Testing SpeedwayMedia.com

Tag: Michael Waltrip

Matty’s Picks 2013 – Vol. 2 Phoenix International Raceway – SUBWAY Fresh Fit 500 – March 3, 2013

We head west this week for the first of two annual visits to the one-mile, low-banked, tri-oval that is Phoenix International Raceway, more commonly known as PIR. The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series makes its first stop on the west coast this season (Phoenix also happens to be the final west coast stop on the tour as well) and NASCAR fans will get their first look at the new GEN6 car on a more traditional style track this weekend.

One interesting fact about the two races at PIR is that contrary to the more traditional NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races measured in miles, the ‘500’ in SUBWAY Fresh Fit 500 is actually in kilometers. This makes Phoenix the only oval to have its race distances measured in kilometers and not miles or laps as, both road course races at Sonoma and Watkins Glen have their races measured in kilometers. So 500 kilometers or 312 laps is the distance this week and with a new car, a perfect weather forecast, and with last fall’s race full of fireworks, I expect Sunday’s SUBWAY Fresh Fit 500 to be just as exciting as last week’s kickoff to the 2013 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series’ season in the Daytona 500.

Daytona Recap

It was a fantastic start to the 2013 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series campaign last week and I was able to get past my hatred for restrictor plate racing and actually really enjoyed watching the Daytona 500. There were so many unknowns surrounding the race last week that added to the drama of this year’s kickoff to the season that it was hard not to try and gain some new fans of the sport in my non-NASCAR friends and family. Who would win the first race in the new GEN6 car? How would the field of drivers handle the return to pack racing at the plate tracks? How would Danica Patrick handle the pressure of being the first woman to start on the pole of a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race? Did she have a legitimate shot at winning the Daytona 500?

All the questions were answered last week, and I must say I was thoroughly impressed with the performance of the new car, the return of the pack style racing, and Danica’s performance in the Daytona 500. I completely discounted her being a contender last Sunday, and she absolutely proved me wrong with her performance last week, despite her reaction in the post-race interview.

As for my picks, I was able to pare down the list of potential winners by using a historical trend formula I was able to develop in the 3 month off-season leading up to last week’s Daytona 500. I made the call that the winner would not come from the front row, would not be Kevin Harvick (the winner of the Sprint Unlimited and one of the Duel races), and the winner of the Daytona 500 would have taken home the Harley J. Earl Trophy once before. This left seven drivers for me to pick as my Winner Pick last week (Matt Kenseth, Trevor Bayne, Jamie McMurray, Ryan Newman, Jimmie Johnson, Dale Earnhardt Jr., and Michael Waltrip).

I went with Dale Earnhardt Jr., who was the second-best pick last week out of the group of elite drivers my formula pared the field down to, and I can’t complain about picking the runner-up given the new car, the style of racing, and the uncertainty surrounding the race at Daytona last week. I picked a Hendrick Motorsports driver to win the race last week, but came up just one position short of starting my season off with a win. Dale Jr. had this to say following his runner-up finish last week:

“Real happy with the way the car run all day. You couldn’t pass much. But when I was able to really see what my car could do, it was plenty capable of winning the race. The guys did a good job all winter trying to prepare for running well. We got 1-2 out of our shop. Really happy with Hendrick and all our effort.”

My Dark Horse pick was just that, a true Dark Horse pick. I went with JTG Daugherty driver, Bobby Labonte who had a respectable points day and managed to dodge all the troubles that come along with a restrictor place race, but did not earn me a Dark Horse top 10 last week. Running as high as sixth with less than 25 laps left in the Daytona 500, Labonte finished his day in the 15th spot as a result of a late-race shot on the right front of the No.47 Kroger/USO Toyota Camry. Not a bad finish, but not exactly what I am looking for going forward.

Phoenix Picks

Phoenix to me is a big short track, if that makes sense. It’s a one-mile tri-oval with a tricky configuration, including inconsistent banking throughout and the 9-degree banked ‘dogleg’ on the backstretch. Fine sand plays a major role on tire wear, after all, the track is in the middle of the desert. Some of the guys you think of when you think recent dominance on short tracks in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, you think Tony Stewart, Kyle Busch, Denny Hamlin, Jeff Gordon, Ryan Newman, Brad Kesolowski, Jimmie Johnson, and Clint Bowyer.
For Phoenix in particular, it is tough not to make a case for Jimmie Johnson as he has an average finish of fifth in seventeen starts at PIR, and it has been only been three races since Johnson has visited Victory Lane in consecutive weeks. What is holding me back from picking Johnson this week at PIR is his recent history in the desert, as since the reconfiguration in 2011, Five-Time has finished 14th, 4th, and 32nd in the three races since the repaving.

Winner Pick

The other guy likely to be a favorite when the final odds are released this evening is Denny Hamlin. He is the defending champion of this race, a race he won by 7.13 seconds last season, and is the guy I will turn to for the win this week. Mark Martin was the pole-sitter last season when Hamlin won the Subway Fresh Fit 500, and he will look to become the first driver to start inside the first four rows to go on and win a race at PIR since the track’s reconfiguration in 2011. Before the facelift in 2011, just two drivers had won a race at Phoenix after starting outside the top ten, the last being Jeff Gordon in the final race before the repaving in 2011. Since the SUBWAY Fresh Fit 500 is such a short race, the woes of the Joe Gibbs Racing cars from Daytona should not play a factor in this week’s race.

Dark Horse Pick

Why not look at the guy starting first this week at PIR as a guy who may be overlooked by most handicappers as he has not won a race in over 2 years, but has a storied history in the desert. Mark Martin is 9th best in driver rating over the past eight years at PIR, and has really set the stage all weekend for all of Michael Waltrip Racing drivers. In practice today, teammate Clint Bowyer radioed in to crew chief Brian Pattie that if his car was set up any differently than Martin’s, to immediately change the setup to whatever Martin was running. Though the temperature for today’s first practice session was far lower than what is forecasted for race time tomorrow, Martin has looked fantastic since he unloaded on Friday. Watch for Martin to start up front and stay up front for the majority of the day tomorrow.

That’s all for this week, stay tuned for next week’s picks when we roll the dice in Vegas! Until next time, you stay classy NASCAR NATION!

March 2, 2013
Brian Vickers and Trevor Bayne Look for Healing in Nationwide Series

Photo Credit: brianvickers.com

Two NASCAR stars, Brian Vickers and Trevor Bayne, were sidelined due to serious illness just a few years ago. Now both drivers are looking to heal their careers in the Nationwide Series this season.

In May of 2010, Cup driver Brian Vickers was visiting Washington, DC when he began to experience chest pains and trouble breathing. Initially, Vickers downplayed his symptoms, especially since he was young and in great shape.

But when the pain persisted and even intensified, the driver of the then No. 83 Red Bull Racing Toyota sought emergency medical treatment. It was then determined that Vickers was suffering from blood clots in both lungs and also in his leg.

Vickers knew almost immediately that this would impact his racing career. In fact, he almost delayed seeking treatment because he was fearful of losing his Cup ride.

“I didn’t want to go to the doctor because they were going to take me out of the car,” Vickers said at the time. “Going through the CT scans, they found the blood clots in both lungs and my left leg.”

Because Vickers was put on Coumadin, a blood thinner, to treat the clots, it was determined by his medical team that he indeed did have to step out of the race car and focus on his physical healing. Vickers ended up being out for the remainder of the season, watching only as a supporter of his beloved race team.

But Vickers health challenges continued after a clot was discovered in a finger in his left hand. At that time, the driver underwent further testing to be diagnosed with May-Thurner Syndrome, a rare condition causing clots, as well as having a hole between the right and left atrium in his heart.

Vickers then decided to undergo heart surgery to fix the hole, as well as have a stent placed in his left leg to assist with his circulation. Vickers made the difficult decisions about the surgeries after learning that he was at high risk for stroke without it.

“I would rather die than have a stroke,” Vickers said at the time. “I don’t want to run the risk of living like a vegetable.”

This additional surgery ensured that Vickers would not be ready to get back on the race track until the 2011 season. Unfortunately, Vickers dreams of returning in triumph were not to be, starting with involvement in the ‘big one’ at Daytona and then having issues and run-ins with several drivers, most notably Matt Kenseth.

Vickers finished the 2011 season in the 25^th position in points, with just seven top-10 finishes. The year ended even more dismally when his team, Red Bull Racing, folded up their NASCAR tent and left the sport.

For the 2012 season, although Vickers started without a ride, Michael Waltrip snatched him up and put him in the No. 55 MWR Toyota for several races. Vickers showed his talent in the shared ride with Mark Martin, with three top-5 and five top-10 finishes in eight races.

With redemption and career healing in mind, Vickers will be back behind the wheel of a race car full-time for the 2013 Nationwide season for Joe Gibbs Racing. He will also return to MWR for nine Cup races in the car shared again with Mark Martin.

“I’m looking forward to being back in the Nationwide Series and in NASCAR,” Vickers said. “I learned a lot over the last three or four years, from being taken out of the car being sick to not being full-time this past year with everything that happened leading up to the season.”

“My perspective on life changed through all these events,” Vickers continued. “There are no guarantees in life.”

“I’ve learned that the hard way,” Vickers said. “My focus is on 2013 and I think the success this year will lead to great opportunities next year.”

Photo Credit: Streeter Lecka/Getty Images North America

Like Vickers, Trevor Bayne is also looking to heal and rejuvenate his racing career by competing in the Nationwide Series full-time in 2013. But Bayne, like Vickers, went from being on the top of the world in 2011 as the Daytona 500’s youngest race winner to being hospitalized with double vision a few short months later.

Bayne’s medical drama began just as suddenly as Vickers’ issues when he complained of numbness in his arms while competing in the Cup race at Texas Motor Speedway. Bayne initially thought his problems were due to an insect bite but he continued to experience nausea, fatigue and vision issues and was hospitalized at the Mayo Clinic for further testing.

Although his doctors never officially confirmed it, the young Roush Fenway driver said that Lyme disease had been causing all of his problems.

“They wouldn’t confirm it because it’s such a hard thing to define,” Bayne said. “Lyme is something that hides in your bloodstream.”

“It is hard to diagnose,” Bayne continued. “But if they treat it and it goes away, to me that seems like a pretty good answer.”

Sadly for Bayne, however, his illness caused him to be sidelined just enough so that others were behind the wheel of his race car. And he had to stand by and helplessly watch while his rival and teammate Ricky Stenhouse Jr. catapulted to fame after clinching the Nationwide title.

Bayne’s 2012 season was not much better as the youngster had just six Nationwide starts, all because of lack of sponsorship. With no funding, Bayne had just one more start before the season ended, again with his teammate Stenhouse Jr. holding the 2012 championship trophy.

“If you would have told me it would look like this, I wouldn’t have believed you,” Bayne said. “It’s been a little bit of a roller coaster.”

Bayne is especially ready to start the 2013 season, knowing that he can not only compete full-time with sponsorship but that he now has a chance at the Series championship himself.

“I still want to make it in this sport,” Bayne said. “And I want to be a top name that is contending for championships.”

“This is my opportunity to do that.”

Bayne will be working with Stenhouse’s former crew chief Mike Kelley, as well as one of his sponsors, Cargill. The youngster will also be running a part-time Cup schedule for the Wood Brothers, with whom he won that unforgettable Daytona 500.

After both drivers’ medical battles, there is no doubt that both Bayne and Vickers are beside themselves with hope for their 2013 healing season prospects.

“I think as a person, you grow and evolve through life experiences,” Vickers said. “Every day is an audition.”

“I think we’ve got a lot to show here,” Bayne said. “I’m competitive and I want to be a part of the championship at the end of the year.”

“It’s what keeps us going.”

February 9, 2013
2013 Sprint Cup Team Preview: Michael Waltrip Racing

Photo Credit: Brad Keppel

Today our 2013 Sprint Cup team previews focus on Michael Waltrip Racing, the organization that finished 2nd in points in 2012. Michael Waltrip Racing will field three entries in 2013, the #15 for Clint Bowyer, #56 for Martin Truex Jr, and the #55 will feature a combination of drivers including Mark Martin, Brian Vickers, and Michael Waltrip.

Clint Bowyer

In his first year with Michael Waltrip Racing, Clint Bowyer surprised everyone with a 2nd place points finish in 2012. Many thought there would be an adjustment period for Bowyer and crew chief Brian Pattie, but the team ran strong all year, accumulating 3 wins. If not for getting caught up in the last lap melee at Talladega and getting intentionally wrecked by Jeff Gordon at Phoenix, Bowyer most likely would have been in the running for the Sprint Cup championship at Homestead. With sponsorship from 5 Hour Energy and Peak Antifreeze, Bowyer and Pattie will team up once again in 2013 and if the debut season for the duo is any indication, this team should have no problem winning races and making the Chase in 2013 and could be a strong contender for the 2013 title.

Martin Truex Jr

The 2012 season for Martin Truex Jr was one in which Truex was competitive week in and week out and came close many times to winning a race, but came up just short every time. The consistent run landed Truex in the Chase and he finished the year in 11th place. Truex and crew chief Chad Johnston will team up once again in 2013 and with the chemistry building between the two, look for Truex to finally get that monkey off his back and get back to victory lane for the first time since 2007 and most likely make it back into the Chase as well.

#55 Team

Although no one driver drove the #55 full time in 2012, the trio of drivers that split up the schedule (Mark Martin, Brian Vickers, and Michael Waltrip) had a good enough performance between the three to land the #55 car at 15th in the owners points in 2012. The three drivers will once again split time in the #55 in 2013, with Martin running 26 races, Vickers running 9 races and team owner Waltrip running the two restrictor plate races at Talladega and the July Daytona race. With the talent in the seat of the #55 car, it definitely would not be a surprise to see this team in Victory Lane at least once this year

January 24, 2013
NASCAR Stars Put Fa La La in the Season

Photo Credit: Action Sports Photography

What’s a NASCAR driver to do in the off season? For many, there are sponsor commitments, testing, and just plain relaxing with family and friends.

But for some of NASCAR’s brightest stars, this time of year is all about putting the ‘fa la la’ in the holiday season, especially for those in need.

Greg Biffle, who usually spends his time behind the wheel of the No. 16 3M Ford for Roush Fenway Racing, decided instead to spread some holiday cheer by serving as chauffeur for one of his fellow RFR employees for the company’s holiday bash.

The colleagues at Roush Fenway Racing took a chance on a ride with the Biff by purchasing raffle tickets, with proceeds benefitting the Salvation Army Angel Tree Program to needy children. The raffle winner got chauffeured to and from the party in Biffle’s 1983 ‘Boss Hogg’ style limo, complete with horns on the front of the car and a horn playing the theme from the ‘Dukes of Hazard.’

“We decided to raffle off a ride for a Roush Fenway employee to the company party this year and use the money to buy gifts for the Salvation Army Angel Tree program,” Biffle said. “Roush Fenway agreed to match the proceeds.”

“I had wanted to do something for a local family this holiday season and I thought it would be fun to raffle off a ride in this old limo,” Biffle continued. “I saw it at an auto auction and thought it would be fun to drive around.”

The winner of the Biffle ride was Brian Steager, who has worked for RFR for nine years in the paint and body department.

“It was a very good ride,” Steager said. “We got there safe and sound and it was an excellent experience all the way around.”

Photo Credit: USO Photo by Michael Clifton

The holiday ride with the Biff raised over $2,000 for the Salvation Army, which will grant the holiday wishes of several children this year.

“It was a lot of fun,” Biffle said. “It went to a very worthy cause and hopefully we’ll do it again soon.”

Two of NASCAR’s young guns decked the halls with their own version of holiday cheer. Nationwide champ and Cup up and comer Ricky Stenhouse Jr. and new Penske Cup driver Joey Logano put the ‘fa la la’ in the season for troops serving overseas.

Logano and Stenhouse Jr. traveled with the USO to the Middle East and Germany to meet and thank those in uniform. The two drivers visited six bases in all, meeting hundreds of men and women in the military to thank them for their service.

“We had the chance to meet some amazing men and women on our USO tour,” Logano said. “I have so much respect for our troops; they do their jobs day in and day out without complaint and are always giving it their all.”

“We are lucky to have these men and women serving and protecting our country and I can’t thank them enough for all that they do.”

This was Stenhouse’s first holiday tour of USO duty and the young driver thoroughly enjoyed the experience.

“It was an honor to meet our troops and see them in action,” Stenhouse said. “The service and sacrifice of these men and women and their families are inspiring.”

“I have nothing but admiration and gratitude for what they do for our country.”

Michael Waltrip, former driver, Daytona 500 winner and now principal in Michael Waltrip Racing, also granted a few holidays wishes of his own. He and his colleagues participated in ABC’s ‘Extreme Makeover: Home Edition’ to help a family in Lincolnton, North Carolina, who had a big heart for foster children but needed an even bigger home.

The Friday family, foster parents to over 30 children took in a teenage boy and his five siblings. Their ranch home, however, needed that bit of a NASCAR makeover in order to have room for the family to celebrate Christmas.

And thanks to Michael Waltrip and his MWR team, the Christmas miracle of a home big enough for all of its children was granted.

Ryan Newman put the final ‘fa la la’ into the holiday season with his annual Ryan Newman Foundation dinner and auction, raising over $340,000 for animal welfare, education and conservation activities. The event also featured a charity fishing tournament, with 148 teams competing.

“Krissie and I appreciate everyone who participated in the fishing tournament,” Newman said. “The weather was perfect.”

While the experts were fishing, Neman actually was schmoozing with sponsors and other fans on a luxury yacht, all in the name of charity.

“I didn’t know what to think of the yacht event,” Newman said. “But it turned out to be a good thing.”

“It was a good way to have some one on one time with me and check out Lake Norman.”

Even the NASCAR race tracks have gotten into the holiday spirit. Charlotte Motor Speedway, in the heart of racing country, has not only been decked out in holiday lights but will also be showing holiday movies throughout the season, all to benefit Speedway Children’s Charities.

The track’s light show, featuring over 800 displays and more than 3 million lights, has been on display, with movies such as ‘A Christmas Story’, ‘How the Grinch Stole Christmas’ and ‘Christmas Vacation’ shown through the end of December.

NASCAR driver Ryan Newman, however, best summed up the sentiments of all of the NASCAR community hoping to spread some good cheer and ‘fa la la’ spirit for the holidays.

“It’s something I think we’ll do again next year.”

December 14, 2012
Surprising and Not Surprising: Charlotte Bank of America 500

[media-credit name=”Greg Arthur” align=”alignright” width=”241″][/media-credit]In a race now known as one without an Earnhardt and without a North Carolina born driver, here is what else was surprising and not surprising from the Bank of America 500 at Charlotte Motor Speedway.

Surprising: At his worst track statistically and on a mile and half track where he has never won, this driver, although thrilled to be in Victory Lane after a fuel mileage battle extraordinaire, seemed also to be strangely depressed.

“I can’t do a burnout,” Clint Bowyer said woefully after having his No. 15 5-Hour Energy/Avon Foundation for Women Toyota pushed to the winner’s circle. “The thing doesn’t have enough fuel in it to do a burnout.”

“I’d like to practice a burnout,” Bowyer continued ruefully. “It’s so much fun burning rubber.”

“Oh hell, I don’t care,” Bowyer then said. “It’s a lot more fun getting handed that trophy – that’s what it’s all about.”

Not Surprising: Although Chaser Clint Bowyer survived on fumes to end the race, it was not surprising that his other Chase contenders, in fact the top three in the points battle, were also challenging their own fuel demons, literally having to slow down in order to finish the race.

“Yeah, you’re just running the race backwards basically,” Denny Hamlin, driver of the No. 11 FedEx Ground Toyota, said after finishing second. “You’re just seeing how slow you can go and maintain your track position.”

“It’s tough because I’m sitting there thinking I can go by this 15 (Bowyer) or catch him just about any time I want, but Darian (Grubb, crew chief) is screaming at me to back off.”

“We started saving with double the distance to just be cautious,” Jimmie Johnson, who finished third in the No. 48 MyLowe’s Chevrolet, said. “We didn’t want to go up there and chase the No. 11 (Hamlin) and get ourselves in trouble.”

Brad Keselowski, usually known as an excellent fuel-mileage racer, actually sputtered, coasting to pit road after running out of fuel. “I didn’t know what was going on,” the driver of the No. 2 Miller Lite Dodge said. “I think we probably would have finished fourth or fifth if we didn’t run out of fuel.”

“I had to coast for quite a ways and it wouldn’t start when I got back to pit road.”

This small fuel sputter, along with having to stop for fuel in the waning laps, cost Keselowski a top-5 finish, landing him in the 11^th spot instead when the checkered flag flew.

Yet, in spite of the fuel challenges at Charlotte, Keselowski maintained P1 in the Chase standings but is now just seven points ahead of Jimmie Johnson and fifteen points ahead of Denny Hamlin.

Surprising: Jeff Gordon and team 24 Drive to End Hunger made some surprisingly costly errors in the Bank of America 500. Gordon, fighting an ill-handling race car most of the night, incurred a speeding road penalty and struggled to regain track position from that point on.

“We missed the setup at the beginning, but we worked on it and worked on it and had it driving good there at the end,” Gordon said. “We just couldn’t catch a caution to get us back on the lead lap.”

“It was just one of those nights.”

Gordon finished 18th, his fourth finish of 18^th or worse in his last five races at Charlotte. He also fell three positions, from sixth to ninth in the Chase standings, 50 points back from the Chase leader.

Not Surprising: Pole sitter Greg Biffle had a good enough run to actually swap point’s positions with Jeff Gordon in the Chase standings. The driver of the No. 16 3M Ford Fusion finished fourth, gaining three Chase positions, from ninth to sixth in the standings, 43 points out of the lead.

“We had the fastest car, but couldn’t make it on fuel,” Biffle said. “We had the fastest car at the end, but didn’t quite get there.”

“It hurts to get beat on fuel mileage, but we were the first car behind the three that made it on fuel mileage, so I feel pretty good with fourth.”

Surprising: Stewart Haas Racing faced some surprising challenges at Charlotte Motor Speedway under the lights.

SHR Chase driver Tony Stewart started from deep in the field and got into an accordion-style accident on a restart that damaged the front of his No. 14 Mobil 1/Office Depot Chevrolet.

“I was following the 2 car (Keselowski) there and he had to check up,” Smoke said. “Man, I drilled him and it screwed up the nose of our race car.”

SHR teammate Ryan Newman forfeited a great starting spot in the front of the field due to an engine change, which forced him to the rear of the field in a race where track position was key.

“We definitely took a hit with the engine change,” Newman said. “We had a really fast car in practice and qualifying and it wasn’t the same in the race.”

“It was a tough night for us.”

Stewart rallied to finish 13th, while Newman, in the No. 39 Quicken Loans Chevrolet, finished a disappointing 20^th.

Not Surprising: Kyle Busch, in the No. 18 M&Ms Toyota, finally had a good finish, in fact a top-five finish, to show for his efforts in front of the home crowd.

“The car was really good,” Busch said. “I felt like we had a winning car barring circumstances and how they played out.”

“But that just wasn’t there for us at the end with the strategy and everything,” Busch continued. “We came home okay.”

Surprising: With every other driver so fixated on fuel, it was surprising that this driver, who finished seventh, could have cared less.

“We got good fuel mileage, but that wasn’t our focus,” Carl Edwards, driver of the No. 99 Fastenal Ford, said. “Our focus was going as fast as we could and I think we showed a little more promise than we have in a long time.”

“It’s been a long time since we’ve been this competitive on a mile-and-a-half, so I’m very happy with it.”

Not Surprising: With Dale Earnhardt, Jr. out of the race car due to a concussion, it was no surprise that all eyes were on Regan Smith, substituting for Junior in the No. 88 Amp Energy/National Guard Chevy, and also on Kurt Busch, who took over Smith’s No. 78 Furniture Row/Farm American Chevrolet ride for the first time this season.

Busch finished 21^st while Smith finished 38^th with an engine failure.

“The important part was that we had a really fast race car,” Smith said. “It’s disappointing and it’s a shame.”

“Finishing 21^st might not appear that we made progress,” Busch said. “But the fact of the matter is that we did in our first three days together at the track.”

“It was an uneventful race, but an eventful weekend.”

Surprising: With the shuffling of Kurt Busch to Furniture Row and Regan Smith to Dale Earnhardt Junior’s seat, there was one surprising opening for a driver that needed a second chance.

A.J. Allmendinger, returning from suspension after completing NASCAR’s Road to Recovery program, took the wheel of the No. 51 Phoenix Construction Chevrolet and finished 24^th at Charlotte under the lights.

“I have a lot of unfinished business,” the ‘Dinger said. “I have a lot of things I want to accomplish still.”

“It’s not going to be easy,” Allmendinger continued. “I’m going to have to do a lot of work for it, but I’m willing to do it.”

Not Surprising: Michael Waltrip Racing had another stellar day at the race track. One MWR driver, Clint Bowyer, was in Victory Lane while the other two MWR drivers both had top-ten runs.

Mark Martin, in the No. 55 Aaron’s Dream Machine Toyota, finished sixth and Martin Truex, Jr., behind the wheel of the No. 56 NAPA Auto Parts Toyota, finished tenth.

“We started racing in 2007 and here we are in 2012 racing for a championship,” Michael Waltrip, team owner, said. “There are a few things that have happened to me over my racing career that are really special and this is one of those.”

October 16, 2012
Surprising and Not Surprising: Federated Auto Parts 400

[media-credit name=”Barry Albert” align=”alignright” width=”221″][/media-credit]In a race full of twists and turns, including rain delays and wild card drama, here is what else was surprising and not surprising from the 55^th annual running of the Federated Auto Parts 400 at Richmond.

Surprising: It was surprising what a dramatically different reaction this driver had to a second place run this weekend as compared to the last.

Jeff Gordon, piloting the No. 24 Drive to End Hunger Chevrolet, went from kicking himself for his second place finish behind Denny Hamlin at Atlanta to being thrilled with his Richmond runner up run, especially since it clinched his wild card spot in the championship Chase.

Gordon, Alan Gustafson (crew chief), Eddie D’Hondt (spotter) and the entire 24 team demonstrated the ‘never give up’ mantra, taking a car that was admittedly ‘junk’ at the beginning of the race, cutting the chain on the rear sway bar on a pit stop, and getting the car back up through the field after the rain delays to finish in the second spot and secure the final wild card berth in the Chase.

“We went from last week to being the most disappointed I’ve ever been to finish second to the most excited I’ve ever been to finish second,” Gordon said. “Wow, what a race for us.”

“I still can’t believe we actually did it.”

Not Surprising: As elated as Jeff Gordon was, the driver who fell out of the Chase was equally deflated, if not more so. Errors on pit road, including a lug nut problem that created a lengthy pit stop, cost Kyle Busch, driver of the No. 18 M&M’s Toyota, the chance to compete for the Cup this year.

Busch, who finished the race in the 16^th position, fell back to the 13^th spot in the point standings, losing his wild card berth to Gordon.

“We missed it,” Busch said simply, after gathering his composure enough to make a brief statement. “That’s it, plain and simple.”

“There’s no right way to handle this situation.”

Surprising: While many were surprised that all four of the Hendrick Motorsports cars scored spots in the Chase, the bigger surprise was that Michael Waltrip Racing achieved a similar feat, getting both of their race cars into Cup contention.

In fact, one of their drivers, Clint Bowyer, in the No. 15 5-Hour EnergyToyota, powered through an incident with Juan Pablo Montoya and almost running out of gas, to make his way right toVictory Lane.

“”To win this last race before this Chase is unbelievable,” Bowyer said. “We had a lot of adversity we had to bounce through.”

“This is a good way to get things bounced back headed into this Chase,” Bowyer continued. “You never give up in this sport.”

Bowyer’s Michael Waltrip Racing teammate, Martin Truex Jr., also never gave up and achieved his goal of a Chase spot.

“Man, I feel good,” the driver of the No. 56 NAPA Auto Parts MWR Toyota said. “The way our cars are running and as fast as we’ve been the last six or seven weeks, we’re dangerous.”

“Looking forward to going out and having some fun and hopefully we’ll be in the hunt.”

Not Surprising: Although thrilled that the team that bears his name raced two cars into the championship hunt, co-owner Michael Waltrip had another driver and good friend on his mind as he reflected on just how far his team had come over the years.

“I’m so proud of what we’ve put together,” Waltrip said. “I’m obviously really happy with having two cars in the Chase.”

“But my inspiration for having a team from the beginning was Dale Earnhardt,” Waltrip continued. “I always wanted to have a team like Dale had.”

“So anytime something goes good, I always think about what all he meant to me.”

Surprising: Denny Hamlin, driver of the No. 11 FedEx Express Toyota had a surprising new attitude about not only his race, in which he led 202 laps but finished 18^th, but also his bid for the championship.

“For the most part, I think I’ll just be a lot more relaxed this time around,” Hamlin said. “What do we have to lose?”

“We’ve never won a championship,” Hamlin continued. “We’re going out there to try to win our first.”

“I’m going to race week-to-week and just not think about a championship until I get to Homestead.”

Not Surprising: While Richmond was good to Stewart Haas Racing, it was not quite good enough to get one of their teams into the Chase.

Tony Stewart, piloting the No. 14 Office Depot/Mobil 1 Chevrolet, finished 4^th at Richmond and became the 3^rd seed in the Chase standings.

“Really proud of Steve Addington (crew chief) and all of our guys at Stewart-Haas Racing,” Smoke said. “Just proud of the effort tonight.”

Teammate Ryan Newman, however, did not fare so well. Although he brought his No. 39 Quicken Loans Chevrolet home in the 8^th position, he missed out on a spot in the Chase.

“It’s disappointing,” Newman said. “I don’t really know what to say other than that.”

“We gave it all we had and we didn’t get the win we needed to make the Chase.”

Surprising: One driver who has been admittedly struggling all year had a surprisingly good Richmond run. Jeff Burton, driving the No. 31 Caterpillar Chevrolet, finished top-10, in the sixth position to be exact.

“I’ve been saying week after week how strong this team is getting and we proved that tonight with a hard-fought top-10 finish,”Burton said. “I am happy and proud of everyone.”

Not Surprising: Although Kasey Kahne focused mightily on his No. 5 race car all night and into the morning, he was, not surprisingly, focused on another number, four, after the race.

“Four Hendrick cars in the Chase,” Kahne said. “Four Chevrolets too.”

Kahne finished 12^th at Richmond, but more importantly secured the 11^th seed in the Chase, making him one of those four Hendrick Motorsports drivers in the hunt for the championship.

Surprising: Ford had a surprisingly divided run to the Chase, with two Fords in and two Fords out. Matt Kenseth, in the No. 17 Best Buy Ford, finished fifth and will be seeded 8^th in the Chase. Greg Biffle, in the No. 16 3M Ford, finished 9^th and is seeded fifth in the Chase.

The two Fords out, however, were Carl Edwards in the No. 99 Kellogg’s Ford and Marcos Ambrose in the No. 8 MAC Tools Ford. Edwards finished the Richmond race in the 17^th position and Ambrose finished top-15.

“I’m obviously disappointed,” Edwards said. “We just let too many points get away for a bunch of different reasons.”

“We will just go try to build the best team we can for next year and try to make sure a Ford wins this championship.”

“I just tried my hardest,” Ambrose said. “It wasn’t our night.”

“Obviously we wanted the win, but it wasn’t meant to be.”

Not Surprising: One driver was not only happy to be in the conversation, but has just been plain having fun as well. Dale Earnhardt, Jr. finished 14^th in the No. 88 Diet Mountain Dew/National Guard Chevrolet and picked up the 7^th place in the Chase.

“We ran good,” Junior said. “I’m proud of the effort the whole company put forward this year.”

“I’ve had an awesome time,” Junior continued. “It’s been so much fun.”

“We are in the conversation and we’re going to work hard to still be in that conversation at Homestead.”

September 12, 2012
Aaron’s 499 Review: Talladega Puts On a Show

[media-credit name=”CIA Stock Photography, Inc.” align=”alignright” width=”228″][/media-credit]When NASCAR comes to Talladega it’s almost like playing the lottery; you never know who is going to win, but it’s still fun to gamble. Jeff Gordon started on the pole with last year’s champion Tony Stewart on the outside pole. The race was delayed for about 30 minutes due to rain that flooded the track overnight, but once the race got started it was an entertaining show.

Overheating started out early on Lap 16 when Regan Smith blew an engine to bring out the caution flag. Tony Stewart, who was leading when the caution came out, got off pit road second to Matt Kenseth. Kenseth was able to hold the lead until Lap 26 when Michael Waltrip took his No. 55 Toyota to the lead.

The overheating woes continued on Lap 44 when Ryan Newman took his car to the garage when water began to pour out of his windshield. The top three drivers under this caution were Waltrip, Kenseth, and Stewart. At Talladega a driver can go from the rear of the field to the front instantly with the help of the two car tandem and that’s exactly what Jimmie Johnson did on Lap 46 with the help of his teammate Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Kurt Busch.

Kenseth took the lead in his Best Buy Ford on Lap 53 with Jeff Gordon in tow. Around this time is when Johnson reported to the team that his engine was blowing up due to overheating. After green-flag pit stops on Lap 58 Earnhardt took over the lead from Kenseth for about 20 laps, until Earnhardt lost the draft and dropped back to 15th position. Approximately 50 laps into the race Kasey Kahne was forced to make a spotter change. His interim spotter Kevin Hamlin was suffering from laryngitis at the time and eventually lost his voice. The No. 5 team replaced Hamlin with Joe Nemecheck’s spotter to finish the race.

From 80 laps to go on, the leader of the race changed almost every ten laps. The drivers exchanging the lead were Greg Biffle, Kasey Kahne, Kenseth, Casey Mears, Brad Keselowski, and Kurt Busch. Busch caught a big break on Lap 141 when his car ran out of fuel just as caution flew on the race track. In Turns 3 and 4 the big one struck involving Landon Cassill, Jeff Gordon, Carl Edwards, Martin Truex Jr., Joey Logano, Juan Montoya, Terry Labonte, Aric Almirola, and Dave Blaney. Under this caution Kenseth and Ambrose were penalized for pitting too soon. Kurt Busch and Bobby Labonte also pitted too soon after running out of fuel.

Paul Menard led the restart with Keselowski on his outside. Keselowski took the lead with 39 to go. Mears spun his race car in Turn 3 to bring out a caution with 15 laps to go. During this caution Stewart brought his car down pit road for overheating issues. The cautions continued when former teammates Keselowski and Kurt Busch got together, sending Busch spinning through the infield.

As the field attempted to restart, another caution flew once again. Hamlin jumped out of line to try and make it three wide down the middle. Allmendinger blocked Hamlin and started another big wreck. Menard, Kevin Harvick, and Waltrip were also involved. Just before the restart Hamlin blew a tire causing the caution to be extended for debris on the track.

The race was settled by a green-white-checkered finish between Kenseth, Keselowski, and Kyle Busch. Keselowski pulled ahead by three car-lengths over the field to win his second race at Talladega.

[media-credit name=”articles.boston.com” align=”alignright” width=”225″][/media-credit]Kurt Busch, or Should I Say “Ricky Bobby”?

Kurt Busch’s paint scheme for Talladega looked very familiar to race fans, and even non-race fans. Busch ran the colors of “ME” from the popular movie “Talladega Nights”. Not only did he run Ricky Bobby’s paint scheme, his entire team took this role to a whole different level. The team referred to Busch as “Ricky” over the radio and quoted the movie throughout the entire race. The team even carried a stuffed animal cougar named “Karen” in the racecar with them.

Busch’s race was going very well until Lap 181 when Keselowski and Busch got together, sending Busch sliding across the start-finish line. With limited damage to his race car, it looked as if Busch would be able to get back on track and continue racing. However, when Busch drove his car down pit road backwards in attempt to get to his pit stall, he was forced to pit again. This is when the fun and games ended between the team and driver, and the No. 51 car finished in 20th place, one lap down.

Fresh Faces Finish in the Top-20

After losing his Cup ride at Roush Racing last season, it was nice to see David Ragan finish in 7th position. Ragan ran a clean race and was able to stay out of trouble to keep his No. 34 Front Row Motorsports Ford in the Top-10. Trevor Bayne is running a part-time NASCAR schedule this season due to lack of sponsorship with Wood Brother’s Racing. Bayne is known for being a good plate-track racer and he finished in 8th position in the Aaron’s 499. Aric Almirola is another driver who we don’t normally see at the top of the field, but was able to finish in 12th position. David Gilliland, who is Ragan’s teammate at Front Row Motorsports, finished in 13th position. Travis Kvapil, who is running a par-time schedule, finished in 16th position.

May 8, 2012
Capital City 400 Review: Virginia is for Drama

[media-credit name=”Brad Keppel” align=”alignright” width=”225″][/media-credit]For the first half of the race, it looked like Carl Edwards would be the man in victory lane at the end of the Capitol City 400. However, after a late race penalty Edwards was put to the rear of the field, giving the lead up for grabs.

After leading for 206 laps, Edwards was black flagged for jumping the restart on Lap 320. He was forced to make a pass through penalty on pit road, which dropped him back to 15th place. The No. 99 team was very irate about the situation, but NASCAR wasn’t hearing it. Edwards’ team was confused about the situation and wanted to know if they received the penalty for jumping the restart, or for beating Stewart to the line.

Edwards may have jumped the restart however, the situation looked worse when Stewart spun his tires on the start – this bunched up the rest of the field and caused Edwards’ to jump out about three car lengths over the rest of the field.

Either way you look at it, this penalty gave Stewart the lead of the race. Kyle Busch, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Kasey Kahne, and AJ Allmendinger rounded out the Top 5. Stewart and Busch led the field with seven seconds over Earnhardt. It looked as if Stewart would drive to his third victory lane of the season until caution for debris flew once again with 14 laps to go. Edwards received the lucky dog during this caution and was back on the lead lap.

After problems on pit road for Stewart, Busch won the race off of pit road. Stewart spun his tires once again on the restart, allowing Earnhardt to take over second position and give the fans something to yell about. Earnhardt trailed Busch by half a second but wasn’t able to catch him when the checkered flag waved. Finishing second has moved Earnhardt to second position in point’s standings, just five points from the leader.

Busch took Richmond by storm, winning the Nationwide race as the car owner of Kyle Busch Motorsports, and winning as a driver for Joe Gibbs Racing. Busch has been flying under the radar this season and is lower in points than we normally see him. Winning at Richmond gained him two positions in points, moving him to 11th position.

What’s On the Horizon for Talladega?

The good thing about Talladega is: it’s anybody’s race! It doesn’t matter where you start, because it only takes one lap for a driver to move from last to first position, or vice versa. Talladega is the biggest and wildest track on the circuit and it never fails to put on a good show. Jimmie Johnson won the Aaron’s 499 last year, and he could very well do it again. However, I’m looking at Michael Waltrip Racing in Talladega.

I believe that MWR will be a force to reckon with at the Superspeedway. Owner Michael Waltrip will get behind the wheel of the No. 55 to race at a track that he has won before. Everyone knows that Waltrip is a master at superspeedways and his drivers, Martin Truex Jr. and Clint Bowyer, aren’t too shabby either.

[media-credit name=”CIA Stock Photo” align=”alignright” width=”319″][/media-credit]Bowyer has two career wins at Talladega, along with six top 10 finishes. Although Truex hasn’t won at Talladega in the Cup series, he has won the Aaron’s 312 Nationwide race three years in a row. Truex has been oh so close to reaching victory lane this season and I think Talladega will be where he gets his first win of 2012.

May 1, 2012
Travis Pastrana says Richmond ‘a really good place to start’

[media-credit id=62 align=”alignright” width=”222″][/media-credit]Travis Pastrana is finally here.

This weekend at the Richmond International Raceway Pastrana won’t be sitting in the grandstands watching others race, waving the green flag to start the Sprint Cup Series race or talking about when he plans to be behind the wheel.

No, Friday night Pastrana will finally make his long awaited Nationwide Series debut. Driving the No. 99 Boost Mobile Toyota and thanks to an alliance with RAB Racing, he’ll be locked into the event.

“We’re really excited,” said Pastrana last week. “We had a lot of support coming into NASCAR through Samsung, Boost Mobile, KMC and a lot of other sponsors that were from motocross background and had kind of planned on exiting the stage of motocross with the freestyle X-Games and switching over full-time to NASCAR,

“Unfortunately, everyone pretty much knows with the ankle, I was unable to compete last year. So we started the whole process over again with Matt Crafton [served as a driver coach for Pastrana] and were really fortunate that the sponsors – Samsung, Boost Mobile and KMC – have stuck with me and agreed to do the same amount of races they agreed to do last year which is huge for me.

“And pretty much a second chance to do the best we can. Starting with Richmond, which is close to my house, and race as we did last year, and the K&N Series, and we also will do it this year on the Thursday before the Nationwide debut, it’s a really good place to start.”

Back in late 2010 Pastrana and Michael Waltrip Racing announced a partnership and the formation of Pastrana-Waltrip Racing. The deal would put Pastrana in seven NNS races in 2011 and then move to 20 this season.

But a broken ankle during the X-Games in July of 2011 when Pastrana attempted a corked 720, right before his scheduled NNS debut. The injury forced the X-Games gold medalist to put his plans on hold and the waiting game began.

Pastrana had hoped to make his debut in March at Phoenix but it was again pushed back as he continued to heal. Now though, he’s ready to go and put to good use all the learning and studying he’s done from the sidelines the last year.

“For me, the biggest thing is trying to get out there,” said Pastrana on his long awaited debut. “It’s good that the interest has done away a little bit for me. It allows me to come in and focus on racing. But at the same time, it’s still NASCAR is 24/7 with everything else.

“All I want to do is drive my car and be in the car. We’ve gone across a lot of media, and frankly, I’m tired of talking about it, I know the media’s tired of talking about it. And all the drivers are like, geez are you getting out here or not?

“That ankle was horrible. But I’m finally getting started. I won’t know a lot of answers until I’m getting in the cars. So looking forward to this race.”

How many races Pastrana runs this season is still to be determined. He still needs to be approved at certain tracks, but there’s no denying that he’s ready to race as much as he can.

And don’t count on his ankle holding him back, saying that he’s been doing physical therapy and that while the ankle isn’t 100 percent for walking he’s 100 percent for driving. No worries for racing he says.

Which is why on Friday night he plans to be as aggressive as he can. While he doesn’t want to crash or make a fool of himself, Pastrana doesn’t hide the fact that his goal is to finish on the lead lap.

“If I end up crashing in the first quarter of the race, (A) I didn’t learn anything this round and (B) all the critics that have been saying I’m going to crash out all the time are going to be right,” Pastrana said.

“So that first round is going to be even more stress going into the next one. I just hope I don’t hit a wall, don’t hit anybody else, don’t make anybody upset and hopefully we can end up on a lead lap and I think it will be a really strong goal for me.”

April 25, 2012
Surprising and Not Surprising: Texas Samsung Mobile 500

[media-credit name=”Credit: Chris Graythen/Getty Images for NASCAR” align=”alignright” width=”254″][/media-credit]Deep in the heart of Texas Motor Speedway, here is what was surprising and not surprising from the 16^th running of the Samsung Mobile 500.

Surprising: In spite of Jimmie Johnson, driver of the No. 48 Lowe’s/Kobalt Tool Chevrolet, leading over 150 laps, it was surprising that his team owner will have to wait yet another race to secure the 200^th win for Hendrick Motorsports.

Johnson, who finished second, was the highest ranking HMS driver for the night. This was Johnson’s 13^th top-10 finish in 18 races at Texas and his fifth top-10 finish for the year.

“I’m definitely disappointed, but we had a great race car and there’s a lot to be proud of here today,” Johnson said. “Certainly wish we were there in Victory Lane but everybody knows we’re here.”

“We’re awfully close to it with this KOBALT Tools Chevrolet.”

Although still at the 199 win mark, all of the Hendrick drivers had surprisingly good nights, even Jeff Gordon and Kasey Kahne, who finished fourth and seventh respectively. Dale Earnhardt, Jr., the final HMS pilot, finished tenth.

This was the first time since the 2011 spring race at Talladega that Hendrick Motorsports had all four of its cars in the top-10 at the finish.

Not Surprising: At a track where Roush Fenway Racing traditionally dominates, it was not surprising to see one Roushketeer, Greg Biffle, in the winner’s circle with his cowboy hat and guns. This was Biff’s first win of the 2012 season and ended a 49 race winless streak.

The win was the company’s ninth win at Texas, the most of any other racing entity.

“I just dug deep,” Biffle said about his hard fought win. “I knew I had to do it and I kept trying and trying and trying.”

“I knew the team would forgive me if I wrecked it trying to beat him,” Biffle continued. “So, I just gave it all I had.”

Surprising: It was surprising that the fire was extinguished and there was no smoke at Texas this weekend. Tony Stewart, reigning past champion, finished 24^th, two laps down.

“We just couldn’t get the handle on this thing tonight,” Stewart said. “We chased it all night.”

“We’ll go back to the shop, tear it apart, and see what the deal is.”

Surprisingly, his teammate Ryan Newman was right there with him, finishing a bit better at 21^st, yet also two laps down.

“Things didn’t go our way today,” the driver of the No. 39 US Army Chevrolet said. “But we’ll be back stronger next week to complete the mission, which is winning the race.”

Not Surprising: Martin Truex, Jr., to no one’s surprise, continued tearing up the track for Michael Waltrip Racing. The driver of the No. 56 NAPA Auto Parts Toyota started from the pole position and finished top ten, in sixth place to be exact.

Truex, Jr. has finished top-10 in nine of the last twelve races.

“It was a lot of fun out there running up front with the NAPA Toyota,” Truex, Jr. said. “I can’t say enough about everybody on this NAPA team and everybody at MWR.”

“Hopefully we can keep this thing going.”

His MWR teammate Mark Martin also had a great run at Texas, a track where he was rated 12^th in the driver rankings. Martin, behind the wheel of the No. 55 Aaron’s 2000 Best of the Best Toyota, finished third.

This was Martin’s 13^th top-10 finish in 23 races at Texas Motor Speedway.

“Mark Martin is so enthusiastic,” team owner Michael Waltrip said. “He has pumped all of the drivers up.”

“We are very happy with our team’s performance.”

Surprising: It was most surprising that at a race where there are on average eight to nine restarts, there were only two caution flags thrown, one for debris and one for Trevor Bayne’s encounter with the wall.

The yellow flag flew just twice within the first 100 laps of the race, leaving the rest of the race to be run under green flag conditions. This was the first time in history that a superspeedway race had that many green flag laps without a caution.

Not Surprising: Unfortunately but not surprisingly, there was no Bubba Watson moment for Denny Hamlin at Texas, a track at which he traditionally runs well. The driver of the No. 11 FedEx Office/March of Dimes Toyota had a decent day, finishing 12^th,but was the last car on the lead lap at race end.

Surprising: At a track where he sat out last year’s fall race because of the Truck race incident with Ron Hornaday and where this year he had an issue in the pits with his air hose getting stuck under the car, Kyle Busch had a surprising good day after all.

The driver brought his No. 18 Toyota Interstate Batteries Toyota to the checkered flag in the 11^th spot.

Not Surprising: Since Chassis No. 665 scored a good finish for Landon Cassill at Michigan last year, it was not surprising that new driver Kurt Busch gave it a whirl for a good run at Texas. The driver of the No. 51 Phoenix Construction Chevrolet finished 13^th.

“It was a good night and finish for us,” Busch said. “We had little struggles but were able to overcome those.”

“This was a good night and a nice top-15 finish for us.”

Surprising: The struggles of the Penske Dodge teams surprisingly continued and both drivers ended up just plain frustrated.

AJ Allmendinger, in the No. 22 Shell/Pennzoil Dodge, finished 15^th but his teammate Brad Keselowski, behind the wheel of the Blue Deuce, had all kinds of problems that sent him off to the garage, finishing in the frustratingly low position of 36^th spot.

“The race tonight was frustrating,” Dinger said. “We had a fast Shell/Pennzoil Dodge and we just didn’t make it happen tonight.”

“This has been a very frustrating weekend to say the least,” Keselowski said. “We just need to clean some things up so that the potential of this team can shine.”

“Right now, we aren’t doing that.”

Not Surprising: As predicted, especially given the wicked weather in the area, the wind most certainly did wreak havoc throughout the race. And while it affected most drivers equally, there were still some drivers that felt the high wind added to the frustrations of their day.

“Between the wind, the changing race track and the handling, it was a long night for the Target team,” Juan Pablo Montoya said. “We didn’t have much of a chance to work on the car like we had hoped to.”

JPM finished 16^th in his No. 42 Target Chevrolet, one lap down at race end.

April 15, 2012