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Tag: NASCAR Sprint Cup Series

  • NASCAR Top-10 Power Rankings: Pocono

    Note: The quotes in this article are fictional.

    1. Jimmie Johnson: Johnson started from the pole at Pocono but found trouble on lap 76 when he cut a tire and hit the wall. Despite the damage, he finished 13th and actually increased his lead in the points standings to 77 over Clint Bowyer.

    “I’ve got a lot of empathy for that tire,” Johnson said, “because we both ‘blow’ victories.”

    2. Matt Kenseth: Kenseth posted a disappointing 22nd in the GoBowling.com 400 after his No. 20 Husky Chevy was collected in a lap 1 wreck involving Ricky Stenhouse, Jr. and Juan Montoya. Kenseth dropped one spot in the points standings to seventh, 134 out of first.

    “What do you call drivers who cause a wreck on lap 1 of the GoBowling.com 400?” Kenseth said. “Pinheads.”

    3. Kasey Kahne: Kahne zoomed past Jeff Gordon with two laps to go to win the GoBowling.com 400 at Pocono, his second win of the year. Kahne solidified his Chase For The Cup standing and is now eighth in the Sprint Cup points standings, 160 behind Jimmie Johnson.

    “Those restarts were nerve-racking,” Kahne said. “As one would expect in the GoBowling.com 400, I was on pins and needles.

    “What a run by the No. 5 Farmers Insurance Chevrolet. It insured victory, and was at a premium. The pit crew made all the right adjustments. As a result, we had the field covered.”

    4. Kyle Busch: Busch was the top Toyota finisher at Pocono, finishing eighth for his 12th top-10 finish of the year. He is seventh in the points standings, 130 behind Jimmie Johnson.

    “Normally,” Busch said, “you can find a Toyota in the top 5. Not on Sunday. There were no cars from Japanese automakers there. In other words, there was a case of ‘Oriental hooky’ at Pocono.”

    5. Dale Earnhardt, Jr.: Earnhardt led two laps and finished fifth at Pocono, posting his fifth top-5 result of the year. He is fifth in the points standings, 116 behind Jimmie Johnson.

    “Pocono Raceway is in the vicinity of Pennsylvania Dutch country,” Earnhardt said. “Combine that fact with the smell of a Junior Nation tent after three days in the infield and you’ve got yourself a ‘dutch oven.’”

    6. Clint Bowyer: Bowyer remained winless on the year with a 14th at Pocono as Michael Waltrip Racing teammate Martin Truex, Jr. finished close behind in 15th. Bowyer is still second in the point standings and trails Jimmie Johnson by 77.

    “I’m still without a win this year,” Bowyer said. “That could change this Sunday at the Cheez-It 355 At The Glen. In fact, I’m going to go out on a limb and predict a win. If I’m wrong, I’ll certainly complain about it. That would make Watkins Glen much like Sonoma—whine and Cheez country.”

    7. Kevin Harvick: Harvick finished 17th at Pocono on a topsy-turvy day for Chase front-runners. After a run of nine consecutive top-10 finishes, Harvick has posted finishes outside the top 15 in the last two weeks.

    “How I wish I could have waited until Sunday to announce my departure from Richard Childress Racing,” Harvick said. “What better place than the GoBowling.com 400 to announce a ‘split.’”

    8. Brad Keselowski: After winning the Nationwide Series race in Iowa on Saturday, Keselowski took sixth in the GoBowling.com 400 on Sunday. Last year’s Sprint Cup champion holds the 12th spot in the Sprint Cup point standings, four points ahead of Kurt Busch in 13th.

    “There are many that don’t believe I’ll even make the Chase,” Keselowski said. “And there are just as many that believe I will. I’m just glad some people are willing to come to my ‘defense,’ because I may not be.”

    9. Jeff Gordon: Gordon used a late caution to snatch the lead from Kasey Kahne, but after another late caution, Kahne got past Gordon with two to go to win the GoBowling.com 400. Gordon finished second and moved up one spot to 10th in the point standings.

    “Sunday was my 42nd birthday,” Gordon said. “I didn’t exactly have my birthday wishes come true, but I did get a spanking from Kasey.”

    10. Carl Edwards: Edwards finished 11th at Pocono, one spot behind Roush Fenway teammate Greg Biffle. Edwards is third in the points standings, 84 behind Jimmie Johnson.

    “Danica Patrick wrecked Travis Kvapil for the second time in three races,” Edwards said. “Let’s not go so hard on Danica. She will be a good driver one day. For now, though, she’s just an accident waiting to ‘happen.’”

  • The Dangers of Sprint Car Racing: Tony Stewart Injured & Kramer Williamson Killed

    The Dangers of Sprint Car Racing: Tony Stewart Injured & Kramer Williamson Killed

    The racing community woke up to some very shocking news Tuesday morning. Three-time NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion Tony Stewart broke his right leg in a Sprint Car crash at Southern Iowa Speedway and will miss Watkins Glen. Max Papis has been selected to drive the car in Tony’s absence. Just two days prior, Sprint Car Hall of Famer Kramer Williamson was killed in a crash at Lincoln Speedway; the 7th Sprint Car fatality of this year alone. Deaths like his are a poignant and cruel reminder of just how dangerous racing can be. The sting from the tragic loss of Jason Leffler is still at the forefront of all our minds and these latest incidents have only fueled the fire as people call for immediate action to make Sprint Car racing safer.

    There are two kinds of people caught up in this great debate that are doing nothing but making false and inaccurate statements with their bleating comments on social media. You have the ones who believe the proverbial sky is falling and are calling for a ban of the “suicidal” Sprint Cars…those people have little to no knowledge of open-wheel dirt racing and need to stop talking about something they know nothing about. There are also the shortsighted, grass-root race fans who ignorantly deny the dangers and believe that their racing is completely safe. Both contingents refuse to be swayed away from their opinions but fortunately, there are ones that are actually willing to discuss the topic with an open mind and with intelligent remarks.

    It’s no secret that Sprint Car racing is among one of the most dangerous forms of professional motorsports out there today but still, they’ve come a long way from what they used to be. I look at Sprint Car racing right now and I see NASCAR back in the late 90’s. NASCAR was frequently losing drivers and mourned their losses but failed to do anything to prevent future tragedy’s. We watched and endured as John Nemechek, Adam Petty, Kenny Irwin Jr. and Tony Roper perished due to people who were too close to the forest to see the trees. We were set in our ways and just accepted death as a tragic part of racing without asking the tough questions that could have saved lives.

    Then Dale Earnhardt was killed on the final lap of the 2001 Daytona 500 and everything changed. No longer would death be tolerated or an acceptable occurrence. One fatality suddenly became one too many for the racing community and NASCAR decided to act. They were fought every step of the way though by the very drivers they set out to protect. Racers did not like the HANS device and containment seats because they limited their movement and vision. The resistance of the new safety devices eventually ceased and everyone started to embrace the new technology. Not a single national touring driver has died in a NASCAR race since that dark day in Daytona.

    USAC and World of Outlaws now face the same challenge that NASCAR did 12 years ago. They must protect these drivers and also satisfy the needs of these daredevils who will be whipping these cars around dirt tracks across the United States for years to come. After we lost Jason Leffler, serious talks began behind closed doors as the men in charge discussed how they can refine their protocols regarding safety. Now that we are burying a Sprint Car legend and a NASCAR superstar has been injured; those talks are becoming much more serious and a bit more incensed. Warnings and theories do not resonate with us like they should but death and injuries do because that unfortunately gives credence to the warnings that we just didn’t want to believe.

    There is a great disparity between NASCAR and its open-wheel brethren in regards to safety. Once you get past all the bleating comments, disregard the people who say these cars are innocuous and stop calling for imprudent decisions with remarks backed by beleaguered feelings; one obvious fact becomes clear. The technology to make these cars and the racing safer already exists; it simply needs to be implemented and it will be. Open-wheel dirt racing is on the brink of a new era of safety innovations that will save countless lives and change the landscape of the sport forever.

    With these improvements in safety, death will quickly become a stranger who rarely crosses our path instead of a frequent visitor whose presence is awaited with intense trepidation. Death will always return though whether we want it to or not; you can’t run away from it but we can definitely hinder its progress. No matter how many more friends we lose; be assured that these brave men and women will never give up their passion. Racing isn’t a hobby; it’s something that is embedded deep within the DNA of racers and the desire to race supersedes every other emotion including the fear of death itself. We bury the fallen with tears, embrace the ones who escape death’s firm and final grip with relief and race on because that’s what racers do.

  • Crunching The Numbers: Pocono & Iowa

    After a weekend of racing at the Brickyard for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series and NASCAR Nationwide Series and a Wednesday night of dirt racing at Eldora for the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series, all three series head off to new destinations this week with the Sprint Cup Series and Camping World Truck Series heading to Pocono and the Nationwide Series heading back to Iowa Speedway for the second time this season.

    NASCAR Sprint Cup Series – GoBowling.com 400 at Pocono Raceway

    From the rectangular shaped Indianapolis Motor Speedway last weekend to the triangular shaped Pocono Raceway this weekend, this section of the Sprint Cup Series schedule takes the drivers to tracks that are anything but your run-of-the-mill oval. Especially Pocono, with its three distinct turns all based off of turns from three different tracks. Turn 1 is based off of Trenton Speedway, Turn 2 is based off of Indianapolis Motor Speedway, and Turn 3 is based off of The Milwaukee Mile. Many say that drivers who run well at Indianapolis tend to run well at Pocono, so at the end of 400 miles on Sunday, we’ll see if that holds true.

    Driver Races Win Top 5 Top 10 Pole Laps Led Avg. Start Avg. Finish
    Jimmie Johnson 23 3 10 16 2 690 9.0 8.7
    Jeff Gordon 41 6 18 28 2 965 11.4 10.2
    Denny Hamlin 15 4 8 10 2 663 6.3 10.5
    Tony Stewart 29 2 12 21 2 156 12.7 11.0
    Mark Martin 53 0 20 34 3 448 9.4 11.2
    Ryan Newman 23 1 8 11 2 182 10.3 12.0
    Carl Edwards 17 2 5 8 0 221 18.0 13.5
    Kevin Harvick 25 0 5 9 0 5 19.2 13.9
    Matt Kenseth 27 0 3 10 0 54 18.0 14.7
    Brad Keselowski 7 1 2 2 0 31 18.1 14.7

    Who To Watch: Five-time champion Jimmie Johnson seems to be having another one of those championship caliber seasons this year with his 75 point advantage heading into this weekend, so it’s no surprise that he leads all active drivers at Pocono. In 23 starts, Johnson has three wins, 10 top fives, 16 top tens, two poles, 690 laps led, and an average finish of 8.7. Let’s not forget just how dominant Johnson was during his June Pocono win. If anyone is going to win this race, Johnson will be the man to beat.

    Johnson’s Hendrick Motorsports teammate, Jeff Gordon, also has an impressive career at Pocono with six wins, 18 top fives, 28 top tens, two poles, 965 laps led, and an average finish of 10.2 in 41 starts.

    Others who run well at Pocono include: Denny Hamlin, with four wins, eight top fives, 10 top tens, two poles, 663 laps led, and an average finish of 10.5 in 15 starts; Tony Stewart, with two wins, 12 top fives, 21 top tens, two poles, 156 laps led, and an average finish of 11.0 in 29 starts; Mark Martin, with 20 top fives, 34 top tens, three poles, 448 laps led, and an average finish of 11.2 in 53 starts; and winner of last weekend’s race at Indianapolis, Ryan Newman, with one win, eight top fives, 11 top tens, two poles, 182 laps led, and an average finish of 12.0 in 23 starts.

    NASCAR Nationwide Series – U.S. Cellular 250 at Iowa

    For the second time this season the Nationwide Series heads to Iowa Speedway for a standalone event on the short track. With the Sprint Cup Series in Pocono for the weekend, the Nationwide regulars will practically have the track to themselves, except for a Cup regular or two that will be making the double duty trip down to Iowa.

    Driver Races Win Top 5 Top 10 Pole Laps Led Avg. Start Avg. Finish
    Brad Keselowski 3 1 3 3 0 151 8.3 2.7
    Elliott Sadler 5 1 5 5 3 100 3.2 2.8
    Kyle Larson 1 0 1 1 0 0 10.0 5.0
    Regan Smith 1 0 0 1 0 0 5.0 7.0
    Sam Hornish Jr. 4 0 2 2 0 91 3.5 10.8
    Justin Allgaier 7 0 1 5 0 150 6.6 10.9
    Parker Kligerman 2 0 0 1 0 0 11.0 11.0
    Austin Dillon 5 0 2 3 1 260 5.8 11.8
    Michael Annett 7 0 1 2 0 6 20.3 13.0
    Cole Whitt 3 0 0 1 0 4 14.3 14.0

    Who To Watch: As the only Cup regular in the field, Brad Keselowski also boasts the best statistics in the Nationwide Series at Iowa. In three starts, Keselowski has one win, three top fives, three top tens, 151 laps led, and an average start of 2.7. The No. 22 car that Keselowski will be driving has won three times previously this season, so Keselowski should be strong on Saturday night once again.

    Elliott Sadler is the top Nationwide regular at Iowa with one win, five top fives, five top tens, three poles, 100 laps led, and an average finish of 2.8 in five starts.

    Others who run well at Iowa include: Rookie Kyle Larson, who finished fifth in his lone start this season; Regan Smith, who had a top ten of his own earlier this season at Iowa with a seventh place finish; Austin Dillon, who was well on his way to a victory in the first race at Iowa this year before fading late, and has two top fives, three top tens, one pole, 260 laps led, and an average finish of 11.8 in five starts; Trevor Bayne will also be strong as he won the first race at the track this year by overtaking Dillon late in the race.

    NASCAR Camping World Truck Series – Pennsylvania Mountains 125 at Pocono

    After a historic night of dirt racing last Wednesday night at Eldora, the Camping World Truck Series heads back to the pavement to take on the Tricky Triangle at Pocono. The Trucks have only been racing at Pocono for the last three seasons as a companion to the second Cup Series date at the track. There will be no Cup regulars racing this weekend, so who wins this race is pretty much up in the air as to who can get the job done on Saturday.

    Driver Races Win Top 5 Top 10 Pole Laps Led Avg. Start Avg. Finish
    Joey Coulter 2 1 1 2 0 7 8.0 2.5
    Matt Crafton 3 0 2 3 0 0 13.3 5.0
    James Buescher 3 0 2 2 0 6 7.3 5.3
    Ty Dillon 1 0 0 1 0 0 2.0 6.0
    John Wes Townley 1 0 0 1 0 0 11.0 8.0
    Ross Chastain 1 0 0 1 0 0 20.0 10.0
    Timothy Peters 3 0 0 2 0 2 10.7 13.3
    Johnny Sauter 3 0 1 1 0 0 13.7 15.0
    Miguel Paludo 2 0 0 0 0 0 8.5 16.0
    Ron Hornaday Jr. 3 0 0 1 0 0 8.3 19.0

    Who To Watch: Since the Truck Series has only run at Pocono for a few years now, the only winner at Pocono in the field is Joey Coulter, who has the one win, one top five, two top tens, seven laps led, and an average finish of 2.5 in two starts.

    Others who have raced at Pocono previously and run well there include: Series points leader, Matt Crafton, who has two top fives, three top tens, and an average finish of 5.0 in three starts; 2012 champion James Buescher, with two top fives, two top tens, six laps led, and an average finish of 5.3 in three starts; and Ty Dillon, with a sixth place finish in his first start at the track last year.

    Any conversation on who is likely to win a Truck Series race this season also has to include the rookies in the series who have been running strong all season long . So, Jeb Burton, Darrell Wallace Jr., and Ryan Blaney could find themselves in Victory Lane this weekend as well.

  • Low Turn Outs Good for NASCAR?

    Low Turn Outs Good for NASCAR?

    This week we had spotter Rocky Ryan on the show to talk racing with us. Rocky is an always entertaining person and we thoroughly enjoy each and every time he is available. Anyone that has listened to the show when Rocky is on knows that that the conversations are generally light hearted and we take good natured verbal jabs at one another from time to time.

    This week started off as it has several times in the past, but then Rocky and I got into a lively debate on how to fix the product that NASCAR is putting on the tracks these days. No this wasn’t a knee jerk reaction to the rather boring race at Indianapolis; but rather a reaction to the overall low quality of racing we the fans have had to endure for several years now and the continued diminished turn outs at historic venues. As is mentioned in my bio I have been a fan of racing since I could holler a coherent sentence. Racing is in my blood, my father built Sprint and Winged World of Outlaw cars for our local track in Lubbock Texas when I was growing up, I know racing. I know good racing when I see, and I know bad racing when I almost fall asleep watching it.

    While we had Rocky on this week, we discussed the possibility of removing the front splitter on the cars and reducing the size of the spoiler. This would take away the aero grip that we so often hear about during the race weekends. Rocky agreed that anything that can be done to put the balance of the race back into the driver’s hands would be a good thing. But he also cautioned that making such an adjustment would not be the magic bullet cure all that we all want to seek. So, again I proposed another solution that has been floating around on the interweb blogospheres, reducing the overall horsepower of the cars to bring in more pack styled racing.

    His response was classic Rocky Ryan, and one of the great many reasons that I enjoy having him on the show with us. This isn’t a direct quote, but fairly close, “Great so then we’ll get to see the cars drive around single file……just slower.” Basically saying that this solution is one of the more ridiculous resolutions that has been thrown out there as of late, all it would do would hurt the overall ability to pass and give us even more boring races.

    After the show, I got to thinking about what else could help NASCAR get back to the glory days of putting butts in the seats at the venues and get the ratings back to what they once were, if not better. As I often do, I hang out in the chat room on our website after the show and talk with the fans about their thoughts on what the content of the show was, what they thought of the guests we had on the show. What they thought about what my co-host and I had to say, just hanging out and having fun.

    During this conversation several folks were complaining about the price of tickets for the event(s) themselves, then the cost of a hotel/motel stay. Add in the cost of transportation to and from the venue, the cost of concessions…. Then I realized that the people that caused this sport to surge to the forefront of media, the fans, blue collar working class people, can no longer afford to attend an event that is boring, and that is where my fix comes into place for NASCAR.

    In the middle of this conversation, I had an epiphany. “What if attendance at the tracks and the number of viewers each week dwindled to the point that the entire system had to reduce their prices to get people back to the track? Will this be a painful process to the newer fans that have grown up with the ability to see racing each and every weekend? Without a doubt, fans since the late nineties have had the luxury of seeing racing each and every weekend, while when I was growing up we were lucky to catch highlights during the Wide World of Sports, hosted by Howard Cosell.

    If fans continue to stay away from the coliseums that have been raised up with the expectation of race fans coming in droves, then NASCAR itself would have to eventually step in and do something, not just something about the over priced tickets and all the other issues that I listed above, but also about the overall product on the track. NASCAR would have to go back to its roots, its grassroots, the thing that made it so popular to begin with. Drivers actually caring about their fans, drivers staying around until every last single fan got their autograph or photograph; instead of being scheduled to sign for forty-five minutes, showing up late and leaving early. It would force the drivers to actually have a personality again, versus just being a corporate shill hawking their sponsor’s latest wares. The list goes on and on in regard to what this would do to the overall landscape of the world of big time stock car racing.

    Please do not get me wrong, this isn’t some chain letter / call to arms for; “All NASCAR fans to boycott the races and show them who is boss.” There is nothing more that I would like to see than for each and every venue to be sold out each and every week for every event that is on the track. I know that there will be people and teams that will lose their ability to continue to do what it is that they love most. But let’s face facts, we could very well be seeing the sport that we all love and enjoy dying a VERY SLOW and painful death, akin to a loved one. Someone that we simply want to ease their pain and suffering and allow themselves to move on, as well as ourselves.

    I know that this will not be a popular solution, and I get that. But before you start lighting me up, stop and think for a moment. The sooner that NASCAR can get back to its roots, the sooner you, I, and every other fan that has sat there and thought, “Do I want to sit in traffic for three hours to watch a boring race and shelling out money that could be used elsewhere, versus staying at home and watching the same boring race and save money….;” then the sooner we will be able to afford to return to the track and get excited about seeing our favorite drivers on the track. At the end of the day, isn’t that what all true race fans want?

  • Ryan Newman Makes a Statement With Brickyard 400 Victory

    Ryan Newman Makes a Statement With Brickyard 400 Victory

    After a rare pit mistake by the No.48 team that cost them a shot at history, Indiana race fans rejoiced as they watched native Hoosier, Ryan Newman triumph over all at the Brickyard. Newman and Johnson were the class of the field all day with Jimmie showing the most strength but this is a team sport and a 17 second pit stop with just a handful of laps remaining is nearly impossible to overcome when your rival takes two tires. To me, the prudent decision for the usually cunning Chad Knaus would have been to call an audible and take two tires after the issues on the right side; that would have saved their race. It was a huge win for Newman and considering his situation, one that may ensure the longevity of his NASCAR career.

    Ryan Newman is a very underrated driver in my opinion. A large contingent of fans look at him as that driver who is decent and occasional snags a win here and there but in 424 Cup starts, he’s amassed 50 poles, 90 top five’s, 175 top ten’s and 17 wins which include the Daytona 500 and now the Brickyard 400. He’s won multiple Nationwide races, is serious threat every time he gets behind the wheel of a Modified and in five Camping World Truck Series starts, his worst finish is 5th. Those numbers are Hall of Fame worthy but people still fail to appreciate the natural talent this USAC champion possesses.

    His impressive stats alone were not enough for him to keep his seat at Stewart-Haas Racing. NASCAR is money driven and we have seen too many situations where cash talks and talent walks; Newman being the just the latest driver to get the boot due to that unfortunate policy. The team owners in NASCAR are not ignorant to the fact that Ryan can wheel a racecar and there have been rumors that RCR and Furniture Row were looking at adding him to their roster in 2014. What he did at Indy was substantial in salvaging his career and maintaining a presence at the pinnacle of NASCAR. A ride for next year seemed feasible going into Indy but this win may have launched him to the top of the list for a few owners that were already contemplating him. I’m sure team owner Tony Stewart felt ambivalent about the victory knowing that Ryan will no longer be his driver next year but going out a winner would be the best way for the “Rocket Man” to go.

    He is making it known that the “lame-duck” status that departing drivers are often labeled with does not apply to him. At Loudon, he was informed that his services at Stewart-Haas would no longer be needed after 2013 and just one race later, he’s breaking track records and celebrating in victory lane at Indianapolis. SHR has experienced something similar to this back in 2011 when crew chief Darian Grubb was told he would be released at the end of the season…he and Tony Stewart went on to win the championship. Matt Borland and Ryan Newman have enjoyed great success with one-another in the past and they seem to have one of those rare driver/crew chief combinations that just works much like Johnson/Knaus, Keselowski/Wolfe or Kahne/Francis.

    The No.39 team does not seem beleaguered by the recent announcement regarding their driver’s imminent release; their dedication and hunger to succeed seems unshakable as they set out to make some noise in the final 16 races of the year. An uncertain future has only seemed to motivate Ryan and make him more determined to take 2013 by the horns and leave SHR in a blaze of glory rather than quietly into the night.

  • Matty’s Picks Vol. 17 – Crown Royal Presents the Samuel Deeds 400 at The Brickyard Powered by BigMachineRecords.com – Indianapolis Motor Speedway – July 28, 2013

    Matty’s Picks Vol. 17 – Crown Royal Presents the Samuel Deeds 400 at The Brickyard Powered by BigMachineRecords.com – Indianapolis Motor Speedway – July 28, 2013

    The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series visits the famed 2.5-mile rectangle in the Midwest at Indianapolis Motor Speedway for the 20th time on Sunday for a 400-mile race which will certainly have some foreshadowing into the future this week and here is why. The race at IMS has some serious championship implications this week as 15 of the 19 races at the Brickyard have been won by series champions. The Indy race winner has gone on to capture the NASCAR Sprint Cup title in eight different seasons and Jimmie Johnson was the most recent in 2009, duplicating his Indy-Sprint Cup championship sweeps of 2006 and 2008.

    Indy has eluded the majority of the top 10 guys in points over the years as Jimmie Johnson and Kevin Harvick are the only two members of the current top 10 in the standings have won at The Brickyard.

    As far as the makes go, Chevy has been nearly invincible over the years at the brickyard as the last non-Chevrolet to win at IMS was Ray Evernham’s Dodge driven by a guy named Bill Elliot all the way back in 2001, in fact a General Motors product has won 15 of the 19 races held at the Brickyard which includes Bobby Labonte’s win for Pontiac in 2000.
    Nothing to recap this week as we had our first week off since Easter last week, so we’ll move on to the picks.

    Winner Pick
    On Thursday while previewing today’s race from the Brickyard with Greg Depalma on the Prime Sports Network, it was Kevin Harvick who I liked to win because of his flat-track history and the generous 20 to 1 odds that came along with him. Despite a couple solid practice sessions on Friday and Saturday, Karvick’s qualifying position has me a bit gun-shy to pull the trigger on him for this afternoon. Just 3 of the 19 races at the Brickyard have been won from starting spots 20th or worse, and Harvick qualified his Chevrolet 24th so though I still think he poses a solid threat for his 3rd victory of the season, I don’t think he’s got the car to beat this weekend.

    Instead, I’m going to swap my pick this week and go with the other guy I picked Thursday to win at The Brickyard in Kasey Kahne. Kasey has a lot going for him this weekend as first, he’s in a Chevy, second he finished runner up in the 2005 race in just his 2nd ever start at IMS, and 3rd he’s been fast all weekend. Kahne was 5th in the first practice, 2nd behind Kurt Busch in Happy Hour, and will roll off 7th when the green flag flies later this afternoon. I’ve got a hunch today, and I think we see Kasey Kahne kiss the bricks for the first time.

    Dark Horse Pick
    My Dark Horse driver has not changed from Thursday but the odds associated with my Dark Horse sure have. Juan Montoya started the week as a 30 to 1 longshot. He’s now just behind guys like four-time Brickyard winner Jeff Gordon and two-time winner Tony Stewart at 12 to 1 right now! This means I’m not the only person in the world to believe in this guy because of his history at IMS. This car has shown speed again this year at The Brickyard and after winning the first practice session, following up in 3rd on the charts during Happy Hour, and qualifying 8th, my pick from Thursday is looking better and better.

    If it wasn’t for a pit road speeding penalty back in 2009, Montoya’s name would have been etched in Brickyard history in the stock car category, and I think Juan is due for a win at The Brickyard.

    That’s all for this week, enjoy the race and until we are done with the flat tracks for a few weeks…..You Stay Classy NASCAR NATION!

  • Richard Childress Shares Indianapolis Memories As 20th Annual Brickyard 400 Approaches

    Richard Childress Shares Indianapolis Memories As 20th Annual Brickyard 400 Approaches

    This weekend’s race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway marks the 20th running of the Brickyard 400 on the hallowed ground that was only graced by open-wheel cars until 1994, when NASCAR came to town and stock cars began racing on the famed 2.5 mile speedway as well. Since the inaugural running of the race, the Brickyard 400 has become one of the most prestigious races on the circuit, joining the Daytona 500, Southern 500, and Coca-Cola 600 as the “crown jewels” of the schedule.

    Richard Childress has become one of the most successful owners at Indianapolis, winning the Brickyard 400 three separate times and with three different drivers, including Dale Earnhardt in 1995, Kevin Harvick in 2003, and Paul Menard in 2011. Childress is the only owner in the Sprint Cup Series to accomplish that feat.

    Childress shared his thoughts on Indianapolis during a teleconference this week in the lead up to the 20th running of the Brickyard 400 this weekend.

    “You know, when you said 20 years, it kind of reminds me of that old song Bob Seger sings, 20 Years Ago, Where Does It Go? It doesn’t seem 20 years ago when Dale Earnhardt pulled up there to run our first test. I guess that was a year or so before we went up there and raced, just to see how the Cup cars would do.To be able to see that car go around the racetrack in such a historical place as Indy with all the history there, to have Dale go around there, it was pretty amazing.”, Childress said.

    “Then coming back in 2003, we won with Kevin Harvick up there. That was a special win, as well, because we did start from the pole that day. We’ve been right there to win other Brickyards, but unfortunately we didn’t pull them off. One that ranks really high, maybe above the other two, was when Paul Menard won in 2011. What made that so special was knowing that Paul’s family was there. Knowing what John Menard had put into that, I think he had entered like 30 some car over 20 years at Indy, in the Indy 500. To be part of watching his son win that race was such a special day. Riding around the track, that’s the neatest part of Indy, is getting to ride around the track, seeing all the fans hollering.  That’s really a cool thing right there.”

    Childress elaborated further on why he thinks the 2011 Brickyard 400 win by Menard ranks highly among the three Brickyard 400 wins that RCR has. “Not taking anything away from Dale or Kevin’s first win there, but that one was so special I think because of being able to win a race with Paul, being able to win at Indy where that whole family had put so much into the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. John Menard played a huge role for many years.  To be able to win that race with him, have his whole family there that day, it was almost like a storybook ending to a great venture in Indy for John Menard.”

    Over time, the Brickyard 400 has lost some luster in the eyes of some in the sport, but Childress still believes that Indianapolis is one of the marquee events in the sport. When asked about that he said, “ If you want to win a race, you want to win the Daytona 500, you want to win the Coke 600, and Indy, the Brickyard 400.  Those are the three, in my opinion, of the biggest crowns you can win”

    Chevrolet has an impressive record at Indianapolis, winning the last 10 and 14 out of the 19 total Sprint Cup Series races at the track. Childress also shared his thoughts on that: “I think the caliber of the teams, the effort that every team puts in to go win at Indy, because we know it’s a big deal for Chevrolet to go up there and win.  I think it’s just that extra motivation for all of us. The other guys have it, too. But I think we know how important that win is for Chevy.”

    Richard Childress Racing will have the opportunity for a fourth win this weekend with four cars out of the RCR stable entered. In addition to regular drivers Kevin Harvick, Paul Menard, and Jeff Burton, Austin Dillon will also be making his Cup Series debut at Indianapolis this weekend.

  • Crunching The Numbers: Indianapolis

    Crunching The Numbers: Indianapolis

    After taking their final break of the season last weekend, the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series heads to Indianapolis Motor Speedway this weekend for the Brickyard 400 to begin the 17 race stretch run to finish off the season. The Nationwide Series will also be joining their Sprint Cup brethren at Indianapolis, while the Camping World Truck Series heads to Eldora on Wednesday night for the first NASCAR sanctioned dirt track race in several years.

    NASCAR Sprint Cup Series – Crown Royal Presents the Samuel Deeds 400 at the Brickyard Powered by BigMachineRecords.com

    Twenty years ago, the Sprint Cup Series had their first race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway and in the 19 races since the inaugural race in 1994, the Brickyard 400 has become one of the crown jewels of the sport. The list of drivers that have won this race is a who’s who of Sprint Cup champions and current and future Hall of Famers. Only four times has a driver won the race and not gone on to win the title. Look for whoever comes out on top on Sunday to be a strong championship contender.

    Driver Races Win Top 5 Top 10 Pole Laps Led Avg. Start Avg. Finish
    Tony Stewart 14 2 6 10 1 227 16.7 8.2
    Jeff Gordon 19 4 11 15 3 477 12.4 8.8
    Kevin Harvick 12 1 4 7 1 92 15.6 10.2
    Kyle Busch 8 0 2 6 0 42 21.1 11.8
    Greg Biffle 10 0 3 6 0 53 15.3 12.1
    Clint Bowyer 7 0 2 2 0 2 20.4 12.3
    Brad Keselowski 3 0 0 2 0 39 12.7 12.3
    Mark Martin 19 0 6 11 1 67 12.2 12.8
    Carl Edwards 8 0 1 3 0 5 22.0 13.2
    Jamie McMurray 10 1 3 5 0 43 15.4 14.0

    Who To Watch: With the race at Indianapolis, it’s no surprise that an Indiana native tops the list with the best statistics. Tony Stewart, who hails from Columbus, IN, has amassed some impressive numbers at the track with two wins, six top fives, 10 top tens, one pole, 227 laps led, and an average finish of 8.2 in 14 races.

    Four-time Sprint Cup champion Jeff Gordon falls in just behind Stewart with four wins, 11 top fives, 15 top tens, three poles, 477 laps led, and an average finish of 8.8 in 19 starts.

    Others to keep an eye on include: Kevin Harvick, 2003 Brickyard 400 winner, who also has four top fives, seven top tens, one pole, 92 laps led, and an average finish of 10.2 in 12 starts; Kyle Busch, with two top fives, six top tens, 42 laps led, and an average finish of 11.8 in eight starts; and Greg Biffle, with three top fives, six top tens, 53 laps led, and an average finish of 12.1 in 10 starts.

    Defending race winner, Jimmie Johnson, didn’t make the top ten statistically at Indianapolis, but has four wins at the track, along with four top fives, five top tens, one pole and has led 229 laps in 11 starts.

    One last thing to keep in mind for Sunday’s 20th running of the Brickyard 400 is the dominance that Chevrolet has had at the track. Chevrolet has won the last 10 and 14 of the 19 races at Indianapolis. Can Chevrolet win yet another Brickyard 400 or will one of the other two manufacturers finally find their way to Victory Lane?

    NASCAR Nationwide Series – Indiana 250

    After running at the short track across town in Indianapolis at Lucas Oil Raceway Park for years, the Nationwide Series made the move to Indianapolis Motor Speedway for a companion weekend with the Sprint Cup Series starting last year and will have their second running at the 2.5 mile speedway this weekend.

    Last year, Penske Racing swept the top two spots with Brad Keselowski taking the win and teammate Sam Hornish, Jr. finishing in second. Hornish regained the points lead after a second place finish in last weekend’s race at Chicago and the Indy 500 champion brings his momentum into a track that he is very familiar with.

    Indianapolis also marks the last leg of the Nationwide Insurance “Dash 4 Cash” with Austin Dillon, Hornish, Elliott Sadler, and Brian Vickers eligible for the $100,000 bonus. Dillon will be going for his third “Dash 4 Cash” bonus after winning the bonus last weekend at Chicago and at New Hampshire.

    NASCAR Camping World Truck Series – 1-800-CARCASH Mudsummer Classic Presented By CNBC Prime’s “The Profit” at Eldora

    For the first time since 1970 at Raleigh, NC, NASCAR returns to dirt racing with the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series making their inaugural trip to Eldora Speedway in Ohio for a Wednesday night feature on the half-mile dirt track. The race, which is a sellout, will not only feature points eligible Truck Series drivers, but will also have several dirt racing specialists going for the win. Those specialists include: Dave Blaney, Tracy Hines, Scott Bloomquist, Ken Schrader, Ryan Newman, Kenny Wallace, and former Truck Series champion, Austin Dillon, who will be facing off with his brother and championship contender, Ty Dillon.

    Matt Crafton leads the Truck Series standings by 39 points heading into Eldora, but the points could face a big shakeup after what is sure to be a wild race on Wednesday night in Ohio.

  • NBC Will Cover NASCAR in 2015 While ESPN & Turner Are Out

    NBCNBC is quickly becoming the new face of motorsports television. They already hold the rights to Formula 1, Indycar, a few other forms of racing and will soon be broadcasting over half of the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series & Nationwide schedule. The 10 year deal with NASCAR will give NBC the television rights to the final 20 Cup and the final 19 Nationwide races of the season. They will also be broadcasting the Hall of Fame induction ceremony, the season-ending banquet, some regional touring NASCAR races and practice and qualifying sessions for the races they will cover.

    Sports Business Journal broke the news on this major story earlier today and I was shocked that ESPN has been ousted. ESPN and Turner Sports have had a relationship with NASCAR that dates back to the 1980’s and it’s surprising me that they will no longer broadcast any races although I can’t say I’m disappointed. It’s no secret that ESPN’s number one priority is stick and ball sports while auto racing takes a back seat to that.

    NBC has held the rights to NASCAR races in the past and seem to really care about motorsports coverage. With the demise of SPEED Channel, NBC Sports is quickly becoming the new No.1 destination for racing fans across the country.

    Fox and NBC will share the Nationwide races as well as the Cup races and Fox has a deal to keep televise all Truck races through 2022. ESPN and Turner Sports both wanted to try to keep their NASCAR coverage but they weren’t willing to pay as much as NBC which was 4.4 billion dollars by the way. ESPN/Turner Sports paid 2.85 billion for the same races in their last deal with NASCAR.

    In the end, this is good for NASCAR and it will bolster the quality of TV coverage for NASCAR races. This shakeup in television deals is also a perfect time for NASCAR to make some much needed adjustments to their schedule. Both Fox and NBC care a great deal about auto racing while ESPN is more stick and ball oriented so this is a will be for the better. NBC is no stranger to using split screen coverage during their open-wheel races so I’m assuming they will put that to good use with NASCAR which would be fantastic for the fans that are tired of watching five minutes worth of commercials every ten laps or so. I could see a motorsports themed show similar to the soon to be cancelled Speed Center popping up on NBC Sports in the future too. The only negative with this new deal is the fact that a contingent of race fans out there don’t have NBC Sports or Fox Sports 1 (SPEED) while practically everyone has ESPN.

    Statements Below…

    ESPN on Losing NASCAR TV Rights

    “ESPN has enjoyed a long and mutually beneficial relationship with NASCAR. We have tremendous respect for the France family, the drivers and all in the sport and wish them well. We will continue to serve NASCAR fans through SportsCenter and our other news platforms as we continue to enhance our industry-leading collection of quality assets.

    “We are looking forward to the start of our Sprint Cup season and will continue with our deep commitment to the highest quality coverage.”

    Turner Sports on Losing NASCAR TV Rights

    “Turner Sports is proud of the partnership we’ve built with NASCAR over the past 31 years and the role our company has played in helping to grow the sport. We think NASCAR is an attractive property but we are disciplined in our approach to negotiating sports rights and could not come up with a business model that was financially prudent for our company.”

    Brian France on New TV Deal With NBC

    “NBC is known for being an exceptional partner and delivering outstanding production quality and presentation of live sports, as well as its broad portfolio of broadcast and digital properties so we are thrilled with the commitment they have made to NASCAR and its future. 

    We know this partnership will yield great value to our entire industry, provide a premium experience to our most important stakeholders, the fans, and help us achieve a number of strategic growth objectives. Our new partnership with NBC and the recent extension by FOX validate the strength of our fan base and the many bold steps we have taken the last several years to provide fans with better, more accessible racing.”

  • From A Hospital Bed To Victory Lane; Brian Vickers Has Persevered

    From A Hospital Bed To Victory Lane; Brian Vickers Has Persevered

    October 24th, 2004 – Brian Vickers ended a rough day at Martinsville in 27th position and two laps off the pace to race winner and teammate, Jimmie Johnson. Just a few miles away in the Bull Mountains that surround the legendary racetrack, a plane had crashed and sadly, there were no survivors. The plane was owned by Hendrick Motorsports and 10 members of the Hendrick family were tragically lost that day including promising young racer and son of Rick; Ricky Hendrick. Brian Vickers had now lost two very good friends before he was even 21 years old; the first being Adam Petty four years earlier.Brian Vickers is a spiritual person and believes to this very day that those two friends are still with him and that somebody up there is definitely looking after him. Brian wiped away the tears and continued to do what he and they loved so much and that was racing. He was forced to endure the untimely deaths of two people that were very close to him and just six years later, he would brush shoulders with death himself.

    In those six years, Brian got to feel the thrill of winning a Cup race on two separate occasions. The first was a controversial finish at Talladega in 2006 when he accidentally took out his teammate Jimmie Johnson and Dale Earnhardt Jr on the final lap in route to the win. Three years later, he was celebrating in victory lane at Michigan as a driver for Red Bull Racing. The win gave Brian and team the boost they needed to make the chase and he was very excited to improve on their impressive 2009 season in 2010. As fate would have it though, Brian never got that chance.

    The week prior to racing at Darlington, Brian had experienced numbness and tingling in his hand as well as some pain in his chest. It didn’t hinder his efforts on track though as he would start 3rd and finish 10th at the “track to tough to tame.” Unfortunately, the pain worsened while lying in bed Monday night but he pushed through it. It occurred again on Tuesday night but the young, athletic Vickers again persevered through the intense pain that he later called the worst pain he’s ever felt in his life.

    On Wednesday, he toured Washington D.C. with some friends while he felt an intense burning sensation in his lungs. He called Dr. Petty who advised him to go to the emergency room immediately which Brian ignorantly did not do. After finally deciding to go to a nearby hospital, Brian jumped in a cab in what happened to be rush hour and traffic was at a standstill. He got out and thought it would be quicker to walk but it started raining so he ran…bad idea. He could barely breathe and by the time he got to the ER, he was in tremendous, unbearable pain.

    After a CT scan, Brian anxiously awaited news from doctors regarding what was wrong with him and he was worried that he might have to miss Dover. As he quickly found out, he would be missing a lot more races than just Dover and in fact, he was lucky to be alive after blood clots in his legs had made it to his lungs and heart. His imprudent decisions that day nearly cost him his life but in retrospect, who would have thought it was that serious considering how fit Brian is.

    The magnitude of his situation didn’t fully hit Vickers until the press conference at Charlotte Motor Speedway when he would enlighten the racing world regarding what happened to him. After his recovery, Brian was hungry to get back into the car and that chance finally came in the 2011 Daytona 500 but it seems that his travails were not over just yet. Roughly a year after Vickers was sidelined due to blood clots, the Associated Press broke the news that Red Bull was leaving NASCAR at the conclusion of 2011 and shutting down Red Bull Racing; leaving Brian Vickers without a ride.

    Photo Credit: Getty Images
    Photo Credit: Getty Images

    It didn’t take long for the world to see Brian’s anger and frustration as his behavior on the racetrack drastically changed. His on track performance suffered and he was involved in multiple altercations with other drivers including Tony Stewart, Matt Kenseth, Jamie McMurray and Marcos Ambrose. At Martinsville in October, Vickers completely fell apart and showed great disdain for everyone he raced with that day. He was the main cause of five separate wrecks during the race. He lost a lot of credibility among his fellow racers after that race and his reputation was damaged leaving a large contingent of people to believe that we wouldn’t be seeing him in NASCAR for much longer.

    Michael Waltrip gave Brian a chance to get behind the wheel of one of his cars for six races in 2012 in a move that many had doubts about. Brian would quickly prove all the naysayers wrong when he made his debut with MWR at Bristol. He led over 100 laps and finished 5th without a scratch on the car; redeeming himself from the events of 2011 that had tarnished his reputation. He continued to run very well in the car proving that Bristol was no fluke and the success continued into 2013. In fact, he landed a full-time Nationwide ride with Joe Gibbs Racing while also increasing the number of races he would run for MWR in Cup. His performance in the No.55 has given credence to the longevity of his career in NASCAR.

    At New Hampshire Motor Speedway last weekend, Vickers’ incredible story of tragedy, tenacity and perseverance finally came full circle. Brian quietly started 13th and wasn’t mentioned much throughout the event except for when he received a penalty for a pit road violation that trapped him one lap down. He kept fighting though and with 16 laps to go, he muscled his way past Tony Stewart for the lead and then proceeded to pull away from the field.

    With just five laps remaining, the caution flew for debris and the feelings of trepidation in the No.55 pits was obvious as they got ready for a Green-White-Checker with two drivers notorious for their aggression restarting 2nd and 3rd. Stewart ran Vickers hard in the first corner with the always aggressive Kyle Busch making it three wide on the inside. With a power move off the corner, Brian cleared both drivers as he desperately raced towards the white flag. Kyle Busch moved into 2nd but failed to catch Brian who was able to hold on and take the win at Loudon! To the delight of the fans, Brian took the time to give many of them high-fives as he walked down the front-stretch, proudly displaying the checkered flag in his hand.

    This victory basically guaranteed Brian Vickers a full-time ride in 2014 driving that No.55 for Michael Waltrip Racing and I’m sure he will be a force to be reckoned with. We are witnessing the resurgence of Brian Vickers right now. The desire to compete and to win is something all drivers possess but Brian Vickers knows better than most that it can be ripped away from you in a matter of seconds. From mourning at the funerals of fallen friends to celebrating in victory lane for the first time, or recovering from a near-death experience only to find out that you may never get to do what you love ever again, but then a simple phone call changes everything and you are back and better than ever….Vickers endured through it all and came out a better man because of it.

    In this life, we all have a cross to bear and Brian Vickers has done so valiantly. He stumbled along the way but in times when so many would have thrown up their hands and given up, he pushed on seeking the light in a place where the darkness seemed endless. Congratulations on the well-deserved win at New Hampshire Brian and I firmly believe that we will see you in victory lane again.