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  • Opinion: The New Chase Format – What to Expect

    Opinion: The New Chase Format – What to Expect

    When NASCAR announced the new Chase grid system, and the expansion to sixteen drivers, I immediately cringed. Sixteen drivers, in my opinion, is too many and it “waters down” the significance of the championship.

    As more details were learned, I was fascinated with what NASCAR had designed. It is truly a superb mix of winning versus consistency. Also, eliminating drivers every three races adds an element of excitement we have never seen before – a driver can be in the Chase, then suddenly out. This was NASCAR’s attempt to add drama, a goal I believe will be accomplished.

    The new Chase format also lends itself to drivers who are risk takers. Kyle Busch and Brad Keselowski come to mind. Their “less conservative” approach will likely be a benefit for this year’s Chase. A win in each of the three race segments automatically advances you to the next round. Drivers like Busch and Keselowski have historically been the type of driver who will go for the win by taking chances like – diving into a corner under another car and hoping it sticks. Under the old system, this may have made winning a championship a little tougher, but not now. That one bold move may be the difference between advancing and being dropped from contention.

    The exciting thing is we may now see the more conservative, more consistent drivers begin to take those chances. Imagine seeing Matt Kenseth diving into a corner three wide, left sides on the apron, car sliding sideways as Kenseth thinks to himself “twelve tires stick better than four.” Kenseth, known for being a smart, smooth racer, is not the guy you would expect to do that. Perhaps this system changes that mentality.

    We need to see more moves like the one Carl Edwards made a few years ago, driving in so deep and hoping it will stick like it does on the video game and then bouncing off the wall as the tires reached their mechanical limits. Edwards though, did not complain about the failure,  but was excited about the adventure and what could have been. It didn’t work out for Edwards, but if it had, we would still be talking about it just like we are Kurt Busch and Ricky Craven at Darlington.

    Another element this system adds is the fact that it allows drivers like AJ Allmendinger and teams like JTG Daugherty to be part of the championship talk. The additional media attention is what these smaller teams need. Team co-owner, Brad Daugherty, commented that making the Chase immediately brought an extra two million dollars in funding to his team. How can that be a bad thing?

    This is what NASCAR would like to see from this new Chase format. More of those “game seven” moments, and Cinderella stories. Of course only time will tell if the idea works. I’m sure this will be a topic of discussion throughout the next ten races. There will be supporters, and of course, there will be critics, but the main thing is, there will be excitement.

    As the series opens up the Chase on Sunday at Chicago, the level of anticipation is high. I think the Chase will live up to the hype. I think we are about to see one of the most exciting championship battles in the history of NASCAR. After Homestead, I will either eat crow or celebrate the fact that my predictions came to fruition. One thing is certain, however, I won’t complain if I fail, but I will be excited about the adventure and what could have been.

  • Kyle Busch To Start On Pole for Sprint Cup Race at Chicagoland

    Kyle Busch To Start On Pole for Sprint Cup Race at Chicagoland

    Kyle Busch will start on the pole in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series MyAfibStory.com 400 at Chicagoland Speedway on Sunday after Friday’s qualifying session was cancelled due to rain.

    The starting lineup will use the order of Practice One, which Busch won by .6 seconds with a best lap speed of 191.442 mph.

    Ryan Newman took the second spot with a speed of 191.042 mph, followed by Carl Edwards in third with a speed of 191.022 mph. Ricky Stenhouse Jr. and Matt Kenseth round out the Top-five, respectively.

    Clint Bowyer, Jimmie Johnson, Jeff Gordon, Paul Menard and Kyle Larson make up places sixth through tenth in the starting lineup.

    Farther back in the pack, Chase driver Kevin Harvick will start 12th. Dale Earnhardt Jr. will start 13th and his Hendrick Motorsports teammate Kasey Kahne will begin from the 19th position. Denny Hamlin will start 24th, while fellow Chase drivers and Penske teammates Brad Keselowski and Joey Logano will start 25th and 28th, respectively.

    Complete Starting Lineup:

    1. (18) Kyle Busch, Toyota.
    2. (31) Ryan Newman, Chevrolet.
    3. (99) Carl Edwards, Ford.
    4. (17) Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Ford.
    5. (20) Matt Kenseth, Toyota.
    6. (15) Clint Bowyer, Toyota.
    7. (48) Jimmie Johnson, Chevrolet.
    8. (24) Jeff Gordon, Chevrolet.
    9. (27) Paul Menard, Chevrolet.
    10. (42) Kyle Larson, Chevrolet.
    11. (1) Jamie McMurray, Chevrolet.
    12. (4) Kevin Harvick, Chevrolet.
    13. (88) Dale Earnhardt Jr., Chevrolet.
    14. (41) Kurt Busch, Chevrolet.
    15. (3) Austin Dillon, Chevrolet.
    16. (55) Brian Vickers, Toyota.
    17. (47) AJ Allmendinger, Chevrolet.
    18. (10) Danica Patrick, Chevrolet.
    19. (5) Kasey Kahne, Chevrolet.
    20. (16) Greg Biffle, Ford.
    21. (9) Marcos Ambrose, Ford.
    22. (14) Tony Stewart, Chevrolet.
    23. (43) Aric Almirola, Ford.
    24. (11) Denny Hamlin, Toyota.
    25. (2) Brad Keselowski, Ford.
    26. (51) Justin Allgaier, Chevrolet.
    27. (78) Martin Truex Jr., Chevrolet.
    28. (22) Joey Logano, Ford.
    29. (13) Casey Mears, Chevrolet.
    30. (38) David Gilliland, Ford.
    31. (83) Ryan Truex, Toyota.
    32. (95) Michael McDowell, Ford.
    33. (26) Cole Whitt, Toyota.
    34. (98) Josh Wise, Chevrolet.
    35. (7) Michael Annett, Chevrolet.
    36. (36) Reed Sorenson, Chevrolet.
    37. (23) Alex Bowman, Toyota.
    38. (40) Landon Cassill, Chevrolet.
    39. (34) David Ragan, Ford.
    40. (37) Mike Bliss, Chevrolet.
    41. (66) Joe Nemechek, Toyota.
    42. (33) Travis Kvapil, Chevrolet.
    43. (32) Joey Gase, Ford
  • Hot 20 – With the Chase Beginning in Chicago, Let us ac-cent-tchu-ate the Positive

    Hot 20 – With the Chase Beginning in Chicago, Let us ac-cent-tchu-ate the Positive

    Ac-cent-tchu-ate the positive. If it was good enough for Johnny, Bing, and Perry, well, gosh darn it, it is good enough for me. I will not even breath a mention of the snore-fest that was Richmond.

    Wins trump points. I like it. I was not so sure to start with, but I do like the wild card aspect of it to get one into the Chase. Along with the present points system instituted in 2011, where the range is now between 1 and 43 awarded per race, NASCAR can get things right. Yet another positive.

    The Chase format, I have grown used to it. Just as some won races by laps, not seconds, in times past, having a champion pretty much decided early by a season long points race might be a truer way of deciding, but more often there is not a speck of excitement, drama, or surprise left. Too soon to tell if the final result of the elimination system will give us a champ we might agree with, but I think it will. The New England Patriots went 18-0 in 2007 before losing that final game, but we recognize the New York Giants as the NFL champs that season. Same will be the case in NASCAR. That is, unless it is Junior who gets screwed over, then all bets are off.

    Can we make the Chase better? Sure, and it can be done in a way that might actually be implemented. Is the season too long, does it need to be reduced? If so, just let them run a 31-race schedule like they did in 1996. Then everybody gets time off, except for the Top 20 who would partake in a real five race playoff for all the marbles. Week in and week out, there are only 25 or so quality rides circling the track anyway, so this is just another example of ac-cent-tchu-ating the positive.

    Sixteen Nations? I thought only Junior had his own Nation, but I guess if it is good enough for him, it should be good enough for the other sovereign rulers. There is King Kurt and King Kyle, for example, and thankfully they both can be kings. No Game of Thrones-like tension here.

    After three races, four of those nations will join the Ming Dynasty and the Mongol, Roman, and Ottoman Empires and fade from view. Only four will be in the running for the crown at Homestead, and only one will join the girl on the bow of the Titanic when it is all over. The Titanic, a prime example of the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge going too far, but I digress.

    Sixteen drivers and teams, along with nine owners, begin the adventure Sunday at Chicago. As for the best over the course of the season, with winners awarded 25 rather than three bonus points, fourteen of our Hot 20 remain in the Chase. The fact that even our leaders could find themselves eliminated along the Chase way, some see as a positive to be ac-cent-tchu-ated. Just like those ‘07 Patriots. Time will tell.

    BOLD = Active Chaser

    Hot 20
    1 – Jeff Gordon – 3 Wins – 980 Points
    2 – Dale Earnhardt, Jr. – 3 – 949
    3 – Brad Keselowski – 4 – 918
    4 – Joey Logano – 3 – 895
    5 – Jimmie Johnson – 3 – 868
    6 – Kevin Harvick – 2 – 832
    7 – Carl Edwards – 2 – 821
    8 – Matt Kenseth – 0 – 797
    9 – Ryan Newman – 0 – 782
    10 – Kasey Kahne – 1 – 757
    11 – Greg Biffle – 0 – 753
    12 – Clint Bowyer – 0 – 746
    13 – Kyle Larson – 0 – 737
    14 – Kyle Busch – 1 – 709
    15 – Jamie McMurray – 0 – 706
    16 – Paul Menard – 0 – 701
    17 – Austin Dillon – 0 – 698
    18 – Brian Vickers – 0 – 681
    19 – Denny Hamlin – 1 – 681
    20 – Kurt Busch – 1 – 673

  • NASCAR Top-10 Power Rankings: Richmond

    NASCAR Top-10 Power Rankings: Richmond

    Note: The quotes in this article are fictional.

    1. Brad Keselowski: Keselowski dominated at Richmond, leading 383 of 400 laps to win the Federated Auto Parts 400. With four wins, Keselowski starts as the top seed in the Chase For The Cup.

    “Who was that ‘on the fence’ at Richmond?” Keselowski asked. “Was it Clint Bowyer? No. It was just a fan who obviously wasn’t ‘high’ enough.”

    2. Jeff Gordon: Gordon took second at Richmond, unable to catch Brad Keselowski, who clearly had the best car in the field. Gordon’s three wins on the season earned him the second seed in the Chase, where he’ll start three points behind Keselowski.

    “We were determined,” Gordon said. “Not even Clint Bowyer could keep us out of the Chase. But Bowyer doesn’t have to worry about ‘intentional spins’ now; Michael Waltrip will handle those on ‘Dancing With The Stars.’”

    3. Joey Logano: Logano finished sixth at Richmond as Penske Racing teammate Brad Keselowski captured the victory, giving Roger Penske his 400th racing win.

    “Keselowski was just unbelievable,” Logano said. “He led an amazing 383 of 400 laps. I’m surprised he wasn’t wearing leather and chains, because it was a display of ‘dominant fashion.’”

    4. Dale Earnhardt, Jr.: Earnhardt finished 12th in the Federated Auto Parts 400 at Richmond International Speedway. He will start third in the Chase, three points behind Brad Keselowski.

    “Some crazy fan climbed the catchfence late in the race,” Earnhardt said. “I guess alcohol and boredom make a deadly combination.”

    5. Jimmie Johnson: Johnson posted his 16th top-10 finish of the year with an eighth at Richmond. He will start the Chase in second, along with Hendrick teammates Dale Earnhardt, Jr. and Jeff Gordon, all with three wins on the season.

    “I collapsed after the race due to severe dehydration,” Johnson said. “But after some intravenous fluids, I feel great. I think this bodes well for my chances of winning my seventh Cup title. As they say, you can’t get ‘VII’ without first getting ‘IV.’”

    6. Kevin Harvick: Harvick finished fifth at Richmond, recording his eighth top-5 result of the year. With two wins this season, he will start the Chase For The Cup six points behind Brad Keselowski.

    “There we no squirrels on the track at Richmond,” Harvick said. “If there were, they would have been after that nut on the fence.”

    7. Matt Kenseth: Kenseth’s night at Richmond ended early after he hit the wall on lap 120. He finished 41st, 70 laps down, and starts the Chase For The Cup 12 points out of first.

    “It was a tough night for me,” Kenseth said. “But my disappointment was tempered by the knowledge that Michael Waltrip was selected to appear on ‘Dancing With The Stars.’ I’m not surprised my Michael’s selected—-he’s often been accused of being light on his feet.”

    8. Carl Edwards: Edwards finished 22nd at Richmond, four laps down. He’ll start the Chase For The Cup with 2,006 points, six behind Brad Keselowski.

    “Congratulations to Greg Biffle,” Edwards said. “He clinched the 16th and final spot in the Chase field. Of course, he did it by finishing 19th, two laps down. He probably didn’t see that coming; that’s what happens when you ‘back’ your way in.”

    9. Ryan Newman: Newman easily drove his way into the Chase, finishing a solid ninth. He will start the Chase in 16th, 12 points behind Brad Keselowski.

    “There’s a lot of distance between me and the driver of the No. 2 Miller Lite car,” Newman said. “Interestingly enough, that’s the same thing I said when Rusty Wallace was my teammate.”

    10. Kasey Kahne: Kahne finished 17th at Richmond, one lap down. He start the Chase For The Cup with 2,003 points, nine behind top seed Brad Keselowski.

    “Hopefully,” Kahne said, “I can carry some of the momentum from my win at Atlanta into the Chase. Thank goodness I got that win. I knew I need to carry my weight before I could carry momentum.”

  • Then There Were 16 – The Chase Grid is Set for the 2014 Sprint Cup Championship

    Then There Were 16 – The Chase Grid is Set for the 2014 Sprint Cup Championship

    With only two more positions to be filled, and one race remaining, Saturday’s race at Richmond International Raceway held the promise of a no holds barred, fight to the finish. Instead it delivered an uneventful event but a dominant fourth win by Brad Keselowski who led 383 out of 400 laps. His fourth win also puts him atop the Chase Grid.

    Keselowski was thrilled saying, “What a night! Part of me, I pulled into victory lane and I pinched myself once to make sure I wasn’t dreaming. These are nights you don’t forget as a driver, and you live for. The Miller Lite Ford Fusion was just flying, and this is, I couldn’t ask for a better way to enter the Chase than to win and take the first seed.”

    Greg Biffle held on with a 19th place finish to make the Chase by seven points and is seeded 15th on the Chase Grid. Ryan Newman finished ninth to secure the 16th spot.

    The points have been reset and all of the 16 drivers in the Chase Grid begin with 2000 points. Three additional bonus points are given for each win during the 26 race regular season.

    Keselowski is first with 2012 points. Positions second through fifth are held by the drivers who earned three victories each during the regular season accumulating 2009 points each. Jeff Gordon, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Jimmie Johnson and Joey Logano are in positions second through fifth, respectively.

    Jeff Gordon finished second at Richmond but is excited to begin the Chase.

    “This team is on fire, and we just can’t wait to get it all started,” he said. “It’s been a heck of a year. Our fans and the way that they’ve embraced this season has been extremely motivating, and I know how proud they are. And we’re proud of the effort and the results that we’re getting this year. Ten more weeks that we’ve got to get it done, and this team is ready to do that.”

    Carl Edwards and Kevin Harvick, with two wins and 2006 points each, are sixth and seventh.

    The drivers with one win during the regular season begin the Chase with 2003 points. Positions eighth through 13th, in order, are held by Kyle Busch, Denny Hamlin, Kurt Busch, Kasey Kahne, Aric Almirola, and AJ Allmendinger.

    Matt Kenseth, with zero wins and 2000 points is in the 14th spot and is joined by Greg Biffle (15th) and Ryan Newman (16th), also with 2000 points each to complete the Chase Grid.

    Next week on September 14, the series travels to Chicagoland, the first of three races in the Challenger Round. Then it’s on to New Hampshire on September 21 and the final race in this round which is at Dover on September 28.

    The Challenger Round – 3 Races/16 Drivers: At the end of the Challenger Round, the top 12 drivers will advance to the Contender Round.  Win a race in the Challenger Round and you automatically advance to the Contender Round. The remaining top 12 drivers will be set by points. All drivers who advance will then have their points total reset to 3000 for the Contender Round.

    The Contender Round – 3 Races/12 Drivers (Kansas, Charlotte, Talladega): At the end of the Contender Round, the top eight drivers will advance to the Eliminator Round. Win a race in the Contender Round and you automatically advance to the Eliminator Round. The remaining top eight drivers will be set by points. All drivers who advance will then have their points total reset to 4000.

    The Eliminator Round – 3 Races/8 Drivers (Martinsville, Texas, Phoenix): At the end of the Eliminator Round, the top four drivers will advance to the final Championship Round. Win a race in the Eliminator Round and you automatically advance to the Championship Round. The remaining top four drivers will be set by points. All drivers who advance will then have their points total reset to 5000.

    The Sprint Cup Championship – 1 Race/4 Drivers: The final race of the season at Homestead-Miami Speedway will determine the new champion. The first to cross the finish line of the remaining four eligible drivers will be the 2014 NASCAR Sprint Cup Champion.

    Chase Grid Set.2014

     

     

     

     

     

     

  • NASCAR Top-10 Power Rankings: Atlanta

    NASCAR Top-10 Power Rankings: Atlanta

    Note: The quotes in this article are fictional.

    1. Jeff Gordon: Gordon was running second early at Atlanta when he blew a tire, sending him into the wall. He fell two laps down, but battled back to regain the lead lap and finished 17th.

    “It was ‘The Night The Air Went Out In Georgia,’” Gordon said. “I didn’t see a squirrel on the track, but I do believe I heard a snake. It went, ‘Sssssssssss.’”

    2. Joey Logano: A week after winning at Bristol, Logano finished 14th in the Oral-B USA 500. He is now fourth in the points standings, 81 out of first.

    “Our performance was a far cry from that at Bristol,” Logano said. “If I’m ‘Sliced Bread’ in winning at Bristol, then I must be ‘Loaf Bread’ finishing 14th at Atlanta.”

    3. Dale Earnhardt, Jr.: Earnhardt just missed a top-10 finish at Atlanta with an 11th. He is second in the Sprint Cup points standings, 21 behind Jeff Gordon.

    “Sunday night’s race was called the ‘Oral-B USA 500.’ I think a better name would have been the ‘Mouth Of The South.’

    “But is it a good idea for dental health awareness in NASCAR? I see a conflict of interest with NASCAR’s ‘Drive For Diversity’ program, because good dental hygiene encourages ‘whiteness.’”

    4. Jimmie Johnson: Johnson finished third at Atlanta, as Hendrick Motorsports teammate Kasey Kahne won for the first time this season, locking up a spot in the Chase For The Cup. Johnson is sixth in the points standings.

    “What a great run by Kahne,” Johnson said. “Now, all four Hendrick drivers are in the Chase. Kasey went from ‘Chase bubble’ to ‘Chase bubbly,’ because we celebrated with champagne.”

    5. Brad Keselowski: Keselowski night in Atlanta ended with 28 laps remaining after a collision with Josh Wise. Keselowski finished 39th, and is fifth in the points standings, 90 out of first.

    “I ran right into the back of Wise’s No. 98 Chevrolet,” Keselowski said. “It’s certainly not the first time I’ve been called a ‘Wise-ass.’”

    6. Matt Kenseth: Kenseth gained the lead with a two-tire pit stop on the final caution, but couldn’t hold off Kasey Kahne, who took four tires. Kenseth finished second, falling short of his first win, but still clinched a spot in the Chase.

    “Squirrels sightings aside,” Kenseth said, “Kahne ‘skunked’ me on that restart.

    “My wife and I released an anti-bullying children’s book called ‘Race Against Bullying.’ Some drivers I know have a track record of bullying. In fact, if bullying were a race, Carl Edwards would have the track record.”

    7. Kevin Harvick: Harvick was squeezed behind Paul Menard in a late restart at Atlanta, and found the wall after contact with Menard and Joey Logano. Harvick finished 19th.

    “I nearly hit a squirrel crossing the track early in the race,” Harvick said. “That wasn’t my last encounter with an animal nuisance. It looked like Menard was playing possum on the late restart.”

    8. Carl Edwards: Edwards scored his sixth top five of the season with a fifth at Atlanta. He is seventh in the points standings, 117 out of first.

    “Luckily,” Edwards said, “I’ve already locked up a spot in the postseason. I can tell you, it’s one thing to be ‘Chased,’ it’s another to be ‘pursued.’ Joe Gibbs Racing really wanted me, and ironically, they did back flips to get me.”

    9. Ryan Newman: Newman posted his ninth top-10 result of the year with a seventh in the Oral-B USA 500. He can clinch a spot in the Chase with a finish of 41st or better next week at Richmond (assuming there is a repeat winner).

    “I could go to Richmond,” Newman said, “not win, and still make the Chase For The Cup. And that’s fine with me. It may not be official, but my slogan at Richmond will be, ‘Virginia is for losers.’”

    10. Kasey Kahne: Kahne passed Matt Kenseth on the final restart and held on for the win in the Oral-B USA 500 in Atlanta. Kahne was previously leading, and seemingly on his way to the win, when a tangle between Kyle Busch and Ryan Truex brought out a caution.

    “I’m not sure what those clowns were doing,” Kahne said. “But once again, we’ve seen the worst of Kyle Busch. There’s only one thing that gets the best of Kyle, and that’s his frustrations.”

  • The Final Word – A Kahne-Do Spirit Trumps a Fast Car, a Fast Pit Crew, and Two Brats at Atlanta

    The Final Word – A Kahne-Do Spirit Trumps a Fast Car, a Fast Pit Crew, and Two Brats at Atlanta

    Atlanta was a race we thought would be decided by a driver who had a great car, one who had a great pit crew, or one who was simply too desperate for victory to be denied. In the end, it was decided by two guys who turned their high-powered machines into bumper cars to force a green-white-checker…or two.

    Kevin Harvick had the car. He dominated the race, but when it came time to go to extra time he had a bit of ground to make up. Paul Menard, after a two tire stop, could not get going on the re-start. Harvick clipped him, and then Menard squeezed up to the wall as the two fresh tired Joey Logano came up behind. Harvick went from challenging for a win to being challenged by the wall. He finished 19th.

    Denny Hamlin had the pit crew. 11-seconds and a tick were what they were giving him every stop, and he used the advantage to stay up near the front. By the time the smoke cleared, he was still up there, just two positions back of where he had hoped to finish.

    Kasey Kahne wanted a win. He needed a win. He got by Hamlin with just over twenty laps remaining, then fended off Harvick, and it seemed that would be how they would finish, Kahne, Harvick, Hamlin…then it was time to waste away in Moronoville.

    Not sure what prompted it, but with under a handful of laps left, Kyle Busch went into the rear of Martin Truex Jr. Then did it again. They he got tagged back, as the two proceeded to dance the auto tango to bring out the caution. They even had words later, with Rowdy in his car and Truex leaning in to chat. Neither mattered much on this day, but their spat could have affected things.

    Well, it did affect Harvick’s finish, though it matters little at this stage. It did allow Matt Kenseth to duel Kahne in a battle of the winless for the decision in the second G-W-C attempt, but Kahne survived to win his Chase place while Kenseth locked himself a berth on points. In the end, all was right with the world.

    Not for Clint Bowyer. He hold on a Chase place went to crap along with his shifter. It broke and he fell laps back to fall right out of the Chase. A win at Richmond, or he is left hoping for a repeat winner along with finishing well ahead of Greg Biffle on Saturday.

    Anyone still in the Top 33 still has a shot at a spot in the Chase, but they need a win next week to pull that off. That makes Danica Patrick still a contender, and a sixth place finish at Atlanta made a bunch of happy reporters. Still, I will wait for a couple of back-to-back Top Fifteens before I get too warm and fuzzy about it. I mean, Aric Almirola also had a Top Ten, but no one seemed quite ready just yet to snap up his autographed bikini photos in celebration.

    It was nice Jimmie Johnson and Carl Edwards had pretty good finishes, or even that Junior was 11th even on a day he was a non-factor. Too bad for Jeff Gordon, who looked good early before a tire and his hopes went away at about the same time. Tony Stewart was back, looked great the first few laps, but then Kyle Busch squeezed him into the grinder to damper his hopes. A blown tire a little later ended them. Still, it was good to see him back.

    With Richmond coming up this Saturday night, it comes down to this. 13 drivers are in the Chase through wins this season and one is in on points. That leaves two open. Give one to Ryan Newman. As you check these standings, you will see that as long as Biffle does not make any great gains on him, or Newman blows up early, the Rocket is in. As for Biffle, it comes down to trying to catch Newman, holding off Bowyer, and hoping for a repeat winner…unless the winner is a guy named Greg. That would be fine by him.

    So Richmond will be all about Newman, Biffle, and Bowyer, and the identity of the driver that wins. Nothing else really matters, but at least that keeps things rather simple.

    The Locked in chasers…
    1 – Jeff Gordon – 3 Wins – 871 Points
    2 – Dale Earnhardt, Jr. – 3 – 851
    3 – Joey Logano – 3 – 791
    4 – Brad Keselowski – 3 – 782
    5 – Jimmie Johnson – 3 – 766
    6 – Carl Edwards – 2 – 755
    7 – Kevin Harvick – 2 – 748
    8 – Kasey Kahne – 1 – 708
    9 – Kyle Busch – 1 – 657
    10 – Denny Hamlin – 1 – 636
    11 – Kurt Busch – 1 – 614
    12 – Aric Almirola – 1 – 594
    13 – A.J. Allmendinger – 1 – 590
    14 – Matt Kenseth – 0 – 794

    One is in, but no guarantee as to another…
    15 – Ryan Newman – 0 Wins – 747 Points
    16 – Greg Biffle – 0 – 728
    17 – Clint Bowyer – 0 – 705
    18 – Kyle Larson – 0 – 704

    A Win to be in…
    19 – Paul Menard – 0 Wins – 675 Points
    20 – Austin Dillon – 0 – 674
    21 – Jamie McMurray – 0 – 666
    22 – Brian Vickers – 0 – 650
    23 – Marcos Ambrose – 0 – 628
    24 – Casey Mears – 0 – 583
    25 – Martin Truex, Jr. – 0 – 561
    26 – Tony Stewart – 0 – 540
    27 – Ricky Stenhouse, Jr. – 0 – 538
    28 – Danica Patrick – 0 – 500
    29 – Justin Allgaier – 0 – 443
    30 – Michael Annett – 0 – 393

    A win…and 30th or better…
    31 – David Gilliland – 0 Wins – 392 Points
    32 – David Ragan – 0 – 370
    33 – Cole Whitt – 0 – 353

     

     

     

  • Surprising and Not Surprising: Oral-B USA 500

    Surprising and Not Surprising: Oral-B USA 500

    With an intense heat radiating from the track and an even more intense return to the track for Tony Stewart, here is what was surprising and not surprising from the 55th annual Oral-B USA 500 at Atlanta Motor Speedway.

    Surprising: Kasey Kahne ended his Hendrick Motorsports lonely boy status with a thrilling green-white-checkered win to join his teammates Jimmie Johnson, Dale Earnhardt Jr., and Jeff Gordon in Victory Lane and in the Chase.

    “It was kind of like you just know that you have to win,” the driver of the No. 5 Farmer’s Insurance Chevrolet said. “I told a friend that this week, like I just kept saying, I have to win.”

    “That was, it was all that I could think about,” Kahne continued. “I knew Atlanta was a better opportunity for myself to win at than Richmond. But I just knew that tonight was that — you know, we needed it.”

    “When I came off Turn 4 and I could see the checkered, right there is the first time I knew I was in The Chase and it was such a relief.”

    Not Surprising: He might not have been a winner, but Matt Kenseth’s second place finish, as well as his consistency all season long, earned him a place in the Chase race, post-Atlanta.

    “That was the goal, to have all three JGR (Joe Gibbs Racing) cars in the Chase and we were able to accomplish that,” the driver of the No. 20 Home Depot Husky Toyota said. “The ultimate goal is for one of us to be able to win the championship.”

    “I feel like we’re gaining on it,” Kenseth continued. “I’m not a huge believer in momentum, but yet I feel like everyone is really clicking together and working well together and the stops are good.”

    “I feel like we’re doing everything right right now, we just need a little more speed to be able to start getting those wins.”

    Surprising: Move over Janet Guthrie as there is a new girl in town at Atlanta Motor Speedway. Danica Patrick, after taking the checkered flag in sixth, scored the highest finish by a female at the track. Janet Guthrie had previously held that record by finishing tenth at Atlanta on March 19th, 1978.

    “It was a long night,” the driver of the No. 10 GoDaddy Chevrolet said. “Man, that race felt like it was 700 miles. Sometimes when you are running well they feel like that because you are hoping it stays there, keeps going well, and you keep improving and don’t lose it.”

    “There were definitely a couple of times late in the race when we fell back,” Patrick continued. “In the middle of the race the GoDaddy car was very good. We took a little step back, and then it came back in the end.”

    Patrick was also the strongest running Stewart Haas Racing team member as her teammates Kurt Busch, Kevin Harvick and Tony Stewart finished 13th, 19th and 41st respectively.

    Not Surprising: With the pressure of making the Chase reigning supreme, it was no wonder that all kinds of freaky things happened on the track. One of the most freakish occurred towards the beginning of the race when a cat or a squirrel ran for his life in right in front of race leader Kevin Harvick.

    “That was a cat,” Harvick proclaimed. “The cat ran across the backstretch. That would have been a big mess.”

    Clint Bowyer also experienced some freakiness when his gear shifter broke, Marcos Ambrose blew an engine, AJ Allmendinger had problems with a hub and fender brace and Michael Annett lost one of his contact lenses on Lap 150.

    Surprising: Young Kyle Larson was surprisingly dejected after finishing as the Sunoco Rookie of the Race yet again with an eighth place finish.

    “Yeah, it was a tough race,” the driver of the No. 42 Target Chevrolet said. “The first corner or so I felt pretty good. For whatever reason, we got pretty tight in the center and I couldn’t roll the bottom like I wanted to. Really couldn’t go anywhere.”

    “Doesn’t really matter anymore because Kasey won,”Larson continued. “So happy for Kasey, but that pretty much ends our Chase hopes.  Unless we win.”

    “But Top-10 is not bad.”

    Not Surprising: He may have had a rough night with a tire down early in the race resulting in a 17th place finish, but Jeff Gordon was still no doubt savoring his milestone 750th career start.

    “That’s a big number,” the driver of the No. 24 Panasonic Chevrolet, said. “I hadn’t thought about it a whole lot until I saw a decal made up and I was like ‘Man, that’s a lot of races, especially in a row.’”

    “Really proud of that,” Gordon continued. “It’s been an amazing career in the Cup Series. I’ve had a lot of good moments. Luckily for me, they far outweigh the bad moments.”

    Surprising: Roush Fenway Racing had a surprisingly good night, putting two of its cars into the top-five, with Carl Edwards in fifth and Greg Biffle in tenth. While Edwards is already locked into the Chase with two wins, Biffle needed that solid run to keep his Chase hopes alive.

    “That was crazy,” the driver of the No. 99 Subway Ford said. “Those last couple of restarts were really fun. I hate that we tore up a bunch of cars, but it was definitely exciting.”

    “I hope we’re ready for the Chase.”

    “If the 5 wouldn’t have won, we would have been close to getting locked in with the way all the points shook out,” the driver of the No. 16 Ortho Ford said. “I don’t think we would have been able to lose two spots, but it is what it is.”

    “We’ve got to race as hard as we can,” Biffle continued. “We know if one of those guys behind us wins next week it bumps us out, so we’ll run as hard as we can.”

    Not Surprising: In his own quiet, unassuming fashion, Aric Almirola, Chase participant by virtue of his win in the rain at Daytona, finished top-ten at Atlanta, catapulting himself from 14th to ninth on the last restart.

    “We had a solid night,” the driver of the No. 43 Eckrich Ford said. “I just went through turns one and two and ran wide-open. I hooked my left-front around the top seam and it was just like the seas parted and I drove right through there.”

    “Anytime you can walk away from Atlanta with a top 10 after the last six weeks that we’ve had, it was nice to walk away with a car that wasn’t crashed.”

    Surprising: Kyle Busch made a surprisingly good choice to stay in his car with his helmet on after the race as he and his crew chief Dave Rogers were angrily confronted by Martin Truex Jr. Busch and Truex got together late in the race, resulting in a 23rd place finish for Truex while Busch took the checkered flag in the 16th spot.

    “We had handling issues all night — couldn’t drive off the corners,” Truex Jr. said. “But we hung in there, fighting for every possible position until Kyle (Busch), for whatever reason, ran into the back of me, causing pretty good damage to our car.”

    “I passed him clean earlier and then he comes back and hits me from behind,” Truex Jr. continued. “It was totally uncalled for and hard to figure out why he did what he did. We were in the top-15 when that happened and had a chance of picking off a few more positions.”

    Not Surprising: Ryan Newman’s top-ten finish now puts his Chase hopes squarely into his own hands. Regardless if there is a repeat winner or if Kenseth pulls off a Richmond win, Newman gets to compete for the championship if he finishes 41st or better; or 42nd with one lap led minimum; or 43rd after leading the most laps.

    If there is a new winner at Richmond next week, Newman gets into the Chase with an 18th or better finish; 19th and one lap led; or 20th with the most laps led.

     

  • Kevin Harvick Dominates the Great Clips 300 With Decisive Win at Atlanta

    Kevin Harvick Dominates the Great Clips 300 With Decisive Win at Atlanta

    Atlanta Motor Speedway is good to Kevin Harvick as he takes his third Nationwide Series win of the year in the Great Clips 300 to Benefit Feed the Children. He started the race in eighth place but quickly took over the lead from pole winner Chase Elliott on lap 37 and he was gone, leading an incredible 159 laps out of the 195 lap race.

    He is now tied with Mark Martin for all-time Nationwide Series wins at Atlanta. Harvick gave JR Motorsports their eighth win of the year. There were only two minor cautions, both for debris but a light rain extended the second caution to a total of 13 laps. At the restart it was clear that Harvick was the man to beat.

    “This thing was bad fast from the drop of the green flag,” Harvick said.  “This is just one of those race tracks where I like the challenge of everything you get to do here. Ernie (crew chief Ernie Cope) and I have found a great setup over the years back into the trucks (NASCAR Camping World Truck Series), and it’s still working today.”

    Joey Logano started fourth in his No. 22 and brought home second place, but by the time he got his car handling to where he could gain on Harvick, it was too late.

    “I just ran out of time,” he said. “I wish there were five or seven more laps, and I could have got to him and tried to do something with him. We were catching him two or three tenths (of a second) a lap there at the end and having some fun with it, but it was too little, too late.”

    Kyle Larson, driving the No. 42 Chevrolet started the race in second and finished in third place. Larson was running up in the high groove, but clearly the bottom was where you needed to be.

    “Here at Atlanta for whatever reason; it’s a really wore out track but the bottom seems to be a little faster,” stated Larson. “I tried to learn to run the bottom but you have to have your left sides on the paint and it’s really narrow down there so it’s hard, but Kevin is really good at it for whatever reason.”

    Kyle Busch brought his No. 54 car home in fourth place while the series points leader Chase Elliott came home in fifth place, retaining the points lead.

    Regan Smith finished in sixth followed by Brian Scott in seventh place and David Ragan in eighth. Rounding out the top ten finishing order were Ty Dillon and Elliott Sadler, in ninth and 10th respectively.

    Your top five in the points standings are as follows:

    1) Chase Elliott 874  2) Regan Smith -15  3) Ty Dillon -35  4) Elliott Sadler -48  5) Brian Scott- 54

    The Nationwide Series’ next race will be the Virginia 529 College Savings 250 at Richmond International Speedway on September 5th.

    Complete Finishing Order:

    Position Car No. Driver
    1 5 Kevin Harvick
    2 22 Joey Logano
    3 42 Kyle Larson
    4 54 Kyle Busch
    5 9 Chase Elliott
    6 7 Regan Smith
    7 2 Brian Scott
    8 98 David Ragan
    9 3 Ty Dillon
    10 11 Elliott Sadler
    11 20 Matt Kenseth
    12 6 Trevor Bayne
    13 60 Chris Buescher
    14 62 Brendan Gaughan
    15 01 Landon Cassill
    16 28 JJ Yeley
    17 19 Mike Bliss
    18 16 Ryan Reed
    19 99 James Buescher
    20 39 Ryan Sieg
    21 31 Dylan Kwasniewsk
    22 51 Jeremy Clements
    23 17 Tanner Berryhill
    24 14 Eric McClure
    25 4 Jeffrey Earnhardt
    26 40 Matt DiBenedetto
    27 55 Jamie Dick
    28 44 Blake Koch
    29 87 Chris Cockrum
    30 52 Joey Gase
    31 70 Derrike Cope
    32 25 John Wes Townley
    33 43 Dakoda Armstrong
    34 74 Mike Harmon
    35 89 Morgan Shepherd
    36 82 Kevin Swindell
    37 23 Carlos Contreras
    38 72 John Jackson
    39 46 Carl Long
    40 10 Jeff Green
  • Surprising and Not Surprising: IRWIN Tools Night Race

    Surprising and Not Surprising: IRWIN Tools Night Race

    The Coliseum…..Thunder Valley…..and “The World’s Fastest Half Mile”…..here is what was surprising and not surprising from Bristol Motor Speedway in the IRWIN Tools Night Race.

    Surprising: Although Team Penske scored a one, two finish, race winner Joey Logano and race runner up Brad Keselowski both admitted that was one of the toughest, most physically demanding races of the season to date.

    “It definitely was a very, very tough race,” the driver of the No. 22 Shell Pennzoil Ford for Team Penske said. “I feel like it’s the most physically demanding racetrack, just the baddest, mamma jamma racetrack ever built, not only for the driver but for the race car. You’re just always on the gas or the brake or in the turn. There’s always something going on, and as a driver you don’t get a break inside the race car, either.”

    “It was a hard night,” the driver of the No. 2 Wurth Team Penske Ford said. “I’ll tell you, first off, this place, the race pace is really brutal and aggressive. With the cars having all the extra downforce this year and tires improving and some of the new rules, compounded by grinding the track and the track’s high lane having a lot of speed, I swear, this is the most grueling race of the year.”

    “It feels good just to complete it and be able to kind of look myself in the eye and know I gave it all I had,” Keselowski continued. “It just wasn’t enough, but I didn’t fall out of the seat, so I’m damned near as proud of not falling out of the seat as anything else.”

    Not Surprising: Coach Gibbs has no doubt already sent out for the infamous milk and cookies for his driver of the No. 18 Doublemint Toyota and his crew chief Dave Rogers. The two exchanged some pretty heated words after Busch sped on pit road, got back in traffic and was collected in a wreck for a 36th place finish.

    “That’s just pro sports,” Coach Gibbs said. “Every now and then you get frustrated.”

    “I think the night was totally frustrating,” Gibbs continued. “(Kyle) had a great car and it was a series of circumstances. Something like that happens in pro sports you can get frustrated.”

    Surprising: While Kyle Busch vacated his race car without speaking to the media, his teammate Denny Hamlin could not stop talking about what happened between himself and Kevin Harvick, resulting in his 40th place finish in the Bristol night race. In fact, he even added some physicality to his words, tossing his HANS device at Harvick’s car under the caution laps.

    “I’m just frustrated because we had a good run going,” Hamlin opined. “I thought for sure after the first couple runs that we were going to win the race.”

    “It just didn’t work out,” the driver of the No. 11 FedEx Ground Toyota said. “Mistakes happen in racing. Obviously, I believe that Kevin (Harvick) made a mistake tonight and that’s just part of it. I was just on the short end of the stick.”

    Not Surprising: Matt Kenseth, although winless, continued his consistent streak of good finishes, scoring the third position in his No. 20 Dollar General Toyota. Kenseth was also the highest finishing Toyota driver and, in fact, was the only Toyota to finish in the top-15.

    “I feel like we’re getting better,” Kenseth said. “We just didn’t quite have it today and we still got a decent finish out of it, but we just didn’t quite have the speed we’ve had the last few races here.”

    “We’ll keep working on it.”

    Surprising: Ricky Stenhouse Jr. had a surprisingly good finish, taking the checkered flag in the sixth spot. In fact, Stenhouse Jr. led the Roush Fenway Racing trio in the finishing order, with both of his teammates finishing behind him, in seventh and tenth respectively for Carl Edwards and Greg Biffle.

    “We didn’t start off very good but Mike (Kelley, crew chief) made a lot of changes,” Stenhouse said. “Our pit crew did an awesome job on pit road and gave me some fast pit stops, and Mike made a good call to take the wave around to get back on the lead lap and then the caution came out quick and we were able to make our car a little bit better.”

    “We’ve got a lot of work to do, but definitely really pleased with how we finished with how the car drove, so we’ll get it better and we’ll keep working on it,” Stenhouse Jr. continued. “That felt really good to pass some cars. It was a great night.”

    Not Surprising: After leading 148 laps out of the 500 lap race, it would be natural to feel a bit befuddled after finishing eighth instead of ending up in Victory Lane.

    “I don’t know what happened,” Jamie McMurray, behind the wheel of the No. 1 McDonald’s Chevrolet said. “Our car got really tight with about 100 laps to go.”

    “We freed it up on the last pit stop and it didn’t really help,” McMurray continued. “But I’m really proud of everybody on our McDonald’s Chevrolet. McDonald’s has been in this sport for so long and they’ve only won a few races and I really thought tonight was going to be our night to put them back in Victory Lane.”

    Surprising: Jimmie Johnson, six-time champ, and Kyle Larson, Rookie of the Year contender, may be at different places in their careers, however they had one thing in common at Bristol. They both had to overcome adversity, from Johnson’s two speeding penalties to Larson’s wreck in qualifying, to finish fourth and twelfth respectively.

    Johnson was the highest finisher for Hendrick Motorsports and Larson was again the highest finishing rookie of the race.

    “Top fives are good. We are happy about that,” the driver of the No. 48 Lowe’s Chevrolet said. “We had some issues on pit road and got nailed for speeding twice which was totally on us. Just mistakes made there that kind of hurt us a little bit, but we still got a third top five, finished fourth.”

    “I made our team have to work really hard with wrecking in qualifying,” the driver of the No. 42 Target Chevrolet said. “Just a long race I felt like I worked hard the whole time. That is the hardest I’ve ever raced. Especially having to do it for 500 laps.”

    “That was pretty wild,” Larson continued. “I guess I’m happy with a 12th. That is probably about as good as we were. I had a few run in’s today, but still to come away with a 12th is pretty good.”

    Not Surprising: Paul Menard quietly continued his string of good finishes, this time taking the checkered flag in ninth.

    “We had a really good car,” the driver of the No. 27 Serta/Menards Chevrolet said. “We had two runs where we just got off. We took right sides and it didn’t work out very well. Then we did a chassis adjustment and put four tires. We feel backwards and got a lap down. We were able to put four tires on and pass some guys for the lucky dog.”

    “We got that and we could race again.”

    Surprising: Aric Almirola was the biggest loser of the evening, wrecking hard to finish 41st and dropping three spots in the point standings to 24th.

    “I’m OK, just disappointed,” the driver of the No. 43 STP Ford Fusion said. “What an amazing race car these guys brought me – two of them – and to go out like that is certainly disappointing, but that’s racing at Bristol – you get caught up in other peoples’ wrecks.”

    Not Surprising: AJ Allmendinger continues to ride the momentum wave after his win at Watkins Glen, finishing top-15 at a track where he admittedly has struggled.

    “It’s a really good night because I’m not really good here,” the driver of the No. 47 Busch’s Beans Chevrolet said. “At times we had a top-10 car and even at the end there when the car was terrible.”

    “We were inside the top-15 with decent speeds and that’s what I wanted to at least do here,” Allmendinger continued. “Times we were eighth, ninth, 10th like last week.”

    “So, I think we are making progress. I’m just happy to get out of here and be able to run 500 laps. I think the team was a little bit better than me today. All in all, it’s the kind of momentum we need for going into Chicago.”