Tag: mark martin

Ragin Cajun Hal Martin Plans to Finish Strong in Nationwide Racing Debut

[media-credit name=”Photo Credit: halmartinracing.com” align=”alignright” width=”225″][/media-credit]Hal Martin has lived his entire racing life following the motto of his beloved hometown football team, the New Orleans Saints. So for this driver, known as the ‘Ragin Cajun’, there will only be one acceptable outcome to his Nationwide Series debut in Kansas this weekend, to ‘Finish Strong.’

Martin will be taking the wheel of a TriStar Motorsports Toyota Camry for the first time this weekend at Kansas Speedway and then will complete in three races for the remainder of this year. Martin intends to run a full season next year and to compete for the 2013 NASCAR Nationwide Rookie of the Years honors.

“I’m very excited to be here in Kansas,” Martin said. “It’s been a lot of work getting here.”

“But finally, this is the weekend for my debut so all the hard work has paid off,” Martin continued. “This is what I’ve been working for all my life since I was a kid playing with cars in my back yard.”

“And now I’m competing against these drivers in the Nationwide Series, which is a huge step for me,” Martin said. “And I’m really looking forward to it.”

Martin has had an interesting racing journey, bringing him to his first Nationwide run. And, at the age of 26 years, it has been an unusual road to the say least.

“I don’t come from a racing family,” Martin said. “My dad was a fan of the sport but he never drove a race car.”

“I’ve always been a competitive person from the time when I was a kid growing up,” Martin continued. “I was the one who wanted to finish first, even it was just a race on the play ground. I’ve always been that competitive.”

“And I’ve always been a hard core race fan since I was five years old,” Martin said. “I used to be able to name every driver in the Cup Series, their car number and their sponsor right down the line.”

“It’s something I really followed as a kid as a fan and I grew that into a career,” Martin continued. “That’s something I tell everyone – that I know what it’s like to be a fan on the other side of the fence and I appreciate every single fan we have because I was once one of them.”

Even Martin’s first race experience, at age 15 years, was far different than the norm. While it was a competitive race, it was a charity event for which Martin had to meet with local businesses to raise money for the charity in order to even enter the competition.

“We finished fourth and I’ll never forget the first time I suited up and put that helmet on,” Martin said. “The feeling I had was indescribable.”

“That’s something I’ve carried on and that I still remember.”

From that memorable moment of his first time behind the wheel, Martin was hooked and went on to compete in multiple series after that. And he even took on racing and college at the same time to further his goals.

“I won a lot of races and the championship,” Martin said. “I progressed from there and moved on to asphalt late models and won a track championship in Mobile.”

“While I was doing that, I was also attending college full-time at the University of New Orleans and obtained a degree in mechanical engineering,” Martin continued. “It was a tough road to do both simultaneously but we were able to do it with great support from family and friends helping me out through the whole deal.”

“In 2009, I stepped up and raced multiple series across the country, including ASA, NASCAR Camping World Truck Series and the ARCA Series,” Martin said. “I finished third in my second race in the ARCA Series in Chicagoland and that’s what propelled my career forward tenfold.”

“And now we’re doing the Nationwide deal, three races this year and looks like we will anticipate a full season next year, with the goal of winning the Rookie of the Year.”

While Martin is excited about the new opportunities, he has also set realistic goals for himself, his crew chief John Quinn, with whom he worked in the ARCA Series, and his TriStar Motorsports team.

“We’re building for next year is basically what we are doing,” Martin said. “We are building that relationship with our team and my crew chief John Quinn.”

“I worked with him last year in the ARCA Series for a few races and we had really good chemistry right off the bat,” Martin continued. “We have been reunited at TriStar Motorsports and we’ve been moving forward ever since.”

“Us racers want to win every race but the competition is fierce in this Series and this is a new team and my first time in the car,” Martin said. “I’ve always been known as a calculated driver, which I credit to my engineering degree.”

“So, I’m realistic with our goals and starting out this year, our goal is to finish every lap we can,” Martin continued. “That would be a win in our books.”

“We’re not going to overstep and I want to earn the respect of the drivers who race in the Nationwide Series.”

Martin also expressed gratitude for his sponsors, American Custom Yachts and US Forensics, both of whom are helping make his step up to the Nationwide Series possible.

“I hail from South Louisiana and am a Cajun born and bred,” Martin said. “And I’m proud of my heritage and where I come from and we have a lot of support from there.”

“This year, we have as a sponsor American Custom Yachts, which is a full construction and repair company with ties to Louisiana,” Martin continued. “They’re our primary sponsor for the three races this year and also into next year for select races.”

“We also have US Forensics, a forensic engineering company, which is the company that gave me my first job out of college,” Martin said. “They’ve come on board as my sponsor for this year and next.”

Martin also acknowledged that in his Nationwide debut that he will be following the lead of one of his racing idols, one with a very similar last name.

“I’ve always really looked up to Mark Martin,” Martin said. “We had common last names and he was to me a driver that was well-respected, competitive and family-oriented.”

“Mark Martin was the guy I pulled for growing up and the one I want to be most like.”

But most of all, Hal Martin will be following the credo that he has lived by for all of his life as he settles in behind the wheel for the first time in a Nationwide car in the Kansas Lottery 300.

“One of the things that I’ve always followed, which I stole from my New Orleans Saints foot ball team is their motto when they won the Super Bowl, ‘Finish Strong’,” Martin said. “That’s the motto I follow too, especially in racing.”

“You can start out strong but you have to finish strong too,” Martin said passionately. “That’s what I intend to do.”

October 18, 2012
Surprising and Not Surprising: Charlotte Bank of America 500

[media-credit name=”Greg Arthur” align=”alignright” width=”241″][/media-credit]In a race now known as one without an Earnhardt and without a North Carolina born driver, here is what else was surprising and not surprising from the Bank of America 500 at Charlotte Motor Speedway.

Surprising: At his worst track statistically and on a mile and half track where he has never won, this driver, although thrilled to be in Victory Lane after a fuel mileage battle extraordinaire, seemed also to be strangely depressed.

“I can’t do a burnout,” Clint Bowyer said woefully after having his No. 15 5-Hour Energy/Avon Foundation for Women Toyota pushed to the winner’s circle. “The thing doesn’t have enough fuel in it to do a burnout.”

“I’d like to practice a burnout,” Bowyer continued ruefully. “It’s so much fun burning rubber.”

“Oh hell, I don’t care,” Bowyer then said. “It’s a lot more fun getting handed that trophy – that’s what it’s all about.”

Not Surprising: Although Chaser Clint Bowyer survived on fumes to end the race, it was not surprising that his other Chase contenders, in fact the top three in the points battle, were also challenging their own fuel demons, literally having to slow down in order to finish the race.

“Yeah, you’re just running the race backwards basically,” Denny Hamlin, driver of the No. 11 FedEx Ground Toyota, said after finishing second. “You’re just seeing how slow you can go and maintain your track position.”

“It’s tough because I’m sitting there thinking I can go by this 15 (Bowyer) or catch him just about any time I want, but Darian (Grubb, crew chief) is screaming at me to back off.”

“We started saving with double the distance to just be cautious,” Jimmie Johnson, who finished third in the No. 48 MyLowe’s Chevrolet, said. “We didn’t want to go up there and chase the No. 11 (Hamlin) and get ourselves in trouble.”

Brad Keselowski, usually known as an excellent fuel-mileage racer, actually sputtered, coasting to pit road after running out of fuel. “I didn’t know what was going on,” the driver of the No. 2 Miller Lite Dodge said. “I think we probably would have finished fourth or fifth if we didn’t run out of fuel.”

“I had to coast for quite a ways and it wouldn’t start when I got back to pit road.”

This small fuel sputter, along with having to stop for fuel in the waning laps, cost Keselowski a top-5 finish, landing him in the 11^th spot instead when the checkered flag flew.

Yet, in spite of the fuel challenges at Charlotte, Keselowski maintained P1 in the Chase standings but is now just seven points ahead of Jimmie Johnson and fifteen points ahead of Denny Hamlin.

Surprising: Jeff Gordon and team 24 Drive to End Hunger made some surprisingly costly errors in the Bank of America 500. Gordon, fighting an ill-handling race car most of the night, incurred a speeding road penalty and struggled to regain track position from that point on.

“We missed the setup at the beginning, but we worked on it and worked on it and had it driving good there at the end,” Gordon said. “We just couldn’t catch a caution to get us back on the lead lap.”

“It was just one of those nights.”

Gordon finished 18th, his fourth finish of 18^th or worse in his last five races at Charlotte. He also fell three positions, from sixth to ninth in the Chase standings, 50 points back from the Chase leader.

Not Surprising: Pole sitter Greg Biffle had a good enough run to actually swap point’s positions with Jeff Gordon in the Chase standings. The driver of the No. 16 3M Ford Fusion finished fourth, gaining three Chase positions, from ninth to sixth in the standings, 43 points out of the lead.

“We had the fastest car, but couldn’t make it on fuel,” Biffle said. “We had the fastest car at the end, but didn’t quite get there.”

“It hurts to get beat on fuel mileage, but we were the first car behind the three that made it on fuel mileage, so I feel pretty good with fourth.”

Surprising: Stewart Haas Racing faced some surprising challenges at Charlotte Motor Speedway under the lights.

SHR Chase driver Tony Stewart started from deep in the field and got into an accordion-style accident on a restart that damaged the front of his No. 14 Mobil 1/Office Depot Chevrolet.

“I was following the 2 car (Keselowski) there and he had to check up,” Smoke said. “Man, I drilled him and it screwed up the nose of our race car.”

SHR teammate Ryan Newman forfeited a great starting spot in the front of the field due to an engine change, which forced him to the rear of the field in a race where track position was key.

“We definitely took a hit with the engine change,” Newman said. “We had a really fast car in practice and qualifying and it wasn’t the same in the race.”

“It was a tough night for us.”

Stewart rallied to finish 13th, while Newman, in the No. 39 Quicken Loans Chevrolet, finished a disappointing 20^th.

Not Surprising: Kyle Busch, in the No. 18 M&Ms Toyota, finally had a good finish, in fact a top-five finish, to show for his efforts in front of the home crowd.

“The car was really good,” Busch said. “I felt like we had a winning car barring circumstances and how they played out.”

“But that just wasn’t there for us at the end with the strategy and everything,” Busch continued. “We came home okay.”

Surprising: With every other driver so fixated on fuel, it was surprising that this driver, who finished seventh, could have cared less.

“We got good fuel mileage, but that wasn’t our focus,” Carl Edwards, driver of the No. 99 Fastenal Ford, said. “Our focus was going as fast as we could and I think we showed a little more promise than we have in a long time.”

“It’s been a long time since we’ve been this competitive on a mile-and-a-half, so I’m very happy with it.”

Not Surprising: With Dale Earnhardt, Jr. out of the race car due to a concussion, it was no surprise that all eyes were on Regan Smith, substituting for Junior in the No. 88 Amp Energy/National Guard Chevy, and also on Kurt Busch, who took over Smith’s No. 78 Furniture Row/Farm American Chevrolet ride for the first time this season.

Busch finished 21^st while Smith finished 38^th with an engine failure.

“The important part was that we had a really fast race car,” Smith said. “It’s disappointing and it’s a shame.”

“Finishing 21^st might not appear that we made progress,” Busch said. “But the fact of the matter is that we did in our first three days together at the track.”

“It was an uneventful race, but an eventful weekend.”

Surprising: With the shuffling of Kurt Busch to Furniture Row and Regan Smith to Dale Earnhardt Junior’s seat, there was one surprising opening for a driver that needed a second chance.

A.J. Allmendinger, returning from suspension after completing NASCAR’s Road to Recovery program, took the wheel of the No. 51 Phoenix Construction Chevrolet and finished 24^th at Charlotte under the lights.

“I have a lot of unfinished business,” the ‘Dinger said. “I have a lot of things I want to accomplish still.”

“It’s not going to be easy,” Allmendinger continued. “I’m going to have to do a lot of work for it, but I’m willing to do it.”

Not Surprising: Michael Waltrip Racing had another stellar day at the race track. One MWR driver, Clint Bowyer, was in Victory Lane while the other two MWR drivers both had top-ten runs.

Mark Martin, in the No. 55 Aaron’s Dream Machine Toyota, finished sixth and Martin Truex, Jr., behind the wheel of the No. 56 NAPA Auto Parts Toyota, finished tenth.

“We started racing in 2007 and here we are in 2012 racing for a championship,” Michael Waltrip, team owner, said. “There are a few things that have happened to me over my racing career that are really special and this is one of those.”

October 16, 2012
Surprising and Not Surprising: Dover AAA 400

[media-credit id=26 align=”alignright” width=”233″][/media-credit]As all at the Monster Mile mourned the passing of Chris Economaki, here is what was surprising and not surprising from the third Chase race, the 43^rd annual AAA 400 at Dover International Speedway.

Surprising: While Chevrolet has been dominant at the Monster Mile in the past, particularly with Jimmie Johnson behind the wheel, and Toyota strong in qualifying this race with Denny Hamlin on the pole, it was surprising that neither manufacturer ended up in Victory Lane.

Instead the lone representative of the Dodge brand took the checkered flag, waved the American flag, and even did a stellar burnout in spite of being almost out of fuel.

“Dodge has really performed with us,” Roger Penske, the ‘captain’ of the victorious No. 2 Miller Lite Dodge Penske team, said. “They committed to us three or four years ago as we became the only team.”

“The greatest thing we could do would be to bring a championship to Dodge this year,” Penske continued. “At the moment, we represent them.”

“They’re partners,” Penske said. “We’re going to do our best.”

Penske’s driver Brad Keselowski not only score the win for Dodge, but also got his first win at the Monster Mile. Even more important, Keselowski grabbed the points lead in the Chase standings and is now five points ahead of Jimmie Johnson.

Not Surprising: One driver that had to have a good run in order to even stay with spitting distance of the Chase contenders pulled it off and tamed the monster for a second place finish.

“I thought it was a solid effort,” Jeff Gordon, driver of the No. 24 Dupont Chevrolet, said. “Our car was pretty good right from the start.”

“It was a great finish to come home second,” Gordon continued. “This is nice to follow up what we had last week.”

“We’re running good,” Gordon said. “We got seven more weeks to get it done.”

Surprising: For a track known as the ‘Monster Mile’, it was surprising that the monster was in the fuel tank and not on the race track itself.

There were just five cautions total in the race, most for debris, and the final laps were nail biters to see who would make it on fuel rather than who would wreck or have other on-track incidents.

Even five-time champ Jimmie Johnson, behind the wheel of the No. 48 Lowes/Kobalt Tools Chevrolet, had to back it down because of his fear of running out of Sunoco, finishing fourth instead of first just to be sure about that pesky fuel mileage.

“Well, for starters, we’re not very good at fuel mileage races,” Johnson said. “So, when I heard that, I’m like, man, we’re in big trouble.”

“And Chad asked me to start saving fuel,” Johnson continued. “It’s tough; it really is.”

“I wished we could have raced for it,” Johnson said. “But it is what it is.”

“You’ve got to be good on all fronts and we did a decent job today.”

Not Surprising: They say that races can be won or lost in the pits and that proved true for many drivers trapped a lap down after a cycle of pit stops gone awry with a caution. But for one Chase contender, Kasey Kahne, his entire race was impacted by what happened on pit road.

“We don’t know why I had to pit the first time, but the car just started shaking really bad,” the driver of the No. 5 Farmer’s Insurance Chevrolet, said. “Right before it did that, we were fast, we finally got our laps back that we lost early and we were coming.”

Then the No. 5 team made a critical mistake on the stop with a lug nut and Kahne again had to visit pit road, losing track position and precious time.

“We were sitting really good because we had just pitted and topped off on fuel,” Kahne said. “It’s too bad whatever it was.”

“We’ll figure it out and hopefully we don’t have it happen again.”

Kahne finished the race in 15^th and fell to sixth position in the point standings, 32 points behind the leader.

Surprising: Although the non-Chase Fords fared surprisingly well, with Carl Edwards finishing fifth in his No. 99 Fastenal Ford, and Ricky Stenhouse Jr., in his new Ford Cup ride finishing 12^th, the Chase Fords of Greg Biffle and Matt Kenseth had surprisingly bad days at the Monster Mile.

In fact, Biffle and Kenseth had such surprisingly bad days, finishing 16^th and 35^th respectively, that they both fell to the basement in the Chase point standings, facing an incredibly uphill battle to get back into the championship hunt.

“It’s tough,” Biffle, driver of the No. 16 Scotch-Brite Ford Fusion said, after contending with a loose wheel and having a meltdown of epic proportions on his scanner. “We were in great position, but that really kind of takes us out of the title hunt.”

“We really needed to finish in the top three here to be a factor, but now we’ll just work on being in the top 10.”

“In two of three Chase races, something either fell off or broke, so obviously that’s not good,” Kenseth, driver of the No. 17 EcoBoost Ford Fusion, said. “This is probably the worst we’ve run here for as long as I can remember.”

“From the first lap on the track to the last lap on the track, we were pretty much junk.”

Not Surprising: There is no doubt that Kyle Busch, who had yet another great race going, including leading the most laps until fuel mileage concerns forced him to pit road at the race end, has become the modern day racing equivalent of the biblical character Job.

The driver of the No. 18 Interstate Batteries Toyota just cannot seem to catch a break, whether it is fuel mileage, engine failure or other strange on-track incidents. And, just like Job, Busch has done his share of vociferously and vehemently questioning the racing gods, as well as his team and manufacturer.

“It’s frustrating,” Dave Rogers, Busch’s crew chief said. “I knew if it came down to a fuel mileage race that we were going to be in trouble.”

“There was no doubt that we had the fastest car,” Rogers continued. “We played our best cards and we came up short.”

Surprising: Denny Hamlin, a physical force behind the wheel at any track, stepped up his mental game for a surprisingly good finish at the Monster Mile. The driver of the No. 11 Fed Ex Office Toyota Camry and pole sitter, finished top-ten, one of his best results at a track that admittedly is not his favorite.

“Top-10 day on a race track like this and to battle for the win all day – I’m not going to complain,” Hamlin said. “We ran our ass off today.”

“Like I said, there’s nothing we can’t handle on the race track,” Hamlin continued. “I think our performance today is a testament to where we’re heading.”

Not Surprising: Veteran Mark Martin, the ‘Energizer Bunny’ of the Cup Series, just keeps getting it done on the race track whenever he is behind the wheel of the No. 55 Aaron’s 2000^th Store, Bronx, NY Toyota. Martin finished 3^rd, announcing that, although not part of the Chase, he is still a contender.

“I don’t know if everybody really noticed or not, but we had a rocket ship, super fast car,” Martin said in the media center after the race. “We were passing cars left and right.”

“I have a fantastic race team,” Martin continued. “We were just having a blast.”

Surprising: In contrast to veteran Martin, three-time and reigning Cup champion Tony Stewart and his race team had a surprisingly challenging day. Smoke finished 20^th in his No. 14 Office Depot/Mobil 1 Chevrolet and teammate Ryan Newman, in the No. 39 US Army Chevrolet, finished right behind him in 21^st.

“We just got caught behind the eight-ball there,” Stewart said. “We got a lap down and the next run we pitted, came back out and the No. 36 crashes.”

“It was just a domino effect,” Smoke continued. “As soon as we’d pit, the caution would come out again.”

Not Surprising: In addition to the stellar run of Mark Martin, the other two Michael Waltrip Racing cars, both in Chase contention, had decent, top-10 finishes at the Monster Mile. Martin Truex Jr. finished sixth and teammate Clint Bowyer finished ninth.

“Well, it wasn’t pretty at the beginning,” Truex Jr., driving the No. 56 NAPA Auto Parts Toyota, said. “But it was pretty damn pretty at the end.”

“It’s great a great finish for where we started,” Truex continued. “What a crazy day.”

“When you have days like that, you just have to keep fighting and we kept fighting and came out with a good results.”

Both Truex and Bowyer advanced two positions a piece in the point standings. Martin Truex Jr. is now eighth in points, 42 behind the leader, and Clint Bowyer is now fourth in points, 25 behind leader Keselowski.

Surprising: One racer, making her first start at the Monster Mile, expressed surprising comfort with the concept of a fuel mileage racing, in spite of finishing 38^th in her No. 10 GoDaddy.com Chevrolet.

“I’m so used to the concept of fuel mileage racing that I don’t have any problem with it,” Patrick said. “Even at the start of the run I’m saving fuel already and they told me not to.”

“I was a little slow to start,” Patrick continued. “But we worked our way through it and made it better most every stop.”

“That is a good starting place for next year when we get here and that is the point of these races.”

Not Surprising: While pronouncing the finish ‘decent’, it was not surprising that the crew chief for NASCAR’s most popular driver was not particularly thrilled with the 11^th place finish of the No. 88 National Guard/Diet Mount Dew Chevrolet.

“We had a good car and we are fine with what we had,” Steve Letarte, crew chief for Dale Earnhardt, Jr., said. “To come here and not be good in practice and have a good car and feel like we could run in the top-five – that’s heading in the right direction.”

“We just need a little luck on our side.”

October 3, 2012

Brad Keselowski Tames Monster Mile for First Win and Points Lead

[media-credit id=62 align=”alignright” width=”230″][/media-credit]Brad Keselowski, driving the No. 2 Miller Lite Dodge for Penske Racing, not only tamed the Monster Mile with his first ever win at Dover International Speedway, but also took the points lead, now five points over Jimmie Johnson.

This was Keselowski’s fifth win of the season and his ninth career win. He has now won two of the three races so far in the Chase.

“I’m happy for our day here obviously,” Keselowski said. “We certainly were a lot stronger here than we were in the past.”

“I may not have had the best car but hung around in that top five, just kept creeping around and when you do that, you put yourself in position for good things to happen.”

“That’s what this 2 team has done the last few months.”

“That was the type of performance we needed to stay in this championship and we showed today that we’re going to continue to be there every week,” Paul Wolfe, crew chief for the race winning car, said. “This was another small step to the ten races and I’m proud to be able to come out of here in the points lead.”

One driver that needed a great run actually got it at the Monster Mile. Jeff Gordon, behind the wheel of the No. 24 Drive to End Hunger Chevrolet, held on to finish in the runner up position.

“I thought it was a solid effort,” Gordon said. “Our car was good right from the start.”

Gordon admitted he had a car that was better on the long runs, but that actually helped when it came time to finish up the fuel mileage racing.

“We struggled on the short runs,” Gordon said. “We started really struggling on the restarts and losing positions.”

“But that played to our favor because we could come in and top off,” Gordon continued. “It gave us the opportunity not to have to save fuel.”

“I thought me and Mark Martin were going to be battling for the win”, Gordon said. “We just got a little too tight at the end.”

Although Gordon is still 48 points out in the Chase, he has moved forward into the tenth spot after race three of the Chase.

“This is nice to follow up with what we had last week,” Gordon said. “We’re just taking a few steps in the Chase each week.”

“It was a great day all around.”

Wily veteran Mark Martin, behind the wheel of the No. 55 Aaron’s 2000^th Store/Bronx NY Toyota, finished third for Michael Waltrip Racing.

“I don’t know if everybody really noticed but we had a rocket ship,” Martin said. “Super fast car.”

“We battled from behind all day,” Martin continued. “We were just passing cars left and right.”

“It was a hard fought battle by a great race team,” Martin said. “I had a really, really fast race car.”

“It feels really good, regardless of the points, to run good.”

Jimmie Johnson, in the No. 48 Lowe’s /Kobalt Tools Chevrolet, not only lost the points lead but had to finish off the race in fuel saving mode, for fourth.

“It’s a tough situation to be in, but I’m more focused on the big prize,” Johnson said. “I’m very happy we got to the finish line.”

“We had clean air but I had to give it up because of saving fuel,” Johnson continued. “Today we were fourth, which is not bad.”

Johnson acknowledged that it was difficult to let cars pass, especially those Chase competitors, just to have to save fuel.

“It’s tough,” Johnson said. “But you have to race on all fronts and we had a decent day today.”

Once known as ‘Concrete Carl’, the driver of the No. 99 Fastenal Ford finally had a good day on the concrete banks of the Monster Mile, finishing fifth.

“That was a decent run for us,” Edwards said. “We had a lot of good luck.”

“If I can’t be winning the race, I enjoy seeing the battle out there,” Edwards continued. “We’ve got some work to do and we have to keep working on these cars.”

“We didn’t drop the ball and we had some fun,” Edwards said. “It’s fortunate we came home top five.”

Some Chase contenders salvaged a fairly decent day; however others had dramatically difficult days. Among the latter was Matt Kenseth, who hit the wall twice and finished a miserable 35^th in his No. 17 Ford EcoBoost Ford.

“Today was a struggle,” Kenseth said. “This is probably the worst we’ve run here for as long as I can remember.”

“From the first lap on the track to the last lap on the track, we were pretty much junk.”

Kenseth had the distinction of being the worst finisher of the Chasers and fell into the basement position in 12^th, now 72 points behind leader Keselowski.

Other Chase contenders fared better than Kenseth, including Martin Truex Jr., who finished sixth; Denny Hamlin in eighth; Clint Bowyer in ninth; Dale Earnhardt, Jr. in eleventh; Kevin Harvick in the 13^thspot, and Kasey Kahne who finished 15^th.

The remaining Chase drivers, Greg Biffle, who had a tire issue and a major meltdown, and Tony Stewart, who was just off all day, finished 16^th and 20^th respectively at Dover International Speedway.

Unofficial Race Results
AAA 400, Dover Int’l Speedway
http://www.speedwaymedia.com/Cup/race.php?race=29
=========================================
Pos.	St.	No.	Driver	Make	Points
=========================================
1	10	2	Brad Keselowski	Dodge	47
2	7	24	Jeff Gordon	Chevrolet	43
3	26	55	Mark Martin	Toyota	41
4	11	48	Jimmie Johnson	Chevrolet	41
5	15	99	Carl Edwards	Ford	39
6	3	56	Martin Truex Jr.	Toyota	38
7	5	18	Kyle Busch	Toyota	39
8	1	11	Denny Hamlin	Toyota	37
9	2	15	Clint Bowyer	Toyota	36
10	14	20	Joey Logano	Toyota	34
11	25	88	Dale Earnhardt Jr.	Chevrolet	33
12	17	6	Ricky Stenhouse Jr.	Ford	0
13	13	29	Kevin Harvick	Chevrolet	31
14	16	47	Bobby Labonte	Toyota	30
15	9	5	Kasey Kahne	Chevrolet	29
16	6	16	Greg Biffle	Ford	28
17	18	78	Regan Smith	Chevrolet	27
18	27	9	Marcos Ambrose	Ford	26
19	21	43	Aric Almirola	Ford	25
20	24	14	Tony Stewart	Chevrolet	24
21	8	39	Ryan Newman	Chevrolet	23
22	19	27	Paul Menard	Chevrolet	22
23	28	51	Kurt Busch	Chevrolet	21
24	20	1	Jamie McMurray	Chevrolet	20
25	4	22	Sam Hornish Jr.	Dodge	0
26	35	42	Juan Montoya	Chevrolet	18
27	39	31	Jeff Burton	Chevrolet	17
28	38	10	Danica Patrick	Chevrolet	0
29	33	93	Travis Kvapil	Toyota	15
30	31	34	David Ragan	Ford	14
31	30	13	Casey Mears	Ford	13
32	42	38	David Gilliland	Ford	12
33	41	32	T.J. Bell	Ford	0
34	40	36	J.J. Yeley	Chevrolet	10
35	12	17	Matt Kenseth	Ford	9
36	22	83	Landon Cassill	Toyota	8
37	23	26	Josh Wise *	Ford	7
38	32	98	Michael McDowell	Ford	6
39	37	87	Joe Nemechek	Toyota	0
40	34	195	Scott Speed	Ford	4
41	43	37	Dave Blaney	Chevrolet	3
42	36	23	Scott Riggs	Chevrolet	2
43	29	191	Reed Sorenson	Chevrolet	0

September 30, 2012

Surprising and Not Surprising: Pure Michigan 400

[media-credit name=”Dan Sanger” align=”alignright” width=”217″][/media-credit]From the older pole sitter Mark Martin, celebrating thirty years of racing at MIS, to Kid Rock giving the command, here is what was surprising and not surprising in the 43^rd annual Pure Michigan 400 at Michigan International Speedway.

Surprising: It was surprising that the race winner, standing in Victory Lane in the Irish hills of Michigan, had another city, Las Vegas, on his mind.

Greg Biffle, driver of the No. 16 3M Ford, capitalized on the Jimmie Johnson’s engine woes to score his second victory of the season and his third at Michigan International Speedway.

He is now 20 points ahead of his teammate Matt Kenseth in the point standings and has a Vegas-style championship celebration on his mind.

“It’s an important win,” Biffle said. “We have been working really hard to get back into Victory Lane.”

“We are going to make a run at the title,” Biff continued. “I know they don’t talk about us a lot, but they will when we get to Vegas.”

Biffle’s win also catapulted Roush Fenway Racing to its 12^th win at MIS, breaking a tie with the Wood Brothers for most wins at that race track.

Not Surprising: For the second week in a row, Brad Keselowski was the enthusiastic runner-up, heading quickly to Victory Lane to congratulate the race winner.

“He just did a great job,” Keselowski said of Biffle. “He had a fast car and passed me legit and I couldn’t keep up with him.”

“I tell you what, it felt good to be racing up there at my home track here at Michigan,” The driver of the Blue Deuce continued. “It’s an honor to race with guys like Greg and be door-to-door.”

“I feel like the best is yet to come.”

This was Keselowski’s second top-10 finish in seven races at Michigan and his best finish at his home track. He has now finished 1^st, 8^th, 5^th, 9^th, 4^th, 2^nd and 2^nd in the last seven races.

Surprising: Mr. Hendrick found himself in a surprising role, that of referee between two of his drivers, veteran Jeff Gordon and the sport’s most popular Dale Earnhardt, Jr.

The two tangled on the track after a restart, which led to consternation from the driver of the No. 24 Drive to End Hunger Chevrolet and confusion from Junior and company.

“He took me four-wide and then he slid up in front of me,” Gordon said after the race. “I didn’t think it was very smart what he did.”

“I didn’t feel like I did anything wrong,” Earnhardt, Jr. said. “I thought there was plenty of room.”

Not Surprising: Marcos Ambrose, winner of last week’s race at the Glen, continued riding the wave of momentum on his mission to try for a Chase berth. Ambrose, in the No. 9 Stanley Ford Fusion, finished fifth and currently sits 17^th in points with one win.

“It was a really strong day,” Ambrose said. “We came off a win and sometimes you struggle to keep that mojo going.”

“It’s great to run top five, but winning is what it’s all about now for us.”

Surprising: While races can sometimes be full of challenges and surprises, Kasey Kahne, driver of the No. 5 Farmers Insurance Chevrolet, sure had his hands full in the Irish hills.

Kahne was caught up in the one of the major wrecks of the day, yet was still able to overcome to finish third, his eighth top-10 finish in 18 races at MIS.

“Man, there was a lot that went on for us,” Kahne said. “Slid through the grass and thought it destroyed my car.”

“Fortunately it just pushed the right fender in,” Kahne continued. “The guys were able to pop it up out and we came back to third.”

“Solid day, solid recovery.”

Not Surprising: In spite of a wreck that could have been devastating, with his car practically impaled, the ever effervescent Mark Martin had only praise for his team after getting out of his fiery, destroyed race car.

“I just want to thank all the race fans,” the driver of the No. 55 Aaron’s Dream Machine Toyota said. “Michael Waltrip gave me a chance to drive an awesome race car.”

“I’m glad I’m OK too and I’m glad I got to drive this thing.”

Martin was rewarded for his efforts with a deal announcement that he will drive 22 races for MWR in 2013.

Surprising: With an engine shop that is usually the gold standard, it was surprising that drivers were in defense mode of the Hendrick motors after four failures during the race.

Tony Stewart was one of those drivers affected by a broken valve spring in his No. 14 Mobil 1/Office Depot Chevrolet, relegating him to a 32^nd place finish. This was Stewart’s first DNF in 42 races.

“It’s not something that’s the norm,” Smoke said. “I appreciate everybody at the Hendrick engine department.”

“We have the best engine department in the world, definitely in the series, and they did everything they could,” Stewart continued. “It was just a bad day.”

Not Surprising: In spite of his teammate’s engine troubles and his own flu-like symptoms, Ryan Newman said hello to an eighth place finish at MIS. This was also his eighth top-10 finish for the season, keeping him in potential Chase contention in the wild card spot.

“I’m better,” Newman said after stepping out of the car. “I think adrenaline took over for the most part.”

“Finishing eighth, I think we’re proud of that.”

Surprising: Traditionally at a track like Michigan, four-wide racing is the norm. But surprisingly, MIS may have become the new Bristol, thanks to the beating and banging on the track and the feuds developing in the aftermath.

One such duo that tangled at MIS was Juan Pablo Montoya, driver of the No. 42 Target Chevrolet, and young Joey Logano, driver of the No. 20 Home Depot Chevrolet.

“He came down on me twice,” Logano said of Montoya. The youngster soldiered on after a hard hit to the wall to finish 31^st.

“Well anything that could go wrong today did,” JPM, who finished 26^th, said. “It was a rough day.”

Not Surprising: Sam Hornish Jr. continued to show just how badly he wants to retain the seat of the No. 22 Shell/Pennzoil Dodge Charger. After finishing second in the Nationwide race in Montreal, Hornish returned to MIS and worked his way up from the back of the field to finish 12^th in the Cup race.

“Not a bad day,” Hornish Jr. said. “I felt like it was pretty good from the point that we started in the back and worked our way up and by the midpoint of the race, we were running in the top five.”

“We just got off on our strategy and that kept us from getting the finish that we wanted.”

“Hopefully I get the opportunity to be here in the Cup Series.”

August 22, 2012
NASCAR Top-10 Power Rankings: Michigan

[media-credit name=”Dan Sanger” align=”alignright” width=”226″][/media-credit]Note: The quotes in this article are fictional.

1. Jimmie Johnson: After passing Brad Keselowski on lap 191, Johnson was poised to capture his series-best fourth win of the year. But a blown engine just four laps later ended Johnson’s day, and his 27^th-place finished dropped him to fourth in the point standings.

“That’s was my second engine failure of the weekend,” Johnson said. “Let me tell you, that ‘b(Lowe’s).’ Who’s building these things? Ironically, he may have to be ‘let go.’

“Is Keselowski the biggest threat to my chances of winning my sixth Cup title? If number of tweets is any indication, then I’m in deep trouble. But I, a five-time champion, tend to put more stock in ‘hardware’ instead of ‘software.’ I don’t follow @Kes, or that logic.”

2. Brad Keselowski: Keselowski took the runner-up spot for the second-straight week, finishing second to Greg Biffle in the Pure Michigan 400. Keselowski remained fifth in the point standings and is 47 out of first.

“Am I destined for second place?” Keselowski said. “Apparently, I need to send a tweet to ‘@theleader,’ because that’s who I’m following.

“I hear than Joey Logano could be my new teammate at Penske Racing. I think it would be great to see Joey’s name on the side of a Penske Dodge. That way, I can once again say I have a teammate who’s ‘on something.’”

3. Greg Biffle: Biffle took the lead when Jimmie Johnson’s engine blew on lap 196, and held off Brad Keselowski to win the Pure Michigan 400. It was Biffle’s second win of the year, giving him the Sprint Cup points lead and significantly improving his position in the Chase.

“These are happy days for me,” Biffle said. “Oddly enough, Johnson’s ‘expiration point’ became my ‘inspiration point.’ And I ‘made out’ well.

“It looks like Jack Roush’s hopes for the Cup title rest solely on my shoulders. Matt Kenseth seems to be mailing it in, while Carl Edwards won’t deliver on Sunday.”

4. Dale Earnhardt, Jr.: Earnhardt, who won at Michigan in June, finished fourth in the Pure Michigan 400, his tenth top-10 of the year. He moved up one spot in the Sprint Cup point standings to third, 22 behind Greg Biffle.

“Jeff Gordon had some unkind words for me over the radio at Michigan,” Earnhardt said. “I’m not offended. And neither is Rick Hendrick. In his eyes, Gordon was just ‘sharing information.”

5. Matt Kenseth: Kenseth finished 17^th at Michigan, as Roush Fenway teammate Greg Biffle gave Jack Roush his 12^th win at Michigan. Kenseth is now second in the point standings, 20 behind Biffle.

“Congratulations to Greg Biffle,” Kenseth said. “I have no problem ‘giving it up’ for the Biff.’ I also have no problem ‘giving it up’ for a fat new contract with Joe Gibbs Racing. I envy Biffle. He closed the deal and wasn’t afraid to talk about it.”

6. Kasey Kahne: Kahne solidified his wildcard position in the standings with a third in the Pure Michigan 400. He is 11^th in the point standings, 33 behind Deny Hamlin in 10^th.

“Mark Martin had a heck of a crash on Sunday,” Kahne said. “Officially, he retired on lap 64. Considering the magnitude of the wreck, I’m surprised Mark was able to walk away. I’m even more surprised he didn’t officially announce his retirement.”

7. Tony Stewart: Stewart finished 32^nd at Michigan after a long day in which he struggled after losing a cylinder on lap 51. After several trips to the garage, Stewart ended the day 92 laps down.

“Luckily,” Stewart said, “I’ve got three wins to fall back on. And I pride myself on being amply cushioned.

“My good friend Danica Patrick ran over a shoe in Montreal on Saturday. It seems she’s trying a little too hard to get her ‘footing’ in NASCAR. She probably could have used a shoe ‘horn.’ The GoDaddy.com car spits out shoes faster than a Chinese Nike factory.”

8. Denny Hamlin: Hamlin finished 11^th at Michigan, leading one lap and just missing on his 12^th top-10 result of the year. He is tenth in the point standings, 96 out of first.

“Despite my standing in the points,” Hamlin said, “I still think I’ll contend for the Sprint Cup title once the Chase begins. So, unlike my unborn child, my championship hopes are ‘legitimate.”

9. Clint Bowyer: Bowyer posted his third consecutive top-10 finish with a seventh in the Pure Michigan 400. He remained seventh in the Sprint Cup point standings, 66 out of first and firmly in place to make the Chase.

“I’m a shoo-in to make the Chase,” Bowyer said. “And speaking of ‘shoe-ins,’ a sneaker tossed on the track in Montreal derailed Danica Patrick’s chances in the Nationwide race. She ran slap over the thing. I’m guessing she would have stopped had it been a high heel.”

10. Martin Truex, Jr.: Truex finished 10^th at Michigan, scoring his 13^th top-10 result of the year. He stands sixth in the point standings, 60 out of first.

“Michael Waltrip Racing is poised to put two cars in the Chase For The Cup,” Truex said. “Can you imagine an MWR driver winning the Sprint Cup championship? Michael says if you can’t ‘buy’ that, maybe you will ‘rent’ it.”

August 21, 2012
Pure Michigan 400 Review: Bizzare Day at Michigan

[media-credit name=”Dan Sanger” align=”alignright” width=”232″][/media-credit]As the 43^rd Annual Pure Michigan 400 came to a close, the race was anyone’s game with some of the top names in the sport racing for the lead position. Brad Keselowski held the lead with 10 laps to go, as five-time champion Jimmie Johnson was putting the pressure on him. Keselowski’s No. 2 Miller Light Dodge got loose one lap later and Johnson was able to sneak by him to take over the lead. Greg Biffle, who was running third with ten to go, was able to pass Keselowski for second as Johnson took over the lead.

It looked as if Johnson would drive on to win his fourth race of the season, until his engine expired with 6 laps remaining – making that the third Hendrick Motorsports engine with problems this weekend. The race would finish under green-white-checkered as Biffle held off a hard-charging Keselowski to win for the second time this season and third time at MIS. Kasey Kahne finished in third position, with Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Marcos Ambrose rounding out the top five.

“It was a wild race. We struggled with our car throughout the weekend, worked real hard on it overnight,” said Biffle after the race. “My car was super good at the beginning of the race when the track was green. Once I got on restarts and in traffic, I wasn’t that good.

“We just kept working on it, trying different things. But, we were so good out front. I knew once we got out front we’d be tough to beat. I know that a lot of people don’t expect us to win the championship, and don’t think we can compete for the title. But, we will be a factor when it comes down to Homestead.”

This moves the No. 16 team to the points lead, with 20 points over Roush Fenway Racing teammate Matt Kenseth. Earnhardt moves to third position in standings, with his teammate Johnson dropping three positions to fourth. Keselowski rounds out the top five, 47 points behind the leader.

Cautions Breed Cautions

First caution of the day occurred on Lap 6 when Aric Almirola and David Gilliland got together on the front stretch. Unfortunately for the rest of the field, this was just the start of the cautions for the day.

[media-credit name=”Wesley Hitt/Getty Images” align=”alignright” width=”221″][/media-credit]Mark Martin started the race from the pole position and ended his day with a bizarre crash on Lap 64. Juan Pablo Montoya and Bobby Labonte were racing in front of Martin in an attempt to stay on the lead lap, when the two got together coming out of Turn 4. Martin dove low to try and avoid the incident, but sent his car spinning down pit road. His car then crashed into an opening of the pit wall just in front of the No. 5 team’s pit stall. Crew members dove to safety as debris flew from the pit stall and the No. 55 Toyota.

“That was a pretty freak angle that I got at that,” Martin said. “I’m not sure what you could do. It could have been really bad if I would have got in that hole a little deeper where it caught me in the door instead of in the crush area back there. It’s hard to keep up with what exactly is going to be happening there. I was hoping that I was going to miss the pit wall completely and not tear the car up, but then I saw that the angle I was going that I was going to hit the end of pit wall.”

Luckily, Martin was able to walk away from the incident safely, along with the crews on pit road. If the car would have hit any closer to the driver’s door than it did, Martin may not have been so lucky. Martin will continue driving part-time for Michael Waltrip Racing in 2013, with 22 Sprint Cup races on his schedule.

Drivers were having a tough time getting their cars to stick to the track in Turn 4 on Sunday, including Watkins Glen winner, Marcos Ambrose. On Lap 77 his Stanley Tools Ford got loose and slid up the track and tapped the No. 78 sending him into the Turn 4 wall. Regan Smith was able to continue, but finished the race in 29th position, 47 laps down.

The numerous amounts of cautions continue on Lap 90 when Joey Logano blew a right front tire due to a fender rub he sustained a few laps earlier. Two laps earlier the No. 42 of Juan Pablo Montoya got into Logano and forced him into the outside wall, causing the fender rub. Montoya finished in 26th position, Logano in 31st place.

On Lap 135 Kurt Busch’s bad luck continued as he appeared to break something in the right front of his No. 51 Toyota and slammed into the wall. This brought out a caution and changed up pit strategy as 11 cars did not pit, including Earnhardt who assumed the race lead. Earnhardt led the field for a total of 25 laps after starting in the back of the field due to wrecking his car in final practice on Saturday.

The last crash-induced caution occurred when Trevor Bayne blew his right front tire on Lap 182, causing him to finish in 24th position.

Chase for the Sprint Cup

With only three races left until the Chase for the Sprint Cup, all eyes are on drivers like Tony Stewart and Denny Hamlin who are riding the line for falling out of the top ten in points. Kahne is only 33 points away from jumping into the top ten and continues to hold one of the wild cards that will allow him access into the Chase. If he races his way into the Chase and Hamlin or Stewart were to drop out of the top ten, this would give the wild card slot to one of them. As of now, Kahne and Ryan Newman hold these cards.

Kyle Busch, Jeff Gordon, Marcos Ambrose, and Joey Logano still have a shot to steal the wild card away from Newman, as they all hold one win this season. The wild card option goes to the drivers outside of the top ten who have the most wins this season; so far the only driver with more than one win outside of the top ten is Kahne.

August 20, 2012
Matty’s Picks 2012 – Vol. 20 – Straight From The Glen Watkins Glen International – Pennsylvania 400 – August 12, 2012

This week we travel back to the place that was the start of my NASCAR days. It’s a track near and dear to my heart, and will no matter where life takes me, it will always have a special place in my heart as my ‘Hometown Track’. Watkins Glen International may not be the most famous stock car track in the world, but it produces some of the best beating and banging NASCAR has to offer.

If you remember back to 2011’s ‘Monday in the mist’ at Watkins Glen International, the drivers of the NASCAR Sprint Cup series put on one of the most exciting spectacles of the 2011 season. A late-race crash involving David Reutimann forced a revaluation of the safety measures around the 2.45-mile road course. Watkins Glen International has taken tremendous strides in improving driver safety, and the fan experience alike. The towering grandstands erected on the outside of Turn 1 here at Watkins Glen International caught my eye on my way in, and I am excited to check out the new setups around the track. The two road courses on the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series schedule often tend to be overlooked by most fans in terms of vacation destinations, but I encourage all race fans to visit a road course and see what these facilities have to offer.

My first memories of WGI involve standing on a trash can on the inside of Turn 11 while my father tried to time a photo just right in order to capture a snapshot of The Intimidator and one of his biggest fans in the same frame. SpeedwayMedia.com Editor, Ed Coombs taught me the art of obtaining autographs outside the motor-coach lots as a young teenager. Ron Hornaday invited me inside the fences into his motor-coach for a quick autograph and meet and greet, and I learned very quickly during my first trip inside the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Garage that when a NASCAR Official blow their whistle, PAY ATTENTION! I’ve come leaps and bounds as a photo journalist, but still manage to get scolded every now and again in the Media Center for “not paying attention to what you’re doing”.Watkins Glen is truly a weekend I have circled on my calendar each year, and will always bring me back to my first memories as a young NASCAR fan.

Adding to the excitement of my weekend here at Watkins Glen International is the camaraderie of attending a NASCAR race with thirty to forty of your closest racing friends and family. My family and I will be making our 18th consecutive trip to Watkins Glen International this year, and with a crew larger than ever before. I’m excited to announce my younger brothers, (yes both of them), will be receiving their Eagle Scout Award, the highest honor in Scouting, on Sunday in Gatorade Victory Lane here at Watkins Glen International. As a fellow Eagle Scout, and the second of four in my family, I am truly proud for both Christopher and Nicholas LaFlair in receiving such a great honor in such a great atmosphere. More to follow on this great honor, but I’d like to thank Track-President, Michael Printup, and Elizabeth Mayer, Public Relations Manager, for allowing such a special ceremony to take place amidst the jam-packed competition schedule this weekend here at WGI. You’ve really made a dream come true for my family, Troop 709, and the entire Scouting community.

Pocono Recap

First, I’d like to send along my thoughts and prayers to those affected by the tragic lightning strikes last week at Pocono Raceway. I am extremely saddened by this story and pass my condolences on to the families involved, and hope for a speedy recovery to those injured by the fierce storms that wreaked havoc on race fans exiting Pocono Raceway following the Pennsylvania 400.

I’ll make the recap section short this week as yet again, there’s not much to talk about other than the poor luck I’ve had this season…

My Winner Pick was Denny Hamlin last week, one of the most decorated drivers to come out of Pocono Raceway with four wins, eight top-fives, and nine top-tens, in just thirteen prior starts at the Tricky Triangle. Completing my picks before last Saturday’s qualifying session, I was excited that my Winner Pick would start the Pennsylvania 400 on the outside of the front row. My glory was short lived after the No. 11 FedEx Toyota quickly slipped through the field after gaining the top spot on just the second lap. Hamlin struggled with the handling of his car for the remainder of the day, and finally met his fate on the lap-91 wreck that brought an early end to the No. 11 team’s day. Hamlin collected points for finishing in the 29th position.

My Dark Horse pick last week is a seasoned veteran to Pocono Raceway, but in now 52 starts at the Tricky Triangle, he is still winless. Mark Martin used a pit strategy different than the rest of the field to help him finish just outside the top ten in the twelfth position. He appeared in the top five for some of the 91 lap sprint, but the majority of Mark Martin’s day last week was spent in the middle of the pack. Another week of picks, and another week with nothing to show for my efforts.

Watkins Glen Picks

Well, it’s been raining here at Watkins Glen International pretty much all day so I have minimal practice speeds or insider info to pass along here from The Glen. With that, I will try and make some picks based off of historical statistics, the possibility of qualifying being rained out, a few speeds , and gut feeling.

Winner Pick

There are two guys that are ‘road course specialists’ and everyone will be looking at come Sunday afternoon, but it will not be either Juan Pablo Montoya not Marcos Ambrose that will visit Victory Lane following Sunday’s Finger Lakes 355 at The Glen. My winner pick this week finished in the runner-up spot in last year here at Watkins Glen International, and finished twelfth in this seasons’ other Road Course race at Sonoma. Brad Kesolowski has really come into his own this season as a driver in the NASCAR Sprint Cup series, and winning a Road Course would only add to his impressive racing resume. His car is shown third on the speed charts so far in this abbreviated practice session today, and he rides a streak of five consecutive top tens into the Finger Lakes dating back to his third win of the season at Kentucky. I love to watch this guy drive, and he’s certain to put on a show Sunday Afternoon.

Dark Horse Pick

My Dark Horse this week finds himself fifth in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series points standings, and is also coming into Central New York off a season-best finish last week in Pocono. Though he may not be the driver with a hometown closest to Watkins Glen International, Martin Truex Jr. still considers WGI one of his hometown tracks. “I’m just excited to be here. I really enjoy the road course racing, especially here at Watkins Glen.” Said Truex, earlier today here at The Glen. “This is a place that is pretty special to me coming up here as a kid watching my dad race and then running some Busch North races up here. It’s one of the tracks that is kind of special to me, like New Hampshire and Dover. So, I’m looking forward to the race this weekend.” He finished fourth here last year, and is another guy who has really shown he should be mentioned in talks with the series front-runners.

That’s all for now from Watkins Glen, but be sure to stay tuned all weekend for more updates and live action from my weekend here in the Finger Lakes. For up to the minute action, be sure to follow me on Twitter @ML_B_Lo.

August 10, 2012
Surprising and Not Surprising: Pennsylvania 400

[media-credit id=26 align=”alignright” width=”225″][/media-credit]Under stormy skies that unfortunately ultimately proved fatal for one race fan, here is what was surprising and not so surprising from the Pennsylvania 400 at Pocono Raceway.

Surprising: It was surprising just how quickly the NASCAR family came together after several fans were struck by lightning at the track and one was killed. Pocono Raceway has established the Pennsylvania 400 Memorial Fund to benefit the victims of the lightning strike.

Donations are being accepted at any PNC branch or by mailing checks or money order to the Pennsylvania 400 Memorial Fund, Pocono Raceway, 1234 Long Pond Road, Long Pond, PA 18334.

Not Surprising: After a weekend of Heisman honors and birthday celebrations, the winner of the Pennsylvania 400 had just one thought on his mind.

Jeff Gordon, driver of the No. 24 Drive to End Hunger Chevrolet, was grateful to have his family with him to celebrate his first victory of the season.

“Today was an amazing victory experience, probably one of the best in my career because with the rain, the lightning, wind blowing sideways, everything going on, you know; I was just so excited to be able to have my family here,” Jeff Gordon said. “It’s the first time I’ve had all of them here for a victory.”

“I didn’t care if it was under the shed or in the garage,” Gordon continued. “Even my wife, she’s not been able to experience all those wins. I want her to feel what it’s like.”

“Ella is getting to the age where it’s exciting,” Gordon said. “Leo was able to hold up his finger, No. 1, so that was cool.”

“This is one that I’m not going to forget.”

Surprising: It was surprising how verbose and a bit resigned Kyle Busch was after having yet another tough day at the track. The driver of the No. 18 M&Ms Toyota finished a miserable 33^rd and fell out of Chase contention, losing four spots to 15^th place in the points.

“We just blew out the rear brake rotors – disintegrated it and then blew out the rear caliper after that,” Busch said. “Getting down into Turn One with a three-wheel brake is about the worst situation you can have as a race car driver.”

“I just hate it for all of these guys,” Busch continued. “We had a really fast race car today.”

“It’s just the way it seems to be, but the way our year has gone,” Busch said. “It’s just inevitable to have something every week happen.”

“We hoped we had shaken it but obviously it’s not to be.”

Not Surprising: Big brother Kurt Busch had absolutely nothing to say after his check in at the infield care center post hitting the wall hard at Pocono Raceway on Lap 86.

The driver of the No. 51 Phoenix Construction Services Chevrolet finished 30^th.Kurt Busch is now 25^th in the point standings.

Surprising: The driver who never seems to stop improving, just like his sponsor, had an uncharacteristic moment that changed the course of the race at Pocono.

Jimmie Johnson, behind the wheel of the No. 48 Lowe’s Chevrolet, was leading the race when he tangled with competitor Matt Kenseth, taking out the leaders of the pack and allowing teammate Jeff Gordon to drive through for the win.

“I thought it was just junk on my tires,” Johnson said. “And when I got into Turn 1, I realized quickly that it was a flat and it wasn’t trash on my tires.”

“I don’t think he had a flat, did he?,” Kenseth said of Johnson. “We went off into Turn 1 and I could hear his pipes (roaring). I’m not sure he has lifted yet.”

“He just drove in really, really, really, really far and spun out underneath me and I got wrecked.”

Johnson came in 14^th while Kenseth finished 23^rd in his No. 17 Zest Ford.

Not Surprising: Martin Truex Jr., driver of the No. 56 NAPA Auto Parts Toyota for Michael Waltrip Racing continued his quiet ascension up the Chase standings, up two positions to the fifth spot. Truex Jr., from nearby New Jersey, finished 3^rd at Pocono.

“We had a pretty good car all weekend long,” Truex Jr. said. “We were really fast at the end.”

“I’m proud of the team for what we’ve done and what we’ve accomplished,” Truex Jr. continued. “To be where we’re at; this is a big deal for us.”

Surprising: At a track he has so often mastered and one where he just announced his impending fatherhood, Denny Hamlin had a surprisingly terrible finish at Pocono.

The driver of the No. 11 FedEx Ground Toyota Camry struggled all day and was caught up in the late race accident with Johnson and Kenseth to finish 29^th.

Hamlin also spent some extended time in the infield care center receiving medical evaluation because of stomach pain. He was treated and eventually released.

“The leaders got in trouble and next thing you know, one of the cars slid right in front of me and that was about the end of it,” Hamlin said. “We weren’t going to win anyway and at this point, all we’re racing for is wins.”

“I had some pains in my stomach, but they’ve subsided.”

Not Surprising: The impending storm off the track was Kasey Kahne’s friend on the track as he finished second even with a flat tire and a stormy pit stop, where he ran over his air hose and lost precious time in his stall.

“I felt good about where we were,” Kahne said. “I am a little upset with myself and the way I ran the race, but we definitely had a great Farmers Insurance Chevrolet and ended up with a great result.”

Surprising: Dale Earnhardt, Jr., who looked so strong at the start of the race, even taking the lead early, had surprising transmission problems that ended his consecutive laps run streak for the season.

Even with that 32^nd place finish, however, Junior was surprisingly able to hang on to the points lead due to Kenseth’s wreck at the end of the race. He is now just 5 points ahead on the Chase leader board.

“We don’t ever break parts,” the driver of the No. 88 Diet Mountain Dew/AMP Energy/National Guard Chevrolet said. “It’s tough.”

“We had a good run going and I’m sorry for all the guys in the shop.”

Not Surprising: The Stewart Haas Racing duo of Tony Stewart and Ryan Newman had a good day at the ‘Tricky Triangle’, finishing fifth and sixth respectively.

“I’m really proud of Steve Addington (crew chief) and these guys,” the driver of the No. 14 Office Depot Back to School Chevrolet said. “We didn’t necessarily throw a Hail Mary at it, but we kind of went back to where we started and worked from that.”

“I’m really proud of Steve for finding the package that we ran.”

“A good solid day,” the driver of the No. 39 Haas Automation/Quicken Loans Chevrolet, said. “We needed that.”

“And another top-10.”

Surprising: Regan Smith, driver of the No. 78 Furniture Row/Farm American Chevrolet, who has had a rough 2012, had a surprisingly good run at Pocono, finishing ninth. This was his first top-10 finish in quite a while at the track.

“We had a good car this weekend and it got even better as the race went on,” Smith said. “It’s a great feeling in our Furniture Row camp to have the kind of performances we’ve had the last two weekends.”

“We’re moving along with plenty of enthusiasm right now and feel that we’re in the process of turning things around.”

Not Surprising: While Martin Truex Jr. had a great run at Pocono, so too did the rest of the Michael Waltrip Racing team.

Clint Bowyer, driver of the No. 15 5-Hour Energy Toyota Camry and star of the Pocono tweet-up, finished 8^th, and teammate Mark Martin, in the No. 55 Aaron’s Dream Machine Toyota, finished 12^th.

“We’ll take it,” Bowyer said.

“We had a fast car,” Martin said. “A 12^th place finish isn’t too bad.”

August 8, 2012
Surprising and Not Surprising: Pocono 400 Presented by #NASCAR

[media-credit id=26 align=”alignright” width=”225″][/media-credit]With a shortened race, a repaved track, a snazzy new Twitter partnership, and Doc Mattioli looking down from heaven, here is what was surprising and not surprising from the Pocono 400 presented by #NASCAR.

Surprising: As the checkered flag flew at Pocono Raceway, it was surprising the history that was made by race winner and driver of the No. 20 Home Depot Chevrolet. Joey Logano became the youngest Pocono winner ever at 22 years and 17 days, breaking the record set by Jeff Gordon, who won at 24 years of age.

Logano also was the first pole winner in 31 races to go on to Victory Lane. The young driver led 49 laps, a career high, and will now race in the 2013 All-Star race.

“Yeah, the moment is pretty surreal,” Logano said. “Not just crossing the line, obviously that’s an amazing moment, and I didn’t stop screaming until I got to about – well, victory lane, I guess.”

“You work so hard to do this,” Logano continued. “To get a victory, it meant so much.”

“Pulling the Home Depot car into victory lane at a Sprint Cup race and winning it the right way was just an amazing, amazing feeling that you can’t replicate and you can’t explain what it means.”

Not Surprising: It was not surprising that the second place finisher was gracious as always, even in defeat. Veteran driver Mark Martin, behind the wheel of the No. 55 Aaron’s Dream Machine Toyota, came out on the wrong end of a bump and run to the young driver that he has been touting for many years.

“I’m just so thankful to have the opportunity that Michael Waltrip, first of all, and Aaron’s and Toyota have given me to drive competitive race cars,” Martin said. “It is so incredible to be in something that is strong enough that I can contend.”

Surprising: It was surprising how focused and disciplined Dale Earnhardt, Jr. and crew chief Steve Letarte were at Pocono, pitting to take fuel and still finishing with a top-10.

“Well, we just didn’t want to run out of gas,” Dale Junior said. “I didn’t know the caution flags were going to be so long. And they were long enough to help them guys make it on fuel.”

“We’re not taking those kinds of chances – just yet.”

Not Surprising: On a newly-paved race track, it was not surprising that passing was challenging and restarts were even more insane. Both drivers of the Stewart Haas team could most certainly attest to that.

“The restarts were insane,” Tony Stewart, driver of the No. 14 Modbil1/Office Depot Chevrolet and third place finisher, said. “But you had to take full advantage of them.”

“That was the biggest opportunity to make gains and definitely big gains,” Smoke continued. “You could get three or four at a time if somebody got bottled up a little bit.”

“You had to be on your toes for the restarts for sure.”

Teammate Ryan Newman, behind the wheel of the No. 39 Haas Automation Chevrolet, also had a tough time on restarts. With just 40 to go, Newman fell from sixth to 11^th place due to a crazy restart, finishing the race in 12^th.

“I told the guys that I just got too aggressive on that restart,” Newman said. “It ended up costing us some spots there.”

“At the end of the race, we just didn’t have the track position that we needed and we didn’t get the top-10 finish that we felt we deserved.”

Surprising: Team Dodge had a surprisingly tough day at the race track. Brad Keselowski wheeled his No. 2 Miller Lite Dodge to an 18^th place finish, while AJ Allmendinger took one of the most brutal hits of his racing career in his No. 22 Shell/Pennzoil Dodge.

“My team did a great job through all the adversity today,” Keselowski said. “We got caught twice on the timing lines and then we had some problems with the ignition.”

“And at the very end, we lost brakes,” Keselowski continued. “It was just one fight after another.”

“I’m not sure what happened,” Allmendinger said of his crash.”That was pretty hard, that might be one of the hardest hits I’ve had.”

Not Surprising: With over 22 speeding penalties meted out by NASCAR during the race, it will not be surprising to see crew chiefs galore on pit road at Michigan for the upcoming race weekend. One of the multiple speeding offenders was none other than five-time champ Jimmie Johnson.

“Things were just repaved, everything has been redone and we need to physically walk down and mark it off ourselves to understand what happened there,” Johnson said. “We got nailed with a lot of other guys.”

Surprising: After a fitful start to the season, Jamie McMurray had a surprisingly good finish at Long Pond. The driver of the No. 1 Banana Boat Chevrolet finally pulled off a top-10 finish.

“We had a really good Banana Boat Chevy today,” McMurray said. “I am proud of the effort from everyone one this team and feel good about the way we performed.”

“It’s nice to walk out of here with a top-10 finish.”

Not Surprising: The monkey remained on the back of the driver of the No. 24 Dupont Chevrolet. In spite of running as well as top-five, Jeff Gordon and his team made the decision to pit for fuel with just 23 laps to go.

That decision bit Gordon yet again, relegating him to a 19^th place finish. The four-time champ has just 4 top-10 finishes in the last 17 races.

And with the finish at Pocono, Gordon fell to 22^nd in the point standings, with only wild card wins as his hope to get into the 2012 Chase.

Surprising: Kyle Busch and team No. 18 for Joe Gibbs Racing surprisingly suffered the second engine failure in a row at Pocono, finishing 30^th.

“It’s very frustrating,” Busch said. “We got knocked back on the first lap in traffic by a stupid move and we’re fighting our way back through and then we have another engine issue.”

“We’re putting ourselves in a hell of a hole and it’s not going to be easy to come out of it.”

Not Surprising: With Greg Biffle’s valve train failure and 24^th place finish, it was not surprising that a new points leader emerged after the checkered flag was waved at Pocono.

Teammate Matt Kenseth, with his solid seventh place finish, took over the lead, ten points ahead of Dale Earnhardt. Jr., with Biffle falling to 16 points behind to third in the standings.

“It’s unfortunate we fell back that far, but the points are so tight we knew that if we had an issue we were going to drop a lot,” Biffle said. “You’re vulnerable when you’re only one point or ten points ahead, but that’s racing.”

“It’s better than being second,” Kenseth said of his points lead, “But I’m just kind of disappointed right now because I thought we had a shot to win.”

“I couldn’t go on restarts,” Kenseth said. “We’ll keep working on it, but I’m happy we got a decent finish and took over the point lead.”

June 13, 2012