Tag: kyle busch

The Final Word – Jimmie and Matt continue their battle, Harvick starts a family feud at Martinsville

We were wrong. We were wrong about the big wild card that is Talladega, though to our credit neither Jimmie Johnson nor Matt Kenseth finished in the top ten that day. Still, even with a runner up finish there, Dale Earnhardt Jr remained miles away from the leaders. Kyle Busch made up all of seven points on Johnson and a whopping 15 on Kenseth, but still nowhere near enough.

We were wrong about Martinsville, which should be renamed Johnsonville the way Jimmie lays it down there. While Jeff Gordon tied Five Time in wins at the paper clip, claiming his 8th at the track and the 88th of his Cup career, and while Johnson made it 17 top fives in 24 attempts, Kenseth finished second. It was only his 4th top five there in 28 attempts. So, it would appear that whatever the 2003 champ did while employed by Jack Roush no longer applies in any negative sense since he joined Joe Gibbs. For Matt, his history is history as he forges a new path.

What we have is a new Matt, a renewed Jimmie, and as we change our focus to Texas we have these boys tied in points, 27 points ahead of Gordon and 28 up on Kevin Harvick. It remains a two way fight, unless fate intervenes and messes up the plans of one or both of them. Could that intervention come in Texas? Based on the past two weeks, how in hell should I know?

Still, both leaders have done well at Fort Worth in the past. Both have a couple of wins there, both have an average finish of better than tenth, both are tied with 15 Top Tens on this track. So, both should do well on Sunday. Should.

There should be peace and harmony the world over, but Kevin Harvick is preparing to leave RCR after a thirteen year association by crapping all over the bosses grandsons. It is one thing to criticize a young driver with whom he had issues in the truck race on Saturday. It is another to state that a reason for the job change next year was due to these punk-ass, rich kids, who have had everything spoon fed to them, coming up to eventual Cup rides with grand pappy while having no respect for the sport. Who urged the boy to run into Harvick to get things nice and hot? Well, that would be Grandpa Childress himself, never mind the less than loving comments the two had in regards to Harvick in the garage area afterwards. Kevin said on Sunday’s telecast that he was sorry. I am sure that will make everything all better between all concerned. Hallmark, no doubt, has a new card to write.

Rating Martinsville – 5.5/10 – The oldest venue on the NASCAR circuit deserved better on Sunday’s telecast. We all did.

Fort Worth just means more of the same. A two-man race with a few waiting in the wings for something bad to happen to the front duo. Maybe we should dub this the Tango in Texas, because it takes two to…ah, forget it. Enjoy the week.

October 28, 2013
Martinsville Tidbits
The Goody’s 500 is the seventh race of the 2013 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Chase. A flat, tight half-mile oval nestled in Southern Virginia that most drivers either love or hate. One thing they almost all agree on, however, is that it is the toughest of all NASCAR tracks. One thing is for sure – the race will be exciting and the action non-stop. Here are a few tidbits and storylines to follow for this weekend’s event:
- Points leader, Jimmie Johnson, has an unprecedented record at Martinsville. In 23 starts, he has compiled an amazing eight wins and 16 top-5 finishes. Johnson is definitely the favorite for this weekend
- Jeff Gordon, Johnson’s Hendrick Motorsports teammate, has an exceptional record at Martinsville as well. Gordon has seven wins and 26 top-5 finishes in 41 starts at the paperclip. Don’t forget the Gordon-Johnson battle we had a few years ago. We could see another one Sunday!
- Dale Earnhardt Jr’s Chase hopes got off to a rocky start at Chicago with a blown engine. He has been clawing his way back and Martinsville has been a good track for Earnhardt. He has ten top-5’s in 27 starts. Look for him to have a good day on Sunday.
- Kyle Busch made his way back to third in the standings at Talladega. To gain any ground here at Martinsville, he has to on top of his game and maintain his composure at a track known to flare tempers.
- Tied with Busch in the standings, Kevin Harvick said yesterday his team has to win some races to have a chance to beat Johnson. Harvick’s record at Martinsville is mediocre. To make any ground up in the standings at Martinsville, his Richard Childress Racing team will have to find some strategy to get him out front late in the race and let Harvick hold off the challengers. Harvick runs well here in the truck series, so he knows how to get around this track.
- Danica Patrick has struggled a several track this season, ran extremely well here last spring. Patrick worked her way through the field to a solid 12^th place finish in what many consider her best performance of the year. Can she repeat that success?
- Richard Petty Motorsports driver Aric Almirola will finish out the season with interim crew chief, Greg Ebert, after the team released veteran crew chief Todd Parrott for violating NASCAR’s substance abuse policy. Almirola has had a respectable season and looks as if his team is ready to take the next step, but will the shake-up atop the pitbox hinder their progress?
- Kyle Larson will make his second Sprint Cup Series start this weekend in the No. 51 Target Chevrolet. Larson was impressive in his debut at Talladega until he lost an engine. Now we will see what he can do on a short track.
- Elliott Sadler will begin his stint in the No. 55 entry for Michael Waltrip Racing this weekend. Sadler will be filling in for Brian Vickers, who is out for the season with blood clots in his leg, a similar condition that sidelined him in 2010.
Martinsville always provides an excellent race and will create its own story lines as the weekend progresses. Guaranteed we will not see a single file freight train in the last ten laps!
October 25, 2013
NASCAR Top-10 Power Rankings: Talladega

Note: The quotes in this article are fictional.

1. Matt Kenseth: Kenseth survived to finish 20th at Talladega, seven spots behind Jimmie Johnson. Kenseth’s four point lead became a four point deficit to Jimmie Johnson in the standings.

“I drove like I was expecting the ‘big one,’” Kenseth said, “and it never came. So the fans weren’t the only ones upset that there wasn’t a big crash. I guess I should have been more aggressive. If I’ve been faulted for being anything, it’s too ‘laid back.’”

2. Jimmie Johnson: Johnson finished 13th in the Camping World RV Sales 500 at Talladega, leading a race-high 47 laps to earn two crucial bonus points. He took over the lead in the points, and holds a four-point edge over Matt Kenseth.

“I was playing ‘catch’ with points-leader Kenseth,” Johnson said, “and I ‘overthrew’ him.”

3. Kevin Harvick: Harvick, in the No. 29 Jimmy Johns Chevrolet, took 12th at Talladega and is fourth in the Sprint Cup points standings, tied with Kyle Busch 26 points out of first.

“This is the only way I can possibly share space with Kyle Busch,” Harvick said.

“That was one of the least exciting Talladega races, despite the fact that cars were topping out at near 200 miles per hour. I guess that’s why they call it ‘full bore.’”

4. Kyle Busch: Busch posted his second consecutive top-5 finish, taking fifth at Talladega. He is tied for third in the points standings, 26 out of first.

“I’m back in the championship hunt,” Busch said. “But if I don’t have a good finish at Martinsville, I’ll likely be done. The last time I was ‘officially eliminated,’ I was taken off the road by a state trooper in North Carolina.”

5. Jeff Gordon: Gordon led 19 laps at Talladega and finished 14th at Talladega, rendering unable to make up ground in the Sprint Cup points standings. He is now fifth in the Sprint Cup points standings, 34 behind Jimmie Johnson.

“Jimmie’s got the lead,” Gordon said. “Let’s see if he can hold it. With Martinsville up next, history says he can. He’s won eight races there, rewarded with a grandfather clock for each victory. It’s just further proof that the 5-time Cup champ’s greatness is measure in ‘times.’”

6. Kurt Busch: Busch came home 18th at Talladega and is now ninth in the Sprint Cup points standings, 61 out of first.

“We had Wonder Bread on the No. 78 Chevrolet,” Busch said. “As if you needed more proof that I’m as white bread as they come.”

7. Clint Bowyer: Bowyer finished tenth at Talladega, his first top-10 finish since a tenth at Dover. He is eighth in the points standings, 57 out of first.

“Kudos to 5-Hour Energy for their contribution to NASCAR,” Bowyer said. “Like its name states, 5-Hour Energy will stay with you for awhile, which is more than I can say about some of Michael Waltrip’s other sponsors.”

8. Greg Biffle: Biffle finished 11th in the Roush Fenway Racing No. 16 Ford, while teammate Ricky Stenhouse, Jr. took third. Biffle is seventh in the points standings, 53 behind Jimmie Johnson.

“That was a great run by Stenhouse,” Biffle said. “He finished 30 places better than his girlfriend Danica Patrick. Contrary to popular belief, Danica is the one who is ‘whipped.’”

9. Dale Earnhardt, Jr.: Running second on the final lap, Earnhardt’s bid for victory at Talladega ended when the caution flew on the final lap, allowing Jamie McMurray to coast to victory. Earnhardt’s second was the best result among Chase drivers, and moved him up to sixth in the points standings.

“I’ve made second a habit at Talladega,” Earnhardt said. “And speaking of ‘habits,’ I’ve got as many wins this year as that lady wearing the habit—none.”

10. Ryan Newman: Newman started 17th and finished ninth at Talladega, earning his 16th top 10 of the year.

“That was the most incident-free race at Talladega I’ve ever seen,” Newman said. “Take it from me, that race was turned upside down.”

October 22, 2013
Surprising and Not Surprising: Talladega Camping World RV Sales 500

In a race where the spotters sound like auctioneers as they guide their drivers around the track and where anything from chess-like strategy to last lap mayhem can happen, here is what was surprising and not surprising from the 45^th annual Camping World RV Sales 500 at Talladega Superspeedway.

Surprising: While many drivers and crew chiefs alike assessed the race as ‘uneventful’, with only three cautions, no major multi-car wrecks and primarily single-file racing in the last laps, a few drivers at least might take exception to that viewpoint.

In one international incident, Marcos Ambrose lost control of his vehicle on lap 78 and took out Juan Pablo Montoya in the process.

“The Target Chevrolet was pretty good to be honest,” Montoya said. “We were running two-wide so it was comfortable.”

“We started running three-wide and the spotter told me ‘get out’ and I backed up going into the tri-oval and the next thing I know, I just saw out the corner of my eye somebody coming towards me and that was it.”

Even more dramatic, however, was the white flag lap crash where Ricky Stenhouse Jr. made contact with Austin Dillon, driver the No. 14 Bass Pro Shops/Mobil 1 Chevrolet for Stewart Haas Racing, sending the latter airborne.

“The No. 17 had a little bit of a run and I tried to go with him and came back across and hooked me,” Dillon said. “What a wild ride.”

“Who needs skydiving?”

Not Surprising: There are times at a race track when even the trophy is not the most important thing in Victory Lane and not surprisingly, this was the case for the lucky winner who wound up in Victory Lane.

Jamie McMurray, driver of the No. 1 Cessna Auburn University Chevrolet, not only ended his 108-race winless streak but, as he had always dreamed, he celebrated in Victory Lane with his family, including wife Christy and his two children Carter and Hazel.

“Well, that was — I mean, that’s top two or three moments of my life, to get to experience that with them,” McMurray said. “I don’t know if you guys heard, but I rent a space from Matt Kenseth to keep my go-karts and stuff in at his shop.”

“So I was out in the front where they have some office space, and he’s got pictures hanging inside and there was a picture of Matt and Katie and Grace and Kaylin, and I think it was Dover Victory Lane, and I remember seeing how excited Kaylin was,” McMurray continued. “I went home and told Christy, I hope that we get to have that moment.”

“That’s really special — especially having a little boy who is into Lightning McQueen and racing in general,” McMurray said. “Yeah, to get to have that with my family is really cool.”

This was McMurray’s first win of the season, his second victory at Talladega, and his seventh victory in 398 Cup races.

Surprising: Dale Earnhardt Jr. was surprisingly upbeat in spite of not having his dream of snagging that elusive first win of the season come true. The driver of the No. 88 Mountain Dew/Xbox One Chevrolet was a bridesmaid in the runner up position yet again.

“It wasn’t the best run in the world,” Dale Junior said. “It wasn’t what I dreamed it would be, all those last few laps.”

“But it was a good enough run I think to get up to his (McMurray’s) quarter panel and get beside him.”

“Really happy with the way the car ran and it was good to run up front, good to lead,” Earnhardt Jr. continued. “We’ve really struggled this season with being competitive, and to drive up through there and do that like we did today, and it felt great.”

Dale Earnhardt Jr. scored his 14^th top-10 finish in 28 races at ‘Dega and posted his 18^th top-10 finish of the 2013 season.

Not Surprising: In spite of a punishing Truck race the night before, Kyle Busch not surprisingly proved again that he was the redemption story of the race weekend. The driver of the No. 18 M&M’s Halloween Toyota bounced back after missing his pit box to get his lap back and finish fifth.

And although he had some harsh words on his radio after getting blocked out of his pit box by none other than race winner Jamie McMurray, Busch was giving all the glory to God at the end of the race.

“Our M&M’s Halloween Camry ran great all day,” said Busch, who earned his fourth top-five finish in 18 starts at Talladega, including his April 2008 win at the 2.66-mile oval. “It was fun to finish one of these things.”

“It’s God’s grace that allows us to finish one of these, and we appreciate it today, especially coming home with another top-five.”

Busch also redeemed himself in the point standings, moving up two positions to reclaim the third spot, just 26 points behind the leader.

Surprising: Talladega proved a surprising dichotomy for the two primary Rookie of the Year contenders. Ricky Stenhouse Jr. finished third while his primary ROTY competitor Danica Patrick finished 33^rd after having a pit road calamity.

“I thought the racing was great all day,” Stenhouse, driver of the No. 17 Nationwide Insurance Ford, said. “We were two, three, and four wide for a long time.”

“For our Nationwide Insurance team we were solid all day, in the top-10 a lot of the day and led a few laps, which was good for us.”

On the other hand, while Danica Patrick had been also running toward the front of the pack, her good day was ruined by an error on pit road during a green flag stop where she missed her pit stall and then incurred a speeding penalty to boot.

“We just didn’t communicate well on that final pit stop,” the driver of the No. 10 GoDaddy Breast Cancer Awareness Chevrolet said. “We were on the high side and couldn’t get down to where we needed to be to pit.”

“It’s disappointing and none of us feel good about it.”

Not Surprising: David Ragan and David Gilliland, both of whom have proven that they can drive at the superspeedways as evidenced by their one, two finish in the spring race at ‘Dega, not surprisingly fared well again in the fall affair.

Ragan, behind the wheel of the No. 34 SaferCar.gov Ford, finished sixth, with his teammate Gilliland, driving the No. 38 Long John Silver’s Ford, right behind him in the seventh spot.

“We had a chance to win the race, took the white flag in seventh or eighth and kind of had a good plan,” Ragan said. “But the caution came out so we got a top-10 finish and that’s a good thing for our Front Row Motorsports team.”

“David and I worked together for a good part of the race and we were in position,” Gilliland said. “And then the caution came out on the last lap.”

“Thankfully, we weren’t part of it and we were able to get a top-10 finish and a clean car to take home.”

Surprising: Paul Menard, driver of the No. 27 Menards Duracell Chevrolet, surprisingly bettered his Talladega statistics by finishing fourth. This was Menard’s only finish inside the top-10 at Talladega in fifteen starts there other than a runner-up finish in 2008.

“At the start of the race, we took off and the car drove really good,” Menard said. “We drove to the front and kind of hung out in the top-10 all day long.”

“We could make the middle groove work to gain spots and then get to the outside,” Menard continued. “Ultimately the outside lane kind of won out over the long run.”

Not Surprising: Channeling his best Ricky Bobby from the movie ‘Talladega Nights”, Kurt Busch exemplified the notion that ‘if you’re not first, you’re last’ or at least 18^th, which is where he finished in his No. 78 Wonder Bread car.

“Restrictor plate racing is all about being in the right place at the right time,” Busch said. “We were in the right place for the majority of the race, but when it counted at the end, we weren’t there.”

“It’s disappointing because our Wonder Bread Chevy was fast and to finish 18th didn’t do us justice,” Busch continued. “I tried to make something happen, but couldn’t get there.”

Busch fell two spots in the Chase standings, from seventh to ninth, now 61 points behind the leader.

Surprising: At a track where handling usually does not matter, Matt Kenseth surprisingly struggled with an ill handling race car that set him back tremendously during the midsection of the race. Kenseth never quite fully recovered, finishing 20^th and losing the championship points lead to Jimmie Johnson.

“It was really bizarre — typically, handling is a non-issue here and we just got so loose I couldn’t even hang on to it,” the driver of the No. 20 Let’s Do This Home Depot Toyota said. “I pretty much had to run in the back for two runs which was disappointing.”

“We finally got it fixed that last run, but we only had 20 laps to get back up there,” Kenseth continued. “I really needed to be up there like we were early and feel like I was controlling the race more — the lanes and the runs and all that and I could never get back to there.”

Not Surprising: While Jimmie Johnson may also have not had the race that he envisioned, his 13^th place finish was better than Kenseth’s run. And after surviving Talladega, which was his goal, the five-time champ now has Martinsville, one of his best tracks, in his sights.

“You know I feel that the races forward now are up to where the competitors go earn it,” the driver of the No. 48 Lowe’s Chevrolet said. “You don’t have this luck issue that can take place at plate tracks.”

“So I am happy to have the points lead and we went through a lot of work to get there,” Johnson continued. “We just go racing from here.”

“Martinsville has been good to us in the past, but we’ve got to go there and race,” Johnson said. “We will make sure that we get buttoned up and ready to go to that paperclip and see what we can do.”

“It’s just going to be a dogfight to the end.”

October 21, 2013
The Final Word – Talladega may have been smokin’, but expect Johnson to smoke the field at Martinsville

We waited with anticipation for the action, and Talladega once again delivered. Once again, we watched the cars (and trucks for those watching on Saturday) go flying around inches apart in aircraft formation, in wonder that they could pull this off lap after lap without it all going up in smoke and torn sheet metal. In the end, they could not avoid the unavoidable.

Dale Earnhardt Jr was pondering his final lap move to get by leader Jamie McMurray when the third running Austin Dillon got spun, then rear ended into the sky in what he described as “a cool roller coaster ride.” That allowed Ole Dimples to keep Junior behind him when the caution came out to claim his first win in more than three years.

If that was not wild enough for you, Saturday saw Matt Crafton solidify his strangle hold in the Camping World series while pushing team mate Johnny Sauter to victory. Sauter crossed the line all by his lonesome as our top eight became a top five which became Mr. Sauter doing a solo by the time they all quit wrecking coming to the line. What was left of Crafton’s truck backed across the line in ninth, leaving him an entire race and a bit ahead of Ty Dillon in their standings.

As for the Cup boys, neither Jimmie Johnson or Matt Kenseth finished in the Top Ten. Yet, by finishing seven spots ahead of his rival (13th vs 20th) and by leading the most laps, Johnson earned enough to vault ahead to take over by four points going into Martinsville. Their company got slightly closer, but by finishing fifth the best Kyle Busch could do is tie Kevin Harvick for third in the standings, both still 26 points away. They remain close should disaster hit the leaders, but until such time disaster strikes both will remain simply interested observers.

Rating Talladega – 9/10 – The action kept you on the edge of your seats, drivers could move from the back to the front, and you even had your dose of carnage. What else could you ask for?

So, the track on steroids is now behind us as we return to “normal” racing. With his seven career wins at Martinsville, Jeff Gordon might look good but for two small facts. One, he trails Johnson by 34 points. Second, Jimmie has won eight times himself at this venue.

Five Time won there in the spring, and he won there last fall. His worst finish was on his first attempt in 2002, when he came home 35th. Since then, his worst finish is 12th, to go with an 11th, to go with 16 Top Fives, 20 Top Tens, in 23 Martinsville starts. As for Kenseth, he goes in 0 for 27, with just eight Top Tens in his career.

Game four of the World Series goes Sunday night as St. Louis hosts Boston. That could wind up a closer contest than what we might see out of Virginia. It is not over, but I think somebody just knocked on the Fat Lady’s dressing room door. Enjoy the week, for it appears the odds favor Johnson enjoying his Sunday afternoon.

October 21, 2013

Hot 20 over the past 10, the past 5, and how Talladega could change everything

A Top Ten finish for ten straight races, and a driver would accumulate a minimum of 340 points. That is hot. Kevin Harvick, and the Busch boys are that hot, but Matt Kenseth has been nearly 40 points hotter, so a bad day at Talladega on Sunday would mean he would make his championship dreams more of a challenge. The others go down and so do their hopes.

Jimmie Johnson is still rated as cool over the past ten, but remains second in the Chase. His is a case of earning just 69 points in the five pre-Chase races that do not count toward the title and the 209 he has claimed in the five that do. Kenseth, with his two wins in the Chase, has accumulated 210 over the last five, as this chart would sport a slightly different look if we took into account only what has happened since Chicago instead of Watkins Glen.

	Driver	Win	T5	T10	Points
1	Matt Kenseth	2	3	4	210
2	Jimmie Johnson	1	4	5	209
3	Kevin Harvick	1	2	4	190
4	Jeff Gordon	0	2	4	189
5	Kyle Busch	0	4	4	176

But then, I would have to change the title of this column. Barring misfortune, we should see Johnson charging up these standings over the final four events. Barring misfortune, we should see Kenseth maintaining his hold on the point position. Barring misfortune, we should see Harvick, Jeff Gordon, and Kyle Busch battling it out to see who finishes third. Barring the Big One at Talladega, there are a lot of things we might be expected to see, but what we have come to expect from the big track could change the fortunes of more than a few by the end of Sunday. It was just one year ago when we had a massive 25 car demolition on the final lap at Talladega. Kenseth was ahead of the pack and won that day. Can he be so fortunate in 2013?

Here is a look at the hottest 20 drivers over the past 10 events.

	Driver	Win	T5	T10	Points	LW	Rank
1	Matt Kenseth	3	4	6	379	1	1
2	Kevin Harvick	1	3	6	343	6	3
3	Kyle Busch	2	6	6	341	5	5
4	Kurt Busch	0	5	6	340	2	7
5	Jeff Gordon	0	2	7	337	4	4
6	Joey Logano	1	5	6	337	3	11
7	Greg Biffle	0	1	4	324	7	6
8	Ryan Newman	0	2	5	313	8	12
9	Jamie McMurray	0	2	2	306	9	15
10	Carl Edwards	1	3	6	306	10	10
11	Juan Pablo Montoya	0	2	3	296	14	22
12	Paul Menard	0	2	4	293	12	17
13	Dale Earnhardt, Jr.	0	1	5	284	11	9
14	Marcos Ambrose	0	0	3	283	12	19
15	Brad Keselowski	1	2	3	282	16	14
16	Jimmie Johnson	1	4	6	278	17	2
17	Jeff Burton	0	0	2	273	18	20
18	Kasey Kahne	0	2	3	271	15	13
19	Ricky Stenhouse, Jr.	0	0	2	267	21	21
20	Clint Bowyer	0	1	4	246	22	8
21	Martin Truex, Jr.	0	2	4	244	19	16
22	Aric Almirola	0	0	1	242	20	18

October 17, 2013

NASCAR Top-10 Power Rankings: Charlotte

Note: The quotes in this article are fictional.

1. Matt Kenseth: Kenseth finished third in the Bank Of America 500, one spot ahead of Jimmie Johnson, and extended his lead from three to four in the Sprint Cup point standings.

“There’s one person I want to keep at arm’s length,” Kenseth said, “and that’s Johnson. Everyone else doesn’t matter, except for Carl Edwards, who needs to stay two arm lengths away.”

2. Jimmie Johnson: Johnson faltered on the race’s final restart and fell to seventh before charging for a fourth-place finish. He now trails Matt Kenseth by four in the points standings.

“I feel like I may have given one away there,” Johnson said. “Restarts have troubled me all year. And restarts mean I have to re-finish. And clearly, as a two-year title drought would suggest, I don’t finish like I used to.”

3. Kevin Harvick: Harvick finished sixth at Charlotte, posting his third-straight top-10 result. He is 29 behind Matt Kenseth in the points standings.

“I’d like to say I still have a chance to win the Cup,” Harvick said, “but the facts don’t support that. You could say I don’t have a leg to stand on. And you can say the opposite about Tony Stewart.”

4. Kyle Busch: Busch finished fifth at Charlotte as arch-nemesis Brad Keselowski won the Bank Of America 500. Busch is fifth in the Sprint Cup points standings, 37 out of first.

“I guess I’m more like Keselowski than I would care to mention,” Busch said. “Apparently, we’re both stupid, and neither of us has a chance to win the Cup.”

5. Jeff Gordon: Gordon won the pole on Thursday and took seventh in the Bank Of America 500. He has five top-10 finishes in six Chase races, and is fourth in the points, 36 out of first.

“Talladega next on the schedule,” Gordon said, “and anything can happen. Usually, when I ask for a miracle, I try to speak to God. Nowadays, it’s a little easier—I just talk to Clint Bowyer.”

6. Kurt Busch: Busch posted a 14th in the No. 78 Furniture Row Racing Chevrolet at Charlotte, and is seventh in the points standings, 59 out of first.

“I don’t condone my brother Kyle’s characterization of Brad Keselowski as ‘stupid,’” Busch said. “Kyle obviously thinks he’s advocating NASCAR’s ‘Drive For Diversity’ when he, as the pot, calls the kettle ‘black.’”

7. Clint Bowyer: Bowyer finished 11th in the Bank Of America 500 and improved one spot in the points standings to eighth. He trails Matt Kenseth by 63.

“Things could get very interesting at Talladega,” Bowyer said. “Not as interesting as things got in Richmond, but interesting nonetheless.

“Because of NAPA’s pulled sponsorship, Michael Waltrip Racing will run only two full-time teams in Sprint Cup next year. Michael tried his best to do more, but sometimes, you just aren’t able to manipulate the outcome.”

8. Brad Keselowski: Keselowski recovered from trouble in the pits to win for the first time this year, taking the Bank Of America 500 at Charlotte.

“I made a full lap with the jack stuck under my car,” Keselowski said. “That’s the least I can do. I simply returned the favor—that jack’s been giving me lifts all tear.

“And speaking of ‘jacks,’ Kyle Busch is a lot like a jack, in that there’s always a ‘let down.’”

9. Greg Biffle: Biffle finished 16th at Charlotte, and is now sixth in the points standings, 58 out of first.

“There will be an NCAA football game at Bristol Motor Speedway in 2016,” Biffle said. “It will likely be the most passing ever seen at a NASCAR track.”

10. Dale Earnhardt, Jr.: Earnhardt finished 15th at Charlotte, one lap down. He is ninth in the Sprint Cup power rankings, 66 out of first.

“I’m ready for Talladega,” Earnhardt said, “and so are the fans of Junior Nation. They go absolutely crazy in the ‘Dega infield. So crazy, in fact, that they’re known as the ‘Infield-els.’”

October 15, 2013
My Chase Predictions With Five Races Remaining

The cross flags are out for the 2013 Chase and this battle is far from over. We have two very volatile races coming up on the schedule in the form of the monstrous Talladega Superspeedway and the half mile paperclip better known as Martinsville. Two champions lead the way with three formidable opponents within striking distance of them. Everyone from 6th on back has lost touch with the top group as the clock winds down on the 2013 season. A plate race, a short track, a high banked mile and a half, a flat track in the middle of the desert and of course Homestead make up the final five week sprint for the Cup.

If you look at the championship standings, it’s a five man breakaway at the front with Kenseth and Johnson showing that they are going to be the ones everyone is hunting in the upcoming races. They are champions who rarely make mistakes and both display a fastidious demeanor even in the face of great adversity. Kevin Harvick trails by 29pts and not only can he handle controversy well but he sometimes seeks it out for the heck of it. Kevin’s Achilles Heel in this title bout may only be his equipment. RCR is fully capable of winning multiple races and finishing well but they are not capable of matching or exceeding the level of performance that has allowed the top two some breathing room.

Then there is Jeff Gordon. He has the tenacity to win, the equipment to win and certainly the talent so why isn’t he, well, winning? That’s a very good question and it’s difficult to ascertain a definitive answer. He’s been solid the last eight races with only one finish worse than 8th; a 15th at New Hampshire after a pit road mishap cost him the lead, all his track position and potentially even a victory. There’s something missing in the No.24 camp that’s not allowing them to bust through that glass ceiling and perform at the level of his teammate and prodigy, Jimmie Johnson. Jeff’s also been plagued by a problem this year that can’t simply be fixed by an adjustment…it is an annoying and intangible force called bad luck. The next race on the calendar happens to be Talladega; a place where luck is the most crucial element of the whole race.

In 5th sits Kyle Busch. At 28 years old, this naturally gifted racer is seeking his first Sprint Cup but there is a major obstacle standing in his way. The four drivers in front of him have something he seems to lack; the ability to cope with adversity and persevere through it. Case and point…Kansas. That track absolutely hates Kyle and he went into that race with that mindset. He destroyed his primary car in practice and on the first lap of the race; he spun out but can’t blame him for that one. Later in the race, Montoya helped him around and once again, not his fault. Busch was getting very aggravated though and understandably so but he allowed his emotions to get the best of him on a restart twelve laps later. He made a very imprudent decision about of frustration and cut down on Carl Edwards in a three wide situation and just like that, any chance of salvaging his day was over. He’s gotten better over the years but he still has a little way to go before he has the attitude and personality that makes someone championship capable. I don’t mean to pick on Rowdy but it’s incontrovertible that the way he handles all on-track misfortunes is going to make or break his title hopes…who knows, maybe he’ll surprise me in the final five races.

The next two races are intriguing for multiple reasons. One of which is the obvious fact that they are characteristically unpredictable and chaotic event. Secondly, these two wild card events will most likely shake up the standings quite a bit. Matt Kenseth has been amazing on the plate tracks recently while The Paperclip has caused him many problems. The four drivers stalking him have good to spectacular records at Marty and all have won in the past at Talladega. These next two events are going to be incredibly important and will undeniably build the foundation for the 2013 championship fight. Once these 750 miles are complete, I think we will have ourselves a three-man race with three titans of the sport leading the pack in the form of former champions Matt Kenseth, Jimmie Johnson and the guy that some will argue isn’t even supposed to be here, Jeff Gordon. Who will come away victorious when it’s all said and done? Let’s just say I think we might be calling a certain someone “6-time” on November 17th.

October 14, 2013
Surprising and Not Surprising: Charlotte Bank of America 500

In the ‘home game’ for NASCAR in the heart of race country, here is what was surprising and not surprising in the 54^th annual Bank of America 500 at Charlotte Motor Speedway.

Surprising: Who knew that dragging a jack for a lap would result in a victory lap? That was the case for the driver of the Blue Deuce Brad Keselowski, who finally got his first win under his belt for the season. Keselowski also scored his first ever win in a Ford, as well as his first victory at Charlotte.

“I thought when we saw the jack under the car I said, ‘Here we go again, not a good night,’ but at the end of the day when it was time to go and we raced the best because it was Brad behind the wheel that made it,” Roger Penske, team owner of the No. 2 Miller Lite Ford, said. “It wasn’t a fuel economy run, it was him digging deep and bringing us to victory lane, so it was a great night for us.”

Not Surprising: If a crack in the armor exists for five-time champ Jimmie Johnson it would be restarts and the driver of the No. 48 Lowes Dover White Chevrolet had yet another challenge in that regard at Charlotte Motor Speedway.

As a result of a late race caution, Johnson yet again struggled on the final restart, resulting in a fourth place finish.

“Down in (turns) one and two, just in the dirty air I pushed the No. 5 off into (turn) one,” Johnson said. “He didn’t get the best restart and something to do with that combo got me off the bottom and a couple of cars got into the side of me.”

“If we could have come out of the pits second and start on the front row, it would have been a much different result for us,” Johnson continued. “But it didn’t happen.”

“Just lost track position which was unfortunate.”

As a result of this finish, Johnson sits just four points behind point’s leader Matt Kenseth.

Surprising: Speaking of the point’s leader, the third time surprisingly was a charm for championship contender Matt Kenseth.

“There is a feel that I always look for and when I don’t have it, I can’t go very fast,” the driver of the No. 20 Dollar General Toyota said. “Until the third adjustment, we just couldn’t get it.”

“Jason (Ratcliff, crew chief) found something that really woke it up and made the car happy and made me happy and we were able to start making some ground.”

Kenseth finished third, maintained his points lead, and posted his 15^th top-10 finish in 29 races at Charlotte Motor Speedway.

Not Surprising: Past gremlins rearing their ugly heads again cost both Kyle Busch and Dale Earnhardt Jr. their best finishes.

Busch, driving the No. 18 M&Ms Toyota, suffered loose lug nuts due to a pit road miscommunication and also a fuel pick up issue to finish fifth.

“We had the same thing in the third Chase race back in 2008,” Busch said of his engine issue. “So it doesn’t surprise me something’s back.”

“Pretty frustrating,’’ Busch continued. “We should be happy about (fifth), but when it’s time for championship time, that’s not what you need.”

“We need wins, and we can’t win.’’

Dale Junior, making his 500th career start, had some sort of vibration in the car that resulted in a 15th place finish in spite of his leading laps during the race.

“The car just got really tight,” Dale Jr., driver of the No. 88 Time Warner Cable Chevrolet, said. “Something in the set-up moved, but the car was real quick at the start of the race.”

“It just would not turn at all the last half of the race pretty much,” Junior continued. “We are just kind of trying to figure out what is going on.”

“We will get it back and figure it out when we get to the shop on Monday.”

Busch sits fifth in points at 37 points behind leader Kenseth and Junior fell one position to ninth and is now 66 points behind the point’s leader.

Surprising: Both Hendrick teammates made surprisingly good decisions in just taking two tires instead of four for the final restart. Kasey Kahne, HMS driver of the No. 5 Quaker State Chevrolet, finished in the runner up position with his two tires and teammate Jeff Gordon, behind the wheel of the No. 24 Axalta Chevrolet, finished seventh.

“Yeah, we had a great race,” Kahne said. “I was on two (tires) and I was trying to move around, but I was just a little bit on the tight side with the front end, then I would get loose if I got the front working.”

“I was doing all I could and felt pretty good, but Brad (Keselowski, winner) made some nice moves and just really had some speed there late in the race and was able to get by me.”

“It was a solid night,” Gordon said. “It was a great call there to try to make two (tires) work.”

“Our car was just way too tight to be able to do it and we lost a few more positions than I was hoping,” Gordon continued. “But it was still solid.”

While Gordon remains in the fourth place in the Chase, 36 points behind the leader, Kahne on the other hand, is in the 13^th position, 81 points back and essentially out of contention.

Not Surprising: Mark Martin had the most interesting comeback after blowing an engine after just 80 completed laps and spewing fluid all over the track.

The driver, substituting for Tony Stewart in the No. 14 Bass Pro Shops/Mobil 1 Chevrolet ended up finishing a disappointing 42nd as a result.

But when a fan tweeted Martin “@markmartin Should’ve mention this earlier but you should retire,” things got very interesting. In fact, the usually affable driver surprising replied with just four words, tweeting “You should screw yourself,” thus scoring the best comeback of the Charlotte race.

Surprising: Speaking of the Stewart-Haas bunch, Ryan Newman salvaged a surprisingly good finish after struggling most of the night. Thanks to a four tire call on the last pit stop, Newman was able to get an eighth place finish for the No. 39 Quicken Loans Chevrolet.

“We came out of here with a decent finish, but we struggled a little bit tonight,” Newman said. “I just didn’t have the overall speed.”

“Matt (Borland, crew chief) made the call to take four tires at the end, but we weren’t able to gain spots like I thought we would knowing that a lot of the guys ahead of us took two,” Newman continued. “All in all, it’s good to complain about a top-10 finish, but we expected a little more than that tonight.”

Not Surprising: Until his engine blew, young up and coming driver Kyle Larson, making his Cup debut in the No. 51 Target Chevrolet, had a great run going. In fact, he was running in the top ten for a bit, far surpassing many of his more seasoned competitors, including future teammate Jamie McMurray.

“Obviously, the guy is ready,” Chip Ganassi, team owner said of his 2014 driver. “Some of the smarter people in the sport have said that maybe a Cup car is more like his style than a Nationwide car.”

“It wouldn’t be the first time that’s happened,” Ganassi continued. “Time will tell, but the guy is ready.”

Surprising: For one Chase contender, the contest at Charlotte Motor Speedway was all about a battle until the death, well almost.

“We survived,” Kevin Harvick, driver of the No. 29 Jimmy John’s Chevrolet, said after finishing sixth. “Yeah we got a decent finish, but our car was terrible all night.”

“The restart went our way there at the end and we were able to get a decent finish out of it.”

Harvick maintained his third place in the Chase standings, just 29 points, similar to his car number, behind point’s leader Kenseth.

Not Surprising: There is at least one driver who is looking forward to the next race at Talladega after finishing 14^th in his No. 78Furniture Row/Denver Mattress Chevrolet.

“We had an upbeat feeling about tonight after two strong practices on Friday but nothing really materialized for us to make a charge,” Busch said. “It’s disappointing to finish where we did (14th) after having a number of solid runs on the mile-and-a-half’s, including last week’s runner-up finish in Kansas.”

“Next week we’ll give it another go in the Wonder bread car at Talladega.”

October 13, 2013
Brad Keselowski cashes-in at the Bank of America 500 at Charlotte

Last year’s NASCAR Sprint Cup Champion, Brad Keselowski, grabs his first victory of the 2013 season tonight in the Bank of America 500 at Charlotte Motor Speedway.

Keselowski’s win marks the first time since Kasey Kahne won at Phoenix International Raceway in 2011 that a non-Chase contender has been to victory lane during the postseason.

In victory lane, Keselowski said, “It was just a never-give-up night. We had a lot of struggles tonight. We didn’t qualify well, but we kept working our way forward. I knew we had a good car. I’m not sure we were as good as the 48 or the 5. I never got to really race them until the end and they had two tires, so I think we were probably pretty even. When Paul made the call to take four tires and I saw we were that close to the front, I knew we could get them.”

During the final laps of the race Brad Keselowski and Kasey Kahne raced hard and battled for the victory.

When asked about racing Kasey, Brad said, “I love hard racing and there are a handful of guys you can’t race hard with in this deal because they freak out, but Kasey is not one of them. He’s an excellent driver and he ran me hard, but he ran me clean and that’s great racing. I’m proud to race with him. He did a hell of a job and deserves a lot of credit for it, but, at the end of the day, the Miller Lite Ford Fushion was just fast and we persevered.”

Driver of the No. 5 Quaker State Chevrolet, Kasey Kahne, ended the night with a second place finish. This makes Kahne’s 12^th top-10 finish in twenty races at Charlotte Motor Speedway, and his 12^th top-10 finish in 2013. After leading 138 laps during the race and finishing in second place, Kahne ends the night thirteenth in the points for the Chase for the Sprint Cup Championship, eighty-one points behind leader Matt Kenseth.

After starting the Bank of America 500 in 20^th position, Chase leader Matt Kenseth, had a respectable night working through the field, ending the night with a third place finish. Kenseth now has a four point lead in the Chase for the Sprint Cup Championship over driver of the No. 48 Lowe’s Dover White Chevrolet, Jimmie Johnson.

In the media center after the race, Kenseth commented on his thoughts about the night and being the Chase points leader halfway through the Chase. He said, “Yeah, I mean, you want to be the points leader after the second half is the most important. But yeah, certainly glad we’re still leading. Tonight was a big positive for us. It was a little bit of a struggle this weekend more than we anticipated. I didn’t get a good lap qualifying, and that was really the start of us being behind tonight.”

Five-time NASCAR Sprint Cup Champion, Jimmie Johnson, further closed the gap between him and Matt Kenseth tonight in the Chase for the Sprint Cup Championship. Johnson led 130 laps and after a rocky restart during the last caution of the race, he posted a fourth place finish.

When asked about the final restart and what happened to make him drop back, Johnson said, “Down in (turns) one and two just in the dirty air I pushed the No. 5 off into (turn) one. He didn’t get the best restart and something to do with that combo got me off the bottom and a couple of cars got into the side of me. If we could have come out second which was really close with the No. 24 and start on the front row I think it would have been a much different result for us, but it didn’t happen. We led some laps tonight, had a good car. I’m not sure what happened in the points, but I know it’s awfully tight up there right now.”

After winning the NASCAR Nationwide Series race last night, driver of the No. 18 M & M’s Toyota, Kyle Busch, came up short tonight in the Bank of America 500. Hoping to win his first Cup race at Charlotte Motor Speedway, Busch posted a fifth place finish.

When asked what it is that is keeping him from winning races, Busch said, “I think it’s everything. There at the end, I’m sure if Jimmie (Johnson) would have taken two (tires) he would have stormed off and kicked everybody’s butt. They took four, they gambled on the soft side and it bit them a little bit tonight. They lost a point to the 20 (Matt Kenseth), but they were good enough to win. So, they have something to hang their hat on—we don’t.”

Kevin Harvick, Jeff Gordon, Ryan Newman, Denny Hamlin, and Carl Edwards rounded out the top ten with sixth, seventh, eighth, ninth, and tenth places, respectively.

With five races to go in the Chase to the NASCAR Sprint Cup Championship, the next race will be the Camping World RV Sales 500 next week at Talladega Superspeedway.

October 13, 2013