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  • The Final Word – Harvick Once Again the Best in Phoenix but Fontana is Johnson Country

    The Final Word – Harvick Once Again the Best in Phoenix but Fontana is Johnson Country

    Phoenix got somewhat exciting near the end. Kevin Harvick was the star of this show, with the likes of Joey Logano, Brad Keselowski, Kurt Busch and Jamie McMurray in supporting roles. Two straight this season, four straight at Phoenix, a lock on a Chase spot (you would think) and 30 career victories as he defends his Cup championship. It is good being Kevin Harvick.

    Not so good being Tony Stewart. Take some orange paper, write a number 14 on it, then crumple it all up and toss it on the floor. That is pretty much how Stewart’s car looked when it finally stopped along the wall. Thirty-ninth on the day, 35th in the standings. It is not good being Tony Stewart, at least after four Cup races.

    It was good being Dale Earnhardt Jr. Top Fives at Daytona, Atlanta and Las Vegas was good. A blown tire and a sharp slap to the wall to finish 43rd was not.

    It was good, finally, to be Kurt Busch. In the words of Mike Joy, he went from suspension to redemption, as he finished fourth in his return.

    Danica Patrick had another day outside the Top 25. Sure, her team-mates with the law firm of Stewart-Harvick-and Busch may all have won championships, but none of them have a cook book coming out. Game, set and match, losers.

    One day, one race, 43 teams. I guess that is a bit too much even for Will Ferrell.

    The best on the day amongst the lesser lights was Justin Allgaier. The 29th ranked driver from last season was 18th at Phoenix. Among the brighter bulbs who went dim were Junior, Brian Vickers, Sam Hornish Jr. and Smoke, all of whom wound up amongst the bottom five.

    The great thing about FOX Sports taking over coverage is all the extra time it has given me. No truck racing, no practices, no qualifying to sit through. Now, if I only don’t blow it all on watching curling on TSN.

    What does Junior’s puppy at Martin Truex Jr’s motorcoach have in common with Junior’s car last Sunday out on the track? That is where both suddenly went to crap.

    Someone stole the No. 44. Now a lawyer wants it. Apparently, there is a claim that team owner John Cohen owes some money, so when the counsel for the other party heard Cohen claim the car was worth $250,000 he thought he would claim a piece. Insert your favorite lawyer joke here, I guess.

    The western swing wraps up this Sunday in Fontana, California, where the mending Kyle Busch will see an end to his two race dominance of that track. Maybe that will work in favor of five time race winner Jimmie Johnson, or allow Kyle Larson to build on his runner-up performance in his one and only start there. Will it be exciting? It depends on who you like and where they are racing. Then again, who watches live events anymore? Hit record and watch the action at your own pace, maybe catch an inning or two of a ball game in the meantime, or shovel some snow, if you live in the northeast, then return to the track. Hey, it is a multi-task world.

  • NASCAR Top-10 Power Rankings: Las Vegas

    NASCAR Top-10 Power Rankings: Las Vegas

    Note: The quotes in this article are fictional.

    1. Kevin Harvick: Harvick led 142 of 267 laps in a dominating win at Las Vegas. He now leads the Sprint Cup points standings by 11 over Joey Logano.

    “That’s my first win ever at Las Vegas,” Harvick said. “That’s another check mark off my bucket list. Also on my bucket list: having a sponsor that actually sells buckets. Jimmy John’s does, so scratch that one off, too.

    “The No. 4 Chevy had a vibration late in the race. It had me a little worried, until I realized it was just my wife Delana’s incessant tweeting.”

    2. Joey Logano: Logano finished tenth in the Kobalt Tools 400, posting his third top 10 of the year. He is second in the points standings, 11 behind Kevin Harvick.

    “The No. 22 Pennzoil Platinum Fusion was crazy loose all afternoon,” Logano said. “I was fighting the steering wheel all day. My father said he hasn’t seen anything driven that hard since me.”

    3. Jimmie Johnson: Johnson finished 41st at Las Vegas, his day derailed by several tire issues, including a flat tire that sent him into the wall.

    “I wote a country song about those pesky tires,” Johnson said. “It’s called ‘Rascal Flats.’

    “Tires issues seem to be the No. 1 downfall of this team. And that’s left us deflated. When our tires are working properly, we’re unbeatable. Proper inflation gives us an ‘air’ of superiority.”

    4. Dale Earnhardt, Jr.: Earnhardt came home fourth in the Kobalt Tools 400, recording his third straight top-5 finish to start the season.

    “I used my adjustable track bar quite a bit on Sunday,” Earnhardt said. “I think that’s called ‘giving myself a wedgie.’

    “As you know, most track bar adjustments are made by turning a wedge in the rear of the car. That soon may be a thing of the past. But never fear, as long as there are Earnhardt fans, there will always be ‘junk in the trunk.’”

    5. Kasey Kahne: Kahne survived a tangle with Carl Edwards to post a 17th at Las Vegas. Edwards sent Kahne into the wall as the two were racing side-by-side after a restart. Later, Kahne got revenge by clipping Edwards, sending the No. 19 sliding down the track and into the wall.

    “Carl kindly offered an apology after the race,” Kahne said. “I said, ‘It’s about Time…Warner Cable. And then I gave him ‘Farmer’s Assurance’ that I accepted. Of my retaliation, he said, ‘That was a Great Clip.’ Boom! Sponsor obligations fulfilled.”

    6. Matt Kenseth: Kenseth finished ninth at Las Vegas, scoring his second top-10 result of the year.

    “I hear Eldora Speedway’s web site was hacked and a message from ISIS was posted,” Kenseth said. “It seems ‘Death To America’ has been replaced with ‘Boogity, boogity, boogity!’ Turns out it was a false call anyway. Apparently, a Stewart rival called him a ‘holy terror.’

    “But Tony’s on top of things. He’s demanded his internet security team find the weakness in the web site and fix it, or else! In other words, Tony said to them, ‘You’re IT!”

    7. Martin Truex, Jr.: Truex remained hot in 2015, finishing second at Las Vegas for his third consecutive top 10 of the season.

    “This Furniture Row squad is a team to be reckoned with,” Truex said. “Of course, we’re a one-car team in a sport dominated by multi-car teams. Look at Hendrick Motorsports, for example. They have four cars, all capable of winning the championship. In Las Vegas, they call Rick Hendrick the “Four Car Stud.”

    8. AJ Allmendinger: Allmendinger posted a sixth in the Kobalt Tools 400 at Las Vegas. He is fifth in the points standings, 34 behind Kevin Harvick.

    “Some say a JTG Daugherty Racing car looks out of place amongst all the high-dollar, multi-car teams,” Allmendinger said. “That is so not the case, and team co-owner Brad Daugherty knows ‘out of place.’ He’s a corn-fed hillbilly in Las Vegas. That’s out of place.”

    9. Denny Hamlin: Hamlin finished fifth at Las Vegas, luckily avoiding major damage when he was caught up in the Kasey Kahne-Carl Edwards skirmish on lap 195. Hamlin is eighth in the points standings, 47 out of first.

    “It’s always fun racing in Vegas,” Hamlin said. “I put money on myself to win the race, just say I could say ‘May the bettor man win.’”

    10. Jeff Gordon: Gordon won the pole, but was caught up in Danica Patrick’s spin in Saturday practice. Forced into a backup car, Gordon delivered a respectable 18th in Sunday’s Kobalt Tools 400.

    “This evokes painful memories for me,” Gordon said. “For the second time in my life, I fell victim to “collection” by an overrated brunette.”

  • Surprising and Not Surprising: Atlanta Folds of Honor QuickTrip 500

    Surprising and Not Surprising: Atlanta Folds of Honor QuickTrip 500

    With several of the sport’s biggest names starting from the back of the field, from missing qualifying sessions to missing driver introductions, here is what else was surprising and not surprising from the 56th annual Folds of Honor QuickTrip 500 at Atlanta Motor Speedway.

    Surprising: The top ten finishers at Atlanta were a fascinating mixture of everything from four past champions to two one-car team drivers and one young replacement driver.

    The four past champions included winner Jimmie Johnson, runner up and immediate past champ Kevin Harvick, fifth place finisher Matt Kenseth and Brad Keselowski, who finished ninth. And in the midst of those champions ran young Brett Moffitt, who replaced Brian Vickers in the No. 55 Aaron’s Dream Machine for Michael Waltrip Racing to finish eighth, as well as the single car teams of Martin Truex Jr. and AJ Allmendinger, who finished sixth and seventh respectively.

    “This thing was just bad fast,” the race winner and driver of the No. 48 Lowe’s Chevrolet said. “I had a blast racing with the No. 4 (Kevin Harvick). He was awfully strong today. I think track position there at the end just kind of set things in place. We had the restart we needed to and off we went.”

    “This is truly amazing,” Moffitt said after finishing top-ten in his No. 55 replacement ride. “We showed good speed all weekend long. We just couldn’t bust off a quick lap on fresh tires and we kept adjusting on the car during the race. It wasn’t where we needed it to start and I kept learning how to be more aggressive on the restarts and use other people’s air to benefit me.”

    “I can’t thank Michael Waltrip Racing, Toyota and Aaron’s enough for this opportunity. Definitely learned a lot out there. Wish I could be in the car more often.”

    Not Surprising: Jeff Gordon had an immediate partner in commiseration after again hitting hard into a wall sans a safer barrier.

    “Pretty convenient to see that SAFER Barrier end just before @jeffgordonweb pounds wall,” Kyle Busch tweeted ironically from his home while recuperating from his lack of safer barrier crash injuries. “Hope he’s healthy! When will this end @NASCARsafer barrier.”

    “I’m very frustrated the fact that there was no SAFER barrier down there,’’ Gordon said after exiting the infield care center. “I know it was a hard hit. I didn’t expect it to be that hard. I go out and looked and ‘Oh well, big surprise I found the one wall on the back straightaway that doesn’t have a SAFER barrier.’ ‘’

    “I don’t think we can say any more after Kyle’s incident at Daytona. Everybody knows they’ve got to do something. It should have been done a long time ago. All we can do now is hope they do it as fast as they possibly can and get it done.’’

    Surprising: While he treasured his former crew chief Steve Letarte in the role, there is apparently a new cheerleader on top of the box for fan favorite Dale Earnhardt Jr. And this new cheerleader helped his driver right to a 3rd place finish at Atlanta, backing up his 3rd place finish at Daytona the week before.

    “The communication is great and he’s actually a pretty good cheerleader to be honest with you,” Dale Jr. said. “Who knew? I think he’s going to be awesome to work with and he’s got a hell of a future and I’m glad to be able to have a few years with him here while he’s sort of learning the ropes.”

    Not Surprising: Reviews were mixed on the use of track bar adjustability, from drivers who loved it and felt it made a tremendous difference to those that did not use it at all.

    “I thought it was great,” Martin Truex, Jr., driver of the No. 78 Furniture Row Racing Chevrolet said about his track bar use after finishing sixth. “I used it all day. I thought it was something neat to play with.”

    “We made a decision last night to drop ours a little bit for the start of the race. Had we not had that adjustment we would have been in big trouble. It helped us a lot today just having that. We were up and down, back and forth with it.”

    “I thought it was a great little tool. It wasn’t like you were going to go from a 10th-place car to winning the race with it. But it was something there that you could tune on to make your car more comfortable on shorter and longer runs.”

    “My crew chief Brian Burns says I’m not smart enough to have one in there right now,” AJ Allmendinger, driver of the No. 47 Better Than Bouillon Chevrolet, said about the track bar. “We never had one all weekend. We were letting everybody get the bugs worked out of it.”

    “I don’t like having it in there because it gives me one less excuse to yell at my crew chief about why my car is not very good (laughs),” the seventh place finisher continued. “We will work on that.”

    Surprising: For Danica Patrick, it was all about the tape, ‘bout the tape.

    “I’d have to say one of our biggest problems today – aside from getting going on the start and getting the car tuned in – was that the tape kept coming off the front,” the driver of the No. 10 GoDaddy Chevrolet said after finishing 16th. “The tape was making me handle. It wasn’t only running pretty cool but the tape helps front downforce.”

    “It was pretty noticeable when the tape came off. That was our biggest problem today as far as a better result goes. I believe we wouldn’t have been a lap down if we had kept that tape on.”

    Not Surprising: For many drivers, it is sometimes where you are happy not to be that makes all the difference.

    “That’s kind of been our goal going into the season is to not start in such a big hole like we did last year,” Aric Almirola said after finishing 11th in his No. 43 Fresh From Florida Ford for Richard Petty Motorsports. “We got a little bit behind right before halfway and then we got it back, so I’m proud of this run and proud to start this season off with two top-15 finishes.”

    “Last year I think going into the third or fourth race we were outside the top 30 in points, so so far, so good. “

    Surprising: While not a superspeedway per se, Atlanta did see the ‘big one’ late in the race when Greg Biffle got loose and collected five other cars.

    “I think the 16 and 34 got together, something up front there,” Ricky Stenhouse Jr., driver of the No. 17 Fifth Third Bank Ford, said after being involved in the crash. “I was committed to the top and got in the brakes and got in the back of the 15, which was down on power I guess.”

    “And then a lot of smoke and somebody was in front of me as I was still on the brake and went ahead and ended our day.”

    Not Surprising: Replacement drivers Regan and Ragan had solid runs but were not stellar, finishing in 17th and 18th place respectively.

    “It was a battle all day,” Regan Smith, replacement driver for Kurt Busch, said. “We kind of struggled with the handling on the No. 41 Haas Automation Chevrolet SS. Finally when we got it where I was happy with it, we were a lap down already. It was kind of too late at that point.”

    “Right after we got it where I was happy, we got damage on the nose. I don’t know… somebody up there wrecked and everybody stopped. Tony (Gibson, crew chief) made some great pit calls to somehow get us back to one lap down. I still don’t know how that happened. It was a good job by him to salvage the day for the team.”

    “The first 100 laps of the race, our M&M’s Crispy Camry was fast, had speed and track position means a lot at any race and as we fell back a little bit and I think it was a snowball effect,” David Ragan said, in for the recovering Kyle Busch, said. “We just really probably were a little behind on our adjustment and that’s probably just my inexperience with these guys and being a little timid on making a few adjustments.”

    “We had some good speed, but we had lost too much ground. We learned a lot, brought the car back in one piece, but we can run better than that.”

    Surprising: Landon Cassill experienced déjà vu all over again. For the second time in two races, his engine let go in the No. 40 Snap Fitness Chevrolet. Cassill finished the race dead last in the 43rd spot and fell to the basement as far as the points standings.

    Not Surprising: Although the Team Penske drivers described their race day as being up, down and all over the place, both Joey Logano and Brad Keselowski managed to finish top-ten at Atlanta. In fact, Logano, who started from the pole position, finished fourth in his 22 Shell/Pennzoil Ford, while teammate Keselowski finished ninth in his No. 2 Detroit Genuine Parts Ford.

    “We raced hard and raced up toward the front all day,” Logano said. “Those Hendrick cars are fast, and obviously the 4 car, but the other guys would just take off and leave me. I did everything I could to maintain on restarts and be aggressive and that’s where we ended up.”

    “We were just kind of up and down and floating all day long,” Keselowski said. “At one point, I thought we were gonna have a 15th-place day and towards the end I thought we were gonna have a fifth-place day.”

    “We cycled out to a ninth-place finish, which wasn’t our best and wasn’t our worst today. It just was what it was.”

     

  • NASCAR Top-10 Power Rankings: Daytona

    NASCAR Top-10 Power Rankings: Daytona

    Note: The quotes in this article are fictional.

    1. Joey Logano: Logano surged to the lead late at Daytona and held off Kevin Harvick, Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Denny Hamlin to win his first 500.

    “Oh what a feeling,” Logano said. “I feel like this win validates my nickname. So, this is the greatest thing, hence ‘Sliced Bread.’ And enrollment in my fan club, ‘Flour Power,’ is growing exponentially.

    “I guess I have to thank my father, Tom Logano, for much of my success. I fondly remember fondly being strapped unwillingly to the seat of a midget car at a very young age. I guess that was my introduction to racing ‘restraint’ systems.”

    2. Kevin Harvick: Harvick finished second in a tightly-contested Daytona 500, taking the runner-up spot behind Joey Logano.

    “Logano is lucky I couldn’t get close to his bumper,” Harvick said. “After what he did to me in the Sprint Unlimited, I owed him. But I’m sure Joey doesn’t want to mess with me. To Logano, I’m like a weight scale to Tony Stewart—-he wants no part of it. If you’re gonna tell Tony to ‘step on it,’ you might want to be very specific.”

    3. Denny Hamlin: Hamlin started 42nd and methodically worked his way to the front and into position for a last-lap run at Joey Logano. Hamlin came up short for the win, but posted a solid fourth as Toyota’s top finisher.

    “I tangled with Danica Patrick in the second Gatorade Duel,” Hamlin said. “I found out that there’s only one thing worse than racing with Danica, and that’s talking to her.”

    4. Dale Earnhardt Jr.: Earnhardt led 32 laps and fell back late before a strong, final charge gave him a third-place finish. On a restart with 19 laps to go, Earnhardt lost the draft and was shuffled back to 19th before charging back to the front.

    “I let down the fans of Junior Nation,” Earnhardt said. “When I fell back, you could hear the collective gasp emanate from the mouths of the Nation. What’s worse, you could smell it.”

    5. Jimmie Johnson: Johnson overcame an early drive-through penalty, charging from the back of the field to claim fifth, joining Hendrick teammate Dale Earnhardt Jr., who finished third, in the top five.

    “At first,” Johnson said, “NASCAR officials wouldn’t tell us why we were being penalized. Usually, they can’t wait to tell us what we did wrong.

    “We were penalized for having too many men over the wall,” Johnson said. “As we found out, it’s easier to get over the wall than get over the hump.”

    6. Jeff Gordon: Gordon won the pole and dominated early, leading 87 laps at Daytona, but found himself mired in traffic late and vulnerable to the inevitable accident. It happened on the final lap, when the No. 24 was clipped and spun by Austin Dillon. Gordon finished 33rd.

    “That’s certainly not what I meant when I said this would be my last ‘go-round,’” Gordon said.

    “But let’s be serious. Do you really think I’ll never race in a 500 again? I just got a retirement gift from Mark Martin. It’s a shirt that says, ‘Retirement is for quitters.’”

    7. Clint Bowyer: Bowyer gave Joey Logano a push to the front late at Daytona, a lead Logano maintained while Bowyer finished seventh.

    “Penske drivers are always getting a ‘push’ when they least expect it,” Bowyer said. “I don’t think Logano’s been pushed that hard by anyone except his father. Ton Logano is the Joe Jackson of NASCAR.”

    8. Casey Mears: Mears finished sixth at Daytona after starting 41st, giving Germain Racing a huge boost to start the season.

    “The No. 13 car is sponsored by Geico,” Mears said. “Usually, when you see a reptile in NASCAR, you’re looking at one of the repulsive track owners.

    “A good showing for me at Daytona always draws comparisons to my more famous uncle, Indy car great Rick Mears. I like to tell myself I’m just like him, and I am—he never won a Daytona 500, either.”

    9. Greg Biffle: Biffle quietly finished 10th at Daytona after qualifying eighth and avoiding trouble throughout the day. Biffle was the top finisher for Roush Fenway Racing, as Ricky Stenhouse Jr. and Trevor Bayne finished 29th and 30th, respectively.

    “With Carl Edwards gone,” Biffle said, “I’m now the face of RFR. And that’s scary.”

    10. Martin Truex Jr.: Truex finished eighth at Daytona, giving Furniture Row Racing a strong start to the 2015 season.

    “We had a great run,” Truex said, “and it was great publicity for Furniture Row. By the way, Furniture Row has some of the best furnishings in the business, especially our tables, which are varnished to a brilliant sheen. You could say they all come with a ‘top 10 finish.’”

  • On the Edge with Ed

    On the Edge with Ed

    It’s time for me to get back to covering NASCAR as I have for the past 10 years. As an editor at www.speedwaymedia.com I spend a lot of time behind the scene trying to bring everyone quality coverage on all sorts of motorsports. I must note that coverage of the sport has changed significantly since I started in what was the last century.  Many print publications have gone away and with those changes we have lost some incredible talent. I can recall when internet racing sites were frowned upon by the sanctioning body, not supported by the tracks or sponsors.  So much has changed in how the fans interact with teams, sponsors and drivers. Who would have thought that you could actually get a message to a driver in just a few seconds by “tweeting” them?  So I decided that I would start up a weekly column, “On the Edge.” I will not always cover the obvious.  I may just recap, as I am this week because so much happened during 2015 Speedweeks in Daytona.

    DAYTONA RECAP: The 2015 NASCAR season roared to life just a couple of weekends ago with the Sprint Unlimited. The non-points paying event is usually chaotic and this year’s edition was no exception. The field saw at least three significant wrecks that saw only 12 survive all 75 laps of the race. Matt Kenseth won the race but there were some disgruntled drivers after the race including Kevin Harvick who felt he was run over by Joey Logano. “He just drove us straight in the fence,” Harvick said post race. Everybody is trying to be aggressive, but you still have to know when and where you can do things. You can’t just drive somebody in the fence. Whether it is an all-star race or not, it doesn’t really matter, you can’t just take your head off and throw it on the floorboard and not use your brain. Like I told him last year that kind of stuff catches up with you. It caught up with him last year and you can only do things like that so long before it catches up with you.”

    The drama just continued on the following day when it came time for the Sprint Cup cars to qualify, shoot-out style. There were multiple wrecks during the sessions and eventually team Hendrick made up the front row with Jeff Gordon taking the pole award and Jimmie Johnson taking second. Gordon had announced previously that this would be his final Daytona 500. With all the wrecked race cars many teams were unhappy with the format, including Martin Truex Jr. who said, “My thoughts are they need to do something different. I don’t know, it just doesn’t seem like it’s a good show. It’s not fun. It’s kind of chaos. I don’t know, seeing cars get tore up and other stuff. I’m not a fan of it, but hey, it is what it is. It’s fun at every other race track, it’s just plate tracks we need to figure something else out.”

    On the Monday after qualifying things began to get bizarre as NASCAR announced that they were aware of the ruling in a civil matter regarding some domestic violence allegations against beleaguered Stewart-Haas driver Kurt Busch. The announcement was they were “waiting on the full findings from the commissioner and any actions by the Attorney General.” We fast forward to Friday afternoon, when the commissioners’ findings were released, and Kurt Busch is indefinitely suspended from NASCAR participation. By Saturday he has lost all appeals and he is erased from existence in souvenir haulers and on the team cars and gear. For the record, no actions were taken by the attorney general and I am old enough to know and understand, that the reality of what happened in the privacy of that motor coach lot, lies somewhere in between the testimonies of Busch and his ex-girlfriend.

    We had on-track festivities that got out of hand, when Danica Patrick and Denny Hamlin had issues during  a practice session and more importantly the qualifying race on Thursday that had Patrick nearly missing NASCAR’s big event. Patrick was clearly upset and got in Hamlin’s face after the race but as one would expect, nothing more came of it. More significantly both the Camping World Truck Series and newly named Xfinity Series races were wreck fests that saw Sprint Cup driver Kyle Busch sent to the hospital with a compound fracture to his right leg and a left broken foot. Daytona International Speedway president Joie Chitwood took responsibility for the track not having all track walls covered with the SAFER barrier and vowed to have it fixed immediately. No timetable for Busch’s return to his No. 18 Joe Gibbs Racing team was discussed as this went to press.

    JOEY LOGANO – In 2007 I had the pleasure of meeting a young up and coming star named Joey Logano at a local track on the outskirts of the Adirondack Mountains. He was just 17 years old and had already won three races in the NASCAR Busch North Series. He was an extremely personable young man and I recall that the customary pre-race autograph session was extended due to the large crowd that was present not only to watch him race, but to meet him. During the race Logano, who started on the pole due to him being the points leader, faded back to third or fourth place as he struggled to figure out the D shaped track. He had fought his way to third when the white flag was flying and as the leaders battled side by side coming off turn four they touched and began to spin out and Logano pounced, diving low in a remarkable fashion, keeping it on the track and taking the checkered flag. I recall looking at my friend who was with me in the pits and say, like others before me, ‘that kid is the real deal!’

    In 2009 when Logano was a rookie with Joe Gibbs Racing I had an opportunity to speak with him about that race at the Adirondack Speedway. At the time Logano had a lot to say about Adirondack. “Adirondack was nowhere!” he said a bit loudly when I asked.  “It’s one of a kind.” But he also recalled it took some time to learn how to get around the place. “That was one of the most frustrating places I have been to,” he said.  “I remember we started practice there and I was off a little bit and I was mad. I mean you never stop turning. You turn the wheel here (motions to the left) and that’s it. You never get full throttle or anything. I was trying to get full throttle, I was over driving it. I came in and they’re like, ‘What’s the deal, Joey?’ and I said, ‘I don’t freaking know!’  I got out of the car and I was like, ‘I just don’t know. I don’t know what to tell you.’ I went and watched the other cars to see what the heck they were doing; I got back in the car and tried again. Qualifying rained out and I got the pole so I’m like, ‘I’m cool with that.’” Logano mentioned that Matt Kobyluck, a Busch Series East veteran, had the place figured out. “So did I by the end,” he explained. Logano’s last lap pass as the two leaders got tangled up with a lapped car coming to the checkered flag was one of the most exciting finishes of the NASCAR races held there. Logano said he looked fondly upon his days in the series and his interactions with the fans. “Of course it was all worthwhile with the fans, he said smiling. “They’re fans, real good fans. We had autograph sessions before every race. That was kind of cool, to meet the fans.”

    Things looked bleak for Logano after a few disappointing years in the No. 20 car and he needed a new home. He found it at Penske where he is teamed up with 2013 Sprint Cup champion Brad Keselowski. Logano was one of the final four cars that were in the hunt for the Sprint Cup at Homestead last November after a breakout season for him. He had five wins and led almost 1,000 laps in 2014 and he began living up to the nick-name veteran Mark Martin had given him when he was a teenager, “sliced bread.”

    One weekend into the 2015 season and Logano has secured himself in the final 16 cars that will go for the 2015 edition of the Chase for the Sprint Cup, the new playoff system that started last season and eliminates participants from contention based on performance. He did that by winning the Daytona 500, the second youngest driver ever to win it. Something that is hard to believe since he’s been driving in the Sprint Cup Series for so long.

  • The Final Word – Daytona saw no Kyle, no Kurt, but for Joey, oh my

    The Final Word – Daytona saw no Kyle, no Kurt, but for Joey, oh my

    Speeds over 200 mph. Three wide racing to the end. Dale Earnhardt Jr. had time at the front. So did Jeff Gordon and Jimmie Johnson. Excellent announcing on FOX. Nice weather. What was there not to love about the Daytona 500?

    Okay, if you were not a fan of Joey Logano and saw that caution come out as they were wrecking behind them on that final lap, maybe you were upset. Especially so as Kevin Harvick and Junior were trying to challenge at the end. Yet, they kept wrecking back there so NASCAR decided to err on the side of safety.

    Gordon was involved in the melee, and was ranked 33rd, the final car on the lead lap of a race that went to green-white-checkers. If you were a fan of Tony Stewart or Matt Kenseth, early damage left them non-factors the rest of the day, with Smoke finishing 42nd. With 40 laps to go, Brad Keselowski went up in smoke to sit 41st. Danica Patrick was 21st, but rarely to be seen on the day.

    If you are a Busch fan, any Busch, you were left cheering for Matt Crafton, who was 18th in his Cup debut, while Regan Smith was 16th. Neither picked up drivers’ points with each being registered in one of the other two national series. Both Casey Mears and Martin Truex Jr. each earned a Top Ten, with David Gilliland, Sam Hornish Jr., and Michael Annett all in the Top Fifteen. Now if they can only follow that up with solid results next week in Atlanta.

    Still, not a Busch to be found in Georgia, either. I have always thought that by running an average of 25 races in the junior circuit, Kyle Busch was taking a seat away from an up and comer. That has been solved for the time being, but not in a fashion any of us wanted. That was a damn scary hit last Saturday, on a regular concrete wall, causing Busch a broken right leg and left foot. If there is a need for a wall, it is due to the possibility a car might hit it, and if the possibility exists, so does the need for a safer barrier to exist. I dislike Kyle driving so much in the Xfinity Series, but I dislike even more him having to be in hospital.

    A Daytona 500 with neither Busch brother. At least Kyle’s situation is straight forward, which is more than one can say about that of Kurt. From my understanding, a despondent Busch texted his former girlfriend who then sent these along to his coach driver who encouraged her to visit. This she did, out of either compassion or to get Kurt to tell her son the relationship was over, I am no longer sure as to which. Kurt was naked the entire time of the visit, an image I am trying to keep out of my head. He tried to get her to leave by either cupping her face aggressively or choked her and slammed her head into a wall. No charges have yet been laid and a judge says he believed more of her story than that of the driver yet stated she lied during her testimony. In the end, he gave her a protection order to keep Busch away, causing NASCAR to react with the suspension. I find this whole situation a train wreck with more drama than most of us can be bothered to dwell upon. I wish them both well.

    For most others, the season opened well, especially for the fans. While Junior had a strong car, Logano had the one that could challenge him. Sometimes luck decides how things work out, but Sunday at Daytona the car that was the stoutest when it counted, won. Sure, he was helped when Junior made a lane change that cost him too much for too long too late into the event, but Joey was the one guy who could, and did, take full advantage. Now it is off to Atlanta for 500 miles, the scene of Kasey Kahne’s lone victory of 2014. If you loved Daytona, you might as well stick around to see how Atlanta might measure up.

  • Two Dark Clouds Over NASCAR During Busch Absence

    Two Dark Clouds Over NASCAR During Busch Absence

    Kurt and Kyle Busch, two names that ring loud with emotion for many NASCAR fans. Some love them, others hate them. What they bring to the sport is much more than fan reaction, though. They bring passion, excitement, and most of all, two sources of incredible talent. How will the sport endure a time of no Busch brother being in competition in the near future?

    Dismissed by NASCAR due to actions detrimental to stock car racing, Kurt Busch, driver of the No. 41 Haas Automation Chevrolet for Stewart-Haas Racing, was denied on both his first and final appeal to reverse the punishment brought down on him by NASCAR. Suspected of actions of domestic violence, but not yet criminally charged, Kurt Busch was indefinitely suspended from racing in NASCAR, meaning his return will not be welcome until the sanctioning body allows it under their own discretion.

    Whether the accusations prove to be true or false, has yet to be determined by the court, but the entire light of the case has brought a dark cloud over the sport.

    Another dark cloud appeared on another side of NASCAR Saturday evening at Daytona.

    As Kyle Busch came diving off of the track in the Xfinity Series season opener in his No. 54 Monster Energy Toyota and made head-on contact with the inside retaining wall, a non-SAFER barrier, Daytona International Speedway officials perhaps realized their negligence to fully protect the drivers to the best of their ability. Busch was taken straight to nearby Halifax Medical Center where he was found to have suffered both a right leg compound fracture and fractured left foot. An injury of this severity most likely means months away from the car for the driver of the No. 18 Toyota in the Sprint Cup Series.

    While NASCAR suffers from one dark cloud over the portrayal of a driver’s behavior at home, it also suffers from a dark cloud over it’s ability to protect its drivers and their control over what tracks do to keep the drivers safe. What gets lost in all of this is the absence of two major talents in the Sprint Cup Series.

    Two top teams are without two of their strongest drivers. Multiple major sponsors are now in limbo with replacement drivers yet to be determined. Two easily Chase-worthy drivers will be missing out on many chances to make the Chase for the Sprint Cup Championship. Dozens of crew members who worked tirelessly over the off-season building cars for their driver now wait for an answer as to who will be behind the wheel.

    One driver had no control over his situation and now suffers the agony of being held from the car due to injury, while the other now suffers from the consequences of what may or may not have happened in his motorhome in September 2014.

    The 2015 Daytona 500 marked the first race without a Busch since Atlanta in 2001. Each lap certainly missed the daring moves of Kyle, as well of the veteran experience Kurt brings to the track.

    Two of the most hated, while also most loved–in an almost envious way–drivers in the series were missing in the 2015 Daytona 500, and they will be missing for much of the foreseeable future. With two completely different dark clouds above each driver, it is not only unfortunate for them, but also unfortunate for the sport of NASCAR.

  • Surprising and Not Surprising: Daytona 500

    Surprising and Not Surprising: Daytona 500

    After an incredibly eventful Speedweeks, here is what was surprising and not surprising from NASCAR’s first and one of the biggest races of the season, the 57th annual Daytona 500.

    Surprising: The various Daytona 500 race watching venues were definitely most surprising, from Kurt Busch watching from who knows where after his indefinite suspension due to domestic violence allegations to his brother Kyle watching from a hospital bed after breaking his leg and foot in an Xfinity race crash.

    The other two unusual seats for the Daytona 500 were for Regan Smith and Matt Crafton, who substituted for the Busch brothers, in the No. 41 and No. 18 race cars respectively. Smith finished 16th for Stewart Haas Racing and Crafton finished 19th for Joe Gibbs Racing.

    “Started off really tight with the race car and never got it turning,” Smith said from his race seat. “I don’t know, kind of frustrating. I actually anticipated a much better day and nothing much more to show for it. Those guys did a nice job all weekend but we just plowed through the corners.”

    “It was a learning curve,” Crafton said from his unexpected race seat. “The first half we just rode around and tried to learn, learn, learn.”

    “It was very, very tough, but that’s what we get paid to do – drive race cars and figure it out quick. I felt fine, just my back from being in that seat hurt. Under yellows I would loosen up the belts as much as I could and just try to bow myself up in the seat just because my back was just cramped so unbelievable bad.”

    “I should have had a little better finish there at the end, but it is what it is.”

    Not Surprising: There was a visual dichotomy, from Jeff Gordon greeting the fans with his two children at the start of the race to the 24 year old Joe Logano embracing his father in Victory Lane, truly signifying the passing of the torch in the sport.

    This was Jeff Gordon’s last Daytona 500 and Joey Logano’s first ever win in the Great American race.

    “Congratulations to Joey Logano,” Jeff Gordon said after finishing 33rd in a late race crash. “That moment you saw there with his dad that is what it’s all about. These types of moments, such a big race it means so much to all of us. You want to share that with the people that you are closest to that have been there along the way.”

    “Congratulations to him and I don’t know what else to say other than I enjoyed it.”

    Surprising: Even great plate racers can make a mistake and yet still manage finish in the third spot and that is just what the driver of the No. 88 Nationwide Chevrolet did. Even with the miscue, Dale Earnhardt Jr. managed his 18th top-10 finish in 31 races at Daytona International Speedway.

    “I made a really bad decision on that restart with 19 to go,” Junior said. “I made a poor choice and you can’t afford to do that. I got shuffled back and lost a ton of spots.”

    “I had one of the best cars out there and that gave me a ton of confidence to keep digging. We were able to get back up to third place. It’s really disappointing because the Nationwide team gave me the best car and we should have won the race.”

    “It was a fun day out there. Just came up short and a little disappointed about that.”

    Not Surprising: With the exception of Kevin Harvick, who finished in the runner up position, Stewart Haas Racing continued its struggles of the previous year, with Kurt Busch suspended, Tony Stewart hitting the wall and finishing 42nd and Danica Patrick being a non-factor, finishing 21st.

    Stewart wrecked his No. 14 Chevrolet on Lap 41 when his car turned right, slammed into the wall, and completely wrecked his steering. This extended Stewart’s losing streak to seventeen races.

    “I take the blame for that one,” Smoke said. “One-hundred percent my fault.”

    Surprising: After winning one of the Duel races and starting at the front of the pack alongside teammate Jeff Gordon, six-time champion Jimmie Johnson saw the race win slip through his fingers in the final restarts. Johnson finished fifth in his No. 48 Lowe’s Chevrolet instead.

    “With about 10 to go, I thought we were in position to win the Daytona 500,” Johnson said. “I wish we were in Victory Lane right now but with plate racing you honestly have no clue what’s going to happen.”

    “Really the last two restarts just didn’t work for us. I was ahead of one lane and the guys behind us just weren’t bumper to bumper. Then on the last restart the same thing on the bottom. So it is just the way things happened.”

    “A fun day here in Daytona, of course I wish I was in Victory Lane right now, but we had a very strong day nothing to be embarrassed about.”

    Not Surprising: At restrictor plate tracks, where anything can happen and anyone can win, it was not surprising that two single-car race teams had great runs and emerged from Daytona with great optimism for the season ahead.

    “It was a good run and has been a good 10 days down here,” Martin Truex, driver of the No. 78 Furniture Row/Visser Precision Chevrolet said after finishing eighth. “I had a lot of fun today. We had to go to the back a few times but our car was strong enough to drive up through there.I thought we had a shot there until that last caution. I got in the wrong lane on the last restart and got held up a little bit. All in all, we came out of here last year with a 43rd and to come out of here today with an eighth-place and top-10 is a good start to the year for us.”

    “It was a really solid day,” Casey Mears said after finishing sixth, his fourth top-10 in the past five restrictor-plate races. “We have run up front at a lot of these things now or towards the front. We are getting a little bit greedier. We definitely want to win one of these races. I think our standards are getting a lot higher. From going from possibly not being in the show to finishing sixth that is definitely a good spread and a good way to start the season for sure.”

    Surprising: In spite of being dubbed a good pusher by race winner Logano, Clint Bowyer was surprisingly ticked after his seventh place finish in the Great American race.

    “I don’t know what I could have done different,” the driver of the No. 15 5-Hour Energy Toyota said. “I have to go back and look at it. Just you’re damned if you do and damned if you don’t there. I had them stacked up – some pretty good cars there behind me and I knew they were going to shuffle me out. I was kind of the lone wolf in the whole group other than the 22 (Joey Logano) and he happened to be leading.”

    “Once they got me in the middle, three-wide, I just didn’t really have – I was stuck and screwed.”

    Not Surprising: Denny Hamlin in his No. 11 FedEx Express Toyota for Joe Gibbs Racing was the highest finishing Toyota, scoring the 4th spot.

    “You know, you’ve got a 50-50 shot of winning it when you’re on the green-white-checkered on the front row,” Hamlin said. “Our line didn’t form up and it’s typically whatever line gets organized the most usually goes forward on these green-white checkers and we just – inside line didn’t get going.”

    “We came up a little short again.”

    Surprising: In spite of feeling helpless, Greg Biffle still managed a top-10 finish for Roush Fenway Racing, a great accomplishment after a disappointing 2014 season.

    “It’s a little disappointing because we want to win the Daytona 500,” the driver of the No. 16 Ortho Ford said. “It just seemed like our car didn’t quite have the speed it needed. I really struggled to try and stay in line and handling was a huge issue. My car was so tight. There was nothing I could do at the end because I was totally boxed in.”

    Not Surprising: Forget girls that just want to have fun, boys wanted to have fun as well and Carl Edwards did just that, in spite of finishing 24th with his new Joe Gibbs Racing No. 19 ARRIS Toyota team.

    “Actually I had a very strong car and I had a lot of fun,” Edwards said. “I just didn’t pick the right lines there at the end – it just didn’t work. We got far enough back that it made it kind of hard to get back to the front. I had fun – I really did.”

    “Had a great car and we didn’t tear anything up – just had a good time.”

  • 2015 NASCAR Predictions

    2015 NASCAR Predictions

    *Kurt Busch debuts the No. 007 car at Daytona and executes a last-lap pass of Denny Hamlin to win the 500. In post-race interviews, Busch goes on a 10 minute rant and bad-mouths the entire NASCAR community, earning him the nickname “American Sniper.”

    Busch then fires his agent on the spot and when asked, refuses to divulge the name of his new representative, instead saying he/she is a “secret agent.” Busch also decrees that his spotter should be called a “spy” for the rest of the season.

    *Clint Bowyer, in the No. 15 5-Hour Energy Chevrolet, leads with two laps to go at Richmond on April 25, but falls asleep and crashes out, finishing 39th. The following week at Talladega, Bowyer’s car sports a brand new, one-race sponsor, ‘8 Hours Sleep.’

    Bowyer makes the Chase For The Cup and wins the Chase opener at Chicagoland, but fades afterwards, with no finishes in the top 10 in the remaining nine races.

    *Tony Stewart throws a punch at Brad Keselowski after the two tangle at Sonoma, leading NBC to introduce the “Fist Cam” the following week at Daytona on July 5. The “Fist Cam” is a small camera deployed in one of two places: either on the fist of the driver deemed most likely to take a swing at someone, or on Keselowski’s face.

    The “Fist Cam” delivers its best footage at Martinsville on November 1 when Danica Patrick throws a haymaker at A.J. Allmendinger, leading to the ESPN.com headline, “The Swinger And The ‘Dinger.”

    *At Kid Rock’s pre-race concert at Daytona, the “American Bad Ass” performs his new single “First Kiss,” then urges fans in attendance to kiss the person to their right. An all-out brawl ensues, and NASCAR waves a giant red flag, resulting in a three-hour delay to the start of the race.

    *Kevin Harvick’s quest to repeat as Sprint Cup champion gains the unofficial tag line “This Bud’s For 2” in a contest on Twitter sponsored by Harvick’s wife Delana. “This Bud’s For 2” beats out a host of other slogans, such as “Two-Timing S.O.B.” submitted by a Brooke Gordon, “Make It Reign,” the Al Unser, Jr.-inspired “I’ll Have A Double,” and “Two Knock-Knock-Knocks On Kevin’s Door.”

    Harvick qualifies for the Chase For The Cup, but slumps after a shove from Brad Keselowski sends him over the edge, of the stage at a Jason Aldean concert at Spartanburg, South Carolina in September.

    *Carl Edwards gives Joe Gibbs Racing its first win of the season by winning at Texas on April 6. Edwards performs his signature back flip, but flubs the landing and sprains his left ankle. Edwards misses two races recovering, and to add insult to injury, Aflac denies his claim for worker’s compensation, saying the accident did not take place on the job.

    *TMZ posts some candid photos of NASCAR CEO Brian France frolicking in the raw on the beaches of Saint-Tropez. The photos, titled “The ‘South’ Of France In The South Of France,” create a stir in NASCAR circles and embarrassment to the France family.

    France files a suit, claiming mistaken identity, and TMZ is forced to submit an apology, which they do on their website, where they say “they sincerely regret mistaking France for some other pudgy white man.”

    The Charlotte Observer comically joins the paparazzi act when they post a scandalous headline reading “France Caught Topless!” along with a photograph of France cruising in his vintage 1955 Thunderbird convertible.

    *Dale Earnhardt Jr. faces a misdemeanor drug charge at a traffic stop after offering a lift to a few stranded, good-for-nothing Earnhardt fans in Daytona Beach. At his court date in April, an understanding judge throws out the charge, famously quipping that ‘there’s no way ‘Little E’ is going to jail for a ‘little E.’”

    Earnhardt wins three races, including May’s race in Charlotte, and later stars in NASCAR’s most entertaining commercial, in which Jeff Bridges pilfers a Mountain Dew from Junior’s cooler, to which Junior replies, “Dude, The Dew?”

    *At Loudon on July 19, Bill Belichick of the New England Patriots serves as the race’s Grand Marshal, blandly ordering the drivers to start their engines. After the race, Belichick is impounded, later becoming the first Grand Marshal in NASCAR history to fail inspection.

    *In May, Kyle Busch’s wife Samantha signs a modeling contract with Venus Swimwear. Coupled with Kyle’s No. 18 sponsorship, the couple becomes the living embodiment of the “Men Are From Mars, Women Are From Venus” adage.

    Busch starts the Chase For The Cup in fourth place, but his title hopes are dashed when he wrecks in “The Big One” at Talladega in October.

    *Jeff Gordon dominates at Indianapolis, leading 127 laps en route to his sixth Brickyard 400 victory. In Victory Lane, an ecstatic Gordon douses his crew with a new Brickyard staple, carbonated milk, from the good people at Gordon’s longtime sponsor of Pepsi.

    The win propels Gordon to two more wins prior to the Chase, and he starts atop the points standings at Chicagoland. Gordon wraps up the title at Homestead, out-dueling Jimmie Johnson, Denny Hamlin, and Brad Keselowski.

    *Kyle Larson wins his first Sprint Cup race, taking the No. 42 Target Chevrolet to victory at Pocono on June 7. Larson is later named cover boy for the 2016 release of NASCAR’s video game, which ultimately is pulled from the shelf after a six-year-old gamer finds hidden footage which features former NASCAR driver Jeremy Mayfield racing around the fictional town of Tweaksville trying to procure meth.

    The game finds new life when Rockstar Games, the makers of Grand Theft Auto, expresses an interest in the Mayfield-Tweakville plot line and decides to make it the premise of their “Grand Theft Auto VII: Cranked” game.

    *On August 8, Brad Keselowski’s girlfriend Paige White gives birth to the couple’s first child, a son named “Roger” after Roger Penske, with the middle name “Edward” after a character in a series of vampire novels. The birth certificate is notarized before either parent recognizes the child’s initials to be “R.E.K.”

    **This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents either are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.**

  • The Final Word – What I want from the 2015 NASCAR season

    The Final Word – What I want from the 2015 NASCAR season

    A new season, new hopes, new drivers, old drivers with new teams, and a whole lot of things I want to see come out of 2015.

    I want Danica Patrick to do well. In the words of the classic song by Melanie, she has done alright for a girl, but it is time to expect more.

    I want Dale Earnhardt Jr. to build on last season’s exploits, to win, to gel with his new crew chief.

    I want Jeff Gordon to go out with a bang.

    I want Jimmie Johnson to challenge for seven.

    I want Brian Vickers to get well and to get back to where he belongs.

    I want a season without outside drama for Tony Stewart and a return to success on the track.

    I want to see Jeb Burton challenging the Danica Line, to be in a ride good enough to earn a minimum of 700 points over the season.

    I want Kurt Busch to be known for his awesome talent and his outstanding character, on and off the track. Okay, he can be feisty…just not a weasel.

    I want Kyle Busch to convert his early race dominance into late race victories in Cup, and to realize that by running an average of 25 Xfinity races per season he robs an up-and-comer of valuable seat time.

    I want to thank Matt Kenseth. A five race schedule on the junior circuit is more than enough for an established Cup star and former champion.

    I want Jamie McMurray to do well. He has all the tools to be a star, but not the results.

    I want Martin Truex Jr. to bring Furniture Row racing back to the heights they enjoyed when Kurt was behind the wheel.

    I want good seasons for Richard Petty, Michael Waltrip and Richard Childress and all who sail with them.

    I want people to remember that Kasey Kahne also drives for Rick Hendrick.

    I want Kevin Harvick to stand tall in defending his championship, with Brad Keselowski, Joey Logano, Denny Hamlin, Carl Edwards and Greg Biffle in the mix. I want the best to be among the best.

    I want more entries that matter. There are 28 who manage to average a 25th place result over the course of the season or better, but there is room for at least one more to break through, to contend rather than just participate.

    I want a season where cars can pass, that the only thing keeping them from doing so is the quality of the ride and his (or her) ability.

    I want to hear broadcasters who can take me on a three or four hour escape, who through their talents make even a dull race good, and a good one great.

    I want no races lost due to Fox Sports not being picked up by cable companies in Canada. We already have to do without the ARCA race from Daytona. So, please, no rain outs.

    I want Steve Byrnes back.