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  • Chris Buescher Ready to Conquer Monster Mile Thanks to Family and Friends

    Chris Buescher Ready to Conquer Monster Mile Thanks to Family and Friends

    Chris Buescher, driver of the No. 60 Ford for Roush Fenway Racing and current leader of the point standings in the XFINITY Series, is ready to take on the Monster Mile this weekend in Dover, Delaware. But he does so only with a little help from his family and friends.

    “Dad was really the guy who got me into racing first of all,” Buescher said. “He was never in racing himself but he was a fan and went to races in Daytona and at Texas Motor Speedway. He was always a hot rod guy, working on something in the garage.”

    “So I would always try to go out there and help, although I think by helping I probably slowed him down more than anything.”

    “That’s how we got started,” Buescher continued. “We got into motorcycles, Bandoleros which is kind of a strange way to come into racing because most guys go the go-kart route. We had a motocross track about 45 minutes from us in Texas so it made sense to try it.”

    “We went out there on weekends when I was 6 to 9 years old. It was pretty cool loading up the back of the truck, go racing and see what happens. I had a really good time with it. Then I flipped over the handlebars, got run over by a kid at one of the races that my mom came to and that kind of nixed that program. She was over it.”

    “That’s when I got into Bandoleros and Legend cars, with four tires, roll cages and seat belts. We convinced Mom that was safer. We did that for several years, three years in Bandoleros. In the Legend cars, we really started traveling quite a bit all over the East coast. Dad would come out, work in the shop and spectate.”

    “A lot of it, my Dad was able to come to, especially early on. Then our crew chief Michael took care of things during the week while Dad was at work. I’d get out of school early on Friday and ride with him to wherever we were racing and then Dad would fly in for weekends if we were on the East coast.”

    “But it got to be with Dad’s work that it was a little harder for him to make every race. So, he had to spread them out a little bit more.”

    “It’s the same way now because Mom and Dad started their own company a couple years ago and are trying to get that up and running. So, they don’t get to make it to many races anymore. They are trying to do better this year so we’ve seen them about two or three times so far, most recently in Charlotte.”

    “My Dad really has been the guy that has been my role model coming up.”

    In addition to his family, Buescher also acknowledged that he has gotten some help from some important friends in his racing career, especially from Cup Series driver David Ragan.

    “The whole Ragan family was really a huge help for me coming up,” Buescher said. “When I was thirteen years old and coming up to around fifteen years old racing Legend cars, Ken Ragan, David’s father, was doing the 600 Series and I got to know him.”

    “David was just getting his feet wet in a Roush truck. We got to be good friends and we saw how he was progressing. It got to the point where Ken felt that David was making it in his career and was moving forward. He told me if I could commit to moving out to North Carolina that he would help me do the same.”

    “Mom and Dad couldn’t move out to Charlotte. I have two little sisters at home and they are very involved in school and gymnastics. So, Ken said I should move in where David moved out and he would take care of me.”

    “So, with Ken, Beverly and Adam, they helped me get hooked up with Roush. I worked in David’s shop for a couple of years before I was able to work at Roush.”

    “I still talk to David a lot, especially when the 34 Cup deal came about. I was able to talk to him about that and run through what his thoughts were on it.”

    “It’s been a great relationship and I owe them everything.”

    Buescher has also found help from his crew chief, pit crew and race team as he gets set to tame Miles the Monster for the Dover race weekend.

    “The relationship has gotten a lot better with my team,” Buescher said. “It was never bad, but last year, everyone was new. Everybody had come from different teams and shops and organizations. It was kind of a mix and match crew.”

    “Everyone has worked really hard together and we’re getting to the point where everyone understands each other, knows their jobs and are doing them effectively and efficiently. It’s gone really well.”

    “Scott (Graves, crew chief) has done a great job this season,” Buescher continued. “He is kind of quiet like me and we work really well, keep quiet on the radio and get a lot done. At the end of last year, I felt like we finally found a bit of momentum.”

    “Unfortunately, Homestead was the last race and I didn’t want it to be the last one. So, we wanted to build off that momentum and we have done just that. We fired off really well and the team has done a nice job every week to make sure that we have fast Fords and that they stay together.”

    “Our pit crew has been doing an amazing job and ripping off great stops,” Buescher said. “They have been at least keeping us even or gaining every time we hit pit road. So, that’s been a huge part of it, making sure we don’t give up anything on pit road.”

    “And then when they gain in a time when track position is so important, that’s huge. So, we owe them some props as well.”

    So, what does the young racer think of the Monster Mile and what are his predictions for the upcoming XFINITY race?

    “This is one of those places that is like Darlington because you have to race the race track first,” Buescher said. “That’s something you have to keep in mind. You will race other guys as you get to them, but you always have to keep in mind that you are racing the track.”

    “The first race last year, we just about wrecked down the back stretch with me being too aggressive too early. That took a year or two off my life as close as that one was.”

    “It’s patience here at Dover but at the same time you have to be aggressive. You have to hit your spots early and the restarts are very important. The line you end up in for the restart will also be very important and maybe even more important than ever before.”

    “At the end of this race weekend, honestly I feel like we have a chance to win this race,” Buescher said. “This could easily be a top-five race for us. Our Bristol program, Iowa program were good and what we ran fourth with at the last Dover race were all good.”

    “I’ve no doubt we will be a contender but we will have to find ourselves at the race place at the right time.”

    Thanks to the help and support that he has received from family and friends, Buescher also has his eyes not only on a win at Dover but also on the ultimate prize.

    “We’ve been able to hang onto the points lead and we are making good progress toward a championship run,” Buescher said. “Our stuff has been good and for the most part, we’ve been in the hunt.”

    “The top fives have been racking up and as long as we can stay there, we can get wins,” Buescher continued. “It’s early to talk about points and I’m not particularly a points racer but I do realize the significance of it and how much it would mean to our team, to the Roush Fenway organization and to myself to win that championship.”

    “So, we are going to keep it in our mind for sure and hope to be there at the end.  We’re winning races, running really well and we know with that, everything else will come.”

     

  • The Final Word – Monaco, and Indy, and Charlotte, Oh My!

    The Final Word – Monaco, and Indy, and Charlotte, Oh My!

    It was the biggest day in motorsports, starting with the streets of Monaco, where they have been racing since 1929. Then, to Indianapolis, where they have been logging 500 miles this time of year since 1911. Finally, the long way home, the World 600 at Charlotte for the boys and girl with fenders.

    Overseas, Nico Rosberg claimed the prize for the third straight year. It helps when it is handed to you. During a late caution, the dominant car of Lewis Hamilton was called in for fresh tires. He had thought Rosberg and those immediately behind him had done the same. They had not. Nice call, team. Thanks a bunch. Surprise, surprise, surprise, as Gomer Pyle used to say.

    Gomer’s creator, actor Jim Nabors, performed “Back Home Again in Indiana” for the final time last year, but Juan Pablo Montoya was back in Indianapolis. An early mishap cost the former NASCAR performer what passes for a rear fender on his open wheeled car, forcing him back to 30th. That set the stage for his charge through the pack. With just three laps to go, he made his pass for the lead and claimed the crown he first won back in 2000.

    They have been racing 600 miles at Charlotte on Memorial Day weekend since 1960, the longest NASCAR event of the season. Martin Truex Jr. would have been the story, had he won after leading 131 laps. He did not. Kurt Busch led the way for 118, but no suds for him, either. In fact, five other drivers led more than Carl Edwards, but it was the man from Missouri doing the back flip in the end as he led the final 21 to take his first of the season, 24th of his Cup career. It might still be a bit premature, but what the heck. Welcome to the Chase, Mr. Edwards.

    Welcome to the Hall of Fame, Bruton Smith. The 88-year old owner of the Charlotte track, along with seven others on the circuit, will be inducted as part of the class of 2016. Joining him will be two-time champ Terry Labonte, the legendary Curtis Turner, six-time Modified king Jerry Cook, and 1970 Cup champion Bobby Isaac.

    Landon Cassill was still running at the end of the race in Charlotte. For another hour, 41 minutes, and 49 seconds, he continued to run the 14 miles between the track and the Hall of Fame. This time, the only rubber on the road was on his sneakers. This sounds like something my sons might do. I, on the other hand, am much too smart…and fat…and old…for that.

    If you want to win the Indianapolis 500, spend some time in NASCAR. Montoya won his second after 278 races in Cup and the XFINITY series over parts of the previous nine seasons. His Indy lead engineer, Brian Campe, was on the box as a crew chief for 22 Nationwide races in 2009, including seven for Dale Earnhardt Jr. Not a bad apprenticeship.

    Jeff Gordon was at Indianapolis, drove the pace car before returning to North Carolina. After getting out of the car, he will head to the broadcast booth to join Mike Joy and Darrell Waltrip at FOX next season. I think they might be replacing the wrong guy, but maybe that is just me.

    So, what is next? The Monster Mile in Dover is slated for this Sunday, where everybody who has won there the past nine events also has claimed a Cup title along the way. In fact, over the past six years, the only non-champion to take the checkered flag there was Kyle Busch. Not a bad pick, come to think of it.

  • Logano Leads Team Dover to Victory Over Earnhardt Jr. and Team Pocono

    Logano Leads Team Dover to Victory Over Earnhardt Jr. and Team Pocono

    In spite of buying his glove the night before the game, Joey Logano led his Monster Mile softball team to a 12 to 6 victory over the Pocono Raceway team led by Dale Earnhardt Jr., with an assist from Darrell Wallace Jr.

    The game featured media members and corporate sponsors on both teams, as well as other NASCAR celebrities including former driver and broadcaster Todd Bodine. Pocono Raceway President/CEO Brandon Igdalsky also participated, hitting a home run in the game.

    Unfortunately, Igdalsky will still have to wear the ‘I Love the Monster Mile’ T-shirt due to his team’s loss.

    “My team kicked everyone’s butt,” Logano said in the post-game media conference. “This is new for me for sure. I had fun though. I had a blast. I was bummed out when it was over because I wanted to keep playing.”

    In addition to this being the first ever stick and ball game for Logano, Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Darrell Wallace Jr. confirmed that they too were newbies to being at bat and running the bases.

    “I played basketball before but baseball was never really my thing,” Wallace said. “My guys play on the road, especially if they have a day free. They’ll fly in and try to find a baseball field to go play some softball. I got to play with them in Fontana so I had a little leg up.”

    “I was surprised at how well Joey played,” Wallace continued. “He’s good at ping pong and fooz ball. But I did have two runs so I carried my Pocono team.”

    “I never played in school,” Junior said after the game. “We had a company team and I played on it a couple years. So, I had an idea of what I was getting myself into.”

    “But that doesn’t mean I’m very good at it.”

    In addition to the celebrity softball game, the three drivers did talk some about racing, from what races they wanted to win, their best moments in the sport, to what they thought about both of the Dover and Pocono race tracks upcoming in the race schedule.

    For Dale Earnhardt Jr. he has just two tracks that would be most meaningful to him personally to get in the win column.

    “The 600 at Charlotte would be great to win,” Junior said. “I’ve never won a points race at Charlotte. Darlington is a driver’s race track so winning that would mean a lot to me. Those two really would mean the most to me.”

    Darrell Wallace Jr. said that his best racing year to date was last year, winning both with Kyle Busch Motorsports and on the dirt at Eldora.

    “We were really strong with Kyle Busch and everyone on the Kyle Busch team,” Wallace Jr. said. “We picked up four wins in the Truck Series so that was a great time for me, just getting my name out there.”

    “I think what surprised everyone was the Eldora win. I don’t think anybody picked me to win that race. So, that would have to be the best.”

    “Hopefully my best year will be this year,” Logano said. “But last year was the best year of my life getting married. It was an awesome experience. And having a shot at racing for a championship was a highlight. When we got to Homestead, it was just a great year altogether.”

    “Last year was great for me too, winning the Daytona race and getting some other wins,” Dale Jr. said. “We hadn’t won in so long and we weren’t winning races for the last several years. So, to be able to get multiple wins in the season felt good. Winning Daytona early and getting the pressure off for that Chase, which was the first year of the Chase and everybody was nervous. So, that was good.”

    All three drivers shared their excitement about heading to both Dover and Pocono in the next few weeks, enjoying each track for its uniqueness and for the variety of things to do off-track in the area.

    “Dover is great,” Junior said. “It’s a real challenge because the concrete is so challenging. Getting the car to have good balance there and getting it to turn without losing rear grip is tough. So, it’s a real difficult track just going through the weekend from practice to the race. But it’s fun.”

    “There are a lot of great places to go eat around there. It’s a good area. I enjoy it. I think it’s pretty fun and we’re looking forward to it.”

    “Dover for me is a special place, for one being from the northeast, from Connecticut, which is not too far from there. So, I get to see a lot of family that comes there,” Logano said. “I made my first Xfinity start there and barrel rolled the first time I was ever there. I went back there the year after and they had the program that moved and changes.”

    “They had the ‘Monster’ holding my car and then when you moved it, it showed the ‘Monster’ slamming it into the race track. I was like this is great, thanks, glad to be back!”

    “But it’s a special place to me. My XFINITY races have been very good there with four wins. I haven’t had a Cup win there yet, but it’s been close. I consider it my favorite race track. It’s one of those places that you could drive around by yourself on it and you’d never get bored.”

    “It’s just so entertaining being up and down in the race track and the racing is always competitive there. It’s a fun place to be.”

    “I agree with Joey and Junior,” said Wallace Jr. “It’s a fun place all around. In 2012, I had my fourth XFINITY start there and we sat on the pole for the K&N race. After that, I saw Joey and threw the pole flag at him and he ended up winning the race. He comes back to me and he threw the checkered flag back at me.

    “He had signed it ‘To the Pole Sitter from the Race Winner’. I actually have that flag framed in my apartment.”

    “But to be able to sit on the pole several times there is pretty special. It’s a place where you let it all hang out and you never get bored.”

    Dale Earnhardt Jr. also has special feelings for the track known as the ‘Tricky Triangle”, especially after winning both of the two Pocono races.

    “When I won last year, it was the first time I’d ever won at Pocono,” Junior said, “So, that was a great feeling to finally win there. I’ve been going to that track in the summer time for years.”

    “I had no idea we were going to sweep. That was a big surprise. It’s such a difficult race to win. It’s real hard to get around the leader and you have to be up front the whole race. You’ve got to run hard. You can’t afford to let a guy by because it’s so hard to get back around.”

    “We won last year so you go in real happy and excited and expect to do better. I think our cars are faster and better and I hope that trend stays.”

    Of course, the drivers also took a moment to remember Steve Byrnes, after getting the word at the softball game that the broadcaster had lost his battle to cancer.

    “Him and Dad were great friends,” Junior said. “Steve would tell me many, many times stories about my Dad, something they did together or something funny that happened between them. They were good pals.”

    “I was happy that he got to see everything over the past weekend and to see how much he mattered to everybody.”

    “I’ll second what Dale said,” Logano said. “It is neat that he could get to see everything that the NASCAR teams and NASCAR fans did for him last week at Bristol. That was something special. When you get that kind of respect from this industry, it means you are very special.”

    “I got to know him doing some of the Race Hub shows. He was obviously a great person. I got to learn a lot from him. He’d give me little tips and pointers during commercial breaks. We would just talk and I thought that relationship was special. I cherish those moments.”

    In addition to remembering and paying tribute to Steve, all of the drivers took a moment to recognize the fans that came out to the Trenton Thunder ball park to mix in some NASCAR with some baseball. In fact, the line for autographs throughout the game, especially for Dale Earnhardt Jr., often stretched the length of the stadium.

    “I think this is great,” Junior said. “To be at a ball park is a great environment. Everybody is having fun and enjoying themselves. I tired to sign every autograph and to get everyone I could in between.”

    “It’s cool to be recognized in these kinds of places,” Wallace Jr. said. “For me to spend five minutes signing autographs while Junior is spending an hour and five minutes is really cool.”

    “I look up to Dale in a lot of ways and to see him give back to the fans and the sport is really neat. That’s what pushes me.”

    “It is impressive what Dale does with the fans,” Logano acknowledged. “A lot more people like him more than me! I know why and it’s OK.”

    “My life has gotten busier since the Daytona 500 but I cannot imagine what his life is like. He takes the time to meet every fan. I like meeting the fans in person and on social media and to hear what everyone is talking about.”

    So, how did the drivers sum up their softball experience, whether on the losing or winning side?

    “I gave 110 percent out there,” Wallace Jr. said. “And Logano was just awkward. It was like Forrest Gump when he ran, all arms and legs flying.”

    “But he still got his team to Victory Lane.”

     

  • Kyle Busch Scores a Nationwide Fiver at the Monster Mile

    Kyle Busch Scores a Nationwide Fiver at the Monster Mile

    Kyle Busch behind the wheel of the No. 54 Monster Energy Toyota, scored his fifth Nationwide season win to take the 29th Annual Dover 200 at the Monster Mile. And with that fiver, he also broke a tie with Joey Logano to become the all-time win leader at Dover.

    “Our day was really good,” Busch said. “We were a little skeptical of it yesterday but the guys did a good job of making adjustments for today.”

    “From the start of the green flag, we had a good race,” Busch continued. “I was biding my time early and we missed that first wreck. We were able to pit, get out front and set sail from there.”

    “It was nice to put together a good run and hopefully carry that into tomorrow.”

    Joey Logano, who led laps early in the race, finished second in his No. 22 Hertz Ford. This was his ninth top-10 finish at Dover and his eighth top-10 finish for the season.

    “The first half of the race went perfect and we were able to go out there and lead a lot of laps and be very, very fast,” Logano said. “But as the race went, we put four tires on and lost the lead. Our car was really tight from there on out. I’m not really sure what happened but we will try to figure it out.”

    “We just stayed tight there the last run,” Logano continued. “Overall, it’s second but we come here and expect to win. We began the race well but we lost the handle.”

    Chase Elliott, in the No. 9 NAPA Auto Parts Chevrolet, finished third and also was the highest finishing rookie. Elliott did, however have his share of adversity, getting into a wreck early and suffering some damage that hindered his progress forward.

    “I’m proud and frustrated at the same time,” Elliott said. “We had a super-fast car from the get-go.”

    “We were just biding our time that first run,” Elliott continued. “I made a mistake following those guys way too closely and that was completely my fault. I drove ourselves into a wreck and then we couldn’t get back up to the front.”

    “We had a really good car from the drop of the green and the guys did a fantastic job getting it taped back up in a way that the fender wasn’t going to fly apart on us.”

    “We tried to battle as hard as we could but it just wasn’t enough.”

    Chris Buescher, driving the No. 60 Roush Performance Parts Ford, finished fourth as the second highest finishing rookie.

    “That was a lot of fun,” Buescher said. “We were really good on pit road and nice and consistent. Every week you have to get better and our consistency has been there. This is our best finish since Mid-Ohio.”

    Elliott Sadler, behind the wheel of the No. 11 SportClips Toyota, rounded out the top five, a position that he had not been in for quite some time.

    “It’s been too long for this race team,” Sadler said. “We made a lot of adjustments today. Top five at Dover is the best we’ve ran here.”

    Kyle Larson overcame two penalties, one for leaving the pit box with equipment and the other for speeding, came back to finish sixth in his No. 42 Cartwheel by Target Chevrolet.

    Another driver that had a world of trouble was Brendan Gaughan. The driver of the No. 62 South Point Chevrolet had a rear suspension issue, sending him to the garage and putting him nine laps down to finish 28th.

    With his third place finish, Chase Elliott maintained his lead in the championship point standings, now 26 points ahead of teammate Regan Smith.

    The full Nationwide Series results for the Dover 200 are as follows:

    1. Kyle Busch
    2. Joey Logano
    3. Chase Elliott
    4. Chris Buescher
    5. Elliott Sadler
    6. Kyle Larson
    7. Brian Scott
    8. Regan Smith
    9. Trevor Bayne
    10. Ty Dillon
    11. Cale Conley
    12. Justin Boston
    13. Aric Almirola
    14. Ryan Sieg
    15. James Buescher
    16. Landon Cassill
    17. Dakoda Armstrong
    18. Jeremy Clements
    19. Alex Bowman
    20. Jeffrey Earnhardt
    21. Dylan Kwasniewski
    22. JJ Yeley
    23. Blake Koch
    24. Ryan Reed
    25. Timmy Hill
    26. Jeff Green
    27. Joey Gase
    28. Brendan Gaughan
    29. Mike Bliss
    30. Matt DiBenedetto
    31. Kevin Lepage
    32. Carl Long
    33. Kevin Swindell
    34. Tanner Berryhill
    35. Morgan Shepherd
    36. Harrison Rhodes
    37. Derrike Cope
    38. Jamie Dick
    39. Mike Harmon
    40. Ryan Ellis
  • Surprising and Not Surprising: Monster Mile FedEx 400

    Surprising and Not Surprising: Monster Mile FedEx 400

    With Miles the Monster rearing his ugly head in more ways than one, here is what was surprising and not surprising from the 45th annual FedEx 400 benefiting Autism Speaks at Dover International Speedway.

    Surprising: The winning crew chief, usually the one of the most up-tight people in the garage area as even he admits, must have been inspired by Pharrell’s ‘Happy’ song that played pre-race at the Monster Mile.

    Chad Knaus, crew chief for two-time 2014 winner, nine-time Dover winner, and six-time champ Jimmie Johnson, was surprisingly animated in expressing his happiness in the media center after the race.

    “Quite honestly I’m at the best point in my life,” Knaus said. “I’ve been very fortunate to have been in this sport for a long time.”

    “I’ve seen it grow and change, and it’s been a weird circuitous route to get to where we are now, but quite honestly, I’ve never been happier in my life – with my personal life, my performance at the racetrack, what we’ve got going on, and Jimmie has helped a lot with that,” Knaus continued. “So has Mr. Hendrick as far as making me understand that I’ve got to take time away from the facility and understand that there’s life outside of motorsports.”

    “I’ve tried for a long time to deny that fact, but I’m really, really enjoying it all the way around,” Knaus said. “It’s fun. It’s busy as ever, but we’re in a good spot right now.”

    “Everything is great.”

    Not Surprising: Clint Bowyer did his best impression of Miley Cyrus’ ‘Wrecking Ball’, at least in the minds of Joe Gibbs Racing, hitting Kyle Busch and knocking him out of the race early on and then getting into Matt Kenseth on the last restart, after Kenseth spun his tires a bit.

    “It was a day alright,” Bowyer said. “I hated to be in that situation with the 18 (Kyle Busch). It’s one of those deals where I thought I was clear and obviously wasn’t and ruined his day and certainly didn’t help mine.”

    “I had a pretty good run at him (Matt Kenseth) and he was still spinning when I hit him and I knocked him into the wall and I was like, ‘Not another (Joe) Gibbs (Racing) car.’ But what a day. Frustrating day.”

    Bowyer did swing back, however, scoring a fourth place finish in his No. 15 Cherry5-hrEnergySpecialOpsWarriorFnd Toyota.

    Surprising: For only the third time in the past few years, including Martinsville and Daytona, the track itself became part of the headline as a piece of concrete two to three inches deep and six to eight inches wide dislodged, damaging Jamie McMurray’s car as well as the Monster Mile walkway.

    The red flag was displayed for 22 minutes and 22 seconds as NASCAR and the track officials made repairs to the hole in the concrete as well as the shattered area of the walkway.

    “We have equipment and we have product at every facility,” Robin Pemberton, NASCAR’s Vice President of Competition and Racing Operations, said. “It is an epoxy type filler that we use, and it’s basically the same filler that’s used any time we make a repair at the track, whether it be asphalt or concrete.”

    “The track doesn’t want things like this to happen any more than we do or the competitors do,” Pemberton continued. “You always have to be ready for the emergencies and everybody wants to have the same perfect race day as they can.”

    Not Surprising: Jamie McMurray was not the only one impacted by unexpected objects encountered on the race track. Martin Truex Jr.’s car was hit by a bird in practice on Friday at the Monster Mile, causing damage to the left headlight area.

    For once, however, the driver of the No. 78 Furniture Row Chevrolet, was able to overcome the adversity, scoring his best finish to date in 2014 in the sixth position.

    “All in all, it was a good day,” Truex said. “You can just feel that we’re heading in the right direction.”

    “And all the dumb luck we’ve had didn’t bite us today,” the New Jersey native said. “Dover has been good to me over the years and it was also a great feeling to bring home a strong effort at what I consider my home track.”

    Surprising: Brett Moffitt made his debut in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series for Jay Robinson Racing and scored a very respectable 22nd place finish in the No. 66 Land Castle Title Toyota. The 21 year old, who tests for Michael Waltrip Racing and Toyota Racing Development, combined that relationship with the Robinson team for the opportunity.

    “Hopefully this will open up more opportunities,” Moffitt said. “Obviously I hope this leads to more races…it’s just about having the right people beside you telling you, ‘Look man, you can do this, just keep digging.’”

    “That’s what I’ve been doing.”

    Not Surprising: Starting at the back of the pack due to an engine change did not deter this young driver one bit. Kyle Larson, behind the wheel of the No. 42 Cottonelle Chevrolet, weaved and bobbed his way through the field to finish as the highest placed rookie yet again.

    Larson finished eleventh and is nineteen points ahead of Austin Dillon in the Rookie of the Year standings to date.

    Surprising: Team Penske had what looked like a good race weekend at the Monster Mile, with Brad Keselowski starting from the pole position and Joey Logano starting third. Both drivers finished the race in the top-10, with Keselowski in the runner up position and Logano in eighth but were surprisingly disappointed after the race, especially about their performance in the pits.

    “Yeah, we just had an up-and-down day,” the driver of the No. 2 Miller Lite Ford said. “I started up front and faded to the back pretty early in the race. We just weren’t where we needed to be in the car.”

    “I thought we were going to get a crack at Jimmie (Johnson) and then that last caution came out and we just kind of whiffed on pit road, came out way behind.”

    “I drove back up there, and with the help of the restart got up to second but we just never could really get in front of him.”

    “We weren’t very good today,” the driver of the No. 22 Shell Pennzoil Ford said. “Some runs we were and some runs we weren’t. We had a tough day on pit road in the beginning.”

    “We were chasing the car all day and that is what screwed us up.”

    Not Surprising:   Team Penske was not the only one having trouble in the pits. Kevin Harvick, who has been vocal in the media about his disappointment in his team’s performance, struggled yet again.

    The driver of the No. 4 Budweiser Chevrolet had eight stops on pit road, for a total average of 42.074 seconds. Harvick and company finished 17th one lap down, after starting the race in the eighth position.

    Surprising: In spite of his difficulties, including getting hit by the No. 47 of AJ Allmendinger, crashing hard into the wall, and being in the garage for an extended period for repairs, Greg Biffle and his Pit Bulls were able to keep their streak of completing every race going, the longest in the sport since 2011.

    “I didn’t really know what happened,” the driver of the No. 16 3M Ford said. “I just knew that the No. 47 got into us pretty hard and turned us into the fence. They were racing hard back there and he stuck it into a hole that maybe there wasn’t room for, I guess and he slid off the bottom, got his right-rear caught by the No. 17 and up into us.”

    “It was a chain reaction,” Biffle continued. “This place is tight and fast and when you get racing that hard back there on a restart, stuff like that is going to happen.”

    Not Surprising: Although four-time champ Jeff Gordon seemingly had a good car early on, he faded late in the race to finish 15th, which not surprisingly handed the points lead off to third place finisher Matt Kenseth.

    Kenseth now leads by just two points over Gordon, with Carl Edwards third, Jimmie Johnson fourth and Dale Earnhardt, Jr. rounding out the top five in the point standings after the Monster Mile.

  • USMC Staff Sgt. Liam Dwyer, IMSA Race Winner, Shares Can Do Attitude with NASCAR Community

    USMC Staff Sgt. Liam Dwyer, IMSA Race Winner, Shares Can Do Attitude with NASCAR Community

    Last week’s IMSA race winner at Lime Rock, USMC Staff Sergeant Liam Dwyer visited the world of NASCAR this past race weekend in Dover, Delaware to experience the sights and sounds of stock car racing and to share his inspirational message of overcoming obstacles and achieving dreams.

    Dwyer, currently still on active duty stationed out of Walter Reed, joined the Marines in 2000 after hearing about the bombing of US Navy Destroyer USS Cole. He was deployed both to Iraq and Afghanistan where he suffered serious wounds, including the loss of his left leg after an IED explosion.

    In spite of his injuries, Dwyer never gave up on his dream to be behind the wheel of a race car. And he achieved that dream and so much more with a win in the IMSA Continental Challenge at Lime Rock Park in Connecticut.

    In typical and humble fashion, Dwyer credited his victory to his team, his co-driver, and all those who stood with him throughout his journey of rehabilitation.

    “Last week’s win, everyone is giving me all the praise for it, but the praise really goes to Mazda and my team,” Dwyer said. “I wrecked the car at Mazda Raceway three weeks prior so that was a write off. So, the team had a five-day turnaround. They built a complete new car with 360 man hours and six days later, they were driving up to Lime Rock Park in Connecticut.”

    “The car was fast right off the trailer and the team was really good,” Dwyer continued. “Qualifying was rained out so the field was set by points. We started second to last out of the 33 car field. Based on pit strategy, some good driving (a little bit on my part bit a lot on my co-driver Tom Long’s part), we came out with ‘W’ there at my home track at my home state.”

    Dwyer’s interest in cars started in his childhood and has continued to this day.

    “I grew up with an affection with cars,” Dwyer said. “I had been to Lime Rock numerous times as a child to watch the old IMSA Series there. Actually in high school is when I got interested in racing. I really started doing time trials after Iraq that I had a skill for it. I didn’t start getting faster until after Afghanistan.”

    “I’m a Skip Barber Racing School grad back to 2007,” Dwyer continued. “But I got my break two years ago with High Performance Heroes, a vintage car team that found me at VIR.”

    “They decided they wanted to build a race car for me,” Dwyer continued. “They built a 1962 Austin Healy Sprite and in 2012 I had some odd success with that. Freedom Auto Sports is a team that is all about supporting veterans and active duty personnel. They wanted to help me out and they started following me. After the season I had last year, they took notice and I got a phone call to go test at Sebring.”

    “I’ve had some really good people around me that have gotten me to where I am today.”

    Dwyer detailed the adjustments that had to be made to his car, even removing his prosthetic leg to demonstrate.

    “One of the biggest challenges we face is that we have to do a driver change,” Dwyer said. “I still operate a normal clutch. That’s been our biggest challenge because my foot needs to stay attached to the clutch. But I also need to get out of the car quickly for driver changes.”

    “So, they have designed a system for me that allows me to do both. Our driver change system in no way aids or hinders me getting in and out of the car.”

    While Dwyer has achieved many of his own racing goals, he was most anxious to experience first-hand the world of stock car racing at the Monster Mile.

    “I’ve been a NASCAR fan since really before I can remember,” Dwyer said. “I was an Alan Kulwicki fan back in the late 1980s, and after that a Davey Allison fan, and then an Ernie Irvan fan so I did not strike very well with choosing drivers.”

    “But since 1999, I’ve been a Tony Stewart fan. I’ve really grown to like Kurt Busch over the last two years because of all he is doing for the Armed Forces Foundation,” Dwyer continued. “I know Kurt Busch personally. I met him twice at the hospital. We were at Walter Reed last year and the NASCAR guys came in.”

    “I was on my way to a race that weekend and met him again,” Dwyer said. “I called him out to a go kart race and he took me up on that. He beat me by about 4/10s of a second.”

    In addition to his excitement with seeing the NASCAR drivers, Dwyer also was on another mission, that of sharing his words of inspiration to others.

    “Having been a NASCAR fan almost my entire life and being at some of the races, just to be here at the track means a lot,” Dwyer said. “I’ve gotten to meet some of the drivers and they have been so hospitable.”

    “My message here is to really say that people look at me and say I’ve been dealt a pretty crappy hand being an amputee and with the other injuries that I have to my body,” Dwyer continued. “No matter what we face in life, no matter what challenges we face, the key is staying positive. There are people out there worse off than you. There are people out there that have had it worse than me.”

    “I look at everybody and what challenges they are facing and I think this population has become so attuned to if we face adversity, we just give up,” Dwyer continued. “A lot of people stop striving for their dreams at that point. This has only made me drive further. I’ve been dealt this hand and it is really a blessing. I’m fully aware that the only way that I have the opportunities I have now and to go racing and to be here is because of my injuries.”

    “If people could start looking at things in a more positive light, there would be less darkness,” Dwyer said. “That’s the biggest message that I can share with people is that for the rest of our lives we should strive to do things and be more positive. I’m a very good example of no matter the hand you are dealt, I’ve made lemonade out of a shitty batch of lemons.”

    So, what is next for this fearless competitor as he completes his tour of duty with the Marines and pursues his racing passion?

    “My goal in life right now is that I want to race the 24 hours of Daytona and maybe the 24 hours of Le Mans,” Dwyer said. “I’m also hoping to work something out where I can get to the track and still be a Marine.”

    “And if I can inspire others to get out there and do things that they thought were difficult, then that’s what I want to do.”

  • Alex Bowman: ‘Just a Normal 21 Year Old Turning Laps for a Living’

    Alex Bowman: ‘Just a Normal 21 Year Old Turning Laps for a Living’

    Alex Bowman, driver of the No. 23 Dr. Pepper Toyota for BK Racing, may be competing for Rookie of the Year honors in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, but he describes himself as “just a normal 21 year old who gets to turn laps for a living.”

    Bowman, who hails from Tucson, Arizona, started his lap turning career on short tracks in his home state, graduating at the age of seven to driving quarter midgets. The young racer than progressed to USAC and at age 17, moved to stock car racing, first in the Pro Cup Series in 2010 and then in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East in 2011, where he won the Rookie of the Year honors.

    Bowman moved to the ARCA Racing Series for two years and then made his Nationwide Series debut at Chicagoland Speedway where he finished 17th. He ran full-time in Nationwide in 2013 and got the call to move up to NASCAR’s elite series for the 2014 season.

    “As far as getting this deal, I got a phone call from Rick Carpenter that he wanted to talk and sat down with him and Mike and Ron Devine and I worked on it for a couple months,” Bowman said. “And we were able to put it together and go from there.”

    While Bowman is enjoying competing at the highest level of the sport, he is also enjoying being a part of one of the biggest rookie crops to grace the Cup Series.

    “It’s great as far as being in one of the largest classes of rookies,” Bowman said “You’ve seen some rookie classes ride around all year in the past but there is none of that this year.”

    “You’ve seen the class this year put on a heck of a show so far,” Bowman continued. “So I feel good about being a part of such a big class.”

    Bowman’s crew chief Dave Winston is also a rookie, and yes the pair have indeed made their share of rookie mistakes, from issues over the radio to issues on pit road.

    “My crew chief Dave, it’s his first year being a crew chief,” Bowman said. “So, we’ve both made our share of mistakes and we are both learning.”

    “It’s really funny when he tries to talk on the radio and he has never really talked on the radio before,” Bowman continued. “So, it’s these little short bursts of words that scramble together.”

    “I think we’re working together really well,” Bowman said. “He’s definitely a good crew chief and he has a really positive attitude, which goes throughout the whole team. It’s a big difference versus what I had last year. I’m really happy with how the guys gets along and how everybody works together.”

    “My biggest rookie mistake is that I’ve spun on pit road a couple of times,” Bowman admitted. “On pit road at Daytona and Kansas as well I spun. So, I need to work on that a little bit. So, that’s our biggest thing.”

    While Bowman has yet to spin at Dover, he admitted that he has yet to really master the Monster Mile.

    “It’s gone alright so far here at Dover,” Bowman said. “We unloaded okay but as practice went on, we made some changes and got going in the right direction. We weren’t too bad in the first practice but we will see how practices go and how we will be during the race.”

    Bowman has the utmost respect for Dover as he turns laps around the Monster Mile. But he cannot quite say that it is one of his favorite tracks just yet.

    “It’s one of the toughest places we go,” Bowman said. “It’s real physical. It’s a lot of fun but at the same time when you have a bad race car it’s a really long day.”

    “I like it more than a lot of places but at the same time, if you have a bad race car you’re probably going to hate it.”

    “If we get out of here with a top-30, that would be good,” Bowman said. “I’d be pretty happy with that.”

    While Bowman dreams, as do most rookie drivers, of winning races and competing for future championships, he has one unique hobby that sets him apart from his fellow Cup competitors.

    “I guess I’m not really a typical race car driver in that I don’t hang out with anybody in the sport or anything like that,” Bowman said. “Most of my friends have no clue about racing. I hang out with a lot of car people but not a lot of race car people.”

    “All my cars most of the garage would look at and be like, that’s stupid,” Bowman continued. “I’m into like the low cars. Everything I own is really low or really fast.”

    “It’s fun and is something that I’ve always been interested in,” Bowman said. That’s what all my friends do too.”

    “Other than that though I’m pretty much a normal 21 year old kid that gets to turn laps for a living.”

    Bowman will race with his other BK Racing teammates Ryan Truex and Cole Whitt. He will start in the 23rd position for the 45th annual FedEx 400 benefiting Autism Speaks on Sunday, June 1st.

  • For Jeff Gordon, His Back Is Unfortunately Back

    For Jeff Gordon, His Back Is Unfortunately Back

    He may be leading the point standings, running consistently, and already have a win in his pocket, but for Jeff Gordon, all the talk at Dover International Speedway was about his back issues being back.

    Last weekend, Gordon had to step out of the car for one practice prior to the Coca Cola 600 and actually had Regan Smith, the Nationwide Series point’s leader, on standby for the race in the event he needed to get out of the car.

    “I wouldn’t say I’m 100% but I’m closer to normal,” Gordon, driver of the No. 24 Drive to End Hunger Chevrolet, said in the media center. “I still feel some of the effects from last week but I didn’t have any sharp pains. I just had a week of rest and normal activities and lots of ice this week. I was pretty sore on Monday and Tuesday after the long 600. That’s not totally unusual but a little more than normal.”

    Gordon acknowledged that his back problems over the Coke 600 weekend were none like he had experienced in the past.

    “The issues that I’ve had in the past never were like I dealt with last weekend,” Gordon said. “That was the first time that something like that happened in the car, on qualifying day into a race weekend.”

    “I’ve rolled out of bed and had things like that happen,” Gordon continued. “That’s just being tight and not having the muscles loose. That’s part of just getting older.”

    “So, it was a little bit foreign to me to have that where I had to get out of the car.”

    Gordon actually had to be treated with an injection in order to be able to compete during the race weekend. And thankfully he did get relief, a result that he had not experienced before with the same treatment.

    “The treatment I had was an epidural, a type of injection, some type of cortisone that is fairly typical and common,” Gordon said. “I don’t know all the stuff that was in there but it made the pain go away. So, that’s the first time I’ve had to do that on race weekend. I’ve done that in a different part of my back and it didn’t really do much for me. This time it did.”

    Gordon seemed a bit frustrated with the back pain in that he has been training regularly in an attempt to keep his back as loose as possible.

    “I’ve been working a lot harder on my training, riding a bike and exercising,” Gordon said. “The problem with that is that it tightens everything up even more so than normal. And so if I don’t stay loose and ice it and do the things to keep me loose on race weekend, what happened could possibly occur again.”

    It was also evident in Gordon’s remarks that he was indeed taking the back issue seriously, in fact, enough so to potentially put him out of the car permanently.

    “If that happens many more times, I won’t have a choice,” Gordon said about the back pain and the dreaded ‘retirement’ word.

    Gordon primarily credited his down time and the lack of activity during that time as the major contributing factor to his back pain. That, of course, along with his age and the length of time he has been racing have had impact as well.

    “It’s just not sitting,” Gordon said. “The biggest contributor was the fact that we had about a three hour delay from practicing to qualifying and I sat in the truck for too long in one place. I really think that caused the issue that I had and inflamed and irritated it. Once that happened, there was nothing that was going to fix it until I had the injections.”

    “Doing this for thirty or forty years, that has contributed to it,” Gordon said. “It’s not different than a golfer or a tennis player with that continuous motion and pushing those muscles and parts of the body. I do have some degenerative disk issues, which is again very common for a lot of people, but when you put that into racing, it is a little bit tougher. It’s just something that I have to deal with.”

    Gordon was visibly strained when he talked about making the difficult decision to get out of his race car, even for the one practice session. But once Sunday came and it was time to race, Gordon felt that his sticking in the car in spite of his back pain proved just how strong he is, to himself and to his team.

    “I got out of the car on Saturday and it was one of the hardest things I’ve ever done in my life to make that decision,” Gordon said. “It was not an easy one and I was doubting myself but my body was telling me it was the right thing to do.”

    “But Sunday went well and we got through it,” Gordon continued. “We actually had a good car up until that last caution came. I think that if anything that only built momentum for our race team to go through what we went through and to go have that kind of a race to show the team what kind of determination I have as well as kind of show our competitors that it’s going to take a lot to get us down.”

    “I think that did more good for us for this season and our chances for a championship than anything else.”

    So, how hard will Dover be on Gordon’s sensitive back and how will he know if he is set to race the Monster?

    “Yeah, there were loads and there were muscles in my back that were being used a lot because it’s a high-banked very fast race track with big sweeping corners, Gordon said. “But there was no shooting pain.”

    What will heal the four-time champ’s back the most, however, is very simple, at least from Gordon’s perspective.

    “If I win this race on Sunday, I will feel better,” Gordon said. “It’s amazing how a win takes away all your pain.”

     

  • Jeb and Ward Burton Emotional Over New Truck Ride and Sponsor

    Jeb and Ward Burton Emotional Over New Truck Ride and Sponsor

    Jeb Burton, his father Ward, representatives of his new sponsor Estes Express Lines and his new team ThorSport Racing were all on hand at the Monster Mile this morning to share the news of their partnership in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series.

    And while father and son are ecstatic with the new opportunity, both admit that the road to this moment has been filled with turmoil and great emotion.

    “I can tell you, from January when the rug was pulled out from under us until now, that was the most devastated I have ever been in my whole life,” Ward Burton said. “Those were weeks and the only time in my life when I could not find anything positive.”

    “It was like this, if you had a child who was sick with cancer and the medicine was there to fix his medical problems but you either did not have the means to do it or the way to do it and you couldn’t save him,” Burton continued. “That’s how I felt.”

    “Jeb has gone through a lot,” Burton said. “We were here in 2012 and had a five-race deal and we worked and worked and worked.”

    “And then we came back in 2013 and then that got pulled out from under us after they had initiated a 2014 contract and even made payments,” Burton continued. “So, you can imagine that Jeb has been through a lot of inner turmoil.”

    “But the way I look at it, it’s going to grow his inner character and when he does have relationships like this, he’s going to work it hard and make it successful and he’s going to appreciate it so much.”

    Jeb Burton was indeed most appreciative as he talked about his new opportunity with Estes and ThorSport Racing. The 21 year old acknowledged that not only would he be racing full-time in the Truck Series for 2014 but also with options for the future as well.

    “It’s a really big deal for me and my family to be with Estes Express Lines,” Jeb Burton, driver of the No. No. 13 Estes Toyota Truck for ThorSport Racing said. “It means a lot to me and I look forward to the future with them.”

    “Each time I get behind the wheel, I’m not only representing the Burton family and ThorSport Racing, now I have the privilege of representing everyone at Estes, which means a team of almost 15,000 employees including more than 6,000 truck drivers.”

    In addition to Estes and ThorSports, both Jeb and Ward Burton were emotional when talking about the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series, seeing the Series as giving many young drivers the chance to make their mark. In fact, Burton has already made his mark in the Series, having competed in all four Truck races this year, producing two top-10 finishes and ranking eighth in the Series standings.

    “Thank God for the Truck Series,” Ward Burton said. “Without the Camping World Truck Series, a lot of kids like Jeb wouldn’t have the opportunity either.”

    “It’s such a small window for a driver to get a ride and then win races,” Burton continued. “So, the whole dynamic has changed and if it had been like this when I was coming up, I would have never had a chance. It would have never happened for me.”

    “I didn’t have financial backing to bring with me,” Burton said. “And now, there are a few exceptions, but most for most of the kids don’t have it that way either. The economy and the way businesses have made financial decisions about the sport has just changed so much.”

    Jeb Burton was also emotional as he talked about what he hoped to bring not only to the race track but also to his new Estes family.

    “Last year I had a really good year and we had some good results,” Jeb Burton said. “Hopefully our results will pick up and we will get a win.”

    “I’m really excited to meet all the Estes drivers, bring them to the race track and entertain them every week because I want to make them all NASCAR fans.”

    But for both Ward and Jeb Burton, emotions spilled over as they acknowledged the new opportunity that would kick off at Dover International Speedway this weekend.

    “Everything happens for a reason and I felt that our deal was that way,” Jeb Burton said. “I just keep trying to be patient and get better and improve.”

    “Jeb and I both cried at our announcement with ThorSport and Estes on Tuesday,” Ward Burton said. “I don’t know any other way that I can tell you how much that means to both of us.”

    “Luckily every now and then you meet some people who you have something in common with you and your hard work pays off.”

  • Brett Moffitt Equipped For Sprint Cup Debut at Dover

    Brett Moffitt Equipped For Sprint Cup Debut at Dover

    Jay Robinson Racing, affiliate to Michael Waltrip Racing, announced that Brett Moffitt will make his NASCAR Sprint Cup Series debut at Dover International Raceway this weekend.

    Moffitt, 22, competed in the NASCAR K&N East Pro Series for five season registering nine victories after 61 career-starts, however, an  championship eluded him; his best finish in the championship standings was second (twice).

    Though, despite the K&N East experience, Moffitt has limited tenure in the NASCAR Touring Series, running two NASCAR Camping World Truck Series events and a single NASCAR Nationwide Series race.

    Moffitt, however, isn’t concerned the limited experience will affect him this weekend at Dover, especially since he’s captured two K&N East triumphs at the Monster Mile.

    “I’m honored Jay asked me to drive his car at Dover,” Moffitt said. “The Monster Mile is a tough, but fun track and I can’t wait to get there. I won the 2009 & 2010 K&N East races at Dover so I think I’ll feel comfortable there, but SprintCup racing is a whole new world.”

    Moffitt, piloting from Grimes, Iowa, understands the expectations: qualify (as the team will be forced to qualify in on time) and gain crucial track time.

    “I appreciate all support I have received from Jay Robinson, TRD and everyone at Michael Waltrip Racing for making this happen,” Moffitt explained. “My goals are to qualify well and learn all I can during the race.”

    Robinson, who formed an alliance with Michael Waltrip following last season, is expecting a solid result from the developing driver, in fact, he believes he could have a diamond in the rough, considering the respect Moffitt holds in the garage area.

    “Brett is a very young driver with a lot of experience for his age,” said Robinson. “If you ask around the garage, you will learn he’s one of the most respected young men in the sport who just hasn’t had a chance at a full-time ride. We think he has a lot of talent and will show it at Dover.”

    Moffitt will attain the driver seat of the No. 66 Toyota which has been occupied by Joe Nemechek, primary driver, and Jeff Burton, secondary driver.

    The FedEx benefiting Autism Speaks 400 at Dover will be held this Sunday, June 1, 2014.