one, putting Ambrose a lap down at 237 and Earnhardt Jr. down again at 242. But hey, guess what? Another caution came out on lap 246, number 11, after Johnson and Kurt Busch got together again in turn two. Busch spun out, Johnson hit the wall and sent the No. 48 Chevy to the garage. Earnhardt Jr. got lucky for the third time and got the free pass to get back on the lead lap. Green flag flew on lap 253 with Edwards in the lead.

    And then something magical happened, the race made it 30 laps without incident, but on lap 284 Jeff Burton spun in turn three, slamming into the wall. It happened again on lap 296 for the 13th time as it’s Ambrose’s turn to take a spin. On lap 297 Joey Logano’s engine blew, forcing him to the garage. Edwards lead the field again on lap 301 as the race went green.

    Eight laps later, yep, another caution, we’re up to 14 folks! Reutimann sustained heavy damage after contact with Bowyer and sending him into the wall. Lap 313 Edwards led the field again. Feels a little like “Groundhog Day” doesn’t it?  Harvick stole the lead from Edwards on lap 314 and it went down hill from there for him as he started to slip back in the pack and then on lap 355 was told that he would be ten laps short on fuel.

    Harvick fights to keep the lead as Jeff Gordon makes a hard charge for first place on lap 366. Gordon makes the pass on lap 378 and took over the lead. Earnhardt Jr. went a lap down at 381…again. Just when we thought we’d make it to the end without another caution…surprise! Caution 15 came out on lap 384 as Menard, who returned to the track on lap 254, 79 laps down, spun on the frontstretch and with that, Earnhardt Jr. got lucky once again with the free pass.

    Harvick won the race off of pit road, with Edwards, Gordon and Kyle Busch holding up the rear. Harvick held Edwards off to the finish line and won this emotional, roller coaster of a race in what felt like a fairy tale ending, everything fell into place exactly as predicted. Despite the many hardships that each of the drivers endured during the Wonderful Pistachios 400, some more than other; Dale Earnhardt Jr., Tony Stewart and Denny Hamlin made the Sprint Cup Chase and we all lived happily ever after.

    Earnhardt Jr. moved up to 17th position at lap 327, enough to lock him into the Chase.

    Unofficial Race Results
    Wonderful Pistachios 400, Richmond International Raceway
    http://www.speedwaymedia.com/Cup/race.php?race=26
    =========================================
    Pos. St. No. Driver Make Points
    =========================================
    1 7 29 Kevin Harvick Chevrolet 48
    2 8 99 Carl Edwards Ford 43
    3 17 24 Jeff Gordon Chevrolet 42
    4 20 6 David Ragan Ford 40
    5 11 22 Kurt Busch Dodge 40
    6 13 18 Kyle Busch Toyota 39
    7 22 14 Tony Stewart Chevrolet 37
    8 18 39 Ryan Newman Chevrolet 36
    9 28 11 Denny Hamlin Toyota 35
    10 4 5 Mark Martin Chevrolet 34
    11 9 43 A.J. Allmendinger Ford 33
    12 19 2 Brad Keselowski Dodge 32
    13 14 16 Greg Biffle Ford 32
    14 2 1 Jamie McMurray Chevrolet 31
    15 10 42 Juan Montoya Chevrolet 29
    16 27 88 Dale Earnhardt Jr. Chevrolet 28
    17 30 13 Casey Mears Toyota 27
    18 23 78 Regan Smith Chevrolet 26
    19 34 135 Dave Blaney Chevrolet 25
    20 32 47 Bobby Labonte Toyota 24
    21 33 9 Marcos Ambrose Ford 23
    22 5 33 Clint Bowyer Chevrolet 22
    23 25 17 Matt Kenseth Ford 22
    24 40 36 Stephen Leicht Chevrolet 20
    25 21 51 Landon Cassill Chevrolet 0
    26 1 0 David Reutimann Toyota 18
    27 36 34 David Gilliland Ford 17
    28 35 38 Travis Kvapil Ford 0
    29 6 31 Jeff Burton Chevrolet 15
    30 29 56 Martin Truex Jr. Toyota 14
    31 3 48 Jimmie Johnson Chevrolet 14
    32 38 71 Andy Lally * Ford 12
    33 24 83 Brian Vickers Toyota 11
    34 15 27 Paul Menard Chevrolet 10
    35 16 20 Joey Logano Toyota 9
    36 42 32 Mike Bliss Ford 0
    37 37 7 Robby Gordon Dodge 7
    38 12 4 Kasey Kahne Toyota 6
    39 31 66 Michael McDowell Toyota 5
    40 26 30 David Stremme Chevrolet 4
    41 39 87 Joe Nemechek Toyota 0
    42 43 55 J.J. Yeley Ford 2
    43 41 46 Scott Speed Ford 0
  • NASCAR Top-10 Power Rankings: Bristol

    NASCAR Top-10 Power Rankings: Bristol

    Note: The quotes in this article are fictional.

    [media-credit name=”Ed Coombs” align=”alignright” width=”236″][/media-credit]1. Kyle Busch: Busch faded late at Bristol, hitting the wall with 87 laps to go,  and finished 14th, behind his three closest challengers for the Sprint Cup points lead, Jimmie Johnson, Matt Kenseth, and Carl Edwards, who came home fourth, sixth, and ninth, respectively. Busch and Johnson are now tied for the points lead, 32 up on Kenseth.

    “I take pride in leading the point standings,” Busch said, “especially when my fellow leader is Johnson. As of driver with no Cup championships aspiring to be compared to one with five, this may be my only chance to be ‘like’ Jimmie.

    “But let’s be honest. Win or lose, people love to talk about me. I’m like the Danica Patrick of NASCAR, but with less balls.”

    2. Jimmie Johnson: Johnson finished fourth at Bristol, earning his 10th top-5 result of the year, and moved into a tied in the point standings with Kyle Busch, who finished 14th.

    “I feel like I’m flying under the radar,” Johnson said, “despite being the points leader and the five-time defending champion. It just goes to show that in NASCAR circles, memories are short and title reigns are long.

    “Last week, you heard me question Kyle Busch’s ability to handle the pressure of being the so-called favorite. It took only a week for me to be proven right. After winning at Michigan, Busch went to Bristol as not only the Cup favorite, but the favorite to win at Bristol. It’s clear he can’t handle the pressure of the Chase if he can’t even handle the pressure of being chased.”

    3. Brad Keselowski: Keselowski remained NASCAR’s hottest driver, taking the win at Bristol for his third win of the year and second in the last four races. He is now 11th in the point standings, and a spot in the Chase For The Cup is all but guaranteed.

    “Don’t call this a ‘Cinderella’ story,” Keselowski said. “Dale Earnhardt, Jr. has dibs on that, because he’s the one with the evil stepmother.

    “Am I the biggest threat to Jimmie Johnson’s reign? It was merely a week ago that everyone was heralding another driver as Johnson’s biggest threat, but it appears that now, Kyle Busch is an ‘as been. As a favor to me, please send your condolences to Kyle via his Twitter address ‘@ssKyleBusch.’”

    4. Jeff Gordon: Gordon led a race-high 206 laps in the Irwin Tools Night Race, but took four tires during the race’s final caution, falling behind Brad Keselowski and Martin Truex, Jr., who both took two tires. Gordon finished third and remained sixth in the point standings, 48 out of first.

    “I’m not happy with the way NASCAR times pit road speeds,” Gordon said. “Brad Keselowski and Matt Kenseth clearly got away with speeding. I feel that they’re monitored under a completely different set of rules. Of course, who am I to complain? I, of all people, should know that ‘two-timing’ is okay as long as you don’t get caught.”

    5. Kevin Harvick: Harvick struggled after a strong start at Bristol, falling two laps down just after the half-way point, and finished 22nd, one lap down. He has only one top-10 result since a seventh at Daytona in July, and is down to fifth in the point standings, 48 out of first.

    “Luckily, things aren’t all bad,” Harvick said. “I won the Camping World Trucks race on Wednesday, then I called Kyle Busch a ‘crybaby’ after he complained about his fate in the Truck race last Wednesday. In both cases, it’s ‘bitchin.’

    “Like some others, I clinched at least a wildcard spot in the Chase by virtue of my three wins. That means I could do nothing from now until the Chase starts, and I’m still in. My lackluster results since my third win at Charlotte indicate that’s the philosophy I’ve been living by since late May.”

    6. Matt Kenseth: Kenseth led 110 laps at Bristol, second only to Jeff Gordon’s 206, and finished sixth, as he and teammate Carl Edwards, who finished ninth, clinched berths in the Chase For The Cup. Kenseth improved three spots in the point standings to third, and trails Kyle Busch and Jimmie Johnson by 32.

    “Carl and I are in,” Kenseth said. “I’m quite relieved, that the thing Carl threatened to ‘punch’ was a ticket to the Chase and not me.”

    7. Carl Edwards: Edwards posted his first top-10 finish in three weeks, coming home ninth in the Irwin Tools Night Race. Edwards remained fourth in the point standings, and is 35 out of first.

    “I certainly haven’t been performing up to my standards,” Edwards said. “My teammates have asked this question for awhile now, but now, everyone wants to know, ‘What’s wrong with Carl Edwards?’

    “Many think I became complacent after signing my huge contract extension with Roush Fenway, and as a result, my performance has been lacking. Is that the case? I’m not at liberty to answer. I can say this: ‘Money talks, and it also speaks volumes.”

    8. Ryan Newman: Newman posted his second consecutive top-10 finish and fifth in the last seven races with an eighth at Bristol, leading four laps on the night. While teammate Tony Stewart has struggled lately, Newman has solidified his place in the standings, and is seventh with two races until the Chase.

    “I won the pole for Bristol,” Newman said, “while Stewart started 43rd. Personally, I haven’t felt that much distance between teammates since Rusty Wallace and I drove for Penske.

    “Tony’s at a disadvantage to some other drivers hovering on the Chase bubble. While Denny Hamlin, Brad Keselowski, and Paul Menard have one or more victories, Tony has none. That’s okay. I’ve told Tony the wins will come. Right now, he just needs to concentrate on making the Chase. Therefore, his mantra for the next two races is ‘Just in, baby.’”

    9. Kurt Busch: Busch, traditionally a force at Bristol, finished 17th in the Irwin Tools Night Race as Penske teammate Brad Keselowski took the victory. Busch remained eighth in the point standings, 81 out of the lead.

    “Brad’s taking the No. 2 Miller Lite Dodge to heights I only dreamed about,” Busch said. “It appears he ‘has my number,’ and everyone else’s for that matter.

    “Brad is on an incredible tear as of late. Can anyone stop him? The results of a recent survey suggest the answer is ‘no.’ Drivers were asked, ‘If Brad Keselowski were ‘on fire,’ would you put him out? Most replied ‘no,’ and it looks as though they weren’t lying.”

    10. Denny Hamlin: Hamlin kept his Chase hopes alive with a hard-earned seventh at Bristol, overcoming damage suffered on lap 297 when he was collected in a David Stremme-David Reutimann wreck. Hamlin moved up one spot to 13th in the standings, and is currently in position to earn a wildcard spot.

    “Many drivers on the Chase bubble struggled,” Hamlin said, “including Tony Stewart, Clint Bowyer, and Paul Menard. That’s good news for me. I normally don’t delight in the misery of others, but being a teammate of Kyle Busch’s has taught me that it’s okay.

    “My Chase situation is good, yet precarious. I have to be at the top of my game, otherwise I could be out. If I ‘mail it in,’ I’ll be sure to ‘Fed Ex-it.’”

  • Bristol Chooses Fall Champions

    Bristol Chooses Fall Champions

    The week at Bristol was like Disneyland for a race fan. There were 4 races from 4 different classes of cars. There was smoke from tires. The aroma of high test fuel hung in the air. The scent of E15 lingered just long enough to tingle in your nose. The roar of lions and tigers and bears oh my echoed through out the valley of thunder. This was heaven. This was racing at its best.Bristol displayed her pageantry much like an old time joust. Contestants came from all over the country to bide for her hand. But only a few would be chosen as crown princes for 2011.

    [media-credit name=”Brad Keppel” align=”alignright” width=”245″][/media-credit]Bristol’s week was sectioned up differently than other weekends. The Whelen Modified and the Camping World Trucks run on Wednesday. The reason for this difference according to Lori Worley, Public Relations official for Bristol Motor speedway is, “The reason we don’t race on Thursday is that Food City, who sponsors our March Cup event and August Nationwide event, has a huge fan experience in downtown Bristol on Thursday night. More than 25,000 people attend the event, which features driver autograph sessions, live music, free food, etc. and it’s very important to them that the event is successful. So that’s the reason we race Wednesday instead of Thursday.” Little do they know that Bristol’s race fans win all the way around, not only do they get an extra day of vacation for the race weekend, the racing is top notch and the fan experience is icing on the cake.

    Wednesday saw a hard fought Whelen modified race that was for the most part dominated by Ryan Newman. Newman who had his win in New Hampshire revoked by NASCAR for an unfortunate mistake by engine builders Earnhardt Childress Racing Engines, when they mistakenly placed the wrong gaskets on the engine for the Kevin Manion entry, was out to prove that win was not because of the illegal engine.

    “This is a little bit of a redemption for us, to come out here and redeem ourselves a little bit in respect to people’s opinions after Loudon,” Newman said, “It was just a really fun race, the yellow flags at the start kind of slowed everybody’s thoughts, but getting back to green flag racing, I thought we saw some really good racing. It was a lot of fun.”

    Justin Bonsignore finished second followed by Todd Szegedy who came from a lap down to finish third after being in multiple on track incidents and losing a spark plug wire. James Civali and Patrick Emerling rounded out the top five. The highest placing series regular was Frank Fleming. Series icon Teddy Christopher did not compete in the race due to the lack of ride.

    The Camping World Trucks put on an equally exciting show, with Kevin Harvick winning his third truck race in a row.Bristol is Bristol however and the race was not without its controversy. Elliott Sadler driving the 24 truck for the Joe Denette Motorsports team this week had contact with Kyle Busch when Busch moved up the track too soon having not cleared Sadler’s truck. Sadler clipped the 18 in the Right rear corner and turned Busch into the wall. Busch then slowed on the track waiting for Sadler to come back around and hooked Sadler causing minimal damage to the 24. Busch retreated to the garage where efforts were made to repair the badly damaged KBM entry were unsuccessful. Post race comments were heated with Kyle Busch insinuating that Sadler took him out because of “where his paycheck comes from.”

    Friday, would bring the one day show of the Nationwide Series into the spotlight. The pole would be the familiar Joe Gibbs entry of Kyle Busch. The outside front row would be occupied by Gibbs team mate Joey Logano.  Logano would make the firm announcement of ‘No more Mr. Nice Guy’ before the race began.

    The field hosted its normal cup regulars with the exception of Brad Keselowski who was still nursing a fractured ankle and was replaced with Parker Kligerman in the Discount Tire/Ruby Tuesdays Dodge Charger.

    The race was a hard fought battle between Clint Bowyer and the Gibbs team mates. Bowyer who was on board the Rheem Chevrolet for KHI led a good portion of the race leading for 109 laps.

    But in the end it would be Kyle Busch beating team mate Joey Logano by the smallest margin in track history since the beginning of electronic scoring in 1993. Busch would win his fourth consecutive nationwide series race and 50th victory in the series, by just .019 seconds.

    “It’s awesome,” Busch said of the 50th win, his 23rd in his past 51 Nationwide starts. “We had Mark with us there in Loudon [when Busch tied the record July 16], and it was a phenomenal way to win 49 races and tie Mark Martin. And then to come here and to be able to beat his record here at Bristol, one of my favorite places and one of the team’s favorite places, it was certainly an awesome race.”

    The top five would be Logano, Bowyer, Edwards and Aric Almirola with Almirola being the highest finishing Nationwide regular.

    The Sprint Cup race was a must see event. With Ryan Newman leading the field to the green flag and taking the lead early Newman would consistently run in the top 10 all day. Not so for team mate Tony Stewart who had a very uncharacteristically bad day starting 42nd and finishing 28th 4 laps down to the field.

    The dominant horse in the field would prove to be the 24 car of Jeff Gordon who would lead 5 different times for a race high 206 laps. Gordon who would come out of the pits on the final stop in 4th would climb back to 3rd but was unable to get past Martin Truex Jr for 2nd.

    The race win would instead go to Brad Keselowski in the Miller Lite Blue Deuce of Penske Racing. Keselowski whose race average over the last 4 races is 1.52, took the lead on lap 421 and never looked back. The obvious elated Keselowski said of his victory, “An awesome race car. An awesome race team. Penske Racing. The night race at Bristol! This is the race that Tony Stewart, Jeff Gordon and Dale Earnhardt win. It’s the race of champions. I can’t believe it. There are races that pay more. There are races that might have a little more prestige, but this is the coolest damn one of them all. We won it!”

    Four teams can now breathe a sigh of relief having clinched their chase spots. Kyle Busch, Jimmie Johnson, Matt Kenseth and Carl Edwards all sealed up their chase spots after the race in Bristol.

    Dale Earnhardt Jr, who now has 36 points on 10th place Tony Stewart, could clinch his spot after Atlanta with a strong finish. Crew Chief Steve Letarte said Monday morning that the 88 team would be taking their Kansas/Charlotte car to Atlanta. “That car that always ends up in the front of the race. We want to put on a great show for the fans.” Letarte stated that they feel it is important to keep their chase fate in their hands by racing conservatively and once that chase berth was solidified fans would see a more aggressive and very different 88 team.

    The joust ended, sadly for those in the stands and in front of television sets around the world; with relief for those participants who escaped with their competitive spirits intact.  Bristol choose her champions. They fought their battles with great spirit and with great respect to the lady. Her champions will stand until the spring when again the joust will begin anew.

    ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ * * * * ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

    Congratulations to Ryan Newman on his Whelen modified series victory. For the record, anyone who has followed the series knew the gasket mistake did not win the race in New Hampshire.

    Congratulations to Kevin Harvick on his Camping World Truck Series victory. Three in a row is a statement that KHI takes the owners championship very very seriously.

    Congratulations to Kyle Busch on his Nationwide Series Win. 50 wins in any series is nothing to sneeze at. But 50 in the ultra competitive Nationwide series is a true showing of talent.

    Congratulations to Brad Keselowski on his phenomenal performance not just in his win at Bristol, but over the last few weeks. Some never doubted it would happen. Those that did, don’t anymore.

    That said, to all the competitors in all the series thanks for giving us everything you have to give, you are our heroes. Most importantly, thanks to all the families who shared their loved ones with us so we could cheer our favorite driver and favorite teams. You are the true heroes of the sport and we are forever in your debt.