Tag: Landon Cassill

Grading the Sprint Cup Rides – 2013 Third Term Report

Joey Logano Puts the Moves on Mark Martin to Score Pocono Win

Jimmie Johnson Masters the Monster Mile; Monster Wreck Dominates Opening Laps

Gaughan Wins in Thrilling Finish at Road America

Nationwide Series Race Recap by NASCAR

June 21, 2014

ELKHART LAKE, Wisconsin – Brendan Gaughan survived two early off-track excursions and a race in which much of the second half was contested in rain as cars rode on wet weather tires to win Saturday’s Gardner Denver 200 NASCAR Nationwide Series race at Road America.

It was the third time in NASCAR history – all on road courses and all on the NNS circuit – that a race has been run in rain. The other two were in Montreal in 2008 and 2010, also on a road course (Circuit Gilles Villeneuve).

Racing in the rain ignited something in Gaughan that helped overcome and forget his early misfortune and go on to earn his first career win on the Nationwide circuit in 98 starts (he also has eight career wins in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series).

“I love racing in the rain, it’s fun,” said Gaughan, who was in the 2010 Montreal race, and has driven in rain several other times in other series. “And when you’re good at it, it makes it even more fun.

“I haven’t smelled blood in a long time, that’s something I’ve been lacking lately, that killer attitude. When it started to rain, even without the wiper blade (was broken), I started to smell blood and said, ‘I’m coming.’

“It’s fun to watch guys who haven’t done it in the rain. They don’t understand the rain line, and fortunately for me, I did.”

Gaughan passed Chase Elliott for the lead on Lap 51 and held on for the two remaining laps to win.

Gaughan beat runner-up Alex Tagliani by .820 seconds in a green-white-checkered finish that took the race to 53 laps, three more than the scheduled 50. It appeared it would be Tagliani’s race to win, as he was leading in the closing laps when he ran out of fuel on lap 49.

Just seconds before, a caution flag was thrown when Justin Marks also ran out of fuel. Just past the pit entrance when his car stopped, Tagliani was able to roll his car down the downward sloping frontstretch, his crew pushed him into his pit stall, he took on fuel and switched from rain tires back to slicks and proceeded to roar through the field, restarting 23rd and ending up second three extra laps later.

Such a tough defeat might be hard for some drivers to swallow, but Tagliani took the loss in stride.

“It was pretty intense,” Tagliani said. “The wet was tricky, but obviously we were good. Maybe I threw a bad spell on myself because I said it was impossible that I was going to win this race, like something’s going to happen, and then on the white flag, something happened (ran out of gas).

“It’s what it is. It’s not in the cards. You have to be quick, you have to have a good car and it has to be in the cards, and if it’s not, you just have to take whatever comes to you.”

Tagliani came into the race hoping to be the fourth driver to win from the pole in the last five NNS races at Road America, but came up one spot short.

The race was put under caution on Lap 25 and NASCAR mandated all cars switch to wet weather tires two laps later. They remained on rain tires until the final four laps, when teams had the option to switch back to slicks after Marks brought out the caution.

Kevin O’Connell finished third, followed by Chase Elliott and J.J. Yeley.

Sixth through 10th were Jeremy Clements, Andy Lally, Landon Cassill, Elliott Sadler and Mike Bliss.

Of note about Cassill: Not only did he compete in Saturday’s race, he hopped a plane afterward to the west coast to be in Sunday’s Toyota/Save Mart 350 NASCAR Sprint Cup race at Sonoma Raceway.

NOTES: Regan Smith, who finished 13th, retained his lead in the NNS points standings. Elliott Sadler (finished ninth) is second in the points, 10 points behind Smith, while Chase Elliott remains in third place (11 points back). The only drivers to make upward movement in the points in the top-10 were Brian Scott (sixth to fifth) and Cassill (11th to 10th).

June 21, 2014
Landon Cassill Hitting His Acme; Finishes 12th in Darlington

Landon Cassill silenced critics on Friday after wheeling his No. 01 JD Motorsports Chevrolet to an astounding 12th place finish at Darlington Speedway – his career-best at the track given the moniker ‘Too Tough To Tame’ and ‘The Lady in Black’.

However, looking at the big picture, it appears after seven seasons in the NASCAR National Touring Series that Cassill is hitting the acme of his career, and in a matter of weekends, he could be celebrating a few top fives, and top-10 finishes.

Cassill’s relationship with racing was solidified at 10-years-old when he finished second in the Pro Kart Tour at Atlanta Motor Speedway (AMS) – little did he know that was the beginning of a lifetime in Motorsports.

He returned to the Pro Kart Tour the next season, earning a remarkable two national championships, in addition, to winning four International Kart Federation championships – some coming on dirt tracks, and others on pavement.

His karting career continued for two more years, where he racked up a few more state championships, including a handful of victories. He also ventured into a midget car class where he added to his resume with a few more titles in the Newton Kart Klub, located in Newton, Iowa – right around Iowa Speedway.

His breakthrough opportunity occurred when he began racing SK Modifieds at Hawkeye Downs Speedway and joined the ASA Late Model Series (ASALMS) – all while in high school at JeffersonHigh School in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.

However, his career-making race was at Lake Erie Speedway on June 9, 2006 when he dominated the ASALMS race, and became the youngest winner in the series history at 16-years-old – that record was held until Erik Jones bettered the mark.

He notched is second career ASALMS triumph at South Georgia Motorsports Park – becoming the first competitor to win in both Northern and Southern divisions. Despite posting multiple victories in the ASALMS, he never experienced a championship in the series, but did finish a career-best second in the driver standings, losing to Kelly Bires.

His NASCAR tenure began during the 2006 season when he was inducted into the GM Racing Developmental competition – which was basically a three-stage test that occurred at Caraway Speedway, Nashville Speedway and North Georgia Speedway. The program allowed higher organizations to recognize the up-and-coming talents in racing.

Hendrick Motorsports (HMS) signed Cassill, not to a full-time driving deal, but to an apprenticeship, to learn the ropes. He tested their cars at Greenville-Pickens Speedway and Lakeland Speedway, in addition to helping assist the team’s research and development program.

He made his debut in NASCAR with HMS at Gateway International Speedway during the 2007 season and finished in a dismal, but knowledge-gaining, 32nd position. Memphis International Raceway witnessed him almost secure his first top-10 finish, but he was spun out on the final lap and didn’t clinch the finish he expected.

During his ‘trial run’ with HMS he started six races and finished a best of 18th at Dover International Speedway.

His talent was recognized, and JR Motorsports placed him in their No. 5 for 16 races during the 2008 Nationwide Series season. He captured his first top-10 finish at Nashville Speedway when he finished ninth, and also added a pole at New Hampshire Motor Speedway to his record.

He concluded 2008 with four top-10 finishes, and also won Rookie of The Year (ROY) honors, and also garnered three top-10 finishes in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series, driving for Randy Moss Motorsports.

Despite the decent finishes, the developing driver was left ride-less during the 2009 season, forcing his to watch from the sidelines.

However, in 2010 he came back with vengeance, starting six Nationwide Series events, three for JR Motorsports and the other couple with RAB Racing. He also received 16 starts in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series with James Finch, TRG Motorsports and Larry Gunselman, finishing 38th in his Cup debut.

Again, in 2011, he didn’t have any stability with a certain organization, but did finish an impressive third in the Nationwide Series opener at Daytona International Speedway, and competed in 32 Sprint Cup events, finishing a career-best 12th at Michigan International Speedway.

Finally, after working his entire career for the opportunity, Cassill was signed to a full-season deal with BK Racing to drive their No. 83 in the Sprint Cup Series. During his rookie season with the organization he finished 31st in the driver standings and just missed winning the ROY honors.

Entering 2012 it seemed BK Racing and Cassill would continue their relationship, however, the deal fell through when they had contract disagreements.

The setback forced Cassill to join forces with Circle Sport, driving the No. 33 for the remainder of the season. He ran mildly, and very quiet, the entire season, finishing well outside the top-30 in the driver standings

Now, in 2014, Cassill is starting to ‘settle in’ with the JD Motorsports and Circle Sport organizations, while developing chemistry, and remaining loyal, all things he’s struggled to achieve in the past.

Finishing 12th in Darlington proves that Cassill is reaching the acme of his career, and with the potential he possesses, it’s possible he could wind up in victory lane, very soon.

April 12, 2014
The Earnhardt Legacy Continues to Evolve

With Preseason Thunder testing at Daytona International Speedway, thoughts of Dale Earnhardt Sr. and his legacy on the sport of NASCAR are only natural.

Yet, in spite of his being gone for thirteen years now, with his fatal crash in the Daytona 500 in 2001, his legacy continues to not only live on but evolve significantly.

One of the biggest evolutions in the legacy of Dale Earnhardt Sr. is of course the return of his infamous No. 3 car to the track with Richard Childress’ grandson Austin Dillon behind the wheel.

Both Childress and Dillon were most mindful of their impact on the Earnhardt legacy as they made the announcement prior to the start of the season.

“I know in my heart, today, as I sit here, Dale Earnhardt is smiling down,” Childress said. “He would want to see this 3.”

Childress also stated that he believes the return of the No. 3 car actually will serve to preserve the legacy of his friend ‘The Intimidator’ and will provide teachable moments about his place in the sport to new and the new and up and coming fan base.

“My hope is that Dale Earnhardt fans will be re-energized,” Childress said. “We are going to do our best to make them proud and I know Austin will.”

“I think the new fans will learn a lot about the great Dale Earnhardt by watching this.”

Indeed, the No. 3 car has indeed been the talk of the town during preseason testing, atop the speed charts at 195.109 mph when the rain finally stopped enough for the Cup cars to take the track.

An additional evolution in the Earnhardt legacy occurred this week with the announcement of the dropping of the Earnhardt name from the Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates banner.

While Dale Earnhardt’s widow Teresa Earnhardt has not been involved in the ongoing operations of the team, it is unclear what, if any, her role is moving forward.

“It’s been an honor to have the Earnhardt name affiliated with our team,” Chip Ganassi Racing President Steve Lauletta said. “Dale and Teresa have done a tremendous amount for the sport.”

“We’ll continue to do business with those (DEI) companies,” Lauletta continued. “The relationship with Teresa and DEI was a benefit to the organization and we certainly want to continue to be affiliated with them.”

“But for our partners and for the way we operate the organization, we’re changing the brand to Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates.”

While the Earnhardt name may be going away at the Cup level, the legacy continues on with another team that is affiliated with that famous moniker, JR Motorsports.

This team, headed by General Manager Kelley Earnhardt Miller, daughter of Dale Earnhardt, Sr., recently announced their new up and coming driver Chase Elliott. The 18 year old will be behind the wheel of the No. 9 NAPA car in the Nationwide Series and will team with Regan Smith.

“This will be the strongest lineup we’ve put on the track since we started racing full time in 2006,” JRM General Manger Kelley Earnhardt Miller said. “He’s that good.”

Another major evolution in the Earnhardt legacy occurred this week as well, with the announcement that NASCAR’s most popular driver and reigning Earnhardt heir Dale Junior will be losing his crew chief Steve Letarte in 2015.

NBC Sports made it official that Letarte will be joining the network in the broadcast booth, leaving the pit box of Earnhardt Jr. after this season.

“I had a pretty good understanding what his decision was going to be when I left Homestead, so I’ve had time to really wrap my brain around it,” Earnhardt Jr. said. “It was a huge shock at first, just for me personally.”

“I sat down with him and talked about it, the more it made sense and the more I understood his situation and I could put my own selfishness aside and kind of understand what was important to him and how this was good for him.”

While Dale Earnhardt Jr. is experiencing his own changes, the next generation of Earnhardts are experiencing their own evolutions on the track.

Jeffrey Earnhardt, grandson of Dale Earnhardt Sr., announced this week that he will be racing full-time in the Nationwide Series. The 24 year old driver will be behind the wheel of the No. 4 Chevrolet, teaming up with Landon Cassill, for JD Motorsports.

“It’s a great opportunity for me,” Jeffrey Earnhardt said. “This sport runs in my family, and it’s where I want to be every week.”

“Racing with Johnny and Gary and the guys will give me a shot at running well every week and adding on the experience I need.”

The final cog in the Earnhardt legacy evolution is another grandchild, however, this one is female. Twelve year old Karsyn Elledge, daughter of Kelley Earnhardt Miller, has been making her own name in the sport, racing her grandfather’s No. 3 in sprint cars with sponsor Nickelodeon.

“I didn’t get to meet him, but I know that it makes my mom and my dad proud that I run this number,” Earnhardt Elledge said. “I’ve only heard how great it was with this number and this legacy and I am excited to carry it on.”

Perhaps Dale Earnhardt Jr. summed up the evolution of the Earnhardt legacy best, as he discussed the changes in his own professional career including his crew chief.

“Life is full of change,” Junior said. “And we have to adjust and be able to move forward.”

January 11, 2014

This grading system is pretty basic. Top 10’s, with extra consideration given for wins and Top 5’s, can help you earn an A+. Keep it in the Top 20 each race and that is worth a B. Just by finishing 30^th each time out and that would still get you a C-. Less than that is a failure; a failure to compete, a failure to get noticed.

Grade: A

The top students have been to joy to have in class, even though Jimmie did cost himself an A+ by playing hookey in the weeks leading to the Chase. We are hopeful Kyle continues his stellar work through the final part of the year, though he has had trouble in the past. Matt has really hit the books as of late, and could wind up class valedictorian if he continues his progress. Carl once again is near the head of the class, but time will tell if can charge to the front to finally be number one.

CAR	DRIVER	WINS	TOP 5	TOP 10	TOP 20	TOP 30
48	Jimmie JOHNSON	4	11	17	21	25
18	Kyle BUSCH	4	13	17	20	22
20	Matt KENSETH	7	8	15	21	24
99	Carl EDWARDS	2	8	14	24	26

Grade: A-

Kevin has been in the top half of the class pretty much the entire year and only twice has the dog eaten his homework. Clint is usually a very popular boy, but for some reason I detect that many of his classmates do not want him to wind up at the head of the class this year.

CAR	DRIVER	WINS	TOP 5	TOP 10	TOP 20	TOP 30
29	Kevin HARVICK	2	7	14	25	25
15	Clint BOWYER	0	8	14	24	26

Grade: B+

Kurt, who usually does not play well with others, has some cheering for him. It will be interesting how he works with his new friends when class resumes next year. Kasey had some trouble last week, as did little Joey a week earlier. Dale is once again a very popular boy while Ryan has had some issues to work through, but seems to have replaced former friends with some new ones for next year. Martin has had some problems as well due to the company he keeps, and I am not sure how that will work out. Greg remains a solid student, with Mark helping Tony since he hurt his leg. Meanwhile, Jeff needed some help near the end of the term, though I am not sure it will be enough for him to realize his dreams by the end of the school year.

CAR	DRIVER	WINS	TOP 5	TOP 10	TOP 20	TOP 30
78	Kurt BUSCH	0	9	14	20	23
5	Kasey KAHNE	2	8	11	18	20
22	Joey LOGANO	1	8	14	19	23
88	Dale EARNHARDT, Jr	0	5	15	21	24
39	Ryan NEWMAN	1	6	13	21	22
56	Martin TRUEX, Jr	1	6	12	21	23
16	Greg BIFFLE	1	4	11	23	24
14	Tony STEWART	1	5	10	19	27
24	Jeff GORDON	0	5	13	21	22

Grade: B

It has been a disappointing year for some students. Brad has stumbled a bit since being last year’s valedictorian. Juan Pablo plans to transfer out of our school next year, returning to where he had previously enjoyed very good grades. His friend Jamie will remain with us, and has hopes of improving his status next year. Mark has been busy, first helping Brian earlier this year and now Tony. I am expecting good things when Brian returns full-time next year. Along with Paul, they might not make the honor roll this year, but these boys have done enough work to show they belong here.

Grade: B-

Aric has shown signs that we might expect better things ahead for him. Jeff, as always, was expecting more. As he leaves us a year early, we will miss this well spoken young man.

CAR	DRIVER	WINS	TOP 5	TOP 10	TOP 20	TOP 30
43	Aric ALMIROLA	0	1	5	22	24
31	Jeff BURTON	0	2	6	17	23

Grade: C+

Marcos and Ricky have been okay, though not great. They both manage to get their work done, but I still would like to see better things from them before the year is out.

CAR	DRIVER	WINS	TOP 5	TOP 10	TOP 20	TOP 30
9	Marcos AMBROSE	0	0	5	19	23
17	Ricky STENHOUSE, Jr	0	0	2	20	25

Grade: C

I do not know what to say about Denny. I know he was hurt earlier in the year, but he has not been his old self since he returned. It appears he would just as soon end the year, go on vacation, and start afresh next year.

CAR	DRIVER	WINS	TOP 5	TOP 10	TOP 20	TOP 30
11	Denny HAMLIN	0	3	6	12	19

Grade: C-

Casey is not quite ready to compete with the big boys just yet, but I have been pleased with his progress. I am interested to see how he might do next year. I will miss Bobby, though he has had another disappointing year. Some seem happy with Danica’s progress, but I feel we should expect more by this time. She is blessed with so much more than a lot of the other students. David did succeed on the subject of Alabama geography, with some help from his close friend, the other David, but neither are quite there yet. As for A.J., who sometimes goes by Regan or Austin or, just last week, by Michael, might make some real progress once he figures out who he really is.

CAR	DRIVER	WINS	TOP 5	TOP 10	TOP 20	TOP 30
13	Casey MEARS	0	0	1	9	23
47	Bobby LABONTE	0	0	1	8	21
10	Danica PATRICK	0	0	1	6	23
34	David RAGAN	1	1	1	4	21
38	David GILLILAND	0	1	1	5	20
51	A.J. ALLMENDINGER	0	0	2	7	18

Grade: F

To be honest, I am not sure why these boys are even in my class. Both Dave and Travis, I am sure, would do so much better at Nationwide High. What can you say about J.J. (other than he enjoyed Daytona seven months ago), David S. (who just isn’t the same boy the past two weeks), David R. or Timmy? No, really. What can you say about them? Well, I’ve seen worse. I feel bad for Trevor, as I think if he would attend class more often he might be able to pull in a better grade than this. However, to be fair, of the nine assignments he has done, none have been much to write home about. As for Landon, things just don’t seem to work out. He and Tony R. have done most of the assignments for Austin, which is too bad as the young fellow has done so much better on the two he has written on his own. There are other students who drop in from time to time, but I have reserved my remarks for those who have tried to attend class at least nine times this year. God bless Scott, Michael, Joe, and Mike, but if the school board ever considers reducing class size, they make a good argument. To be honest, they usually do not stick around long enough to become a nuisance. The sad thing is, all four have ability but you never get to see it.

CAR	DRIVER	WINS	TOP 5	TOP 10	TOP 20	TOP 30
7	Dave BLANEY	0	0	0	2	18
93	Travis KVAPIL	0	0	0	4	15
36	J.J. YELEY	0	0	1	2	14
30	David STREMME	0	0	0	4	13
83	David REUTIMANN	0	0	0	1	14
32	Timmy HILL	0	0	0	2	12
21	Trevor BAYNE	0	0	0	4	8
40	Landon CASSILL	0	0	0	4	8
33	Austin DILLON	0	0	0	2	12
95	Scott SPEED	0	0	1	1	3
98	Michael MCDOWELL	0	0	1	1	2
87	Joe NEMECHEK	0	0	0	0	3
19	Mike BLISS	0	0	0	0	1

September 24, 2013

Surprising and Not Surprising: New Hampshire Sylvania 300

With a little bit of magic as well as mayhem, especially on pit road, here is what else was surprising and not so surprising in the 17^th annual running of the Sylvania 300 at the New Hampshire Motor Speedway.

Surprising: With no wins and a 20^th best driver rating at the Magic Mile, one driver who just so happened to be celebrating his 500^th career start, defied the odds, scoring his second win in two Chase races.

Victor Matt Kenseth also became only the third driver to win back to back in the Chase, joining Tony Stewart and Greg Biffle in that accomplishment.

“For me to win at New Hampshire, first of all, is more than a stretch and more than a dream,” the driver of the No. 20 Home Depot/Husky Toyota said. “This is probably one of my worst places.”

“That just shows you how good this whole team is,” Kenseth continued. “I didn’t even know there was a Victory Lane here.”

“It honestly doesn’t really seem real that we won yet.”

Not Surprising: As has happened for most of the season, restarts played a pivotal role for several drivers at the Magic Mile, including those drivers that finished second and third.

For Kyle Busch, who finished runner up yet again to teammate Kenseth, the final restart was what did him in, however, Greg Biffle, who finished third, credited a good restart with his top-five finish.

“Those last couple restarts just making some spots, I spun my tires too much,” Busch said. “But just frustrating sometimes when you feel like you’re getting beat on restarts too much.”

“Other than that, second.”

“There at the end, we just drove — we just kept gaining positions,” Biffle said. “I gained like four or five spots on a couple restarts in a row and got up in the top six, and then that final restart the outside lane really got going good.”

“I’m excited about finishing third,” Biffle continued. “Our car was competitive, and we’re happy about the whole weekend.”

Kyle Busch posted his eighth top-10 finish in 18 races at New Hampshire Motor Speedway and Biffle posted his ninth top-10 finish in 23 races at the Magic Mile.

Biffle was NASCAR’s biggest mover, gaining six places in the point standings as he leap frogged to the fifth position, while Busch held serve in P2, just 14 points behind Kenseth.

Surprising: For all the bad luck that the No. 24 team has had throughout the regular season, this time the driver was the one that caused the poor finish.

Jeff Gordon, four-time champion, made a critical error in getting just far enough out of his pit box to have to back up, losing precious time and costing him vital track position, as well as a 15^th place finish.

“I’m highly disappointed in myself,” Gordon said. “I just came in and slid through.”

“I carried a little bit more speed in there and crossed the splitter over the line by an inch and that’s all it takes to make a difference between a chance at winning and finishing 15^th.”

Not Surprising: After getting booted out of the Chase through no fault of his own, as well as losing his NAPA sponsorship, Martin Truex Jr. had something to prove. And he did just that, leading 98 laps and bringing his No. 56 NAPA Toyota to a top-ten finish at the Magic Mile.

We had a good car the first half of the race,” Truex Jr. said. “That last set of tires was just terrible for us.”

“We obviously made some huge gains in the right direction,” Truex Jr. continued. “Just weren’t good enough to be there when it counted.”

Surprising: Kasey Kahne took a surprisingly hard hit into the wall and ended up appearing to be confused, unable to hear the questions, or perhaps just really disappointed in his 37^th place finish.

“I seriously don’t really remember how it happened,” the driver of the No. 5 Great Clips Chevrolet said. “I hit the inside wall but I’m not sure how I got there.”

Not Surprising: The Cinderella slipper lost just a little bit of its luster after yet another issue on pit road. So, it was not surprising that the driver of the No. 78 Furniture Row Chevrolet was just a tad upset and pretty disappointed at the race end.

“We didn’t hit it right on the adjustments today,” Busch said. “While we aren’t pleased with where we finished (13^th), we fought for every position.”

“We know we can do much better.”

Surprising: Who knew someone would be so happy to be on the rebound? But Dale Earnhardt, Jr. was just that, finishing sixth after a disastrous first Chase race.

“Just real happy to be able to rebound from earlier,” the driver of the No. 88 Time Warner Cable Chevrolet said. “Glad we were able to get a decent finish.”

Not Surprising: Testing apparently paid off for one five-time champion Jimmie Johnson, who finished a strong fourth, now just 18 points behind leader Kenseth. And the driver of the No. 48 Lowes Chevrolet pronounced himself pleased with his team’s flat track program.

“It took a lot of hard work to get the end result, but we’ve got a nice race car for these flat tracks,” Johnson said. “I’m looking forward to Phoenix now.”

“It’s good to have a good run here knowing we can go to Phoenix and be competitive too.”

Surprising: After an early spin on lap 38 to bring out the second caution of the race, Jamie McMurray had a surprising bounce back to finish fifth. The driver of the No. 1 Linksys Chevrolet for Earnhardt Ganassi Racing gave the Chevrolet brand one of the two top-fives when the checkered flag flew.

“Yeah, are car was really good even after the crash,” McMurray said. “Just a fun day racing.”

Not Surprising: Veteran driver Jeff Burton has literally ‘owned’ the New Hampshire Motor Speedway over the years, often in dominating fashion leading laps and heading straight to Victory Lane.

So, it was not surprising that the driver of the No. 31 Cheerios Chevrolet SS had another good run at the Magic Mile. Burton was the fourth Chevrolet driver to finish top-10, scoring an eighth place at his ‘favorite’ track.

Surprising: In spite of Stewart-Haas Racing scoring the pole with Ryan Newman with a new track record, it was surprisingly not a stellar day for the team. Newman ended up finishing 16^th, while teammates Mark Martin and Danica Patrick finished 23^rd and 27^th respectively.

“I still don’t understand what happened with the car,” Newman said. “It just never drove the same after we won the pole on Friday afternoon.”

“Even in practice on Saturday. Glad we got back up to 16th after the deal on pit road, but I don’t know,” Newman continued. “We’ll head to Dover and see what we can get.”

“It’s disappointing for sure,” Patrick said after making her second start at the Magic Mile. “The car just never felt ‘in’ the track today.”

“It was a frustrating day,” Martin said. “We just could never get track position.”

“It wasn’t the ideal race.”

Not Surprising: Landon Cassill, driver of the No. 40 Moonshine Attitude Attire Chevrolet, not surprisingly had the best response via Twitter to the race after finishing 34th.

“Tough day today,” Cassill tweeted. “We had a decent car but got trapped on pit road when the caution came out.”

“That’s the way the pickle squirts as my mom says.”

September 23, 2013
Surprising and Not Surprising: Kansas Hollywood Casino 400

[media-credit name=”Credit: Wesley Hitt/Getty Images for NASCAR” align=”alignright” width=”236″][/media-credit]On a repaved track that even team owner Jack Roush pronounced surprisingly fast and treacherous and with a record number of cautions to boot, here is what else was surprising and not surprising in the 12^th annual Hollywood Casino 400 at Kansas Speedway.

Surprising: While many know his wicked sense of humor through social media, they now know just how much it means for him to stand in Victory Lane, not as a lame duck with a team he will leave at year end, but as the first time race winner on the newly repaved Kansas Speedway.

“It really means a lot,” Matt Kenseth, driver of the No. 17 Zest Ford for Roush Fenway Racing said in Victory Lane, his voice choked with emotion.” I really got to thank God for all the opportunities he’s put in front of me.”

Kenseth’s victory was not an easy one, having hit the outside wall hard and sustaining right side damage to the car. This was Kenseth’s first Kansas win, his third victory of the season, and his 24^th career victory, moving him into a tie for 26^th on the all-time Series win list.

“You never know when your next win is,” Kenseth said. “Especially as you get older, you appreciate it more.”

“I’m really thankful and humbled to be here honestly.”

Not Surprising: Whether the lucky horseshoe or shades of the ‘Six Million Dollar Man’, Chad Knaus and team 48 proved they could rebuild the battered back end of Jimmie Johnson’s wrecked race car, making it better, stronger and faster.

In fact, Johnson was so much better, stronger, and faster that after the on pit road rebuild, he rallied back to finish ninth in his Lowe’s Chevrolet. And with that comeback, Johnson, not surprisingly, also had a message to share with his fellow Chase competitors.

“I’m just now getting a chance to look at the damage on the car and it was pretty severe,” Johnson said after the race. “I’m definitely proud of this team and the fact that we never give up.”

“It’s more mature racing here in 2012,” Johnson continued. “We showed what our team is capable of.”

“I hope the other guys are paying attention.”

Surprising: The championship point’s leader surprisingly continued to have survival on his mind, a theme that carried over from Talladega right into the race in the Midwest heartland.

Brad Keselowski, driver of the No. 2 Blue Deuce, managed to finish eighth, one spot ahead of Chaser Jimmie Johnson, over whom he maintains a seven point lead in the standings.

“I said when we finished Talladega that somebody should make ‘I Survived Talladega’ t-shirts,” Keselowski said. “Well, I didn’t know coming to Kansas it was going to be the same.”

“Just wrecks and accidents and blown tires; everything you can imagine happened,” Keselowski continued. “It seemed like every wreck happened in front of me.”

“I felt really lucky to survive it.”

Not Surprising: While Kansas broke many hearts on race day this past weekend, there was no one more heart broken than the driver of the No. 43 Farmland Ford Fusion. Aric Almirola qualified fifth and led over 60 laps of the race before blowing a tire and slamming into the wall so hard that it took his breath away.

“I have never in my entire life had a race car that good,” Almirola said. “It was just so fast and so easy to drive.”

“I hate that it ended like this but I have always been told you have to give a few away before you can win one,” Almirola continued. “We certainly gave one away today.”

Surprising: It was indeed a tale of two Kansas races, yet with a surprisingly similar result. Martin Truex Jr., in the No. 56 NAPA Auto Parts Toyota finished second for the second time at Kansas Speedway.

“Well, it’s a lot different mood after this one,” Truex said after the race. “After the first one I was disappointed. Today, I’m happy with my team and my race car.”

“We really had to battle for this one,” That’s a good run for us for sure.”

With his bridesmaid finish, Truex Jr. gained one position in the point standings to sixth, 43 points out of first.

Not Surprising: Unfortunately, Kansas was killing Clint Bowyer softly with its song, even though he finished sixth in his No. 15 5-Hour Energy Benefitting Avon Foundation Toyota for Michael Waltrip Racing.

“I think I started on the outside one time early in the race and just every time it just killed me,” Bowyer said. “I don’t know what the hell was going on behind us.”

“They kept wrecking,” Bowyer continued. “Restarts kind of killed us all day long.”

Surprising: There were a surprising number of temper tantrums, more typical of a short track like Martinsville than the mile and a half at Kansas. Tempers flared between Danica Patrick and Landon Cassill, as they did between Kyle Busch and Ryan Newman.

Patrick, in her No. 10 GoDaddy.com Chevrolet actually took herself out on lap 155 as a result of her on-track tiff with the driver of the No. 83 Burger King Toyota.

“I have just been really frustrated with the No. 83,” Patrick said. “It’s been pretty consistent with him getting into me.”

“So, at some point in time, I have to stand up for myself,” Patrick continued. “The bummer is I’m out of the race and he’s not.”

Patrick finished 32^nd, while Cassill brought home his race car for a much better 18th place finish.

Kyle Busch, in the No. 18 M&M’s Halloween Toyota, finished 31^st after a scuffle with the driver of the No. 39 Code 3 Associates Chevrolet. And this one might result in some payback as the 2012 season winds down.

“Everything is just on edge,” Busch said. “Newman just ran up on the back of me and got me loose.”

“So, just impatience,” Busch continued. “I’m glad he’s wrecked along with me and he’ll get another one here before the year is out.”

Not Surprising: With his crew chief back after suspension, it was not surprising for this driver to pull off a top five finish. In fact, Paul Menard, in the No. 27 Certainteed Insulation/Menards Chevrolet, finished third at Kansas.

“We had Slugger (Labbe, crew chief) back this weekend,” Menard said. “He is well rested after six weeks off and had some good ideas to try this weekend.”

“We had a good car,” Menard continued. “It was just a matter of getting us up there.”

Surprising: The ‘uh oh’ uttered by Hendrick Motorsports teammate Jeff Gordon surprisingly captured the moment late in the race for Kasey Kahne, driver of the No. 5 Farmers Insurance Chevrolet.

Kahne, who started out on the pole after shattering the track qualifying record, had a chance to win before he shut off his engine during a caution in an attempt to save fuel.

As a result, he lost several spots on the race track before getting his car back up to minimum speed, managing a fourth place finish instead of that oh-so-close victory.

“It just wouldn’t re-fire,” Kahne said after the race. “Disappointing.”

“It was coming to me at the end,” Kahne continued. “We just weren’t close enough at that point in time.”

Not Surprising: From telling his team to get their heads out of their ‘expletive’ to praising them effusively after the race, Tony Stewart did, in his own words, have ‘an eventful day.’

The driver of the No. 14 Office Depot/Mobil 1 Chevrolet started 33^rd, had to overcome a pit stop where his crew left a wrench in the car, battled an incident with Jeff Burton and a spin to finish fifth.

This was Smoke’s sixth top-five in Sprint Cup starts at Kansas, pre and post repaving, having to pass 74 cars during the race to do so.

“We had some stuff to deal with, but our guys never gave up,” Stewart said. “We probably had to pass more cars than anybody today, but that seems to be our MO.”

“That’s how we won a championship last year, by never giving up.”

Surprising: While there was a surprising bit of a confusion on the part of team owner Rick Hendrick about the status of Dale Earnhardt Junior’s return to the race car (and he will return at Martinsville), substitute driver Regan Smith was feeling surprisingly right at home in the No. 88 National Guard/Diet Mountain Dew Chevrolet.

In fact, Smith felt so much at home that he finished top-ten, in the seventh position.

“It’s been nice to be able to step in and have them treat me like a normal driver,” Smith said. “I know Dale (Earnhardt, Jr.) is excited to get back so that is going to be good for him.”

“Looking forward to whatever comes next for me.”

Not Surprising: The other drivers in new seats struggled on the newly repaved Kansas track. Kurt Busch, in the No. 78 Furniture Row/Farm American Chevrolet, finished 25^th and A.J. Allmendinger, in the No. 51 Phoenix Construction Chevrolet, finished even further back in 35^th.

But not surprisingly, both drivers and teams looked on the bright side of life in spite of the wrecks and results.

“Kurt Busch showed all of us today what an impressive driver he is,” Todd Berrier, crew chief, said. “It was the performance that counted today, not the finishing result.”

“The car was fast and we were running well,” Allmendinger said. “Tried to save it and I feel bad.”

“I hope I’m in the car next week, but if not, it’s meant the world to get back to the sport,” Dinger continued. “I love the sport.”

October 24, 2012

[media-credit id=43 align=”alignright” width=”268″][/media-credit]At the newly-paved Pocono Raceway, young Joey Logano put the moves on veteran Mark Martin, literally, to score the race win. This was career win number two for the driver of the No. 20 Home Depot Toyota and his first win of the season.

With the victory, Logano became the youngest race winner at Pocono.

“That feels awesome to finally win one the right way,” Logano said. “You don’t know how much this means.”

“I knew my car was better than his and clean air was worth so much,” Logano said of his battle with Martin. “I didn’t want to get in the back of Mark there.”

“I saw the bobble coming off 3 and I knew that was my chance,” Logano continued. “I would have been on suicide watch if I would have given it away like that.”

Logano’s crew chief, Jason Ratcliff, got his first Sprint Cup win as well.

“We were saving the best Gibbs car for last,” Jason Ratcliff said, with a chuckle. “To get my first win at Pocono is a great experience and to get it with Joey was the best.”

“It was a great weekend for us.”

In contrast to the youngest race winner, Mark Martin, one of the veterans of the sport and driver of the No. 55 Aaron’s Dream Machine Toyota, came in second after being moved out of the way by the youngster.

This was Martin’s second second place finish at Pocono, posting his 34^th top-10 in 51 races at Pocono. It is his fifth top-10 finish of the season.

“We were racing hard,” Mark Martin said. “I wanted to win it so bad.”

“I’d call it a bump and run,” Martin said of Logano’s move. “It’s not how I would have done it.”

“If I had a fast enough car, he would have gotten a return,” Martin continued. “It was a great race and I’m very, very proud of my race team for putting me in something that would give me a shot.”

“Maybe next week, we’ll be the ones with the trophy.”

Tony Stewart, driver of the No. 14 Mobil 1/Office Depot Chevrolet, finished third. This was Smoke’s 19^th top-10 finish in 27 races at Pocono.

“It was frustrating the first half of the race until guys got their cars better,” Stewart said. “You really just kind of got stuck and then it seems like the longer the race went, the easier it got to pass toward the end.”

“The restarts were insane,” Smoke continued. “All in all, for a freshly paved track, it was a pretty good race.”

The day started with a bang at the ‘Tricky Triangle’, with a record two cautions in the first 15 laps, on for an accident involving Landon Cassill, Martin Truex, Jr. and AJ Allmendinger and the second for an accident involving Reed Sorenson, Tony Raines, and JJ Yeley.

“Sometimes when you try to take it easy, you get yourself in trouble,” Cassill, driver of the No. 83 Burger King/Real Fruit Smoothies said. “I really hate this.”

“This is two tough weeks in a row and it’s tough on my guys.”

One of the other drivers involved in the early race melee, AJ Allmendinger, was very slow in exiting his car after his on-track incident in his No. 22 Shell/Pennzoil Dodge.

“I’m not sure what happened,” Dinger said. “I think I blew a right front.”

“I’m just a little sore, had the wind knocked out of me,” Allmendinger continued. “That might be one of the hardest hits I’ve had.”

The other big story from the Pocono 400 presented by #NASCAR was the incredible number of speeding penalties, some entering but most exiting pit road. The final tally for pit road speeding penalties total was 22 and affected drivers from Jeff Gordon to Jeff Burton.

“I was obviously being told by my crew chief that a lot of guys were getting busted in that last segment,” Stewart said. “We just made sure we were a little bit on the conservative side.”

“It just shows the guys are pushing the envelope on it so close,” Smoke said. “But it makes you wonder if something was going on because a lot of guys got busted in the same spot.”

The other news from Long Pond was that a new points leader emerged after the Pocono 400 presented by #NASCAR. With Greg Biffle’s 24^th place finish, his teammate Matt Kenseth, who finished seventh, scored the top dog position.

“It’s probably the best we’ve ever performed at Pocono,” the driver of the No. 17 Ford EcoBoost Fusion said. “That was the positive part because we went up there and led some laps under green and thought we were pretty competitive.”

In typical Kenseth style, his comment on assuming the points lead was “It’s better than being second.”

“But I’m kind of disappointed,” Kenseth continued. “I thought we had a shot to win under the right circumstances.”

“Us and the 88 (Dale Earnhardt, Jr.) were pretty strong when we were out front and it just didn’t happen,” Kenseth said. “We’ll keep working on it, but I’m happy we got a decent finish and took over the point lead.”

Unofficial Race Results
Pocono 400, Pocono Raceway
http://www.speedwaymedia.com/Cup/race.php?race=14
=========================================
Pos.	St.	No.	Driver	Make	Points
=========================================
1	1	20	Joey Logano	Toyota	48
2	6	55	Mark Martin	Toyota	43
3	22	14	Tony Stewart	Chevrolet	41
4	24	48	Jimmie Johnson	Chevrolet	40
5	5	11	Denny Hamlin	Toyota	40
6	16	15	Clint Bowyer	Toyota	38
7	14	17	Matt Kenseth	Ford	38
8	8	88	Dale Earnhardt Jr.	Chevrolet	37
9	3	27	Paul Menard	Chevrolet	35
10	11	1	Jamie McMurray	Chevrolet	35
11	2	99	Carl Edwards	Ford	33
12	18	39	Ryan Newman	Chevrolet	32
13	9	9	Marcos Ambrose	Ford	31
14	21	29	Kevin Harvick	Chevrolet	30
15	20	31	Jeff Burton	Chevrolet	29
16	7	78	Regan Smith	Chevrolet	28
17	17	42	Juan Montoya	Chevrolet	28
18	31	2	Brad Keselowski	Dodge	26
19	12	24	Jeff Gordon	Chevrolet	25
20	23	56	Martin Truex Jr.	Toyota	24
21	25	51	David Reutimann	Chevrolet	23
22	27	47	Bobby Labonte	Toyota	22
23	36	38	David Gilliland	Ford	22
24	13	16	Greg Biffle	Ford	21
25	42	10	Dave Blaney	Chevrolet	19
26	37	93	Travis Kvapil	Toyota	18
27	34	34	David Ragan	Ford	18
28	29	43	Aric Almirola	Ford	16
29	10	5	Kasey Kahne	Chevrolet	15
30	4	18	Kyle Busch	Toyota	14
31	19	22	AJ Allmendinger	Dodge	13
32	40	36	Tony Raines	Chevrolet	12
33	43	33	Stephen Leicht *	Chevrolet	11
34	30	98	Michael McDowell	Ford	10
35	26	13	Casey Mears	Ford	9
36	32	249	J.J. Yeley	Toyota	8
37	33	87	Joe Nemechek	Toyota	0
38	28	119	Mike Bliss	Toyota	0
39	39	74	Stacy Compton	Chevrolet	5
40	38	23	Scott Riggs	Chevrolet	4
41	41	32	Reed Sorenson	Ford	0
42	35	26	Josh Wise *	Ford	3
43	15	83	Landon Cassill	Toyota	1

June 10, 2012

Travis Kvapil All About Building

[media-credit name=”Gary Buchanan” align=”alignright” width=”182″][/media-credit]For Travis Kvapil, whose No. 93 Burger King Toyota team came together in February of this year, the focus, as a driver and a team member, is all about building. And building they are, both on the track and in the point standings.

“Everything is new, my crew chief, the team, everything,” Kvapil said. “So, it takes a little while to build that notebook and build those relationships.”

“I think overall for the season, our goal is to scratch our way into the top 25 in points,” Kvapil, who currently sits in the 32^nd points position, continued. “That would be a good goal for us.”

“It will be tough to get there because if you look at who is around us in points, there are no slouches,” Kvapil said. “We’re going to have to perform better.”

“Our goals are to finish in the top-20,” Kvapil continued. “That’s where we set our standard and for the most part, we’ve been able to achieve that.”

“I just believe as the season goes, we’ll continue to building and get better and better.”

Kvapil also had to do some character building, particularly after the tough run he had in Dover. He and his team were involved in the early ‘big one’ at the Monster Mile and, to make matters worse, his teammate Landon Cassill was also involved in the wreck.

“To finish 23^rd with a car all torn up and 50 laps down, I didn’t really expect that,” Kvapil said. “It’s just one of those things that Dover, you’re going so fast there.”

“So when they wreck in front of you there coming off Turn Two, you can’t see,” Kvapil continued. “When I came around the corner I saw Landon (Cassill) sideways.”

“Immediately I’m on the brakes but you’re just going too fast and there’s nowhere to go,” Kvapil said. “I saw him and I kind of made the move I thought would help, but Landon was sitting here parked.”

“And I thought ‘perfect, just perfect, of all the guys.’

“I tried my best to avoid him but I just really couldn’t,” Kvapil said. “There’s going to be days when we’re going to race each other and days where we’re going to be in the same wreck.”

“And it just happened to be one of those days last weekend at Dover.”

Kvapil definitely felt that the Dover experience was not only a gut check and character building experience him as a driver, but also for his race team. He was especially with the resilience of his team in the face of such adversity.

“I was really proud of the guys,” Kvapil said. “We’re obviously a brand new team.”

“I feel like some of the things, like crash repair and having fenders ready, I didn’t think we were quite prepared for all that,” Kvapil continued. “We have enough to worry about getting cars to the track and getting caught up..”

“So, a lot of times, those kinds of things get pushed to the side but I was very impressed with our team,” Kvapil said. “They did a great job.”

“They got the fenders cut off and got the car rolling and we didn’t have to go to the garage so that saved us a bunch of time,” Kvapil continued. “I’m really proud of them and they did a great job and gained us a bunch of points last week.”

Kvapil is also anticipating continuation of the building process as he and his team tackle the ‘Tricky Triangle.’ And he has high hopes for his race at the newly repaved Pocono Raceway, especially after the days of testing this past week.

“It was a good opportunity to get up here and test,” Kvapil said. “It’s been a long week but we don’t get many opportunities to get real information at the real track with the real tire and have data acquisition telemetry on the car.”

“So, we have really good feedback when we make a change,” Kvapil continued. “We can go look at the computer and see what it really did to the shock travels or where the splitter’s at on the race track or whatever.”

“It’s been invaluable for us to get that information,” Kvapil said. “For us it was a lot about making changes and collecting data so that when we go to tracks down the road, we can maybe pull that out of our memory bank and apply it and have more of an educated knowledge of what it does to the race car.”

Kvapil, like many of his fellow competitors, had nothing but praise for the repave at the Pocono Raceway. Unlike some of the other drivers, however, Kvapil feels that we might just see another groove come into the track, especially as the racing continues over the weekend.

“The track is great,” Kvapil said. “It’s got a lot of grip.”

“When we first got on the track on Wednesday, the groove was pretty narrow but it’s widening out,” Kvapil continued. “I’d say it’s one and three quarters of a groove right now.”

“So, the more the weekend goes, the more the groove will widen out,” Kvapil said. “It’s just a matter of getting out there in race conditions and forcing that second lane. I think the racing will be great.”

Kvapil is also looking forward to building his racing notebook about Pocono, especially as it pertains to track position and tire strategies.

“Tires are one thing we have been looking at,” Kvapil said. “It doesn’t seem like the left side tire wear was too bad so there might be opportunities to do two tires and pick up some spots or maybe even fuel only.”

“The tires that Goodyear brought are holding up real well and it doesn’t seem like there’s a lot of fall off,” Kvapil continued. “So, anytime there is something new, it will take a while to figure things out and what the best strategy will be.”

“Track position is always important, especially when you’re running 170 miles an hour,” Kvapil said. “Track position is important but I think with the long straight-aways, you should be able to make the passes if you have a good handling car. Hopefully we can do that Sunday.”

In addition to building his on-track performance, Kvapil is also working hard to build a solid relationship with his teammate as well as between the two teams. And he thinks the world of his new teammate Landon Cassill.

“I really have a lot of respect for Landon,” Kvapil said. “Being as young as he is, he’s very mature. He’s got a lot of experience and he’s great with sponsors, owners, and the media.”

“He’s a really good kid and a really good race car driver,” Kvapil said. “We share information, our thoughts, and what’s happening at the track. I’m happy and I couldn’t ask for a better teammate.”

“Me and him both are trying to build BK Racing and take it to the next level,” Kvapil continued. “I think we have a great relationship so we can do that together.”

Whether on or off the track, Kvapil feels there is just one thing needed to continue to build his own team and his BK Racing team, perseverance.

“I think the lesson is hard work, dedication and perseverance through the hard times,” Kvapil said. “I think back in my career in racing and my days growing up in Wisconsin, working on my car all hours of the night to get to the race track just to race for a couple hours on a Saturday night.”

“It was something I loved but it was a lot of hard work and dedication,” Kvapil continued. “There’s always bumps in the road but you have to figure out a way how to get through them.”

“You just keep fighting and if it’s something that you have your heart set on and enjoy, you always find a way,” Kvapil said. “You build by being dedicated and believing in yourself.”

June 9, 2012

Brad KESELOWSKI

Juan Pablo MONTOYA

Jamie MCMURRAY

Brian VICKERS

Paul MENARD

[media-credit id=26 align=”alignright” width=”230″][/media-credit]Jimmie Johnson, complete with his Madagascar No. 48 car and wig, mastered the Monster Mile for the seventh time, tying Bobby Allison and the King, Richard Petty, for the most career wins at Dover International Speedway.

This was Johnson’s 57^th victory in 376 Cup races and his second victory in 2012.

“I’m just proud of this hair,” Johnson said, still rocking his Madagascar wig. “It brought some speed to the team.”

“It was just a fun day,” Johnson continued. “We had a fast car and amazing pit stops.”

“When you lead the most laps, sometimes it can backfire on a dominant car,” Johnson said. “It was a brand new race car so I’m just proud of the effort.”

“The car was really good,” Chad Knaus, Johnson’s crew chief, said. “Jimmie’s the man here.”

“He understands this race track and enjoys coming here,” Knaus continued. “We enjoy it as well.”

Kevin Harvick, in the No. 29 Jimmy John’s Chevrolet, was not able to live up to his ‘Closer’ moniker, but did finish in the runner up spot, maintaining his seventh position in the point standings. This was Harvick’s 18^th top-10 finish at the Monster Mile.

“The 48 just had us covered today,” Harvick said. “But all in all our Jimmy John’s guys did a good job.”

“I made a mistake on pit road, but we had a car capable of making up positions and drive back through the pack,” Harvick continued. “We were able to keep up with the race track and that was the key to get in position to at least give ourselves a chance.”

“We had a solid race.”

The driver of the No. 17 Best Buy Ford, Matt Kenseth, came in third in the FedEx 400 Benefitting Autism Speaks. He remains second in the point standings, just one point behind his Roush Fenway Racing teammate Greg Biffle.

“We honestly struggled,” Kenseth said of his race. “But I’m happy to come home third in a car that didn’t drive the way we wanted it.”

“I feel good about our points position obviously,” Kenseth continued. “But certainly, we know we have some work to do.”

“I don’t think anyone could run with the 48 so we have some work to do.”

Dale Earnhardt, Jr., behind the wheel of the No. 88 AMP Energy/Diet Mountain Dew Chevrolet, and Clint Bowyer, driving the No. 15 5-Hour Energy Toyota, rounded out the top five.

“We needed a little more grip in the front end,” Junior said. “We had a good car though.”

“We had a good run and a good points day,” Junior continued, moving up one spot to third in points, just ten back from the leader. “I want to congratulate Jimmie my teammate.”

“It was a solid weekend,” Bowyer said. “I had a tough day on pit road, but we could battle back on restarts.”

“I’m proud of the effort and MWR had good cars all weekend long.”

The race was marred by a monstrous crash early in the race, in fact on Lap 9, involving thirteen cars. This was the most cars in a wreck to date in the 2012 season.

Drivers from Regan Smith to Tony Stewart, Juan Pablo Montoya, and Landon Cassill, to name a few, were involved in the melee, which brought out the red flag for 19 min 54 seconds.

“I actually didn’t even feel him (Tony Stewart) touch me,” Landon Cassill, driver of the No. 83 Burger King/Dr. Pepper Toyota, said. Cassill’s car bore the brunt of the multiple-car pileup.

“I was just passed by the No. 1 (Jamie McMurray) and I was trying to dime in the corner a little bit more,” Cassill continued. “He (Stewart) was just barely there.”

“Tony is one of the most patient drivers and especially in this part of the race,” Cassill said. “It’s just too bad that it tore up that many race cars.”

Regan Smith, behind the wheel of the No. 78 Furniture Row/CSX Play It Safe Chevrolet, took responsibility for the wreck.

“I know I got in the back of the 14 and spun him,” Smith said. “There’s a lot of wrecked race cars here and none of us like that, especially on Lap 9.”

For Tony Stewart’s part, the driver of the No. 14 Mobil 1/Office Depot Chevrolet, said that it was a matter of being at the wrong place at the wrong time.

“As far back as we were, I didn’t have the luxury of being patient,” Smoke said. “It’s just a crappy weekend all around.”

The mile was monstrous for the Busch brothers, with Kurt Busch, in the No. 51 Phoenix Construction Services Chevrolet, having two pit road penalties and ultimately blowing his engine, and Kyle Busch having engine woes as well, which put him out of the race.

Kurt Busch, who had had an altercation with Sporting News reporter Bob Pockrass after the Nationwide race again displayed his anger and frustration, asking his team at one point, “Anybody want to drive?”

Kyle Busch, driving the No. 18 M&M’s Toyota, said that dropping a valve ended their day early in at the Monster Mile.

“It’s real unfortunate,” Busch said. “We had a good car, we were running up front there. We were biding our time trying to see if we couldn’t keep up with the race track.”

“I hate it that we give a post-race interview this way rather than finishing.”

‘Concrete Carl’ also had difficulties at the Monster Mile. Edwards, in his No. 99 Subway Ford, blew a tire and hit the wall hard on Lap 165.

“Our front right tire went flat,” Edwards said. “It is so frustrating to have that good of a car.”

“We will come back and get them in the fall.”

The race at the Monster Mile also sported several engine failures, including Kurt Busch, Kyle Busch, David Reutimann and Jeff Burton. This was more engine failures at Dover than in the last three races combined.

“First of all we had a good car today,” Burton said of his No. 31 BB&T Chevrolet, which was running in the ninth position prior to the engine failure. “That’s the good thing.”

“We broke an engine here, but the monkey is on us right now and it will get off one day,” Burton continued. “I’ve never quit anything in my life and I’m not going to quit this.”

The Cup Series next moves from the Monster Mile to the recently repaved ‘Tricky Triangle’ at Pocono Raceway on Sunday, June 10^th.

Unofficial Race Results
FedEx 400, Dover International Speedway
http://www.speedwaymedia.com/Cup/race.php?race=13
=========================================
Pos.	St.	No.	Driver	Make	Points
=========================================
1	2	48	Jimmie Johnson	Chevrolet	48
2	6	29	Kevin Harvick	Chevrolet	42
3	5	17	Matt Kenseth	Ford	42
4	17	88	Dale Earnhardt Jr.	Chevrolet	41
5	4	15	Clint Bowyer	Toyota	39
6	12	43	Aric Almirola	Ford	38
7	18	56	Martin Truex Jr.	Toyota	37
8	11	20	Joey Logano	Toyota	36
9	13	5	Kasey Kahne	Chevrolet	35
10	21	9	Marcos Ambrose	Ford	34
11	7	16	Greg Biffle	Ford	33
12	16	2	Brad Keselowski	Dodge	32
13	14	24	Jeff Gordon	Chevrolet	32
14	1	55	Mark Martin	Toyota	31
15	3	39	Ryan Newman	Chevrolet	29
16	23	22	AJ Allmendinger	Dodge	28
17	20	27	Paul Menard	Chevrolet	27
18	10	11	Denny Hamlin	Toyota	27
19	24	1	Jamie McMurray	Chevrolet	25
20	22	47	Bobby Labonte	Toyota	24
21	28	34	David Ragan	Ford	24
22	15	31	Jeff Burton	Chevrolet	22
23	42	93	Travis Kvapil	Toyota	21
24	9	51	Kurt Busch	Chevrolet	20
25	29	14	Tony Stewart	Chevrolet	19
26	19	99	Carl Edwards	Ford	18
27	26	78	Regan Smith	Chevrolet	17
28	31	42	Juan Montoya	Chevrolet	16
29	8	18	Kyle Busch	Toyota	15
30	38	32	Reed Sorenson	Ford	0
31	39	10	David Reutimann	Chevrolet	13
32	41	36	Dave Blaney	Chevrolet	12
33	32	30	David Stremme	Toyota	11
34	34	249	J.J. Yeley	Toyota	10
35	37	33	Stephen Leicht *	Chevrolet	9
36	36	119	Mike Bliss	Toyota	0
37	43	23	Scott Riggs	Chevrolet	7
38	27	83	Landon Cassill	Toyota	6
39	35	87	Joe Nemechek	Toyota	0
40	30	38	David Gilliland	Ford	4
41	40	13	Casey Mears	Ford	3
42	33	98	Michael McDowell	Ford	2
43	25	179	Scott Speed	Ford	1

June 3, 2012

Landon Cassill All About Improvement

[media-credit id=62 align=”alignright” width=”125″][/media-credit]Landon Cassill, driver of the No. 83 BK Racing Burger King/Dr. Pepper Toyota, is all about improvement having come off his best finish of the season last week in Charlotte. The team started 18^th and finished 18^th, starting and finishing inside the top-20 for the first time ever.

“It’s really big for us,” Cassill said. “To run in the top-25 is great for us, but to run in the top-20 is even better.”

“We like that, we keep trying to learn from it, and just keep doing it and being consistent.”

Cassill credits his team as the cause for the improvement as they begin to gel and understand one another. He especially credits the upswing in performance to crew chief Doug Richert.

“We’re a new team, so everybody is learning their place,” Cassill said. “The pit crew has been getting better and the cars have been getting better.”

“Doug (Richert) is knowing what to do with the car now that he is familiar with it and I’m learning my guys better,” Cassill continued. “That’s all a part of how it works.”

“We are working really well together,” Cassill said of his crew chief. “He’s got a positive attitude like I do and we seem to communicate really well on things.”

“So, I’m enjoying it,” Cassill continued. “I think that has a lot to do with our improvement and our success so far.”

Cassill also credits some of the improvement to his versatility and ability to adjust to new teams. But a big factor for improvement, according to the young driver, is his years of experience at Hendrick Motorsports.

“I’m kind of used to it lately because I haven’t had as solid of a ride,” Cassill said of his team changes. “So, it’s something I’ve been a little bit used to, but it’s my first time learning how to build at team.”

“ I’m really proud to be a part of that and really focused on hoping that people can see that I’m capable of being a progressive driver who can build things and be a positive addition to a race team.”

“I’ve also got five years of experience testing with Hendrick Motorsports and working with the 48 team,” Cassill said. “So, that’s where I’ve learned a lot about this sport.”

“I’m not anything special but I’ve absorbed what I’ve learned,” Cassill continued. “I try to apply a lot of those fundamentals to the team that I’m on and there’s a lot of experience over here that applies to that.”

“We’re all coming together.”

Cassill credits one other factor, his physical conditioning, for his improvements so far in the season and his hopeful improvements at Dover. He also credits his mental focus with the upswing in his performance.

“When I’m home, I work out and prepare for the next week and get focused for my job,” Cassill said. “We are professional athletes, so there’s an absolute requirement for strength and conditioning.”

“I don’t think for a second that you could be out of shape and do this,” Cassill continued. “I do a cross fit type training and I work out for about an hour and a half every day.”

“I’ve got a trainer from Iowa and he sends me work outs,” Cassill said. “Him and I communicate daily on the workouts.”

“I have a gym where I live and a full gym at home and I spend a lot of time there.”

“The mental training is something that I’ve dabbled in but mental strength comes naturally,” Cassill said. “It’s something that I feel really confident in, probably more than even my physical strength.”

“I’m pretty competitive so when it comes down to it, you do whatever it takes.”

Another important component of Cassill’s on track performance improvement is his relationship with his teammate Travis Kvapil.

“Travis is a great teammate,” Cassill said. “He’s a good driver and a really good guy.”

“He’s good to work with, gives good feedback and knows what he is talking about because he is familiar with these cars,” Cassill continued. “I’ve learned a lot working with him.”

“I think all four of us, both crew chiefs and both drivers, are very compatible,” Cassill said. “We all communicate very well.”

Cassill is definitely looking for improvement at Dover in the FedEx 400 benefiting Autism Speaks. But he acknowledged that the mile track really can be a monster, demanding constant focus and attention.

Cassill has three Cup starts at the Monster Mile, with his best finish of 30^th.

“Dover is one of the most fun race tracks,” Cassill said. “It’s a good one and I have a lot of laps here.”

“You’ve just got to be there all day and outlast the competitors,” Cassill continued. “You’ve got to race the race track for a long time.”

“I’d really like to see us running 25^th or better,” Cassill said. “I think that’s a realistic expectation. Another top-20 finish would be phenomenal.”

June 2, 2012