Tag: Michael McDowell

Grading the Sprint Cup Rides – 2013 Third Term Report

Marcos Ambrose Shatters Watkins Glen Track Record

The Final Word – Tragedy in New York

Watkins Glen might have hosted the action on Sunday, but it was Saturday night at the Canandaigua Motorsports Park a hundred miles away that drew our attention.

Amateur video shows Kevin Ward Jr racing his Sprint car against Tony Stewart, winding up brushed against the wall and out of action. The 20-year old unbuckled himself, came out of his car, walking toward the cars running under caution. He appeared upset at being taken out of the race, apparently pointing toward Stewart.

We see the car in front of Stewart go past, as Ward appears to take a slight step to his left, away from the car as the video briefly follows it before panning back to pick up Stewart. It happens so fast, so I pause the video showing the young man halfway down the track as Stewart’s car appears in the frame. It appears to be passing him, then Ward is gone. In less than two seconds, his body is flung upward, dragged, then tossed for yards before coming to rest down the track. The crowd reacts as emergency personnel race to his still form.

There are some who claim, in watching the same video, that it shows a deliberate action. It does not. Due to the angle, we do not know the precise distance Ward was standing from Stewart’s, or even the previous car, as it passed. We do know that it was close. There are those who claim Stewart gunned his car as he passed, causing it to fish-tail toward the young man.

In going over the video numerous times I cannot tell for certain if the end of Tony’s car initially flipped ever so slightly to the right or not. If it did, it could not have been by more than a couple of inches, if that. I do know it definitely moves left. In his anger, Ward may have approached too close, within mere inches to the side of Stewart’s moving car, to his rear tires. So close that any slight movement, or no movement at all, was going to catch him. Even under caution the cars were still moving at a fair clip. The engine of Stewart’s car does sound like it revs up, either through a brief acceleration or the car broke traction on the dirt track instantaneously with making contact; contact that appears to have been made with Stewart’s rear right tire.

On Sunday, Stewart did not race. Regan Smith drove for him, as the winless Stewart drops nearly a hundred points out of a Chase place. It was a day of celebration for first time Cup winner A.J. Allmendinger, who shared his condolences for what had taken place the day before even as he secured a Chase berth of his own.

It was a race that featured a great battle in the end between Allmendinger and Marcos Ambrose. It featured a terrible crash that saw both Ryan Newman and Michael McDowell walk away from pieces of scrap metal. It saw a bid by Jeff Gordon end when he lost power, Denny Hamlin lost his along with his brake fluid even before finding some barrels to destroy later on, and Kyle Busch left with a gas can and shortly after left with a blown tire.

With four to go, a dozen Chase spots have been claimed by race winners with only four left on points unless another first time victor emerges at Michigan, Bristol, Atlanta, or Richmond. Tony Stewart may be there to contend, but today his thoughts no doubt are understandably with a young man and a track a hundred miles from Watkins Glen.

SWEET SIXTEEN
1 – Dale Earnhardt, Jr. – 3 Wins – 773 Points
2 – Brad Keselowski – 3 – 696
3 – Jimmie Johnson – 3 – 650
4 – Jeff Gordon – 2 – 768
5 – Joey Logano – 2 – 671
6 – Carl Edwards – 2 – 658
7 – Kevin Harvick – 2 – 645
8 – Kyle Busch – 1 – 615
9 – Denny Hamlin – 1 – 552
10 – Kurt Busch – 1 – 539
11 – Aric Almirola – 1 – 532
12 – A.J. Allmendinger – 1 – 525
13 – Matt Kenseth – 0 – 703
14 – Ryan Newman – 0 – 645
15 – Kyle Larson – 0 – 635
16 – Clint Bowyer – 0 – 634

CONTENDERS & PRETENDERS
17 – Greg Biffle – 0 Wins – 626 Points
18 – Kasey Kahne – 0 – 622
19 – Austin Dillon – 0 – 616
20 – Marcos Ambrose – 0 – 584
21 – Paul Menard – 0 – 574
22 – Brian Vickers – 0 – 573
23 – Jamie McMurray – 0 – 566
24 – Tony Stewart – 0 – 537
25 – Casey Mears – 0 – 516
26 – Martin Truex, Jr. – 0 – 508
27 – Ricky Stenhouse, Jr. – 0 – 447
28 – Danica Patrick – 0 – 419
29 – Justin Allgaier – 0 – 398
30 – Michael Annett – 0 – 360
31 – David Gilliland – 0 – 334
32 – David Ragan – 0 – 312

August 11, 2014
The Final Word – Rains delayed and shortened the race, but there were still fireworks at Daytona

Holy crap, what was that? If nothing else, the Firecracker 400 in Daytona sure was not predictable. A few yards short of a competition caution, many of the favorites were removed or seriously hampered when all hell broke loose. Ricky Stenhouse Jr, Jeff Gordon and Tony Stewart got involved in a non-romantic triangle that involved some of the circuit’s best. Just past the half-way mark, they took care of a bunch of others with an even bigger demo derby. Greg Biffle caught up to Kasey Kahne, who in turn kissed Joey Logano, which commenced a wrecking orgy. In the end, half of the field was gone and those running up front were folks we usually expect to see running near the back.

Aric Almirola was not favored to return the iconic 43 that Richard Petty won his 200th win the Independence Day weekend thirty years ago, but he did. The rains that delayed the action for a day, and delayed it again early on Sunday, returned to finally put a wash to the proceedings prior to the three-quarter mark. The man in front was the 30-year old Tampa, Florida native, recording his first Cup victory in 125 starts. That goes with his single Nationwide win from 2007 and his two truck series triumphs back in 2010. Better yet, that car is all but entered into the Chase, with eight races to run before they settle on the 16 championship contenders.

Brian Vickers is not in a Chase place, yet finished second. Ditto for Casey Mears, in fourth. Danica Patrick and Marcos Ambrose had Top Ten days. Michael McDowell , who is not even in the Top 30 in points, was seventh on Sunday with Alex Bowman finishing 13th. Even part-timer Terry Labonte, the former two-time champ, was 11th. For some, it was worth the wait to run this thing.

For others, not so much, as barely half the field managed a hundred laps. Our list of likely Chasers who wound up in scrap metal included Jimmie Johnson (42nd), Kevin Harvick (39th), Carl Edwards (37th), Kyle Busch (28th), and Ryan Newman (24th). It is too early yet to get all tight ended about the chances of Kahne, Biffle, and Kyle Larson after they all finished outside the Top 25, but they could have done without this Daytona experience. On the other hand, Stewart and Jamie McMurray might be puckering up a little as both dropped points they could ill afford to lose. It has become even more likely than ever that without a win they will be running the final ten just for fun.

Almirola is the 11th driver to win this season, so as long as no more than five more drivers win their first of the season over the course of the next eight, he and the others will be in the Chase. Matt Kenseth is 90 points to the good in the Top 16, so he is secure as they sit right now. Newman also is strong, but things start to get tight after that. Still, anyone in the Top 20 can still dream of making it in on points, but the next dozen will need a win to even hope of making it.

Next Sunday it is New Hampshire. Sadly, that marks the final race broadcast on TNT before the ESPN gong show returns to test our love of the televised version of the sport. Adam, Wally, and Kyle, thanks for showing us how the job should be done.

Loudon could be the place where some winless drivers can show us how it should be done. Newman and Stewart each have three wins there. Clint Bowyer has a couple, and Biffle, Kenseth, Vickers, and Kahne also know where to find Victory Lane. Now, as long as other former New Hampshire winners, such as Johnson, Gordon, Harvick, Logano, Denny Hamlin, or one of the Busch brothers do not get greedy…

SWEET SIXTEEN
1 – Jimmie Johnson – 3 WINS – 596 POINTS
2 – Dale Earnhardt, Jr. – 2 – 624
3 – Brad Keselowski – 2 – 586
4 – Joey Logano – 2 – 546
5 – Carl Edwards – 2 – 543
6 – Kevin Harvick – 2 – 514
7 – Jeff Gordon – 1 – 651
8 – Kyle Busch – 1 – 524
9 – Denny Hamlin – 1 – 493
10 – Aric Almirola – 1 – 452
11 – Kurt Busch – 1 – 422
12 – Matt Kenseth – 0 – 580
13 – Ryan Newman – 0 – 534
14 – Paul Menard – 0 – 516
15 – Clint Bowyer – 0 – 509
16 – Austin Dillon – 0 – 494

CONTENDERS & PRETENDERS
17 – Greg Biffle – 0 – 490
18 – Brian Vickers – 0 – 484
19 – Kyle Larson – 0 – 482
20 – Kasey Kahne – 0 – 482
21 – Marcos Ambrose – 0 – 472
22 – Tony Stewart – 0 – 465
23 – Jamie McMurray – 0 – 447
24 – Casey Mears – 0 – 438
25 – A.J. Allmendinger – 0 – 414
26 – Martin Truex, Jr. – 0 – 414
27 – Danica Patrick – 0 – 358
28 – Ricky Stenhouse, Jr. – 0 – 342
29 – Justin Allgaier – 0 – 319
30 – Michael Annett – 0 – 299
31 – David Gilliland – 0 – 256
32 – Cole Whitt – 0 – 254

July 7, 2014
Hot 20 – Remove a dozen from the field and we could still have good racing in Kentucky

This Saturday we are off to Kentucky, a day early and an entry short. Well, early if you think of Sunday as the usual race day, and short as we will have 42 entries instead of the usual 43. Michael McDowell, who was 24th at Sonoma last Sunday, won’t be joining us.

No start and park entries this year, which I am pleased to see. However, of the 43 cars out there most weeks, only 24 drivers representing nine teams have the pedigree to actually compete. Even that is debatable, but I include everyone from Hendrick, Gibbs, Penske, Ganassi, Roush, Stewart-Haas, Childress, Waltrip, and Petty. It is more than just talent and experience, but cash and equipment that separate the wheat from the chaff. That chaff, going by last week’s grid, would include 19 drivers from 13 companies. That is not to say they will never compete, but rather they can not run with the big boys at the moment.

NASCAR deems a driver in the Top 30 in points as worthy of contending for a place in the Chase, via a victory. Taking that into consideration, A.J. Allmendinger, Casey Mears, Martin Truex Jr, Justin Allgaier, and Michael Annett might not be so much chaff, but more like Grade B grain. Time will tell what winds up in the hopper.

No, I do not think we will lose much sleep having the field down one, or a dozen, as long as they do not include anyone from among our hottest 20 drivers.

(By points, with race winners given 25 instead of just 3 bonus points)

1 – Jimmie Johnson – 622 POINTS – 3 WINS
2 – Jeff Gordon – 602 – 1
3 – Dale Earnhardt, Jr. – 599 – 2
4 – Carl Edwards – 553 – 2
5 – Brad Keselowski – 534 – 1
6 – Joey Logano – 525 – 2
7 – Matt Kenseth – 515 – 0
8 – Kevin Harvick – 514 – 2
9 – Kyle Busch – 487 – 1
10 – Denny Hamlin – 475 – 1
11 – Ryan Newman – 473 – 0
12 – Kyle Larson – 470 – 0
13 – Paul Menard – 459 – 0
14 – Clint Bowyer – 452 – 0
15 – Greg Biffle – 444 – 0
16 – Kasey Kahne – 429 – 0
17 – Tony Stewart – 427 – 0
18 – Austin Dillon – 427 – 0
19 – Jamie McMurray – 425 – 0
20 – Brian Vickers – 424 – 0

June 27, 2014
Sprint Media Tour – Day One Continued – JTG Daugherty and Leavine Family Racing

The final stop on the Sprint Media Tour presented by Charlotte Motor Speedway was a double stop with JTG Daugherty Racing and Leavine Family Racing. These two smaller teams are trying to make inroads in the Sprint Cup Series and have high hopes for 2014.

JTG Daugherty is facing many changes in the new year, but leaving Toyota and aligning with Richard Childress Racing and Chevrolet gives the new team new hope. Co-owner Brad Daugherty was extremely pleased with the results of their Daytona test.

“I watched that 195 mph lap at Daytona and I knew things would be better,” Daugherty said. “Not criticizing any of our former partners, but we struggled last year. We had no direction. With RCR equipment, we’re on the right track. We’ve scanned the cars they’ve sent us and are building identical cars in-house. We feel like we have the tools to do what we can to be competitive. Bobby Labonte drove his guts out last year and the result just wasn’t there.”

Daugherty also spoke about signing Allmendinger to drive for the team in 2014.

“I talked to Roger Penske about (Allmendinger), and I told him I wanted to offer him a full time Cup Ride. Roger said, ‘I can live with that,’ and that was that. We feel we have the driver to win races and challenge for the championship.”

Leavine Family Racing will go to war with Michael McDowell as its driver in 2014. The talented McDowell will drive their cars in the Sprint Cup Series in 2014, as he moves over from Phil Parsons Racing, in Ford Fusions with motors from Roush-Yates power.

Finally, the Nationwide Series hosted a stop at Strike City with Nationwide Series drivers taking part in the festivities. Trevor Bayne, Sam Hornish, Jr. and Ty Dillon were among the participants. Members of the media were challenged to bowling matches with Nationwide Series drivers.

January 27, 2014

This grading system is pretty basic. Top 10’s, with extra consideration given for wins and Top 5’s, can help you earn an A+. Keep it in the Top 20 each race and that is worth a B. Just by finishing 30^th each time out and that would still get you a C-. Less than that is a failure; a failure to compete, a failure to get noticed.

Grade: A

The top students have been to joy to have in class, even though Jimmie did cost himself an A+ by playing hookey in the weeks leading to the Chase. We are hopeful Kyle continues his stellar work through the final part of the year, though he has had trouble in the past. Matt has really hit the books as of late, and could wind up class valedictorian if he continues his progress. Carl once again is near the head of the class, but time will tell if can charge to the front to finally be number one.

CAR	DRIVER	WINS	TOP 5	TOP 10	TOP 20	TOP 30
48	Jimmie JOHNSON	4	11	17	21	25
18	Kyle BUSCH	4	13	17	20	22
20	Matt KENSETH	7	8	15	21	24
99	Carl EDWARDS	2	8	14	24	26

Grade: A-

Kevin has been in the top half of the class pretty much the entire year and only twice has the dog eaten his homework. Clint is usually a very popular boy, but for some reason I detect that many of his classmates do not want him to wind up at the head of the class this year.

CAR	DRIVER	WINS	TOP 5	TOP 10	TOP 20	TOP 30
29	Kevin HARVICK	2	7	14	25	25
15	Clint BOWYER	0	8	14	24	26

Grade: B+

Kurt, who usually does not play well with others, has some cheering for him. It will be interesting how he works with his new friends when class resumes next year. Kasey had some trouble last week, as did little Joey a week earlier. Dale is once again a very popular boy while Ryan has had some issues to work through, but seems to have replaced former friends with some new ones for next year. Martin has had some problems as well due to the company he keeps, and I am not sure how that will work out. Greg remains a solid student, with Mark helping Tony since he hurt his leg. Meanwhile, Jeff needed some help near the end of the term, though I am not sure it will be enough for him to realize his dreams by the end of the school year.

CAR	DRIVER	WINS	TOP 5	TOP 10	TOP 20	TOP 30
78	Kurt BUSCH	0	9	14	20	23
5	Kasey KAHNE	2	8	11	18	20
22	Joey LOGANO	1	8	14	19	23
88	Dale EARNHARDT, Jr	0	5	15	21	24
39	Ryan NEWMAN	1	6	13	21	22
56	Martin TRUEX, Jr	1	6	12	21	23
16	Greg BIFFLE	1	4	11	23	24
14	Tony STEWART	1	5	10	19	27
24	Jeff GORDON	0	5	13	21	22

Grade: B

It has been a disappointing year for some students. Brad has stumbled a bit since being last year’s valedictorian. Juan Pablo plans to transfer out of our school next year, returning to where he had previously enjoyed very good grades. His friend Jamie will remain with us, and has hopes of improving his status next year. Mark has been busy, first helping Brian earlier this year and now Tony. I am expecting good things when Brian returns full-time next year. Along with Paul, they might not make the honor roll this year, but these boys have done enough work to show they belong here.

Grade: B-

Aric has shown signs that we might expect better things ahead for him. Jeff, as always, was expecting more. As he leaves us a year early, we will miss this well spoken young man.

CAR	DRIVER	WINS	TOP 5	TOP 10	TOP 20	TOP 30
43	Aric ALMIROLA	0	1	5	22	24
31	Jeff BURTON	0	2	6	17	23

Grade: C+

Marcos and Ricky have been okay, though not great. They both manage to get their work done, but I still would like to see better things from them before the year is out.

CAR	DRIVER	WINS	TOP 5	TOP 10	TOP 20	TOP 30
9	Marcos AMBROSE	0	0	5	19	23
17	Ricky STENHOUSE, Jr	0	0	2	20	25

Grade: C

I do not know what to say about Denny. I know he was hurt earlier in the year, but he has not been his old self since he returned. It appears he would just as soon end the year, go on vacation, and start afresh next year.

CAR	DRIVER	WINS	TOP 5	TOP 10	TOP 20	TOP 30
11	Denny HAMLIN	0	3	6	12	19

Grade: C-

Casey is not quite ready to compete with the big boys just yet, but I have been pleased with his progress. I am interested to see how he might do next year. I will miss Bobby, though he has had another disappointing year. Some seem happy with Danica’s progress, but I feel we should expect more by this time. She is blessed with so much more than a lot of the other students. David did succeed on the subject of Alabama geography, with some help from his close friend, the other David, but neither are quite there yet. As for A.J., who sometimes goes by Regan or Austin or, just last week, by Michael, might make some real progress once he figures out who he really is.

CAR	DRIVER	WINS	TOP 5	TOP 10	TOP 20	TOP 30
13	Casey MEARS	0	0	1	9	23
47	Bobby LABONTE	0	0	1	8	21
10	Danica PATRICK	0	0	1	6	23
34	David RAGAN	1	1	1	4	21
38	David GILLILAND	0	1	1	5	20
51	A.J. ALLMENDINGER	0	0	2	7	18

Grade: F

To be honest, I am not sure why these boys are even in my class. Both Dave and Travis, I am sure, would do so much better at Nationwide High. What can you say about J.J. (other than he enjoyed Daytona seven months ago), David S. (who just isn’t the same boy the past two weeks), David R. or Timmy? No, really. What can you say about them? Well, I’ve seen worse. I feel bad for Trevor, as I think if he would attend class more often he might be able to pull in a better grade than this. However, to be fair, of the nine assignments he has done, none have been much to write home about. As for Landon, things just don’t seem to work out. He and Tony R. have done most of the assignments for Austin, which is too bad as the young fellow has done so much better on the two he has written on his own. There are other students who drop in from time to time, but I have reserved my remarks for those who have tried to attend class at least nine times this year. God bless Scott, Michael, Joe, and Mike, but if the school board ever considers reducing class size, they make a good argument. To be honest, they usually do not stick around long enough to become a nuisance. The sad thing is, all four have ability but you never get to see it.

CAR	DRIVER	WINS	TOP 5	TOP 10	TOP 20	TOP 30
7	Dave BLANEY	0	0	0	2	18
93	Travis KVAPIL	0	0	0	4	15
36	J.J. YELEY	0	0	1	2	14
30	David STREMME	0	0	0	4	13
83	David REUTIMANN	0	0	0	1	14
32	Timmy HILL	0	0	0	2	12
21	Trevor BAYNE	0	0	0	4	8
40	Landon CASSILL	0	0	0	4	8
33	Austin DILLON	0	0	0	2	12
95	Scott SPEED	0	0	1	1	3
98	Michael MCDOWELL	0	0	1	1	2
87	Joe NEMECHEK	0	0	0	0	3
19	Mike BLISS	0	0	0	0	1

September 24, 2013

Brad KESELOWSKI

Juan Pablo MONTOYA

Jamie MCMURRAY

Brian VICKERS

Paul MENARD

Marcos Ambrose has won the last two Sprint Cup races at Watkins Glen and he will start his run at a third consecutive victory from the pole with Michael Waltrip Racing’s Clint Bowyer 2nd. Marcos seems untouchable at this track and a pole to kick off his pursuit for his third win in as many years at this historic race track is very bad news for the competition. This was the second time NASCAR utilized group qualifying at the Sprint Cup level and it went very well only producing one incident which was Brian Keselowski’s spin early in the session.Jamie McMurray held the pole position for a bit before the final two groups took to the track. Clint Bowyer knocked him from the top spot but he was no match for the Aussie ace who took the pole with ease leaving the rest of the drivers in his group to battle for 2nd on back. Ambrose didn’t just post the fastest time though, he broke the track record that was set last year. This is the 12th track record to fall in 2013 which can be accredited to the introduction of these new Gen-6 cars.

There was also a couple of surprises towards the front of the field in the form of AJ Allmendinger and Michael McDowell who qualified 4th and 12th in cars that are usually run 20th or worse. Max Papis is the interim driver of the No.14 while Tony Stewart recovers after breaking his leg in a Sprint Car crash and the weekend has been a struggle for him so far. Just like when Vickers/Martin substituted for Hamlin earlier this year, it takes a while to get used to the car and how everything works within the team.

The Cheez-It 355 can be seen on ABC at 1pm est. Sunday. The full lineup can be seen below…

1	9	Marcos Ambrose	Stanley/CTC Jumpstart Ford	128.241	68.777
2	15	Clint Bowyer	PEAK/Duck Dynasty Toyota	127.958	68.929
3	56	Martin Truex Jr.	NAPA Auto Parts Toyota	127.462	69.197
4	47	A.J. Allmendinger	Scott Products Toyota	127.433	69.213
5	18	Kyle Busch	M&M’s Toyota	127.400	69.231
6	1	Jamie McMurray	McDonald’s/Monopoly Chevy	127.374	69.245
7	27	Paul Menard	Menards/Splash Chevy	127.146	69.369
8	2	Brad Keselowski (PC1)	Miller Lite Ford	127.141	69.372
9	22	Joey Logano	Shell Pennzoil Ford	127.111	69.388
10	20	Matt Kenseth (PC4)	Home Depot Husky Toyota	127.038	69.428
11	42	Juan Pablo Montoya	Target Chevy	126.932	69.486
12	35	Michael McDowell	Dockside Logistics Ford	126.823	69.546
13	78	Kurt Busch (PC3)	Furniture Row/Denver Mattress Chevy	126.813	69.551
14	39	Ryan Newman	Haas Automation 30th Anniversary Chevy	126.766	69.577
15	55	Brian Vickers	Toyota Camry 30th Anniversary Toyota	126.515	69.715
16	99	Carl Edwards	Kellogg’s/Cheez-It Ford	126.464	69.743
17	16	Greg Biffle	3M/811 Ford	126.377	69.791
18	48	Jimmie Johnson (PC2)	Lowe’s Chevy	126.357	69.802
19	5	Kasey Kahne	Farmers Insurance Chevy	126.321	69.822
20	11	Denny Hamlin	FedEx Ground Toyota	126.209	69.884
21	38	David Gilliland	Long John Silver’s Ford	126.124	69.931
22	31	Jeff Burton	Caterpillar Chevy	126.086	69.952
23	51	Owen Kelly	Phoenix Construction Chevy	126.011	69.994
24	33	Ron Fellows	Canadian Tire Chevy	125.924	70.042
25	88	Dale Earnhardt Jr.	National Guard Chevy	125.876	70.069
26	29	Kevin Harvick	Budweiser Chevy	125.711	70.161
27	32	Boris Said	U.S. Chrome Ford	125.707	70.163
28	24	Jeff Gordon (PC5)	Drive to End Hunger Chevy	125.591	70.228
29	14	Max Papis (i)	Rush Truck Centers/Mobil 1 Chevy	125.589	70.229
30	13	Casey Mears	GEICO Ford	124.890	70.622
31	34	David Ragan	Taco Bell Ford	124.848	70.646
32	43	Aric Almirola	Smithfield Ford	124.793	70.677
33	17	Ricky Stenhouse Jr. #	Best Buy Ford	124.576	70.800
34	36	Victor Gonzalez Jr.	Mobil 1/IMCA Chevy	123.878	71.199
35	10	Danica Patrick #	GoDaddy Chevy	123.750	71.273
36	83	David Reutimann	Burger King/Dr.Pepper Toyota	123.708	71.297
37	19	Alex Kennedy	Media Master Toyota	123.687	71.309
38	93	Travis Kvapil	Burger King/Dr.Pepper Toyota	123.637	71.338
39	30	David Stremme	Genny Light Toyota	123.157	71.616
40	7	Dave Blaney	Chevy	123.095	71.652
41	40	Landon Cassill (i)	Interstate Moving Services Chevy	122.004	72.293
42	87	Tomy Drissi	The Counselor Toyota	120.295	73.320
43	52	Brian Keselowski	Star Coach Race Tours Toyota	118.924	74.165

August 10, 2013

Surprising and Not Surprising: Daytona 500

In the double nickel running of the Great American Race, with the first female ever to start from the pole, here is what else was surprising and not surprising from the 2013 Daytona 500.

Surprising: While drivers, crew chiefs, and teams scrambled through Speedweeks into the Daytona 500, surprisingly, the busiest people in Daytona were once again the track workers.

Just as in previous years, from the infamous pot hole in 2010 to the jet dryer flame out last year, the track crew was again called upon to work their miracles.

This time, however, their skills were put to the test the day before the big race after a horrific crash at the finish of the Nationwide race, shearing young driver Kyle Larson’s car in thirds and sending his engine, tire and other car parts into the crowd.

The track workers not only had to tend to the injured fans but also had to make major repairs to the catch fence itself, working tirelessly into the early morning to ensure that the Great American Race would go on without a hitch the next day.

“You try to prepare for as much as you can,” Kerry Tharp, NASCAR spokesperson, said. “You also take away and learn from every incident.”

Not Surprising: With the ‘one team, one shop’ philosophy prevalent throughout the Hendrick Motorsports organization, it was not surprising to see the 48/88 team finish 1/2 at the Daytona 500.

“I was waiting for the run,” two-time Daytona 500 winner and five-time champ Jimmie Johnson said. “The 88 got a big shove and was coming up the inside.”

“I moved down to defend that and we were able to get a one-two for Hendrick Motorsports,” Johnson continued. “For the 48/88 shop so very happy. There are a lot of people put a lot of effort into these cars and I want to thank them all.”

Surprising: While she may have been forging a new path as the first woman on the pole and the first to lead a green flag lap at Daytona, rookie Danica Patrick surprisingly seemed to have more in common with veteran four-time champion Jeff Gordon.

Both the rookie and the veteran had no friends in the final laps of the race, both getting freight-trained to finish 8^th and 20^th respectively.

“I kept asking what was working,” Patrick said. “You needed a hole and you needed people to help you out.”

“I had a little bit of help here today here and there,” Patrick continued. “I had a feeling I was going to get freight-trained.”

“It’s a really tough race,” Jeff Gordon said. “We lost track position and it didn’t seem like we were ever going to get it back.”

“Then we finally did and those last two restarts just didn’t go very well.”

Not Surprising: With a driver rating of 96.5, second best at Daytona, and a good Speedweeks, finishing fourth in the Sprint Unlimited and fifth-fastest in time trials, the driver of the No. 14 Mobil 1/Bass Pro Shops Chevrolet had high expectations for the big race.

So it was no surprise that Tony Stewart was absolutely smoked after being taken out early in the race, finishing 41^st.

“The hell with the season, I wanted to win the Daytona 500,” Stewart said. “I was happy with our car, just waiting for it to all get sorted out again.”

“I don’t know what started it, but we just got caught up in another wreck.”

Surprising: At a track known for white knuckle racing and passes galore on every lap, it was surprising just how difficult the drivers found it to pass, especially on the bottom of the track. In fact, a portion of the race was surprisingly run in the single file formation.

Veteran driver Mark Martin summed it up best.

“One of the things that made it hard to pass was nobody would get organized on the bottom,” Martin said. “The top groove was the preferred groove.”

“The problem was that the car on the inside of the frontline wasn’t the fastest car,” Martin continued. “If you would have had the fastest car in the field on the inside, you would have had a whale of a race there at the end.”

Not Surprising: For two years in a row, team owner Chip Ganassi has been lamenting the performance of his race team. Unfortunately, the bad run continued at the 2013 Daytona 500 with drivers Jamie McMurray and Juan Pablo Montoya, finishing 32^nd and 39^th respectively.

Both were in a significant wreck early in the running of the Great American Race.

“You could see it coming,” Montoya said. “They were all checked up and I thought, ‘Somebody isn’t going to check and screw up.”

“And then they did.”

Surprising: Things also went surprisingly awry for two out of the three Joe Gibbs racers. The defending Daytona 500 winner and newest member of the JGR team Matt Kenseth looking incredibly strong, leading many laps during the race until mechanical problems did him in.

And then almost immediately afterwards, teammate Kyle Busch also had mechanical failure, leaving teammate Denny Hamlin to be the lone top 15 finisher.

“It’s really unfortunate,” Busch said. “We were running 1-2-3 and it felt like we were dropping like flies.”

“Something inside the motor broke that’s not supposed to break,” Busch continued. “It’s a little devastating.”

Not Surprising: Since the Daytona 500 can make dreams come true (just ask Trevor Bayne), it was not surprising that there was a Cinderella story and his name was Michael McDowell.

With an underfunded team but a sponsor filled with faith, the driver of the No. 98 K-LOVE Ford finished ninth in the Great American Race.

“We had a fast car,” McDowell said. “This was a great run and a great effort. For us, an under-funded team to come here to Daytona and get a top-10 finish is pretty cool.”

Surprising:

While it may have been no surprise that blooming onions would be on tap for Monday at Outback due to Ryan Newman’s top five finish, it was surprising that kids got to eat at Golden Corral thanks to J.J. Yeley’s top-ten finish in the Daytona 500.

“After a long, hard-fought day at day at Daytona, we were able to log a top-ten finish for our first outing with our new team and Golden Corral on board,” Yeley said. “The best part of it all is making lots of kids happy when they eat for free as part of J.J.’s Monday.”

Not Surprising: Brad Keselowski, champion and NASCAR Ironman, proved he was both yet again, muscling his damaged No. 2 Miller Lite Ford around the track to finish fourth.

“You want to make excuses for not being successful you could do that or you can go out there and put it all on the line and try to win,” Keselowski said. “You just drive it.”

February 27, 2013
Michael McDowell Races to California on a Wing and a Prayer

[media-credit name=”Photo by Jerry Markland/Getty Images for NASCAR ” align=”alignright” width=”218″][/media-credit]NASCAR Sprint Cup driver Michael McDowell is headed across the country, on a wing and a prayer, to Auto Club Speedway for this weekend’s race festivities.

McDowell will be piloting his No. 98 Ford Fusion for Phil Parson/Curb-Agajanian Racing in California, thanks to a faith-based partnership with the Christian radio network K-LOVE and Curb Records.

This unique sponsorship mixes McDowell’s passion for his faith, K-LOVE’s commitment to outreach, and Curb Records support of several Christian recording artists.

“This year, we’ve been fortunate enough to get Curb Records and K-LOVE, a syndicated Christian radio network, to come on board,” McDowell said. “The cool thing about these partnerships is that there are things that I want to be involved, in not just from a racing standpoint but also personally.”

As with all sponsorship opportunities, the partnership started with an introduction that expanded into a solid relationship. For McDowell, the K-LOVE introduction was made by his friends at Motor Racing Outreach and grew from there.

“On the K-LOVE side of things, they invited my wife and I to come on the K-LOVE cruise,” McDowell said. “Right before Daytona, they have a Christian cruise, like a music cruise, to the Bahamas.”

“There happened to be an opportunity where K-LOVE wanted to be involved in NASCAR, not just from the racing perspective but also from the outreach perspective,” McDowell continued. “So, the other partners that came on board with K-LOVE made the sponsorship possible.”

“It’s cool how it all comes together.”

The partnership officially started this season at Daytona, where McDowell, working with friend and fellow Christian Trevor Bayne, raced his way into the show.

“The reach that we had in Daytona was huge,” McDowell said. “I got to work with my buddy Trevor Bayne a lot and we got a lot of exposure.”

“Because of that K-LOVE has seen a huge response to their sponsorship and message,” McDowell continued. “They will actually have a K-LOVE booth set up in the fan zone at several of the upcoming races.”

This past weekend in Bristol, McDowell and his team launched a new promotion with his sponsors. The campaign is called “Let It Start With Me” and is dedicated to bringing the gospel message to the NASCAR community.

“One of Curb Record’s artists No Other Name had a single called “Let It Start With Me,” McDowell said. “The message behind it is instead of waiting for someone else to do it or get behind a cause, it should start with me.”

“Let me be the one that goes out and does it.”

McDowell and his team are now set to head to the other side of the country to race at Auto Club Speedway in California. And he admits that they need prayers to cope with the intense travel schedule, especially with such a small team.

“You go from Daytona, which got rain delayed so you’re already behind the eight ball,” McDowell said. “We only have five or six guys in the shop so when we lose a day, we lose a lot.”

“Then we went to Phoenix and Vegas without coming home and then to Bristol,” McDowell continued. “And now off we go to California.”

“So, it’s pretty crazy.”

In addition to his faith, McDowell’s family, including his wife and three year old son, are also helping to cope with the rigorous racing schedule. And the driver announced that he has additional plans to add to his brood.

“My wife and I travel together with our three year old son to all the races,” McDowell said. “For us, we drive to all the races ourselves in the motor home.”

“My wife is expecting and is due in October,” McDowell continued. “And we are also still in the process of adopting two children from Honduras. That too is an opportunity to share that there are kids out there that need adopted and need a family to care for them.”

From his family to the race track, McDowell is blending his faith and sponsorship in unique ways that are most personal to him.

“This is so different from anything I’ve done in the past,” McDowell said. “This is something that I’m passion about, Christian music and outreach in particular.”

“To be able to partner with other like-minded groups is huge for me,” McDowell continued. “It’s natural and no one has to twist my arm to show up.”

“For me, this is who I am, what I believe in and what I’m passionate about,” McDowell said.

“It’s where I want to be with it.”

March 22, 2012
Surprising and Not Surprising: AAA Texas 500

When the green flag flew on the seventh annual running of the AAA Texas 500, it seemed almost as an afterthought to a difficult week, with the passing of patriarch Russ Wallace, the plane crash injuring Rick and Linda Hendrick, and of course the parking of Kyle Busch after his detrimental on-track actions during the Truck race.

[media-credit name=”Credit: Jerry Markland/Getty Images for NASCAR” align=”alignright” width=”272″][/media-credit]Yet, when the checkered flag finally flew at Texas Motor Speedway, there were some surprising, as well as not so surprising, moments from the third to the last race of the 2011 season.

Surprising: After back to back wins, it was surprising to see that even Smoke was a bit overcome, albeit by the intensity of the race, emotion and the heat of Victory Lane.

“This is for the Wallace family,” Stewart said after getting out of his car. “And for Mr. Hendrick and his wife. And I had a buddy that passed away when we were at Charlotte and I didn’t want to forget him.”

Yet even with splashing some water on his face, Smoke still had to take a seat in Victory Lane, while those around him fanned him with their Stetson hats to allow him to catch his breath.

Tony Stewart, however, bounced back quickly. He then donned the traditional black hat and took some shots with the guns in celebration of scoring his 43^rd career victory, his fourth win of the season, and his second victory at Texas.

Stewart also re-affirmed that his sights are firmly set on winning that coveted Cup championship. With his race win, Smoke is now just three points behind leader Carl Edwards.

“I don’t think we have to say anything,” Stewart said, unlike last week where he talked some smack in Victory Lane. “Our performance speaks for itself.”

“Do not count us out of this thing,” Stewart said. “We did everything we needed to do today.”

Not Surprising: Roush Fenway Racing did not disappoint or surprise at the mile-and-a-half track where they have been so dominant all season. RFR had three of their drivers in the top five, with Carl Edwards in second, Matt Kenseth in fourth, and pole sitter Greg Biffle in fifth.

The team combined to lead 124 laps at Texas Motor Speedway, with Edwards leading 14, Kenseth leading 87 and Biffle leading 23. Even David Ragan, whose future remains uncertain, finished in the 12^th position.

“I’m proud of our guys today,” Edwards, behind the wheel of the No. 99 Aflac Ford Fusion said. “We wanted to beat Tony and pad the lead, but we are still the point’s leader.”

This was Edwards’ sixth top-10 finish in 14 races at Texas Motor Speedway. It is his 24^th top-10 finish to date in the 2011 season.

Greg Biffle, behind the wheel of the No. 16 Ford Fusion, started from the pole to bring his car home for a top-five finish.

“We had a pretty good car,” Biffle said. “The last pit stop, I slid through the box and that probably cost me a third-place finish or a couple of spots anyway. We fought hard and came back.”

“It’s hard to be disappointed when you run in the top five,” teammate Matt Kenseth, driver of the No. 17 Crown Royal Ford Fusion, said. “I wish we could have performed a little better, but that’s all we had.”

“This has always been a pretty good track for our organization.”

Surprising: It was a bit surprising to see how current Michael Waltrip Racing driver Martin Truex, Jr. did, finishing eighth in his No. 56 NAPA Auto Parts Toyota, in spite of the big changes announced for the MWR organization prior to the race.

“I am really proud of my entire NAPA team today,” Truex Jr. said. “The NAPA Know How pit crew was on it.”

“We are moving in the right direction and I appreciate all the work MWR is doing to get us in contention.”

Not Surprising: After learning that he was no longer a member of the MWR team after the 2011 season, it was no surprise that the woes on the track continued for driver David Reutimann. The driver of the No. 00 Aaron’s Dream Machine finished 22^nd.

“It was very difficult,” team owner Michael Waltrip said of his decision to let Reutimann go. “I love David. He’s a great man and he’s always been there to do anything I needed him to do.”

“I know it was hard for David to get the news,” Waltrip continued. “I’m thankful that he drove for me for so long.”

Surprising: After such a Cinderella run, Brad Keselowski’s championship hopes have all but gone up in smoke. The driver of the No. 2 Miller Lite Dodge had a very difficult day at Texas, finishing 24^th.

“Just a tough night,” Keselowski said. “We couldn’t get the speed out of our car that we needed and fought all day for track position.”

“We lost the handling on the car right in the middle part of the race and adjustments were made to make it better and it just made it worse,” Keselowski continued. “It was unfortunate.”

Not Surprising: One driver who continues to make noise, however, was AJ Allmendinger, who scored another top-10 in his No. 43 Best Buy Ford Fusion for Richard Petty Motorsports.

“That was probably the most comfortable I’ve ever felt on a mile-and-a-half, especially one like this,” Dinger said. “It was fun.”

“From the start we were just passing cars and making good adjustments,” Allmendinger continued. “It was a good fight to 10^th but overall, and more importantly, that’s something to build on.”

Surprising: It was a bit surprising to see that Brian Vickers’ intense driving style carried over from Martinsville to Texas. On lap 201, the driver of the No. 83 Red Bull Toyota assisted with bringing out the second caution by tussling with Juan Pablo Montoya and Geoffrey Bodine.

“Stupid Vickers ran over a lapped car,” came over JPM’s radio, summing up yet another tough day at the office for ‘The Sheriff’, who finished 21^st.

Not Surprising: Kasey Kahne continued his string of top-10 finishes, scoring the third spot in his No. 4 Red Bull Toyota. This was Kahne’s fourth top-10 in 15 races at Texas Motor Speedway.

“We were really close,” Kahne said of his almost-winning run. “I wanted to win really bad today.”

“It was a great race for us,” Kahne continued. “This has been our best time the whole season.”

Surprising: Taking the wheel of the No. 18 M&M’s Toyota Camry from sidelined Kyle Busch, Michael McDowell surprisingly was not able to capitalize on his prime opportunity. Even with Busch looking on atop the pit box, McDowell could not get his car dialed in and finished 33^rd.

“We obviously were hoping for more and were hoping for a big day,” McDowell said. “But that wasn’t meant to be.”

“Gave it all I had and we just struggled pretty much all day long.”

Not Surprising: McDowell was not the only JGR driver to struggle at Texas Motor Speedway. Joey Logano, driver of the No. 20 Home Depot Toyota, blew an engine on Lap 262, and Denny Hamlin, behind the wheel of the No. 11 FedEx Office Toyota, struggled all day, finishing 20^th.

“We just fought an ill-handling car all day,” Hamlin said. “It’s probably one of the worst that we’ve had in a long time.”

“We’ll have to go back to the shop and look at it,” Dave Rogers, crew chief for the No. 18, said of the entire team’s performance. “This tire at this track is pretty tricky. You have to dare to lean on it and it’s not comfortable getting in the corner.”

“We have to look at it for sure.”

Surprising: Although not mathematically eliminated, it still seems surprising to think that, without some sort of miracle, Jimmie Johnson will not be on the championship banquet stage this year. With his struggling performance at Texas, including a spin through the grass on Lap 240, the driver of the No. 48 MyLowes Chevrolet, managed to finish fourteenth and is now back 55 points to the Chase leader.

“I fought a loose race car all night long and I lost it,” Johnson said. “And I think sliding through the grass did some damage.”

“It didn’t really drive good after that.”

Not Surprising: With a sixth place run in his No. 24 Drive to End Hunger Chevrolet, it was not surprising that it felt like a win to driver Jeff Gordon.

“We moved up right away,” Gordon said. “I thought we had a car that could compete for the win but when the sun went down, it changed for us and we lost a little bit there at the end.”

“Compared to the way we ran here earlier in the year, it is almost like a win for us.”

November 7, 2011
BREAKING NEWS : NASCAR : Kyle Busch Suspended for Remainder of Texas Race Weekend

[media-credit name=”Brad Keppel” align=”alignright” width=”216″][/media-credit]After an incident that saw Kyle Busch deliberately wreck championship contender and series veteran Ron Hornaday under caution Friday night Kyle Busch has been parked for the remainder of the race weekend at the Texas Motor Speedway. The Winstar World Casino 350K NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race was only 14 laps in when the incident occurred.

NASCAR officials met with Busch briefly after the incident and scheduled a meeting for early Saturday morning. After the wreck on Friday which sent Hornaday out of the race Hornaday said furiously, “He pulled my shoulder out. Luckily I had a chiropractor put it back in and I’ll be good. If NASCAR doesn’t do it, I’m going to buy Tommy Baldwin’s ride and that guy will never finish another race. That’s a promise. … This was a yellow flag, turned when you’re not prepared and your heart is not pumping and all that stuff and then you get turned directly in the fence. So let’s have at it? I can go beat his ass? He lives too close to me. So we’ll see what NASCAR does. If they don’t handle it right, I’ll be at his house Monday morning.”

After the meeting Busch left the NASCAR hauler and went directly to the driver’s motor coach lot with comment.

Michael McDowell replaced Busch in his Sprint Cup car for practice this morning and reports in garage indicated that Denny Hamlin would replace him in the Nationwide Series race today.

Helton said, “Boys Have It had clear line that could be crossed. We saw it last night.”

“done under section 9.12 of the rulebook, that gives NASCAR the authority to react during a race weekend. And following the event and after a good deal of conversation and discussion, NASCAR has decided to maintain that parked position on the driver of the 18 truck for the balance of the weekend.” NASCAR president Mike Helton said.

In a nutshell…… Busch will not race anymore this weekend at Texas.

It not a first for NASCAR, but maybe an eye opener for Busch. Kevin Harvick (2002) and Robby Gordon (2008) have been suspended for Sprint Cup races for actions on the track.

November 5, 2011