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Tag: Martin Truex Jr.

  • NASCAR Top-10 Power Rankings: Pocono

    NASCAR Top-10 Power Rankings: Pocono

    Note: The quotes in this article are fictional.

    1. Jimmie Johnson: Fresh off a win at Dover, Johnson finished third in the Axalta 400 at Pocono, his ninth top-five of the year. He is third in the Sprint Cup points standings, 78 out of first.

    “I blew a tire on lap 87,” Johnson said, “but I was still able to pull out a third. I’ve got to hand it to my pit crew for getting me back out there quickly. It was a ‘change’ that even Bruce/Caitlyn Jenner’s doctors would be proud of.”

    2. Kevin Harvick: Harvick couldn’t catch Martin Truex Jr. down the stretch at Pocono and settled for second, his 10th runner-up finish of the season. He leads the Sprint Cup points standings by 39 over Truex.

    “Congratulations to Martin for his win in the ‘Axalta 400,” Harvick said. “Axalta’s slogan may be ‘We paint winners.’ For 10 races this season, my slogan has been ‘We ain’t winners.’”

    3. Martin Truex Jr.: Truex led 97 of 160 laps at Pocono and finally won for the first time this season, taking the Axalta 400.

    “I feel like the monkey is off my back,” Truex said. “That’s also how I felt after leaving Michael Waltrip Racing.”

    4. Dale Earnhardt Jr.: Earnhardt started on row 10 at Pocono and brought home an 11th-place finish, as all four Hendrick Motorsports drivers finished in the top 14.

    “Martin Truex’s win was a popular one for everyone involved in NASCAR,” Earnhardt said. “Even the good people of Junior Nation couldn’t help but applaud. As usual, the clap was rampant among my fans.”

    5. Joey Logano: Logano fell a lap down early but strongly rebounded for a fourth-place finish, his seventh top-five finish of the year. He is fourth in the Sprint Cup point standings, 79 out of first.

    “I have a cameo in the ‘Sharknado 3’ movie,” Logano said. “’Cameo’ means you show up once. They call me ‘Sliced Bread,’ and that makes my part in the movie the ‘roll’ of a lifetime.”

    6. Brad Keselowski: Keselowski’s day at Pocono soured when he got into the back of the No. 34 car of Brett Moffitt with 32 laps to go. Keselowski eventually finished 17th and is sixth in the points standings, 118 out of first.

    “I was this close to avoiding that No. 34 car,” Keselowski said. “It reminds me of a story I’ve read my newborn girl—‘Little Miss Moffitt.’”

    7. Matt Kenseth: Kenseth topped all Joe Gibbs Racing drivers at Pocono, finishing sixth for his eighth top-10 of the year.

    “They call Pocono ‘The Tricky Triangle,’” Kenseth said. “And speaking of shapes, I’m known as the ‘Shifty Square.’

    8. Denny Hamlin: Hamlin, a four-time winner at Pocono, finished 10th in the Axalta 400, recording his sixth top-10 result of the year.

    “As you may know,” Hamlin said, “Axalta is known for its coatings. And they are a primary sponsor of Jeff Gordon’s No. 24 Chevrolet. That means they pay him to put their product on his car. And that’s called a cover charge.”

    9. Jamie McMurray: McMurray finished seventh at Pocono, posting his sixth top-10 finish of the year.

    “Ten different drivers have won races this year,” McMurray said. “One of those is Martin Truex Jr. He’s qualified for The Chase For The Cup, and no one can take that away from him. But we’ll see.”

    10. Kurt Busch: Busch started on the pole at Pocono, his third pole of the season, and finished fifth in the Axalta 400.

    “What a race by Martin Truex Jr.,” Busch said. “He totally dominated the second half of the race. He really went in for the kill, but I’ll stop short of calling him an assassin.”

  • The Final Word – The Top Four at Pocono Have Been the Season’s Best Four

    The Final Word – The Top Four at Pocono Have Been the Season’s Best Four

    Three drivers. When it came to the story of the Pocono race, only three mattered. You probably wanted to know who led the race for the opening few laps, and that would have been Carl Edwards. He finished 15th. For the rest of the way, it was down to two names, right down to the final lap; Martin Truex Jr. and Kevin Harvick. No one else much mattered on Sunday.

    When it comes down to points, these two lead the way this year. When it comes to wins, Harvick’s two trailed only Jimmie Johnson’s four in that department. Truex, on the other hand, still had to close the deal. That finally happened in a race where he was a factor from start to finish, leading four times for 97 of the 160 laps, to snap a 69 race winless string. Harvick led for 39 to claim his 10th Top Two in 14 starts. As for third place, that eventually went to Johnson, as Pocono became a showcase of the three best thus far in 2015. Okay, Top Four, with Joey Logano finishing fourth.

    With the Truex win, we still have no drivers outside the Top 16 in points with a victory this season. With a dozen events to go, that could change, which would put some pressure on those up there, yet still winless. However, Jamie McMurray, Kasey Kahne and even Jeff Gordon look safe for the moment though Paul Menard, Aric Almirola and Ryan Newman are vulnerable. All three finished outside the Top Thirty on Sunday.

    Top Thirty on the season is valuable for those who want to win to be in. Only Kyle Busch has a realistic expectation to possibly win amongst the outsiders, and he sits 151 points behind Trevor Bayne for that 30th spot. Busch gained 15 points on Bayne over the weekend and needs to average a 12.6 point advantage over each of the next 12 races, as well as claim a win along the way, for it to matter.

    Danica Patrick looked good for much of the race, solidly a Top 15, if not better. She lost a tire, found a fence, and finished 37th. However, the girl looked good, and for those on her bandwagon, that certainly counts for something.

    After taking the last five at Pocono, shared by their four drivers, Team Hendrick had to settle for all four in the Top 15. Considering the trials Truex has faced both professionally and personally over the past couple of years, I think their genuine happiness over his success more than makes up for any disappointment that they might feel. Way more.

    While Truex celebrated, Almirola (43rd), Ricky Stenhouse Jr. (42nd), and Sam Hornish Jr. (41st) were top thirty drivers who did not have top thirty days. Meanwhile, Kyle Busch (9th), Ty Dillon (18th), and Landon Cassill (25th) were among those outsiders who gladly took their place.

    Michigan International Speedway is the next stop, where the last six contests run over the past three years have been split between Hendrick Chevrolets and Roush or Penske Fords. At least it is a venue Hendrick has not won the last five…just the last two.

  • Martin Truex Jr. Celebrates Victory and Life after Pocono Win

    Martin Truex Jr. Celebrates Victory and Life after Pocono Win

    The challenges of the last year and a half seemed to vanish as Martin Truex Jr. drove his No. 78 Chevy into victory lane after winning Sunday’s Axalta “We Paint Winners” 400 at Pocono Raceway to end a 69-race winless streak. It was his third career Sprint Cup win, his first with Furniture Row Racing and the first for crew chief Cole Pearn.

    But this victory was about so much more than mere numbers. Its significance transcends breaking a losing streak, leading the most laps or cementing his standing in the Chase. This was about beating the odds, both professionally and personally.

    Last year was one of the lowest points in Truex’s life as he struggled with his new team managing only five top-five finishes the entire season. But Truex remained committed to the small single-car team led by owner Barney Visser. His biggest test, however, came as longtime girlfriend Sherry Pollex underwent treatment for cancer.

    Truex was inspired by her strength, saying, “She showed me what she was made of and I was like, wow, if she can do that then I can do this, this is easy.”

    This season has seen a resurgence of Truex’s career, perhaps sparked by Pollex’s remission. The couple hugged after he climbed out of his car and one can only imagine the myriad of emotions they experienced in that brief moment, particularly since Truex lost his grandmother this week.

    “Sherry is here healthy and is excited as I am and everything is going well for her,” said Truex.

    “It never gets any better than this,” he exclaimed. “It takes time to heal things especially with what Sherry and I went through. This just kind of makes you forget all about it. Tomorrow we are still going back to normal life. We always try to remember that and be ourselves and remember why we are here and how lucky we are to be doing this. I just feel super blessed to be with this group of guys. They are super impressive and I’m just proud to drive cars for them.”

    Truex’s win was popular within the NASCAR community. Even second place finisher, Kevin Harvick, said, “If you’re going to lose to somebody today, that’s a great person to lose to.”

    “You look at everything, personally and professionally Martin and Sherry have dealt with,” he continued, “and you have to be super-happy for them. To see them have that bright spot is something I think the whole garage will support and be happy with.”

    Dale Earnhardt Jr. agreed, saying, “I’m just happy for him. I know he’s been through a lot of stuff, both inside the car and outside the car the last several years. He’s been able to get into a good opportunity with good people. He’s got a team that believes in him. They’ve come a long way over the last several years.”

    Truex was humbled by the support of his fellow competitors.

    “It means a lot, it really does, because there’s going to come a time when racing and where you finish in races doesn’t matter,” Truex said. “What’s going to matter is kind of the legacy you leave and how people look at the person that you are. So that means a ton to me to have that respect, and, honestly, it’s kind of humbling.”

    Sometimes winning isn’t everything. Sometimes the journey is more important than the destination. Today was one of those days.

  • Surprising and Not Surprising: Pocono Axalta We Paint Winners 400

    Surprising and Not Surprising: Pocono Axalta We Paint Winners 400

    In a peculiar race at Pocono, filled with shifting and unexpected bumps, here is what else was surprising and not surprising in the 34th annual Axalta We Paint Winners 400.

    Surprising:  Under picture-perfect skies, both blessings and curses abounded at the Tricky Triangle in the track’s first race of the season.

    “I just feel super blessed to be with this group of guys,” race winner Martin Truex Jr. said of his No. 78 Furniture Row race team. “They are super impressive and just proud to drive cars for them.”

    “We finally got it. That is all I can say we finally got it. Just can’t thank all my guys enough, Barney Visser, everybody at Furniture Row, everybody back in Denver for working so hard. This is a brand new racecar and they have been working really hard lately. Just proud of them and blessed to drive great racecars.”

    “It never gets any better than this.”

    This was Truex Jr.’s first victory of the season and one that ended a 69-race winless streak as well as qualifying him for the Chase.

    As much as Truex felt blessed to win, Jeff Gordon and Alan Gustafson on the flip side exchanged a tirade of uncharacteristic curses after disagreeing on pit strategy.  The curse-laden audio can be heard at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GPeUz35cQRA&app=desktop.

    In spite of all that cursing, the Team 24 driver and crew chief duo managed to pull off a top-15 finish for the No. 24 Axalta/Penn State Chevrolet.

    Not Surprising:  Although many in the garage felt that he was the one to beat, Kevin Harvick finished second yet again, having had to deal with gear issues on the restarts and splitter issues as well.

    “Our Budweiser Chevy was really fast, but we were just terrible on the restarts getting going,” Harvick said. “We would lug really bad in third gear and just had to go into defense mode.”

    “We struggled in Turn 1 with the splitter on the ground. Things aren’t lining-up to win races right now.”

    Surprising:  Aric Almirola went from having one of the best finishes of the season in Dover to having one of his worst days at Pocono, finishing 43rd in his No. 43 Nathan’s Famous Ford with something malfunctioning in the motor of his race car.

    “It wouldn’t run anymore,” Almirola said. “It’s a shame.  It was not a good weekend for us. We struggled all weekend finding speed in our car and right there we came in and made a pretty aggressive adjustment on that pit stop. Trent (Owens, crew chief) changed a lot of stuff and just on that one lap of the restart it drove a lot better and I had my hopes up for a minute and then my hopes got crushed.”

    “We had some sort of motor issue. Every once in a while something like that happens.”

    This was Almirola’s first DNF of the season as well.

    Not Surprising:  Tony Stewart shared the best quote of the day. After received a penalty on pit road for an uncontrolled tire, Smoke came on the radio and said “They should start calling penalties on me for being an uncontrolled driver.”

    “I put us in a hole to start the weekend,” Stewart said, referring to his crash on Friday in practice that forced him to a backup racecar. “This whole Mobil 1/Bass Pro Shops team dug in, worked hard all weekend and never gave up.”

    “I’m really proud of everybody and hate the finish doesn’t reflect that effort.”

    Stewart finished 21st at Pocono Raceway in his No. 14 Mobil 1/Bass Pro Shops Chevrolet.

    Surprising:  While Carl Edwards looked to be the strongest Toyota, starting on the outside pole, three other Toyotas managed to finish better than he did with his 15th place run. Matt Kenseth was the highest finisher of the manufacturer’s brand in the sixth place, with Kyle Busch and Denny Hamlin finishing ninth and tenth respectively.

    “We had a really fast car – it was the fastest sixth-place car that I’ve ever had,” Kenseth, driver of the No. 20 Dollar General Toyota, said. “We ran much better than we finished.”

    “This is a bad track for me and we had a great car today.”

    “We didn’t start the race with what we needed with our M&M’s Crispy Camry,” Kyle Busch said. “But Adam (Stevens, crew chief) made some good adjustments to get us better. Track position was big, so Adam also made a good call to take two tires and get us some track position and we were able to hold onto it for a while.”

    “Those last two cautions didn’t help us, we just couldn’t get going on those last couple of restarts. We’ll take it and move on to Michigan.”

    “I thought we were a decent car – fifth to 10th place most of the day, but with our track position, we always took four tires,” Denny Hamlin, driver of the No. 11 FedEx Ground Toyota , said. “Some of those guys made it on fuel because of all the cautions so we continued to lose track position throughout the day, but we kind of battled back.”

    “We barely got inside the top-10 and at best I thought we could have improved four or five more spots, but overall a solid day. We didn’t tear up anything this week and now we can go and improve our program for next week.”

    Not Surprising:  While Ford has traditionally struggled at Pocono, Joey Logano still managed to be the best finishing Ford, bringing his No. 22 Shell/Pennzoil Ford to the checkered flag in the fourth position. His finish was especially noteworthy as he had to start from the back of the pack due to a rear gear change.

    “I’m happy with the way it ended,” Logano said. “We didn’t have a very fast Shell/Pennzoil Ford from the get-go when we unloaded here, but we kept fighting hard.”

    “This was one of those blue-collar days, just working hard all day on the car and on pit road the guys did a good job making my car faster and got to where we were a top-five car at the end.”

    Surprising:  Ryan Newman’s temper got the best of him after contact between himself and AJ Allmendinger on Lap 142. And he even vowed some revenge as a result of that contact.

    “It’s pretty obvious what happened,” Newman, driver of the No. 31 Grainger Chevrolet, said after finishing 39th. “The No. 47 (AJ Allmendinger) just ran out of talent.”

    “He has got one coming now.”

    Not Surprising:  While Trevor Bayne got some Pocono practice time in running and winning the ARCA Series race, the driver of the No. 6 AdvoCare Ford acknowledged that he was still in the learning mode for the Tricky Triangle.

    “We got through it and that was the main part for our first run here at Pocono,” Bayne said. “Overall, we kept a clean car and for the first time here I learned a ton.”

    “From where I started this week and getting to where we finished I think we made big gains.  We got back on the lead lap there at the end and we just needed to be a little bit better off turn three and we would have had something for a top-15 run.”

    Bayne finished the race in the 24th position.

    Surprising:  Forget girls just wanting to have fun, sometimes six time champions like Jimmie Johnson just want to do that as well even with a beat up race car, with some missing parts to boot. And while he had fun, Johnson also went on to finish third in his No. 48 Lowe’s/Jimmie Johnson Foundation Chevrolet.

    “A fun day,” Johnson said. “She is beat up and missing a left-front splitter too from the contact we had with the outside wall off of Turn 3 there.”

    “We overcame a lot and still got a third place finish out of it.  Wish we had a little bit more, but not a bad finish.”

    Not Surprising:  Both Chip Ganassi Racing drivers managed top-10 finishes at the Tricky Triangle, with Jamie McMurray coming in seventh and Kyle Larson finishing eighth.

    “It was a good race and a nice top 10,” Larson, the driver of the No. 42 Target Chevrolet, said after the race. “I thought that was probably about the speed we had maybe eighth to 11th or so.  So to get an eighth place is alright.”

    Surprising: Alex Bowman, driver of the No. 7 Accell Construction Chevrolet, managed a 26th place finish only to go home and have an accident there.

    “No joke got home and roscoe ran to the door and head butted me so hard because he couldn’t stop that I now have an actual black eye,” @AlexBRacing tweeted after the race.

    Not Surprising: At the end of the day and in spite of the competition, friendships develop in the garage area. And the best example of that was Dale Earnhardt Jr. who could not wait to get into Victory Lane to shake the hand of his friend and race winner Martin Truex Jr.

    “I’m just happy for him,” the driver of the No. 88 Nationwide Chevrolet said after finishing 11th. “I know he’s been through a lot of stuff both inside the car and outside the car the last several years. He’s been able to get into a good opportunity with good people.”

    “He’s got a team that believes in him. And I was in the stall next to those guys during qualifying and how they are as a team and how they interact with each other really impressed me.”

    “So, Martin’s in a good situation. So, it’s real refreshing. I look forward to going over there (Victory Lane) and saying hey to him.”

    The Cup Series will race next weekend in the Irish Hills of Michigan for the Quicken Loans 400.

     

  • Hot 20 – Preparing For Pocono, May They Remember to Just Stay in The Damn Car

    Hot 20 – Preparing For Pocono, May They Remember to Just Stay in The Damn Car

    Stay in your damn car. Jennifer Jo Cobb did not during Friday’s truck race, leaving the confines of the cab to direct a little displeasure after being wrecked. On Sunday, Trevor Bayne got wrecked and headed onto to the apron to voice his displeasure. According to NASCAR rules brought in last August, unless there is smoke or fire in the cockpit, stay in the damn car until the emergency crew arrives.

    I love watching drivers venting steam, challenging those who they believe have done them wrong. Sometimes it is downright amusing, especially if the driver is much smaller than the focus of their displeasure. However, life is not a cartoon. Sometimes what might be funny can become terribly tragic in the blink of an eye.

    August 9, 2014. After that date, on a dirt track in New York, with the death of 20-year old Kevin Ward Jr., we learned a very valuable yet costly lesson. Please just stay in the damn car.

    Here are our Hot 20 as they take to the track at Pocono on Sunday…

    1. Jimmie Johnson – 4 WINS (440 Pts)
    Whenever Johnson fails to win at Dover, Miles the Monster gets a Jimmie Johnson trophy.

    2. Kevin Harvick – 2 WINS (516 Pts)
    Tony just called. He wants his damn car back…and pit crew…and crew chief..and lucky penny.

    3. Joey Logano – 1 WIN (440 Pts)
    A big believer in Loudon. Unless it is a songwriter named Wainwright, I’m not with him.

    4. Dale Earnhardt Jr. – 1 WIN (432 Pts)
    Never won at Pocono until last year. Now looking for his third straight.

    5. Brad Keselowski – 1 WIN (414 Pts)
    Giving a rival crewman a ride is fine after the race, just not during the race.

    6. Matt Kenseth – 1 WIN (377 Pts)
    As he prepares for Pocono, his boy Ross makes his XFINITY debut later this month.

    7. Denny Hamlin – 1 WIN (345 Pts)
    Bowyer’s Toyota was going places, causing Hamlin’s Toyota to go to a bad place.

    8. Kurt Busch – 1 WIN (340 Pts)
    On the track, he makes Gene’s gambit look pretty good.

    9. Carl Edwards – 1 WIN (338 Pts)
    A drag race is not what one does to a crew member in leaving the pits.

    10. Martin Truex, Jr. – 472 POINTS
    A 140-point bulge means winning is not everything…but it sure would be nice.

    11. Jamie McMurray – 390 POINTS
    Miles needs a desperate facelift. After what happened to him last year, Jamie would agree.

    12. Kasey Kahne – 385 POINTS
    The second best Hendrick driver at Dover? It sure in hell was not Earnhardt or Gordon.

    13. Jeff Gordon – 380 POINTS
    Then again, a Top Ten is not bad for an old guy…with four titles…and 92 career wins.

    14. Aric Almirola – 378 POINTS
    Solidly in the hunt, solidly a Top Five guy last weekend at Dover.

    15. Paul Menard – 372 POINTS
    If no one outside the Top 16 in points wins, he is fine. If not, he will need one of his own.

    16. Ryan Newman – 369 POINTS
    What goes for Menard also goes for Newman.

    17. Clint Bowyer – 332 POINTS
    Chasing is fine, but a win is his best bet to make the playoffs.

    18. Danica Patrick – 321 POINTS
    The Danica-Line used to be 25th. While not yet Chase worthy, it marks a definite improvement.

    19. Greg Biffle – 311 POINTS
    What’s Buggin’ Biffle? Nothing that a win would not cure.

    20. Kyle Larson – 297 POINTS
    At 22, elected to sit at the big boy table as a driver rep in chat with NASCAR.

  • NASCAR Top-10 Power Rankings: Dover

    NASCAR Top-10 Power Rankings: Dover

    Note: The quotes in this article are fictional.

    1. Jimmie Johnson: Johnson led the final 23 laps and won the FedEx 400, capturing his 10th win in 27 starts at the famous one-mile track and his fourth win overall.

    “Ten wins at one track is quite an accomplishment,” Johnson said. “If there was any doubt that I’m one of the greatest drivers in history, my dominance at Dover is concrete proof.

    “We were penalized by NASCAR for some minor infractions. As we well know from the plight of Jeremy Mayfield, NASCAR severely frowns upon ‘tweaking.’”

    2. Kevin Harvick: Harvick finished second at Dover, posting his ninth top-five finish and eighth runner-up of the year. He leads the points standings with a 41-point lead over Martin Truex Jr.

    “Jimmie Johnson won for the 10th time at Dover,” Harvick said. “That’s truly a groundbreaking achievement. Of course, any achievement is ‘groundbreaking’ at Dover—that track is falling to pieces.

    “The No. 4 Chevy featured the Ditech paint scheme. Ditech is a home loan service, as well as one of my biggest supporters. They give me ‘credit’ all the time, in addition to showing lots of interest.”

    3. Martin Truex Jr.: For the third consecutive race, Truex led the most laps, but fell short of winning. At Dover, Truex led 131 laps and finished sixth.

    “Am I going to win a race this year?” Truex said. “Please, I’d prefer not to be asked ‘leading’ questions.”

    4. Dale Earnhardt Jr.: Earnhardt finished 14th in the FedEx 400, three laps down, following a pit road speeding penalty.

    “First, we had to start at the rear of the field after changing a rear gear,” Earnhardt said, “then the No. 88 car had a radio issue early in the race. Let’s just say things didn’t sound good all day. Luckily, our radio issues don’t happen with great frequency.”

    5. Joey Logano: Logano finished 11th at Dover, one spot ahead of Penske Racing teammate Brad Keselowski.

    “I just turned 25 years old,” Logano said. “But listen, I’m no spring chicken. Well, that is unless you ask Ryan Newman. According to Newman, if it’s between March 21 and June 21 and I’m avoiding him, then I’m a ‘spring chicken.”

    6. Brad Keselowski: Keselowski took 12th in the FedEx 400 at Dover, one lap down after starting 19th. He is sixth in the Sprint Cup points standings, 102 behind Kevin Harvick.

    “What a run by Jimmie Johnson,” Keselowski said. “Ten wins at one track is one heck of an accomplishment, and JJ celebrated appropriately with a beer. Oh, it wasn’t ‘Miller Time’ for Johnson; it was ‘miler’ time.”

    7. Matt Kenseth: Kenseth suffered a broken front suspension and finished 39th at Dover, his worst finish of the year.

    “Kyle Busch was strong until he wrecked with Brian Scott,” Kenseth said. “Then Kyle stuck his head in Scott’s car and gave him a piece of his mind. Kyle may have broken his leg, but he definitely hasn’t broken character.”

    8. Jeff Gordon: Gordon charged late at Dover and grabbed a 10th-place finish, posting his seventh top 10 of the year.

    “The No. 24 car looked a lot like Greg Biffle’s No. 16 used to,” Gordon said. “3M told Biffle last year, ‘It’s no go with our logo.”

    9. Denny Hamlin: Hamlin started on the pole at Dover, but things didn’t finish as well as they started. A late crash left Hamlin with a 21st, while no other Joe Gibbs Racing driver finished better than 19th.

    “Carl Edwards’ 19th was the best finish among JGR drivers,” Hamlin said, “but he didn’t even finish on the lead lap. One week after winning at Charlotte, Carl went from back flipping to back marking.”

    10. Kurt Busch: Busch was involved in a late incident with Brian Scott that knocked him out of the top 10. After numerous pits stops and several flat tires, Busch limped home with a 31st at Dover.

    “There’s only one thing I’ve blown more than tires,” Busch said, “and that’s gaskets.”

  • The Final Word – Dover and the FedEx 400 Benefiting Jimmie Johnson

    The Final Word – Dover and the FedEx 400 Benefiting Jimmie Johnson

    Jimmie Johnson. Four wins in 2015. Ten wins at Dover. Seventy-four wins over the course of his career, just two shy of Dale Earnhardt’s total. Six championships. Gee, I wonder if he might ever make the Hall of Fame?

    He becomes only the fifth driver in NASCAR history to claim such dominance at a single track. Mind you, we’ve long been placing his name alongside such drivers as…

    -Richard Petty (Daytona – 10, Martinsville – 15, North Wilkesboro – 15, Richmond – 13, Rockingham – 11)

    -David Pearson (Darlington – 10)

    -Darrell Waltrip (Bristol – 12, Martinsville – 11, North Wilkesboro – 10)

    -Dale Earnhardt (Talladega – 10)…not counting the nine each he won at Atlanta, Bristol, and Darlington.

    Kevin Harvick was the runner-up and with two wins he holds the same position amongst the season leaders. Kyle Larson was third, but like the fourth place Aric Almirola, a win is what they need to be in the Chase. Martin Truex Jr. was sixth, but with a 140-point advantage over Clint Bowyer in the standings, he is still very good to go. Bowyer is 17th on the season and ninth on Sunday. The rest of the day’s Top Ten, Jamie McMurray, Paul Menard and Jeff Gordon, remain solidly in the Top Sixteen, at least for now.

    For some, this day was in the pits, or at least that is where great days went to die. Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Danica Patrick were in the Top-Fifteen, but were left wondering if not for pit penalties just what kind of day they might have had. Same for the 19th place Carl Edwards.

    Truex was amongst two that dominated early while Denny Hamlin led 118 laps including the opening 41 circuits. After a wreck caused by Bowyer that also caught Kurt Busch, Hamlin finished 21st, Busch 31st.

    As for brother Kyle, he looked strong the entire race, or at least the 90 percent he ran. With 25 to go, he and Brian Scott wrecked, leaving the younger Busch 36th. After missing so much of the season due to his Daytona injuries, he will need to win at least once and make up the 168 gap between himself and the 30th ranked Justin Allgaier over the next 13 events to make the playoff hunt. That is a gain of 13 per race. On Sunday, he gained just seven points on the 42nd placed Allgaier. It still can be done.

    Landon Cassill was 23rd on the day. The 26-year-old has been making the news, though off the track. After the World 600, he ran the 14-miles from the track to the Hall of Fame…on foot. Last Wednesday, he became Beckham Bear Alan Cassill’s dad. Pretty sweet.

    What is better, Cup action or IndyCar? Whatever you believe, it is not worth choking your fiancé over. It was a lovely domestic scene in Indiana as both were hitting the suds all day, then with he making dinner and her listening to the action from Indianapolis, the topic reared its ugly head. It appears that both are fine, but he does need a lawyer. No word as to whether the engagement is off or not.

    Dover had its moments and a few surprises. Actually, not a bad way to spend your Sunday afternoon. As for Pocono next weekend, Earnhardt comes in after sweeping 2014 while each of his Hendrick teammates has claimed the previous three. Gordon has six in total, Johnson three, but Hamlin could spoil the party having four of his own. Now, if only Bowyer will let him get to the finish.

  • Surprising and Not Surprising: Monster Mile FedEx 400

    Surprising and Not Surprising: Monster Mile FedEx 400

    The heat was on both on and off the track at the Monster Mile and here is what was surprising and not surprising from the 46th annual running of the FedEx 400 Benefiting Autism Speaks at Dover International speedway.

    Surprising:  It seemed that for many drivers, Miles the Monster not only bit them on the track but also in the pits. Carl Edwards had a terrible pit stop, with one of his pit crew members face planting after not being able to disengage the wrench from the back of the car. Edwards also suffered a pit road speeding penalty to add salt to the wound.

    “We had a couple problems on pit lane, but the biggest problem was my speeding,” Edwards said. “I didn’t realize I couldn’t speed in that segment so I was being a little aggressive and that cost us.”

    “I did not want to finish 19th today. I thought we had a top-three car, so just frustrating. But, once we got back there man it’s very hard to get track position.”

    Dale Earnhardt Jr. was also bitten by the Monster on pit road as he too got tagged for speeding. The driver of the No. 88 Nationwide Chevrolet later tweeted “We worked hard as hell all day. The car was fast. I f’d up and sped on pit road. It happens. Passed a lot of cars and had fun considering.”

    Dale Junior ended the race in the 14th position.

    Not Surprising: Oops he did it again. In spite of qualifying 14th, Jimmie Johnson won again at Dover, scoring a perfect ten at that race track. And with that he became the only the fifth driver in NASCAR history to win ten races at a single track, joining Richard Petty, David Pearson, Darrell Waltrip and Dale Earnhardt.

    This was also Johnson’s fourth win of the season.

    “What a long hard fought day to get to the front,” the driver of the No. 48 Lowe’s Pro Services Chevrolet said. We did a great job hanging in there. My pit stops were awesome.”

    “It was just an awesome day at the race track.

    Surprising:  The Monster Mile has often been compared to Bristol on steroids, but the tracks also had something else in common with each other, that of tempers flaring. Martin Truex Jr., who again led the most laps yet finished in the sixth position, had a run in with Kasey Kahne, who finished fourth.

    “Martin was back behind me to get a run on me, obviously; the spotter said I was clear, so I just went to the bottom getting into (Turn) 1. I think he was a little upset. He gave me a bump after the race. But I don’t know. I didn’t really know what else to do other than to go there with guys on my outside, and stuff.”

    “He ran me down on the apron,” Truex said of Kahne. “So, I either had to let off or wreck all of us.”

    Kyle Busch, behind the wheel of the No. 18 Skittles Toyota, also was unhappy with Brian Scott and vice versa after an on-track incident that cost both of them good finishes.

    “I guess Brian (Scott) said his spotter didn’t say anything and he just chopped the corner and I was under him already and it just sucked me around,” Busch said. “I hate it. This is a shame. This isn’t what we need, and we weren’t going to win today, but it doesn’t help when you finish 40th.”

    The final dust up occurred between Denny Hamlin and Clint Bowyer, who also exchanged words after the race was over.

    “It was a bad day,” Hamlin said. “Bowyer just said he was sorry. He ran into the back of us and wrecked us. That was it.”

    Not Surprising:  The Monster Mile itself had some issues reminiscent of last year with parts of the track coming up, as well as a patch crumbling in Tony Stewart’s pits.

    And in typical Smoke style, he asked this of his team on his in-car audio about his crumbling pit staff, “Is that Andreas fault type s*it?”

    Surprising:  Trevor Bayne, who has been struggling recently had double trouble at Dover, wrecking as well as getting called to the hauler because he exited his car before safety workers arrived.

    “It is really unfortunate,” Bayne said. “I am not sure what else to say about it. I felt we were making progress on our race car. I don’t think we had a great car today by any means, but you never want to tear them up by any means. It really stinks.”

    Not Surprising: It seems that when Jimmie Johnson finishes first, there is one driver always right behind him. Kevin Harvick in his No. 4 Ditech Chevrolet took the runner-up spot yet again, pronouncing his run a ‘good solid day.’

    “We just struggled at the end of the race on restarts, really all day on the restarts,” Harvick said. “All in all, everybody did a great job, and I think when you look at Dover it’s been a good racetrack for us.  We’ve led laps and just haven’t quite finished it yet, but a good, solid day.”

    Surprising:  Sometimes even champions know that it is better to be lucky than good. And that pretty much described the day of the driver of the No. 24 3M Chevrolet Jeff Gordon.

    “We just aren’t good enough to be further up there,” Gordon said. “We have some work to do.  We fought hard today that is for sure.  I like the fight, but we have to get better than that.”

    Not Surprising:  As the drivers battled such a difficult track, it was no wonder that there were plenty of hoods up on pit road, including the cars of Matt Kenseth, Ricky Stenhouse Jr., and Austin Dillon.

    “Not really sure, we broke something in the suspension and I’m not really sure what,” Kenseth said after his hood went up ending his day in the 39th position.

    Surprising:  Kyle Larson finally pulled off what he called the ‘first real kind of solid finish of the year’ as he took the checkered flag in the third position in his No. 42 Target Chevrolet.

    “Really good run for us, first top three of the year, first real kind of solid finish of the year,” Larson said. “Proud of my guys for the job they did to rebound from last week to bring a better car to the racetrack.”

    “That was just a nice solid day.”

    Not Surprising:  Paul Menard, in his usual quiet style, had a great run at the Monster Mile, finishing 8th in his No. 27 Pittsburgh Paints/Menards Chevrolet.

    “Good day, we made some really good adjustments,” Menard said. “Overall a good day. We just haven’t been finishing where we have been running. To come away from Dover with a top 10, we should have been top five, but our lane just didn’t go at the end.”

    Surprising: A group of drivers and NASCAR met prior to the Dover race to discuss how to improve racing, as well as how to keep those behind the wheel safe.

    “We’ve been trying to get all of our drivers together for about a year now, trying to get all of our ideas in one room together,” Denny Hamlin said Sunday morning at Dover. “NASCAR knew we were trying to form a line of communication, so they helped us start a driver council which gives us that forum to allow us to talk about things we want to talk about.”

    “I’m glad NASCAR wanted to do it and I think it gives us all a better opportunity to sit down and talk about why they make the decisions they make,” Dale Earnhardt Jr. said. “We can talk about potential ideas to make sport better in a good, controlled atmosphere. It works really nice.

    Not Surprising: Aric Almirola, driver of the No. 43 Smithfield Ford scored his first top-five of the season. And though he was pleased with the finish, the Petty driver acknowledged that was one of his hardest fought runs to date.

    “I earned my money today that is for sure,” said Almirola. “This Smithfield Ford Fusion was tight early. Trent Owens and the guys made really good adjustments on the car and got it better and better. Finally, we weren’t the lucky dog, we raced and stayed on the lead lap, and when the caution came out, we got a chance to restart with the leaders. That was the big break for us.”

    “It was a great day for us, a really good points day for us,” Almirola continued. “I am proud of Trent and all the guys at Richard Petty Motorsports. They have been working their guts out trying to bring better cars to the race track week in and week out.”

    “All in all, it was a good day for us, and I am ready to go to Pocono.”

  • Denny Hamlin Scores Pole; Martin Truex Jr. Starts Second

    Denny Hamlin Scores Pole; Martin Truex Jr. Starts Second

    In the 46th annual FedEx 400, it was only fitting that the No. 11 FedEx Cares Toyota, piloted by Denny Hamlin, scored the pole position, with a speed of 160.121 mph and a time of 22.483 seconds.

    With his pole run, Hamlin has now secured that honor in three of the six races at the Monster Mile.

    “It’s great,” Hamlin said of his first place starting spot. “Our car has been running great. We’re getting better and this kind of shows it.

    “We still haven’t won here but we’ve been a lot more competitive. Whatever about this qualifying just suits my style. We’ve qualified well here in the past and haven’t raced well but I’m confident that on Sunday we will be contenders.”

    Hamlin not only credited participating in a Goodyear tire test for at least a portion of his qualifying success, but he also paid tribute to the FedEx employees, whom he represents.

    “It’s so special,” Hamlin said. “The FedEx Cares car is about the employees and the hours they spend volunteering. My team just brought me another fast Camry.

    “The extra laps here I got from the test gives me that extra confidence. Overall, we’re just clicking away, getting a little better as the season goes.”

    Martin Truex Jr., behind the wheel of the No. 78 Furniture Row/Visser Precision Chevrolet, took the outside pole in the same car that had raced just several days ago at Charlotte. Truex was just a bit slower than Hamlin, with a time of 22.539 seconds and a speed of 159.723 mph.

    “We were close,” Truex said. “For whatever reason, the car got really tight. Missed it a little bit but had an awesome race car. The team hit it damn near perfect. Another good day and can’t wait to see what we can do on Sunday.”

    What made Truex’s qualifying run so extraordinary was that his team in Denver turned the Charlotte car into the Dover car in almost 24 hours.

    “It’s just awesome to see the effort put in,” Truex said. “I’m thankful for all the hard work back in Denver. This car got back there from Charlotte Monday night and had to leave to come here Tuesday night. Awesome job by my team to turn that car around.

    “Everyone is very excited about how we’ve been running and everyone can just taste that victory. They are working extra hard to do whatever it takes to get over that extra hump.

    “I have to say thanks to everyone and I love driving their cars.”

    This was also Truex’s best qualifying effort of the season to date.

    The third place starter for the race will be Kyle Larson, driver of the No. 42 Target Chevrolet. Larson qualified in 22.545 seconds and a speed of 159.681 mph.

    “It’s an aggressive race track, which suits my style,” Larson said. “It’s a good start and it’s been awhile since I’ve been in the media center.

    “Looking forward to trying to get faster and we have good pit selection. I’m hoping for a good race on Sunday.”

    Matt Kenseth, Joey Logano, Kevin Harvick, Greg Biffle, Carl Edwards, Ricky Stenhouse Jr. and Kyle Busch round out the top ten in the starting lineup.

    Jeb Burton was the fastest qualifying rookie and will start in the 35th position.

    The full starting lineup for the FedEx 400, which is set to kick off shortly after 1:00 PM on Sunday afternoon on FOX Sports, is as follows:

    2015 NSCS FedEx 400 Starting Lineup

    Pos Car Driver Team Time Speed
    1 11 Denny Hamlin FedEx Cares Toyota 22.483 160.121
    2 78 Martin Truex Jr. Furniture Row/Visser Precision Chevrolet 22.539 159.723
    3 42 Kyle Larson Target Chevrolet 22.545 159.681
    4 20 Matt Kenseth Dollar General Toyota 22.546 159.674
    5 22 Joey Logano Shell Pennzoil Ford 22.557 159.596
    6 4 Kevin Harvick ditech Chevrolet 22.571 159.497
    7 16 Greg Biffle Safety-Kleen Ford 22.573 159.483
    8 19 Carl Edwards Stanley Toyota 22.609 159.229
    9 17 Ricky Stenhouse Jr. Ford EcoBoost Ford 22.635 159.046
    10 18 Kyle Busch Skittles Toyota 22.645 158.975
    11 1 Jamie McMurray McDonald’s/Cessna Chevrolet 22.683 158.709
    12 3 Austin Dillon DOW Chevrolet 22.743 158.29
    13 41 Kurt Busch Haas Automation Chevrolet 22.657 158.891
    14 48 Jimmie Johnson Lowe’s Pro Services Chevrolet 22.668 158.814
    15 55 David Ragan Aaron’s Dream Machine Toyota 22.69 158.66
    16 88 Dale Earnhardt Jr. Nationwide Chevrolet 22.716 158.479
    17 31 Ryan Newman Caterpillar Chevrolet 22.747 158.263
    18 27 Paul Menard Pittsburgh Paints/Menards Chevrolet 22.76 158.172
    19 2 Brad Keselowski Miller Lite Ford 22.761 158.165
    20 15 Clint Bowyer AAA Insurance Toyota 22.764 158.144
    21 13 Casey Mears GEICO Chevrolet 22.771 158.096
    22 24 Jeff Gordon 3M Chevrolet 22.773 158.082
    23 43 Aric Almirola Smithfield Ford 22.773 158.082
    24 51 Justin Allgaier AccuDoc Solutions/FOE Chevrolet 22.83 157.687
    25 5 Kasey Kahne Farmers Insurance Chevrolet 22.746 158.27
    26 14 Tony Stewart Code 3 Associates/Mobil 1 Chevrolet 22.773 158.082
    27 33 Brian Scott(i) ACME Chevrolet 22.779 158.04
    28 9 Sam Hornish Jr. Twisted Tea Ford 22.832 157.673
    29 47 AJ Allmendinger Scott Products Chevrolet 22.834 157.66
    30 7 Alex Bowman Chevrolet 22.886 157.301
    31 6 Trevor Bayne AdvoCare Ford 22.912 157.123
    32 38 David Gilliland The Pete Store Ford 22.922 157.054
    33 10 Danica Patrick GoDaddy Chevrolet 22.98 156.658
    34 46 Michael Annett Pilot Flying J Chevrolet 22.983 156.638
    35 26 Jeb Burton # Maxim Fantasy Sports Toyota 22.985 156.624
    36 83 Matt DiBenedetto # Burger King Toyota 23.114 155.75
    37 35 Cole Whitt Ford Owner Points
    38 34 Brett Moffitt # Dockside Logistics Ford Owner Points
    39 98 Josh Wise Ford Owner Points
    40 23 JJ Yeley(i) Dr Pepper Toyota Owner Points
    41 62 Brendan Gaughan(i) Chevrolet Owner Points
    42 32 Mike Bliss(i) CorvetteParts.net Ford Owner Points
    43 40 Landon Cassill(i) CRC Brakleen Chevrolet Owner Points

    (i) Ineligible for Driver Points in this Series,
    # Denotes Rookie

    Source: Timing and Scoring provided by NASCARMedia/NASCAR Statistics

  • Johnson Looking for Number 10 as Gordon, Truex and Stewart Fight for First

    Johnson Looking for Number 10 as Gordon, Truex and Stewart Fight for First

    As the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series heads to Dover International Speedway this weekend for the 13th points race of the season, 30-odd drivers are hoping to get lucky and snare the win that will catapult them into the Chase for the Sprint Cup. But for one driver, the stakes are even higher.

    Jimmie Johnson already has three wins this year, but a win at this particular track would be significant for an entirely different reason. He currently has nine wins at Dover, a track record, but one more victory would place him in an elite group of NASCAR drivers. Only four drivers have won 10 or more races at a single track and they are all members of the NASCAR Hall of Fame.

    Richard Petty won 15 races at Martinsville and North Wilkesboro, 13 at Richmond, 11 at Rockingham and 10 at Daytona. Darrell Waltrip won 12 events at Bristol, 11 at Martinsville and 10 at North Wilkesboro. Dale Earnhardt had 10 victories at Talladega and David Pearson claimed 10 checkered flags at Darlington.

    Johnson is the defending spring race winner and has the best driver rating of the top 16 at Dover, but he will also have some problems to overcome. On Wednesday NASCAR announced penalties for three Sprint Cup teams, including a written warning for the No. 48 team.

    This marked the second written warning in two consecutive races, making it a P1 penalty. As a result, the team will have one of the last two picks for pit stalls at Dover, regardless of how Johnson qualifies.

    Johnson reflected on racing at Dover, saying, “I’d have to say Dover is probably one of the most technical tracks we go to. Setup is key. Communication between driver and crew chief is key. At Dover, you have such loading characteristics, as you’re on the straightaway and kind of lunge off the corner, that you can draw some similarities between Dover and Charlotte. Dover isn’t easy, but it just suits my driving style and I love it.”

    One of Johnson’s chief competitors will be teammate Jeff Gordon whose last win was at Dover in September, giving him five victories at the Monster Mile, second to Johnson among active drivers. Gordon also joins Hall of Famers Petty (7), Bobby Allison (7) and Pearson (5), with five wins or more at Dover.

    Gordon spoke about the obstacles the 24 team would face this weekend.

    “We won the race in September here last year, but this is a different rules package with reduced horsepower,” he explained. “We’re going to be carrying more speed through the center of the corners this year, and the car will need to ‘rotate’ so you can get back in the gas quickly.”

    Martin Truex Jr. is second in the point standings and it’s hard to imagine there is anyone who wants a win more. He led the most laps in the previous two races at Kansas and Charlotte and has three top-five and 11 top-10 finishes this season, but victory has been elusive. He hopes to change that this weekend.

    Truex considers Dover his home track and it was the site of his first Sprint Cup win in 2007.

    “Dover has always been special to me,” said Truex.  “Even when we went through some hard times last year, we still managed to pull off strong results at Dover. There’s just something about that place that makes me feel both confident and comfortable.”

    Tony Stewart has only one top-10 finish this year and is barely hanging on in 30th place in the point standings, but one win could turn it all around. Although he has been successful at Dover, Stewart and the No. 14 team have found the track to be one of their most challenging venues on the circuit.

    “Dover is probably the track where we have struggled the most,” he said, “which certainly made the 2013 win that much sweeter. It was the one track that we always had to look at and say, ‘This is one that we have to figure out and do better if we’re going to have a shot at this.’ We have to survive there. What we did there that year helped us out for our next two races at Dover but, even with the win, we have some work to do.”

    Stewart has three wins at Dover including his last Sprint Cup victory in June 2013. That win broke a 30 race winless streak. As Stewart rolls into Dover this weekend, it seems only fitting that the three-time champ experience a little déjà vu as he seeks his next checkered flag.