Tag: Matt Kenseth

Surprising and Not Surprising: Heluva Good! Sour Cream Dips 400

From oil pan issues for the cars of Joe Gibbs Racing to the end of probation for driver rivals Kyle Busch and Kevin Harvick, the Irish hills of Michigan once again saw plenty of action for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series.

[media-credit name=”CIA Stock Photo” align=”alignright” width=”265″][/media-credit]Here is what was surprising and not surprising from the 43^rd annual Heluva Good! Sour Cream Dips 400 at Michigan International Speedway.

Surprising: It was surprising that Denny Hamlin, driver of the No. 11 FedEx Office Toyota, did not win last weekend at Pocono Raceway, a place that he had ‘owned’ for so many races in the past. But it was also surprising the Hamlin, who has been battling engine failures and other bad luck so mightily this season, finally put that behind him and took the checkered flag.

This was Hamlin’s first win of the 2011 season, although he has had six top-10 finishes to date. His previous win was sixteen races ago when Hamlin was the victor at Texas Motor Speedway in November 2010.

“We finished,” Hamlin said. “We got it done. It’s a big Father’s Day.”

Not Surprising: Since it was Michigan, Jack Roush’s backyard and Ford’s playground, it was not at all surprising that two drivers from that racing stable did well, scoring top five finishes.

Matt Kenseth, behind the wheel of the No. 17 Crown Royal Ford, driving as hard as his car would go while not wrecking on the final lap, finished in the runner up spot. His RFR teammate Carl Edwards, piloting the No. 99 Aflac ‘Now Hiring’ Ford and winner of the Nationwide race the day before, finished fifth.

This was Kenseth’s 15^th top-10 finish in 24 races at Michigan International Speedway. This was also Kenseth’s eighth top-10 finish in 2011.

“We had a really fast car and thought we were going to have a chance to win,” Kenseth said. “I got back to Denny (Hamlin), but I could not get back around him. I tried everything I could, but I just could not figure out how to do it.”

For Edwards’ part, he just really wanted to win the Cup race, vowing to head all the way to the top of the grandstands just as he had in the Nationwide race, if he did. While he scored fifth instead of first, Edwards did extend his Chase points lead to 20 points over second place.

Surprising: Continuing with the Carl Edwards theme, it was most surprising to see the driver, who is usually most professional and an excellent spokesperson for the sport, call NASCAR out after the race.

“Track position is so important,” Edwards said. “Sadly, down force is such a big factor in these cars and I am really hoping that NASCAR will take the opportunity in 2013 to take down force away so the fans can see the guys race race cars and not race down force. That would be cool.”

Not Surprising: Neither oil pan troubles nor physical ailments could stop Kyle Busch, driver of the No. 18 Snickers Toyota, from his appointed rounds. After complaining of nausea and pain in the center of his chest, Busch drove forward from his 24^th place starting spot to finish third.

“He just had a little stomach ache,” Dave Rogers, crew chief, said. “We gave him some Tums in a bottle of water and it took care of it.”

Busch’s crew did have Scott Riggs standing by if needed, but when Busch was leading at the half-way mark of the race, there was no way he was ever going to get out of his car, not matter how poorly he felt.

“Kyle is pretty dedicated to this race team,” Rogers said. “He’s a pretty tough kid so I didn’t think he would get out.”

“I didn’t feel that bad,” Busch said. “It felt like I was running a 400 mile marathon running on my feet instead of in a race car.”

Although Busch has never won at Michigan International Speedway, this was his fourth top-10 finish in 13 races in the Irish hills. Busch’s third place finish mirrored his third place finish the previous week in the Pocono race.

“It wasn’t going to be a great day but we turned it into a good one,” Busch said. “Overall I’m happy with today; happy with the finish. If you finish third in the last 10 races every single race, you might win this thing, so we’ll take it.”

Surprising: The primarily poor performance of the Hendrick Motorsports team was fairly surprising. Five-time champion Jimmie Johnson spun on lap 8, bringing out the first caution of the race.

Johnson, driving the No. 48 Lowe’s/Kobalt Tools Chevrolet, finished 27^th and lost the second spot in the Chase standings, falling to the fifth position.

Johnson’s teammate, four-time champion and winner of last weekend’s race, Jeff Gordon, also did not fare very well in the Irish hills. Gordon, this week driving the No. 24 Drive to End Hunger Chevrolet, started 31^st and finished 17^th, falling one spot in the points to the 12^th and final potential Chase spot.

What was most surprising, however, were the harsh words HMS driver Dale Earnhardt, Jr. had for his teammate Mark Martin. The driver of the No. 88 Amp Energy/National Guard Chevrolet made perfectly clear that he was not happy with being squeezed into the wall by the driver of the No. 5 GoDaddy.com Chevrolet.

“He just come on up and drove us into the fence,” Junior said of his teammate Martin. “He ran us flat in the wall.”

“I think we will get it sorted out,” Martin said in rebuttal. “I made a mistake.”

Dale Jr. finished 21^st, his first finish out of the top-10 this season. Junior was, however, able to hold on to his third place in the points standings.

Mark Martin actually finished top-10, the best of all of the Hendrick Motorsports cars. He climbed one position in the points to 14^th, just 20 points behind his teammate Jeff Gordon in the last Chase position.

Not Surprising: The majority of the Richard Childress Racing entries had a very good day at Michigan. Paul Menard, who has been struggling of late, had a terrific run, bringing his No. 27 Pittsburgh Paints/Menards Chevrolet home in the fourth position.

Clint Bowyer also had a good day in the Irish hills. The No. 33 Cheerios/Hamburger Helper Chevrolet finished in the eighth spot.

Finally, ‘the Closer’ Kevin Harvick overcame adversity and a brush with the wall to finish 14^th in his No. 29 Budweiser Chevrolet. Harvick leapfrogged over Dale Junior to lay claim to the second spot in the point standings.

Surprising: One of the best surprises of the day was the terrific run by young Landon Cassill, piloting the No. 51 Security Benefit/Thank a Teacher Today Chevrolet for Phoenix Racing. Cassill finished 12^th, the best finish ever in his Cup career, tying the best finish for Phoenix Racing this season.

“That was a great day all around,” Cassill said. “We lost some track position early but fought back all day. We had a good break at the end.”

Not Surprising: With Hall of Fame inductee Bud Moore on his race car in celebration of the US Army’s 236^th Birthday, Ryan Newman had an ‘Army Strong’ day, finishing sixth.

“It was a good finish for us,” Newman said. “We fought back hard.”

Newman’s teammate and owner Tony Stewart also had a favorable race result. The driver of the No. 14 Office Depot/Mobil 1 Chevrolet finished the Heluva Good! Sour Cream Dips 400 in seventh.

June 20, 2011

Jeff Gordon Improves Chase Chances With Second Win of the Season

[media-credit name=”Kirk Schroll” align=”alignright” width=”240″][/media-credit]Jeff Gordon, sporting the familiar No. 24 Dupont Chevrolet colors, scored his second win of the 2011 season, moving ever closer to Chase contention. This is Gordon’s fifth top-10 finish in 2011 and his fifth victory in 37 races at Pocono Raceway.

Gordon also reached another significant milestone with his win in the 5-Hour Energy 500. The victory ties Gordon with Bobby Allison and Darrell Waltrip for third on the all-time NASCAR Sprint Cup Series win list.

“It certainly helps us,” Gordon said of his Chase chances. “Our focus has to be the same all the time, try to win races, to lock ourselves in.”

“I’m just more excited about the momentum coming toward us,” Gordon continued. “The things that we believe in are starting to come true.”

“You question that at times,” Gordon said. “Days like today show how serious we are. At this point in the season, to get our program turned around, the timing couldn’t be better and hopefully we can keep that going.”

“This is a tough place to win.”

Gordon’s crew chief, Alan Gustafson, could not agree more with his driver.

“There are a lot of things at a track like this that are so difficult,” Gustafson said. “We were a little nervous. To win in this sport, you have to have everything on the edge.”

The Busch brothers, Kurt and Kyle, gave Gordon a run for his money, scoring second and third respectively. Kurt Busch posted his 11^th top-10 finish in 21 races and Kyle Busch posted his fourth top-10 finish in 13 races at the ‘Tricky Triangle.’

“It was a great, hard fought battle for us on the No. 22 car today,” pole sitter and second place finisher Kurt Busch. “It was a nice, steady run and we were able to have smooth pit stops and we had a great handling car.”

“It was a great genuine day for our team to run in the top five all day,” Busch continued. “It’s pleasing to see that result.”

“I was giving it all I had and I just couldn’t quite close the gap.”

Busch admitted that there were many things to balance in the race, especially as he engaged in the heated battle with race winner Gordon.

“It was an interesting day with shifting,” Busch said. “We shifted quite a bit today and had to keep track of the temperatures and the revs on the engine and fuel mileage as well. There was a lot to balance inside the car today.”

Baby brother Kyle Busch, driver of the No. 18 M&Ms Toyota, was also pleased with his third place finish.

“For us, we had a long way to come from since we started deep in the field,” Busch said. “We worked our way towards the front steadily and methodically for most of the race.”

“We had good pit stops all day and the guys did a good job giving me the right adjustments,” Busch continued. “The restarts played in our favor and we passed a few cars there. That last restart is where we got most of our track position.”

“Kurt was so much faster than I was that last run of the race that it wasn’t going to do me much to hold him up,” Busch said “So, I tried to let him go and see if he couldn’t catch the 24 and make a race out of it.”

“We just tried to bring home a solid third.”

Unfortunately, Kyle Busch’s car failed post-race inspection due to a height issue, too high on the left. “Being a parent, it means more to experience that with them,” Gordon said of having daughter Ella in Victory Lane. His car is being transported back to NASCAR’s R&D center for a more-in-depth look.

In contrast to Gordon and the Busch boys, the point’s leader coming into the race, Carl Edwards had a miserable day. The driver of the No. 99 Kellogg/Cheez-It Ford finished 37^th after he broke a valve in the engine.

Even with that bad finish, Edwards did, however, maintain the points lead with the narrowest of margins. He is now just six points ahead of Jimmie Johnson, who finished the race in the fourth spot.

In a somewhat bizarre turn of events, Edwards joined the broadcast booth to provide commentary while his team worked furiously on his car in the garage. He was able to turn one last lap to avoid the DNF.

“I was very careful not to overdrive,” Edwards said. “One of the valves got in an argument with something in the engine and lost.”

Kevin Harvick, driver of the No. 29 Okuma Chevrolet, had an eventful day but still managed to finish fifth in the 5-Hour Energy 500. Harvick survived problems early when his crew did not get all the fuel in and he then got off the sequence of pit stops.

Dale Earnhardt, Jr., in the No. 88 National Guard/AMP Energy Chevrolet, Juan Pablo Montoya, piloting the No. 42 Target Chevrolet, Matt Kenseth, driver of the No. 17 Affliction Clothing Live Fast Ford, Ryan Newman, behind the wheel of the of the Haas Automation Chevrolet, and Martin Truex, Jr., in his No. 56 NAPA Auto Parts Toyota, rounded out the top ten.

Unofficial Race Results
5-Hour Energy 500, Pocono Raceway
http://www.speedwaymedia.com/Cup/race.php?race=14
=========================================
Pos.		No.	Driver	Make	Points
=========================================
1	3	24	Jeff Gordon	Chevrolet	47
2	1	22	Kurt Busch	Dodge	43
3	34	18	Kyle Busch	Toyota	42
4	14	48	Jimmie Johnson	Chevrolet	41
5	32	29	Kevin Harvick	Chevrolet	39
6	21	88	Dale Earnhardt Jr.	Chevrolet	38
7	16	42	Juan Montoya	Chevrolet	38
8	27	17	Matt Kenseth	Ford	36
9	8	39	Ryan Newman	Chevrolet	35
10	31	56	Martin Truex Jr.	Toyota	34
11	19	20	Joey Logano	Toyota	33
12	17	4	Kasey Kahne	Toyota	32
13	9	0	David Reutimann	Toyota	31
14	2	27	Paul Menard	Chevrolet	30
15	5	78	Regan Smith	Chevrolet	29
16	12	33	Clint Bowyer	Chevrolet	28
17	11	6	David Ragan	Ford	27
18	10	5	Mark Martin	Chevrolet	26
19	4	11	Denny Hamlin	Toyota	27
20	33	31	Jeff Burton	Chevrolet	24
21	15	14	Tony Stewart	Chevrolet	24
22	23	83	Brian Vickers	Toyota	22
23	20	2	Brad Keselowski	Dodge	21
24	25	51	Landon Cassill	Chevrolet	0
25	28	43	A.J. Allmendinger	Ford	19
26	40	36	Dave Blaney	Chevrolet	18
27	37	16	Greg Biffle	Ford	17
28	18	47	Bobby Labonte	Toyota	16
29	30	34	David Gilliland	Ford	15
30	35	13	Casey Mears	Toyota	14
31	41	32	Mike Bliss	Ford	0
32	24	71	Andy Lally *	Ford	12
33	13	1	Jamie McMurray	Chevrolet	11
34	7	9	Marcos Ambrose	Ford	10
35	26	38	Sam Hornish Jr.	Ford	0
36	38	37	Tony Raines	Ford	8
37	6	99	Carl Edwards	Ford	7
38	42	7	Scott Wimmer	Dodge	0
39	43	150	T.J. Bell *	Toyota	0
40	29	87	Joe Nemechek	Toyota	0
41	36	66	Michael McDowell	Toyota	4
42	22	46	J.J. Yeley	Chevrolet	2
43	39	181	Scott Riggs	Chevrolet	0

June 12, 2011

Surprising and Not Surprising: Kansas STP 400

With emotional visits and relief efforts to the tornado-ravaged heartland of the country overshadowed by an altercation between team owner Richard Childress and driver Kyle Busch after the Kansas Truck Series race, the Cup drivers took to the unanimously proclaimed ‘hot and slick’ track in Kansas City.

Here is what was surprising and not surprising from the STP 400 at Kansas Speedway.

Surprising: In spite of all of the reports of Kyle Busch being ‘pummeled’ by Richard Childress after giving RCR’s truck driver Joey Coulter a nudge after the race, Busch arrived at the speedway for the race sans sun glasses and looking surprisingly unscathed.

It was also surprising to see Mike Helton address the media prior to the race, sharing that NASCAR had met with Busch and Childress, as well as Busch’s team owner Joe Gibbs. Helton advised that all were warned to get through the race before any further actions would be taken by the sanctioning body, which is expected on Monday.

“I met with NASCAR,” Busch said. “Whatever they feel best to protect their sport and to protect what we have going on here is to their best discretion. I’m all for whatever they decide to do.”

Not Surprising: It was not surprising that, in addition to the heat between Busch and Childress, the heat on the track, in the cars and in the grandstands was the other major topic of conversation.

“It’s hot today,” Dale Earnhardt, Jr., driver of the No. 88 AMP Energy/National Guard Chevrolet said. “Did you notice that?”

“You sit in a sauna for four hours,” Denny Hamlin, driver of the No. 11 FedEx Freight Toyota, said. “That’s pretty much what you’ve got.”

The only one who found amusement in the heat was iron man driver of the No. 99 Aflac ‘Now Hiring’ Ford, Carl Edwards. During the race the driver quipped that he was a little chilly and would appreciate either some coffee or some hot chocolate.

Surprising: In spite of the heat for most everyone else other than Edwards, it was surprising how calm, cool and collected Brad Keselowski was behind the wheel of the Miller Lite Blue Deuce. With the threat of running out of fuel, Keselowski reduced his speed, stayed strategically ahead of his competitors, feathered his throttle, kicked in the clutch and coasted through the corners for most of the final laps of the race.

[media-credit name=”CIA Stock Photo” align=”alignright” width=”237″][/media-credit]Keselowski, who started 25^th, also coasted to the checkered flag, winning his first race of the season and giving his crew chief Paul Wolfe his first ever Cup Series victory. This was Keselowski’s first win since Talladega in April of 2009.

“You can only put yourself in that position so many times before you’re going to catch the right break,” Keselowski said. “We caught a great break today because of all the hard work by the Miller Lite team. We got great gas mileage and that didn’t hurt either.”

“It was because of the struggles and bad finishes that I really appreciate this.”

Not Surprising: Yet again, Dale Earnhardt Jr. was good in a fuel mileage race yet still came up short at the finish line. Junior, who came in second, posted his seventh top-10 finish in 2011 and his fifth top-10 finish in seven races at Kansas Speedway.

“We shouldn’t have run second today but we have fast cars,” Junior said. “I had a good car, you know.”

Surprising: It was a bit surprising that the Roush Fenway Racing bunch were not quite as stellar as expected, particularly given the driver ratings headed into the race. It was also surprising that Missouri native Carl Edwards and Matt Kenseth, with his new sponsor Affliction Clothing on his No. 17 Ford, topped the RFR camp, with fifth and sixth place finishes respectively.

Greg Biffle, behind the wheel of the No. 16 3M Walgreen’s Ford, who was expected to take home a victory, finished tenth instead, and the driver of the No. 6 UPS Ford David Ragan finished 13^th. In spite of not bringing home the trophy, all four of the Roush Fenway Racing team members finished in the top 15.

Edwards managed to lead 29 laps of the race and his finish ratcheted his points lead to 40 over second place Jimmie Johnson, driver of the No. 48 Lowes/Kobalt Tools Chevrolet, who finished seventh. Kenseth held serve as seventh in points, Biffle lost one position to 12^th and Ragan moved up one place to the 17^th spot.

“I really wanted to win,” Edwards said, most likely speaking for the entire Roush Fenway Racing crew. “I had a good time though and it is my new favorite race track.”

Not Surprising: With the season officially at halfway to the Chase, it was not surprising that two drivers, Denny Hamlin and Jeff Gordon, this week behind the wheel of the No. 24 Drive to End Hunger Chevrolet, were determined to have good days at the track that would move them back into Chase contention.

Hamlin, who came in third, moved up to 11^th in points.

“I’m proud of our whole FedEx Freight team,” Hamlin said. “We’re battling back and getting ourselves back into position.”

Jeff Gordon brought his car to the checkered flag in the fourth position, moving him up to 13^th in the points as the only driver with a win eligible for the wild card at present.

“Well, it was an awesome run for our Drive to End Hunger Chevrolet,” Gordon said. “We had a great race car all weekend long. All in all, a great top-five.”

Surprising: It was also a bit surprising that pole sitter Kurt Busch, driver of the No. 22 AAA Dodge for Penske Racing who dominated much of the race, and outside pole sitter Juan Pablo Montoya, behind the wheel of the No. 42 Target Chevrolet, did not have better finishes.

After some fuel mileage struggles, Busch was able to bring his car home in the ninth position. JPM, on the other hand, hit one of the seams in the track and then the wall, relegating him to a 17^th place finish.

“To have a car to lead laps today and be very competitive, I was all smiles,” Busch said. “It’s just one of those days where you’re on the right side and sometimes you’re not. For all my guys, we’ll take this one.”

Not Surprising: After a hot and sticky day on the track, it was not surprising that one driver in particular was still smoking, at least in a positive way. Tony Stewart, driver of the No. 14 The Glades/Office Depot Chevrolet, not only secured a top ten finish but now has his eyes and his heart set on The Prelude to the Dream at his race track, Eldora Speedway.

“Our guys did a great job and we really had a good car today,” Smoke said. “The good news is we get to get out of here and go work at Eldora tomorrow.”

June 6, 2011
What If Junior’s Last Name was Smith?

Twice this year, the fans of NASCAR’s most popular driver have had their hopes rise only to fall in the closing laps. No driver has the fan base of Dale Earnhardt, Jr. These fans are extremely loyal to their driver to extent that they reject all others. This is why it has become so frustrating for them. Dale Jr., as he is fondly known, hasn’t won a race for a while—a long while. Earnhardt hasn’t won a Sprint Cup point race since 2008. He’s only won two races in the last five years and yet, his fans still come out to races, wear their various green or red clothing and root like the devil for their hero. It’s almost an addiction or so it seems.

[media-credit name=”Brad Keppel” align=”alignright” width=”253″][/media-credit]Many credit his popularity to the fact that he is his father’s son. Dale Earnhardt, Sr., was legendary. He won seven NASCAR Sprint Cup championships and his driving style and persona struck a chord with NASCAR fans everywhere. When he was killed while racing in the Daytona 500 on February 18, 2001, many of the senior Earnhardt’s fans became loyal to his son, and that hasn’t been fair to Junior. In fact, the father and the sons are very different. While the father wheeled a car hard and didn’t mind using his bumper to move people out of the way to win, the son has a much different style and a lot less success on the racetrack. The expectations that he is his father, or would have the same success, have put tremendous pressure on Earnhardt.

So, what if his name wasn’t Dale Earnhardt, Jr.? Let’s say his name was Dale Smith, Jr. Would fans have the same adoration for him? Would they be satisfied with his record? Would every race be so important? Would Dale drive more relaxed and be more confident? All good questions.

Let’s compare Dale Jr. with a driver who’s fan base is minute in comparison, is hardly noticed or mentioned by the media or the fans in the stands, and has similar statistics. Matt Kenseth and Dale Earnhardt, Jr. raced together in the minor leagues of NASCAR – the Nationwide Series. They pretty much entered the Sprint Cup Series at the same time. The tale of the tape is strikingly familiar. They’ve both been in 417 races. Kenseth has the most wins (20 vs. 18), the most top ten finishes (168 vs. 156), and more pole positions (16 vs. 10). Kenseth also has a Sprint Cup championship in 2003, and yet his name is not a household word, nor is he the darling of the media types who cast commercials. In fact, I’ve seen Kenseth in street clothes move through a race track unnoticed by all but a very few. Let Junior try that. There might be a riot. It’s obvious that the name means a lot. And the pressure that goes along with it comes nearly once a week has to be unbearable.

If his name was Smith instead of Earnhardt, it’s fair to assume that the son of a legend might be more relaxed and perform better, or is it? Earnhardt was leading in the closing laps at Martinsville, only to have a faster Kevin Harvick pass him for the win. Fans were chewing their fingernails and some appeared to be praying. The same was true at last week’s 600-mile race at Charlotte Motor Speedway when Earnhardt ran out of gas on the last lap, giving the win to, yes, Kevin Harvick.

I think it’s time for Junior fans to just let Junior be Junior. Pretend for a moment that he is Dale Smith, Jr., a pretty good racecar driver with 18 career wins. Take the pressure off and find another driver to root for just in case things go wrong for Junior. Don’t leave early when he’s not doing well and don’t blame everyone from the crew chief to the owner when things don’t go well. There is no doubt that the man can wheel a racecar, but putting pressure on him to replicate what his father did is a little much.

He’s having a fine season so far, and that should be good enough.

June 2, 2011
NASCAR Top-10 Power Rankings: Charlotte

Note: The quotes in this article are fictional.

1. Carl Edwards: Edwards, who won the All Star race last week, led 61 laps in the Coca-Cola 600, but late handling problems prevented any chance of a Charlotte sweep. Edwards finished 16^th, only his third result out of the top 10 this year, and holds a 36 point lead over Kevin Harvick in the point standings.

“I led 61 of the first 75 laps,” Edwards said, “but I couldn’t finish what I started. That’s opposed to the All Star race, when I finished what I started with, which was an un-wrecked race car. This may be the first time a NASCAR driver has been credited with a ‘ground out.’ Who knew there were speed bumps in the Charlotte infield? Luckily, Charlotte doesn’t have a divot-replacement policy.”

2. Kevin Harvick: Harvick swept past Dale Earnhardt, Jr. in Turn 4 after the No. 88 National Guard Chevy ran out of gas, giving Harvick an unlikely win in the Coca-Cola 600, his third win of the year. Harvick jumped three places in the Sprint Cup point standings, and now trails Carl Edwards by 36 points.

“Whether driving the Budweiser car or drinking a cold can of Bud,” Harvick said, “it’s always nice to see a ‘coaster.’

“Now, Sunday wasn’t a good day for the letters ‘J’ and ‘R.’ First, rookie J.R. Hildebrand crashes on the final turn at Indy and loses the Indianapolis 500. Then, Dale Jr. runs out of gas on the final lap at Charlotte. And both were driving cars sponsored by the National Guard. Now that’s a conspiracy!”

3. Kyle Busch: Busch spun twice at Charlotte, once through the grassy infield on lap 318, then again on lap 343, and the cumulative effect of those mishaps ended his day early. Busch finished 32^nd, 55 laps down, and dropped two spots in the point standings to fifth.

“Sunday’s was certainly no joyride,” Busch said. “And speaking of ‘joyrides,’ how is an early finish at Charlotte like a run in with the Iredell County Sheriff’s department? In each case, someone tells you to ‘pull over.’ This is definitely not an incident in which I can plead innocence.”

4. Jimmie Johnson: Johnson’s engine blew on lap 395, sending him to the garage early with his first DNF of the year. He was credited with a 28^th-place finish, and dropped one place in the point standings to third, 37 behind Carl Edwards.

“It’s certainly disappointing to post our first DNF of the year,” Johnson said. “Of course, that disappointment is offset by the satisfaction of knowing we haven’t recorded a single ‘DNFF’ in five years. That’s a ‘did not finish first.’

“Clearly, we weren’t at our best. It’s never a good sign when you leave the pits with a wrench on the car. I call that a ‘mistake;’ Chad Knaus calls it a sneaky attempt at a little extra downforce. In any case, we can’t afford to leave wrenches lying unattended. I suspect we’ll need all the tools we have, because I foresee a need to ‘tighten screws’ on this team.”

5. Dale Earnhardt, Jr.: Earnhardt took the lead on lap 399 when Greg Biffle pitted for fuel, and with the finish line in sight two laps later, victory, as well as an end to Junior’s 104-race winless streak, appeared to be at hand. But alas, Earnhardt’s No. 88 Chevrolet sputtered and slowed two corners from the end. Kevin Harvick passed Earnhardt for the win, and Earnhardt settled for a disappointing, yet solid seventh-place.

“As my fuel tank emptied,” Earnhardt said, “so did the hopes of Junior Nation. That’s the first time I can remember ‘E’ getting booed. Usually, I’m accustomed to getting good mileage, at least out of the ‘Earnhardt’ name. But this time, my gas tank let me down. Apparently, my fuel gauge, like me, is subject to unreasonable expectations.”

6. Matt Kenseth: Kenseth boasted the car to beat at Charlotte, leading 103 of 402 laps, but a pit stop for fuel on lap 393 relegated him to a finish of 14^th. He fell one spot to seventh in the Sprint Cup point standings, and trails Carl Edwards by 71.

“A lot of drivers,” Kenseth said, “Dale Earnhardt, Jr. included, ‘stopped for gas’ on Sunday. We just happened to do it in the pits. Gas mileage is a very unpredictable aspect of NASCAR racing, but not nearly as unpredictable as NASCAR’s reasoning behind whether or not to throw a caution flag. Personally, I can understand NASCAR’s reasoning for waving a caution just for a beverage can. Clearly, NASCAR spotters, like everyone else, were watching the race on Charlotte’s gigantic high-definition screen, which makes a can look like 40-gallon barrel. Of course, not throwing a caution with two laps to go and Earnhardt leading was equally controversial. NASCAR doesn’t need a big screen to make that call, because Junior is already larger than life.”

7. Clint Bowyer: Bowyer finished 15^th in the Coca-Cola 600 as Richard Childress Racing teammate Kevin Harvick took the win in dramatic fashion. Bowyer improved one spot in the point standings to eighth, 80 out of first.

“I’ve got to hand it to Harvick,” Bowyer said. “He’s one lucky S.O.B. Some say he’s more lucky than good. Others say he’s more S.O.B. than lucky. Kevin once famously claimed that Jimmie Johnson had a horseshoe up his rear end. That obviously is no longer true. I think I speak for many drivers when I say to Kevin, ‘Up yours.’”

8. Denny Hamlin: Hamlin ran out of fuel just before the finish at Charlotte, seeing a top-5 finish turn into a 10^th-place result. Hamlin improved one place in the point standings to 12^th, and trails Carl Edwards by 106.

“As you know,” Hamlin said. “Kyle Busch got busted for speeding last week, doing 128 miles per hour in a 45-mph zone. He was cited by the Iredell County Sheriff’s department for speeding and careless and reckless driving. Interestingly enough, Kyle wasn’t the only one who was ‘booking.’ The officer who made the stop said Kyle had proper identification and was cooperative. Only one thing amazes me more than a person going three times the speed limit, and that is the fact that Kyle Busch, apparently, can be cooperative.”

9. Kurt Busch: Busch gambled on fuel, choosing to stay out late while most cars pitted, and hoping a win or a top-10 finish would be the reward. Busch didn’t win, but his fourth at Charlotte was his best result of the year and ended a string of four finishes outside the top 10. He climbed two places in the point standings to sixth, and trails Carl Edwards by 68.

“This is becoming a weekly habit,” Busch said, “but I’d like to apologize to those who were listening to the No. 22 Shell/Pennzoil radio frequency. I said a word that shocked even myself—it was called a ‘compliment.’ Steve Addington made an astute call to fill the tank on lap 345. For that, Steve wins the Kurt Busch ‘Bleeping Bleeper Of The Week’ Award.

“Let’s not overly condemn my brother Kyle for driving like a maniac on a public road. Lest we forget, this sport was built on moonshiners driving like maniacs with car-loads of white lightning. Just think. If some overzealous sheriff had stopped some mostly-innocent moonshiner for speeding 60 years ago, the course of history could have been changed forever, and this sport would likely be without alcohol sponsorship. We all owe Kyle our gratitude for reminding us where and why this sport started. Besides, Kyle was profiled by the cops. I can relate. The last time I was ‘profiled,’ I had my plastic surgeon take a little off the sides.”

10. Tony Stewart: Stewart was poised for a top-10 finish with a little over 20 laps remaining in the Coca-Cola 600, but engine trouble, and a near miss of Jeff Burton’s spinning car, sent Stewart home with a 17^th-place result. Stewart improved one spot in the point standings to ninth, 89 out of first.

“It’s not a NASCAR race unless there’s an accompanying conspiracy,” Stewart said. “To wave or not to wave the caution flag. Let me be blunt: there is no conspiracy. Why? Because a conspiracy would actually logically explain NASCAR’s actions. There can be no conspiracy, because there is no rhyme or reason to NASCAR’s action where cautions and debris are concerned.”

June 1, 2011
Surprising and Not Surprising: Dover FedEx 400 Benefitting Autism Speaks

Under threatening skies at the beginning of the race and with one caution for precipitation, the sun emerged and then beat down upon the Monster Mile at Dover, Delaware for the remainder of the race.

Here is what was surprising and not surprising from the FedEx 400 Benefiting Autism Speaks.

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Surprising: It was surprising to see the comers and goers at Dover and in the end, to see who gambled and who did not. And in a town where the casino resides right next to the track, the gambling paid off, especially for those that either stayed out without tires or who took two instead of four.

Mark Martin, driver of the No. 5 GoDaddy.com Chevrolet, was probably the biggest gambler, staying out on the last pit stop with no new tires to finish in the runner up position. This was his first top five of the season.

“Lance McGrew and the GoDaddy.com team deserve this,” Martin said. “We just about pulled one off there. We finally had a good finish.

Matt Kenseth, driver of the No. 17 Wiley X Sunglasses Ford, also gambled with a two tire stop, and finished his day in Victory Lane.

“Obviously it was a great day for us and pretty exciting for us to win that way here at Dover,” Kenseth said. “I was happy we were able to pull it off.”

The gambling also paid off in the point standings, with Kenseth jumping four spots to the sixth position and Martin moving up three spots to the 11^th position.

Not Surprising: With so many drivers taking either no or just two tires, it was not surprising that the dominant cars throughout most of the race, including the No. 48 Lowes Chevrolet of Jimmie Johnson and the No. 99 Aflac Ford of Carl Edwards, finished a bit further back in the pack in ninth and seventh respectively, after deciding on a four-tire strategy.

This was the second week in a row that Edwards and company took four tires and did not win. Both Edwards and Johnson, however, maintained their top standing in the points, first and second respectively.

Surprising: It was surprising just how different the Monster Mile treated teammates throughout the race. One of the best examples was the split between Richard Petty Motorsports teammates A.J. Allmendinger and Marcos Ambrose.

After starting from the outside pole, the ‘Dinger not only had high hopes for a great finish but he even fulfilled his wish of leading a lap. But instead of potentially contending for a race win, the engine on his Richard Petty Motorsports No. 43 Best Buy Ford gave up the ghost.

“I don’t know, it was weird because it all happened at once and there was no sign of it,” Allmendinger said. “We were going to run them (the leaders) down and all of a sudden off (turn) two, it went.”

“Honestly, it sucks,” Allmendinger continued. “I really wanted this for us and Ford and Best Buy and everybody, the King especially. I hate this.”

On the flip side, his RPM teammate Marcos Ambrose, in the No. 9 Dewalt Ford, had a stellar day, finishing in the third spot.

“I get a good feel on these concrete tracks,” Ambrose said. “On concrete, I think it’s the steep banking that helps me feel the tires.”

“It was a great day and a really good call for two tires there at the end.”

Not Surprising: The tale of two teammates continued with the results chasm between Brian Vickers, piloting the No. 83 Red Bull Toyota, and his teammate Kasey Kahne in the No. 4 Red Bull Toyota.

Vickers, who at the time of last year’s Dover race was in the hospital “with two IVs stuck in both arms”, finished fifth, while Kahne blew an engine and was out of the race.

“This was a great team effort,” Vickers said. “I feel great. It was a special race.”

Kahne, on the other hand, started fourth and was running in the top ten for much of the race, only to experience engine issues.

“We had a great Red Bull Toyota,” Kahne said.”The car was really fast early on. I think I over-revved it so it may be my fault that it let go.”

Surprising: Both cars in the Stewart-Haas Racing stable, including the No. 39 Haas Automation Chevrolet of Ryan Newman and the No. 14 Mobil 1/Office Depot Chevrolet piloted by Tony Stewart, were surprisingly bad at the Monster Mile. In fact, Stewart deemed his car evil, finishing 29th, multiple laps down. Newman battled all day as well, taking the checkered flag in the 21st position.

Stewart summed up the SHR day overall on one of his radio communications during the race, saying “I’ve got no (expletive) confidence in our team right now.”

Not Surprising: Kyle Busch in the No. 18 M&Ms Toyota surprised no one in driving from the rear of the field due to an engine change to a fourth place finish.

“Considering how far behind we started with the engine failure and how I ran it into the fence, it was a really good result,” Busch said.

Surprising: After a hard crash in the Nationwide run that ruined a potentially winning day, Joey Logano, driver of the No. 20 Home Depot Toyota, had high hopes for redemption, starting in the fifth spot. Logano, however, brought out the first caution, spinning and hitting the wall. Logano’s car was not right for the rest of the race, again hitting the wall in the waning laps of the race to finish 27^th.

Not Surprising: Living up to the track’s nickname, there were some monstrous moments on pit road during the race in Dover. David Ragan, driver of the No. 6 UPS Ford, had an adventure getting to his pit, spinning, hitting the guard rail and then almost blocking the entrance trying to get his car pointed in the right direction.

“I just locked up the rear brakes a little coming into the pits during the green flag stop,” Ragan said. “That’s the first time I’ve ever wrecked like that getting to pit road.”

“I guess I pushed it a little too hard today.”

Rookie Andy Lally, in the No. 71 Interstate Moving Services Ford, also had a pit misadventure, with a major slide down pit road late in the race. Lally finished in the 33rd position.

May 15, 2011
Surprising and Not Surprising: Richmond’s Crown Royal 400

After the sounds of the US Marine Drum and Bugle Corps playing the National Anthem and the command to start engines by surviving war hero and race namesake Staff Sergeant Matthew Hansen faded, Saturday night racing was officially underway at Richmond International Raceway.

Here is what was surprising and not surprising from the Crown Royal Presents the Matthew and Daniel Hansen 400.

Surprising: It was surprising to see just how quickly the pole sitter Juan Pablo Montoya, in his No. 42 Target Chevrolet, fell from his prime starting position into a world of trouble with Ryan Newman, piloting the No. 39 US Army Medicine Chevrolet.

After some tussling back and forth for position, Newman had had enough with the ever assertive Montoya, sending JPM into the wall on Lap 106. Montoya returned to the track and on Lap 236 took his revenge. [media-credit id=5 align=”alignright” width=”258″][/media-credit]

After being spun out by Montoya, Newman was definitely hot under the collar. “I can’t believe they’re not going to black flag that 42 car,” Newman said. “I’m going to take care of this after the race.”

Newman did indeed head straight for the NASCAR hauler after the race to share his concerns and see what the sanctioning body had to say about the incident. Montoya, on the other hand, waved off the media, jumped on his golf cart and headed back to the motor coach lot without comment.

Newman declared he just wanted the situation to be handled fairly by the sanctioning body.

“I know that he (Montoya) ran up on me of (Turn) 2 there and I clipped him. I mean I’m not going to try to dump myself into the wall,” Newman said. “But to retaliate the way he did just didn’t show much class.”

Not Surprising: Since the track was Richmond, it was not surprising to see the Joe Gibbs Racing team at the front of the pack when the checkered flag flew. While Denny Hamlin had dominated the weekend, winning his own charity race as well as the Nationwide event, it was JGR teammate Kyle Busch, in his award winning M&Ms Pretzel Toyota, that led 235 laps including the final 84, to claim the victory.

“This race tonight was a good one,” Busch said. “We knew if we could go through traffic, we could win.”

“We just really got beat by our teammate,” Hamlin said. “He drove a great race. Our cars were dead equal. We just got beat.”

Surprising: There were definitely some surprising names in the top ten finishers when the checkered flag flew at RIR. Both Red Bull drivers, Kasey Kahne, driver of the No. 4 Red Bull Toyota, and his teammate Brian Vickers, behind the wheel of the No. 83 Red Bull Toyota, had good nights.

Kahne, still smarting from his recent knee surgery, finished third and Vickers posted a tenth place finish.

Another driver David Ragan, piloting his No. 6 UPS “We Love Logistics” Ford for Roush- Fenway Racing, had a strong car especially at the end of the race, finishing fourth.

“It was a fun night,” Ragan said. “This is my favorite track to come to. Back in 2007, we finished third here and I have really liked the place since.”

The final driver not usually in the top ten but with a great run at Richmond was AJ Allmendinger. With new sponsor Nautica on his No. 43 Ford Fusion, the ‘Dinger brought his car home in the seventh spot.

“Sometimes in these races, you have to get a little lucky,” Allmendinger said. “We have been on the bad end before with good cars so I will take luck over skill any day.”

Not Surprising: Although mightily struggling for much of the race, five-time champion Jimmie Johnson found his inner rally and finished eighth.

“We had a good finish out of it but it was a long, long night,” Johnson said. “We got the car semi-competitive and then finally got some strategy, got back on the lead lap and we went from there. So, frustrating night but a good points night.”

Surprising: Johnson’s Hendrick Motorsports teammate, Jeff Gordon had a surprisingly bad night. Gordon yet again found a non-safer barrier wall and wrecked into it driver’s side first.

The crash on Lap 301 also collected Paul Menard, Mark Martin, David Reutimann, Bobby Labonte, Jamie McMurray and Matt Kenseth.

“It knocked the wind out of me,” Gordon said after his visit to the infield care center. “I seem to find the worst angles of walls.”

“What a shame,” Gordon continued. “The Dupont Chevrolet was so strong. With 100 laps to go everyone was losing their patience including me. I just wish they had a safer barrier there.”

Not Surprising: Unfortunately, it was not surprising that Team Penske continued their struggles. Kurt Busch, in the No. 22 Shell/Pennzoil Dodge, had all kinds of trouble, from the initial wreck involving Montoya, continuing throughout the race. Teammate Brad Keselowski, in the Blue Deuce, was also involved in several crashes. Busch finished 22^nd and Keselowski finished 36^th.

Surprising: After returning to the lead lap via the ‘lucky dog’ process, Dave Blaney, with his newly committed sponsor Golden Corral on his No. 36 race car, managed to move forward at the end of the race to finish 13^th, his season’s best. Blaney, racing not start and parking for Tommy Baldwin Racing, has now locked himself into the top 35, firmly ensconced in 32^nd in the point standings.

Not Surprising: Carl Edwards had another strong run, posting a fifth place finish in his No. 99 Scotts EZ Seed Ford. He also maintained the top spot in the point standings, nine points over second place Jimmie Johnson and thirty points ahead of race winner Kyle Busch in third.

“That was a lot of work,” Edwards said. “I think that feeling of fifth here tonight will be replaced with the points lead feeling in a little bit and that will feel better.”

May 1, 2011
Surprising and Not Surprising: Texas Samsung Mobile 500

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

April 10, 2011
Matt Kenseth Breaks 76-Winless Streak, Winning Samsung Mobile 500

[media-credit name=”Steven Iles” align=”alignright” width=”225″][/media-credit]Throughout the night, Matt Kenseth made it clear that he was there to win and at the end after all the strategy played it course, Kenseth was in the lead with 13 to go and went on to win.

“After two years, I didn’t know if I could get back to here again,” Kenseth said. “I give a lot of credit to Jimmy Fennig and the guys on this team for working as hard as they do.”

Midway through the race, it looked as though his chances at his 19th career victory were in jeopardy as he didn’t get enough fuel on a pit stop. Though with the tires falling off as much as they were, when he pitted, the rest of the field soon followed so they wouldn’t lose time.

“The key was running up front,” Kenseth said. “Even when we got behind when we had to pit, we ended up forcing the field to pit due to the tires so that was the key.”

Finishing in second was Clint Bowyer, who was leading with 86 to go when he made a huge save after running up on Brian Vickers while trying to put him down a lap.

“That was my fault; totally my fault,” Bowyer said. “To come up on those lappers, they hold us up so much. I thought I got by him, though we made contact and I thought I was done at that point.”

Third-place belonged to Matt Kenseth’s Roush-Fenway teammate Carl Edwards, who at the beginning of the race, was feeling sick.

“I am all hopped up on pepto bismo,” Edwards said. “I hate to throw my mom under the bus, but she cooked something last night and I don’t think it was good.

“Matt and those guys did a great job. I gotta say congratulations to them. The good thing is we know what they got in their car so we can work on that and I can’t wait for the next one at Darlington.”

Greg Biffle and Paul Menard rounded out the top five. Marcos Ambrose finished sixth with pole sitter David Ragan seventh, followed by Jimmie Johnson, Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Kurt Busch. Tony Stewart looked to finish third, though ran out of gas on the final lap, resulting in a 12th place finish, behind Jeff Burton.

The main incident of the race was with 120 to go when Kevin Harvick slighlty bumped Martin Truex Jr., sending him into Mark Martin and Regan Smith. Harvick said on his radio after the incident that he noticed Truex slowing up, tried to go left to avoid him, but they still made contact.

“We’re okay,” Mark Martin said. “Just pile up in front and I wailed a couple, I think Martin in the wall, a couple other walls. It’s racing.

“I didn’t have any steering after the first hit so I hit the outside and then the inside twice so that’s what you have sometimes when you’re racing. We were having a bad night and it ended up worse.”

“Unfortunate deal for the NAPA Toyota,” Mark Truex Jr. said. “We were struggling tonight. We were running our butts off running 16th. We made a mistake on pit road and got back there. Once you make one mistake, you got to battle twice as hard to get back up there.

“The 2 checked up, I checked and I got hit from behind. You get back there, you get desperate and you take two tires and get yourself as trouble.”

With his third place finish, Carl Edwards now leads the points, nine points over Kyle Busch, who finished 16th.

April 10, 2011
Surprising and Not Surprising: Martinsville Goody’s Fast Relief 500

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Martin Truex Jr. crashes into Kasey Kahne at Martinsville
At Martinsville’s version of the ‘paper clip’, NASCAR’s elite made their own history at one of the most storied tracks on the circuit. Greg Biffle and Jamie McMurray both made their 300^th starts of their careers and iron man Mark Martin made his 800^th start of his career.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

April 3, 2011