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  • NASCAR Top-10 Power Rankings: Pocono

    NASCAR Top-10 Power Rankings: Pocono

    Note: The quotes in this article are fictional.

    1. Kyle Busch: Busch inherited the lead when Joey Logano ran out of gas with three laps to go, but Logano’s misfortune was a harbinger of the same for Busch, whose tank ran dry with one lap to go. Busch finished 21st.

    “My fuel tank said ‘E,’” Busch said, “then I said ‘F.’ Who would have thought that my luck and my fuel would have run out at the same time?”

    2. Jimmie Johnson: Johnson finished sixth in the Windows 10 400 at Pocono, securing his 14th top 10 of the season.

    “Hendrick Motorsports put three cars in the top six,” Johnson said. “Kasey Kahne put one in the pit lane wall. That’s what you call a pit stop.

    “Pocono’s ‘Tricky Triangle’ indeed proved to be tricky. However, when you’re talking NASCAR, the triangle is not the geometric shape that first comes to mind. That would be the ‘cylinder.’ My fans know there are eight cylinders in the engine of the No. 48. On the other hand, Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s fans know there are 24 of ’em in a case.”

    3. Kevin Harvick: Harvick’s engine blew on lap 20 of the Windows 10 400 at Pocono, relegating him to his worst result of the year, a 42nd.

    “I’m not sure what happened,” Harvick said. “All I know is something went ‘Ke-boom! and the car went ‘Ke-put.’ And out we went in a plume of burning oil and fluids. I was upset, but Tony Stewart was elated. It’s the first time ‘Smoke’s’ had an impact on the Chase all season.”

    4. Dale Earnhardt Jr.: Earnhardt finished third at Pocono, the top finisher among Hendrick Motorsports cars.

    “It appears Kyle Busch isn’t invincible after all,” Earnhardt said. “For a while there, he was so dominant it looked like he could win without really trying. It took the end of the race on Sunday for validation that yes, he indeed was ‘coasting.’”

    5. Joey Logano: Logano was leading with three laps to go when his fuel tank ran dry. Instead of his second win of the season, he was left with a 20th-place finish.

    “In retrospect,” Logano said, “the ‘Windows 10 400’ should have been called the ‘Fuel Windows 10 400.’

    “Luckily, no one was hurt when Brad Keselowski hit some of his pit crew when he went screaming into his pit stall. Now, you can add three crewmen to the list of people who believe Brad doesn’t know when to stop.”

    6. Matt Kenseth: Kenseth grabbed his second win of the year after winning a fuel mileage war at Pocono.

    “I can’t say we found a way to win,” Kenseth said. “I would say the way to win found us.

    “Out pit strategy played out to perfection and resulted in a day I’ll never forget, and I owe it all to my gas can man. To him, I say ‘Tanks for the memories.’”

    7. Martin Truex Jr.: Truex ran out of fuel with two laps to go, just moments after Joey Logano’s tank went dry while leading. Truex finished 19th and is fifth in the Sprint Cup points standings, 86 out of first.

    “There were a lot of cars running out of gas at the end of the race,” Truex said. “So many that it bordered on being suspicious. Was it a mysterious conspiratorial ploy by NASCAR to add excitement to an otherwise boring race? If so, it would have to be called ‘Fume-igate.’”

    8. Brad Keselowski: Keselowski finished second in the Windows 10 400 at Pocono, surviving as several cars running in the top five dropped out after running out of fuel.

    “I ran into a few of my crew members on a pit stop,” Keselowski said. “Here’s the rundown on their health—they’re all okay. There’s video of the incident all over the internet, and it’s become very popular. Rumor has it Hollywood wants to base a movie on it. It will be called ‘Boyz On The Hood.’”

    9. Kurt Busch: Busch finished 37th at Pocono after an accident on a lap 66 restart sent him to the garage for repairs.

    “On the bright side,” Busch said, “I had plenty of gas in my tank at race’s end. If you don’t believe me, just ask my former girlfriend Patricia Driscoll. She’ll tell you I’m still full of it.”

    10. Carl Edwards: Edwards pitted late for fuel and salvaged a 10th at Pocono, his fifth top-10 result of the year.

    “What a great race,” Edwards said. “I guess NASCAR was right—-slowing the cars down does make for more exciting racing.

    “Not many drivers had the nerve to come in for gas so late in the race,” Edwards said. “Luckily, we had the guts to do it. As they say, you have to take the plunge before you take the splash.”

  • Surprising and Not Surprising: Pocono Windows 10 400

    Surprising and Not Surprising: Pocono Windows 10 400

    In what will no doubt go down in the books as one of the crazier races at the ‘Tricky Triangle’, here are the highlights of what was surprising and not surprising from the Windows 10 400 at Pocono Raceway.

    Surprising:  In an unusual race where one of his team’s drivers run out of fuel on the way to a fourth straight win and one of his other drivers coasted into Victory Lane, the best quote of the day was from Coach Joe Gibbs.

    He told Sirius XM radio’s Claire B. Lang, “I’ve been going to Victory Lane so much that I might just have to go to rehab.”

    This was Joe Gibbs Racing’s fourth consecutive win in that same number of races.

    “It was a big deal today the way everything played out,” Gibbs added. “But I think you do, in pro sports you realize how hard it is to win a race, and when you get in a situation like this, you really want to enjoy it, and I think we do.”

    Not Surprising:  Matt Kenseth accomplished a first-time twofer as he took the checkered flag with just enough fuel left for a burnout.

    “Today is a first,” Kenseth said. “I checked two things off the list.  I won at Pocono, I didn’t think that would ever happen, and I won a fuel-mileage race, I didn’t think that would ever happen.

    “There’s been a few through the years that I thought we had it all figured out, and we were the only one that was going to make it and all that stuff and you catch an untimely caution and there’s been some other ones where you are kind of dominating the race and you’re out there and you run out of gas and somebody back mid-pack had enough gas to make it and have lost several like that.

    “Feels good to get one like that.  We had a fast car and we were able to get the fuel mileage good enough to get the win.

    “So yeah, this is a first for me.”

    Surprising:  It was Groundhog Day at Pocono, at least for the eerily similar three crashes that happened with cars smacking into the pit road wall. It happened to Ray Black Jr. in the Truck race, as well as Jeb Burton in practice. And then the third hit happened in nearly the same way but in the race to Kasey Kahne.

    “I just got loose really late, so far off the corner,” Kahne said. “A really late exit. I’m not sure why or what happened. It just jumped out. You’re so far off the corner, to slow slide and get so far down pit road, it was crazy.

    “I’ve never ended up over there like that. I don’t know why that was. I couldn’t believe when the No. 26 (Jeb Burton) did earlier this weekend and then I did.”

    Not Surprising:  While several drivers, especially those that ran out of fuel, might want to put Pocono in their rear view mirror, there was one driver who no doubt burned rubber leaving the track.

    “It was one of those days,” Sam Hornish Jr. said. “I missed a shift on a restart which wasn’t any good and then we had a tire come apart and then we got hit and then Kurt (Busch) was trying to hold on to it and I saw that he got it straightened back out and it is one of those things where everything stops smoking long enough that you think he has it back under control again and then it is just wobbling around on him.

    “Unfortunate for us for sure. I love coming to Pocono and I have had some good runs here and led laps and felt like we could win races, but it just hasn’t been for us this year.”

    Surprising:  There was no one more surprised than Kyle Busch that the race went green at the end, especially given the many early race cautions. And the driver, who was hoping for his fourth consecutive win and a boost into Chase contention, was also surprised that he was short enough on fuel not to make it to the finish line.

    “It was a caution-filled race there for a while,” Busch said. “I was surprised the end then went green. I don’t know where we were on our strategy and all of that stuff.

    “I’ve got to debrief with Adam (Stevens, crew chief), but I don’t know how close we were and if we were one lap short of making it then I probably needed to save or do a better job of running those last 30 laps or so.

    “We were short, we run out, but we went down swinging so I can’t fault my guys for that. An awesome call, they called the race right and another Monster Energy can of gas and we’d be winning another one.”

    Not Surprising:  The irrepressible Clint Bowyer was nearly jumping up and down when he got out of his race car after finishing top-10.

    “Holy cow that was a finish,” the driver of the No. 15 Maxwell House Toyota said of his eighth place run. “What a race. We got caught with the caution lights and had a heck of a comeback. We were able to save enough fuel and give the Maxwell House Toyota a great finish.”

    Surprising:  The fourth place finisher felt like a time traveler when all was said and done at the ‘Tricky Triangle.’

    “Yeah, in the booth up there, they turned the clock back to 1973 and let that thing play out a little bit and let everybody run out of gas,” Dale Earnhardt Jr. said. “That was pretty cool. It’s kind of like some of the older races where you just can’t count on them to throw them cautions there at the end. And they didn’t today.”

    Not Surprising:  For his very last appearance at Pocono, Jeff Gordon actually went off script and could not have been more pleased with the result.

    “No, the script I had played out in my head was we were going to be 15th, so this one was way better than that,” the driver of the No. 24  AARP Member Advantages Chevrolet said after finishing third.

    “For whatever reason the last couple times we’ve been here we’ve had decent race cars, not maybe the cars that we would have liked to have had, but cars far capable of better finishes than what we’ve had, have been getting, and just a lot of different circumstances not playing out.  Some to our own credit and others just circumstances.

    “Today finally one went our way for a change, which is really nice to bounce back after last week’s unfortunate incident where we lost so many points.”

    Gordon gained one spot in the point standings, moving from the 11th spot up to 10th.

    Surprising:  In spite of overcoming adversity, including hitting two of his pit crew members during a doomed stop, to finish runner-up, Brad Keselowski felt surprising empathy, in fact even heartbreak, for his teammate’s misfortune at the race end.

    “The fuel came into play at the end and we were able to take care of it to bring home second, which is a very respectable day,” Keselowski said. “Certainly not where we were going to finish without the fuel, but that is sometimes how it works.

    “I think my teammate (Joey Logano) and his team did a phenomenal job. I am heartbroken for them to not win the race.”

    Not Surprising: Mama told him there would be days like this, so Kevin Harvick was able to let his first DNF since April 2014 roll off his back.

    “Yeah, coming around turn two I knew I had some issues but didn’t realize they were going to be that big,” Harvick said. I’m just really proud of my Jimmy John’s/Budweiser team. The car was fast. You’ll have days like this.”

    Next week, the Sprint Cup Series will travel to battle the road course at Watkins Glen. The CHEEZ-It 355 at The Glen will run at 2:00 p.m. ET on NBCSN on Sunday, August 9.

     

     

     

  • The Final Word – Things got rather iffy at Pocono

    The Final Word – Things got rather iffy at Pocono

    If. We all have a closet full of “ifs” that we may ponder about. Take last Sunday for instance. If Kyle Busch had saved enough fuel, he may well have won his fourth straight race, moved into the Top 30 in points, and sat atop the season standings with five victories to his credit. But he did not, so he does not. Well, at least for another week, as despite finishing 21st on Sunday he now trails the pair tied for that magic spot by just 17 points.

    If Joey Logano had not run out of gas to allow Busch to pass him with a handful of laps left, he might have won his second of the season., instead of coming home 20th. That would have pushed him into third place on the season ladder, but the cars can hold only so many gallons, and he needed a couple more.

    If Kevin Harvick had an engine that would last more than 20 laps, he could have won his third. However, just as he took the lead his car went up in smoke to take care of any mosquito problems in the area. He almost went from first to worst, but he even failed at that.

    If Kasey Kahne had not spun coming out of the third turn, he might have avoided finishing dead last after just three laps. Three. He broke loose, headed toward pit road, and found the inside wall. A lot of helmets on the barrier went flying but, thankfully, not a single head was in any of them. Now he sits 16th in the standings, which means he will be 17th after next week unless he can make up the 15 points he now trails Clint Bowyer.

    If Bowyer, who finished eighth, could just win a race he would not be worrying about making the Chase. His 15th could be the new 16th or worse if Kyle does well next Sunday and somebody below him in points wins at Watkins Glen. Somebody like 2014 race winner A.J. Allmendinger, for example. Don’t you think team owner Michael Waltrip could use a little good news about now?

    If last weekend’s race went 159 laps, instead of 160, Matt Kenseth would not have claimed his 33rd career victory, his second of the season, and his first in 32 Pocono starts. Logano and Kyle had the cars to beat, and Kenseth did just that by leading laps 88 and 160.

    If the 88 of Dale Earnhardt Jr. had only not had that pit road penalty. Who am I kidding? That car was junk much of the day, but it sure looked pretty. As it turned out, their fuel strategy worked pretty well, at least enough to give them an undeserved fourth place finish.

    If Brad Keselowski had not gone bowling for dollars, using his crew as pins, maybe his runner-up finish could have been one better. It takes time to complete a stop after sending your jack man flying and putting your tire changer on the hood as his fresh Goodyear goes bouncing to hither and yon. By the way, you do not have to take equipment out of the stall to get a penalty. Sending it flying on its own gets you docked some extra time just as well.

    If not for the woes of others, Greg Biffle, Allmendinger, and Tony Stewart might not have picked up Top Tens on the day. I believe their feelings on the matter might be something like “it sure sucks to be them.”

    If Tony can rebound to form at Watkins Glen next Sunday, where he has won five before, or if Allmendinger can repeat, all of a sudden their respective seasons perk right up. If Jeff Gordon could take his fifth or Harvick his second on the road course, it would be nice, but there are those in greater need.

    If Kyle could win a third race at the Glen, the waiting would be over, the standings reset, and just five places in the Chase would remain open to non-winners.

    If a first-time winner emerges on Sunday, make that four spots open.

  • Edwards, Not Busch, is Chase Field’s ‘Lucky Dog’

    Edwards, Not Busch, is Chase Field’s ‘Lucky Dog’

    The 2015 Chase for the Sprint Cup field is solidifying fast, with only six spots remaining for those drivers who haven’t notched a win, and only six weeks left for them to do so.

    As winless drivers struggle for a victory to secure a spot in the Chase, Kyle Busch’s comeback creep to the Top 30 continues. What seemed like a long shot at best nine races ago has now become a seemingly inevitable prospect.

    Upon return to Cup competition, Busch’s underdog status could have almost been consigned to irrelevancy. Heading into Sonoma, Busch was winless and 173 points behind 30th place in the standings, the cutoff for Chase-eligible drivers with wins. To address that issue, he snagged a win at Sonoma (and then three more) all while slashing any “insurmountable” points gap to 30th.

    In just five races, a gap of 173 points shrank to 23 points, and now Busch has six races to dissolve that number. Considering the gap isn’t between top-tier drivers in the standings, but rather 30th and 32nd, to miss the cut would require a meltdown on an even more epic scale than his quick rise to dominance.

    While Kyle Busch may seem like a figurative “lucky dog” on the outside looking in, trying to claw his way back to the heart of the competition, it seems unfitting and even inappropriate to use the word “luck” in the same sentence as his name. He has won four of the last five races, including the last three in a row, a feat not seen since Jimmie Johnson won Martinsville, Atlanta and Texas in 2007.

    Sitting at the bottom of the group of Chase clinchers is Carl Edwards, with just 519 points. He more fittingly wears the title of “lucky dog” rolling into the Chase with just one crucial win to fall back on.

    The other drivers with wins, aside from Kyle Busch, have points enough to keep them in the Chase even if wins were not a factor. Take away the “win and you’re in” rule, and Carl Edwards sits at 16th place in the points standings instead of 10th, with Aric Almirola trailing him by just 11 points.

    Edwards’ points troubles are, however, not indicative of his on-track performance. He has led 242 laps this year, the ninth-most of any driver. His two DNFs, along with only two top fives and four top 10s, help to better explain his standings in the points. Of the current Chase field, only Paul Menard has as few top 10s as Edwards, yet Menard still sits 39 points ahead of the driver of the No. 19 Joe Gibbs Toyota.

    While the win incentive provides for more late summer drama and driver pressure, it is always interesting to look at points alone to determine which drivers have shown consistency throughout the season.

    Come Richmond, Edwards may be thanking his lucky stars that one of the 25 laps he led in the Coca Cola 600 at Charlotte was the final one.

  • Kyle Busch Scores 43rd Career Truck Win at Pocono

    Kyle Busch Scores 43rd Career Truck Win at Pocono

    After three green, white, checkered attempts, Kyle Busch was again the one to reign victorious, scoring his 43rd Camping World Truck Series win at Pocono Raceway. This was Busch’s first Truck victory for the 2015 season and his first at Pocono Raceway in the Trucks.

    With the victory, Busch has now won at least one race in all three of NASCAR’s national series for the tenth time in his career.

    “This is really, really cool,” Kyle Busch said. “Great to win and put Toyota in Victory Lane and my first win here as well.”

    In spite of the three restarts he had to contend with, Kyle Busch felt that he managed them well.  Unfortunately, his young teammate Erik Jones did not fare so well, getting spun and suffering damage on one of those fateful restarts.

    “The restarts weren’t too bad from my seat,” Busch said. “But behind me it looked crazy. I hate it that Erik Jones got washed out on that restart. The restarts didn’t go his way today.”

    Busch also was running low on fuel at the end of the race and had to nurse his race track during through cautions.

    “One of the biggest things we did was to shut the engine off during yellows,” Busch said. “The more you can shut it off, because these things are gas guzzlers, the better off you are.”

    Kevin Harvick, driver of the No. 00 Haas Automation Chevrolet, finished in the runner-up position, after taking tires late in the race.

    “We had an interesting weekend, to say the least,” Harvick said. “But I signed up to give some feedback and help Cole (Custer) and JR Motorsports get situated on the bigger tracks. The great part is that the guys kept working and they didn’t get mad.”

    “So, we made something out of the weekend. IT’s not where we want to be performance-wise, but that’s why you run the race.”

    “Yeah, I just want to thank everybody on our Haas Automation Chevrolet.”

    Tyler Reddick, driver of the No. 19 Draw Tite Ford, finished third. And thanks to the misfortune that befell Matt Crafton, who tangled with Brad Keselowski to finish 28th, Reddick also became the new points leader in the Truck Series.

    “Our guys did an outstanding job,” Reddick said. “These guys have been working really hard. We didn’t have the speed we needed to compete with the 51 and the 4, but the truck was very raceable in traffic.”

    “But we still came home with a top three finish.”

    Reddick is now officially eleven points ahead of Matt Crafton in the championship point standings.

    “We need to stay aggressive,” Reddick said. “It’s always been race to race as far as the points If we run the best we can every weekend, it will all end up right at the end.”

    Cameron Haley scored his best career finish to date, finishing fourth in his No. 13 Cabinets by Hayley/Carolina Nut Co. Toyota.

    “I had Cup drivers on all sides and that was a hell of a feeling,” Haley said. “Learned a ton from him and my spotter Eddie D’Hondt (Jeff Gordon’s spotter) up on the stand.”

    “I will do lots of celebrating tonight. This was a good top five finish for sure.”

    Austin Dillon, who also pitted late in the race finished fifth in his No. 33 Rheem Chevrolet, in spite of an incident with Erik Jones.

    “We had a good run at the very last second, but it didn’t work,” Dillon said. “I hate it for Erik Jones, but we had a good conversation afterward.”

    Johnny Sauter, Timothy Peters, Matt Tifft, Daniel Hemric, and Erik Jones rounded out the top ten finishing order for the 6th annual Pocono Mountains 150.  The full results are as follows:

    015 NCWTS Pocono Mountains 150 Race Results

    Fin Str Trk Driver Team Lap Pts BPts Status TLd LLd
    1 2 51 Kyle Busch(i) Dollar General Toyota 69 0 Running 2 53
    2 7 0 Kevin Harvick(i) Haas Automation Chevrolet 69 0 Running
    3 6 19 Tyler Reddick Draw Tite Ford 69 41 Running
    4 16 13 Cameron Hayley # Cabinets by Hayley/Carolina Nut Co. Toyota 69 40 Running
    5 5 33 Austin Dillon(i) Rheem Chevrolet 69 0 Running
    6 17 98 Johnny Sauter Nextant/Curb Records Toyota 69 39 1 Running 1 4
    7 12 17 Timothy Peters Red Horse Racing Toyota 69 37 Running
    8 14 54 Matt Tifft ToyotaCare Toyota 69 36 Running
    9 15 14 Daniel Hemric # California Clean Power Chevrolet 69 35 Running
    10 1 4 Erik Jones # Toyota 69 35 1 Running 1 9
    11 8 11 Ben Kennedy Local Motors Toyota 69 33 Running
    12 11 15 Mason Mingus Call 811 Chevrolet 69 32 Running
    13 9 8 John H. Nemechek # D.A.B. Constructors Inc. Chevrolet 69 31 Running
    14 13 23 Spencer Gallagher # Allegiant Travel Chevrolet 69 31 1 Running 1 3
    15 20 2 Tyler Young Randco Industries/Young’s Building Systems 69 29 Running
    16 18 63 Garrett Smithley SegPay/Mittler Bros Machine & Tool/Ski Soda 69 28 Running
    17 10 5 John Wes Townley Zaxby’s Chevrolet 68 27 Running
    18 21 74 Jordan Anderson SRGFX.com Chevrolet 67 26 Running
    19 32 50 Kyle Martel Finish Line Express Chevrolet 67 25 Running
    20 25 28 Ryan Ellis FDNY/Julie’s Cause Chevrolet 67 24 Running
    21 23 40 Todd Peck Arthritis Foundation/OSS Health Chevrolet 66 23 Running
    22 30 6 Norm Benning Chevrolet 63 22 Running
    23 19 1 Travis Kvapil Burnie Grill Chevrolet 56 21 Running
    24 31 7 Ray Black Jr. # ScubaLife.com Chevrolet 52 20 Accident
    25 26 94 Wendell Chavous # Lilly Trucking Chevrolet 51 19 Accident
    26 24 10 Jennifer Jo Cobb Driven2Honor.org Chevrolet 49 18 Running
    27 29 8 Korbin Forrister # Trump for President Chevrolet 24 17 Accident
    28 3 88 Matt Crafton ChiChi’s/Menards Toyota 13 16 Accident
    29 22 45 BJ McLeod Tilted Kilt Chevrolet 12 15 Overheating
    30 4 29 Brad Keselowski(i) Cooper Standard Ford 5 0 Accident
    31 28 36 Justin Jennings Mittler Bros Machine & Tool/Ski Soda Chevrolet 3 13 Vibration
    32 27 0 Caleb Roark Driven2Honor.org Chevrolet 3 12 Suspension

    # = Rookie, Fin = Finish, Str = Start, Pts = Total Points, BPs = Lap Leader Bns Pts, TLd = Times Led, LLd = Laps Led. (i) Ineligible for driver points in this series

     

     

     

  • Kyle Busch Keeps It Rolling With Pocono Pole

    Kyle Busch Keeps It Rolling With Pocono Pole

    Kyle Busch, who has been on a tear winning four races and three in a row most recently, has continued that roll at Pocono Raceway. The driver of the No. 18  M&M’s Crispy Toyota scored the pole for the 42nd annual Windows 10 400 with a speed of 178.416 mph and a time 50.444 seconds.

    This was Busch’s 17th pole in 375 Cup Series races and his second pole in 22 races at the ‘Tricky Triangle.’

    “It certainly is nice to feel this way,” Busch said. “I certainly have been through some down times as well but this year the tides are 180 degrees different. We’re just trying to ride that wave as long as it will carry us. I hope it carries us on through the rest of the season.”

    “I wasn’t sure we had a shot for the pole,” Busch continued. “We had good speed but we couldn’t get the balance quite right. But we did and to get a pole here today is cool.”

    “I enjoy getting poles, wins, anything but if I look back at old school NASCAR, you have to win a pole to get into the Sprint Unlimited. One is all you need.”

    Kevin Harvick, behind the wheel of the No. 4 Jimmy Johns/Budweiser Chevrolet qualified second, posting his 13th top-10 start of 2015 and his ninth in 30 races at Pocono.

    “From our goals to what we did in qualifying, I feel like we definitely overachieved today,” Harvick said. “We needed that last round to go the way it did, running our fastest lap of the day.”

    “I knew we did a good job,” Harvick continued. “That’s what we needed to do.”

    “I feel like we’ll be even better when we get into the Chase. Today was important. As a team, we’re doing a great job. We just have to keep plugging along, with your head down and keeping your eyes plugged.”

    Joe Logano, driver of the No. 22 Shell-Pennzoil Ford, qualified third, posting his sixth top-10 start at Pocono.

    “I feel good anytime we come to Pocono. This is one of our best race tracks here as a team,” Logano said. “Good qualifying run. We haven’t gotten the poles that we want. We want to take pictures and get stickers and banners and all that stuff, but I’m proud of what our team has done here lately, picking up from practice to qualifying to the race.”

    “I’m proud of the improvements we make on our race car. The communication is there and the teamwork is there. Just are coming up a little bit short here lately.”

    Austin Dillon and Tony Stewart both had good runs to round out the top-five qualifiers.

    Jeff Gordon rebounded from his tough finish at the Brickyard, making it to the final round of qualifying to start in the tenth position.

    “You have three unique corners that you have to drive different and set up different,” Gordon said of the track. “When I think of Pocono, that’s what I think of. I know they call it the ‘Tricky Triangle,’ but it’s true. It is a very challenging and tricky place to compete at.”

    The rest of the starting lineup is as follows:

    2015 NSCS Windows 10 400 Starting Lineup

    Pos Car Driver Team Time Speed
    1 18 Kyle Busch M&M’s Crispy Toyota 50.444 178.416
    2 4 Kevin Harvick Jimmy John’s/Budweiser Chevrolet 50.514 178.168
    3 22 Joey Logano Shell Pennzoil Ford 50.608 177.837
    4 3 Austin Dillon American Ethanol Chevrolet 50.659 177.658
    5 14 Tony Stewart Rush Truck Centers/Mobil 1 Chevrolet 50.667 177.63
    6 41 Kurt Busch Haas Automation Chevrolet 50.672 177.613
    7 20 Matt Kenseth Dollar General Toyota 50.691 177.546
    8 19 Carl Edwards Stanley Toyota 50.75 177.34
    9 2 Brad Keselowski Alliance Truck Parts Ford 50.764 177.291
    10 24 Jeff Gordon AARP Member Advantages Chevrolet 50.787 177.211
    11 11 Denny Hamlin FedEx Office Toyota 50.833 177.05
    12 48 Jimmie Johnson Kobalt Tools Chevrolet 50.948 176.651
    13 78 Martin Truex Jr. Furniture Row/Visser Precision Chevrolet 51.007 176.446
    14 31 Ryan Newman Caterpillar Chevrolet 51.03 176.367
    15 88 Dale Earnhardt Jr. Microsoft Chevrolet 51.038 176.339
    16 5 Kasey Kahne Aquafina Chevrolet 51.06 176.263
    17 1 Jamie McMurray Lexar Chevrolet 51.061 176.26
    18 27 Paul Menard Sylvania/Menards Chevrolet 51.153 175.943
    19 15 Clint Bowyer Maxwell House Toyota 51.202 175.774
    20 10 Danica Patrick GoDaddy Chevrolet 51.262 175.569
    21 43 Aric Almirola United States Air Force Ford 51.39 175.131
    22 47 AJ Allmendinger Bush’s Grillin Beans Chevrolet 51.409 175.067
    23 6 Trevor Bayne AdvoCare Ford 51.504 174.744
    24 55 David Ragan Aaron’s Dream Machine Toyota 51.524 174.676
    25 16 Greg Biffle Roush Performance Ford 51.51 174.723
    26 13 Casey Mears GEICO Chevrolet 51.614 174.371
    27 42 Kyle Larson Suave Men Chevrolet 51.621 174.348
    28 7 Alex Bowman FW1 Wash and Wax Chevrolet 51.723 174.004
    29 40 Landon Cassill(i) Chevrolet 51.771 173.842
    30 9 Sam Hornish Jr. Medallion Bank Ford 51.803 173.735
    31 51 Justin Allgaier FraternalOrderofEagles/SwitchHitch Chev 51.895 173.427
    32 34 Brett Moffitt # A&W All American Food Ford 51.924 173.33
    33 35 Cole Whitt MDS Transportation Ford 51.949 173.247
    34 17 Ricky Stenhouse Jr. Ford EcoBoost Ford 51.971 173.174
    35 23 JJ Yeley(i) Dr. Pepper Toyota 52.125 172.662
    36 83 Matt DiBenedetto # Burger King Toyota 52.137 172.622
    37 38 David Gilliland Love’s Travel Stops Ford Owner Points
    38 26 Jeb Burton # Maxim Toyota Owner Points
    39 46 Michael Annett Pilot Flying J Chevrolet Owner Points
    40 32 Travis Kvapil(i) Skuttle Tight Ford Owner Points
    41 98 Reed Sorenson Chevrolet Owner Points
    42 33 Alex Kennedy # MediaCAST Chevrolet Owner Points
    43 62 Timmy Hill(i) Ford Owner Points

    (i) Ineligible for Driver Points in this Series
    # Denotes Rookie

    Source: Timing and Scoring provided by NASCARMedia/NASCAR Statistics

     

  • Hot 20 – Pocono, where Kyle’s winning streak comes to an end…maybe

    Hot 20 – Pocono, where Kyle’s winning streak comes to an end…maybe

    Back we go to Pocono, where Martin Truex Jr. won in the spring, where all of the Hendrick drivers shared in winning the previous five. A Busch has won there, twice. His name is Kurt.

    Kyle Busch has not…yet. He swept Indianapolis last weekend, meaning he ran and won the XFINITY race there on Saturday. It was his second junior circuit win in five tries this season. That now means series regulars have won just three of 18 events, with Chris Buescher taking two while Ryan Reed won at Daytona in February. Truck series wonder-kid Erik Jones has a pair while six Cup drivers have shared the other 13. Of course, most see what the problem is. I guess stupid is as stupid does, as Forrest Gump reminded us.

    NASCAR spent tons of time and money figuring out a package to run at Indy. Then they got teams to spend their own time and money to ready their cars with that new package. In the end, they appear to have wasted a bunch of time and money. The racing was not much different than it has ever been, which is not all that good while making them a bit more sensitive to losing control after losing air on the spoiler, spoiling their day. Next month, they will use the same package in Michigan. You can never have too much of a bad thing, I guess.

    Word is that Danica Patrick is expected to stay with Stewart-Haas after this season, a new contract and new sponsors. Why? It has everything to do with being a competent attractive female in a sport dominated by men. She might never contend for a title or even a Chase berth, but as long as she continues to enjoy the following she has, she does not have to.

    Cameron Hayley is a 19-year-old Canadian sitting sixth in the truck series standings. He is a Calgary boy, making him as likely to be a cowboy as a hockey player. Instead, he turned to racing. Too bad the truck series is not broadcast in Canada this season. However, if you want to watch soccer instead, I got great news for you.

    Heading to Pocono, our Hot 20 does not include our hottest driver. Heading out of Pocono probably will be a different story. If you are wondering if it is all about Kyle…it seems it is.

    1. JIMMIE JOHNSON – 4 WINS (675 Points)
    Will remain first overall, unless Kyle wins Pocono.

    2. KEVIN HARVICK – 2 WINS (777 Points)
    All the talk is about Kyle, but Harv’s finishes over the past five have been fourth, fourth, eighth, third, and third.

    3. DALE EARNHARDT JR. – 2 WINS (677 Points)
    The last driver not named Kyle Busch to win a Cup race.

    4. KURT BUSCH – 2 WINS (612 Points)
    Kyle’s first bridesmaid was his own brother.

    5. JOEY LOGANO – 1 WIN (708 Points)
    Bridesmaid No. 2…and No. 4.

    6. MARTIN TRUEX JR. – 1 WIN (668 Points)
    Could have helped Kyle and Kevin in late restarts…but I guess they were on their own.

    7. BRAD KESELOWSKI – 1 WIN (638 Points)
    Kyle’s other bridesmaid, as Penske finished second in each of the past three.

    8. MATT KENSETH – 1 WIN (615 Points)
    As a teammate, he personally knows Kyle.

    9. DENNY HAMLIN – 1 WIN (591 Points)
    So does Denny.

    10. CARL EDWARDS – 1 WIN (519 Points)
    So does Carl.

    11. JAMIE MCMURRAY – 602 POINTS
    Has enough points that Kyle’s expected jump up the ladder affects him the least.

    12. JEFF GORDON – 575 POINTS
    Forget Kyle. Until further notice, the goal is to finish ahead of Bowyer every week.

    13. RYAN NEWMAN – 563 POINTS
    After Pocono and Kyle’s expected rise in the standings, things get a little more tense.

    14. KASEY KAHNE – 558 POINTS
    Same as above.

    15. PAUL MENARD – 558 POINTS
    Ditto.

    16. CLINT BOWYER – 538 POINTS
    If Kyle moves up, 16th becomes the new 17th.

    17. ARIC ALMIROLA – 508 POINTS
    Forget Kyle and forget making the Chase on points. A win is the only way in.

    18. GREG BIFFLE – 462 POINTS
    Kyle is the least of his worries.

    19. AUSTIN DILLON – 453 POINTS
    Like Kyle, Austin was a speed racer at Indy. Unlike Kyle, he did his speeding on pit road…twice.

    20. KYLE LARSON – 452 POINTS
    The other Kyle.

  • NASCAR Top-10 Power Rankings: Indianapolis

    NASCAR Top-10 Power Rankings: Indianapolis

    Note: The quotes in this article are fictional.

    1. Kyle Busch: Busch held off Joey Logano on the final restart to win his first Brickyard 400 and third consecutive race. Busch also won Saturday’s XFINITY Series race at Indy.

    “The No. 18 Skittles car was top notch,” Busch said. “And now I can tell you this: Bricks taste better than the rainbow.

    “Some people have suggested that crashing into the wall at Daytona in February and breaking my left leg and right foot gave me the inspiration for my recent dominant run. I believe that’s entirely true. In fact, there are no bones about it. My injuries gave me a leg up on the competition. And I don’t think I can be stopped. But everyone knows I’m susceptible to mind games. I can’t tell you how many of my rivals have sent me copies of Pink Floyd’s album ‘The Wall.’”

    2. Kevin Harvick: Harvick finished third in the Brickyard 400, posting his series-best 14th top-10 finish of the season.

    “I just couldn’t get a proper push on the restarts,” Harvick said. “Had the situation been reversed and I was the one doing the pushing, you can best believe it would have been a different story. Just ask Brad Keselowski.

    “There were three late cautions that extended the duration of the race. I didn’t think the race would ever end, and judging by the NBC Sports Network’s pre-race coverage, I didn’t think it would ever start.”

    3. Jimmie Johnson: Johnson finished 15th at Indianapolis on a disappointing day for Hendrick Motorsports. Johnson was the highest HMS finisher, and Jeff Gordon finished 42nd in his last Brickyard 400 after a spin on lap 50 ended his chances at the win.

    “Clint Bowyer caused the wreck that took out Gordon,” Johnson said. “Afterwards, Bowyer was seen chasing Jeff through the garage to confront him…with an apology.

    “But let’s go easy on the ‘Kyle Busch is championship material’ talk. A Brickyard 400 win is great, but it’s not the end-all. Sure, Crown Royal sponsored the race, so maybe Kyle’s been ‘Royally Crowned,’ but last time I checked, he’s never been officially crowned.”

    4. Dale Earnhardt Jr.: Earnhardt finished 22nd at Indianapolis and is now third in the Sprint Cup points standings, 100 behind Kevin Harvick.

    “It was just an unlucky day for Hendrick Motorsports,” Earnhardt said. “But congratulations to Kyle Busch. What a drive he had. Now, he’s got four wins in just nine races this season. That’s a handful, which is exactly what Kyle was when Rick Hendrick jettisoned him back in 2007.”

    5. Joey Logano: Logano led the first lap at Indianapolis and was battling for the win at the end, but couldn’t catch Kyle Busch in the two-lap sprint to the finish.

    “Busch is on a roll,” Logano said, “and his attitude has improved dramatically. I guess marriage and fatherhood have mellowed him. Now, the only time Kyle ‘shows his ass’ is at the finish line.”

    6. Martin Truex Jr.: Truex finished fourth in the Brickyard 400, posting his sixth top-five finish of the year and first in the last five races.

    “Passing was at a minimum,” Truex said, “thanks to the higher rear spoiler. The aerodynamics of that made it nearly impossible to pass. That’s called ‘drag,’ and trust me, as a former driver for Michael Waltrip Racing, no one looks good in ‘drag.’”

    7. Brad Keselowski: Keselowski finished 10th at Indianapolis, joining Penske Racing teammate Joey Logano, who finished second, in the top 10.

    “I’m not the biggest Kyle Busch fan,” Keselowski said, “but even I have to commend him for his recent tear. Kyle Busch is an ass…….kicker.”

    8. Kurt Busch: Busch took eighth at Indianapolis as younger brother Kyle won his first Brickyard 400. Kurt is eighth in the Sprint Cup points standings, 165 out of first.

    “My brother Kyle has won three consecutive NASCAR races,” Busch said, “and four of the last five. I’ve won twice. So, between us, Kyle and I have six wins and one stable relationship with a woman.”

    9. Matt Kenseth: Kenseth finished seventh in the Brickyard 400 on a dominant day for Joe Gibbs Racing. Teammate Kyle Busch won, Denny Hamlin finished fifth, and Carl Edwards started from the pole.

    “There were nine cautions in the race,” Kenseth said. “There was even a caution for balloons on the track. They were yellow and inflated, so I’m going to call them ‘Miss Sprint Cups.’”

    10. (tie) Denny Hamlin: Hamlin finished fifth in the Crown Royal 400, and is now 10th in the points standings.

    “Kyle Busch is in one of the most dominant stretches NASCAR has seen in years,” Hamlin said. “He’s won at a 1.5-mile track at Kentucky, a one-mile track at New Hampshire, and a 2.5-mile oval at Indianapolis. He’s like Jeremy Mayfield—-he can find speed anywhere.”

    10. (tie) Carl Edwards: Edwards started on the pole at Indianapolis and finished 13th.

    “That was my second consecutive start from the pole,” Edwards said. “Of course, I didn’t win either race, so you didn’t get to see my celebratory backflip. Who cares, right? Everybody knows Kyle Busch has the best finishing move in NASCAR.”

  • The Final Word – Post-race Kyle kissed the Bricks at Indianapolis, the rest could just kiss his…

    The Final Word – Post-race Kyle kissed the Bricks at Indianapolis, the rest could just kiss his…

    All we have heard all summer long is how great Kyle is at winning, how wonderful Kyle has been in making a comeback. Kyle, Kyle, Kyle. It is enough to make one channel their inner Jan Brady.

    What a wonderful race Kevin Harvick had. He led all those laps, yet the best he gets in the end was third. Joey Logano, he had a wonderful day going for him, but with about 10 to go, Kyle decided the race was his and won his first Brickyard 400.

    Okay, three wins in a row. Four of the past five, all in just the past nine events; 33rd of his career. Over those last five events, Busch has managed to pick up an average of 30 points per race on the driver sitting in 30th place in the standings, and today sits just 23 behind Justin Allgaier as he moves closer to being Chase eligible and making those wins count toward the standings. My bold prediction is that he will rocket from 32nd to at least second in the season standings come next Sunday at Pocono.

    Busch is having a season just as unbelievable as that of Tony Stewart. I mean, who can believe the crap Smoke has been putting up with this season? He starts fourth at Indianapolis, was up front the first half of the day, yet the heaping helping he was left with was not exactly a steaming pile of hospitality. Strategy gone bad, they said. Stewart pits when some thought he should have maintained track position. Shortly after, he pits again, giving up even more. He finished 28th, a spot behind Danica Patrick, who had a Top 15 day, was eighth when they re-started with eight to go.

    Jeff Gordon was in his final Brickyard, but he lost control trying to avoid a spinning Clint Bowyer. Contact with the outside wall left him limping to 42nd. Still, he is in no danger of dropping out of the Top 16 just yet. Bowyer has that final transfer spot, sitting 30 points ahead of Aric Almirola. He appeared to be driving a metallic pinata as Bowyer gained 32 positions on him.

    Mind you, after Pocono, when the four Busch wins trump whatever points he might have, as long as he sits amongst the Top 30, Bowyer will slip back to 17th. In reality, he goes into next weekend down by 20 to Kasey Kahne and Paul Menard, and 25 behind Ryan Newman, for the spot that will matter at the end of the day.

    As for Kyle, he has never won at Pocono. Of course, he had never won a Cup event at Indianapolis before, either. Busch is a husband, a new dad and appears to have returned a more mature version of his former self. Maybe even a more talented version, if that can be possible. Some might not like it, but the way things are going, they might have to be content with kissing his…championship ring at the end of the season.

  • Surprising and Not Surprising: Brickyard 400

    Surprising and Not Surprising: Brickyard 400

    With a brand new rules package yet again here is what was surprising and not surprising from the 22nd Annual Crown Royal presents the Jeff Kyle 400 at The Brickyard.

    Surprising:  Forget Game of Thrones, Kyle Busch pronounced the Brickyard 400 the ‘game of restarts’.

    “It was a game of restarts at the end and who was helping who. That’s what this package allowed for today and what this race track gives,” Busch, driver of the victorious No. 18 Skittles Toyota, said. “First I have to thank Joey Logano, then I have to thank Martin Truex – those two guys behind me on those three restarts – they are the ones that just helped propel my car a little bit ahead so when I got to turn one, I could keep the gas down and pull ahead and get up to the lead.”

    “I’m still in shock. It’s all gone by so fast. Every week you go on to the next one, but this is something spectacular. I always dreamed of wanting to race here let alone win here.”

    This was Busch’s fourth win of the season and his third win in a row. He delivered not only his first victory at the Brickyard, but also the first win for Toyota at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Busch now sits just 23 points out of the 30th position for Chase eligibility.

    Not Surprising:  There were a number of ‘seconds’ that were hard pills to swallow. Joey Logano started second, finished second and continued to be second in the points. And of all those seconds, Logano said simply, “Second sucks. There are no trophies for second.

    “Yeah, the worst part is the same guy beat me the last two times I’ve finished second.”

    Both Trevor Bayne and Aric Almirola suffered seconds of their own, both wrecking twice, once separately as well as wrecking into each other. Almirola finished 38th and Bayne finished 40th.

    “We worked at it from the drop of the green,” Bayne said after the race. “Today just wasn’t our day with the AdvoCare Ford. But it’s on to Pocono next week where hopefully we can run well like we did in the spring.”

    Probably the most interesting of the ‘seconds’ was the fact that Austin Dillon not only sped on pit road but that he sped again for the second time while serving his penalty. After his second bout of speeding, Dillon soldiered on to finish 25th in his No. 3 Dow/Mycogen Chevrolet.

    Surprising:  While Kyle Busch was sweeping the Xfinity and Brickyard races, Dale Earnhardt Jr. was doing some brushing off of his own.

    “If it could happen today, it most likely did. Gotta brush it off and get back at it next week @poconoraceway. We like that place!” Junior tweeted after the race.

    The driver of the No. 88 Nationwide Chevrolet also had a little fun with his misfortune, when he spun through the grass, leading to his 22nd place finish.

    “Although it wasn’t part of the plan, the trip through the grass reminded me of tearing through the yard in our go-kart when we were kids.”

    Not Surprising:  Jeff Gordon, who suffered heavy damage to his No. 24 3M Chevrolet after trying to avoid a spinning Clint Bowyer, remained upbeat and thankful for all of the wonderful memories he had at the Brickyard.

    “Today was an unfortunate day,” Gordon said after finishing 42nd. “It seems like in recent years it’s been kind of feast or famine for us here. But I tell you what, from the first time I came here all the way through last year and even this year the fans have been amazing, the experiences have been amazing, the wins.

    “Everything has been incredible and I feel so fortunate to have just gotten an opportunity to race here. Certainly to have five wins here is just unbelievable as well.”

    Surprising:  The third and fourth place finishers were quite busy falling on their respective swords. Harvick blamed himself for losing the lead and Truex blamed himself for mistiming his pushing efforts, or lack thereof, for Harvick.

    “Yeah, we lost the lead there,” Harvick, driver of the No. 4 Jimmy John’s Budweiser Chevrolet said. “The No. 18 (Kyle Busch) and No. 22 (Joey Logano) got hooked up on the restart there and got by us in Turn 1. The No. 78 (Martin Truex, Jr.) and I didn’t really get together and weren’t able to keep the lead.

    “Then I lost the lead and Kyle had a faster pace than I wanted to go and spun the tires and then he was able to keep the lead. We lost a couple more spots because we got all jacked up once we started spinning the tires. All-in-all just really proud of everybody on the Jimmy John’s team, I just didn’t put it together there at the end.”

    “Yeah, just feel a little bad for Kevin (Harvick) there,” Truex, driver of the No. 78 Furniture Row/Visser Precision Chevrolet said. “I kind of screwed him. I was trying to push him, just mistimed it.

    “I feel bad I messed him up a bit there. I kind of messed Kyle (Busch) up on the last one too and he still won. I wasn’t getting good starts.”

    Harvick finished third while Truex finished right behind him in the fourth spot.

    Not Surprising:  There were a few unfortunate tire issues at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, with both Sam Hornish Jr. and Kurt Busch suffering cut right rear tires early in the race. Both were able to recover, with Hornish rebounding to a 17th place finish and Busch scoring an 8th place run.

    “We ended up flattening the right rear tire,” Hornish, driver of the No. 9 Medallion Bank Ford Fusion, said. “We pitted and we stuck with it. The guys made good changes throughout the day and got our Medallion Bank Ford Fusion up there to 17th.”

    “We chiseled away on each green flag run and each restart, except for the last two,” Busch, driver of the No. 41 Haas Automation Chevrolet said. “And overall, I was pleased with the car’s performance. We were missing a little bit with leaning on the right front tire and not having the car bust loose on me; but overall, the Haas Automation Chevy was a good car.

    “Eighth is a little bit worse than what I thought we would have finished, but we weren’t a winning Chevrolet. All-in-all, these are those types of days that you really have to find something and learn from it and that way you can turn an eighth into a third into a shot to win.”

    Surprising:  No matter the manufacturer, whether Toyota, Chevrolet or Ford, drivers from each of the manufacturers spoke out about the new rules package unveiled at the Brickyard.

    “It just seemed like you couldn’t pass,” Greg Biffle, driver of the No. 16 Lilly Ford, said. “It was really hard to get up there and get a run on guys. It is difficult to try to get beside guys and it was really, really loose once you caught them. I would say the Kentucky package is way, way better and it put on a way better race than what that did.”

    “It’s terrible, that’s what I think,” Matt Kenseth, driver of the No. 20 Dollar General Toyota, said of the new package. “You just can’t pass. Yeah, you can run up on the straightaway a little bit, but you can’t run through the corner with anything.”

    “It was really bad,” Kyle Larson, behind the wheel of the No. 42 Target Chevrolet said of the aero package. “There was lots of grip by yourself and then as soon as you get within like five car lengths of the guy in front of you, it’s no grip.

    “So, I don’t know. Restarts are intense. But, other than that, it’s pretty bad.”

    Not Surprising:  With a runner-up finish in the XFinity Series and a special paint scheme, the Brickyard was a place full of learning for young driver Ryan Blaney, who finished a respectable 12th.

    “I didn’t really sleep that much last night and I was thinking about turn 2 over and over,” the driver of the No. 21 Motorcraft/Quick Lane Ford, said. “I thought about it more than I should. You just learn from your mistakes and focus on today. There were some things that happened yesterday that I applied today and it worked out.”

    “It’s really cool to be part of this JDRF deal,” Blaney continued. “It’s my first year and it’s interesting to learn about type 1 diabetes and good for me to learn about all the kids who have it and battle it. It makes you appreciate things more. It was great to have a good finish for them.”

    Surprising:  While the temps were up, the heat seemed not to play the role or factor that it did in Sunday’s race as opposed to the race on Saturday where drivers were really spent and complaining.

    “It was a hot day but that is what we do,” Brad Keselowski said after finishing 10th in his No. 2 Miller Lite Ford. “That is part of being a race car driver.”

    Not Surprising: In spite of the stellar NASCAR Camping World Truck Series racing at Eldora Speedway last Wednesday, Tony Stewart, who looked like the Smoke of old at the start of the race, could not finish it off the way he wanted.

    The driver of No. 14 Mobil 1/Bass Pro Shops Chevrolet started the race in the fourth position but ended up 28th when the checkered flag flew.

    The Sprint Cup Series will now move on to the mountains in Pennsylvania for the Windows 10 400 race weekend, taking place at Pocono Raceway.