Tag: kyle busch

  • Thrice for Rowdy with XFINITY Win at Phoenix

    Thrice for Rowdy with XFINITY Win at Phoenix

    Stop me if you’ve heard this one before: Kyle Busch wins in XFINITY.

    The driver of the No. 18 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota led 175 of 200 laps to score his third straight series victory in the Axalta Faster. Tougher. Brighter. 200 NASCAR XFINITY Series race at Phoenix International Raceway. This is the 79th career win for the all-time winningest driver in the series history.

    “I guess we just have a knack for this place,” Busch said. “We didn’t sit on the pole, but our teammates did and were obviously very fast. They made me run hard all day long. The XFINITY Series, it’s fun to come here and participate. I learn a lot and do that for a reason; to try and make myself better on Sundays and hopefully it helps.”

    Pole-sitter Erik Jones led five laps in his No. 20 JGR Toyota on his way to a runner-up finish.

    “From the start, we had a second-place car it looked like. Then toward the end there before the last (pit) stops, I thought we were better than (Busch) and started to work him over,” Jones said. “But we lost too much ground overall leaving pit road trying to stay with him. After that, we were too tight really to try to run him down.”

    Daniel Suárez finished third in his No. 19 JGR Toyota followed by Justin Allgaier who finished fourth in his No. 7 JR Motorsports Chevrolet. Chase Elliott rounded out the top-five in his No. 88 JRM Chevrolet.

    Ty Dillon led 11 laps on his way to a sixth-place finish in his No. 3 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet. Austin Dillon finished seventh in his No. 2 RCR Chevrolet while Elliott Sadler finished ninth in his No. 1 JRM Chevrolet. Brad Keselowski led nine laps on his way to a ninth-place finish in his No. 22 Team Penske Ford as Brennan Poole rounded out the top-10 in his No. 48 Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet.

    Eleven cars finished the race on the lead lap. The race lasted one hour, 45 minutes and 11 seconds at an average speed of 114.087 mph. There were five lead changes among four different drivers and three cautions for 16 laps.

    Complete Race Results:

                   1. (3) Kyle Busch(i), Toyota, 200.

                   2. (1) Erik Jones #, Toyota, 200.

                   3. (2) Daniel Suárez, Toyota, 200.

                   4. (10) Justin Allgaier, Chevrolet, 200.

                   5. (5) Chase Elliott(i), Chevrolet, 200.

                   6. (4) Ty Dillon, Chevrolet, 200.

                   7. (6) Austin Dillon(i), Chevrolet, 200.

                   8. (16) Elliott Sadler, Chevrolet, 200.

                   9. (7) Brad Keselowski(i), Ford, 200.

                   10. (17) Brennan Poole #, Chevrolet, 200.

                   11. (8) Brandon Jones #, Chevrolet, 200.

                   12. (9) Darrell Wallace Jr., Ford, 199.

                   13. (11) Brendan Gaughan, Chevrolet, 199.

                   14. (13) Ryan Reed, Ford, 199.

                   15. (14) Justin Marks, Chevrolet, 199.

                   16. (12) Blake Koch, Chevrolet, 199.

                   17. (15) Jeb Burton, Ford, 199.

                   18. (26) Dakoda Armstrong, Toyota, 198.

                   19. (28) Dylan Lupton, Chevrolet, 198.

                   20. (23) JJ Yeley, Toyota, 198.

                   21. (24) Ryan Preece #, Chevrolet, 197.

                   22. (22) David Starr, Toyota, 197.

                   23. (18) Spencer Gallagher(i), Chevrolet, 196.

                   24. (19) Ross Chastain, Chevrolet, 196.

                   25. (25) Ray Black Jr. #, Chevrolet, 196.

                   26. (27) TJ Bell Jr., Toyota, 196.

                   27. (21) Ryan Sieg, Chevrolet, 195.

                   28. (20) Jeremy Clements, Chevrolet, 195.

                   29. (35) BJ McLeod #, Ford, 194.

                   30. (38) Harrison Rhodes, Chevrolet, 194.

                   31. (34) Garrett Smithley #, Chevrolet, 194.

                   32. (31) Timmy Hill(i), Chevrolet, 193.

                   33. (36) Joey Gase, Chevrolet, 191.

                   34. (37) Derrike Cope, Chevrolet, 191.

                   35. (32) Mario Gosselin, Chevrolet, 190.

                   36. (33) DJ Kennington, Dodge, 190.

                   37. (40) Todd Peck, Ford, 188.

                   38. (39) Mike Harmon, Dodge, 182.

                   39. (30) Morgan Shepherd, Chevrolet, Overheating, 11.

                   40. (29) Jeff Green, Toyota, Vibration, 5.

     

  • Kyle Busch on the Pole for Sunday’s Race at Phoenix

    Kyle Busch on the Pole for Sunday’s Race at Phoenix

    Kyle Busch will lead the field to the green flag on Sunday in the Valley of the Sun.

    The driver of the No. 18 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota scored the pole for the Good Sam 500 with a time of 26.014 and a speed of 138.387 mph. This is the 18th career pole and third at Phoenix International Raceway for the reigning Sprint Cup Series champion.

    “We just cooled everything back down to make sure we gave it everything we got,” Busch said. “We just made a couple of fine-tuning adjustments from what we ran before and it was a tick faster, not much, just a tick.”

    Carl Edwards will start second in his No. 19 JGR Toyota after posting a time of 26.179 and a speed of 137.515 mph. Denny Hamlin will join his two teammates in third in his No. 11 JGR Toyota after posting a time of 26.196 and a speed of 137.426 mph. Kurt Busch will start fourth in his No. 41 Stewart-Haas Racing Chevrolet after posting a time of 26.202 and a speed of 137.394 mph.

    Jimmie Johnson was to round out the top-five in his No. 48 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet after posting a time of 26.244 and a speed of 137.174 mph, but he’ll start from the rear of the field on Sunday after his car slammed the wall in Turn 2 as he was making his second lap with two minutes remaining in the final round of qualifying.

    “Certainly a lot of straight in an area of the track that I didn’t need to have straight. We’ll have to get to the bottom of it,” Johnson said. “Just a really hard impact to the outside wall. Thankful that we have SAFER barriers and soft walls. But very disappointed because we had such a fast race car.”

    After qualifying, Johnson took to Twitter to explain what happened.

    Jimmie Johnson after wrecking during qualifying at Phoenix2

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

    Matt Kenseth will start sixth in his No. 20 JGR Toyota followed by Kyle Larson in seventh in his

    No. 42 Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet. Martin Truex Jr. will start eighth in his No. 78 Furniture Row Racing Toyota and Joey Logano starts ninth in his No. 22 Team Penske Ford. Ricky Stenhouse Jr. will round out the top-10 in his No. 17 Roush Fenway Racing Ford.

    Jamie McMurray will start 11th in his No. 1 CGR Chevrolet while Ryan Blaney will round out the 12 drivers that made the final round of qualifying.

    Kevin Harvick, the odds-on favorite to win this weekend, will start 18th in his No. 4 SHR Chevrolet.

    Kasey Kahne posted the third-fastest time in the first round of qualifying, but he will start from the rear of the field on Sunday after changing engines. This is due to an issue with the EFI that caused his car to erupt in smoke. Kahne will join his teammate Johnson at the rear of the field Sunday.

    Complete Starting Lineup: (As noted above, Jimmie Johnson and Kasey Kahne will start from the rear of the field in backup cars).

    NSCS-Starting-Lineup-Phoenix March 2016

     

  • Hot 20 – The heat is on at Phoenix after an endorsement, poor ratings, and some poorer finishes

    Hot 20 – The heat is on at Phoenix after an endorsement, poor ratings, and some poorer finishes

    It is a strange world we live in. Donald Trump appears on his way to the Republican nomination, but an endorsement from Brian France has folks in a tizzy. It could kill the diversity NASCAR is striving for, some claim. That is true. I doubt Trump would be a supporter of any team hiring an illegal alien to drive for them. Crazy, I know.

    If that is not bad enough, the television ratings have gone from bad, to worse, to not nearly as awful as the first two races. In a sport that had something of a cult following a decade ago, NASCAR no longer releases attendance figures, prize payouts, and has torn down some grandstands. The antidote will be found on the track, in their marketing, and in the economy. As always, there remains stark room for improvement in all those areas.

    A year ago, Dale Earnhardt Jr. won at Phoenix. Five of the six before that, Kevin Harvick claimed the prize. Now, if anyone could use a win this weekend, Danica Patrick, Chase Elliott, and Clint Bowyer would be among them. They sure are not among the Hot 20 going into Sunday’s action.

    1. JIMMIE JOHNSON – 1 WIN – 110 PTS
    Drives like Superman. In California, he will even look a bit like him.

    2. BRAD KESELOWSKI – 1 WIN – 98 PTS
    Flag on the ground, flag on the ground, felt like a fool with the flag on the ground.

    3. DENNY HAMLIN – 1 WIN – 93 PTS
    Recently was asked if driver confrontations are staged. Sure, about as much as a Republican debate.

    4. KYLE BUSCH – 116 PTS
    Best in points, zip in wins. Close only counts in horseshoes, hand grenades, and NASCAR

    5. KEVIN HARVICK – 109 PTS
    Has won five of past seven races at Phoenix. If I were a betting man…

    6. JOEY LOGANO – 104 PTS
    Truck decal: Things I hate: warm beer, cold women, Joey Logano and Brad Keselowski

    7. KURT BUSCH – 102 PTS
    A pit-road speed limiter button request was made by the speedster to f****** NASCAR.

    8. CARL EDWARDS – 96 PTS
    Twice failing template inspection last week earns the team a written note of bad tidings.

    9T. AUSTIN DILLON – 90 PTS
    It has been a while since the No. 3 sat in Victory Lane. It might not be long before it returns.

    9T. MARTIN TRUEX JR. – 90 PTS
    Crew Chief is in the sin bin this week, but the driver has been a factor thus far.

    11. RICKY STENHOUSE, JR. – 79 PTS
    If Dillon’s performances surprise you, this must make your head spin.

    12. DALE EARNHARDT JR. – 78 PTS
    California’s Caped Crusader hopes to repeat at Gotham…er…Phoenix.

    13. KASEY KAHNE – 77 PTS
    Bouncing back, or just bouncing. The jury remains out.

    14. RYAN BLANEY – 73 PTS
    While Mr. Elliott gets the headlines, fellow rookie Blaney thrives in un-Chartered territory.

    15. ARIC ALMIROLA – 72 PTS
    Living the all-American dream in the all-American car, employed by an all-American icon.

    16. JAMIE MCMURRAY – 69 PTS
    Some consider this to be a slow start, but it is way too early to get terribly excited just yet.

    17. RYAN NEWMAN – 66 PTS
    Led just one lap this season. Maybe he is going for quality rather than quantity.

    18. PAUL MENARD – 62 PTS
    Getting out of a hole at this time of year is a whole lot easier than trying to do it later.

    19. REGAN SMITH – 57 PTS
    Good start by Tommy Baldwin entry, but last two results have been far from impressive.

    20T. TREVOR BAYNE – 56 PTS
    Finally had a Top 20 finish last week. Well, at least, that is something.

    20T. KYLE LARSON – 56 PTS
    Was looking pretty good, then came Las Vegas.

    20T. MATT KENSETH – 56 PTS
    If NASCAR had a bumper car division, he would be running away with it this season.

    20T. GREG BIFFLE – 56 PTS
    Tied with his former team-mate and ahead of Danica. That might not make him feel any better.

  • NASCAR Top-10 Power Rankings: Las Vegas

    NASCAR Top-10 Power Rankings: Las Vegas

    Note: The quotes in this article are fictional.

    1. Kyle Busch: Busch led late at Las Vegas but was passed with five laps to go by Brad Keselowski, who went on to win the Kobalt 400. Busch leads the Sprint Cup points standings by six points over Jimmie Johnson.

    “The No. 18 M&M’s car had a late wheel vibration that affected the handling,” Busch said. “If that type of vibration happens to the No. 48 car, you’d call it a ‘Shimmie Johnson.’”

    2. Jimmie Johnson: Johnson led a race-high 76 laps and finished third in the Kobalt 400 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

    “It was a grueling race due to the weather,” Johnson said, “and that takes a physical toll on a driver. Take it from a guy who runs triathlons—even I was ‘winded’ afterwards.”

    3. Kevin Harvick: Harvick took seventh at Las Vegas, piloting the No. 4 Jimmy Johns Chevy to its third top-10 finish of the year.

    “NASCAR legend Mark Martin has endorsed Donald Trump as the Republican nominee for President,” Harvick said. “Martin urged Trump to ‘build that wall.’ A lot of people have urged Trump to do that. Some have even encouraged him to build that wall out of Muslims. I don’t know how high a wall would be needed to prevent illegal aliens from crossing the border. I do know that a four-foot wall would prevent Mark from seeing over it.”

    4. Joey Logano: Logano finished second to Brad Keselowski as Penske Racing swept the top two places at Las Vegas. Logano is fourth in the points standings, 12 behind Kyle Busch.

    “That’s right,” Logano said, “Penske drivers went 1-2 at Vegas. I think we could make a habit of taking the top 2 positions at future races. Other drivers have already nicknamed us ‘The Old One-Two,’ but mostly because our faces are so punchable.”

    5. Kurt Busch: Busch started on the pole for the second consecutive week and had a strong run waylaid when he was collected in a crash with Carl Edwards caused by Matt Kenseth’s spin. Busch salvaged a ninth-place finish and is fifth in the points standings.

    “The wind was blowing something fierce,” Busch said. “There were gusts upwards of 50 miles per hour. In NASCAR, we call that ‘da breeze caution.’ In the NHRA, they call that ‘Gale Force.’ No relation to John.”

    6. Brad Keselowski: Keselowski recovered from a pit road speeding penalty and passed Kyle Busch with five laps to go to win the Kobalt 400 at Las Vegas. Penske Racing teammate Joey Logano took second.

    “It wasn’t easy passing Kyle,” Keselowski said. “I really had to work for it, as Kyle doesn’t concede position easily. If you mention the words ‘push over,’ Kyle won’t respond. Now, if you mention the words ‘pull over,’ Kyle will respond, especially if you’re a state trooper.”

    7. Carl Edwards: After a wreck in practice, Edwards resorted to a backup car and finished 18th at Las Vegas. He sits seventh in the Sprint Cup points standings, 20 out of first.

    “Las Vegas is a favorite stop on the circuit for many drivers,” Edwards said. “We all head to the casinos with high hopes, and leave with lighter wallets. Of course, you can’t talk about ‘blow money’ without mentioning Tim Richmond. He would have loved the track at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, and if given the chance to turn laps there, I bet he would have never left. Tim was always driven to excess.”

    8. Martin Truex Jr.: Truex finished 11th in the Kobalt 400 at Las Vegas. He is ninth in the points standings, 26 out of first.

    “I was docked 15 points for having a roof flap issue for the second-straight race,” Truex said. “We’ve been trying to fool NASCAR for a week. Interestingly enough, they just happened to choose Las Vegas to blow the roof off this scandal.”

    9. Austin Dillon: Dillon posted his second consecutive top-five finish with a fifth in the Kobalt 400. He is ninth in the points standings, 26 out of first.

    “It’s nice to make Richard Childress Racing important again,” Dillon said. “If I’m not mistaken, they made a movie about me called ‘The Relevant.’”

    10. Dale Earnhardt Jr.: Earnhardt finished eighth at Las Vegas, posting his second top 10 of the year.

    “I was in attendance at UFC 196 in Las Vegas on Saturday night,” Earnhardt said. “Believe me, the only times I hear the words ‘tap out’ mentioned more are at a Junior Nation keg party.”

  • The Final Word – Las Vegas came with some distractions, and not all of them were in Nevada

    The Final Word – Las Vegas came with some distractions, and not all of them were in Nevada

    It was a rainy, blowy kind of Sunday, and that was just in these parts where I live. With a few errands to run, we had Sirius Channel 90 on the car radio so we did not miss the action. Due to the rainy, blowy kind of Sunday at Las Vegas, we did not.

    Rarely do I watch the action live, but we were visiting my father, as the ladies in the family took care of packing up some of my late mother’s things. We gentleman were in front of the television. We also talked a lot. Did I mention our three and five year old nieces were there, the precocious pair being cuteness personified? Under those kind of conditions, one can miss some of the action, so with less than 30 laps to go it appeared we were seeing Kyle Busch rushing toward the finish. Then my sister came into the room, and our attention was further strained. When they waved the flag, it was Brad Keselowski taking the trophy. Okay, what in hell happened? Luckily for me, I taped the race, so an answer would be forthcoming.

    I guess we failed to notice Keselowski make the pass with about six laps to go. It appears Busch was experiencing some vibration that only got worse, tightening the car and affecting his ability to turn. That is usually something one wishes to do when racing on an oval. Down to the final lap, Joey Logano made his pass for second. At the line, Jimmie Johnson edged out Busch for third. At least Kyle was the best Busch brother on the day.

    Kurt Busch started strong, leading for 31 laps. A pit penalty while under the competition caution took him out of the running for top spot, and he never contended again. Still, ninth is not bad. Denny Hamlin actually led for a few laps. Ten, to be exact, but 19th was his fate.

    Only five other drivers really mattered in Las Vegas. Keselowski popped in and out of the Top Three much of the day before he made his final charge. His car proved good enough to overcome a speeding penalty with 80 to go, needing just half of that to get back into contention, going on to claim his 18th career victory. The high winds on the day actually whipped the Stars and Stripes out of the car during the post-race celebration, though the young patriot immediately stopped the car to retrieve the fallen flag. Not exactly Denzil Washington’s scene in Glory, but much appreciated just the same.

    Just about everyone else who mattered were also there at the finish. Logano had led 70 laps, Johnson 76, and Kyle 38 of the final 44 laps, but those missing six were the most crucial. There was one exception.

    Matt Kenseth only led nine, but he was up front much of the day. A vibration caused him to short pit about 60 laps in, but it did not take him long to get back into the mix. Late in the race, just before my sister came into the room, Kenseth was fifth on a re-start. A lap later, he lost the handling as his car drifted up toward the fence, where Chase Elliott smashed into him to wrap up the day for both. The only one who did not think Elliott could not have avoided the crash was Elliott himself, who thought things would have turned out differently if he had only used his brakes. The pair finished just ahead of Cole Whitt for dead last.

    As for the Danica Line this week, it was 21st Sunday at Las Vegas, with Greg Biffle finishing just ahead while Clint Bowyer finished just behind her. Despite all the wishin’ and a hopin’, Patrick is still not a Top 20 performer. She sits 26th in today’s rankings, though that is better than Elliott and Bowyer heading into Phoenix this weekend.

    Three races, three winners. Last year, Dale Earnhardt, Jr. was the victor in Arizona. Mind you, five of the previous six races run there were all claimed by Kevin Harvick. I think we have a favorite.

  • Kyle Busch Hits the Jackpot in Las Vegas XFINITY Race

    Kyle Busch Hits the Jackpot in Las Vegas XFINITY Race

    Kyle Busch led all but one lap as he cleaned out the casino in the XFINITY Series at Las Vegas.

    The driver of the No. 18 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota led 199 of the 200 laps to score the victory in the Boyd Gaming 300 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. It’s his 78th career victory in the XFINITY Series and first at the track for the Las Vegas native.

    “It feels really good for as good as this car was,” he said. “It was really, really fast. This is 2-for-2 and that’s pretty cool, and to check this one off the box is awesome, too.”

    Busch also commented about winning on his home track and holding off Suárez for the win.

    “We were worried about fuel, but more so we more so worried about (Daniel) Suarez. He was on me there at the end, he was really, really fast. I can’t say enough about all these guys, everyone at Joe Gibbs Racing prepares some really fast Camrys and this NOS Energy Drink Camry was the best. It felt really, really good. I wish for as good as we were at the beginning of the race in the beginning of the run and end of the run, I was hoping we’d have some long run speed there at the end. Just wasn’t showing. Suarez was definitely faster than us when he got clean track. If roles were reversed, he would have been pulling away from me and I wasn’t going to be able to catch him. All in all just a great day for us in one-two-three and for me to get a victory here in my home town, check one off the list – that’s pretty awesome.”

    Daniel Suárez tried to make a charge towards the end on his teammate, but he couldn’t close the gap and took his No. 19 JGR Toyota to a runner-up finish.

    “Right there at the end, maybe, it took me a while to figure out how to be fast through traffic with a loose race car. But, honestly, in the last 10-15 laps we were the fastest race car there, so proud of my guys and looking forward for next weekend,” Suárez said.

    He leaves sin city with the points lead.

    Rookie Erik Jones came back from a two-lap deficit to finish third in his No. 20 JGR Toyota.

    “Just wish we could have been in contention all day,” Jones said. He felt that he had “a car that could run with Kyle at times.”

    Chase Elliott finished fourth in his No. 88 JR Motorsports Chevrolet while Austin Dillon rounded out the top-five in his No. 2 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet.

    Brandon Jones finished sixth in his No. 33 RCR Chevrolet followed by Ty Dillon in seventh place in his No. 3 RCR Chevrolet. Elliott Sadler finished eighth in his No. 1 JRM Chevrolet, Justin Allgaier finished ninth in his No. 7 JRM Chevrolet and Brendan Gaughan rounded out the top-10 in his No. 62 RCR Chevrolet.

    There was one red flag for 19 minutes for a three-car wreck in turn 2 with 63 laps remaining. The No. 25 Rick Ware Racing Chevrolet of Cody Ware broke loose, turned and slammed the wall driver-side. His disabled car rolled down into the middle of the track, but the caution had yet to be thrown. Slowing down to avoid him, Darrell Wallace Jr. t-boned the front of Ware’s car with the left front of his car and went spinning. Justin Marks went to the high side of the track and tagged the wall in his No. 42 Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet. He came back down the track and rammed into the rear of the No. 6 Roush Fenway Racing Ford.

    “That second impact was pretty good too,” Wallace said. “I am here and talking to you. All good. I hate it for my guys. I was having so much fun here. Ten laps ago I was thinking how good this place was to me. Guess I spoke too soon.”

    Wallace said while his spotter didn’t have enough time to warn him of the disabled Ware car, he said that “(He) did a hell of a job as he always does” and that there was “no blame on anybody. By the time he caught it I was already in pitch and by the time I slowed down it just jumped out from under me. It is unfortunate circumstances, that is all.”

    Eleven cars finished the race on the lead lap. The race lasted two hours, three minutes and 47 seconds at an average speed of 145.415 mph. The race had two lead changes among two different drivers and three cautions for 15 laps.

    Complete Results:

    NXS-Race-Results-Las Vegas March 2016

     

  • Hot 20 – If rules are meant to be broken, somebody forgot to tell NASCAR

    Hot 20 – If rules are meant to be broken, somebody forgot to tell NASCAR

    Rules be rules, and the book was tossed at a number of folks after Atlanta. The biggest hit was taken by Martin Truex Jr. after a roof flap issue meant the loss of 15 points. Thanks to the appeal process, he keeps crew chief Cole Pearn for this weekend otherwise, he would be gone for a race and tagged with a $50,000 fine. Considering it is the second straight race the issue has come up, NASCAR got rather ornery.

    The honchos were not happy. A.J. Allmendinger lost 10 points for issues regarding his rear wheel crush panels. Austin Dillon, Paul Menard, Ryan Newman and Michael McDowell lost 10 each for components of the car not being kosher. Each crew chief also got to donate $15,000 to the cause.

    The poobahs were not done. For failing to pass the pre-qualifying inspection after three attempts, they sent nasty notes to Jeffery Earnhardt’s people, along with the loss of 15 minutes of practice time. Uncle Dale Earnhardt Jr., along with Matt DiBenedetto, and Cole Whitt, were written up after each failed twice.

    The lords of all racing even managed to hand out a $5000 penalty to an XFINITY crew chief, wrote up six others for pre-racing inspection issues, and even tagged a Camping World team for failing post-race inspection.

    Bad boys, bad boys, whatcha gonna do?

    In the meantime, NASCAR boss Brian France came out and endorsed Donald Trump for President. To each his own, but I cannot help thinking that while the Donald might not be everyone’s cup of tea, the character and morality flaws of some of the others leave him looking like Gandhi. Yes, it is a strange, strange world we live in, Master Jack.

    Off to Las Vegas, our Hot 20 performers include…

    1. DENNY HAMLIN – 1 WIN – 70 PTS
    Still has Atlanta car, but his Daytona car is missing. It happens every darn year to somebody.

    2. JIMMIE JOHNSON – 1 WIN – 70 PTS
    Win a race, tie Dale Earnhardt, pretty much lock in a spot in the Chase. Check, check, and check.

    3. KYLE BUSCH – 78 PTS
    Won Atlanta’s XFINITY race and outran my five-month-old nephew Oscar. What a guy.

    4. KEVIN HARVICK – 74 PTS
    If he hopes to repeat in 2016, does that mean Harvick “peated” at Las Vegas last year?

    5. CARL EDWARDS – 73 PTS
    No one mentions his former friend 12919-028 anymore.

    6. KURT BUSCH – 69 PTS
    Will the hometown look the same as he steps down from the plane?

    7. JOEY LOGANO – 64 PTS
    A recent story was entitled, “Logano tries to adjust to new package.” I giggled. I am so immature.

    8. MARTIN TRUEX, JR. – 60 PTS
    Roof flap issues cost Truex 15 points, but the appeal retains for him his crew chief, for now.

    9. ARIC ALMIROLA – 55 PTS
    Some with Cuban heritage are running for President. President Almirola has a ring to it.

    10. BRAD KESELOWSKI – 54 PTS
    While Mr. France likes Donald Trump, Brad kind of likes the sound of President Keselowski.

    11. AUSTIN DILLON – 53 PTS
    When I rechecked the point standings from Tuesday, I thought I might have had another stroke.

    12. MATT KENSETH – 51 PTS
    In future, when the flag goes black, maybe they should get back.

    13. RICKY STENHOUSE, JR. – 50 PTS
    Later this season, he will truly be a Sunny Delight. I wonder if Ms. Patrick would agree?

    14. KYLE LARSON – 49 PTS
    A big fan of the NBA Charlotte Hornets. I like the NHL Montreal Canadiens. We both are weird.

    15. KASEY KAHNE – 46 PTS
    Named by Hollywood Life as a Top 10 Hottie of NASCAR. Nope. Danica is all alone.

    16. DALE EARNHARDT JR. – 45 PTS
    After failing pre-qualifying inspection twice, even Junior got written up on Santa’s naughty list.

    17. JAMIE MCMURRAY – 44 PTS
    Looked good at Atlanta, then they began the second minute of action.

    18. REGAN SMITH – 40 PTS
    Tommy Baldwin should be proud.

    19. CHASE ELLIOTT – 38 PTS
    Thanks to good, clean living and NASCAR penalties, the rookie makes the list.

    20. RYAN BLANEY – 38 PTS
    Some got a Charter, some did not need it.

    21. RYAN NEWMAN – 38 PTS
    Must have been a Childress thing, as Newman and Menard are also 10 lighter than first tallied.

  • NASCAR Top-10 Power Rankings: Atlanta

    NASCAR Top-10 Power Rankings: Atlanta

    Note: The quotes in this article are fictional.

    1. Kyle Busch: One day after winning the XFINITY Series race, Busch finished third in the Folds Of Honor 500. He now stands third in the points standings, eight behind Jimmie Johnson and Denny Hamlin.

    “I originally won the pole,” Busch said, “but my car failed inspection. That gave the pole to my brother Kurt. You could say Kurt backed into the pole. That ‘pole’ at Atlanta caused no damage to Kurt’s car, unlike that ‘wall’ at Dover last October, which damaged Kevin Harvick’s car not only beyond recognition but beyond inspection.”

    2. Jimmie Johnson: Johnson short-pitted with about 40 laps to go in Atlanta, and held off the charging Kevin Harvick down the stretch to capture the Folds Of Honor 500. With the win, Johnson matched Dale Earnhardt with his 76th career win.

    “That’s why I held three fingers out of the window,” Johnson said. “Not because I was three times as pissed off as Martin Truex Jr. was at Regan Smith, but because I wanted to honor Dale Earnhardt. Just call me the ‘InJimidator.’

    “I have to give it up to Chad Knaus for making a bold strategy call. Chad firmly believes in staying one step ahead of the competition, and two steps ahead of the rule book.”

    3. Martin Truex Jr.: Truex led 34 laps and finished seventh in Atlanta, and is now fourth in the Sprint Cup points standings.

    “You may have seen me give Regan Smith the finger,” Truex said. “You may not know this, but the Sunday before ‘Leap Day’ is ‘Flip Day.’”

    4. Denny Hamlin: Hamlin fell a lap down early at Atlanta and never recovered, finishing 16th, two laps down.

    “I call it the ‘Daytona Hangover,’” Hamlin said. “The thrill of victory at Daytona is often determined by less than a tenth of a second. The agony of defeat is often marked by more than a fifth of liquor.”

    5. Kevin Harvick: Harvick led a race-high 131 laps but was outsmarted in the pits by Jimmie Johnson, who short-pitted to build a big lead, then held on after a late caution.

    “That race was mine to lose,” Harvick said. “But I’ll let my crew chief, Rodney Childers, take ownership of it, though, because he was outsmarted by Chad Knaus. It was a contest to see who was going to pit first. You could say it was a game of ‘cat and Knaus.’”

    6. Matt Kenseth: Kenseth finished 19th at Atlanta after a mid-race penalty left him two laps down.

    “That’s called an ‘improper fueling’ penalty,” Kenseth said. “Apparently, my gas man placed a wrench on the back of the car. That’s a no-no. But not as big a no-no as me placing my front bumper on the back of Joey Logano’s car.”

    7. Carl Edwards: Edwards finished fifth in the Folds Of Honor 500 to score his second top-five result of the year.

    “There were 327 laps of green flag racing,” Edwards said. “We haven’t seen this much green flag racing since 2015. Or, should I say, ‘We didn’t see this much green flag racing in 2015.’”

    8. Kurt Busch: Busch started on the pole and took fourth at Atlanta, one spot behind younger brother Kyle. Kurt is seventh in the points standings, nine out of first.

    “Did you hear?” Busch said. “Brian France endorsed Donald Trump for President. That’s interesting because, in July, NASCAR said it would not hold its Camping World and XFINITY banquets at Trump’s National Doral Resort after Trump made racist and disparaging remarks about immigrants. Apparently, France puts the ‘race’ in ‘racism.’ I can see Trump spin this to even greater advantage: he’ll say he was endorsed by France, and his supporters will believe it’s the country. Viva Le Trump!

    9. Brad Keselowski: Keselowski finished ninth at Atlanta, plagued by handling issues that likely prevented a top-5 result.

    “In light of Brian France’s endorsement of Donald trump,” Keselowski said, “this is certainly not the first time someone has looked at France and said, ‘What is he doing?’

    “But enough about a pudgy-faced clown who is clueless as to how to run a race, France needs to mind his own business. He can’t even handle the politics of his own sport, much less those of a nation.”

    10. Austin Dillon: Dillon started eighth and finished 11th in the Folds Of Honor 500. He is ninth in the Sprint Cup points standings, 15 out of first.

    “My younger brother Ty subbed for Tony Stewart in the No. 14 car,” Dillon said. “Tony is out for a few weeks, mostly to rehab a back injury, but also to work on his new cookbook, ’50 Shades Of Gravy.’

    “While Tony is out, Stewart-Haas Racing wants someone in that car. They certainly don’t want that ride empty. Ty is more than happy to occupy that spot. So, with or without Tony, you know there will be an ass in the seat.”

  • The Final Word – It was a war of words at Atlanta, black flags be damned

    The Final Word – It was a war of words at Atlanta, black flags be damned

    The drivers liked it. I think most pure race enthusiasts liked it. I kind of liked it. It was not the visual experience Daytona provides, granted, but you could not to sure of anything until it ended. One pit problem, a lack of cautions, and just the second of the day popping up right at the end sure rid us of some of our preconceptions.

    For example, Matt Kenseth was going to have a wonderful day at Atlanta. Sure, what could go wrong? Well, it seems that the most a gasman can do when actually fueling the car, when the can is actually engaged, is to pass gas or maybe sing a little song, but that is about it. He cannot place a wrench on the deck of the car, for example. That would call for a pit penalty. Not so, claimed crew chief Jason Ratcliff, who was too busy arguing the case that he did not seem to notice when NASCAR black flagged the driver, then quit counting his laps. Kenseth sure the hell did, and did not seem terribly happy about it. By the time he came in, he was going to go back out two laps down, and he stayed down to finish 19th despite once leading for 47 laps.

    Kurt Busch led from the pole and looked sweet for the early going. Sixty-two laps worth of sweetness. Then others got even sweeter, but a fourth place finish was not bad. If we thought he who led early would also lead late, we were bound to wind up mistaken.

    Kevin Harvick then would be the guy. He led late. He led the most, with 131 laps on the point. He looked good. Then Chad Knaus ruined everything. He called Jimmie Johnson in early for some fresh rubber in a bid to make up ground. That happened. When Harvick came in under green, a hung front tire cost him four seconds in the pits against Johnson’s time. Harvick was down by more than a dozen seconds, made up half of it, then stalled. It was over, right? Wrong.

    Two-thirds of the way through at Atlanta, we had our first caution for debris. By that time, we had two-thirds of the field lapped. With just three to go, Ryan Newman blew a right rear and caution waved for just the second time on the day. Harvick and Johnson would restart side by side.

    If only Happy had not spun his tires, it might have been close. If only he did not get tagged by Martin Truex Jr. from behind, then rubbed by Carl Edwards from the side, he might have been able to salvage the situation. If only. Sixth was to be his fate, one spot behind Edwards and just ahead of Truex.

    In the end, Johnson won his 76th career race, tying the mark of the late Dale Earnhardt, as his son and Johnson’s teammate, Dale Earnhardt Jr., came home second, just ahead of Kyle Busch. This is not what we thought would happen with 20 to go. Once again, we were wrong. If we can be so wrong in a race that had just three cautions, including one that came out on the final lap, there must have been some decent racing action going on. With Las Vegas coming up next week, betting on the outcome might truly be the dominion of true gamblers. Hell, we can’t even be sure as to how big the field is going to be anymore.

    The worst Charter car was the 38th place finish of Jeffrey Earnhardt, in a 39 car field. The best non-Charter was Ryan Blaney in 25th. Danica Patrick was 20th, sandwiched between Kenseth and Jamie McMurray. With the win, Johnson joins Denny Hamlin, 16th at Atlanta, as the pair with a ticket all but already punched for the Chase. If nothing else, picking those two to be among the Chasers would have been a very astute pick.

    Thank God there appears to be at least one thing we can be confident about.

  • Kyle Busch Puts on Clinic in XFINITY Race at Atlanta

    Kyle Busch Puts on Clinic in XFINITY Race at Atlanta

    HAMPTON, Ga.– Stop me if you’ve heard this before; Kyle Busch wins in XFINITY.

    The driver of the No. 18 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota led 119 of the 163 laps on his way to scoring his 76th career victory in the NASCAR XFINITY Series.

    “Just to accomplish some of my goals that I have in racing (is special),” said Busch. “Being in Atlanta – I have never won here before (in the XFINITY Series), so I can’t say enough about JGR engines. I’m glad to get it out of the way and checked off the list.”

    Kyle Larson closed into within half a second of Busch in the closing laps, but got caught off guard by a lapped car and had to settle for runner-up in his No. 42 Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet.

    “We were a little bit better than I thought we were going to be. I thought we’d be a fourth-, fifth-, sixth-place car, and we were definitely second-best, I thought,” Larson said.

    Erik Jones had a strong car today but had to serve a pass-through penalty after beating Busch to the line on the initial start. He would go on to finish third in his No. 20 JGR Toyota. Paul Menard finished fourth in his No. 2 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet. Ty Dillon rounded out the top-five in his No. 3 RCR Chevrolet.

    Brad Keselowski finished sixth in his No. 22 Team Penske Ford.

    “We just weren’t as strong as we wanted to be and needed to be,” Keselowski said. “We’ll work on it from there and try to find a little bit more speed.”

    Daniel Suárez finished seventh in his No. 19 JGR Toyota. Justin Allgaier finished eighth in his No. 7 JR Motorsports Chevrolet. Elliott Sadler finished ninth in his No. 1 JRM Chevrolet. Jeb Burton rounded out the top-10 in his No. 43 Richard Petty Motorsports Ford.

    “I was having fun today,” Burton said. “We did a good job. I felt like we lost some spots on that last restart. The longer we went, the tighter we got. It seemed like later in the day we just kept getting tighter and tighter. I’m really proud of the guys. They worked really hard this week, considering 14 days ago this team didn’t exist. I’m really proud of that and I feel like we’ll get better each week.”

    The race lasted one hour, 49 minutes and 53 seconds at an average speed of 137.065 mph. There were five lead changes among four different drivers. There were five cautions for 21 laps.

    Complete Finishing Order – NXS Heads Up Georgia 250 – Atlanta Motor Speedway

    1. (1) Kyle Busch(i), Toyota, 163.

    2. (4) Kyle Larson(i), Chevrolet, 163.

    3. (2) Erik Jones #, Toyota, 163.

    4. (11) Paul Menard(i), Chevrolet, 163.

    5. (6) Ty Dillon, Chevrolet, 163.

    6. (7) Brad Keselowski(i), Ford, 163.

    7. (3) Daniel Suarez, Toyota, 163.

    8. (12) Justin Allgaier, Chevrolet, 163.

    9. (16) Elliott Sadler, Chevrolet, 163.

    10. (15) Jeb Burton, Ford, 163.

    11. (19) Brandon Jones #, Chevrolet, 163.

    12. (10) Kevin Harvick(i), Chevrolet, 162.

    13. (9) Brendan Gaughan, Chevrolet, 162.

    14. (5) Brennan Poole #, Chevrolet, 162.

    15. (17) Ryan Reed, Ford, 162.

    16. (8) Ryan Sieg, Chevrolet, 162.

    17. (14) Jeremy Clements, Chevrolet, 162.

    18. (18) Darrell Wallace Jr, Ford, 162.

    19. (22) JJ Yeley, Toyota, 162.

    20. (13) Blake Koch, Chevrolet, 161.

    21. (20) Dakoda Armstrong, Toyota, 160.

    22. (21) Ryan Preece #, Chevrolet, 159.

    23. (23) Corey Lajoie, Toyota, 159.

    24. (26) Garrett Smithley #, Chevrolet, 159.

    25. (32) Mario Gosselin, Chevrolet, 158.

    26. (29) BJ McLeod #, Ford, 157.

    27. (34) Derrike Cope, Chevrolet, 156.

    28. (24) Ross Chastain, Chevrolet, 152.

    29. (40) Chris Cockrum, Chevrolet, 152.

    30. (36) Mike Harmon, Dodge, 151.

    31. (37) Cody Ware #, Chevrolet, 151.

    32. (33) Joey Gase, Chevrolet, Suspension, 127.

    33. (27) Ray Black Jr #, Chevrolet, 113.

    34. (38) Josh Reaume, Dodge, Suspension, 87.

    35. (25) Harrison Rhodes, Chevrolet, Rear Gear, 68.

    36. (30) Carl Long, Toyota, Handling, 29.

    37. (39) Morgan Shepherd, Chevrolet, Overheating, 25.

    38. (35) Todd Peck, Ford, Engine, 15.

    39. (28) David Starr, Toyota, Engine, 7.

    40. (31) Jeff Green, Toyota, Electrical, 1.