Tag: Martinsville

The Final Word – Martinsville, A Day of Sunshine for Some, Storm Clouds for Others

As I peer out my window, I see cloudy skies and snow upon the ground. Even for us in the Great White North, this sucks. Yet, for many NASCAR fans, the skies are blue, the sun is shining, the birds are singing, and even that fat little mouse is eager to help Cinderelli build her dress. Life is perfect. Well, almost perfect. Dale Earnhardt Jr. won his fourth of the season at Martinsville, but just one race too late to keep his title hopes alive. Still, it took him just nine months to match what he had done over the course of the previous nine years, and that is to win four races.

Jeff Gordon had the car to beat. A speedy run through the pits put him back of the pack for some time, to allow others some face time up front. Denny Hamlin had the spotlight for awhile, as did Joey Logano. It was Gordon’s misfortune to return amongst the leaders about the time Junior’s car came alive. However, Four Time has the point as the Chasers advance to Texas. Ryan Newman, who led not a lap, was third and is within three points of Gordon.

Martinsville, in large part due to the quality of the broadcasters, was a chore to watch. At least it was until the action superseded their attempts at commentary. Gordon went from first to beyond 30th after his pit road violation and things seemed to perk up after that.

Kevin Harvick’s temper certainly spiked after fellow Chaser Matt Kenseth wheel-hopped and popped Harvick into the fence. Both had been riding around in the top 10, while in the end Kenseth finished sixth, Harvick 33rd and not very happy. In fact, he predicted Kenseth would not win the title. No need for a crystal ball when one has a fender that has the ability to alter history at Homestead.

Then we had Kasey Kahne and Brian Vickers. Kahne shoved Vickers out of the way early, Vickers spun Kahne later. When Kahne added his own version of the spin-o-rama NASCAR forced a peace and a halt to the shenanigans.

Danica Patrick and Martin Truex Jr. had their own tete-a-tete going on, but they and Kahne both got roughed up when Brad Keselowski got hit with drive line problems. Brad soon got hit by Casey Mears when he slowed to a crawl, and Patrick got a piece of Mears, while Kahne got all of Truex. Even Carl Edwards got a small piece of that and came home 20th on the day.

For a while there, I had visions of a 1-2-3 finish involving that trio of Chasers that warm the cockles of our hearts. Thankfully, reality stepped in and spared us. With apologies to that iconic trio of Chicago Cubs from a century ago…

These are the saddest of possible words:
“Joey and Denny and Brad”
Trio of racers who are fleeter than birds,
Joey and Denny and Brad.
Leaving fan favorites to sit on the bubble,
It is enough to make one order up doubles
Three bloody drivers who are nothing but trouble:
“Joey and Denny and Brad”

Joey was fifth, Hamlin eighth, Brad back in 31st.

As one can not be sure of others’ misfortune, both Keselowski and Harvick need to be hunting for wins at Texas and Phoenix in order to advance to the final round as Chasers. However, based on past history, a win for either this weekend, or even Edwards for that matter, is a bit of a long shot. The one with the best shot is Kenseth, with a pair of wins and an average finish of 8.2, though Hamlin has a couple claimed there, as well.

If there was a time for one of those on the outside looking in to order up a bit of sunshine of their own, this would be it.

1 – Jeff Gordon – 4044 POINTS – 7 to the good
2 – Ryan Newman – 4041 – 4 to the good
3 – Joey Logano – 4040 – 3 to the good
4 – Matt Kenseth – 4039 – 2 to the good
5 – Denny Hamlin – 4037 – 2 away
6 – Carl Edwards – 4024 – 15 away
7 – Brad Keselowski – 4013 – 26 away
8 – Kevin Harvick – 4011 – 28 away

October 27, 2014
Dale Jr. Takes Home Martinsville Clock

October 26, 2014
The Final Word – Loved Talladega, Just Not All That Thrilled With the Outcome

What a wonderful race we saw at Talladega on Sunday. It had visual excitement that can only be rivaled by Daytona. We had suspense, as we did not know who would continue in the Chase and who got their hearts broken right through to the final lap. It was everything we could have hoped it would be. Then Brad Keselowski won the damn race and ruined everything.

Keselowski. A former champion. A great diver with five wins this season. After Kansas, a whiney little weasel who has a “who me?” attitude in presenting his fabricated version of events. A twit. Of course, that is just my opinion, I could be wrong. Other than that, though, I love the guy. Don’t you?

Down to the final lap, with his little buddy Joey Logano trying to run interference, Keselowski beat off the challenge of Ryan Newman in his illegal low rider, and held off Matt Kenseth to take it. In doing so, Kyle Busch and Kasey Kahne saw their hopes for a title this year come to an end. Jimmie Johnson and Dale Earnhardt Jr. led the most laps that day, but both needed to lead the final one in order to advance. That leaves boss Rick Hendrick down to cheering for Jeff Gordon, his final dog in this hunt.

For a successful drama, you need your heros and you need your villains. Any guess what side of the ledger that I put Keselowski? You can put Logano there, as well. Toss in Denny Hamlin, while you are at it. No doubt wonderful individuals all, but when they win I do not have much stomach to view or listen in to the post-race celebrations. At least that gives me five guys I can be, to various degrees, content with.

The eight remaining contenders start afresh, with Martinsville, Texas, and Phoenix before them to determine the final four. Gordon (8 wins) and Hamlin (with 4) appear to be the favorites entering round one next Sunday. They also claim the best average finish there amongst the final eight. Third and fourth best? Logano and Keselowski.

I wonder who I might be cheering for on Sunday afternoon?

Eight who continue to rate…
1 – Joey Logano – 1 WIN – 3121 POINTS – In by Win
2 – Kevin Harvick – 1 – 3117 – In by Win
3 – Brad Keselowski – 1 – 3085 – In by Win
4 – Ryan Newman – 0 – 3117 – 27 Points In*
5 – Denny Hamlin – 0 – 3100 – 10 Points In
6 – Carl Edwards – 0 – 3099 – 9 Points In
7 – Matt Kenseth – 0 – 3099 – 9 Points In
8 – Jeff Gordon – 0 – 3093 – 3 Points In

Four who’ve been shown the door…
9 – Kasey Kahne – 0 – 3090 – 3 Points Out
10 – Kyle Busch – 0 – 3086 – 7 Points Out
11 – Jimmie Johnson – 0 – 3053 – 40 Points Out
12 – Dale Earnhardt, Jr. – 0 – 3045 – 48 Points Out

*Up to a 15 Point Penalty expected for low riding car

October 20, 2014

The Final Word – An all-Kyle finish at Fontana, as Bowyer spins his way to a Top 20

Tires, man. That was the story of the race at Fontana. If one was conservative in their set up, like those owned by Joe Gibbs, all was well. If not…well, they blew it.

California was not like Indianapolis a few years ago, when they could not keep the rubber inflated no matter what they tried. This time, if they messed around with air pressure and camber, they risked ill fortunate. The team of Kyle Busch did not, and that is a big reason why Rowdy claimed his 29^th career victory in extending his streak of claiming at least one win in a season to ten. Busch held off rookie Kyle Larson as both broke from the field during the green-white-check finish to get by Kurt Busch and Tony Stewart with one to go.

It was great racing, with the tire situation just adding to the excitement. As long as a driver did not fall multiple laps off the pace, chances were good they could come back from any miscue. However, one needed time, and when Jimmie Johnson blew a tire with seven to go, his time was up as one of the day’s most dominant cars finished 24^th.

Johnson lost a tire, kept the beast under control, and kept the race green. That allowed Jeff Gordon, who seemed to be nursing some ailing Goodyears of his own, to take his long-run auto onwards toward that checkered flag. Then, Ryan Newman blew a tire, but made it back without caution. Same for Bard Keselowski. Ditto for Marcos Ambrose. Even Clint Bowyer managed to save his car as Gordon charged toward the white flag. Then it slightly accelerated and it appeared Bowyer’s front wheels turned hard left, and the resulting slide caused caution to come out, forcing a green-white-checker.

There are those who might have seen it and thought maybe Bowyer had deliberately spun the car. That he had it saved but then touched the gas and cranked the wheel to make sure that he did not. That he purposely went for the yellow when others did not. According to Bowyer’s Twitter comment, that is not true.

“Love how “some” idiots on here think I really wanted to give up a much needed good run to screw you over.”

Of course, the idiots knew that his good run as over once the tire went flat. What the idiots are accusing Bowyer of is deliberately bringing out the caution so that he might be better able to recover from his flat. Johnson did not, and finished 24^th. Keselowski settled for 26^th. Ambrose was 30^th. As for Honest Clint…due to the caution he was able to salvage a 16^th place finish. That spin might have cost Gordon a victory, but it saved Bowyer at least 15 positions on the track. Then again, maybe the fans are wrong, maybe the car just got away from him, though the video sure looked suspicious. It is not as if Bowyer has done anything like this before. Or lied about it afterwards. Of course not.

While Gordon was strong on the long runs, everyone knew he would not be over a two lap dash. He wound up 13^th. Dale Earnhardt Jr was 12^th, and with Keselowski faltering at the end, Junior remains in second over-all in the standings a single point behind the tenth place Carl Edwards.

It is a good thing that a single win almost buys one a ticket to the Chase. Almost. One needs to finish in the top thirty to keep it valid, and right now Kevin Harvick sits 25^th after finishing outside the Top 35 for a third straight event. Danica was running around 20^th or beyond for most of the Fontana race, but in the end she brought it home for a season best 14^th.

As for Denny Hamlin, the guy could use a break. He had to miss five events last year due to a crash at this track, and this year he did not even get to run. A sinus infection that affected his vision took him out of the seat, and replaced by Sam Hornish Jr, who ran 17^th. Yet, despite being AWOL, Hamlin remains 12^th in the driver standings.

Great entertainment Sunday, great action on Saturday, where Kyle Larson beat out Kevin Harvick in a fight that also involved Kyle Busch, with Joey Logano fourth. Four Cup guys. The best Nationwide drivers were Elliott Sadler and Chase Elliott, finishing fifth and sixth. Both are within a dozen points of top spot in the standings, behind fellow Top Ten finishers Trevor Bayne, Regan Smith, and Ty Dillon.

Next Sunday, we turn to the short track at Martinsville, where the Cup boys have been stopping by since 1949. Jeff Gordon has been running there since 1993, 42 races, and more than half of those have been won by either Gordon himself (with 8, including last fall), Johnson (8), Hamlin (4), or Stewart (3). If they keep trying, they might eventually match the King’s tally of 15.

Here are our Sweet Sixteen as we head over to Virginia…

	Driver	Races	Win	Points
1	Carl Edwards	5	1	186
2	Dale Earnhardt, Jr.	5	1	185
3	Brad Keselowski	5	1	182
4	Kyle Busch	5	1	158
5	Kevin Harvick	5	1	97
6	Jeff Gordon	5	0	184
7	Matt Kenseth	5	0	179
8	Jimmie Johnson	5	0	165
9	Ryan Newman	5	0	150
10	Austin Dillon	5	0	150
11	Joey Logano	5	0	146
12	Denny Hamlin	4	0	140
13	Jamie McMurray	5	0	138
14	Brian Vickers	5	0	137
15	Paul Menard	5	0	134
16	Ricky Stenhouse, Jr.	5	0	132

March 24, 2014

Two Strong Partnerships Now Ending Under Unfortunate Circumstances

On February 18th, 2001, NASCAR was changed forever. Dale Earnhardt was gone but in the wake of his death, two relationships that we erroneously assumed would last forever were born. On that dark day, NAPA sponsored Michael Waltrip and together, they won the Daytona 500 and the loss that overshadowed their triumph seemed to create an unbreakable bond between the two. Young gun Kevin Harvick was plucked from RCR’s developmental program and given the task of driving the late, great Earnhardt’s car. In just his 3rd start, the 25 year old won his first race in a spectacular photo finish at Atlanta. The victory revived the withering and despondent team and like NAPA and Waltrip, created an unbreakable bond that many thought could withstand the test of time itself. Due to some imprudent decisions though, these two relationships have taken a turn for the worse.

NAPA was featured on the hood of Waltrip’s car for every race from the commencement of the 2001 season to the conclusion of 2009’s. They jumped from DEI with Michael when he formed Michael Waltrip Racing in 2007. They persevered through the infamous jet fuel controversy and helped the team grow into the powerhouse it is today. Michael went to victory lane four times in his career and every single time, there was a NAPA logo getting sprayed with champagne and adorned with confetti. They now sponsor MWR’s Martin Truex Jr. who has also enjoyed success with the company. We’ve laughed at the many commercials, shook our heads at the countless shameless NAPA plugs by Michael and you could never think of one without thinking of the other.

Now, we look at the two with a bitter taste in our mouths as our thoughts wander back to the scandal that was Spingate in Richmond just a couple months ago. Bowyer spun, Vickers pitted, Truex made the chase and unprecedented events quickly followed. Truex was knocked out of the chase, hefty penalties were handed down and NAPA began rethinking their involvement with Michael Waltrip Racing. On September 19th, the auto parts store announced that it would cut ties with the team at season’s end, terminating their 12 year partnership that had endured through so much up to this point. Truex Jr. is losing his ride because of the decision and the organization is being forced to downsize.

Kevin Harvick is a NASCAR superstar and some will even say that he saved Richard Childress Racing or at the very least, bolstered it. As a rookie in 2001, he quickly asserted himself as their new flagship driver winning races hand over fist. Together, they’ve won 22 Cup races, made seven chases and even collected a Harley J. Earl Trophy in the 2007 Daytona 500 as well as a couple Nationwide crowns. RCR got back on their feet after Earnhardt’s untimely death and expanded around Kevin’s success. Harvick and Childress seemed like a perfect match and everything was going smoothly until Kevin Harvick surprised a lot of people in 2012 by announcing that he would be leaving the team at the conclusion of 2013.

It didn’t faze the organization much at first as they continued their winning ways and made the chase once again this year. Kevin was making a mockery of the “lame-duck” status some decided to label him with. There were rumblings that the reason why he was leaving the team is because of the Dillon boys. Austin and Ty are the grandsons of Richard Childress and they have two Cup cars waiting for them in the RCR stable when they are ready. Kevin didn’t appear to be hostile towards the Dillons (at least from my point of view) but it just seemed like he could read the writing on the wall and decided it was time to move on. No one could have foreseen the chaos that would erupt in Martinsville this past weekend.

Ty and Kevin were engaged in an enthralling battle towards the end of the Truck race and as the laps clicked away, patience thinned and a game of bumper tag commenced. It ended with the two crashing in what seemed like just one of those racing deals. Immediately, Richard Childress came over the radio and told his grandson to go after the No.14 but Kevin beat them to it slamming into the No.3 under caution. The two went around for half a lap hitting one another multiple times before entering pit road where the incident escalated to a dangerous level. Harvick stopped in Dillon’s pit box and the crew went after him. There was pushing, shoving, yelling and some guy had the bright idea to throw a sledge hammer that narrowly missed his fellow crew guys, a NASCAR official and Harvick’s arm. Kevin Harvick delivered the final blow with an incensed interview directed towards the Dillon boys.

“The No.3 jut dumped me. Exactly the reason why I’m leaving RCR because you got those kids coming up and they got no respect for what they do in this sport. They’ve had everything fed to them with a spoon…I cut him slack all day and he just dive bombs in there and dumps me. It’s a shame you got to get taken out by some rich kid like that.” – Kevin Harvick

Ty was caught on video after the race talking to his grandfather and said “he has done nothing for RCR but f*** s*** up.” RC agreed and said that he’s “got plans for him.” Ty also referred to Kevin as someone he once revered but now called him a punk. Harvick apologized for his comments the following day but although I believe he does regret his actions, I think everything he said may be truly how he feels. It’s sad really that we watched a 13 year friendship deteriorate on national television like that.

There’s cruel irony in the fact that these partnerships started around the same time and are now ending at the same time under a cloud of controversy and animosity. MWR handled NAPA’s contract termination in a professional manner after their Richmond transgressions but I’m sure it hurts for Michael to watch them walk away after everything they’ve been through together. Despite the now infamous Martinsville run-in, Childress stated in an interview that he promised Kevin he would do everything humanly possible to help him win the title and that he still intended to keep that promise but also vehemently declared that he will never apologize to Kevin. Austin Dillon responded to the incident in a very classy manner saying that he’s already forgiven Kevin for what he said but admitted that it did hurt his feelings.

I truly believe that with time, the angry words and insults thrown around at “The Paperclip” will fade into the past and become no more than a whisper. They will repair their now broken friendship but maybe that’s just the optimist in me coming out…I just see too much history there for both parties to hold a grudge and completely burn the bridge. With Waltrip and NAPA, that’s sadly a case where there’s no going back. It’s less about friendship and more about breaking the trust of a loyal business partner. When these two partnerships began, the No.3 vanished from the race track and with their demise, we will most likely be seeing the No.3 return next year….funny how fate would have it work out that way.

As the old adage goes, “all good things must come to an end.”

October 30, 2013
Martinsville Was The Fan’s Wakeup Call

The racing at Martinsville Speedway this weekend was a refreshing as a dip in a West Virginia lake in the month of February. The collective fan base woke up, dried itself off and became interested again. Funny how a short track does that.

There was little to warn folks this would happen. It was 26 degrees as I entered the track on Saturday morning. People were huddling together as if body heat would keep them warm. Sprint Cup practice started and even my camera failed to take pictures because of the cold and the trusty iPhone wouldn’t work because my frozen fingertips wouldn’t work the touch screen. The wisdom of scheduling this race weekend in late October is debatable at best, especially when a better weekend might be the first race of the Chase in September. That would move the rest of the schedule a week later, but that’s a subject for another column. Truth is, it all worked out. The temperature got into the mid 50’s by truck race time and was even in the mid 60’s on Sunday.

Denny Hamlin won the pole for the Camping World Truck Series race and was expected to lap the field, closely followed by Kevin Harvick. It didn’t exactly work out that way. Hamlin had his problems and Harvick, shall we say, had his. Darrell Wallace, Jr. won the race to become the first African-American to win a major NASCAR race since 1963. The African-American who won in 1963 was the late Wendell Scott and he lived only a few miles away in Danville, Virginia. Unfortunately for Wallace, everyone was more interested in the scuffle between RCR grandson Ty Dillon and RCR driver (temporarily) Kevin Harvick. It’s certain that most of you know, the two got together, both were upset, Dillon tried to spin Harvick several times on his way to the pits, Harvick drove into Dillon’s pit stall, Dillon’s crew came out throwing sledgehammers and trying to get to Harvick, Harvick came out and made references to “little rich kids who have been spoon fed,” and said it was the reason he was leaving RCR at the end of the season. The alarm went off after the sleep-inducing race in Talladega, but it was full wakeup time on Sunday.

Fans rolled into Martinsville Speedway on Sprint Cup race day. I hadn’t seen the walkways and roads so full since, well since things started going south in NASCAR. The stands were nearly full, and as a bonus, the campground was heavily populated. One wag told me, “they came to see a race and they know they’ll see one here.” His analysis rang true. They saw one.

Just as in the truck race, many had crowned Johnson or Hamlin as the winner on Sunday morning as I drove into the traffic jam getting into the track. Maybe Hamlin or Harvick would get close, but Jimmie was the man. As ESPN’s Lee Corso is famous for saying, “not so fast, my friend.” Several drivers took turns at leading, but it was mostly Matt Kenseth in the first half of the race, and Johnson in the second half. In the end, to simplify things, Johnson pitted for four tires and fell back into the field. It was entertaining to see him pushing and shoving himself to the front. That is, to everyone but Greg Biffle. Biffle took issue when Johnson wore his bumper out trying to get by him and driving like a man possessed to stay in front of the five-time champ. Finally, with the bumper cover connected to the car on only the right side, Biffle had to pit and have it taken care of, and the battle was over. Of course, watching a very fast Biffle work his way up to the top ten was almost as entertaining as watching Johnson earlier.

Up front, Gordon had moved to second and got by Kenseth, who had re-taken the lead for several laps. Kenseth called it a lack of experience. Gordon smiled and waved goodbye as he streaked to the win. Everyone seemed surprised at the turn of events, but watching out the big press box window, I saw the fans truly engaged. I’ve watched those fans from the same venue for 34 consecutive races, and never did I see so much rooting and hand slapping as on Sunday. The fans even got a good show on the big screen in the middle of the infield when Biffle confronted Johnson and stuck his finger within an inch of the Chevy driver’s nose. On the two stops as I traveled home, all anyone could talk about was Harvick, the Dillon boys, and Biffle. Never mind that Bubba Wallace and Jeff Gordon won their races.

The weekend was clearly a wakeup call to the fans of NASCAR racing. The Chase is filled with “mile-and-a-half’s.” It has only one short track—Martinsville. As I stopped at the new Cook Out restaurant in Rocky Mount, an older gentleman said that “they” needed to build a few more tracks like Martinsville. A gentleman in Roanoke said he turned the TV off during the Talladega race, but his interest was now totally on the last three races. Let’s hope the interest and attendance is as brisk as it was at Martinsville. The race was like a cup of strong coffee first thing in the morning.

October 30, 2013
Denny Hamlin sets track record and takes the pole at Martinsville

Joe Gibbs Racing driver, Denny Hamlin, turns in a lap of 99.595 mph to set a new track record and score the Coors Light pole for the Goody’s 500 at Martinsville Speedway. Today’s record was the 18^th new track record this season.

The pole was Hamlin’s fifth of the season and 17^th of his career. Qualifying has been one of the few highlights for Hamlin this season. He missed four races earlier in the season with injuries sustained in a crash at Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, CA. His stats this season have been off tremendously scoring only five top-10’s in his 28 starts.

Hamlin talked about his run, “I knew we were going to be pretty strong, I knew we had a shot at the pole, and beyond that I think our car was pretty good in race trim as well.”

Hamlin is always strong at Martinsville and he seems to have a little more pep in his step in the last few weeks. This could be a sign that the team has turned things around, identified the problems, and are now looking to finish the season on a high note.

Championship points leader, Jimmie Johnson, will start outside the front row. Johnson turned in a lap of 99.344 mph. His lap tied the lap posted by Hamlin’s teammate, Kyle Busch. Johnson took the higher position, however, due to the tiebreaker.

Johnson and Busch joked in the media center after qualifying about the fact that Johnson thought he was starting third. Busch stated, “He wanted third because he wanted to be on the inside.”

Johnson talked about his qualifying effort, “I felt like I had a good last lap, although it wasn’t the most efficient and smoothest lap, so I felt like I had a chance to slide down to fifth or sixth or something as the session went on.”

Matt Kenseth, who currently sits second in the points, will start fourth giving Joe Gibbs Racing three of the top five spots. Kenseth is currently only four points behind Johnson, who is the favorite to win on Sunday.

Rounding out the top five is Michael Waltrip Racing driver, Clint Bowyer. Bowyer, who currently sits ninth in the standings 57 points behind leader Johnson, turned in a lap of 99.162 mph.

Toyota has four of the top five spots with Ford sitting sixth and eighth and Chevrolet seventh, ninth and tenth.

The Goody’s 500 is set to go green at 1:30pm local time on Sunday.

October 25, 2013
The Final Word – Talladega may have been smokin’, but expect Johnson to smoke the field at Martinsville

We waited with anticipation for the action, and Talladega once again delivered. Once again, we watched the cars (and trucks for those watching on Saturday) go flying around inches apart in aircraft formation, in wonder that they could pull this off lap after lap without it all going up in smoke and torn sheet metal. In the end, they could not avoid the unavoidable.

Dale Earnhardt Jr was pondering his final lap move to get by leader Jamie McMurray when the third running Austin Dillon got spun, then rear ended into the sky in what he described as “a cool roller coaster ride.” That allowed Ole Dimples to keep Junior behind him when the caution came out to claim his first win in more than three years.

If that was not wild enough for you, Saturday saw Matt Crafton solidify his strangle hold in the Camping World series while pushing team mate Johnny Sauter to victory. Sauter crossed the line all by his lonesome as our top eight became a top five which became Mr. Sauter doing a solo by the time they all quit wrecking coming to the line. What was left of Crafton’s truck backed across the line in ninth, leaving him an entire race and a bit ahead of Ty Dillon in their standings.

As for the Cup boys, neither Jimmie Johnson or Matt Kenseth finished in the Top Ten. Yet, by finishing seven spots ahead of his rival (13th vs 20th) and by leading the most laps, Johnson earned enough to vault ahead to take over by four points going into Martinsville. Their company got slightly closer, but by finishing fifth the best Kyle Busch could do is tie Kevin Harvick for third in the standings, both still 26 points away. They remain close should disaster hit the leaders, but until such time disaster strikes both will remain simply interested observers.

Rating Talladega – 9/10 – The action kept you on the edge of your seats, drivers could move from the back to the front, and you even had your dose of carnage. What else could you ask for?

So, the track on steroids is now behind us as we return to “normal” racing. With his seven career wins at Martinsville, Jeff Gordon might look good but for two small facts. One, he trails Johnson by 34 points. Second, Jimmie has won eight times himself at this venue.

Five Time won there in the spring, and he won there last fall. His worst finish was on his first attempt in 2002, when he came home 35th. Since then, his worst finish is 12th, to go with an 11th, to go with 16 Top Fives, 20 Top Tens, in 23 Martinsville starts. As for Kenseth, he goes in 0 for 27, with just eight Top Tens in his career.

Game four of the World Series goes Sunday night as St. Louis hosts Boston. That could wind up a closer contest than what we might see out of Virginia. It is not over, but I think somebody just knocked on the Fat Lady’s dressing room door. Enjoy the week, for it appears the odds favor Johnson enjoying his Sunday afternoon.

October 21, 2013
My Chase Predictions With Five Races Remaining

The cross flags are out for the 2013 Chase and this battle is far from over. We have two very volatile races coming up on the schedule in the form of the monstrous Talladega Superspeedway and the half mile paperclip better known as Martinsville. Two champions lead the way with three formidable opponents within striking distance of them. Everyone from 6th on back has lost touch with the top group as the clock winds down on the 2013 season. A plate race, a short track, a high banked mile and a half, a flat track in the middle of the desert and of course Homestead make up the final five week sprint for the Cup.

If you look at the championship standings, it’s a five man breakaway at the front with Kenseth and Johnson showing that they are going to be the ones everyone is hunting in the upcoming races. They are champions who rarely make mistakes and both display a fastidious demeanor even in the face of great adversity. Kevin Harvick trails by 29pts and not only can he handle controversy well but he sometimes seeks it out for the heck of it. Kevin’s Achilles Heel in this title bout may only be his equipment. RCR is fully capable of winning multiple races and finishing well but they are not capable of matching or exceeding the level of performance that has allowed the top two some breathing room.

Then there is Jeff Gordon. He has the tenacity to win, the equipment to win and certainly the talent so why isn’t he, well, winning? That’s a very good question and it’s difficult to ascertain a definitive answer. He’s been solid the last eight races with only one finish worse than 8th; a 15th at New Hampshire after a pit road mishap cost him the lead, all his track position and potentially even a victory. There’s something missing in the No.24 camp that’s not allowing them to bust through that glass ceiling and perform at the level of his teammate and prodigy, Jimmie Johnson. Jeff’s also been plagued by a problem this year that can’t simply be fixed by an adjustment…it is an annoying and intangible force called bad luck. The next race on the calendar happens to be Talladega; a place where luck is the most crucial element of the whole race.

In 5th sits Kyle Busch. At 28 years old, this naturally gifted racer is seeking his first Sprint Cup but there is a major obstacle standing in his way. The four drivers in front of him have something he seems to lack; the ability to cope with adversity and persevere through it. Case and point…Kansas. That track absolutely hates Kyle and he went into that race with that mindset. He destroyed his primary car in practice and on the first lap of the race; he spun out but can’t blame him for that one. Later in the race, Montoya helped him around and once again, not his fault. Busch was getting very aggravated though and understandably so but he allowed his emotions to get the best of him on a restart twelve laps later. He made a very imprudent decision about of frustration and cut down on Carl Edwards in a three wide situation and just like that, any chance of salvaging his day was over. He’s gotten better over the years but he still has a little way to go before he has the attitude and personality that makes someone championship capable. I don’t mean to pick on Rowdy but it’s incontrovertible that the way he handles all on-track misfortunes is going to make or break his title hopes…who knows, maybe he’ll surprise me in the final five races.

The next two races are intriguing for multiple reasons. One of which is the obvious fact that they are characteristically unpredictable and chaotic event. Secondly, these two wild card events will most likely shake up the standings quite a bit. Matt Kenseth has been amazing on the plate tracks recently while The Paperclip has caused him many problems. The four drivers stalking him have good to spectacular records at Marty and all have won in the past at Talladega. These next two events are going to be incredibly important and will undeniably build the foundation for the 2013 championship fight. Once these 750 miles are complete, I think we will have ourselves a three-man race with three titans of the sport leading the pack in the form of former champions Matt Kenseth, Jimmie Johnson and the guy that some will argue isn’t even supposed to be here, Jeff Gordon. Who will come away victorious when it’s all said and done? Let’s just say I think we might be calling a certain someone “6-time” on November 17th.

October 14, 2013
Casey Mears & Germain Racing Continue To Impress in 2013

While everyone focused on the battle for the win at Martinsville, there was a team that quietly finished 16th and continued their steady climb up the standings. They are Germain Racing with driver, Casey Mears who scored his 4th top 16 finish of the year at the historic short track. Casey moved up four positions in the standings to 17th and is now ahead of superstars such as Kurt Busch, Tony Stewart, Ryan Newman and Jeff Burton. Mears and the #13 team had just two top 15 finishes in all of 2010, 2011 and 2012 combined; they already have three so far this year.

In the Daytona 500, Mears was taken out in an early crash that also destroyed the chances of race favorites Kevin Harvick and Tony Stewart. The unfortunate accident relegated him to a 29th place finish, 19 laps down. They followed their disappointing start to the year up with an impressive 14th place run at Phoenix after starting dead last. Since Las Vegas, Mears has rattled off results of 15th, 15th and 16th steadily working his way through the standings.

Some say that the Gen-6 car is the main reason why this single car operation is running so well but I think it’s more than that. I believe that after three years of fighting to stay alive, even humbling themselves to the point of start and parking that this team has finally made a breakthrough. We saw the same thing happen with Furnitow Row Racing who was running around 20th most weeks and are now battling inside the top 10 on a regular basis. Of course, another obvious example would be Michael Waltrip Racing that was DNQing all three cars not so many years ago. Germain Racing hasn’t quite gotten to that point yet but if they continue to work as hard as they have been, they will one day be a top 10 team.

Going into this year, GEICO announced that they would sponsor the #13 for every race on the schedule through 2014 which is a huge accomplishment for any team let alone a small outfit like Germain. There are some big name drivers that don’t even have all 36 races sold yet. Mears was quoted saying earlier in 2013, “I can’t thank GEICO and Bob Germain enough for the support and commitment they have given our program. Our program shows that you don’t have to be the biggest team; you just have to work harder than everyone else. Our team has strength of character and remains focused on the process, which are two of the biggest reasons for our success.”

Casey and crew chief Bootie Barker have a great relationship and are communicating better than ever before which is big key to running well in NASCAR. Germain added employees during the off season while most teams downsized. They were actually one of the first organizations to produce a fully built, fully painted ready to race Gen-6 last winter. Their hard work and perseverance is paying major dividends now as they head to Texas hoping to ride this wave of momentum to another great finish further solidifying their position in the points. Creating a competitive NASCAR team is a puzzle and the #13 guys are slowly but surely putting all the right pieces in the right places. With a talented driver paired with a veteran crew chief, 30 dedicated employees who pour their heart and soul into what they do and a fully sponsored Ford Fusion powered by Roush-Yates engines, the sky is the limit for this little team that could as they look to turn some heads in 2013!

April 8, 2013