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Aaron’s 499 Review: Talladega Puts On a Show

[media-credit name=”CIA Stock Photography, Inc.” align=”alignright” width=”228″][/media-credit]When NASCAR comes to Talladega it’s almost like playing the lottery; you never know who is going to win, but it’s still fun to gamble. Jeff Gordon started on the pole with last year’s champion Tony Stewart on the outside pole. The race was delayed for about 30 minutes due to rain that flooded the track overnight, but once the race got started it was an entertaining show.

Overheating started out early on Lap 16 when Regan Smith blew an engine to bring out the caution flag. Tony Stewart, who was leading when the caution came out, got off pit road second to Matt Kenseth. Kenseth was able to hold the lead until Lap 26 when Michael Waltrip took his No. 55 Toyota to the lead.

The overheating woes continued on Lap 44 when Ryan Newman took his car to the garage when water began to pour out of his windshield. The top three drivers under this caution were Waltrip, Kenseth, and Stewart. At Talladega a driver can go from the rear of the field to the front instantly with the help of the two car tandem and that’s exactly what Jimmie Johnson did on Lap 46 with the help of his teammate Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Kurt Busch.

Kenseth took the lead in his Best Buy Ford on Lap 53 with Jeff Gordon in tow. Around this time is when Johnson reported to the team that his engine was blowing up due to overheating. After green-flag pit stops on Lap 58 Earnhardt took over the lead from Kenseth for about 20 laps, until Earnhardt lost the draft and dropped back to 15th position. Approximately 50 laps into the race Kasey Kahne was forced to make a spotter change. His interim spotter Kevin Hamlin was suffering from laryngitis at the time and eventually lost his voice. The No. 5 team replaced Hamlin with Joe Nemecheck’s spotter to finish the race.

From 80 laps to go on, the leader of the race changed almost every ten laps. The drivers exchanging the lead were Greg Biffle, Kasey Kahne, Kenseth, Casey Mears, Brad Keselowski, and Kurt Busch. Busch caught a big break on Lap 141 when his car ran out of fuel just as caution flew on the race track. In Turns 3 and 4 the big one struck involving Landon Cassill, Jeff Gordon, Carl Edwards, Martin Truex Jr., Joey Logano, Juan Montoya, Terry Labonte, Aric Almirola, and Dave Blaney. Under this caution Kenseth and Ambrose were penalized for pitting too soon. Kurt Busch and Bobby Labonte also pitted too soon after running out of fuel.

Paul Menard led the restart with Keselowski on his outside. Keselowski took the lead with 39 to go. Mears spun his race car in Turn 3 to bring out a caution with 15 laps to go. During this caution Stewart brought his car down pit road for overheating issues. The cautions continued when former teammates Keselowski and Kurt Busch got together, sending Busch spinning through the infield.

As the field attempted to restart, another caution flew once again. Hamlin jumped out of line to try and make it three wide down the middle. Allmendinger blocked Hamlin and started another big wreck. Menard, Kevin Harvick, and Waltrip were also involved. Just before the restart Hamlin blew a tire causing the caution to be extended for debris on the track.

The race was settled by a green-white-checkered finish between Kenseth, Keselowski, and Kyle Busch. Keselowski pulled ahead by three car-lengths over the field to win his second race at Talladega.

[media-credit name=”articles.boston.com” align=”alignright” width=”225″][/media-credit]Kurt Busch, or Should I Say “Ricky Bobby”?

Kurt Busch’s paint scheme for Talladega looked very familiar to race fans, and even non-race fans. Busch ran the colors of “ME” from the popular movie “Talladega Nights”. Not only did he run Ricky Bobby’s paint scheme, his entire team took this role to a whole different level. The team referred to Busch as “Ricky” over the radio and quoted the movie throughout the entire race. The team even carried a stuffed animal cougar named “Karen” in the racecar with them.

Busch’s race was going very well until Lap 181 when Keselowski and Busch got together, sending Busch sliding across the start-finish line. With limited damage to his race car, it looked as if Busch would be able to get back on track and continue racing. However, when Busch drove his car down pit road backwards in attempt to get to his pit stall, he was forced to pit again. This is when the fun and games ended between the team and driver, and the No. 51 car finished in 20th place, one lap down.

Fresh Faces Finish in the Top-20

After losing his Cup ride at Roush Racing last season, it was nice to see David Ragan finish in 7th position. Ragan ran a clean race and was able to stay out of trouble to keep his No. 34 Front Row Motorsports Ford in the Top-10. Trevor Bayne is running a part-time NASCAR schedule this season due to lack of sponsorship with Wood Brother’s Racing. Bayne is known for being a good plate-track racer and he finished in 8th position in the Aaron’s 499. Aric Almirola is another driver who we don’t normally see at the top of the field, but was able to finish in 12th position. David Gilliland, who is Ragan’s teammate at Front Row Motorsports, finished in 13th position. Travis Kvapil, who is running a par-time schedule, finished in 16th position.

May 8, 2012
Surprising and Not Surprising: Aaron’s 499 at Talladega

[media-credit name=”Credit: Jerry Markland/Getty Images for NASCAR” align=”alignright” width=”243″][/media-credit]From a rain-delayed beginning to the green, white, checkered finish, here is what was surprising and not surprising in the 43^rd annual Aaron’s 499 at Talladega Superspeedway.

Surprising: It was surprising that it took nearly 36 years for a Dodge to return to Victory Lane, with the last one being the Dodge win of Dave Marcos on August 8, 1976.

And thanks to Brad Keselowski, in the No. 2 Miller Lite Dodge for Penske Racing, the long winless streak for the manufacturer was finally been broken.

“At Talladega you don’t have a plan,” Keselowski said. “You go up front and you race your butt off all day.”

“You either get to the front or you don’t,” Keselowski continued. “That’s what we did.”

“Man it feels good to win here in Talladega,” Keselowski declared from Victory Lane. “I’m glad to come out on top with the Miller Lite Dodge.”

This was Keselowski’s sixth victory in 99 Cup races and his second victory and fifth top-10 finish in 2012. The driver has won twice before at Talladega as well.

Not Surprising: Since it was Talladega, as well as Super Moon and Cinco de Mayo weekend, it was not surprising that crazy things happened, including many drivers watching the remainder of the race from the sidelines, due to everything from engine woes to multiple car pileups.

Even the most influential athlete and five-time champ Jimmie Johnson was not immune, succumbing to engine failure and officially retiring on Lap 110 with a 35^th place finish.

Johnson spent the remainder of the race on his teammate Dale Earnhardt Junior’s pit box, rooting for that elusive 200^th win for Hendrick Motorsports, which again was not meant to be.

“We lost the oil pressure there,” the driver of the No. 48 Lowe’s Chevrolet said. “We don’t know exactly what happened.”

Surprising: In spite of celebrating his 20 year sponsorship with Dupont and 20 straight years with a pole, Jeff Gordon was NASCAR’s surprising biggest point’s loser. The four-time champion battled overheating all race long and was caught up in the ‘big one’ on Lap 141.

Gordon fell six spots, from 17^th to 23^rd, in the point standings. The driver of the No. 24 Dupont Chevrolet finished the race in the 33^rd position.

“That was not fun,” Gordon said. “I didn’t like hitting the wall.”

“Man, this is just one of the most bizarre years that this Dupont Chevrolet and Drive To End Hunger Chevrolet team has ever gone through,” Gordon continued. “I mean, it’s almost comical at this point.”

Not Surprising: As high as his teammate was for winning, it was not surprising that the other Penske Dodge competitor, A.J. Allmendinger was about as low as he could go.

The driver of the No. 22 Shell/Pennzoil-AAA Dodge went to block Denny Hamlin and the wreck was on. Allmendinger finished 15^th after starting from the outside pole.

“My guys did a good job, fast motor, fast race car,” Allmendinger said. “I had a chance to win the race until it all went down the drain.”

“We had a chance to win,” Dinger said with abject disappointment. “I’m happy the 2 car won.”

Surprising: At a track where the spotter is essential, it was surprising that the driver of the No. 5 Farmer’s Insurance Chevrolet was able to rebound for a good finish after losing his spotter Kevin Hamlin to laryngitis.

Kasey Kahne, dodging at least three wrecks, finished fourth. He was the highest Hendrick Motorsports finisher.

“We survived, that was the biggest thing,” Kahne said. “We missed the wrecks and got a good push there at the end.”

“We were catching the guys in front of us, but it was just too late.”

Not Surprising: With the new rules changes by NASCAR designed to decrease the tandem racing and increase the pack racing, it was not surprising that many drivers were concerned about the cars overheating and the temperatures of the water and oil in the engines.

The unofficial ‘Mayor’ of the NASCAR garage, Jeff Burton, weighed in on the issue. The driver of the No. 31 Caterpillar Chevrolet was none too happy in spite of his tenth place finish.

“Not being able to race the way we want to race is frustrating,” Burton said. “Every time we would get in the pack, our water pressure would get real high.”

“We didn’t want to push water and that wasn’t a lot of fun,” Burton continued. “But we caught a lucky break when the caution came out and fortunately that helped us a lot.”

Surprising: Kurt Busch, channeling his inner Ricky Bobby, had a surprisingly good run in his No. 51 Talladega Nights ME car. In fact, it was even surprisingly pleasant to listen to his radio chatter as he rattled off strings of dialogue from the movie.

Unfortunately, Busch was caught up in one of the late race crashes, relegating him to a 20^th place finish.

“It was a good effort all day by the team,” Busch said. “It’s pretty disappointing to come to one of the places we have circled on the schedule, run well all day, and then have it end like this.”

“But that’s a part of it.”

Not Surprising: Fresh off his second place finish in the Nationwide race, it was not surprising to see Kyle Busch, driver of the No. 18 M&M’s Toyota, finish in the runner up spot in the Cup race.

“For me, whatever Talladega and Daytona is, it’s a restrictor plate race,” Busch said. “That’s what we all know going into the weekend.”

“Some of us love coming here, some of us dread it,” Busch continued. “You don’t have control of your own destiny, I don’t feel like.”

Surprising: When asked if he preferred the pack racing to the tandem drafting, Tony Stewart had a surprisingly ‘interesting’ idea for what he thought might just make the racing even better.

“I think we ought to make it a figure eight,” the driver of the No. 14 Office Depot/Mobil 1 Chevrolet said. “If we could make it a figure eight, it would be perfect here.”

“We can stop at the half way mark, take a break and turn around and go backwards the rest of the way,” Smoke continued. “Then with ten to go, we split the field in half and half go the regular direction and half of them go backwards.”

Not Surprising: NASCAR’s most popular driver gained a new moniker, ‘Mr. Consistent’, that is not at all surprising given the good start to his season. Dale Earnhardt, Jr. had another solid run, finishing ninth in his No. 88 National Guard/Diet Mountain Dew Chevrolet.

“This is definitely the most consistent we’ve ever been, or I’ve ever been,” Junior said. “I have a great team and they give me great cars.”

“It worked out and we ended up getting a finish, and not tore up and on the hook,” Junior continued. “I hope we can go to Darlington and keep our consistency going.”

May 7, 2012
Matt Kenseth ‘I was just too stupid’ at the end of Talladega

[media-credit name=”Simon Scoggins” align=”alignright” width=”223″][/media-credit]Matt Kenseth was highly critical of himself following his third place finish Sunday in the Aaron’s 499 at the Talladega Superspeedway. After leading the most laps, 78 of 194, and leading with just two laps to go in a green-white-checkered finish, it was he and he alone the reason his team wasn’t in Victory Lane.

“I think we had the wining car, really just didn’t have the winning driver,” Kenseth explained afterwards. “On the last restart, Greg [Biffle] and I got hooked together like Daytona, of all the cars I raced around today, Greg was really pushing me fast.

“Got clear in front of the 2 [Brad Keselowski] and Kyle [Busch], as soon as we became clear, wasn’t long after that I looked forward for a second, when I looked back Greg and I were separated, those guys were already outside him.

“With nobody behind him, lost his speed. With me not paying attention, keeping us hooked up, just cost us a shot at the win; cost Greg a shot at the win. Just didn’t do a very good job of managing where he was on that last restart.”

Kenseth and Biffle had gotten a clean start and shot away from the field as they looked to settle the race amongst themselves. It was the plan they carried over from Daytona when the two ran first and second for much of the Daytona 500.

That’s how most of Sunday played out as well. The Roush Fenway teammates ganging up on the field and showing their plate power. Had Kenseth been able to pull off the win he would have gone 2-0 on the season in restrictor plate races.

And he would have ended his 0-24 Talladega streak, but it wasn’t meant to be. The two-car tandem of Keselowski pushed by Busch flew past the unhooked Kenseth and Biffle as they headed for the white flag. Keselowski went on to score the win, Busch finished second.

It’s what Kenseth feared would end up happening. After dominating the event he knew a victory wasn’t in the bag, not a restrictor plate track. Anything can happen, things can change quickly and a late race restart didn’t help his cause.

“I worry about it all the time because I can only see the first couple cars behind me,” said Kenseth. “Bunch of people bail out of that lane, you don’t get in front of that lane, even if you have one of the fastest cars like I though we did, you can get beat easily.

“You could see that at the end. I think if I would have done a better job of managing, stayed on his front bumper, I think we would have run first and second. You’re always worried at these places because you only have so much control.”

But enough control for Kenseth to take the blame. Having added a second Daytona 500 win earlier this season and another strong performance on Sunday, the Wisconsin native has shown he’s quite the plate racer and a driver who should be watched.

Whenever trouble broke out he was either in front of it or made his way through it. And when his car looked too damaged to be fast, he proved it to be otherwise. For as fast as his No. 17 Best Buy Ford Fusion was, it didn’t escape Talladega unscathed.

He ran the second half of the race with a crack and dent in the right front fender and a crack in the post behind the window net. They just weren’t enough to slow him down.

Kenseth was right there at the end, just as he has been from the start of the season. The 2003 Cup Series champion has been knocking on the door for another title, showing speed, patience and consistency every weekend.

Sending a silent message that he and his Roush team are going to be contenders. It was just unfortunate for Kenseth that on some Sunday’s the fastest car doesn’t always win.

“I wasn’t too fast, I was just too stupid I guess at the end to keep a win,” he said. “I think there’s a lot of things that happened there and at Daytona in the 150s and the 500. I didn’t worry about the guy attached behind me because if he had two or three guys in the lane, he could push me out far enough where and tandem couldn’t beat us.

“I kind of had that same strategy today. If I get pushed away, I think we’ll be okay. If they would have stayed behind them until we got to turn three, we still would have been okay. When they bailed out, it made Greg’s car go slower and he lost his momentum and he couldn’t stay sealed up to me. I should have watched the mirror and managed that a drug the brake a little better.

“Earlier when Greg was behind me, he could push me hard, almost spin me out. On the restart everybody kind of pushes each other, stays in line for a little bit. I was hoping that bottom, once we got in front of those two, I was hoping all four of us would be locked together, at least until we got to max speed but that just didn’t happen and I didn’t watch it close enough.”

May 6, 2012
Matty’s Picks 2012 – Vol. 10 Talladega Superspeedway – Aaron’s 499 – May 6, 2012

[media-credit name=”talladegasuperspeedway.com” align=”alignright” width=”163″][/media-credit]499 or so miles will make up the Aaron’s 499 tomorrow afternoon, and all 499 miles will surely be filled with chaos throughout the 43-car field. A slue of rule changes has been passed down by NASCAR officials to break up the two car tango, which we saw last season. The racing during first and only restrictor plate race of the season at Daytona was a mix of the two car tango and pack drafting. Throw out the jet-dryer fiasco and you still had a fantastic kickoff to the 2012 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season. Tomorrows race in Alabama should be no different.

Richmond Recap

I am not one to brag, but when you perfect something, its worth talking about… As today is the day of the 138th Kentucky Derby, I will claim to have hit the exacta last weekend in Richmond.

My winner pick last week ended up in Victory Lane at the end of the night, my first win of the season. Kyle Busch did not completely dominate the race last weekend, and if it wasn’t for a late-race caution, defending Sprint Cup Series Champion Tony Stewart would have went on to win the Capitol 400. In the end, it was the pit crew of the No. 18 M&M’s Toyota that boosted Busch to victory in Old Dominion. Knowing the last stop of the night was the most important, the No. 18 team put together a stop that allowed Busch to win the race off pit road and hold off the field for the remaining 12 or so laps. It was Rowdy’s fourth consecutive win in the spring race at Richmond, and my first win of the season.
My dark horse impressed many with his performance last weekend at RIR, but the winless streak stands at 138 races for Dale Earnhardt Jr. Although he failed to reach the point last week, Jr had the best shot he’s had all year to snap the winless streak. Jr Nation had a glimpse of hope on the final restart, but Dale Jr was not quick enough to reach the bumper of the No. 18. Dale Earnhardt Jr. finished second, completing my exacta for last weekend.

Talladega Picks

Much like my Daytona picks earlier this season, my Talladega picks will be a craps shoot. Practice speeds, starting spots, and historical data all go out the window when the green flag flies at Talladega. Being built on a Native American burial ground, Talladega Superspeedway has a history of wild races.

Winner Pick

My winner pick this week is the pilot of the No. 2 Miller Lite Dodge. My first trip to Talladega was marked by Brad Keselowski’s pass on Carl Edwards on the final lap for his first win in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. His stats are decent at Talladega, unlike his record at Daytona. 4 of his 5 top-10’s, both his top-5’s, and his only win on superspeedways have come at Talladega. Keselowski looked good in today’s Aaron’s 312 until the big one with three laps to go. He’s looking to balance his misfortune at Daytona earlier this year and claim his second victory of 2012.

Dark Horse Pick

A guy that seems to fly under the radar each week is Joey Logano. He might have stole my thunder today however, when he passed Kyle Busch for the win in today’s Aaron’s 312. Logano is a B-list starter for me on my fantasy team this week, and much like Keselowski performs a bit better at Talladega than Daytona. He has two top-5’s and four top-10’s at the superspeedway, and a respectable average finish of 14.5 at the 2.66-mile speedway. Watch for Logano to find help early in the race and finish the race towards the top of the leader board tomorrow.

That’s all for this week so until we head to Darlington…You Stay Classy NASCAR NATION!

May 6, 2012
Capital City 400 Review: Virginia is for Drama

[media-credit name=”Brad Keppel” align=”alignright” width=”225″][/media-credit]For the first half of the race, it looked like Carl Edwards would be the man in victory lane at the end of the Capitol City 400. However, after a late race penalty Edwards was put to the rear of the field, giving the lead up for grabs.

After leading for 206 laps, Edwards was black flagged for jumping the restart on Lap 320. He was forced to make a pass through penalty on pit road, which dropped him back to 15th place. The No. 99 team was very irate about the situation, but NASCAR wasn’t hearing it. Edwards’ team was confused about the situation and wanted to know if they received the penalty for jumping the restart, or for beating Stewart to the line.

Edwards may have jumped the restart however, the situation looked worse when Stewart spun his tires on the start – this bunched up the rest of the field and caused Edwards’ to jump out about three car lengths over the rest of the field.

Either way you look at it, this penalty gave Stewart the lead of the race. Kyle Busch, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Kasey Kahne, and AJ Allmendinger rounded out the Top 5. Stewart and Busch led the field with seven seconds over Earnhardt. It looked as if Stewart would drive to his third victory lane of the season until caution for debris flew once again with 14 laps to go. Edwards received the lucky dog during this caution and was back on the lead lap.

After problems on pit road for Stewart, Busch won the race off of pit road. Stewart spun his tires once again on the restart, allowing Earnhardt to take over second position and give the fans something to yell about. Earnhardt trailed Busch by half a second but wasn’t able to catch him when the checkered flag waved. Finishing second has moved Earnhardt to second position in point’s standings, just five points from the leader.

Busch took Richmond by storm, winning the Nationwide race as the car owner of Kyle Busch Motorsports, and winning as a driver for Joe Gibbs Racing. Busch has been flying under the radar this season and is lower in points than we normally see him. Winning at Richmond gained him two positions in points, moving him to 11th position.

What’s On the Horizon for Talladega?

The good thing about Talladega is: it’s anybody’s race! It doesn’t matter where you start, because it only takes one lap for a driver to move from last to first position, or vice versa. Talladega is the biggest and wildest track on the circuit and it never fails to put on a good show. Jimmie Johnson won the Aaron’s 499 last year, and he could very well do it again. However, I’m looking at Michael Waltrip Racing in Talladega.

I believe that MWR will be a force to reckon with at the Superspeedway. Owner Michael Waltrip will get behind the wheel of the No. 55 to race at a track that he has won before. Everyone knows that Waltrip is a master at superspeedways and his drivers, Martin Truex Jr. and Clint Bowyer, aren’t too shabby either.

[media-credit name=”CIA Stock Photo” align=”alignright” width=”319″][/media-credit]Bowyer has two career wins at Talladega, along with six top 10 finishes. Although Truex hasn’t won at Talladega in the Cup series, he has won the Aaron’s 312 Nationwide race three years in a row. Truex has been oh so close to reaching victory lane this season and I think Talladega will be where he gets his first win of 2012.

May 1, 2012
NASCAR Top-10 Power Rankings: Richmond

[media-credit name=”Brad Keppel” align=”alignright” width=”225″][/media-credit]Note: The quotes in this article are fictional.

1. Dale Earnhardt, Jr.: With a 137-race winless streak still dogging him, Earnhardt nearly broke through at Richmond, finishing second to Kyle Busch in the Capital City 400. Earnhardt now trails points leader Greg Biffle by five points in the Sprint Cup point standings.

“What does Busch have that I don’t, besides a win at Richmond?” Earnhardt said. “A ‘checkered’ past.

“Anyway, I’ve got two second-place finishes and two thirds so far this year. They may not be wins, but in the eyes of Junior Nation, I lead NASCAR in ‘Little’ victories.”

2. Denny Hamlin: Hamlin followed last week’s win at Kansas with a fourth at Richmond, as Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Kyle Busch won for the first time this season. Hamlin improved two spots in the point standings to third, nine points out of first.

“Kyle ran an unbelievable of a race,” Hamlin said. “He was patient, methodical, and in control. And that makes it unbelievable, because he was totally out of character.”

3. Greg Biffle: Biffle finished 18^th in the Capital City 400 at Richmond, handicapped by handling issues that proved unresponsive to adjustments. He maintained the top spot in the points, but now leads Dale Earnhardt, Jr. by only five points.

“Five points isn’t much of a lead,” Biffle said, “but it’s a lead nonetheless. And let’s face it, any lead over Earnhardt is a safe lead.”

4. Jimmie Johnson: Johnson posted his third-straight top-6 finish, and seventh top-10 result of the year, with a sixth in the Capital City 400. He is now sixth in the Sprint Cup point standings, 24 out of first.

“I finished sixth,” Johnson said, “to move into sixth in the Sprint Cup point standings, on the way to what will surely be my sixth championship. That’s three sixth’s, which is a hell of a lot, and certainly an omen of good things for me.

“As you may have heard, I was named Forbe’s most influential athlete. That means I can win, and ‘win over.’ That’s two more wins than Dale Junior.”

5. Tony Stewart: Stewart was sailing towards a win at Richmond, with a comfortable lead over Kyle Busch, when NASCAR flew a debris caution with 12 laps to go. A slow pit stop allowed Busch to exit with the lead, and Stewart settled for third, and later questioned NASCAR’s decision.

“I understand the ‘debris’ in question was a water bottle,” Stewart said. “That’s garbage. I’m not sure what was in that bottle, but whatever it was, it was ‘full of it.’ And, I guess I’ll have to ‘swallow’ it.

“Anyway, it’s clear NASCAR doesn’t want to see me run away with the championship. And, as my typical subpar runs that follow strong runs would suggest, neither do I.”

6. Martin Truex, Jr.: Truex finished 25^th at Richmond, his worst finish of the year, after an untimely caution on lap 311 cost him two laps. He tumbled three places in the point standings to fifth, and now trails Greg Biffle by 22.

“After five-straight top-10 finishes,” Truex said, “I was due for a mediocre finish. And I didn’t disappoint. But I hesitate to say I’ll ‘rebound’ at Talladega, because there may be a wall involved.”

7. Carl Edwards: Edwards led 206 of 400 laps, but lost any chance for his initial 2012 victory when he was penalized for jumping a restart on lap 89. Edwards battled back from the penalty and eventually finished 10^th, but was left doubting the veracity of NASCAR’s decision. He is ninth in the point standings, 51 out of first.

“I was told I was the leader,” Edwards said, “while NASCAR insists that Tony Stewart was the leader. Apparently, they were just blowing ‘Smoke’ up my behind.”

8. Matt Kenseth: Kenseth finished 11^th at Richmond, just missing his sixth top-10 finish of the year. He holds the fourth spot in the point standings, 10 behind Roush Fenway teammate Greg Biffle.

“NASCAR said Carl Edwards jumped a restart with 89 laps to go,” Kenseth said. “I know exactly how that feels. ‘That’ being the restart, because I’ve been ‘jumped’ by Edwards myself.”

9. Kyle Busch: Busch took advantage of a late caution and beat Tony Stewart out of the pits, then pulled away to win at Richmond. It was Busch’s fourth-straight Richmond spring win, and first of the year, as he followed Joe Gibbs teammate Denny Hamlin’s win at Kansas last year.

“Thanks to NASCAR for a timely caution,” Busch said. “Usually, when NASCAR gives me a ‘gift,’ it’s probation instead of a suspension.”

10. Kevin Harvick: Harvick finished 19^th in the Capital City 400, the last car on the lead lap, after starting third. The No. 29 Jimmie John’s Chevy was solid early in the race, but faded late on a tough day for Richard Childress Racing.

“Right now,” Harvick said, “we don’t look like a true championship contender. We’re struggling, with an average finish of 11^th. It seems the last positive I experienced was on a pregnancy test.”

May 1, 2012
Surprising and Not Surprising: Richmond Capital City 400

[media-credit name=”Brad Keppel” align=”alignright” width=”236″][/media-credit]Virginia may be for lovers but that was not the only emotion running high at Richmond International Raceway. Here is what was surprising and not surprising from the 58^th Annual Capital City 400 Presented by Virginia is for Lovers.

Surprising: While Kyle Busch is no stranger to Victory Lane in the spring race at Richmond, it was still surprising to see the pure joy and raw emotion he exhibited after the checkered flag flew.

The win, Busch’s first of the 2012 season, along with the victory of his team and brother Kurt in the Nationwide race the night before, just seemed to send Kyle Busch over the moon.

“It means so much that we’re able to come to this place every time and know that we can have a decent car again and again,” the driver of Joe Gibbs Racing No. 18 M&Ms Toyota Camry said. “It wasn’t the best car but it was really good.”

“It was a gift,” Busch continued. “We just kept fighting, kept ourselves up there in track position, kept the fenders clean, the right side clean and kept us in the game all race long.”

This was Busch’s 24^th victory in 266 Cup races. The win, his fourth consecutive at Richmond, broke a tie with Richard Petty, who held that record from 1971 to 1973.

Not Surprising: While it is never surprising that tempers flare at this Virginia short track, this time drivers were not as mad at each other as they were at NASCAR.

Both Tony Stewart, who was bitten by a late race caution for debris and problems on pit road, and Carl Edwards, who was penalized by NASCAR for jumping the restart after leading the most laps, were very unhappy campers at race end.

“When the caution is for a plastic bottle on the backstretch, it’s hard to feel good about losing that one,” Stewart said. “And we gave it away on pit road.”

“So we did everything we could to throw it away and it got taken away from us,” Stewart continued. “We lost it for a caution for a plastic bottle, so you tell me how you’d feel.”

Edwards was equally frustrated after being black flagged for jumping the restart. He and his crew chief Bob Osborne argued their case with NASCAR in the hauler after the race.

“We had to just agree to disagree and that’s the way it is,” Edwards said. “They run the sport and they do the best job they can.”

“I drive a race car and do the very best job I can,” Edwards continued. “This whole thing is very frustrating. I don’t feel like we did the wrong thing.”

The driver of the No. 99 Ford EcoBoost finished tenth, while the driver of the No. 14 Mobil 1/Office Depot Chevrolet finished third. Both drivers held serve in the point standings, with Stewart remaining in eighth and Edwards in ninth.

Surprising: Fans of the No. 24 Dupont Chevrolet witnessed another surprisingly bad run by Jeff Gordon and company. While the team managed to qualify decently, in sixth, they fell back immediately after the green flag flew, then ending up cutting a tire to finish a miserable 23^rd.

This was Gordon’s sixth finish of 21^st or worse in the last 11 races. The four-time champ is currently mired in the 17^th position in the point standings, out of Chase contention at present.

Not Surprising: While none of the Hendrick drivers scored the elusive 200^th win for Mr. H, that most popular one, Dale Earnhardt, Jr., had another solid run at the short track.

In spite of brake issues, Junior scored the runner up spot. This was his 11^th top-10 finish at Richmond and his seventh top-10 finish in 2012.

“We had some brake problems all night long,” the driver of the No. 88 National Guard/Diet Mount Dew said. “Kind of tried to overcome them best we could.”

“We were maybe a fifth place car,” Dale Earnhardt, Jr. continued. “I’m really happy to gain a couple of spots there at the end with that caution and get some more points.”

Speaking of those precious points, Junior currently sits in the same points position as where he finished the race, second. He is now just five points back from points leader Greg Biffle.

Surprising: Rolling tires, not tire wear, was one of the most surprising factors influencing the race at Richmond, especially for five-time champ Jimmie Johnson.

The driver of the No. 48 Lowes Chevrolet was penalized to the tail end of the lead lap due to his pit crew losing contact with a rolling tire. Yet, in spite of the mistake, Johnson finished sixth and remained philosophical about it all at race end.

“Stuff happens,” Johnson said. “It’s racing.”

“Unfortunately we had a tire get away from us and had to serve that penalty and go to the back,” Johnson continued. “But the good news is we had a very fast race car.”

“I certainly wish we didn’t have that mistake, but when you’re in this deal long enough mistakes happen,” Johnson said. “I don’t want to beat anybody up.”

Not Surprising: It was not surprising to see the majority of Michael Waltrip’s team continue their good runs. The best of the bunch this race was Clint Bowyer, who brought his No. 15 5-Hour Energy Toyota home in the seventh spot.

Nipping at Bowyer’s heels was veteran and pole sitter Mark Martin, who scored an eighth place finish in his No. 55 Aaron’s Dream Machine Toyota.

“I’ve never seen a guy (Rodney Childers, crew chief) improve one of my cars that much in one race,” Martin said. “You’ve got to be able to do that.”

“I’m really impressed,” Martin continued. “They did a great job.”

Surprising: Although Greg Biffle was sporting the ‘Give Kids A Smile’ promotion on the outside of his No. 16 EM Ford, it was surprising that there were no smiles from inside that race car. Biffle struggled most of the night and finished a disappointing 18^th.

“It was a tough night,” Biff said. “We never recovered from our poor qualifying run and struggled with the turn and forward drive.”

“We just didn’t have the turn and the drive that we needed,” Biffle continued. “It is frustrating.”

Not Surprising: It was not surprising to hear the disappointment in Denny Hamlin’s voice after not winning at his home track. The driver of the No. 11 FedEx Freight Toyota finished fourth.

“Yeah, I’m a little disappointed,” Hamlin said. “We just never really hit it today.”

“We had times where we were competitive and we just got behind on one run,” Hamlin continued. “So, we just couldn’t recover from that.”

Surprising: It was surprising to see Trevor Bayne in his fire suit on the pit box throughout the race, waiting in the wings to see if Marcos Ambrose would be in need of his services.

But the young Daytona 500 winner never got to climb aboard as the driver of the No. 9 Stanley Ford drove through his back pain to finish 22^nd.

Not Surprising: To no one’s surprise, Brad Keselowski, behind the wheel of the Blue Deuce, was the highest finishing Dodge in the Capital City 400, scoring ninth place.

Also, not surprisingly, Kes and his crew are all about clawing their way into Chase contention with top-10 finishes.

“We just keep knocking top 10s out,” Paul Wolfe, crew chief of the No. 2 Miller Lite Dodge, said. “That’s what we need to do to continue to gain points right now and put ourselves in position to get into the Chase.”

April 29, 2012
From domination to frustration for Edwards and Stewart in Richmond

[media-credit name=”Brad Keppel” align=”alignright” width=”225″][/media-credit]Saturday night in Richmond wasn’t the first time that the fastest car didn’t win the race.

But neither Tony Stewart nor Carl Edwards were happy or accepting about the ways in which they lost the Capital City 400. Stewart felt he had the win taken away from him, first from NASCAR then his pit crew.

Edwards wasn’t too pleased with NASCAR either after he received the black flag with less than 90 laps to go. NASCAR officials ruled he had jumped the restart, ordering him to serve a penalty, which took him out of contention.

It all started during a caution on lap 311 during green flag pit stops when Jeff Burton hit the turn three wall. Everyone except for Edwards had already pitted and returned to the track.

Jimmie Johnson was on pit road when the caution came out, he was listed as the leader. Except he’d have to serve a penalty for a tire violation putting which in turn put Stewart back into the lead.

Heading for the restart Stewart and Edwards lined back up with Stewart on the inside and Edwards on the outside.

However, the scoring tower had Edwards listed as the leader, how? From images provided by viewers after the race it shows that Edwards was cleaning his tires when he crossed the start/finish line ahead of Stewart. In doing so says NASCAR vice president of competition Robin Pemberton, the transponder on his car scored him crossing the line ahead of Stewart, even though he technically wasn’t the leader.

The team and Edwards had no idea what had occurred and genuinely believed they were the leader. When the green flag flew Edwards took off and left Stewart in the dust. That’s when NASCAR deemed he jumped the start, having gone before the designated restart area.

Stewart took back the lead; Edwards served his penalty in confusion and frustration. From the car Edwards called for NASCAR to correct themselves but to no avail, saying they had taken the win away from him.

He went on to get lapped by Stewart, then to get the lucky dog before eventually finishing 10th. Afterwards he still wasn’t happy and went to NASCAR looking for answers.

“I am trying to not be too frustrated and say something stupid,” said Edwards before talking with NASCAR. “So right before that [restart] my spotter Jason Hedleskey was told by NASCAR officials that the 99 was the leader, the 99 is the leader. Jason told me and I had a split second to decide what I was going to do.

“I thought, ‘okay, NASCAR made a mistake and they lined us up wrong.’ I was at a disadvantage being on the outside so I thought I was getting the best start I could get. It looked like Tony waited or spun his tires so they black-flagged me. I still don’t understand why they black-flagged me. They said we were the leader and I restarted the best I could given the disadvantaged position I was in.

“The problem is I don’t know if NASCAR is going to take the stance that I jumped the start. If they are saying that I jumped the start then that would be real frustrating.”

After his meeting with NASCAR and hearing their explanation, Edwards didn’t have as much to say. And still didn’t believe that he had done anything wrong.

“We had to just agree to disagree and that’s the way it is,” he said. “They run the sport and they do the best job they can and I drive a racecar and do the very best job I can.”

Meanwhile Stewart looked like he was in control and headed toward his third win of the season. But just as they always do, a caution changed everything.

NASCAR officials called debris in turn two but some, such as Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Stewart, didn’t think it was anything more than a bottle. No matter though, the leaders came down pit road for their final stops.

Stewart lost the battle on pit road to Kyle Busch and it ended up being the battle for the win. On the restart with eight laps to go Earnhardt Jr. took another spot from Stewart who ended up finishing third.

While pleased with what he called the best car he’s had at Richmond, he wasn’t pleased about anything else.

“When the caution is for a plastic bottle on the backstretch, it’s hard to feel good about losing that one,” said Stewart. “And we gave it away on pit road. So we did everything we could to throw it away; it got taken away from us.”

Even more frustrating for Stewart about the debris caution was that he felt “it was out of the groove. It had been sitting there for eight laps.”

Through all the chaos Stewart holds onto his two wins, Edwards remains winless, dating back to March of last season while Busch went on to score his fourth straight Richmond win, first of the 2012 season. He led twice for just 32 laps

Edwards and Stewart on the other hand had led for a combined 324 of 400 laps.

April 29, 2012
Matty’s Picks 2012 – Vol. 10 Richmond International Raceway – Capital City 400 presented by Virginia is for Lovers – April 27, 2012

[media-credit id=42 align=”alignright” width=”234″][/media-credit]Virginia is for Lovers, except when you are talking about the four weekends the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series goes short-track racing Old Dominion. The beating and banging of Martinsville Speedway and Richmond International Raceway mirror the short-track action Friday and Saturday nights that we all grew up on, and really take me back to some of my best times as a race fanatic. The race Saturday Night will surely be filled with fireworks and the Virginia beating and banging we’re all so fond of.

Before I get into last week’s recap, I’d like to extend a thank you to Mr. Bruton Smith and all of Speedway Motorsports Inc. for listening to the fans regarding the modifications of Bristol Motor Speedway. Since the reconfiguration and addition of progressive banking in 2007, attendance at Bristol has steadily on the decline. I was in complete awe this March when The Last Great Coliseum was half-full at best for the spring race. I can remember a few of my first trips to Bristol when there were 10,000 race fans standing in front of the gates looking for extra tickets. It was a miracle to scalp the hardest ticket in NASCAR back then, and was a miracle if you could find a seat at face-value.

Ultimately, it’s the fans that keep our sport alive, not the drivers, not the sponsors, not the owners… The fans are the ones spending the money to travel to the track week-in and week-out to watch 43 of the most talented drivers in the world, and when they speak, those with decision-making abilities must listen. Its not the drivers (unless they feel changes would render the track unsafe or un-drivable) that should be the tell-all in these types of decisions. If they’re not happy with the decision to tighten up the corners at Bristol, too bad, SMI must act in the best interests of NASCAR and what will put fans in the grandstands. The drivers may have liked the wide-open racing grooves over the past 5 years at Bristol Motor Speedway, but 300-something laps without a caution flag is not Bristol.

I am excited to get back to the way racing used to be in Eastern Tennessee, and I think the track change will boost attendance back to the days when the night race at Bristol was the toughest ticket in all of NASCAR.

Kansas Recap

I can’t say too much about the race last week because I didn’t catch a single lap of the STP 400. My race recap will be as exciting as the race itself last week (so I hear)…

My winner pick was points-leader Greg Biffle last week, and all I really know is he finished 4th last week, giving me my second top-5 in as many weeks.

I picked my Dark Horse last week before the STP 400 qualifying session, and after I found out my Dark Horse eventually turned into last week’s pole-sitter, I was even more excited about my pick. But like many of my picks this season, he let me down. I now see that AJ Allmendinger finished 10-laps down in 32nd, adding to my less than impressive string of finishes this season.

Richmond Picks

Some people say you must hit rock bottom before you can start your climb to the top. I’m hoping that I’ve hit rock bottom just 1/4th of the way through this 2012 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season, and can still salvage a respectable average finish with the remainder of my picks.

Winner Pick

It shouldn’t be much of a surprise as to who I pick this week to win the Capital City 400 as his stats at the ¾-mile short track. He is the defending winner of this spring race, and has two other victories at RIR under his belt. In total, Kyle Busch has finished first or second in 7 of the last 11 races at Richmond, an absolutely phenomenal statistic. He has won the race at Richmond from as far back as 20th, and came from 34th in the spring of 2007 to finish second.

Overall, Kyle Busch has an average finish of 5.0 in 14 races in Virginia’s capital city, and is desperate to boost his points resume as he currently sits 13th, out of the Chase for the Sprint Cup. In the other two short-track races at Bristol and Martinsville this season, Rowdy finished 32nd and 36th respectively, a stat unfitting for a guy who has won nearly 20% of the races he’s started on a short-track.

He’s struggling to find speed as I look at the current charts (23rd fastest after 69 laps in this first practice session), but when the green flag flies, Rowdy will kick into high gear and wind up in Victory Lane.

Dark Horse Pick

This pick is what those of us involved with fantasy drafts often like to call “a reach”. I’m going way out on a whim to say that the JR Nation winless streak has a better chance than any race thus far to come to a close this weekend. It has been 1,412 days, 137 races, and a lifetime supply of Kleenex since JR Nation was graced with a win, and quite frankly I am ready for the streak to end.

Besides Chicago Cubs Fans, JR Nation may be the second-most cursed fan base in the country. 137 races is unthinkable for the sport’s most popular driver, and Richmond is a fine place for the streak to end. Earnhardt Jr knows his way to victory lane at the short-track with three wins, eight top-5’s, and five top-10’s in 25 starts. Each of the four Hendrick Motorsports drivers is gunning for Hendrick Motorsports’ 200th Sprint Cup Series victory.

It may be coincidence that JR’s last win before his victory at Michigan in June 2008 was at Richmond International Raceway, or it may just be time for the streak to come to a close.

Either way, JR is 4th in points and 15th on the speed charts following the first practice session of the day in Old Dominion.

That’s all for this week so until we head to Talladega…You Stay Classy NASCAR NATION!

April 27, 2012
Surprising and Not Surprising: Texas Samsung Mobile 500

[media-credit name=”Credit: Chris Graythen/Getty Images for NASCAR” align=”alignright” width=”254″][/media-credit]Deep in the heart of Texas Motor Speedway, here is what was surprising and not surprising from the 16^th running of the Samsung Mobile 500.

Surprising: In spite of Jimmie Johnson, driver of the No. 48 Lowe’s/Kobalt Tool Chevrolet, leading over 150 laps, it was surprising that his team owner will have to wait yet another race to secure the 200^th win for Hendrick Motorsports.

Johnson, who finished second, was the highest ranking HMS driver for the night. This was Johnson’s 13^th top-10 finish in 18 races at Texas and his fifth top-10 finish for the year.

“I’m definitely disappointed, but we had a great race car and there’s a lot to be proud of here today,” Johnson said. “Certainly wish we were there in Victory Lane but everybody knows we’re here.”

“We’re awfully close to it with this KOBALT Tools Chevrolet.”

Although still at the 199 win mark, all of the Hendrick drivers had surprisingly good nights, even Jeff Gordon and Kasey Kahne, who finished fourth and seventh respectively. Dale Earnhardt, Jr., the final HMS pilot, finished tenth.

This was the first time since the 2011 spring race at Talladega that Hendrick Motorsports had all four of its cars in the top-10 at the finish.

Not Surprising: At a track where Roush Fenway Racing traditionally dominates, it was not surprising to see one Roushketeer, Greg Biffle, in the winner’s circle with his cowboy hat and guns. This was Biff’s first win of the 2012 season and ended a 49 race winless streak.

The win was the company’s ninth win at Texas, the most of any other racing entity.

“I just dug deep,” Biffle said about his hard fought win. “I knew I had to do it and I kept trying and trying and trying.”

“I knew the team would forgive me if I wrecked it trying to beat him,” Biffle continued. “So, I just gave it all I had.”

Surprising: It was surprising that the fire was extinguished and there was no smoke at Texas this weekend. Tony Stewart, reigning past champion, finished 24^th, two laps down.

“We just couldn’t get the handle on this thing tonight,” Stewart said. “We chased it all night.”

“We’ll go back to the shop, tear it apart, and see what the deal is.”

Surprisingly, his teammate Ryan Newman was right there with him, finishing a bit better at 21^st, yet also two laps down.

“Things didn’t go our way today,” the driver of the No. 39 US Army Chevrolet said. “But we’ll be back stronger next week to complete the mission, which is winning the race.”

Not Surprising: Martin Truex, Jr., to no one’s surprise, continued tearing up the track for Michael Waltrip Racing. The driver of the No. 56 NAPA Auto Parts Toyota started from the pole position and finished top ten, in sixth place to be exact.

Truex, Jr. has finished top-10 in nine of the last twelve races.

“It was a lot of fun out there running up front with the NAPA Toyota,” Truex, Jr. said. “I can’t say enough about everybody on this NAPA team and everybody at MWR.”

“Hopefully we can keep this thing going.”

His MWR teammate Mark Martin also had a great run at Texas, a track where he was rated 12^th in the driver rankings. Martin, behind the wheel of the No. 55 Aaron’s 2000 Best of the Best Toyota, finished third.

This was Martin’s 13^th top-10 finish in 23 races at Texas Motor Speedway.

“Mark Martin is so enthusiastic,” team owner Michael Waltrip said. “He has pumped all of the drivers up.”

“We are very happy with our team’s performance.”

Surprising: It was most surprising that at a race where there are on average eight to nine restarts, there were only two caution flags thrown, one for debris and one for Trevor Bayne’s encounter with the wall.

The yellow flag flew just twice within the first 100 laps of the race, leaving the rest of the race to be run under green flag conditions. This was the first time in history that a superspeedway race had that many green flag laps without a caution.

Not Surprising: Unfortunately but not surprisingly, there was no Bubba Watson moment for Denny Hamlin at Texas, a track at which he traditionally runs well. The driver of the No. 11 FedEx Office/March of Dimes Toyota had a decent day, finishing 12^th,but was the last car on the lead lap at race end.

Surprising: At a track where he sat out last year’s fall race because of the Truck race incident with Ron Hornaday and where this year he had an issue in the pits with his air hose getting stuck under the car, Kyle Busch had a surprising good day after all.

The driver brought his No. 18 Toyota Interstate Batteries Toyota to the checkered flag in the 11^th spot.

Not Surprising: Since Chassis No. 665 scored a good finish for Landon Cassill at Michigan last year, it was not surprising that new driver Kurt Busch gave it a whirl for a good run at Texas. The driver of the No. 51 Phoenix Construction Chevrolet finished 13^th.

“It was a good night and finish for us,” Busch said. “We had little struggles but were able to overcome those.”

“This was a good night and a nice top-15 finish for us.”

Surprising: The struggles of the Penske Dodge teams surprisingly continued and both drivers ended up just plain frustrated.

AJ Allmendinger, in the No. 22 Shell/Pennzoil Dodge, finished 15^th but his teammate Brad Keselowski, behind the wheel of the Blue Deuce, had all kinds of problems that sent him off to the garage, finishing in the frustratingly low position of 36^th spot.

“The race tonight was frustrating,” Dinger said. “We had a fast Shell/Pennzoil Dodge and we just didn’t make it happen tonight.”

“This has been a very frustrating weekend to say the least,” Keselowski said. “We just need to clean some things up so that the potential of this team can shine.”

“Right now, we aren’t doing that.”

Not Surprising: As predicted, especially given the wicked weather in the area, the wind most certainly did wreak havoc throughout the race. And while it affected most drivers equally, there were still some drivers that felt the high wind added to the frustrations of their day.

“Between the wind, the changing race track and the handling, it was a long night for the Target team,” Juan Pablo Montoya said. “We didn’t have much of a chance to work on the car like we had hoped to.”

JPM finished 16^th in his No. 42 Target Chevrolet, one lap down at race end.

April 15, 2012