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Tag: Martin Truex Jr.

  • The Final Word – Watkins Glen unveils a new fan favorite in Chase Elliott

    The Final Word – Watkins Glen unveils a new fan favorite in Chase Elliott

    I believe one certain guy would agree with me “that was awesome, Bill from Dawsonville!” Watkins Glen was damned entertaining right from the start, thanks to the action and thanks to the best broadcast crew in the business.

    Chase Elliott won his first Cup career race, with his father, one of his spotters, in his ear at trackside. It took 99 races, along with eight second-place finishes, for Chase to win his first, on a road course. It took his dad 116 races, along with eight second-place finishes, for him to win his first, on a road course. Oh, it has been 30 years since Bill Elliott won his Cup championship.

    The son did not have it easy on Sunday. Right from the opening lap, he was fighting it out with some big guns, in Kyle Busch and pole-sitter Denny Hamlin, for the lead. The next lap saw Joey Logano land on the beach with fatal under the hood issues, giving him just the second last-place finish of his Cup career. On the third lap, Aric Almirola got turned into the fence. I know, some folks would not have found all that exciting, but that is probably due to them being in a coma. It was damn good television for the rest of us.

    Busch and Martin Truex Jr. wound up taking off from the rest of the field in the opening stage. Busch went for track position and pitted just before the end of the segment. Truex went for the points and claimed it.

    Stage two was the Kyle and Chase Show, with the 22-year-old challenger moving ahead mid-way through as the two boys finished in that order to set up the final run. Then things got really exciting in the pits. Hamlin tried to pull out, but the air hose was wrapped up with the back tire and the jack man. That caused the tire changer to hesitate coming around as the car took off. The changer went flying, the tire went flying, the airgun went flying, another crewman got hit as the hose snapped, causing him to go flying, along with the tire he was trying to control. Hard to imagine, I know, that they got a penalty for migrating equipment. Knocking the tar out of the crewmen must have been a freebie.

    Elliott also clipped one of his crew, who managed to call himself safe after landing on his butt. As for Busch, things were not as spectacular but proved costly. A malfunction caused him to have to come around again to get fuel in the auto. That dropped him from first to 26th. Hamlin dropped from third to 23rd. Elliott was in front, and apparently free as a bird.

    Not quite. When they dropped the green, Elliott was in front, but the guy in his mirror for the next fifty-plus laps was Truex. The defending race winner. The defending Cup champion. As excited as it seemed everyone at the track was to see Elliott win, Truex kind of liked the idea of winning the thing himself. Damn if he did not try.

    Truex came close. Mighty close. On the final lap, though, he ran out of gas. That was one lap prior to Elliott also running out of gas. Fortunately for him, Jimmie Johnson Road Rescue was on the scene to give him a push to where his crew was waiting, and after a brief celebration, they pushed the car and driver the rest of the way to Victory Lane.

    Great race. Great result. Great broadcast. I can not believe I am saying this but, I can not wait for Michigan this upcoming Sunday. If it turns out anything like this past weekend’s action, it will be awesome.

  • NASCAR Top-10 Power Rankings: Watkins Glen

    NASCAR Top-10 Power Rankings: Watkins Glen

    Note: The quotes in this article are fictional.

    1. Kyle Busch: Busch started second at Watkins Glen and led 31 laps before a fuel probe malfunction in the pits, necessitating an extra pit stop. Despite the issue, Busch recovered to post a third-place finish.

    “We just didn’t get enough fuel in the tank,” Busch said. “In other words, I had a ‘halfsie.’”

    2. Martin Truex Jr.: Truex stalked race leader Chase Elliott over the final laps at Watkins Glen, but was unable to make the pass. He eventually ran out of fuel and coasted home to a second-place finish.

    “Elliott drove his butt off,” Truex said. “He hit all his marks, didn’t make a mistake, and was technically perfect. When I got behind him, I said ‘The chase is on,’ and boy was I right.”

    3. Kevin Harvick: Harvick came home 10th in the GoBowling 400 at Watkins Glen, scoring his 18th top 10 of the year.

    “I was not a factor in the race,” Harvick said. “In fact, I was barely seen, which means I played the role of ‘Tiny Kevin Harvick’ and it wasn’t a commercial.

    “NBC had a camera on my feet. If nothing else, it made former NFL coach Rex Ryan a viewer.”

    4. Kurt Busch: Busch finished ninth at Watkins Glen, scoring his 13th top 10 of the year.

    “NASCAR CEO Brian France was arrested for DUI and possession of a controlled substance,” Busch said. “I’m pretty sure this will result in a revoked license. In other words, he’ll face a ‘drive-through‘ penalty.”

    5. Clint Bowyer: Bowyer finished 11th in the GoBowling 400 at Watkins Glen.

    “Chase Elliott and Martin Truex Jr. put on quite a show over those last few laps,” Bowyer said. “You could feel the suspense, and with the race being sponsored by GoBowling.com, fans were on ‘pins and needles.’”

    6. Joey Logano: Logano finished last after an oil cooler malfunction sent him through the sand on lap 2.

    “NASCAR put my car on what is known as the ‘damaged vehicle policy,” Logano said. “The last time someone pulled the ol’ ‘damaged vehicle policy’ on me, it was Matt Kenseth.”

    7. Kyle Larson: Larson finished sixth at Watkins Glen, recording his 12th top-10 result of the year.

    “What a drive by Chase Elliott,” Larson said. “He’s the son of Bill Elliott, also known as ‘Awesome Bill From Dawsonville.’ Chase’s win gave Hendrick Motorsports its 250th win, but more importantly, it puts him in the Chase For The Cup. Plus, he may have secured the title of ‘Most Popular Driver.’ An appropriate nickname is ‘Awesome Chase In An Awesome Place.’”

    8. Denny Hamlin: Hamlin started on the pole at Watkins Glen and finished 13th.

    “All that work for the pole,” Hamlin said, “and I only led two laps. In the words of former JGR great Tony Stewart on his way out of the bathroom, ‘So much for clean air.’”

    9. Chase Elliott: Elliott held off Martin Truex Jr. in the closing laps at Watkins Glen and won his first career Monster Energy Cup race, giving Hendrick Motorsports its 250th win in the process.

    “My car ran out of gas on the cool-down lap,” Elliott said. “Luckily, a man I’ve always looked up to, Jimmie Johnson, gave me a push. So, much like Brian France, who took a ride in a police cruiser, it was left to an ‘authority figure’ to get me where I was going.

    “My 62-year-old father will run the Xfinity race at Road America later this month. He’ll be driving for GMS Racing, and they’ve pledged to outfit his ride with a brand new exhaust system. Because if there’s ever a time for new exhaust, it’s for an ‘old fart.’”

    10. Brad Keselowski: Keselowski finished 17th at Watkins Glen.

    “Brian France disgraced himself by getting arrested for DUI and possession of a controlled substance,” Keselowski said. “France was taken to the slammer is shackles. That’s embarrassing. But let’s make it even more embarrassing and call those shackles the ‘HANDS Device.’”

  • Hot 20 – Someone’s Chase hopes could get Allmendingered at the Glen

    Hot 20 – Someone’s Chase hopes could get Allmendingered at the Glen

    If we determine who is an actual contender, versus being just a pretender race in and race out, based on an average 20th place result, our field would be reduced to 22. Add William Byron and Jamie McMurray to the bottom of our list, and that is all you need to be concerned about. 357 points in 21 races is the line between the haves and the have-nots, from the front to the back of the pack. Except for this race.

    Watkins Glen forces you to expand that to the one guy who is averaging 21st each week, 16 points per race. He is the guy who is known for being a left and right expert. He is A.J. Allmendinger. The Dinger has one career win. It was at the Glen four years ago. He has a couple of Top Fives there, as well. Six Top Tens in nine attempts. This is where a nobody can become a somebody, and A.J. has made himself known before. While Kyle Busch or Martin Truex Jr. could just as likely win it, an Allmendinger win would truly mess up the plans of some others.

    He wins on Sunday, and he jumps from 23rd on our charts to eighth, and a lock to be in the Chase. He wins, and Alex Bowman goes from nearly 60 points in, to more than 50 out, just by doing what he has been doing each week. Jimmie Johnson becomes the bubble boy and needing to step it on up just in case another of those outside the Top Sixteen in the standings gets some ideas about shaking up some bubbly of their own later this month.

    It all depends on Allmendinger on Sunday. If he can shift from second to third, instead of down to second, he could be a contender. Let us just pretend that Sonoma did not happen.

    1. KYLE BUSCH – 6 WINS (891 Pts)
    He wins every five years at the Glen (2008, 2013), so will he continue the trend?

    2. KEVIN HARVICK – 6 WINS (833 Pts)
    Forget the penalty points hit after Pocono. He was never going to catch Rowdy in that department.

    3. MARTIN TRUEX JR. – 4 WINS (762 Pts)
    Won it last year, so if you were wondering if the Big 3 might contend, you have your answer.

    4. CLINT BOWYER – 2 WINS (677 Pts)
    Fourth is the best the man from Emporia, Kansas has done in New York.

    5. JOEY LOGANO – 1 WIN (690 Pts)
    Top Tens in four of the last five runs there, including a win in 2015.

    6. ERIK JONES – 1 WIN (533 Pts)
    If Stanley comes aboard next season, will that give him the tools needed to win more?

    7. AUSTIN DILLON – 1 WIN (402 Pts)
    Got his win back in February, so he is fine…at least, until the Chase begins.

    8. KURT BUSCH – 677 POINTS
    His teammate is Kevin Harvick. Last week, his wife’s teammate was the Duke of Sussex.

    9. BRAD KESELOWSKI – 644 POINTS
    Running Xfinity again this weekend. The bad news for him is, so is Christopher Bell.

    10. KYLE LARSON – 626 POINTS
    On Monday and Tuesday, joins Tony Stewart and Kasey Kahne for the Osky Challenges in Iowa.

    11. DENNY HAMLIN – 618 POINTS
    Like all but seven others, he has no wins, but Sunday is one he has won before.

    12. RYAN BLANEY – 612 POINTS
    His uncle Dale is a six-time champion of the All Star Circuit of Champions.

    13. ARIC ALMIROLA – 587 POINTS
    Last week, he collided with Harvick in the pits, then upset Matt DiBenedetto battling for 25th.

    14. CHASE ELLIOTT – 569 POINTS
    The new face of Chevrolet. As of late, he might be the only face.

    15. JIMMIE JOHNSON – 547 POINTS
    Chevy does have a presence in the Chase, but most of that presence can be found down here.

    16. ALEX BOWMAN – 496 POINTS
    10th, 14th, 15th, and 16th are not going to sell a lot of cars Monday after the race Sunday.

    17. RICKY STENHOUSE JR. – 440 POINTS
    Bowman can take the weekend off and still be in the Chase…unless a certain someone wins.

    18. PAUL MENARD – 440 POINTS
    Make that, two certain someones.

    19. RYAN NEWMAN – 408 POINTS
    Okay, okay. Unless someone down here wins, Bowman is fine.

    20. DANIEL SUAREZ – 400 POINTS
    His gloves, and those of 35 others, might appear a bit familiar to fans of Dale, Jr.

  • NASCAR Top-10 Power Rankings: Pocono

    NASCAR Top-10 Power Rankings: Pocono

    Note: The quotes in this article are fictional.

    1. Kyle Busch: Busch pulled away on a restart with three laps to go and cruised to the win in the Gander Outdoors 400.

    “I tied Tony Stewart with my 49th Cup win,” Busch said. “One more win and I can finally say, ‘Well, passing him in the buffet line is out of the question, but at least I passed Tony in the standings.”

    2. Kevin Harvick: Harvick finished fourth in the Gander Outdoors 400.

    “I won the pole,” Harvick said, “but it was nullified when my car failed post-race inspection. If this were the National Basketball Association, I would have been issued a ‘technical’ foul. In other words, I got ‘T’d’ up. And that makes me ‘T’d’ off.”

    3. Martin Truex Jr.: Truex finished 15th at Pocono.

    “Pocono is a tough track for drivers to figure out,” Truex said. “The ‘Tricky Triangle,’ as they call it, is quite a dilemma for most drivers. NASCAR itself has its own ‘Tricky Triangle’ dilemma—–finding any other driver besides me, Kevin Harvick, or Kyle Busch to win a race.”

    4. Clint Bowyer: Bowyer came home 11th in the Gander Outdoors 400.

    “Brian France recently reaffirmed his family’s commitment to NASCAR,” Bowyer said. “I’m not sure I buy it. France can say one thing and mean another. Of course, it’s no surprise that from someone with a double chin comes double speak.”

    5. Joey Logano: Logano finished a disappointing 26th at Pocono.

    “This was Jimmie Johnson’s 600th Cup start,” Logano said. “That certainly deserves recognition. So let’s give it up for Jimmie. He’s got seven Cup championship trophies to his name. I think the only trophy he’s capable of garnering these days is a participation trophy.”

    6. Kyle Larson: Larson finished 23rd at Pocono and is now 10th in the Monster Energy Cup points standings.

    “This race was called the ‘Gander Outdoors 400,’” Larson said. “Judging by what I saw in the stands, attendance was sparse. But NASCAR’s bigger issue is television ratings. So, I guess the biggest problem is not the ‘Gander Outdoors,’ but instead fans neglecting to take a ‘Gander Indoors.’”

    7. Denny Hamlin: Hamlin finished 10th at Pocono, posting his 11th top 10 of the season.

    “I was really pulling for my teammate Daniel Suarez to pull out the win and qualify for the postseason,” Hamlin said. “As you probably know, Daniel is a native of Mexico. Daniel’s a big part of NASCAR’s ‘Driver For Diversity’ program. And, along with Bubba Wallace, the program seems to be working. Before, however, I wasn’t so sure. Instead of ‘diversity,’ it seems to be more a case of ‘re-versity.’”

    8. Chase Elliott: Elliott led 14 laps and finished seventh at Pocono, recording his 10th top-10 result of the season.

    “I’m still looking for my first win,” Elliott said. “I’ve been close on several occasions, but there’s always something that gets in the way. So, before it happens, I have to overcome the issues that arise when s#it happens.”

    9. Brad Keselowski: Keselowski spun and hit the wall on lap 121, ending his day at Pocono. He finished 38th.

    “I thought I hit the wall hard,” Keselowski said, “until I saw Bubba Wallace hit the wall with six laps to go. Thank goodness for the SAFER barrier. It’s always good to see a driver walk away from an accident. And, in some cases, like Carl Edwards at Talladega in 2009, it’s pretty cool to see a driver run away from an accident.”

    10. Kurt Busch: Busch finished ninth at Pocono as younger brother Kyle took the win.

    “Great run by Kyle,” Busch said, “but what about the effort of some of these youngsters, like Daniel Suarez and Chase Elliott? Those guys have skills. You might even say each of them is a ‘Baby Driver.’ When I was that young, most drivers questioned my talents. Some even called me a ‘Maybe Driver.’”

  • The Final Word – Pocono at least teased us with the hope of a different story ending

    The Final Word – Pocono at least teased us with the hope of a different story ending

    We all tune in for the potential excitement, but the storylines set up the race. At Pocono, we witnessed Jimmie Johnson make his 600th career start. We wondered if the Big Three would dominate yet again. We also wondered how the bad boys, and maybe a few bad girls back at the shop, would fare after 13 cars failed post-qualifying tech.

    Kevin Harvick and Kyle Busch were the best qualifying, but the penalty sent them both beyond 25th when they dropped the green. Same for Clint Bowyer and Joey Logano. Would that cripple the chances of four of the top handful of contenders on Sunday? Nope.

    Daniel Suarez needed a win to make the Chase, and he inherited the pole. He looked good and he was part of the conversation most of the day. However, it was Harvick who opened the discussion as he charged from 29th to claim the second spot after the opening stage. Up front was Chase Elliott, who once again went charging to glory like Slim Pickens riding an atomic bomb to detonation to claim it. Suarez had to settle for fifth best, right behind Rowdy and just ahead of Bowyer.

    Next stage, it was Harvick getting the nod, swapping spots with Jones, with Bowyer just behind them. However, some decided to forgo the stage points to hit the pits and grab position just before they closed the service lane. The question remained, would Harvick, Elliott, and Bowyer do better with their strategy than the likes of Kyle Busch, Jones, Denny Hamlin, Martin Truex Jr. or Suarez?

    It did not seem so, as the younger Busch sat on point and allowed the rest to try to track him down. Harvick was out of the mix after a collision on pit road with teammate Aric Almirola. That forced him to return more than once to ensure the damage was truly corrected.

    The scariest moment came when Bubba Wallace saw a brake rotor go to pieces, sending him on a wild run through the grass in a bid to scrape off some speed before making hard impact with the outside wall, on the passenger side, when he ran out of lawn. He got out under his own power, but he needed a moment to get all his marbles settled. Wallace will be fine, but he will be a hurting unit for a couple of days.

    Back to the racing, nobody had anything for Busch as even a couple of re-starts, including a green-white-checkers finale, was not going to change how this one was scripted. His 49th career win ties him with Tony Stewart as he successfully defends his Pocono summer title. Suarez was second, behind his teammate, followed by Bowyer and his teammate, one Mr. Harvick. Jones finished fifth, while Elliott had to settle for eighth. As for Truex, 15th was his fate while early front-end damage caused Logano to limp home in 26th.

    Kyle claimed his sixth season win in taking 47 points on the day. Harvick did him five better in that department, with Elliott adding 48 to his tally, 43 for Alex Bowman, and Suarez got 41. Unfortunately, points do not matter for him at this point in the season. A win would be everything.

    Despite it all, the only meaningful change in the standings has Elliott moving 21 points ahead of Johnson for 14th in the standings, while Bowman has increased his margin over Ricky Stenhouse Jr. and Paul Menard for 16th. That is fine, depending on how Watkins Glen turns out next Sunday.

    That is your storyline for next week, even more so than anything the Big Three might or might not do. Truex won there last year, but four years ago the man was A.J. Allmendinger. A win for him next week, and he takes Bowman’s spot and drops Johnson down to being the man on the bubble.

    If a Top 16 driver wins next Sunday then, well, I hope the action proves to be riveting and you enjoy the broadcast on NBC. As for the story, the ending will probably be very familiar.

  • NASCAR Top-10 Power Rankings: New Hampshire

    NASCAR Top-10 Power Rankings: New Hampshire

    Note: The quotes in this article are fictional.

    1. Kevin Harvick: Harvick bumped Kyle Busch out of the lead with six laps to go to win the New Hampshire 301.

    “I had to get Kyle out of the way,” Harvick said. “That’s called making a ‘move.’

    “Now, of course, I expect Kyle to retaliate at some point. This is NASCAR. The name of the game is ‘tit for tat,’ which is also the name of the game for the chests of some of our finest female race fans.”

    2. Kyle Busch: Busch finished second at New Hampshire after getting bumped out of the lead with six laps to go.

    “Harvick blatantly moved me out of the way,” Busch said. “And he can ‘kiss my ass,’ which, come to think of it, is exactly what he did when he put his front end on my back end.”

    3. Martin Truex Jr.: Truex won Stage 1 and led 83 laps at New Hampshire on his way to a fourth-place finish.

    “5-Hour Energy won’t be renewing its sponsorship for next season,” Truex said. “Not to worry, though. We’re in talks with a similar brand geared toward developing adolescents, called ‘Booster Shot.’”

    4. Kurt Busch: Busch started on the pole and finished eighth in the New Hampshire 301.

    “My brother Kyle called me a ‘dipshit’ during the race,” Busch said. “I’ve made it a point in my life not to listen to anything Kyle says. That was made easier when I had my ears surgically reduced in 2006.”

    5. Joey Logano: Logano came home ninth at New Hampshire.

    “This was New Hampshire’s only race of the season,” Logano said. “They lost their fall date to Las Vegas. I can certainly sympathize. My early love life is peppered with ‘first and only’ dates.”

    6. Clint Bowyer: Clint Bowyer finished 35th at New Hampshire, suffering his worst finish of the season.

    “Loverboy played a pre-race concert,” Bowyer said. “Country music is more my thing, so I enjoyed the Loverboy set only slightly. You could say I was ‘lovin’ just a minute of it.’”

    7. Kyle Larson: Larson took 12th in the New Hampshire 301 and is now eighth in the points standings, 258 out of first.

    “Speaking of Loverboy,” Larson said, “they were rocking. They were on fire. And being that they hail from our neighbors to the North, that makes them ‘Canadian Bakin.””

    8. Brad Keselowski: Keselowski struggled and finished 32nd at New Hampshire.

    “I was pretty much out of it early,” Keselowski said. “But I thoroughly enjoyed the Kevin Harvick-Kyle Busch battle. It must be satisfying for Harvick to be trailing and then have the ability to move Busch out of the way. Kevin really ‘took it from behind.’ Maybe that headline is not the most suitable for newspaper publication, so let’s go with this one: ‘Harvick Humps, Bumps, And Trumps Busch.’ Much better.”

    9. Denny Hamlin: Hamlin finished 13th at New Hampshire and is now ninth in the Monster Energy Cup points standings.

    “Tony Stewart wants Cup cars to race on the dirt track at Eldora,” Hamlin said. “I think a lot of drivers would like that too, but to say it will definitely happen would be negligent. So, in the words of Kyle Busch pleading in response to careless and reckless driving charges in North Carolina in 2011, it’s ‘no contest.’”

    10. Aric Almirola: Almirola was leading late at New Hampshire until a slow pit stop and bad restart cost him track position. He recovered to finish third but was left wanting more.

    “We blew it,” Almirola said. “We had the best car out there. Everything about the engine was working perfectly, especially the ‘choke.’”

  • The Final Word – 37 drivers at New Hampshire, but only 11 mattered on Sunday

    The Final Word – 37 drivers at New Hampshire, but only 11 mattered on Sunday

    Watching Loudon on Sunday was a whole lot like watching Shawshank Redemption. I have seen bits and pieces of that movie, maybe, a couple of dozen times or more. The first half of the New Hampshire race had me watching nothing but our favorites of this year over and over and over.

    It was a one lane track to start with. If you were on the outside, you moved. If not, you did not. The guys up front stayed up front. Martin Truex Jr. led the opening stage and was third after two. Chase Elliott was second in the first but claimed the second. Kurt Busch, the pole sitter, was fourth after one and second after two. You get the picture.

    Everyone in the Top Ten for the first half of the contest was among our potential Chasers. Kyle Busch, Kevin Harvick, Clint Bowyer, and Joey Logano had reserved spots, it seemed. So did Ryan Blaney, Aric Almirola, and Jimmie Johnson. Ten drivers for 10 positions, all among the Top Fifteen in the standings.

    Then the second half of the race began. It started with Kurt chasing down, well, Chase. Brad Keselowski moved up to take Johnson’s place among our decuplers. Well, for a time he did, before his brakes started to fail and he went from 9th to 20th within a couple of laps. The inside groove opened up, but not by much.

    Then a new face went to the front, as Almirola took over the lead to give the NBC rat pack of Dale, Jeff, and Steve something additional to chat about. Again, usually watching the action from Loudon allows me to fast-forward through the broadcast. Unfortunately, those boys were once again damned amusing and entertaining, so I could not.

    Everybody else seemed destined to be denied entry into the Top Ten. With about 75 laps to go, a window opened. Kurt Busch was heading to the pits but braked when he thought Blaney was about to leave his, leaving both just sitting there for a few seconds. That cost some time and track position. However, the guy who burned his membership card was Bowyer. He got tagged for a pit violation, and simply sunk beneath the waves.

    Later, Bowyer hit the fence with Almirola back in front. After the visitation for service, Kyle Busch was the leader, followed by Harvick, Almirola, and Truex. Something had to give in the end, and with seven laps left it proved to be the back end of Busch, with some assistance from Harvick. Someone was Happy as he went on to claim his sixth win of the season, the 44th of his career. Someone was not happy to finish second. Almirola thought he was the best, but he lost the lead in the pits and then lost traction on the re-start to end his hopes.

    You already know the names of most of those who would claim a Top Ten. Bowyer wound up 35th out of 37 entries, with Ryan Newman replacing him among our race stars to take sixth. Nothing much changed in the standings, with the Top 16 remaining our Top 16. Three drivers; Harvick, Truex, and Elliott; had 51 point days. Each Busch brother had 45, with Almirola putting 41 into the bank. Among those with single digit outings were Bowyer, Keselowski and Ricky Stenhouse Jr., allowing Alex Bowman to extend his margin for that final Chase berth to 28 points.

    Next Sunday marks the return to Pocono. Last month, it was Truex taking the June version. Last year, it was Kyle Busch in July. Harvick has not won there in 35 attempts. In comparison, Chris Buescher was the summertime winner just a couple of years ago. Now, another such performance would do wonders for a guy currently sitting 23rd in the standings.

    That is one movie sequel I bet he would just love to produce.

  • Will the Fearsome Threesome Continue Their Dominance at New Hampshire?

    Will the Fearsome Threesome Continue Their Dominance at New Hampshire?

    Martin Truex Jr. captured his fourth win of the season last week at Kentucky Speedway to cement his position as one of the top three 2018 Playoff contenders. He joins the dominating duo of Kevin Harvick and Kyle Busch who have five wins each. To put it simply, 19 races into the 2018 season and three drivers have won 14 of those races.

    They are joined by Clint Bowyer with two wins while Joey Logano, Eric Jones, and Austin Dillon have one victory each. That’s seven drivers locked into the Playoffs with only seven races remaining in the regular season.

    Will the Fearsome Threesome continue their domination at New Hampshire or will a new contender arise?

    The top three have led a combined 2,552 laps this year and Harvick leads the way with a series-best 1,040 laps led. Busch is not far behind with 948 while Truex has led 564 laps. Busch has the second-best driver rating (100.8) at the 1.058-mile track with three previous wins while Harvick has two wins and the fifth-best driver rating (96.5).

    Truex has never won at the track but grabbed the pole last July and has three top 10 finishes in the last three races. A win here would have special meaning for the defending series champion.

    “I would have to call New Hampshire my first home track,” Truex said, “because I have been going there for a long time – back as a kid watching my father (Martin Truex Sr.) race. Winning at New Hampshire would be the biggest one of them all. It’s no Daytona 500 but it ranks right up there for me.”

    We could see a new competitor in victory lane from among the active drivers who are winless this year but have had past success at Loudon, including Denny Hamlin, Jimmie Johnson, Kurt Busch, Brad Keselowski, Ryan Newman and Kasey Kahne.

    Hamlin has three previous victories at New Hampshire and is the defending race winner. He also has the series-best driver rating at the track (103.6) with nine top fives and 14 top 10s. Hamlin is currently ninth in the standings but this could be his opportunity to clinch a Playoff spot.

    “We’ve obviously had a strong showing at New Hampshire these past few seasons,” he said, “and our FedEx Racing team is returning with the goal to repeat last year’s success. We were able to come from the back and take home the win last July, and we’ll do whatever it takes to do that again so we can lock in our spot to the 2018 Playoffs.”

    Jimmie Johnson, searching for his first victory this year, has won this race three times but has not claimed the checkered flag here since 2010. But, in his favor, he has scored four top fives in his last five starts at New Hampshire and enters the race with the third-best driver rating (100.5).

    Johnson characterized the track as “one of the three toughest tracks to compete on for me. If you are up front and you have track position on your side, your day will go well. If you are fourth on back, it’s a crazy race. Maintaining your line and racing in traffic is just crazy.”

    There have been 24 different Monster Energy NASCAR Cup drivers who have won at New Hampshire. Could someone new add their name to this list?

    Kyle Larson, who finished in second place at both of the New Hampshire races last year, is poised to break through for his first win of the season.

    “I hope we can keep up our recent solid races at Loudon. Last season we had really good races there, with two runner-up finishes, and ran towards the front most of both races. We’ve been bringing fast Chevy’s to the track and are definitely close to scoring a win.”

    Tune into the Foxwoods Resort Casino 301 Sunday afternoon as we get one step closer to the 2018 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs. Win and you’re in. With everything on the line, anything can happen.

    Follow @angiecampbell_ for the latest NASCAR news and feature stories.

     

  • Hot 20 – Getting down and dirty, be it at New Hampshire or Eldora

    Hot 20 – Getting down and dirty, be it at New Hampshire or Eldora

    On Wednesday, the pick-up trucks race on dirt at Eldora. Some figure we need some dirt track racing in NASCAR. The fact is that in these times such a race would be a novelty, just as Eldora is, but does it need to be a feature in Cup?

    Why not? The fact that NBC has finally returned television coverage that actually keeps one glued to the action, entertained and informed with real insight, allows me to watch Loudon without any complaint or the use of the fast-forward feature on my PVR. Finally, I am content with what I watch on the pavement. Being different, though, is not a bad thing.

    Bristol is different. Daytona and Talladega are different. Sonoma and Watkins Glen are different. So will be the road-course feature coming up at Charlotte. Why not a little dirt? Just no gimmicks. We do not need any more gophers. I have had it up to here with “boogity, boogity, boogity.” No more draft tracks. You can even toss out the wild sound laps, where we get to hear the roar of the engines as the announcers take a time-out. It comes nowhere close to being at the live event.

    No more gimmicks. Just tracks that are different. Dirt is good. I have high hopes the New Hampshire experience on Sunday will be as well.

    1. KYLE BUSCH – 5 WINS (799 Pts)
    To be the man, you have to beat the man…more times than he has beaten you.

    2. KEVIN HARVICK – 5 WINS (740 Pts)
    This fall, the Magic Mile will magically look a lot like Las Vegas. Hey, it’s magic.

    3. MARTIN TRUEX JR. – 4 WINS (689 Pts)
    Has never won at Loudon…yet.

    4. CLINT BOWYER – 2 WINS (629 Pts)
    Like Harvick, the pit road experience at Kentucky fell short of the standard set on the track.

    5. JOEY LOGANO – 1 WIN (648 Pts)
    A single win locks one into the Chase this season.

    6. ERIK JONES – 1 WIN (480 Pts)
    Earned his golden ticket, so when does he get to visit the Chocolate Factory?

    7. AUSTIN DILLON – 1 WIN (362 Pts)
    After Daytona, he went into Witness Protection and has not been seen since.

    8. BRAD KESELOWSKI – 630 POINTS
    “We’ve been good, not great this year, and this is a sport of great.”

    9. KURT BUSCH – 601 POINTS
    Three career wins at Loudon ties him with his brother, Jimmie, Ryan, Denny, and Matt.

    10. KYLE LARSON – 581 POINTS
    On Tuesday was at the Lernerville Speedway winning a World of Outlaws event.

    11. DENNY HAMLIN – 559 POINTS
    The defending race champion returns, but will the checkered flag?

    12. RYAN BLANEY – 546 POINTS
    Might find Loudon too easy after testing this week at Charlotte.

    13. ARIC ALMIROLA – 534 POINTS
    Did the former driver of this car ever threaten to make the Chase? Ever?

    14. JIMMIE JOHNSON – 484 POINTS
    Only a true disaster will keep even a winless Johnson out of the Chase.

    15. CHASE ELLIOTT – 469 POINTS
    William Clyde’s nickname features his season goal. Next year, he wants to be known as Champ.

    16. ALEX BOWMAN – 427 POINTS
    Spent his Tuesday spinning in Turns 3 and 4 of the Charlotte infield road course. It is sketchy.

    17. RICKY STENHOUSE JR. – 418 POINTS
    He has a standing offer to Kyle Busch to help him stop running his mouth. Jimmy Spencer, Jr.?

    18. PAUL MENARD – 404 POINTS
    23 points between him and a playoff spot, but he averages a 23rd place finish at Loudon.

    19. RYAN NEWMAN – 348 POINTS
    Pick-up racing is cute. Now, European Truck Racing is for the big boys with the big toys.

    20. DANIEL SUAREZ – 344 POINTS
    Two Loudon starts, two Top Tens. Unfortunately, only a win gets him to where he wants to be.

  • The Final Word – Truex pretty much gave the field a blue moon at Kentucky

    The Final Word – Truex pretty much gave the field a blue moon at Kentucky

    Kentucky. The land of Daniel Boone. Horses. Bluegrass (be it those you can grow, pick, or sing along to). Bourbon. Maybe they should consider marketing something called Dr. Truex’s Tonic and Magical Elixir. I mean, whatever he is drinking delivers some pretty positive results.

    Martin Truex Jr. won both stages and won at Kentucky. Both last Saturday night and the year before. Sure, there were some who were up to the challenge of at least dueling the pole sitter from time to time. For a while, Kurt Busch used a two-tire strategy and it worked for a short time. Brad Keselowski tried the same later, with the same results. In the final portion of the event, the elder Busch did it again. I mean, he had to try and it got him noticed, but he still finished sixth. Keselowski was third. Truex won his fourth of the season, the 19th of his career.

    The Big Three were again dominant. Often, they were the leading three. Five-time season winners Kyle Busch and Kevin Harvick finished fourth and fifth, while Ryan Blaney was again strong in a runner-up result. No change among the Chasers, though things have tightened up regarding that final playoff spot. Alex Bowman had a horrid day, and is now just nine points ahead of Ricky Stenhouse Jr., while Paul Menard finished 11th to move to within 23 points.

    Another thing we discovered is that wins are not everything. The Big Three have claimed 14 races, Clint Bowyer has a couple, and Austin Dillon, Erik Jones, and Joey Logano all have wins in the bank. That means only seven drivers have won and with only seven races to go, at least two drivers will advance to the Chase based solely on points.

    Stewart-Haas has great equipment, great divers in Harvick, Bowyer, and Chase contenders Kurt Busch and Aric Almirola, who put in another Top Ten effort. What they also have are pit crews that cost them. Harvick and Bowyer got bit again by friendly fire when the money stop leaked change all over the place.

    A perfect day for Truex, very good days recorded by Kyle Busch, Harvick, and Blaney. Bowman had the worse luck among those who expect better when a right front let go and he pasted the fence to end the day dead last in 39th.

    Kyle Larson had an adventurous evening. Too much time with some friends left not enough time to show up for driver introductions, and that got him sent back in the pack to start. He worked his way forward, only to discover a track bar automatically heading down in the late going. That was not the plan. Three inches is a big drop, so five made the car damn hard to handle. 14 rounds of wedge later, and it drove good enough to finish ninth.

    I recorded the race and went out for the evening. Kentucky usually means me and the fast-forward button get real chummy. I mean, there is not much to see but round and round and broadcasters telling me what I already can see right before my eyes. Not this time. I had to stay up late. After years of complaining about how awful the broadcasts have been, I finally got what I have been asking for. It was a late night thanks to NBC. If fans discover that they do not want to miss a single word you say, you are doing it right.

    From the land of Daniel Boone, bluegrass, and bourbon, we return to Sunday afternoon and the race in Loudon, New Hampshire. You have to love a place with no state income tax. If you love winds up to 230 mph and temperatures as low as -50, you will love Mount Washington. The state was also the home of the moon’s first golfer in Alan Shepard.

    Loudon is a place where Truex has never won. Both Busch boys, Jimmie Johnson, and Denny Hamlin have, three times each. So has Ryan Newman. The last came in 2011. He sure could use another one this weekend.