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  • Surprising and Not Surprising: Aaron’s 499 at Talladega

    Surprising and Not Surprising: Aaron’s 499 at Talladega

    At one of the longest tracks on the NASCAR Cup circuit, 2.66 miles to be exact, where lead changes abound and Dale Earnhardt still rules with ten wins, here is what was surprising and not surprising in the Aaron’s 499 at Talladega Superspeedway.

    [media-credit name=”Steven Iles” align=”alignright” width=”300″][/media-credit]Surprising:  Whether you call it the two car tango, dancing with the cars, friends with benefits, flying united, or Noah’s Ark racing, it was most certainly the pairs competition at ‘Dega this year. In comparison to the Daytona 500 to start the season, it was also most surprising how committed the pairs were to one another at Talladega.

    Dale Earnhardt, Jr., driver of the No. 88 National Guard/Amp Energy Chevrolet, summed it up best. “We all had commitment phobia in the past. But in this situation, you had to commit and make sacrifices, just like in a relationship.”

    Not Surprising:  There was no doubt that overcoming that commitment phobia was key to the race finish. Channeling their inner Talladega Nights characters Ricky Bobby and Cal Naughton, Jr., Dale Earnhardt, Jr. pushed his teammate Jimmie Johnson, in the No. 48 Lowes Chevrolet, to the checkered flag, scoring the closest margin of victory record at just .002 seconds.

    As both drivers shouted “Woo hoos” on their radios, congratulating each other and even sharing the checkered flag, Johnson scored his 54th career victory, tying Lee Petty, NASCAR Hall of Fame inductee, for ninth on the all-time Cup Series win list.

    Johnson’s win moved him two spots ahead in the point standings. He currently sits in the second spot, just five points behind leader Carl Edwards.

    The other half of that tandem duo, Dale Earnhardt, Jr. also surged forward in the point standings. Junior moved up three spots to claim the third position, just 19 points behind Edwards and 14 points behind Johnson.

    Surprising: While it was surprising that there was technically no ‘big one’ and thankfully no cars went airborne, there were a few spectacular wrecks and even more amazing saves. Ryan Newman, in the No. 39 Haas Automation Chevrolet, laid claim to the biggest saves of the day, two of them in fact, calling on all of his dirt track racing experience to do so. After his first save, Newman was not so lucky on his second save, flat spotting all his tires and relegating him to a 25th place finish.

    Not Surprising:  While some drivers were busy saving their cars, other drivers not usually at the front got their chance to shine. Dave Blaney, behind the wheel of the No. 36 Golden Corral Chevrolet, almost had to make good on the sponsor’s offer to let kids eat free if he finished in the top ten. After leading several laps, Blaney unfortunately got turned by Kurt Busch, lost the draft and finished 27th.

    Andy Lally, rookie driver of the No. 71 Interstate Moving Services Ford, also had a big day. Known primarily for his Rolex racing skills, Lally found his place in the draft and finished 19th for TRG Motorsports.

    Surprising: After running so well together and finishing first and second respectively in the Nationwide race, it was somewhat surprising to see how badly Kyle Busch, driver of the No. 18 M&Ms Pretzel Toyota, and his Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Joey Logano, behind the wheel of the No. 20 Home Depot Toyota, fared while working together.

    On lap 140, Logano tapped Busch, sending him spinning and bringing out the fourth caution. The impact was so intense that Busch’s right side tires lifted before spinning, landing him driver’s side against the retaining wall.

    “Joey (Logano) and I worked great all day,” Busch said. “I got spun out – it was nothing Joey did wrong.”

    “It’s just a product of what we’ve got,” Busch continued. “So far, at every restrictor-plate race, I’ve been spun out.”

    Not Surprising: Since dynamic duos were all the rage, it was not surprising that other pairs fared well together. Clint Bowyer, in the No. 33 BB&T Chevrolet, and Kevin Harvick, behind the wheel of the No. 29 Budweiser Chevrolet, both out of the Richard Childress stable, pushed each other to top-ten finishes.

    In addition, Hendrick Motorsport teammates Jeff Gordon, driving the No. 24 Drive to End Hunger Chevrolet while battling a nasty cold, and Mark Martin, piloting the No. 5 Carquest/GoDaddy.com Chevrolet, also were committed to each other to finish third and eighth respectively.

    Finally, Roush Fenway Racing teammates Carl Edwards, point leader and expectant father, and Greg Biffle, who just re-signed with sponsor 3M and RFR, were also locked together throughout the race. Edwards finished sixth and Biffle came in right behind in seventh.

    Surprising:  Red Bull had a most surprisingly bad day at the Talladega Superspeedway.  Brian Vickers, in the No. 83 Red Bull Toyota, spun and hit the wall as a result of contact with Landon Cassill, bringing out the first caution of the race.

    Teammate Kasey Kahne, in the No. 4 Red Bull Toyota, got involved in the second wreck of the day, caught up in an incident started by the collision of teammates Kurt Busch and Brad Keselowski. Kahne’s car burst into flames from the oil and the driver was still reeking of smoke in the infield care center before being checked out and released.

    Not Surprising: It was not just the drivers that had to dodge and weave in order to stay out of harm’s way this weekend, with tornado warnings throughout the area prior to the race. But in typical NASCAR fashion, the drivers, fans and all their families stuck together, looking out for one another and working together to ensure everyone’s safety.

    And in that spirit of camaraderie, happy Easter wishes to all, that is until the next race at Richmond, the Crown Royal 400, on April 30th.

  • Surprising and Not Surprising: Texas Samsung Mobile 500

    Surprising and Not Surprising: Texas Samsung Mobile 500

    [media-credit name=”(c) CIA Stock Photo” align=”alignright” width=”279″][/media-credit]With the honors of hosting the first night race of the 2011 season, here is what was surprising and not surprising in the Samsung Mobile 500 at Texas Motor Speedway.

    Surprising:  Although Matt Kenseth was dominant for most of the race, when the checkered flag flew for him, the usually stoic driver of the No. 17 Crown Royal Black Ford for Roush Fenway Racing was surprisingly emotional.

    “After two years, I didn’t know if I’d be back here,” Kenseth said in Victory Lane. “I’ve been so blessed in my life with a beautiful family, a great team and I do what I love for a living.”

    “I haven’t had something like this for a long, long time,” Kenseth continued. “I have lost a lot of close ones at this track. It feels good to be able to close it out.”

    Kenseth’s win ended a 76-race drought dating back to his win on February 22, 2009 at Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, California. This was Kenseth’s 19th career win.

    Not Surprising:  From his 29th starting position, it was not surprising that Kevin Harvick just could not continue his consecutive win streak this weekend at Texas.  The driver of the No. 29 Budweiser Chevrolet was entangled in a pit road problem early in the race from which he never recovered, finishing 20th.

    “Our first two pits stops pretty much ruined our day,” Harvick said. “The 00 and 20 wrecked in front of us trying to leave pit road, so we had to stop, back up and move around them.”

    Surprising: Speaking of those pit road incidents, it was surprising just how influential pit road problems were during this race. On the first stop with everyone in the pits, it looked more like bumper cars than the usually smoothly choreographed tire changes and refueling.

    Both David Reutimann and Joey Logano sustained damage on pit road due to collisions and Dave Blaney got his No. 36 Accell Construction Chevrolet completely turned in the wrong direction due to a spin into his pit stall.

    One of the costliest pit road problems, however, was the too fast entering speeding penalty that was assessed to Tony Stewart late in the race.

    “Sorry, I knew I did it,” Stewart told his crew after being advised of the penalty on lap 276 of the race. Prior to the penalty, Stewart had overcome a collision in the pits at lap 11 to lead twice in the race for a total of 12 laps.

    “You know, it took almost the whole race to crack the top-10, so to be in the position we were in there at the end, I guess is a good thing,” Stewart said. “But when you’re in that position and you can’t capitalize, it’s pretty frustrating. Speeding on pit road didn’t exactly help the cause either.”

    Not Surprising:  Just as in the Nationwide race, the race was relatively clean and green. The only major crash again involved Martin Truex, Jr., who for the second week in a row hit the wall hard. This time instead of Kasey Kahne buffering his hit as at Martinsville, Truex, Jr. took innocent bystanders Mark Martin and Regan Smith with him for a wild TMS ride.

    “I’m OK,” Mark Martin, driver of the No. GoDaddy.com Chevrolet, said. “I didn’t see the pile up in front of us. Just racing.”

    “Unfortunate deal for the NAPA Toyota,” Truex, Jr. said. “We were struggling but we were running our butts off.  Once you make mistakes and you get desperate, you just get yourself in trouble.  It sucks having this two weeks in a row.”

    Surprising: Texas Motor Speedway may just be the surprising turning point for young Roush Fenway driver David Ragan. After qualifying well and being in position to even win in several of the past races, Ragan, who started the Samsung Mobile 500 from the pole position, finally got a good finish.

    Ragan brought his No. 6 UPS Freight Ford to the checkered flag in the seventh position. His top-ten finish also moved him up to 17th in the point standings.

    Not Surprising:  Just as the Fords were strong all day at Texas Motor Speedway, claiming five of the ten finishing spots, Carl Edwards in his No. 99 Scotts Ford proved his ‘Iron Man’ status yet again.

    Edwards overcame stomach problems to finish in the third position and claim the points lead in the process. The driver blamed his physical ailments on a new rice and bean dish that his mother had cooked for him prior to the race.

    “I’m all hopped up on Pepto Bismol,” Edwards said in the media center after the race. “I hate to throw my mom under the bus but she cooked something last night that I don’t think was too good.”

    Surprising:  Behind the wheel of the No. 9 Stanley Ford, Marcos Ambrose had one of his best oval track efforts in his career, finishing sixth. This was the second top-ten finish on a mile and a half track this season for the Richard Petty Motorsports ace from down under.

    “I’m very proud of the Stanley boys for putting together this result,” Ambrose said. “We’re starting to really click on these intermediate ovals. It’s great to be running out in the front of the pack and it gives us a lot of confidence moving forward,”

    Not Surprising: Dale Jr. had yet another consistent run and finish. The driver of the No. 88 Amp Energy/National Guard Chevrolet gained the most positions in the race and finished in seventh.

    Most impressive is his continuing climb in the point standings, this time gaining another two positions to claim the sixth spot as a result of his top-ten finish. Junior is no doubt looking forward to next weekend’s race at Talladega Super Speedway, where he is not only wildly popular but also has outstanding plate racing skills.

  • Big Things Come In Small Packages

    Big Things Come In Small Packages

    [media-credit name=”Barry Albert” align=”alignright” width=”247″][/media-credit]The oldest track on the circuit is also the smallest. They say big things come in small packages; and this weekend Martinsville delivered in a very big way.

    The weekend was marred by more tire issues. Goodyear brought new right and left side tires. The right,  a softer compound than the fall race of last year and the left a harder compound. They were trying to improve forward bite and add grip to the tire, something every team and driver had asked for. However, with no testing to prove the compound Goodyear was at a decided disadvantage. The new compound proved to be a border line situation with the track not taking rubber and the tire giving up after approximately 12 – 15 laps. Once the tire gave up it began to shred and throw rubber marbles to the second and upper groove of the track making them virtually unusable. Multiple drivers complained about the tires and the lack of grip and forward bite the cars obtained from them. But NASCAR and Goodyear didn’t view it as a concern. They continued to hold out hope that the track would rubber in after qualifying for the trucks and Cup cars and the Truck race.

    It didn’t happen. And although, Kevin Harvick, who finished 4th in the truck race stated, “The tires are just such pieces of crap,’’ and Kyle Busch stated, “There’s no rubber on the race track,’’ after finishing 2nd in the Truck Race, tires were not a major factor.

    The Camping World Truck race was an entertaining display that saw a Camping World Truck series regular in Johnny Sauter take the checkered flag ahead of series dominating, Kyle Busch and Kevin Harvick.

    Sauter who passed Kyle Busch on the next to the last lap held on to record his first victory of the season. Busch who has never won at Martinsville held on to finish second by .453 seconds and was followed by Ron Hornaday and Kevin Harvick who over came a 2 lap deficit early in the race to garner a 4th place finish.

    [media-credit name=”Barry Albert” align=”alignright” width=”215″][/media-credit]Anticipation was high heading in to Sunday or should I say trepidation. The concern over the inadequate tires continued to mount. Everyone from Mark Martin and Jeff Gordon to Dale Earnhardt Jr and Brad Keselowski voiced concerns over the tires. The concerns seemed to loom even larger for fans that had looked forward to the old school bump and run type racing that Martinsville had always delivered. “The poor tire situation is a direct result of not testing.” tweeted Keselowski. “Testing was eliminated in an effort to control costs but the owners just spent even more money on computer simulation programs and equipment that simulates testing.”

    When start time rolled around, Mark Martin was set to make his 800th start in the series and Greg Biffle his 300th series start. Tires or not the cup drivers were ready to run the best race that they could.

    They did not disappoint. The race was a return to the history of the sport. With the bump and run the most prevalent move of the day. The scariest occurrence was not tire related at all and came on lap 222 when the throttle stuck on Martin Truex’s Napa Auto Parts Camry causing him to take out both he and Kasey Kahne. The 56 of Truex momentarily caught fire and Kahne was slow to exit his car. But both drivers were checked and released from the infield care center with a clean bill of health.

    The accident however resulted in a 22 minute red flag period to repair the safer barrier which was damaged when Truex hit it head on at speed.

    Clint Bowyer, Jeff Gordon, and Kyle Busch all lead at different points in the race. But perhaps the feel good story of the race came from the Hendrick Motorsports 88 team. Dale Earnhardt Jr took the lead on lap 480 with a bump and run on Kyle Busch. He would hold that lead until lap 496 when Kevin Harvick would take the lead when the 88 got loose going into turn one. Dale Jr would finish a bumper in front of Kyle Busch who came across the line in 3rd.

    Earnhardt Jr who moved up to 8th in the points with the second place finish, his best points position since last spring at Texas doesn’t believe he is quite where he needs to be yet, “I ain’t really proved it to myself yet,” he said. “I’ll let you know when I feel like I’m back, personally. Anyone that watched that race today knows that we weren’t a second‑place race car or even a third‑place race car all day. We never were up there to prove that point. So there’s no argument: We got some work to do still.”

    “We are faster, we are more competitive than last year. But we still got a little ways to go.”

    But the promise shown by the 88 team has JRNation excited. It has NASCAR excited. Is he back? Maybe not, but his performances are showing all the promise of a young man who came on the scene and won in his rookie season against what was and arguably remains one of the toughest fields in NASCAR history.

    This race was without a doubt the best of the season. It was a race of steps some big and some small. But steps none the less. This race showed us without a doubt that life and racing draw many parallels and if we are to succeed regardless of the quality of our equipment or our history we have to dig down and find the courage to take that step forward, even though the results could be disasterous. Whether you won last week or 98 races ago the champions of NASCAR took that huge step of faith on tires they doubted in cars that they were unsure of. They gritted their teeth put their trust in men on the roof and on the pit box and somewhere in the back of their minds they said, “Boogity Boogity Lets go racin boys.”

    ~~~~~ **** ~~~~~

    Congratulations to Johnny Sauter and Thorsport racing on their first Camping World Truck Series win of the season. Congratulations to Kevin Harvick and Richard Childress racing on their 2nd win in a row.

    That said, to all the competitors in all the series thanks for giving us everything you have to give, you are our heroes. Most importantly, thanks to all the families who shared their loved ones with us so we could cheer our favorite driver and favorite teams. You are the true heroes of the sport and we are forever in your debt.

  • Surprising and Not Surprising: Martinsville Goody’s Fast Relief 500

    Surprising and Not Surprising: Martinsville Goody’s Fast Relief 500

    [media-credit name=”Brad Kepel ” align=”alignright” width=”277″][/media-credit]
    Martin Truex Jr. crashes into Kasey Kahne at Martinsville
    At Martinsville’s version of the ‘paper clip’, NASCAR’s elite made their own history at one of the most storied tracks on the circuit.  Greg Biffle and Jamie McMurray both made their 300th starts of their careers and iron man Mark Martin made his 800th start of his career.

    Here is what was surprising and not surprising in the Goody’s Fast Relief 500:

    Surprising:  It’s not often when the duel for the second place finish is one of the most surprising, and exciting, moments of the entire race. But this second place competition just happened to be between NASCAR’s most popular driver Dale Earnhardt, Jr. and one of the sport’s rowdiest drivers Kyle Busch. Junior prevailed by the slightest of margins, less than 0.020 of a second.

    Both the driver of the No. 88 AMP Energy/National Guard Chevrolet and the No. 18 Pedigree Toyota had great points days, with Junior climbing four spots to eighth and Busch taking the points lead.

    Not Surprising:  Now officially able to relinquish his former nicknames of ‘Happy’ and the ‘Bakersfield Basher’, Kevin Harvick, this week in his No. 29 Budweiser Chevrolet, can most decisively claim the nickname ‘The Closer.’ Harvick is the first repeat winner of the season and has now won back to back races in decisive passes late in the race.

    “Just an awesome day,” Harvick said. “I didn’t think we had the car to do that. I had a lot of fun racing with Dale Jr. and I hate to be the bad guy, but we’re in it to win it.”

    Surprising: The two dominant drivers of past Martinsville races were not the ones battling for the lead this year.  With 34 laps to go, Jimmie Johnson, driver of the No. 48 Lowes Chevrolet, made an uncharacteristic mistake, entering the pits too fast. He was forced to the tail end of the field, finishing in the 11th position.

    Denny Hamlin, oft the master of Martinsville, was one of the first to get to pit road, which bit him late in the race. The driver of the No. 11 FedEx Ground Toyota had to take a wave around on Lap 473, relegating him to a 12th place finish.

    Not Surprising: To no one’s surprise, four-time Cup champion and seven time Martinsville winner Jeff Gordon had a strong day, finishing fifth in the No. 24 Drive to End Hunger Chevrolet. With his good run, Gordon also surpassed the ‘King’ Richard Petty and took the fourth spot in the all-time laps led category.

    “We did have a great day,” Gordon said. “We weren’t great at the beginning but we worked our way up. It was an awesome day to drive to fifth there at the end.”

    Surprising: The number of changing lanes before reaching the start finish line penalties, affectionately known as the ‘David Ragan faux pas’ after his Daytona mistake cost him the win, was definitely surprising. Penalized were Matt Kenseth, Mark Martin, and Tony Stewart.

    It took Kenseth almost half the race to right his wrong. At the end of the day, Kenseth was able to salvage a sixth place finish in his No. 17 Crown Royal Ford.

    Martin was also able to redeem himself, finishing 10th in his No. 5 Quaker State/GoDaddy.com Chevrolet. Martin is now officially the eighth driver to reach the level of 800 starts in his racing career.

    The driver who came out on the short end of the changing lanes penalty stick was Tony Stewart. The driver of the No. 14 Office Depot/Mobil 1 Chevrolet finished a miserable 34th, several laps down.

    Not Surprising:  Short tracks usually equal short tempers and that was definitely the case at Martinsville.  Several drivers were unhappy with one another for the bumping, beating and grinding that occurred during the hard racing.

    Most notably was Paul Menard, who had been leading the charge for his new Richard Childress Racing team, only to get into it with Robby Gordon.

    Menard said that Gordon brake-checked him “out of apparent retaliation,” putting a hole in the radiator of the No. 27 NIBCO/Menards Chevrolet. Menard finished 38th, falling six spots to 13th in the point standings.

    Another byproduct of the hard racing that had tempers flaring was the usually unflappable Aussie Marcos Ambrose, who was definitely angry with Michael McDowell.

    “I don’t know what McDowell was thinking,” Ambrose said. “I got stuck on the outside and lost 20 positions just trying to get to the bottom and he just jacked me up and put me in the fence around lap 100. It was uncalled for and made for a very long day.”

    Surprising:  At a short track like Martinsville, big wrecks are not the norm. But there was a monster of a hard hit when Martin Truex, Jr. lost his brakes and pummeled himself into the wall, taking innocent bystander Kasey Kahne with him.

    The hit was so intense that the race had to be red flagged while repairs were made to the safer barrier. Thankfully the drivers of both the No. 56 NAPA Auto Parts Toyota and the No. 4 Red Bull Toyota were able to walk away from the incident.

    “I thought, oh man, this is going to hurt,” Truex said of the wreck. “Thanks to NASCAR and everybody who built the SAFER barriers. Ten years ago, I wouldn’t be standing here.”

    Not Surprising: As loud as the Truex/Kahne wreck was, in contrast the quietest mover in the Goody’s Fast Relief 500 was Juan Pablo Montoya. The driver of the No. 42 Target Chevrolet started in the 27th position and, without fanfare, worked his way towards the front to finish fourth. JPM is also quietly working his way up the leader board, advancing one position to seventh in the point standings.

  • Mark Martin Lucky in Vegas While Danica Patrick Makes History

    Mark Martin Lucky in Vegas While Danica Patrick Makes History

    Mark Martin, driving the No. 32 Dollar General for Turner Motorsports for the first time, not only was lucky with his fuel mileage but also took advantage of the bad luck of Brad Keselowski to win the 15th Annual Sam’s Town 300 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

    [media-credit name=”Gary Buchanan” align=”alignright” width=”239″][/media-credit]This was Martin’s 49th Nationwide win Series win, making him the seventh oldest driver to win a Nationwide race.

    “We only had one chance to win the race and that was to win it on fuel,” Martin said in the media center after celebrating his win in Victory Lane. “When I caught Brad, I realized that it was going to take all the gas I had to get past him.”

    “Trent (Owens) gave me great information,” Martin said of his crew chief, who scored his first win ever. “I managed to back off the throttle and wait to see if Brad (Keselowski) would make it or not.”

    “It worked out for us today,” Martin continued. “It was a great team effort. Turner Motorsports is doing such good work and I wanted to get in there and be a part of it.”

    “It was a real special win for us,” Martin said. “We got us another trophy and that’s all I care about.”

    Martin’s Turner Motorsports teammate Justin Allgaier also had good luck in Vegas, scoring a second place win in the No. 31. This was Allgaier’s third top-10 finish in three races at Las Vegas and his second top-10 finish in 2011.

    “This was a really good finish for us because we battled through a lot of adversity,” Allgaier said. “To be able to come out of here one, two and to be able to be beat by Mark Martin, as much as I wanted to win the race there is only one person in the garage that I’d rather have beat me and it would be Mark.”

    “Mark is really cool.”

    While luck was on the side of Martin and Allgaier, Brad Keselowski had some of the worst luck of the Vegas Nationwide race weekend. According to Keselowski, the weekend started bad and ended even worse.

    “We started off this weekend and we were atrociously bad,” Keselowski said. “My team worked all weekend long and found speed in my car.”

    “From there we used great strategy and smarts to get in position to win the race,” Keselowski said. “I was trying to conserve my stuff and felt we had it, but obviously didn’t.”

    “I just ran over something because it went down pretty quick,” Keselowski said of his blown tire. “It was just one of those days where you do everything right and don’t win. That’s why they call it racing.”

    “I just feel bad for my guys,” Keselowski continued. “We’ve had three great cars in the last three races and something has happened. It just has to come back around. We’re on the down side of the roller coaster and I’m ready for it to come back up.”

    While Martin took the checkered flag, Danica Patrick, driver of the No. 7 GoDaddy.com for JR Motorsports crossed the finish line in the fourth position, making her own brand of history as the highest finishing female ever in a NASCAR national series. With Patrick’s fourth place finish, she topped the record of Sara Christian, who finished fifth in 1949.

    “I guess that’s something I don’t think about,” Patrick said when asked about her history-making run. “I don’t think about trying to be the highest finishing female. I just think about trying to win the race.”

    “It was a good day,” Patrick, running in just her 16th race, said. “We just had a good car. I knew it from the beginning of the race.”

    “We worked so hard on the car this weekend and we did have a lot of practice time, which was good,” Patrick said. “I missed those lucky dogs like three more times and we finally got it.”

    “It allowed me to be consistent at the end, cautious and not over drive,” Patrick said. “It was a good day for GoDaddy and JR Motorsports.”

    Trevor Bayne, the Daytona 500 winner, rounded out the top five for the Sam’s Town 300. After a fairly chaotic run last weekend at Phoenix, Bayne felt most fortunate to have been so close to the front of the field.

    “It was cool to get a top-five out of that,” Bayne said. “You take them how you get them.”

    “It is awesome for these guys to get a top-five and we probably didn’t deserve it,” Bayne continued. “But we saved gas and put ourselves in that position. I can’t wait to watch the tape on this one.”

    Carl Edwards, who had been so dominant in the early part of the race, finished in the sixth position. Denny Hamlin, Ricky Stenhouse, Jr., Jason Leffler and Kenny Wallace rounded out the top ten.

    Reed Sorenson maintains the Nationwide Series points lead, with Ricky Stenhouse and Jason Leffler following closely behind in second and third respectively. Danica Patrick and Justin Allgaier round out the top five in the point standings.

    Unofficial Race Results
    Sam’s Town 300, Las Vegas Motor Speedway
    March 5, 2011 – Race 3 of 34

    Pos. St. No. Driver Make Pts. Bon. Laps Status

    1 – 32 Mark Martin Chevrolet 0 0 200 Running

    2 – 31 Justin Allgaier Chevrolet 42 0 200 Running

    3 – 22 Brad Keselowski Dodge 0 0 200 Running

    4 – 7 Danica Patrick Chevrolet 40 0 200 Running

    5 – 16 Trevor Bayne Ford 39 0 200 Running

    6 – 60 Carl Edwards Ford 0 0 200 Running

    7 – 20 Denny Hamlin Toyota 0 0 200 Running

    8 – 6 Ricky Stenhouse Jr. Ford 36 0 200 Running

    9 – 38 Jason Leffler Chevrolet 35 0 200 Running

    10 – 9 Kenny Wallace Toyota 34 0 200 Running

    11 – 30 Reed Sorenson Chevrolet 33 0 200 Running

    12 – 2 Elliott Sadler Chevrolet 32 0 200 Running

    13 – 62 Michael Annett Toyota 31 0 200 Running

    14 – 11 Brian Scott Toyota 30 0 200 Running

    15 – 88 Aric Almirola Chevrolet 29 0 198 Running

    16 – 66 Steve Wallace Toyota 28 0 198 Running

    17 – 19 Mike Bliss Chevrolet 27 0 197 Running

    18 – 89 Morgan Shepherd Chevrolet 26 0 196 Running

    19 – 99 Ryan Truex * Toyota 25 0 195 Running

    20 – 14 Eric McClure Chevrolet 24 0 194 Running

    21 – 1 Mike Wallace Chevrolet 23 0 193 Running

    22 – 23 Robert Richardson Jr. Dodge 22 0 193 Running

    23 – 97 Joe Nemechek Chevrolet 21 0 193 Running

    24 – 15 Timmy Hill * Ford 20 0 193 Running

    25 – 28 Derrike Cope Chevrolet 19 0 190 Running

    26 – 81 Donnie Neuenberger Dodge 18 0 189 Running

    27 – 51 Jeremy Clements Chevrolet 17 0 181 In Pit

    28 – 33 Kevin Harvick Chevrolet 0 0 168 Running

    29 – 70 Shelby Howard Chevrolet 15 0 165 Running

    30 – 18 Kyle Busch Toyota 0 0 130 In Pit

    31 – 79 Jennifer Jo Cobb * Ford 13 0 127 Running

    32 – 141 Carl Long Ford 12 0 83 In Pit

    33 – 40 Scott Wimmer Chevrolet 11 0 72 Out

    34 – 27 J.J. Yeley Ford 0 0 25 Out

    35 – 25 Kelly Bires Ford 9 0 14 In Pit

    36 – 55 Brett Rowe Chevrolet 8 0 12 In Pit

    37 – 24 Kevin Lepage Ford 7 0 11 In Pit

    38 – 39 Josh Wise Ford 6 0 10 In Pit

    39 – 52 Daryl Harr Chevrolet 0 0 8 In Pit

    40 – 103 Charles Lewandoski * Dodge 4 0 6 In Pit

    41 – 168 Tim Andrews Ford 0 0 4 In Pit

    42 – 44 Jeff Green Chevrolet 2 0 2 In Pit

    43 – 87 Kevin Conway Chevrolet 0 0 2 In Pit

  • Gambling in Vegas: Mark Martin Wins the Sam’s Town 300

    Gambling in Vegas: Mark Martin Wins the Sam’s Town 300

    Most people on the street are worried about saving gas so they do not spend a lot of money, considering the price of fuel. During today’s Sam Town’s 300 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, Mark Martin saved his fuel the best to get his 49th career Nationwide Series win.

    “Well, Trent Owens deserves that one – all the credit for it,” Martin said in victory lane. “He made the right calls and the only chance we had was to save, save and I just decided that I wasn’t going to run out of gas. With 2 to go, I decided to step on it as I figured I was close enough to be able to do it.

    [media-credit name=”CIA Stock Photo” align=”alignright” width=”300″][/media-credit]”I can’t believe it. I don’t care how hard you try, you can’t win this things.Then when its time, it just happens.”

    Coming the white flag, it looked as if Brad Keselowski would be able to make on fuel. However, he had a flat tire and ended up in the wall.

    “He was slowling quite a bit so I knew he was having fuel trouble or something so I stepped on it and tried to catch him.” Martin said.

    The win marked the first ever win for Steve Turner and Turner Motorsports, as Turner bought Braun Racing from Todd Braun last year. They were able to play the strategy card after they pitted with 62 to go to check the tires after being in the middle of a wreck.

    “We know we got in the wall so we needed to pit and look at our tires,” crew chief Trent Owen said. “Mark did a great job saving the fuel there.”

    Mark Martin’s teammate Justin Allgaier finished second.

    “I can’t say enough about everybody at Turner Motorsports and the Hendrick power under the hood,” Allgaier said. “These Chevys are running strong. I can’t say enough for what these guys are building. This is the most fun series that I’ve ever been around. Congratulations to Mark. That guy has got a lot of knowledge and is really helping our team.”

    Brad Keselowski, after getting into the wall, finished third.

    “We were about four to five laps good for fuel and he came on the radio and asked if he needed to save and I said he was good,” Todd Gordon, crew chief for Keselowski. “We must have just run something over as we’d run two fuel runs in the right sides before. He came on the radio and said he had a flat as we came across the finish line.”

    Finishing fourth was Danica Patrick, becoming the highest finishing women in NASCAR Nationwide Series history. She topped her best career finish of 17th that she got last week at Phoenix.

    “Just we worked so hard on the car this weekend,” Patrick said. “Went from loose to tight to loose to tight with the same set-up at times. We had a lot of practice time, which was good, but kind of confused us along the way. Missed those lucky dogs and finally got one. I asked Tony Jr to take a big swing at it to make it tight, not a small one but a swing at it, and it wasn’t good at the beginning, but it was good at the end.”

    After starting 17th, she worked her way to just outside the top 10, and then into the top 10, before employing the fuel strategy to seal a top five finish.

    “Qualifying wasn’t perfect, practice was up and down,” she said. “I was like, okay, we got a new car. Hopefully we can learn something so that way me and Aric (Almirola) can run up front at the next mile and a half.”

    “I mean, we’ve been really consistant – the finishes haven’t shown it,” crew chief Tony Eury Jr. said. “Its really easy for her to run in the top 15. If we can get everything right, we can run in the top 10 with this girl. Luckily we got luck with fuel milage and got a top five out of this.”

    Daytona 500 winner Trevor Bayne finished fifth using the same strategy, after finding trouble earlier. Bayne’s teammate and pole sitter Carl Edwards finished sixth after running in the top five most of the day.

    “For Mark to win on fuel milage, its real frustrating for Mike Beam and I,” Edwards said. “It’s just frustrating as we’re trying to find marketing partners for all three cars.”

    Denny Hamlin finished seventh, after also running up front all day.

    “Its tough,” Hamlin said. “Once I saw we weren’t going to win the race, I backed off incase a caution came to save the tires. We were so equal in the long run, but thats part of racing. You have the right fuel milage, the right everything to be able to win.”

    Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Jason Leftler and Kenny Wallace rounded out the top 10.

    It looked to be another Kyle Busch show at the beginning as he led the majorty of the first half, though wrecked on lap 71 after getting stuck back in traffic.

    “I had a really big run off the top,” Busch said. “I didn’t want to go to the outside. I came down to the white line as I wanted to be there going into turn 1 and never got there. The 22 came down to block and I went down to the grass to try to avoid hitting him and I looked pretty stupid going down there. I made a mistake. That’s why I run these races. I take what I learn here and carry it forward.”

    Reed Sorenson, who finished 11th, leads the Nationwide standings now, 2 points over Ricky Stenhouse Jr. They are followed by Leftler (-5), Patrick (-13), Allgaier (-16), Bayne (-24), and Almirola (-26).

    Unofficial Race Results
    Sam’s Town 300, Las Vegas Motor Speedway
    March 5, 2011 – Race 3 of 34
    Pos. St. No. Driver Make Pts. Bon. Laps Status

    1 – 32 Mark Martin Chevrolet 0 0 200 Running

    2 – 31 Justin Allgaier Chevrolet 42 0 200 Running

    3 – 22 Brad Keselowski Dodge 0 0 200 Running

    4 – 7 Danica Patrick Chevrolet 40 0 200 Running

    5 – 16 Trevor Bayne Ford 39 0 200 Running

    6 – 60 Carl Edwards Ford 0 0 200 Running

    7 – 20 Denny Hamlin Toyota 0 0 200 Running

    8 – 6 Ricky Stenhouse Jr. Ford 36 0 200 Running

    9 – 38 Jason Leffler Chevrolet 35 0 200 Running

    10 – 9 Kenny Wallace Toyota 34 0 200 Running

    11 – 30 Reed Sorenson Chevrolet 33 0 200 Running

    12 – 2 Elliott Sadler Chevrolet 32 0 200 Running

    13 – 62 Michael Annett Toyota 31 0 200 Running

    14 – 11 Brian Scott Toyota 30 0 200 Running

    15 – 88 Aric Almirola Chevrolet 29 0 198 Running

    16 – 66 Steve Wallace Toyota 28 0 198 Running

    17 – 19 Mike Bliss Chevrolet 27 0 197 Running

    18 – 89 Morgan Shepherd Chevrolet 26 0 196 Running

    19 – 99 Ryan Truex * Toyota 25 0 195 Running

    20 – 14 Eric McClure Chevrolet 24 0 194 Running

    21 – 1 Mike Wallace Chevrolet 23 0 193 Running

    22 – 23 Robert Richardson Jr. Dodge 22 0 193 Running

    23 – 97 Joe Nemechek Chevrolet 21 0 193 Running

    24 – 15 Timmy Hill * Ford 20 0 193 Running

    25 – 28 Derrike Cope Chevrolet 19 0 190 Running

    26 – 81 Donnie Neuenberger Dodge 18 0 189 Running

    27 – 51 Jeremy Clements Chevrolet 17 0 181 In Pit

    28 – 33 Kevin Harvick Chevrolet 0 0 168 Running

    29 – 70 Shelby Howard Chevrolet 15 0 165 Running

    30 – 18 Kyle Busch Toyota 0 0 130 In Pit

    31 – 79 Jennifer Jo Cobb * Ford 13 0 127 Running

    32 – 141 Carl Long Ford 12 0 83 In Pit

    33 – 40 Scott Wimmer Chevrolet 11 0 72 Out

    34 – 27 J.J. Yeley Ford 0 0 25 Out

    35 – 25 Kelly Bires Ford 9 0 14 In Pit

    36 – 55 Brett Rowe Chevrolet 8 0 12 In Pit

    37 – 24 Kevin Lepage Ford 7 0 11 In Pit

    38 – 39 Josh Wise Ford 6 0 10 In Pit

    39 – 52 Daryl Harr Chevrolet 0 0 8 In Pit

    40 – 103 Charles Lewandoski * Dodge 4 0 6 In Pit

    41 – 168 Tim Andrews Ford 0 0 4 In Pit

    42 – 44 Jeff Green Chevrolet 2 0 2 In Pit

    43 – 87 Kevin Conway Chevrolet 0 0 2 In Pit

  • Fairy Tales Do Come True, Just Ask Trevor Bayne, Daytona 500 Winner

    Fairy Tales Do Come True, Just Ask Trevor Bayne, Daytona 500 Winner

    For Trevor Bayne, fresh off his 20th birthday and in only his second race in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, dreams really do come true.  Bayne became the youngest winner of “The Great American Race”, the Daytona 500.

    [media-credit name=”David Yeazell” align=”alignright” width=”281″][/media-credit]”I keep thinking I’m dreaming, I really do,” Bayne said in Victory Lane. “We said a prayer before the race and this just shows how powerful God is and the good job these guys did on this race car. This is just incredible.”

    “I drove down here in my F150 and I was planning to drive back, but I think someone else will have to drive it back for me,” Bayne said, acknowledging that he must now do his Daytona 500 duties in New York City as the race winner. “I guess I will have to call someone to get some clothes down here.”

    “This is so crazy,” Bayne continued. “I felt a little undeserving, but I’m just glad that I got to be the guy behind the wheel to get the win.”

    Bayne’s team owners Eddie and Len Wood were beside themselves after the win. It was so emotional that they both, particularly Eddie Wood, had to stop talking several times to get their tears in check.

    “It hasn’t really sunk in yet,” owner Eddie Wood said, with a hitch in his voice. “We’ve struggled just to make the Daytona 500.”

    “It’s unbelievable we are sitting here,” Wood continued. “Trevor Bayne did such a good job. Now he is a Daytona 500 winner.”

    Donnie Wingo, Bayne’s crew chief, was also elated at his driver and team’s success.

    “I couldn’t be happier and the job the kid done today, you couldn’t ask for anything else,” Donnie Wingo, crew chief, said. “At the end, he did what he needed to do.”

    “He just might be the next big deal.”

    The race not only left Trevor Bayne and his car owners and crew chief shaking in disbelief, but many of the other drivers as well. There were a record 74 lead changes, a record 22 different race leaders, and a record 16 cautions in the event.

    “I’ve never run one like that,” veteran Terry Labonte, driver of the No. 32 U.S. Chrome Ford Fusion, said. “It’s a good thing the race wasn’t much longer because we were about done.” Labonte finished the race in the 15th position.

    Just as in the Bud Shootout and the Gatorade Duels, this running of the Daytona 500 necessitated a dance partner, with all cars running in the now familiar duo pack. The tandem racing put even more pressure on the spotters, who were not only having to guide their drivers around the track but strategize on the spotter stand as to who to partner up with next.

    “It was a pretty crazy day overall,” Kyle Busch, driver of the No. 18 M&Ms Toyota, said. “Everything was just all over the place and pretty nuts.”

    Busch had his own set of challenges, spinning early in the race on lap 4 after getting tagged by his pusher, who was at the time Michael Waltrip.  Busch managed to recover and snag a top-ten finish, scoring in the eighth spot.

    Another major factor in the race was engine failure, especially given the hotter ambient temperature at Daytona. Both Kevin Harvick and Richard Childress Racing teammate Jeff Burton lost their engines, an anomaly for sure for ECR engines.

    Harvick denied any forewarning of his engine failure, saying “No, it just let loose.”

    “I just blew water out of the bottom of the thing,” Harvick continued. “I hadn’t done anything different.”

    Burton echoed his teammate’s sentiments about the engine failure.

    “We are asking a lot out of the engines here for sure,” Burton said. “These are tough situations. I thought we were well within our limits but maybe not.”

    It would not be a Daytona 500 without the “big one” and this was delivered at lap 29 of the race.  Fourteen cars were involved, including three of the Hendrick teammates Jeff Gordon, Jimmie Johnson, and Mark Martin, taking them for the most part out of race contention.

    Dale Earnhardt, Jr., in the spotlight due to the commemoration of the tenth anniversary of his father’s death at Daytona, also had a good run, at least until the final laps of the race when a crash took him out of contention. Earnhardt came in 24th, after claiming the pole, wrecking in practice, and starting from the rear of the field.

    “We run good,” Earnhardt, Jr. said. “I had as much fun as I could under the circumstances. It was wild.”

    Carl Edwards took the runner up spot to Bayne’s fairy tale ending.

    “Trevor, he did a good job of blocking the bottom,” Edwards said. “All day we waited and waited, trying not to tear up the race car.”

    “There at the end, it almost worked out perfectly,” Edwards continued. “We didn’t have a chance to be able to mount up a real charge on him.”

    “I think that I can tell you that second place in the Daytona 500 feels way worse than any other position I’ve ever finished in the Daytona 500,” Edwards said. “But that is made better by listening to Trevor and how excited he is. He is really a nice young man, a great guy to represent this sport with this win.”

    David Gilliland, veteran Bobby Labonte, and Kurt Busch rounded out the top five in “The Great American Race.” The rest of the top ten included Juan Pablo Montoya in sixth, Regan Smith in seventh, Kyle Busch in eighth, Paul Menard in ninth, and Mark Martin, who rebounded from the big one to finish tenth.

    Unofficial Race Results

    Daytona 500, Daytona International Speedway

    February 20, 2011 – Race 1 of 36

    Pos. St. No. Driver Make Pts. Bon. Laps Status
    1 31 21 Trevor Bayne Ford 0 0 208 Running
    2 12 99 Carl Edwards Ford 42 0 208 Running
    3 5 34 David Gilliland Ford 41 0 208 Running
    4 6 47 Bobby Labonte Toyota 41 1 208 Running
    5 25 22 Kurt Busch Dodge 40 1 208 Running
    6 4 42 Juan Montoya Chevrolet 39 1 208 Running
    7 27 78 Regan Smith Chevrolet 38 1 208 Running
    8 39 18 Kyle Busch Toyota 37 1 208 Running
    9 1 27 Paul Menard Chevrolet 36 1 208 Running
    10 34 5 Mark Martin Chevrolet 34 0 208 Running
    11 35 43 A.J. Allmendinger Ford 34 1 208 Running
    12 42 9 Bill Elliott Chevrolet 32 0 208 Running
    13 3 14 Tony Stewart Chevrolet 31 0 208 Running
    14 18 6 David Ragan Ford 31 1 208 Running
    15 37 32 Terry Labonte Ford 30 1 208 Running
    16 16 7 Robby Gordon Dodge 29 1 208 Running
    17 15 33 Clint Bowyer Chevrolet 28 1 208 Running
    18 2 1 Jamie McMurray Chevrolet 27 1 208 Running
    19 29 56 Martin Truex Jr. Toyota 26 1 208 Running
    20 36 77 Steve Wallace Toyota 0 0 208 Running
    21 38 11 Denny Hamlin Toyota 24 1 208 Running
    22 20 39 Ryan Newman Chevrolet 24 2 206 Running
    23 11 20 Joey Logano Toyota 21 0 206 Running
    24 13 88 Dale Earnhardt Jr. Chevrolet 21 1 202 Running
    25 17 4 Kasey Kahne Toyota 19 0 199 Running
    26 21 36 Dave Blaney Chevrolet 19 1 198 In Pit
    27 24 48 Jimmie Johnson Chevrolet 17 0 189 Running
    28 23 24 Jeff Gordon Chevrolet 17 1 173 Running
    29 8 2 Brad Keselowski Dodge 16 1 166 Running
    30 10 0 David Reutimann Toyota 14 0 164 Running
    31 30 83 Brian Vickers Toyota 13 0 160 Running
    32 7 38 Travis Kvapil Ford 0 0 153 In Pit
    33 33 71 Andy Lally * Chevrolet 11 0 149 Running
    34 26 17 Matt Kenseth Ford 10 0 133 Running
    35 14 16 Greg Biffle Ford 9 10 126 Running
    36 32 31 Jeff Burton Chevrolet 9 1 92 Out
    37 19 9 Marcos Ambrose Ford 7 0 82 Running
    38 40 37 Robert Richardson Jr. Ford 0 0 45 Running
    39 22 87 Joe Nemechek Toyota 0 0 29 In Pit
    40 9 115 Michael Waltrip Toyota 4 0 28 In Pit
    41 41 192 Brian Keselowski* Dodge 3 0 28 Running
    42 28 29 Kevin Harvick Chevrolet 3 1 22 Out
    43 43 46 J.J. Yeley Chevrolet 1 0 10 Out
  • Surprising and Not Surprising: Daytona 500

    Surprising and Not Surprising: Daytona 500

    The kickoff race for NASCAR, the Daytona 500, is always one of the biggest and most prestigious races of the season. Here is what was surprising and not surprising from the 53rd running of the Great American Race, the Daytona 500:

    [media-credit name=”David Yeazell” align=”alignright” width=”250″][/media-credit]Surprising:  In a race that set the record for lead changes, different leaders, and cautions, the biggest surprise to all, including himself, was Trevor Bayne, channeling his inner David Pearson in the famed Wood Brothers No. 21 car, to take the checkered flag.  Bayne is the second youngest race winner, accomplishing the feat on the second green, white, checkered, even while running low on gas.

    Bayne is the tenth different Ford driver to win the Daytona 500.  This was the youngster’s first win in only his second Cup Series start.

    Not Surprising:  Carl Edwards, exhibiting great patience, came in the second spot. Edwards, however, took solace in “how nice a guy Trevor is” as he savored his runner up status.

    “I don’t know if you guys noticed, but it was pretty wild out there today,” Edwards said. “But I was there at the end and that’s what I had to do.”

    Surprising: It was indeed surprising that there were no Hendrick Motorsports, Joe Gibbs Racing, or Richard Childress Racing representatives in the top five finishing order. The story instead was one of the underdog teams, with the Wood Brothers, Front Row Motorsports and JTG Daugherty instead in the top five.

    Not Surprising:   Dale Earnhardt, Jr. had a great day, leading laps and staying competitive.  Unfortunately, as has happened to Junior all too often, he was caught up in a tussle on the final laps, pushing him back to a 24th place finish.

    Surprising:   Incredibly surprising was the amount of deal making prior to the race, as well as throughout the race itself. Crew chiefs and spotters were exchanging frequency numbers, and probably cell phone numbers, in the garage area so that they could communicate and work together during the race.  Even on the spotter’s stand, it was “like the New York Stock Exchange,” according to Darrell Waltrip, with deals aplenty being made.

    Not Surprising:  All of this deal-making seemed to wreak some degree of havoc on the track, including some tandem drivers causing each other to wreck. Some of the drivers, crew chiefs, and spotters seemed almost lax on their primary responsibilities as they focused instead on coordinating with other drivers and teams.

    The best example of this confusion was a radio exchange between Kyle Busch and defending Daytona 500 champion Jamie McMurray, who thought they would be working together until McMurray remembered that he had a deal with his teammate Juan Pablo Montoya.

    Surprising:  One of the biggest surprises was the expiration of Team Childress engines. Kevin Harvick was the first to lose his engine, early in the race on lap 22. At about lap 96, teammate Jeff Burton lost his engine.

    “We had just a 10 to 15 more degree oil temp that what we have been running,” Harvick said. “We never blow motors. Everybody at ECR does a great job.”

    “We are asking a lot out of the engines here for sure,” Burton said. “I am disappointed. Exceptionally disappointed. But I am really proud of everybody.”

    Not Surprising:  Daytona, infamous for the big one, had one of course.  Early in the race on lap 29, Michael Waltrip, former Daytona 500 winner, got into the back of his teammate David Reutimann and the big one was on.  Fourteen cars were involved in the crash, including the three Hendrick cars of Jeff Gordon, Jimmie Johnson, and Mark Martin. Other drivers involved were Joe Nemechek, Andy Lally, Brian Vickers, Marcos Ambrose, Matt Kenseth, Greg Biffle, A J Allmendinger, and David Gilliland.

    “Our chances to win the Daytona 500 are over,” Jeff Gordon said after the wreck. “It is such a bummer. We had such a fast race car, such a great race team.”

    Surprising:  While it is the Daytona 500 and this is the first race of the season, the crowd on hand was healthy and the excitement in the air was palpable.  Hopefully the start is a harbinger for what is in store for NASCAR for the rest of the season.

    Not Surprising:  Probably the most moving moment of the race occurred on lap 3, when the track went silent, except for the roar of the engines. The crowd stood as one, holding up three fingers in memory of the Intimidator.  There is no doubt Dale Earnhardt would have like that.

  • AJ Allmendinger Reflects on the Duels, Daytona 500, and Earnhardt’s Legacy

    AJ Allmendinger Reflects on the Duels, Daytona 500, and Earnhardt’s Legacy

    A J Allmendinger, still battling flu-like symptoms which he has experienced most of the weekend, took a moment outside his motor home to reflect on his Gatorade Duel race, the upcoming Daytona 500, and the tenth anniversary of the death of Dale Earnhardt.

    [media-credit name=”Al Bello/Getty Images” align=”alignright” width=”215″][/media-credit]”The day of the duel race was better than I thought,” Allmendinger said.  “When I woke up, I didn’t think I was racing because I was so sick.”

    Allmendinger credits the “kind ladies of the medical center” with getting him back in shape enough to race.  “They gave me some fluids and gave me some IVs,” Allmendinger said.  “That got me through the day.”

    Getting through the day and not crashing his car was Allmendinger’s major focus during his duel race.

    “Overall, I thought it was OK,” Allmendinger said.  “First things first, we didn’t wreck the car. You don’t want to wreck your primary in the duels when really all it means is starting position.”

    “I felt like we had a chance to win the race,” Allmendinger continued.  “Me and Jimmie (Johnson) got hooked up and anytime you get hooked up with a five-time champ, you hopefully make friends.  I thought we worked really well together.”

    “There is a couple of things that we need to work on a little bit,” Allmendinger said. “Overall I thought it was good and we put ourselves in position to at least have a chance to win it.  Seventh isn’t terrible.”

    “I feel like the Fords are working really hard on keeping the engines cool,” Allmendinger continued.  “Watching the second duel, we learned a few things we need to do.  But overall it was good.”

    Allmendinger’s duel finish places him 13th in the running of Sunday’s Great American Race, the Daytona 500.  The Richard Petty Motorsports ace also acknowledges that with the two car tandem racing,  this years’ Daytona 500 will definitely be different from any others.

    “I wouldn’t say it’s any better or worse.  It is just different,” Allmendinger said.  “In one way, it saves you from having to run three or four wide the whole race, which as a driver is a lot better.”

    “Now it’s just strategy,” Allmendinger said. “You’ve got to find a friend and if you can find someone you can work with, you can consistently work with, I feel like maybe it’s easier to work with that one guy all race.”

    Allmendinger admitted that going into Sunday’s race, he did not know who he might be working with, contrary to several other drivers who already have their plans in place.

    “I think there may be some people who have already plotted out who they are going to work with,” Allmendinger said.  “But sometimes plans don’t work out.”

    Allmendinger said that this definitely was the case in his Gatorade duel race, as he had planned to work with Mark Martin but instead got hooked up with Jimmie Johnson.  Martin, however, starts right behind Allmendinger in the Daytona 500, so he is hoping that some partnership will develop.

    “Since Mark starts behind me in the 500, maybe there is some way we can hook up like we planned,” Allmendinger said.  “The quicker you find somebody that you work with and work well with, the better off you’ll be.”

    Allmendinger admitted that not only has he been working on this new two-by-two style of racing in practice, but he has also been focusing on how to make the swap from lead car to pusher, or vice versa.

    “Yes, that is something that I worked with in testing and all the practices,” Allmendinger said of the swap.  “I felt like that was something that me and Jimmie (Johnson) were really quick at.”

    “But at the same point, you saw certain guys that didn’t have to change over,” Allmendinger said.  “That comes back to the cooling and having to figure out what we had to do to make our stuff cool even better.”

    In addition to the partner racing and the swap, Allmendinger stated that it will be essential for all of the racers on the track for the Daytona 500 to respect the closing rates, as well as respecting each other.

    “If they understand the closing rates and how big they are,  they give you room and understand this is the way we got to race, than it is OK and we run three-wide pushing each other,” Allmendinger said.  “It’s that one guy that tries to make the block and everything goes wrong.”

    Along with every driver in the Daytona 500, Allmendinger will indeed be looking for his best dance partner.  He also hopes that he will get to work with his new teammate, Marcos Ambrose, in the No. 9 for Richard Petty Motorsports.

    “Marcos (Ambrose) brings something new to the race team,” Allmendinger said.  “He’s really cool and he is fun to work with.  He definitely brings a different style.”

    Unfortunately, Allmendinger’s Aussie teammate starts toward the back of the pack in the Daytona 500.  Ambrose will take the green flag in the 35th position.

    Allmendinger also thinks that the key to the Daytona 500 will be making good decisions, in addition to finding the right partners with whom to dance.

    “We just have to go out there and make good decisions,” Allmendinger said.  “Last year, we were really fast and I got spun and we had a bad finish because of it. “We just have to be smart.”

    “Of course, we want to go out there and win the race,” Allmendinger continued. “But if we come out in the top 15, it’s a good weekend.”

    As is everyone at the track this week, Allmendinger also reflected on the tenth anniversary of the death of NASCAR icon Dale Earnhardt.

    “I never got to meet Dale but I grew up watching NASCAR and I remember that day,” Allmendinger said.  “I was at home watching the race with my parents.”

    “When it happened, I knew it was a big deal,” Allmendinger continued.  “But at that point I was only racing go karts, so I really didn’t know the significance.”

    “There have been a lot of good things that came about because of it,” Allmendinger acknowledged, noting the enhanced safety features in racing.  “But there is a huge void in the sport that honestly will probably never be filled.”

    “I just wish I had the opportunity to meet him.  I think the coolest thing is the fact that he was always known as the Intimidator and that was his persona on the track.  But to hear all the stories about the things he did off the race track that were never in the press and that he did out of the kindness of his heart, just shows how cool the guy was.”  ”

    “There’s not any more words you can say about what the sport is missing,” Allmendinger continued. “There are certain things that have been made better but they sure are overshadowed by how much he is missed being in the sport.”

    “Hopefully, just like with any death, you celebrate the good things about the life and the good things that have come out of it,” Allmendinger said. “I just feel bad for Junior that he has to answer all the questions and live up to that.  Hopefully, we will put on a good race and have good things to remember.”

  • Kurt Busch Wins First Gatorade Duel; Bill Elliott and JJ Yeley Race Into the Show

    Kurt Busch Wins First Gatorade Duel; Bill Elliott and JJ Yeley Race Into the Show

    On a balmy Thursday afternoon in the heart of NASCAR racing, Kurt Busch went two for two at Daytona, wining  the first of two Gatorade Duel races after his Bud Shootout victory.   JJ Yeley, who had to race his way into the show, did just that, along with veteran driver Bill Elliott.

    [media-credit name=”CIA Stock Photo” align=”alignright” width=”238″][/media-credit]”This is just an incredible  Speed Weeks,” Busch said.  “I just don’t want it to end.  We just keep doing everything right and it’s just amazing to be able to do this, find the right drafting partners out there to make it happen.”

    “This is sweet,” Busch continued.  “It’s amazing what partnerships can do out on the race track.  When two guys can think the same way without saying a word, things are going to happen for those two guys.”

    Busch also paid tribute to young driver Regan Smith, in the No. 78 for Furniture Row Racing, who successfully pushed not only Busch to victory but many of the other drivers who were in the lead throughout the race.  Busch also gave credit to Brad Keselowski, his teammate with whom he has tested and who he  hopes to partner with  in the race on Sunday.

    Bill Elliott, who has been having a very good weekend so far between his own performance and the signing of his son Chase by Hendrick Motor Sports, also raced his way in on time.  Given that, Michael Waltrip, Daytona 500 winner from ten years ago, has a guaranteed starting spot in this special anniversary year.

    “Coming in today we had a little bit of a cushion,” Elliott said.  “But the key thing is when you get two really good cars working together, they’re going to be hard to beat.  This is the same thing you’re going to see Sunday.”

    JJ Yeley, driver of the No. 46 Red Line Oil Chevrolet, also raced his way onto NASCAR’s biggest stage.  The driver, who had to have surgery to fuse his neck just last fall, was thrilled to have made the show.

    “It’s awesome,” Yeley said.  “I’ve never had to make the race on my own without being locked in.  The stress that comes with not being locked in is tough and to know we had a lot of help out there, especially with Marcos Ambrose, we got where we needed to be.”

    From the drop of the green flag, the race mirrored the Bud Shootout, with drivers almost immediately finding a partner and buddying up.  Further back in the field, the drivers raced as a pack, at least for a bit,  until finding their ideal mate.

    Ryan Newman was the first driver to have problems early in the race, getting a nudge and going for a spin.  Newman was able to recover, however, and ended the race in the tenth position.

    While the duos found their speed together, some swapping back and forth was indeed needed to keep the engines cool, just as NASCAR had intended.  Also interesting in this first true race on the new surface at Daytona was the fact that no teams had to take tires, most pitting for their sole stop to take fuel only.

    The only other caution came late in the race for Michael McDowell, the driver of the No. 66  MRO HP Racing Toyota.  McDowell’s chances at a place in the Daytona 500 expired in a huge puff of smoke, forcing a green white checkered finish.

    But when the green flag flew for the final laps of the race, Busch, being pushed by Smith, emerged as the front runner, taking the checkered flag.  With his win in the first Duel race, Busch will now move up into the pole position with Dale Earnhardt, Jr. having to go to the back of the field due to a practice wreck.

    “It’s just going to be one of those moments in time that I’ll remember for a long time, leading the field to green,” Busch said.  “I’ll just make sure to massage my calf so I don’t cramp up with Regan Smith behind me.”

    With Kurt Busch as victor, Regan Smith, Kevin Harvick, Matt Kenseth and Kasey Kahne rounded out the top five finishers.  Juan Pablo Montoya finished sixth, AJ Allmendinger finished seventh, and Mark Martin, Paul Menard and Ryan Newman completed the top ten in the first Duel race.