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  • Kyle Busch Tricks The Triangle and Wins the Xfinity Race at Pocono

    Kyle Busch Tricks The Triangle and Wins the Xfinity Race at Pocono

    Kyle Busch is making milestones this year in the Cup Series and now he’s marked off another one in the Xfinity Series, by winning the Pocono Green 250 at Pocono Raceway. The win today was Busch’s first win at Pocono in the Xfinity series.

    He led 64 of  100 laps today in his Joe Gibbs Racing No. 18 Toyota culminating in his 92nd career win in the Xfinity Series. Busch dominated the race overall, finishing 2.85 seconds over second place Chase Elliott in his No. 23 GMS Racing Chevrolet.

    In Victory Lane, a happy Busch remarked, “It feels good for as good as our car was, and I tried to screw it up early again this week.” He added, “The car was on rails this week you know it was last week too, but we were able to overcome our deficits we had this week.” He also said, “It’s a lot of fun to race with meaning and cause, so I dedicate this win to the men and women that are fighting for our country both now and past.”

    UPDATE: According to a NASCAR spokesperson, Busch failed post-race inspection height measurements. Any possible penalties will be announced next week. 

    Stage 1 would be caution free from start to finish. Cole Custer brought the field to the green, but by Lap 2 Busch was leading the field and wouldn’t look back. There were some great battles going on with all the cars fanning out four and five wide on the track, making for an exciting race. Busch would take the stage win leading 23 of 25 laps.

    Stage 2 started off in an interesting way. During the caution, Busch, along with Christopher Bell, received speeding penalties and had to restart at the rear of the field. But, starting at the rear would not hinder either Bell or Busch as within 10 laps both drivers were back in the top 10. There was only one caution for the spinning car of Michael Annett. Paul Menard worked his way to the front to be the winner of Stage 2.

    Stage 3 had some of the best action with cars battling for position. John Hunter Nemechek, Bell, and Brandon Jones were all swapping the top spots. The yellow flag waived twice for cautions, once for Annett and Chase Briscoe who got tangled up and into the wall. The next caution would involve Justin Allgaier and Bell who were both in the top 10 all day, ending their chances at a win. Busch had the top spot when the green flag flew again and stayed there to the finish getting his first Xfinity win of 2018.

    Second place would go to Elliott in his No. 23 GMS Racing Chevrolet. After the race, he commented, “Kyle was really fast at the beginning though I thought about halfway through I was equal to him.” He went on to say, “If I was right behind him I could draft and stay close and I thought that was going to be good if I could’ve got the air and run a little further up on that restart.” He finished by saying, “ It was fun, had a good day, I’m looking forward to the next one.”

    Daniel Hemric in his No. 21 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet would take the third spot today. Hemric summed his day up as a ”Chicken salad kind of day.” He explained it this way, “We struggled trying to get track position early, we hoped we had a lot more speed, it was so hard to make runs or passes. You get side by side but it all depends on what the guy behind you did, if he went with you or with the other guy.” He continued, “It seems like I was always the other guy who (they) didn’t get going with.”

    Austin Cindric and Cole Custer would round out the top five. Elliott Sadler, John Hunter Nemechek, Paul Menard, Tyler Reddick, and Ryan Truex finished sixth through 10th respectively.
    Sadler leads the Xfinity Series standings with 474 points, Cole Custer is second with 412 points and Daniel Hemric is in third place with 411 points. Tyler Reddick sits in fourth place with 410 points, and rounding out the top five is Christopher Bell with 395 points.

    The Xfinity Series will be heading next to Michigan International Speedway on Saturday, June 9.

    [pdf-embedder url=”http://www.speedwaymedia.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/Xfinity-Series-Pocono-Unofficial-Race-Results-6-2-18.pdf” title=”Xfinity Series Pocono Unofficial Race Results 6-2-18″]

     

  • Hot 20 – If only the action at Pocono could be as cool as its name

    Hot 20 – If only the action at Pocono could be as cool as its name

    Some things matter. Some do not. Every weekend, no more than 30 entries matter to some degree. The rest do not.

    Most weekends NASCAR features a race and while some matter to race fans, most do not. Bristol, Charlotte, Darlington, Daytona, Sonoma, and Talladega races matter due to what they deliver and a long history of tradition.

    Some are loyal to the short tracks at Martinsville and Richmond. Indianapolis is an over-hyped crown jewel, great history but not much gripping action delivered. Homestead gets the nod as long as it hosts the final race of the season. Those tracks present 16 of the 36 points events each season.

    Pocono gives us two. It is a track ranked by some down amongst such venues as Chicago, Fontana, Kansas, and Kentucky. Cool name. Interesting layout. Lovely trees in the background. Like Indianapolis, it might be more entertaining for open-wheel racing than for the fender folk. Still, twice a year they return there, and twice a year I forget about the last one and actually look forward to the tri-oval. Each year I hope that it will all come together for a terrific contest.

    Maybe this year. Maybe this will be the one. It is a track that boasts of the performances put in by the likes of Jeff Gordon, Emerson Fittipaldi, Danny Sullivan, Juan Pablo Montoya, and A. J. Foyt.  Kyle Busch won there last July. Ryan Blaney is the defending June race champion. Chris Buescher won there for Bob Jenkins in 2016. Denny Hamlin has four Pocono wins. Jimmie Johnson and Kurt Busch each have claimed three.

    Yes, the highlight packages of the past from Pocono look truly awesome. The highlights. The actual action come race day….well, maybe this will be the year. I sure hope so. Such things matter.

    1. KYLE BUSCH – 4 WINS – 573 Pts
    If he runs at Pocono like he did at Charlotte, he might be the only one who matters.

    2. KEVIN HARVICK – 4 WINS – 1 E.W. – 485 Pts
    Today, that encumbered win comes in to play.

    3. JOEY LOGANO – 1 WIN – 506 Pts
    Picks up an average of 39 points per race. You do not have to be loved to be awesome.

    4. MARTIN TRUEX, JR. – 1 WIN – 430 Pts
    If he only had some Kryptonite to toss as Superman on Sunday, he could have won it.

    5. CLINT BOWYER – 1 WIN – 421 Pts
    Crew chief Mike (Buga) Bugarewicz would love a happy homecoming.

    6. AUSTIN DILLON – 1 WIN – 244 Pts
    If he had finished second at Daytona, he would be less successful than Suarez.

    7. BRAD KESELOWSKI – 437 POINTS
    Won Saturday’s Xfinity race. Please raise your hand if you give a damn.

    8. KURT BUSCH – 429 POINTS
    The only driver in NASCAR to have seen Kyle Busch wearing a diaper. I hope that is true.

    9. DENNY HAMLIN – 429 POINTS
    “We’re either really good or we’re average at best.” Finishing third is average?

    10. KYLE LARSON – 382 POINTS
    Raced Sunday in Charlotte, North Carolina. Raced Wednesday as an outlaw in Fairbury, Illinois.

    11. ARIC ALMIROLA – 376 POINTS
    The decision to move over from the King to join Smoke has proven to be a good one.

    12. RYAN BLANEY – 375 POINTS
    A cylinder let go around lap 150 and they tried to limp it home. Instead, they started a barbecue.

    13. JIMMIE JOHNSON – 327 POINTS
    Imagine. Almost an entire year with a single win. I bet Michael McDowell can.

    14. ERIK JONES – 314 POINTS
    Three bad luck pit road moments buried any hope of shining last Sunday.

    15. ALEX BOWMAN – 299 POINTS
    One of the greatest coaches in NHL history. What? Sorry, wrong Bowman.

    16. CHASE ELLIOTT – 296 POINTS
    According to TMZ, he believes “Judging Hooters Competition Harder Than Racing Cars”

    17. RICKY STENHOUSE, JR. – 296 POINTS
    His Charlotte experience was better than someone else’s Indianapolis adventure.

    18. PAUL MENARD – 263 POINTS
    Another Cup guy racing Xfinity on Saturday. One more young driver fails to get a ride.

    19. DANIEL SUAREZ – 245 POINTS
    More than 50 points out of the Chase…unless he wins. Winning is always good.

    20. JAMIE MCMURRAY – 231 POINTS
    One ahead of Newman and Byron, two up on Wallace.

  • NASCAR Top-10 Power Rankings: Charlotte

    NASCAR Top-10 Power Rankings: Charlotte

    Note: The quotes in this article are fictional.

    1. Kyle Busch: Busch started on the pole at Charlotte and led 377 of 400 laps on his way to the win in the Coca-Cola 600. With the victory, Busch became the first driver to win a points race at every track on the NASCAR schedule.

    “We haven’t seen this level of domination in this sport,” Busch said, “since Kevin Harvick’s last win.”

    2. Kevin Harvick: Harvick smashed the wall on lap 83 at Charlotte and finished 40th.

    “Walls are unforgiving,” Harvick said, “and so is the inspection line. I failed pre-qualifying inspection three times. But that’s okay. We’ll be fine. You know, there’s a saying in NASCAR that I like to live by: ‘Fail inspection, live to cheat another day.’”

    3. Martin Truex Jr.: Truex finished second at Charlotte, posting his eighth top five of the year.

    “I visited the White House last week to celebrate my 2017 championship,” Truex said. “President Donald Trump was so impressed by my accomplishments, he offered me a cabinet position as Secretary of Transportation. I was grateful for the offer, but I had to turn it down because I think I’m overqualified.”

    4. Joey Logano: Logano started second and finished 22nd at Charlotte. He is second in the Monster Energy Cup points standings, 67 behind Kyle Busch.

    “Kyle was out of this world,” Logano said. “He led a whopping 377 of 400 laps. It’s probably the only example of great leadership Kyle’s displayed in his career.”

    5. Brad Keselowski: Keselowski led two laps and finished fourth in the Coca-Cola 600.

    “The way it looks now,” Keselowski said, “the battle for the Monster Energy Cup championship will be a two-man battle between Kyle Busch and Kevin Harvick. Personally, I’m not ready to concede that. In the words of the great Tom Richmond, ‘I’d like to make it a threesome.’”

    6. Kurt Busch: Busch finished eighth at Charlotte and posted the best finish among Stewart-Haas Racing drivers.

    “Tony Stewart was spotted at the Monaco Grand Prix,” Busch said. “Everybody knows Tony can be very ornery on occasion. I imagine if he would have driven in Formula 1, he would have been known as the ‘Grand Prick’ of Grand Prix racing.”

    7. Denny Hamlin: Hamlin came home third at Charlotte as Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Kyle Busch claimed a dominant victory.

    “On the greatest day of racing of the year,” Hamlin said, “Kyle was incredible. Australians Daniel Ricciardo and Will Power won at Monaco and Indianapolis, while Kyle put 39 other drivers ‘down under’ his name in the race results.”

    8. Kyle Larson: Larson survived a Stage 3 spin and drove to a seventh-place finish at Charlotte.

    “Kyle Busch totally dominated that race,” Larson said. “He led almost every lap. Heck, instead of the ‘Coca-Cola 600,’ they could have named in the ‘Kyle Busch 600.’ Or better yet, the ‘Monotony 600.’”

    9. Ryan Blaney: Blaney’s engine blew with 22 laps to go in Stage 3, sending his No. 12 car ablaze. He finished 36th.

    “I wasn’t the only driver ‘on fire’ at Charlotte,” Blaney said. “Kyle Busch dominated qualifying and the race. Funny thing is, the only ones that got burned were fans who came to see an exciting race.”

    10. Clint Bowyer: Bowyer finished 12th at Charlotte and is now eighth in the Monster Energy Cup points standings.

    “As you know,” Bowyer said, “Tony Stewart was in Monaco for the Formula 1 race. There was a time when Tony entertained the idea of racing in Formula 1, but he quickly decided against when he got stuck in the cockpit.”

  • The Final Word – Kyle Busch had the whole wide World 600 in his hands

    The Final Word – Kyle Busch had the whole wide World 600 in his hands

    Australia. If there was any road to success on Sunday, it was to be a native of Australia. Perth-born Daniel Ricciardo led from start to finish to claim the Monaco Grand Prix. At Indianapolis, Toowoomba’s own Will Power kissed the bricks and drank the milk.

    Unfortunately, the last Aussie to drive a Cup car was Tasmanian Marcus Ambrose four years ago. The closest we have now, according to my calculations, would be the boys from California. Going in, I guess that would have meant Kevin Harvick, Jimmie Johnson, or A.J. Allmendinger among our favorite mates to take hold of the tiller of their Yank Tank left hookers to burn off some motion lotion to finish the day doing some circle work.

    Then again, betting on a Roger Penske driver might have been a good one. After taking his 17th Indianapolis 500 as a car owner, his boy Joey Logano led the opening lap at Charlotte. Maybe Joe Gibbs had the answer, as it did not take long before Logano was replaced up front by the trio of Kyle Busch, Erik Jones, and Denny Hamlin.

    Tires became the early story. We soon discovered Austin Dillon was not going to win it. Since his Daytona 500 win, the lad’s performance has gone down under. He lost a tire, scraped the wall, and his hopes of even a Top 20 took a big hit. As to what I said about Harvick earlier, forget it. No Aussie luck came his way when he blew a front tread and pounded the wall late in the opening stage to end his day. They all came in, but Brad Keselowski missed his pit box. The good news was, he gained a dozen spots. The bad news is that without new rubber he fell like a stone on the re-start.

    Rowdy claimed the opening stage. The wall claimed William Byron early in the sophomore stanza when he got loose and tore up the rear end of his auto. That provided the fans with a bit of excitement. Hamlin added some more when he and Johnson touched going into the corner, sending Johnson sideways in front of the pack. He managed to get Logano to skid, but everyone managed to avoid disaster. Still, you could not say things were boring.

    For fans of Kyle Busch, the opening pair of frames was exciting, as their icon was the first in both. However, it was NASCAR’s longest night. A Kyle had an issue in the segment, but it was Kyle Larson who went for a slide all on his lonesome. Lots of smoke and fury, but no contact. Lots of smoke and fire a few laps later, as Ryan Blaney’s ride finally blew up as they earlier predicted and it went up like a Viking funeral pyre.

    300 laps down and Kid Busch was still laying them down. It was as if he was the only one who mattered. Of course, the story of this one was going to be that he won, or why he did not. At least a dozen others still running had picked up some stage points, so there was no shortage of those who would be been more than happy to step into his tracks.

    Jones had come to the pit second, he left 19th. Kasey Kahne cut into his pit box, caught the air hose of Jones’ tire changer and whipped it and the air gun away. Slick trick, though I doubt the victims of the deed fully appreciated the skill involved as much as others might have. You had to appreciate Ryan Newman’s quest to stay among the Top 20 in the standings for much of the race, but early in that final run, a wheel bearing issue sent him to the garage.

    They all helped add some seasoning to the night, but they were all hamburger compared to the Busch steak. A perfect 70 point night, his 47th career victory, the fourth of the season. It was his first points race victory at Charlotte as he now has won at every active Cup series venue.

    I know that Las Vegas has its own Eiffel Tower, but I guess there is a Sydney Opera House hidden around there somewhere. Good on ya, Mate.

  • Mission Accomplished – Kyle Busch Dominates to Win Coca-Cola 600

    Mission Accomplished – Kyle Busch Dominates to Win Coca-Cola 600

    CONCORD, N.C. — Kyle Busch conquered Charlotte Motor Speedway Sunday night leading 377 of 400 laps and making history as he became the only driver to win at every track on which he has started.

    He started from the pole, swept all the stages and along the way he managed to reach another milestone. When he led his 122nd lap, he joined an elusive group of drivers who have led at least 15,000 laps during their career. It was his fourth victory this season and his 47th career win.

    “This one’s very special,” Busch said in Victory Lane. “I don’t know if there’s anything that can top Homestead (the 2015 title race), just with the meaning of what the championship is. But the Coke 600 — I’ve dreamt of this race since I was a kid.

    “To be able to come out here and win the Coca-Cola 600, it’s a little boy’s dream come true. Man, I just want to say that I thank NASCAR, for one, for giving me the chance to come out here and have this opportunity to race for my dreams and to accomplish those things.”

    Martin Truex Jr. drove his No. 78 to a runner-up finish and talked about the challenges they faced during the race.

    “I felt early on like we were probably second best to him and then screwed up on pit road, and then we had two pit road penalties in a row. So it was tough to come from the back, but it was one of those nights where we just fought until the end and felt like we had a second-place car to Kyle.  I felt like that last run we were catching him a bit, but he was probably just managing his lead and taking care of his tires.  We were just off a little bit tonight but definitely gaining on it, and hopefully, we can get some more wins here pretty soon.

    Denny Hamlin finished third in his No. 11 FedEx Ground Toyota. Hamlin was doubtful that there was anything he could have done differently to become more competitive. He said he “we maximized what we had in our car. It was being driven as fast as it could go.”

    “That No. 1 pit stall kind of saved them a few times,” he continued. “We had such fast pit stops with our team. There was one time we came out right beside him, and I really wanted control of that restart, and it looked like — they said 18 over 11.  So he must have just barely beat me out of the pits, and that maybe would have given him some dirty air to see could he pass. He hadn’t really had to pass anyone all day.

    “Their car looked exceptional from my standpoint.  They were about a half a tenth faster. that’s too much to overcome in the long run, and we didn’t have a good enough long run to really run him back down anyway. They just were a tiny bit faster, so we’ve just got to look at the data and find where we need to gain that speed.”

    Brad Keselowski and Jimmie Johnson rounded out the top five while Jamie McMurray, Kyle Larson, Kurt Busch and Alex Bowman, finished sixth through ninth, respectively. There were only nine drivers on the lead lap at the finish line.

    Kevin Harvick was attempting to win three straight races for the second time this year. Instead, he found trouble on Lap 83 when a flat left front tire sent his No. 4 Ford into the Turn 3 wall, ending his day.

    Next Sunday, the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series travels to Pocono Raceway as the regular season continues.

    Follow @angiecampbell_ for the latest NASCAR news and feature stories.

     

    [pdf-embedder url=”http://www.speedwaymedia.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/Charlotte-Coca-Cola-Unofficial-Results-5-27-18.pdf” title=”Charlotte Coca-Cola Unofficial Results 5-27-18″]

     

  • Kyle Busch captures the Coca-Cola 600 pole

    Kyle Busch captures the Coca-Cola 600 pole

    Kyle Busch won the Busch Pole Award for Sunday’s Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway with a qualifying lap of 191.836 mph.

    This was his third pole of the season and the 30th of his career. It’s the first step for Busch as he attempts to capture his fourth win of the season at Charlotte, the only track on the Cup Series schedule where he has not won a points-paying race. He has the second-best driver rating (104.9) at the 1.5-mile track with 11 top fives and 16 top 10s.

    The Joe Gibbs Racing driver has come close to victory lane placing second in the Coca-Cola 600 last year. He spoke about the significance of winning NASCAR’s longest race.

    “It’s important to me, but I’m not sure it’s important in the grand scheme of things,” Busch said. “It’s certainly important to me, and I would love to get that knocked out of the way and to be finished with it until another new track comes up on the circuit.

    “Certainly, it’s been a trying time here over the course of my career and to have it come to fruition in a points race, (but) the last I checked, I have a trophy at home that says, ‘Winner at Charlotte Motor Speedway,’ so I’ll take that to my grave with me if I do never get a points win here. That will be my saving grace, I guess.”

    Joey Logano qualified second, Denny Hamlin third and Erik Jones was fourth, followed by Brad Keselowski in fifth.

    “The Coke 600, to me, is a crown jewel event. I think of the Daytona 500, Brickyard 400, Coca-Cola 600 are three of the biggest races we have all year. As a Coca-Cola driver, I’d like to be spraying this stuff all over Victory Lane. That would be really nice,” Logano said.

    Kevin Harvick didn’t make a qualifying attempt after his car failed technical inspection three times and as a result, he will start at the back of the field on Sunday. His car chief Robert Smith was ejected from the track and Harvick will lose 30 minutes of practice time in the final practice on Saturday.

    “There were some things in the garage that basically the template side of it wasn’t getting used and straight edges weren’t getting used and we were just purely going off the OSS, and that was fine until it somewhat starts getting out of hand. They changed some things around last week and some personnel around and positions around and started checking things differently.

    “Everybody is gonna push things as much as they can and I think everybody knows that the 4 team is out to push things as much as they can and win races, so it’s disappointing to start in the back. It’s disappointing not to have Cheddar (Smith, car chief) here, but we’ll get through it as a race team and we’ll have a good car on Sunday. “We’ll just have to serve our penalty and move on,” said crew chief Rodney Childers.

    The Coca-Cola 600 will be broadcast at 6 p.m. Sunday on FOX, PRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.

    Follow @angiecampbell_ for the latest NASCAR news and feature stories.

    Starting Lineup
    Coca-Cola 600, Charlotte Motor Speedway
    Sunday, May 27th | 6:00 PM ET
    1. Kyle Busch
    2. Joey Logano
    3. Denny Hamlin
    4. Erik Jones
    5. Brad Keselowski
    6. Ryan Newman
    7. Jamie McMurray
    8. Ryan Blaney
    9. Aric Almirola
    10. Daniel Suarez
    11. Kyle Larson
    12. Austin Dillon
    13. Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
    14. Paul Menard
    15. Martin Truex Jr.
    16. Kurt Busch
    17. Matt Kenseth
    18. Chris Buescher
    19. David Ragan
    20. Ty Dillon
    21. William Byron
    22. Chase Elliott
    23. Jimmie Johnson
    24. Darrell Wallace Jr.
    25. Ross Chastain
    26. Kasey Kahne
    27. Alex Bowman
    28. Clint Bowyer
    29. Michael McDowell
    30. AJ Allmendinger
    31. Matt DiBenedetto
    32. Parker Kligerman
    33. Corey LaJoie
    34. Gray Gaulding
    35. Landon Cassill
    36. Timmy Hill
    37. Jeffrey Earnhardt
    38. BJ McLeod
    39. Kevin Harvick
    40. JJ Yeley

  • Hot 20 – Hall of Famers and military heroes are honored at Charlotte this week

    Hot 20 – Hall of Famers and military heroes are honored at Charlotte this week

    Jeff Gordon. Four-time NASCAR champion. Three-time Daytona 500 champion. Four-time Brickyard 400 winner. Six-time Southern 500 victor. Three-time World 600 champion. Three-time All-Star race winner. Winner of 93 Cup races. He probably was the most automatic inductee into the Hall of Fame since Richard Petty and Dale Earnhardt. His was the opening name announced Wednesday for the Class of 2019.

    Next, they turned to ownership, with Jack Roush and Roger Penske both given the keys. Roush has 137 victories as the man who owns the garage, putting Matt Kenseth and Kurt Busch in their championship rides. Notable drivers Mark Martin and Carl Edwards also had great success in his cars. Penske has 105 wins to his credit, with Brad Keselowski bringing him his Cup title in 2012. Penske has claimed a few other motorsports accolades over the years, including ownership of 16 Indianapolis 500 winning entries. Among his drivers, you can include the names of Mark Donohue, Mario Andretti, Rick Mears, Bobby Unser, Al Unser, Al Unser Jr., Emerson Fittipaldi, Hélio Castroneves, and Rusty Wallace. I think you get the idea.

    Two fallen drivers, Davey Allison and Alan Kulwicki, are popular selections. Both were lost in aviation accidents in 1993. Allison won 19 times in just 191 career starts, winning 10 of them in 1991 and 1992 when he was third best in the standings both times. Kulwicki only won five times in his time, but he was the driver and team owner and took the Hooters No. 7 Ford to the championship the year prior to his death.

    This week in Charlotte, they honored the NASCAR Hall of Fame Class of 2019. This Memorial Day weekend, they will honor the troops. It is racing’s most celebrated 24 hours, with action starting at Monte Carlo, moving on to Indianapolis, then to Charlotte as NASCAR salutes some of the heroes, both those on active service and those who have made the supreme sacrifice, who make such days as this possible.

    1. KEVIN HARVICK – 5 WINS – 484 Pts
    Expects the future of NASCAR to look like the All-Star race did. I bet he does.

    2. KYLE BUSCH – 3 WINS – 503 Pts
    If you are a tender flower who screws up on his pit crew, you might want to reconsider things.

    3. JOEY LOGANO – 1 WIN – 491 Pts
    As long as Larson does not squeeze him into the wall again, then all will be well.

    4. CLINT BOWYER – 1 WIN – 386 Pts
    Let us remember 2Lt. Dale E. Bowyer (1921-1974), Distinguished Service Cross recipient.

    5. MARTIN TRUEX JR. – 1 WIN – 376 Pts
    Defending champion recently visited with his Commander-in-Chief.

    6. AUSTIN DILLON – 1 WIN – 241 Pts
    Won at Daytona. All is good. See you in the Chase.

    7. BRAD KESELOWSKI – 396 POINTS
    Has a Hall of Famer owner. How cool is that?

    8. KURT BUSCH – 393 POINTS
    Has driven for two Hall of Fame owners. Top that!

    9. DENNY HAMLIN – 380 POINTS
    Drive fast on the track, drive much slower on Pit Road. That is a recipe for success.

    10. RYAN BLANEY – 365 POINTS
    Watch the Spider-Man animated series. Ryan would appreciate it.

    11. ARIC ALMIROLA – 342 POINTS
    Four Stewart-Haas drivers among the Top Dozen. How sweet it is.

    12. KYLE LARSON – 336 POINTS
    Don’t squeeze Joey. Don’t squeeze Joey. Don’t squeeze Joey…

    13. JIMMIE JOHNSON – 286 POINTS
    Got his start thanks to a Hall of Famer. Between them, they have 11 titles.

    14. ERIK JONES – 285 POINTS
    Until his boss makes the Hall of Fame, he is left with just 3 Super Bowl rings and 4 Cup titles.

    15. ALEX BOWMAN – 271 POINTS
    Traded in his car for a Coast Guard Response Boat this week. No points were awarded.

    16. CHASE ELLIOTT – 266 POINTS
    Just what we need, another Cup guy driving in the Xfinity series. Let the beat downs begin.

    17. RICKY STENHOUSE JR. – 265 POINTS
    It would be mean to suggest that he could get more attention if he dated a Monster Energy gal.

    18. PAUL MENARD – 240 POINTS
    Patrick County has its heroes, like the Wood Brothers and 1Lt. Leevi Barnard (1980-2009 in Iraq).

    19. WILLIAM BYRON – 229 POINTS
    He has the right car number to be a Hall of Famer.

    20. RYAN NEWMAN – 225 POINTS
    Come to think of it, Newman has also driven for a pair of Hall of Fame owners.

  • The Final Word – The Stars were out at Charlotte, including one Super Nova

    The Final Word – The Stars were out at Charlotte, including one Super Nova

    It was a nice prelude to the All-Star Race in Charlotte on Saturday. First, we had a down and out established team show some life by taking the front row. The pole went to a former champion just a week after he ran his first race of the season. Then we had the Open, with a pair from the new generation advancing, along with a former Open Wheel racer who has spent much of this NASCAR career just sitting on the periphery of those considered to be the true stars of the sport.

    With the Roush-Fenway duo of Matt Kenseth and Ricky Stenhouse Jr. ready to rumble, joined by Alex Bowman, Daniel Suarez, and A.J. Allmendinger, it was time for the spring classic. Even the fans got to determine the field, with 22-year-old Chase Elliott getting their nod for inclusion.

    While the Roush-Fenway lads led at the start, Kevin Harvick did what he has done much of this season thus far. He dominated the opening segment and walked off with it. Did it matter? Not after they had a slow pit stop it did not. That allowed the second best on the season, Kyle Busch, to waltz away with the second segment. Did that matter? Nope, again.

    Things got shook up a tad in the third frame. Stenhouse was squeezed down low when he nudged Martin Truex Jr., who clipped Clint Bowyer, who got into Austin Dillon. Behind them, Truex went sideways and hit the trifecta in claiming the Busch boys, with Kyle on the inside, Kurt on the outside, and Brad Keselowski in the middle.

    No single car dominated that portion of the event until the end. Kyle Larson and Suarez were battling at the front on the final lap, but Harvick was off on his own road trip on the outside. He coasted by Larson. Ditto when it came to Suarez, to claim the top spot in preparation for the 10 green lap dash for the million in cash.

    It was all Harvick, and with two to go, he was gone barring a mishap. The bar came down when Larson squeezed Joey Logano into the fence, while Logano demonstrated a perfect P.I.T. maneuver to send Larson through the grass.

    Two laps left. Harvick in front. Not surprising that the boy was still there when they crossed the line. Suarez and Logano were next, but there was only one check for a million smackers handed out, and that made that one driver a truly Happy man. It marked another reason to celebrate to go with the All-Star suds shaker he had back in his Daytona 500 winning season of 2007.

    They get to come back next week, same track, different format, on a Sunday, and with points on the line. It is the best race day on the planet that opens with the Grand Prix of Monaco, followed by the Indianapolis 500, before they return to Charlotte and the World 600.

    Thank God for the PVR.

  • Four Takeaways From the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Race at Charlotte

    Four Takeaways From the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Race at Charlotte

    The NASCAR Camping World Truck Series returned home to Charlotte Motor Speedway this past Friday night for the seventh race of the 2018 season. Familiar drivers shined while others didn’t.

    Here’s a look at this weeks four takeaways from the North Carolina Education Lottery 200.

      1. Johnny Sauter Dominant Once More – It seems that Johnny Sauter is becoming the Kevin Harvick of the Truck Series. After he was awarded the pole Friday due to thunderstorms canceling qualifying mid-afternoon, Sauter dominated most of the race by leading five times for 71 laps, earning five Playoff points. It was his third win of the 2018 season and the 20th of his career. But ultimately, it was Sauter’s first ever win at Charlotte. As the season rolls along, it’ll be interesting to see how many more wins the 2016 champion racks up before the Playoffs.
      2. Kyle Busch Has To Wait One More Race – Another race, another wait for the Las Vegas, Nevada driver who is looking to tie Ron Hornaday’s all-time winning record with 51 wins in the Truck Series. Busch had to battle slow pit stops and two pit road penalties Friday night for his crew being over the wall too soon. The last restart certainly didn’t help his chances either, as teammate Noah Gragson spun his tires and backed everyone up. Busch worked his way back up to second but fell 1.34 seconds to race winner Johnny Sauter.
      3. Inside Line Had Trouble Restarting – If it wasn’t for Busch or Sauter being the story of the night, it would have been the inside line not being able to get going on the restarts. It seemed as though after a restart, the second place driver would have trouble going on the restart. Some drivers even took to Twitter to describe how tough it was not to spin out, which ultimately gave the high line an advantage.
      4. Justin Haley Has Save Of The Season – Is it too early to give awards out for a save of the season? If not, then give it to the GMS Racing No. 24 driver who made an excellent save of the night late in the going and just barely kept it off the wall. It is certainly newsworthy or at least worth a mention. It was pretty cool to see, to say the least.

    Next Up: The truckers have two and a half weeks off before heading to the Lone-Star state Friday night June 8.

  • Kyle Busch Falls One Spot Short in Tying Ron Hornaday Jr.’s Record

    Kyle Busch Falls One Spot Short in Tying Ron Hornaday Jr.’s Record

    It was a case of ‘what could have been’ for the No. 51 driver of the Cessna Kyle Busch Motorsports machine. Busch was looking to tie Ron Hornaday Jr.’s all-time winning streak Friday night at Charlotte Motor Speedway. However, the Las Vegas native will have to wait for another race.

    After starting fourth in the NC Education Lottery 200, Busch remained in the top 10 in both stages finishing sixth and second, respectively. While he was strong throughout the stages, it was the pit stops that ultimately cost him a shot at winning.

    “Pure talent, Busch said. “That’s about it. My pit crew did absolutely nothing to help me out tonight. My truck drove like crap. These splitters are absolutely horrendous. You can’t pass in traffic.”

    Busch suffered two pit road penalties for his crew being over the wall too soon. At the end of the day, he finished in the second position behind race winner Johnny Sauter. Busch will have to wait another day to earn career win number 51.

    “You can’t race alongside anybody,” Busch added. “You can get within five truck-lengths of no one. But somehow, someway, I was able to get back to the front. Had a blast.”

    By finishing second, he earned his third top five of the year.  He will have three more opportunities in 2018 to tie or surpass Hornaday’s record.