Tag: Michael Waltrip Racing

SHR continues to get stronger

On the last edition of The Inside Pass (www.theinsidepass.net), heard on Tuesday November 26th, my co-host Randy Miller and I spoke at length with veteran spotter Tim Fedewa. The conversation ranged from the new Gen 6 car and the struggles of the Ford camp to find speed through out the season to what Tim is looking forward to doing during the off season (hunting for those wondering).

The telling point in the interview was when Randy Miller asked Tim what his plans were for next season. Tim broke the news that he would be moving to the number 4 car and would be spotting for Kevin Harvick moving forward into the 2014 season. Tim is still currently under contract with Richard Petty Motorsports (RPM) until the end of the year, which for those that do not know the NASCAR year typically ends on December 31st of each year. Tim expected to be spotting for RPM during the early December testing at Charlotte Motor Speedway. Tim believes that he will be spotting for Aric Almilrola during that testing session, but nothing is firmed up yet. During the off air conversation, Tim also confirmed that this would be a year to year contract.

When asked Tim stated that he is excited about thae move, and that he is very appreciative of everything that working at the legendary Richard Petty Motorsports has done for him personally and professionally. He enjoyed working with Marcus Ambrose and felt strongly that they as a team were really close to getting the Australian driver his first oval track win. As the interview progressed, I asked Tim exactly what does a spotter do to help build the level of trust up that is needed between a spotter and a driver moving into the January testing at Daytona, which is where Kevin and Tim will be working together for the first time. Tim’s response was enlightening, they are going to be sitting down to lunches together along with recently named crew chief Rodney Childers, who is leaving Micheal Waltrip Racing (MWR), along with the car chief to try and get on the same page moving forward.

As the title of this article implies gaining a veteran spotter such as Tim bodes well for the fans of Kevin Harvick and does not bode well for the rest of the field. Tim has been spotting in the national series dating back to when the Sprint Cup was known as the Nextel Cup. Tim is a former racer turned spotter. He understands how to help a driver navigate the traffic and track in order to help his team and driver get the very best out of the car. When teamed with a driver who is known for taking care of his equipment and being “there” at the end of a race, this could potentially be the new powerhouse driver/spotter combination. When asked what he had already been doing to prepare for the potential move to Stewart-Haas Racing (SHR), Tim replied that he had been scanning the 29 cars channels in order to pick up on the lingo and the meter that Billy O’Dea and Kevin used throughout the latter stages of the year so that he would be better prepared for his new role with Kevin.

Tim’s pedigree in racing is not a short lived one, he was born into a racing family. His father Butch raced in several series eventually reaching the ARCA/ReMax series before retiring and began helping Tim with his racing career. Tim made limited starts in the Camping World Truck and some 300 Nationwide Series starts, with four wins in that series, along with one start in the Winston Cup Series, and also ran in a relief role for John Andretti with Petty Motorsports at the Coke 600 in 2000 when John was injured. Tim understands the nuances that help make a car go fast, this role with the new number 4 team is not something that Tim simply fell into over night. He has been doing this for awhile now, and he has the respect of his peers atop the spotter’s stand. While NASCAR may have mandated rules changes that there would no longer be “deals” made from the spotters stand, I hope no one is naive enough to think that the spotters don’t work together to try and help their driver out when trying to make their way through the field.

When you take a look at the cache of talented members continuously being added to the stables over at Stewart-Haas Racing, I think that we could see a few new/old faces challenging Jimmie Johnson (six time) for the championship next season.

November 28, 2013
Surprising and Not Surprising: Phoenix Advocare 500

After welcoming a serviceman home in honor of Veteran’s Day and with all eyes on the Chase contenders, here is what was surprising and not surprising from the 26^th annual Advocare 500 at Phoenix International Raceway.

Surprising: Drivers leaving their teams at the end of the 2013 season had surprisingly good finishes, with the best of course being race winner Kevin Harvick, who will leave Richard Childress Racing to go to Stewart Haas Racing in 2014.

“We challenge each other,” Kevin Harvick said of his RCR relationship. “There’s no better way to go out than to do what we’ve done this year.”

“I think as we move forward will probably make us closer as friends.”

And along with Harvick, Kurt Busch, another driver in transition who will be leaving Furniture Row Racing to join Harvick as Stewart Haas Racing teammate, finished fifth.

The top ten was filled with other racers leaving their teams after the checkered flag flies next weekend at Homestead Miami Speedway, including Juan Pablo Montoya, who finished sixth and is heading to the IndyCar Racing Series; Martin Truex Jr., who is leaving Michael Waltrip Racing for Furniture Row Racing and finished eighth; and Ryan Newman, who finished tenth and will head from Stewart Haas Racing to Richard Childress Racing in the New Year.

Not Surprising: With championship points on the line all around, there were a few mea culpas issued not surprisingly after the race end.

Carl Edwards, who had a scary moment of close racing and contact with championship contender Jimmie Johnson, could not apologize to him more. Edwards first apologized over his radio after the contact and then met Johnson on pit road after the race to declare mea culpa yet again.

“Yeah, I definitely did not mean to hit him,” Edwards, driver of the No. 99 Fastenal Ford, said of his Johnson close encounter. “He did a heckuva job saving it and I’m just glad he saved it.”

“I did not want to be part of the championship in that manner.”

Edwards himself almost had the race won but ran out of gas to finish a disappointing 21^st.

The other mea culpa, which had definite championship implications, came from Jason Ratcliff, crew chief for Matt Kenseth. Ratcliff and the team struggled all day with the handling of the car and in the pits, finishing 23^rd in the No. 20 Dollar General Toyota and falling 28 points behind the Chase leader.

“I apologize for giving you something like that,” Ratcliff said to Kenseth. “I apologize for a really poor job of executing.”

“I apologize to all of you,” Ratcliff continued. “Just a bad job on my part.”

Surprising: While Phoenix usually generates some exciting racing, there was a surprising amount of strategy that played out throughout the race, with cars staying out, pitting, and taking all kinds of tire combinations. In fact, there was so much confusion for one driver that it almost made his head spin.

“There was a lot of strategy and it confused the heck out of me,” Joey Logano, driver of the No. 22 Shell/Pennzoil Ford said after finishing ninth. “At times we were leading the race and at times we were 24^th.”

“Overall, it was a weird race because you didn’t know where you were at and you just passed the cars in front of you,” Logano continued. “It was too confusing for me.”

Not Surprising: Jimmie Johnson channeled his inner dirt track racer to bring home yet another top-ten finish, his 17^th in 21 races at Phoenix International Raceway. To be precise, Johnson finished third in his No. 48 Lowe’s/Kobalt Tools Chevrolet.

“I knew I had a great race car,” Johnson said. “But I really had to fall back on my dirt driving skills racing out here in the desert all the years that I did.”

“I knew I could get through traffic and I knew I was in good shape relative to the championship battle,” Johnson continued. “I’m in a position I want to be in and now we just need to go to Florida and have another good day.”

Surprising: Kasey Kahne, driver of the No. 5 Farmers Insurance Chevrolet is a basement dweller in the point standings no more, thanks to his second place finish in the Valley of the Sun. Kahne advance from the 13^th position in the Chase to the 12^th spot after posting his seventh top-10 at Phoenix International Raceway.

“We got our car really good about Lap 150,” Kahne said. “I got a little loose in the last restart but just felt good about our Farmers Insurance Chevrolet.”

“We made some big gains and I got a nice second-place finish.”

Not Surprising: Ricky Stenhouse Jr. not only maintained his strong lead in the Rookie of the Year battle over girlfriend and competitor Danica Patrick but actually gained ground after his 12^th place finish and her 27^th place finish.

“It was a tough day all around,” Patrick said after starting 32^nd, battling a loose race car and getting caught in a major-league wreck with Cole Whitt, David Reutimann and Justin Allgaier. “We started out pretty loose and got down a lap early.”

“Then obviously we got caught up in the accident,” Patrick continued. “It’s disappointing, but the GoDaddy guys did a good job of fixing it as best they could so we could finish.”

Surprising: It will be a surprisingly different Vegas experience for Dale Earnhardt Jr. Usually the sport’s most popular driver picks up that award at the Myers Brother Luncheon and heads on home, however, this year, he will have a major speaking role as he is fifth in the point standings after finishing fourth at Phoenix in spite of a loose wheel.

“We had a fast car,” the driver of the No. 88 National Guard Chevrolet said. “I thought Steve Letarte (crew chief) could get some good strategy to get us back up into the top-10, top-five and I was real happy with the way we were able to rebound.”

This was Junior’s third top-5 finish in the past four races.

Not Surprising: Jeff Gordon, driver of the No. 24 Axalta Chevrolet achieved another milestone after his 14^th place finish at Phoenix. Gordon led his 400^th lap in 2013, which marks the 20^th consecutive year that he has led at least 400 laps.

Surprising: Phoenix proved to be the tale of the two Davids, with David Gilliland having a good run, at one point running top-10, and teammate David Ragan having engine troubles yet again.

Gilliland finished 24^th and moved up to 25^th in the point standings while Ragan finished 35^th and fell to 28^th in points.

“That was probably the best car we had all year,” Gilliland said. “We had some brake issues at one point, but overall it was a great car and a good points day.”

Not Surprising: Greg Biffle had an eventful day at Phoenix as he had to start from the back of the field due to a transmission change in his No. 16 3M Scotch Ford.

Nevertheless, Biffle was able to run in the top-10 with the help of some strategy from atop the pit box and finished 13^th in the race.

Biffle also moved up one place in the championship standings to the seventh spot.

The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series will head south to Homestead-Miami Speedway for the Ford Ecoboost 400 season finale where the 2013 champion will be determined.

November 11, 2013
Two Strong Partnerships Now Ending Under Unfortunate Circumstances

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

October 30, 2013
BRIAN VICKERS TO MISS REMAINDER OF 2013 NASCAR SPRINT CUP SEASON

CORNELIUS, N.C. – Michael Waltrip Racing learned today that Brian Vickers is not available to race for the remainder of the 2013 NASCAR Sprint Cup season due to health issues.

Vickers said Dr. William Downey has placed him on blood thinning medication after a Monday morning examination on his right leg discovered a small blood clot in his calf region.

The medications will keep Vickers out of the No. 55 Aaron’s Toyota the remainder of the season, effective immediately. Vickers said his physicians are confident he will be able to resume activity before the 2014 NASCAR Sprint Cup season begins.

“If there’s anything to be positive about with today’s news it’s that this is only a temporary setback,” said Vickers. “The timing for this is never good, but I’m glad we’ll get it out of the way now and be ready to run for a championship with the Aaron’s Dream Machine in 2014.”

“We were just informed this morning and our concern is for Brian’s health,” said MWR co-owner Rob Kauffman. “Anything else will be worked out in due course.”

As previously announced, two-time Daytona 500 champion Michael Waltrip will drive the No. 55 Aaron’s Dream Machine at Talladega Superspeedway this weekend.

A replacement driver for the remaining events will be named later.

In 22 races with MWR in 2012 and 2013, Vickers owns five top-five and 10 top-10 finishes including a victory on July 14 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.

October 14, 2013
Weighing the Options for Martin Truex Jr. and Michael Waltrip Racing

Michael Waltrip Racing might have lost more than just a sponsor. The team that has exceeded all expectations since their inception in 2007, is about to go backwards instead of forwards.

Martin Truex Jr.’s sponsor, NAPA, is leaving at the end of the year. Besides losing the sponsor which stuck with Waltrip’s team through thick and thin, the team may be losing the driver that helped expand their operation.

Truex Jr. was on pace to have his best season in NASCAR. He was going to be in the Chase for the Sprint Cup for the second consecutive season. Then, his team’s General Manager, Ty Norris, basically cost Truex a few million bucks, and the team a multi-million dollar contract. Now, Truex Jr. may have to find a new home thanks to Norris’ decision to tell Clint Bowyer to intentionally spin, and have Brian Vickers pit for no reason.

So what’s going to happen next?

Well, Truex Jr. is under contract with MWR until 2015. If he wants out, Michael Waltrip stated that he’d be willing to let Truex go. However, don’t expect Truex to leave the team. He’s a valuable asset for an organization that is going to need to prove themselves for the rest of this year and all of 2014. The team can’t afford to lose Truex, it’ll hurt their credibility too much.

“I really enjoyed my last four years at MWR (Michael Waltrip Racing) and I feel like we’re getting to where we wanted to be when we started four years ago, and this is obviously going to set us back. But,I would love to be there. There’s no guarantees right now — it just depends on how everything goes down,” Truex said in a press release.

There’s a bright side to all of this though. The team can see what Truex’s value is on the free agent market. There’s not too many openings left which should help them retain the man that has only won two races in 288 career Sprint Cup Series starts. If sponsorship is found, the team won’t give him up. Yet, if a guy such as Elliott Sadler can bring sponsorship along, then the team may just end up booting Truex.

Truex could land at Furniture Row Racing if they opt to go with experience for their new driver. For some reason, it just doesn’t seem likely for that to happen. Waltrip’s team has the equipment to be successful, even though they’re losing several key members of the team by the start of next season.

It’s going to be interesting to see what will happen with this situation. It appears that Waltrip wants Truex to stay no matter what.

“I don’t know — it’s too early to tell to be honest with you. I wish I knew and I wish I could say, but a lot of circumstances have to play out and it’s so late in the game and late in the season. People already know what they’re doing next year — this is definitely not the time of year you want to find out that you really don’t have a ride next year, so to speak. I don’t know, it’s going to be tough, but we’ll have to deal with it and hopefully we’ll figure it out.”

Joseph Wolkin can be followed on Twitter at @JosephNASCAR and like him on Facebook..

September 22, 2013
Matty’s Picks 2013 – Race 28 SYLVANIA 300 – New Hampshire Motor Speedway – September 22, 2013

The NASCAR silly season continues on to New England this week (I mean the 2013 Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup) as we head to New Hampshire Motor Speedway for the second time this season. The biggest news yet again this week is what is happening off-track rather than the second race of this 2013 season full of parody and certainly, DRAMA.

The Michael Waltrip Racing (MWR) saga continued earlier this week as NAPA pulled the plug on sponsoring Michael Waltrip’s No. 56 NASCAR Sprint Cup team. On the company’s Facebook page, NAPA posted this statement: “After thorough consideration, NAPA has made the difficult decision to end its sponsorship arrangement with Michael Waltrip Racing effective December 31, 2013.” A huge statement considering NAPA had been with Michael Waltrip since he raced for Dale Earnhardt Inc. in the 2001 Daytona 500, also Waltrip’s first victory in the cup series.

The statement expanded on NAPA’s position in the sport and its position in the sponsorship, “NAPA believes in fair play and does not condone actions such as those that led to the penalties assessed by NASCAR. We remain supportive of the millions of NASCAR fans and will evaluate our future position in motorsports.”

Of course Michael Waltrip had something to say, “NAPA has been with me from winning two Daytona 500s, to missing races with a new start-up team, and back to Victory Lane again,” Waltrip said. “The relationship grew far past that of just a sponsor, but more of a partner and a friend. We will not be racing a NAPA car in 2014, but I have friendships that will last a lifetime.”

Now, the focus shifts to Martin Truex Jr. and what/if he can do anything to improve his situation in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. On Thursday, Truex spent time at a Woonsocket, Rhode Island NAPA store, and was the source of controversy just a day after it was made public that NAPA was pulling the plug on Truex’s boss. Poked by the media via Twitter, Truex remained professional saying he still had NAPA on the hood for Sunday’s race and was doing his duty as a representative of NAPA to meet with fans and store owners.

The next chapter in the MWR saga will be if/can Truex make a move to another race team because of the sponsorship issues, where will he go, and will NAPA come with him? The obvious seat for Truex would be the No.78 Furniture Row Racing team, a phone that has been ringing off the hook with interest given what the team has done in this 2013 by putting the single-car team into The Chase. The next few weeks will be interesting to see with Truex, Aaron’s will be sticking around, but 5-Hour Energy has still to release the results of their evaluation of their MWR sponsorship.

New Hampshire Picks

Winner Pick

I like back-to-back Joe Gibbs Racing winners to start the 2013 Chase for the Sprint Cup. Since we haven’t had back-to-back race winners yet this season, it’s not Matt Kenseth and since Denny Hamlin’s best finish in 3 months is a 18th place finish at The Brickyard, Kyle Busch has to be my Winner Pick this week.

Qualifying is fairly irrelevant at New Hampshire, so starting 12th is not deterring me from the guy who had the best 10-lap average in the first practice session on Friday at Loudon. The New Hampshire stats look good for Kyle, carrying the momentum and the confidence of being mentioned as a favorite for the Sprint Cup Championship. He’s won at New Hampshire before, brings an additional 5 top fives, and seven top tens to the table this week. Throw in the practice speeds, I’m sold on Kyle Busch as a Winner Pick this week.

Dark Horse Pick

Yet again have I picked the eventual pole-sitter on Thursday Night with Greg on the Prime Sports Network, and yet again will I stick with my Dark Horse pick from Thursday Night.
Ryan Newman claimed his 7th career pole at New Hampshire on Friday, his 51st career NASCAR Sprint Cup Series pole. Considering the pole position has produced more New Hampshire race winners than any other starting position, I like my chances with Newman on Sunday. He’s got three wins at New Hampshire, an additional six top 5’s, and 15 top 10’s in 23 New Hampshire races. Newman likes Loudon, I like Newman as a longer play this week.

That’s all for this week, so until the saga continues in Delaware next week…..You Stay Classy NASCAR Nation!

September 21, 2013

Hot 20 over the past 10 – Montoya soon to be rid of fenders, NAPA soon to be rid of Michael Waltrip

So, what have we learned lately? Well, if one cheats, one must not do so in a fashion that allows them to be quickly caught. Caught by everybody. Caught on scanners, radios, and in full view of millions at the track and watching on television. Nothing good can ever come from that. That is, if one decides that they must cheat in the first place.

Since February, 2001 NAPA and Michael Waltrip have been synonymous in NASCAR. That comes to an abrupt end at the conclusion of this year when the company terminates its association with MWR, and it is all due to the events at Richmond. It is a very high price to pay and as much as I did not condone that team’s actions, as much as I applaud NASCAR’s reaction to them, I hate to have seen it come to this. I understand why the team did what it did. I understand why the fans reacted as they did, with those actions affecting two drivers who have become sentimental favorites. I understand why NAPA did what they did, being sensitive to public perception. However, it gives me no joy to read about it. The price has been paid. It is time to move on.

Juan Pablo Montoya is moving on. After seven seasons and two victories in NASCAR’s Cup series, he returns to the open wheeled racing in which he thrived between 1999 and 2006. Over the course of those eight campaigns, he won 18 races, claimed the CART championship as well as the Grand Prix of Monaco in claiming seven Formula One events. Ironically, while he joins the Penske organization in IndyCar, he has run only one race in that circuit, winning the 2000 Indianapolis 500. We look forward to his return to the track in St. Petersburg, Florida in late March.

Matt Kenseth returns to the track this Sunday at Loudon, New Hampshire. Unlike the other five drivers among our hottest half dozen, which includes the Busch Brothers, Ryan Newman, Kevin Harvick, and Jeff Gordon, Kenseth has never won at Loudon in 27 attempts. Then again, he has never won six races in a season before, either, and that Joe Gibbs car of his might be just what he needs to break that streak in New Hampshire.

Name	Points	Pos	LW	Rank	W	T5	T10
Kyle Busch	354	1	1	(2)	2	4	6
Kurt Busch	339	2	2	(6)	0	5	7
Ryan Newman	328	3	5	(8)	1	4	6
Matt Kenseth	327	4	3	(1)	2	3	5
Kevin Harvick	326	5	6	(4)	0	3	5
Jeff Gordon	312	6	8	(7)	0	1	7
Jamie McMurray	310	7	4	(15)	0	1	2
Carl Edwards	304	8	11	(5)	1	2	4
Greg Biffle	299	9	13	(11)	0	0	3
Kasey Kahne	293	10	10	(10)	1	3	4
Brad Keselowski	293	11	15	(14)	0	2	4
Joey Logano	280	12	7	(12)	1	3	6
Dale Earnhardt, Jr.	279	13	9	(13)	0	1	5
Jimmie Johnson	271	14	14	(3)	1	3	5
Juan Pablo Montoya	269	15	12	(20)	0	2	4
Paul Menard	261	16	17	(16)	0	2	3
Marcos Ambrose	256	17	16	(21	0	0	2
Ricky Stenhouse, Jr.	247	18	20	(19)	0	0	2
Clint Bowyer	245	19	18	(9)	0	2	4
Aric Almirola	239	20	21	(18)	0	1	1
Jeff Burton	230	21	22	(22)	0	1	2
Martin Truex, Jr.	227	22	19	(17)	0	2	3

September 19, 2013

The Final Word – Matt takes Chicago, Jimmie to take Loudon, leaving Junior and Joey to split the final eight?

After the week’s worth of who is in, who is not, who has been naughty, who has been wronged, we got back to racing. Sadly, the most exciting thing about the day was watching Kyle, Larry, and Kenny discuss the week that was. The race, for me, turned out to be a bit of a let down.

One lap kind of looked like the last one, that looked like the next one. The contenders moved into the front half of the pack and other than an official messing up Jimmie Johnson’s pit stop and Kurt Busch caught speeding, there was not much drama in the proceedings.

Then the rains came. Five hours went by before things got back on track, by which time we caught the PGA event taking place about 70 miles north of Chicagoland, at least until they got washed out. We got to view some NFL action, at least when lightening was not delaying things in Tampa and Seattle. We had time to see the Yankees taking on the Red Sox. Well, not enough time, as I had to watch that game finish before they returned to the race track.

I could have watched it live on computer or got Sirius about it, but I thought I would wait for the tape delayed version after the ball game. I should have known better, but like Clint I just sat there and scratched my arm. The race returned, live and in progress and with just 50 laps left.

I know, I should dwell on the fact Matt Kenseth increased his points lead by winning his career high sixth race of the season. With his 30th career triumph he now sits eight points up on Chicago runner-up Kyle Busch. There was Jimmie Johnson, just 11 points out, after recovering from a failed jack as well as the official problems on pit road, to bring it home fifth. I could seek happiness at the discovery Joey Logano had blown up and would finish 37th, but then Karma bit my butt.

Dale Earnhardt Jr was leading when the action returned to my screen. He then pitted and was buried way, way back, but not for long. He blew up spectacularly in a huge white plume to finish 35th and, like Logano, sits more than 50 points out.

For the rest of the Chasers, they took the top six positions, ten of the top dozen, with Greg Biffle bringing up the rear among those who did not explode in 16th spot. The Biff is 11th in the standings, 31 points in arrears. Still, nobody is out of it yet if history tells us anything.

Rating Chicago – 6/10 – Maybe it just rained on my parade. Kenseth fans no doubt thought it one heck of a great contest.

In 2006, Jimmie Johnson started the Chase by finishing 39th at Chicago, though his 10.8 average Chase finish that year was the worst of the nine among series winners. Over the past six seasons, the eventual champion has averaged 3 Chase wins, 8 Top Tens, and 9 Top Twenties and an average finish of better than seventh. For Junior and Joey fans, that means a Top Five next Sunday would not be good enough.

Now that we have put the controversy of the past week behind us, I wonder if the boys at Michael Waltrip Racing get it just yet? The boss seems to, saying they now know what they can do and what they can not. Clint Bowyer might, though his reputation takes a hit for the perception he can do one thing then lie about the circumstances surrounding what happened. To be honest, he would have been some kind of idiot to confess right after Richmond what he had done. It is like the teacher asking you about your homework assignment, and you reply how the family pet digested it. Clint didn’t raise a stink in his car, the dog did it. We have all been there. He will be forgiven, in time. Just not in enough time to see many wanting him to take the title this year.

Martin Truex Jr does not get it. He figures if Ryan Newman gets in, he should, too. Wrong. He might not have done something wrong, but his organization did. It is the same as when a car has an illegal set up and the team gets sanctioned. The driver may have been an angel, but he gets penalized just the same. To be honest, with MWR being something of a pariah at the moment, no one really gives a damn what they want. As for Brian Vickers, he says he would do the same thing again if asked, which only means he does not mind running for negative points. What they did was fix the outcome of the race, and no professional sport allows that. If he did not get the memo, NASCAR has just reminded everyone that they will no longer tolerate it. End of story.

Thus Sunday, it is off to Loudon and the New Hampshire Motor Speedway, and Chasers have done well there. Three time winners include Johnson, Jeff Gordon, Ryan Newman and Kurt Busch. Bowyer has won there twice, while victory has been celebrated by Logano, Biffle, Kasey Kahne, Kevin Harvick, and Kyle Busch. If fact, the only ones who have never done so are Carl Edwards, Junior, and Kenseth. As for having the best average finish there over his career, it could be a good day for Jimmie Johnson. Enjoy the week.

September 16, 2013
NASCAR and the Ripple Effect

This past week has been unprecedented and historic for the sport of NASCAR, with the sanctioning body announcing the two major penalties, the first for Michael Waltrip Racing on Monday and then Friday announcing probation for Penske and Front Row Motorsports, as well as the historic placement of a thirteenth driver into the Chase, Jeff Gordon.

In spite of these machinations, twists and turns this past week, there has been one constant throughout, the ripple effect.

So, what is the ripple effect?

Webster’s dictionary defines it as “a spreading, pervasive and usually unintentional effect or influence” and dictionary.com defines it as “a series of consequences caused by a single action or event.”

Mike Helton, NASCAR President, used the term ripple effect first by describing how the sanctioning body made the difficult decision on the Monday after the Richmond race to penalize Michael Waltrip Racing with a $300,000 fine, suspend MWR executive Ty Norris indefinitely, and replace MWR driver Martin Truex Jr. in the Chase with Ryan Newman.

“The way we go about these is we look at the incident and only the incident because we know from experience that if you try to look at the ripple effect of an incident, you can’t cover all those bases,” Helton said during the MWR penalty announcement.

“Our focus is around the incident and what we were going to do to react around it, not the ripple effect of the incident or the ripple effect of our reaction,” Helton continued. “So, we simply look at the incident and react to the incident, and whatever our reaction may create, that has a ripple effect to it as well.”

One of the first ripple effects was the outrage expressed by driver Jeff Gordon, who was outside the Chase looking in by just one point behind due to the apparent shenanigans that took place both on the track and on pit road.

“Someone explain the ‘ripple effect’ to me,” Gordon, driver of the No. 24 Drive to End Hunger Chevrolet, tweeted after the race.

And just after the tweet, Jeff Gordon fans latched on and quickly echoed the sentiments that their driver had been a victim of the ripple effect, starting a social media movement of their own in reaction to their driver being denied an opportunity to run for the championship.

Gordon’s teammate Jimmie Johnson also joined in the discussion about the ripple effect, calling for NASCAR to adopt rules similar to the NFL, where play is halted and a review is made of any questionable play or call on the field.

“In my opinion, if there is a question they don’t know, they need to stop the race immediately,” Johnson, driver of the No. 48 Lowes Chevrolet, said. “Figure it out and made the best judgment they can because trying to go back on Monday or Tuesday to fix the situation is just too much and then I learn something about a ripple effect.”

While ripples ran rampant through the garage and the media center alike, the biggest ripple effect came from the fans who continued to be incensed about the actions on the track that they felt compromised the integrity of the sport.

The ripple effect continued throughout the week as the sanctioning body continued to investigate the events at Richmond, turning their attention to the team communication with Front Row Motorsports driver David Gilliland and the discussion to give a spot to Joey Logano late in the Richmond race.

This apparently assisted Logano, who finished 22^nd in front of Gilliland, to move ahead of Gordon in the point standings, squeaking into Chase contention.

On both Wednesday and Thursday, NASCAR announced that they would not have any comment, however, Joey Logano addressed the media during his pre-Chase interview in Chicago.

“I am going to be 100 percent honest, I knew nothing about it,” Logano said. “That is stuff that happens week in and week out with spotters.”

“What I look at and say is that if we didn’t pass the 38 car, we were still in 10^th in points and still got our bonus point so it has no change in the outcome of where we are right now.”

But the ripple effects did not stop and again NASCAR made a major announcement on Friday, September 13^th that a 13^th driver would be added to the Chase for the Championship.

In addition to NASCAR making the unprecedented decision Friday to add the four-time champion to the 2013 Chase for the Sprint Cup field, they also put the Penske Racing team of Joey Logano and Front Row Motorsports with David Gilliland on probation.

And the ripple effect continued.

“There were just too many things that went on Saturday night that gave a clear disadvantage and what we deemed an unfair disadvantage to the 24 (Gordon),” Brian France, NASCAR Chairman and CEO said. “I have the authority to do that.”

“It is an unprecedented and extraordinary thing but it is also an unprecedented and extraordinary set of circumstances that unfolded in multiple ways on Saturday night,” France continued. “And we believe this is the right outcome to protect the integrity of the sport, which is our number one goal in NASCAR.”

“It’s been a rough week,” Gordon said after learning that he was back into championship contention. “I’m very appreciative to be in and I know it’s under the most unbelievable circumstances I’ve ever been in as part of my racing career.”

“I wish all of this hadn’t happened,” Gordon continued. “Now here we are as a 13^th car and in and we just try to take that opportunity and make the most of it.”

While Gordon expressed his thoughts on how rough his week was, the ripple effect that extended to Martin Truex, Jr. was, however, the most devastating.

Truex, through no fault of his own, was ousted from the Chase due to the MWR penalties, said that all he did was ‘drive his heart out’ throughout the entire race at Richmond, only to be taken out of the chance to run for a championship.

“I’m not even sure what to say at this point to be honest with you,” Truex said. “I’m kind of at a loss for words.”

“They kick me out to make spot for somebody and then they don’t do the same for the other guys,” Truex continued. “It’s just unfair, and nothing I can do about it.”

Truex was not the only driver to experience the ripple effect of confusion stemming from the events of the week since Richmond. Hendrick Motorsports teammate and the sport’s most popular driver also weighed in with his thoughts on the events.

“I don’t know what is fair anymore,” Dale Earnhardt Jr. said. “You could have done it a million different ways and I don’t know that one is better than the other.”

“The whole thing is a mess.”

The most significant ripple effect has yet to be determined, however, as NASCAR announced that it will have a mandatory meeting with all of the drivers, crew chiefs and owners to further discuss these issues.

“We’re going to protect, no matter what it takes — the integrity of the sport will never be in question,” France said. “We’re going to make sure that we have the right rules going forward that are clear so that the integrity of the competitive landscape of the events are not altered in a way or manipulated.”

“And that will be what we will address.”

But will this be the end of the ripple effect that has been created throughout the sport of NASCAR as a result of these unfolding events?

Just as in the original penalties announced earlier in the week, there may be ripple effects that even the sanctioning body cannot even begin to predict or may not even have imagined.

And the biggest and most significant ripple effect that remains to be seen is the reaction by the sport’s fan base, who ultimately determine if their passion or thoughts about the integrity of the sport have been affected or diminished.

And the ripple effect goes on and on and on.

September 14, 2013
Matty’s Picks 2013 – Race 27 GEICO 400 – Chicagoland Speedway – September 15, 2013

The eventful NASCAR Sprint Cup Series regular season has finally come to a close, and we head onto the opening week of the 2013 Chase for the Sprint Cup this week at Chicagoland Speedway. It has been a fantastic regular season, filled with parody, the broadest spectrum of winners we’ve ever seen in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, and of course drama.

I’ll start this week with my thoughts on the biggest news of the week surrounding the Michael Waltrip Racing cars of Clint Bowyer, Martin Truex Jr., and Brian Vickers, the Stewart-Haas Racing car of Ryan Newman, and now the Penske Racing car of Joey Logano, the Front Row Motorsports car of David Gilliland, and Hendrick Motorsports’ Jeff Gordon. Now we’ve gotten all the names out of the way, I’ll attempt to recap what happened with each team to set the now 13-driver field for this year’s Chase for the Sprint Cup.

It was Ryan Newman in the lead late last Saturday Night at Richmond when Bowyer’s spotter, Brett Griffin, came over the radio and said “(No.) 39 is going to win the race…well that kinda sucks. Nine more (laps) right here.” Then there was an arm itching comment by Crew Chief Brian Pattie, Bowyer spun out with no cars around him sending out the Caution Flag. Bowyer spin, Check.

When it came time for the restart, Brian Vickers was called to Pit Road, and amongst the confusion associated with pitting when the field was going green, a comment came over the radio “we need that one point.” and a “I owe you a kiss” comment. When the cars went back to green, Vickers made laps at a speed that any quarter-midget driver would have beaten, raising some more red flags. Vickers pit/lap times, Check.

The result was Joey Logano gaining enough points on Jeff Gordon to knock him from the 10th spot in points, which opened a Wild Card spot for Martin Truex Jr. The result on Monday was a 50-point fine for each of the three Michael Waltrip Racing guys (pre-Chase reset), enough to knock Martin Truex Jr. out of his Wild Card spot, and inserting Ryan Newman (who should have won the race anyway) into the Chase picture. Oh and don’t forget about the $300,000 fine for Michael Waltrip Racing on top of $3-3.5 million in foregone Chase earnings for the No.56 team.

Fast forward to Friday Afternoon…

Towards the end of the race on Saturday Night, there was a “Big Dog and his cronies” atop the spotter stand in what seems like a reference towards Roger Penske who often watches the races from the Spotter’s Deck, so nothing new. The out of the ordinary part of this deal is the chatter over the No.38 (David Gilliland) team radio between Crew Chief Frank Kerr and Gilliland’s spotter requesting Gilliland to give up a spot to Chase hopeful, Joey Logano. Kerr asked who the request came from, the spotter referenced “The Big Dog”, pass happens, Logano gets in the chase, Gilliland’s Spotter says “Hopefully we’ll get something out of that” after the race. Gilliland/Logano pass, Check.

The result here was a review by NASCAR of radio chatter between the No.38 team Driver, Spotter, and Crew Chief and a determination was made that the No.38 and No.22 teams had tried to manipulate the outcome of the race at Richmond and furthermore, the 2013 Chase field. “Based on all of our findings this week, we determined both Front Row Motorsports and Penske Racing organizations would be placed on probation for the remainder of the NASCAR this season.” said Brian France, NASCAR Chairman and Chief Executive Officer. “Additionally, based on the totality of our findings, to be totally fair and equitable we decided that adding a 13th car to this year’s Chase is the appropriate action.” France went on to add, “Beginning with our decision Monday, which resulted in an unprecedented team penalty, and continuing with further examination of actions involving two other race teams, it is clear to us that attempts to manipulate the results impacted the Chase field.”

So, nobody else is out, but Jeff Gordon is now into the first 13-driver Chase for the Sprint Cup field, set to begin on Sunday with the first of the 10 races which make up the NASCAR playoffs.

Now that we’ve gotten the stories straight (or as straight as they can be at this point), my stance on this week’s events is still up in the air…

Though I appreciate the team aspect this sport has to offer, I do not agree with manipulating the outcome of a race to help out a teammate. A sport that was bread in the South on integrity and downright grit has now been tainted with numerous attempts that would have some of the sports’ founders in outrage and calling for a permanent ban from the sport. If this were baseball for instance, the sport’s fans would call for the player attempting to manipulate the outcome of a game to be banned from the sport forever (Pete Rose, Ty Cobb, Alex Rodriguez, Barry Bonds, the list goes on).

The Michael Waltrip Racing penalty is the most severe to ever be passed down by NASCAR, but to me, the team’s greatest chance at a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Champion was only given a wrist slap. Clint Bowyer is still racing for a Championship even with his (inconclusive) involvement in the events at Richmond, and the guy with no known involvement (who deserves to race for a Championship) in the scheme is left out to dry. Martin Truex Jr. deserves a spot in this year’s Chase because he had earned his right to race for a Championship over the 25 races leading up to the circus in Richmond (winning one of them). Truex in, Bowyer out in my eyes -OR- a 14-team Chase field (why stop at 13?)

Now, as far as how NASCAR handled the penalties and my thoughts on how this week panned out are a different story. It is unfortunate to even have to address things like this during a time when our sport competes with the Nation’s largest viewership week in and week out, but I am guessing Sunday’s race could draw more viewers than any of the previous 9 first Chase races. The question will be if viewers will be tuning in to watch a sport, or to watch a WWF-style half sport, half drama show. Credibility is huge when talking sport vs. show and with this week’s circus, I’m afraid NASCAR may have gained some followers curious about the “Drama Show” aspect this week has been. The deal was sealed on that statement on Friday with the “re-do” on the Chase field for the third time in five days.

To me, it was an all or nothing decision for NASCAR this week, and to hand pick and choose who gets to race for a Championship and who does not has a WWF jingle to it, much like the promoters who decide who gets the title belt and who does not. For so long, NASCAR’s stance was to let the boys settle it out on the track, and to step in and hand pick the Chase field has set a precedent for the future, but still has not addressed any of the “grey area” each and every team likes to play in.

Oh, by the way, my picks for this weekend at Chicago are Kevin Harvick since he’s the only guy in the field this weekend with multiple wins at Chicagoland, and Martin Truex Jr. because he’s out for vengeance and you have to go back to last season for his last finish outside the top-10 on any of the Intermediate tracks.

So, until we put all this chaos behind us and head to the second race of the 2013 Chase for the Sprint Cup…You Stay Classy WWF NATION!

September 13, 2013