Tag: NASCAR Sprint Cup Series

NASCAR Needs To Change Restart Rules

From what I saw, NASCAR made the right call at Dover black flagging Jimmie Johnson but if you step back and take a look at how restarts are policed; you would agree that NASCAR needs to overhaul the entire process. There is a much simpler way of going about restarts that would be better for everyone if they implemented it. Before I get to what that exactly is, here’s a look back at other restart controversies that drastically affected the outcome of races.

There have been many restart controversies in NASCAR; too many actually. It’s a very gray area and it’s always a judgment call on NASCAR’s part. There really isn’t a black and white ruling with restarts and the calls are usually very inconsistent. That’s not a shot at the officials; it’s just a tough thing to police. NASCAR has a restart zone and the 2nd place car is not allowed to pass the leader unless they don’t go by the time the field gets to the end of the restart area. The leader can also be legally passed if they are unable to maintain a reasonable speed. The drivers mess with one another on restarts all the time trying to get that slight advantage that could potentially change the outcome of their race.

Earlier this year, we saw Carl Edwards brake-check the field at Phoenix allowing him to get a considerable gap over Jimmie Johnson. Technically, he didn’t maintain a reasonable speed by slowing down like that but NASCAR let it slide. Last year, there was a Nationwide race at Indianapolis where Elliott Sadler had the win taken away from him after a controversial restart. He beat leader Brad Keselowski to the line, there’s no doubt about that but the circumstances surrounding it is what makes it controversial. Not only did leader Brad Keselowski spin his tires, but Elliott’s teammate Austin Dillon was shoving him so there was no possible way he could back off and give the position back. NASCAR black-flagged him anyway costing him the victory and taking valuable points away from him.

NASCAR usually doesn’t care if the second place car beats the leader to the line as long as it’s by just a small amount but in situations like Sadler’s, there was nothing he could do about it. Another incident was last year at Richmond and that was just a complete mess in more ways than one. Not only did Stewart spin his tires in the worst way, but both he and Edwards thought they were the leader at the time and in control of the race. In the end, Carl was issued a penalty ruining his night. There have been so many problems with restarts the past few years that I could write a book on it and it’s all so unnecessary; there is a much better way to go about restarts. A couple other recent problems were David Ragan in the 2011 Daytona 500 and Johnny Sauter in a truck race at Texas a couple years back.

The question is, how should NASCAR police restarts? The best option in my opinion would be the complete abatement of the current restart rules. NASCAR needs to seriously consider implementing a rule just like Indycar’s. Everyone must stay in formation until the green flag flies and then all bets are off. Just start racing after the green flag is waved with no restart zones or being told to stay in line. That will instantly erase all these games played on restarts, take away all the controversy and it will actually make the races more exciting. With the way it works now, you are at the mercy of the driver alongside you which isn’t right.

This system has worked perfectly in Indycar and would work just as well in NASCAR. No more restart controversies, no more brake-checking, no more holding your breath until you cross the line and most importantly, no more judgment calls. It’s a simple idea that would be a great addition to the racing and make for a better race. You’ll have people fanning out 4-wide before they even get to the stripe as they race off into the corner instead of everyone slowing down and speeding up to make sure they don’t do anything wrong. The only issues they’d have is when an overzealous driver takes off before the restart zone which would be a fairly easy thing to police.

We have easily 10 or more issues with restarts every year across all three national touring divisions and that’s way too many in my eyes. NASCAR is doing the best they can trying to enforce the rules we have in place but it’s an unneeded burden for the drivers and officials to have to deal with. Get rid of the current restart rules and employ Indycar’s; it’s that simple.

June 3, 2013
Casey Mears Rebounds at Dover After Recent Troubles

When it comes to fast single car operations, everyone thinks of Kurt Busch and Furniture Row Racing but there is another single car team out there that is just a couple steps behind the No.78 performance wise. They haven’t been mentioned much because a lot of their great races have been marred by bad luck and accidents not of their own doing. They are Casey Mears and Germain Racing. Casey kicked off the year on a roll finishing 16th or better in four of the first six races. In fact, they were just outside the top-15 in the standings and just a few points short of a provisional chase position. Since then, circumstances outside of their control have dropped them down the leader board but through every crash and misfortune, one thing remained the same and that was the raw speed and pure determination that the team possessed.

This team proved once again at Dover what they can do when bad luck doesn’t hinder their efforts. They qualified 16th beating many of the top organizations and ran top-15 for most of the race. They finished 16th which is very respectable but were trapped a lap down for a good portion of the race stopping them from getting what could have been a 12th or 13th place result.

Throughout the event, I watched Mears pass Clint Bowyer and the defending Sprint Cup Series champ Brad Keselowski with ease as he charged through the field. Two years ago, this team was forced to start and park and they have already built their way up to a solid top-20 organization and with full sponsorship from GEICO Insurance I should add. They haven’t made any imprudent decisions that would dig them a deeper hole; they are actually very meticulous in the way they go about things.

Photo Credit: Rich Iceland Photo

They sit 25th in points due to the bad luck but deserve to be around 18th with how well they’ve run. Five of their past six finishes have been the result of bad luck and I see three races that would have most likely been top-15’s had fate been kinder. There is a fourth race called Talladega where they crashed (as did 30 other people) and who knows where Casey would have ended up if he stayed out of trouble there! If they can get some more good luck on their side like we saw Sunday; I firmly believe we will see them finish top-20 in the point standings, score a couple top-10 results and maybe even steal a victory at a plate race or short track.

If you read through the team’s and Casey’s tweets; you will see that they stay positive through all their travails letting optimism and hope supersede any doubts and concerns they may have. A bunch of bad runs in succession usually kills the morale of a race team but that’s simply not the case with the No.13. They have seen and experienced the lowest of lows in NASCAR and are grateful to even be in the position they are today which in the end, makes them stronger. GEICO has found a diamond in the rough here and I think people are beginning to realize it.

Their perseverance and refuse to lose attitude is why this team has beat the odds and made it in this cut-throat business of auto-racing. You can tell Casey is fired up and determined to keep improving and if the progress continues which I feel it will; I see them in the hunt for a chase berth come 2014. A contingent of people may say that’s a bold and almost ludicrous statement until you actually look at the monumental gains they’ve made in such a short period of time.

Germain Racing is used to the pressure and can handle it with ease which is a virtue not many possess. It’s not just a handful of people on the team either. Everyone from Casey to Bootie Barker and every mechanic that touches the car has the same mind sight and it’s to keep fighting no matter what. They are the next break-out NASCAR team and what they are accomplishing is not unprecedented.

We saw MWR do it, we are watching Furniture Row Racing do it right now and Germain Racing won’t be too far behind. A few years down the road, they’ll be laughing as they reminisce about the days when they were happy to finish 20th as they look on at a shelf full of trophies. They are unwavered by anything bad thrown their way, they refuse to quit, they don’t know the words it can’t be done and because of how bad they want it; their dreams will come to fruition soon and they know it.

June 3, 2013
Previewing the FedEx 400 at Dover International Speedway

After a strange and controversial night at Charlotte, NASCAR’s best get ready to take on Dover. With a nickname like “The Monster Mile” and people referring to this place as “Bristol on Steroids,” you don’t have to know much about NASCAR to know that this is one tough track. It’s fast; high banked and is notorious for taking out a good chunk of the field in a matter of seconds. One driver stands above the rest as the favorite every time we visit this venue and his name is Jimmie Johnson. 5-time is a 7-time Dover winner capturing the checkered flag in four of the last eight races. With an average finish of 8.6 and well over 2,300 laps led in his career at Dover, you’d have to be crazy to bet against him. I guess I’m crazy then…

Jimmie is no doubt going to be fast at Dover and will probably lead for a good portion of the event but when the dust settles, he won’t be standing in victory lane. Why would I make such a bold statement? Well, I think he’s going to have some very stiff competition in the form of Matt Kenseth. Matt has been the fastest man on track this year winning three times and having a car capable of reaching victory lane in almost every single event thus far. Matt has two wins at Dover coming in 2006 and 2011 and with how blistering fast he’s been this year, he is my number one pick to keep Johnson out of victory lane for a record setting 8th time. Matt’s not the only driver that may give Jimmie a run for his money though; there are a couple more that drivers that will be contenders on Sunday.

Carl Edwards is another driver that will run well and could be a player at the end of the race. One of his many nicknames is “Concrete Carl” due to how dominant he is when we visit concrete tracks including Dover. He may only have won win in 17 starts at this track but his average finish is the best in the field. (8.3) He has eight top fives and twelve top tens at Dover leading multiple laps in 10 of his 17 starts. He will be strong and so will Kyle Busch. Don’t be surprised if you see Kyle in victory lane three times this weekend as he’s participating in the Truck, Nationwide and Cup race. He dominates at Bristol and Dover is simply a bigger and faster version of that Tennessee short track with a very tricky exit to the corners thrown in. Kyle has won at Dover at least two times in all three national touring divisions. You have to attack this track and throw it off into and out of the corners just trusting that it will stick. That suits Busch’s driving style very well. He’s not a very patient driver and he likes to go after it from the very start which is probably part of the reason why he’s never won the Coca Cola 600 but is so successful at tracks like Dover and Bristol.

Kasey Kahne has been very strong in 2013 and won at Bristol so one may think he would be a contender here but history says otherwise. This is actually one of Kahne’s worst tracks statistically. In 18 starts, he’s never won and only once has he posted a finish inside the top five. Kasey’s only led a handful of laps and with over half his results being 20th or worse, his average finish of 21.4 isn’t very promising. Although his speed in 2013 may tempt you to pick him as a favorite Sunday, I’d advise that you stay away from Kasey just this once. Another driver to stay away from is 2-time Dover winner Tony Stewart. Yes, you read that right; I said stay away from a 2-time Dover winner at Dover. Tony’s two wins came back in 2000 and since 2010, he has had a miserable time at the Monster Mile. In his last five starts, he has failed to finish better than 20th and most of that is due to just a poor handling racecar; not bad luck. Even in his 2011 championship run when he won half the chase races, he finished 25th at Dover which was by far his worst result during the play-offs.

Dover is a very tough track that is unique in more ways than one. You are going up a hill when you drive out of the corner and the banking goes from 28 degrees to 9 with no transition period which launches the car onto the straightaway. It makes the car light and very hard to control which can get you into trouble real fast. When someone spins, it’s nearly impossible to not hit something. When a couple cars crash; the rest of the field usually comes piling in like the “big one” at Talladega. The track gets blocked and there is nowhere to go except for directly into the melee. To win here you have to be physically tough, you can’t let the Monster unnerve you and a driver has to be committed. You have to throw the car off into the corner and just pray that you make it. If you second guess yourself, then Miles the Monster is going to grab you and you’re going for a ride.

May 31, 2013

Crunching The Numbers: Dover

After two weeks at home in Charlotte, the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, NASCAR Nationwide Series, and NASCAR Camping World Truck Series teams pack up and head north to Dover, Delaware for a date with “The Monster Mile” at Dover International Speedway. For the first time since the season openers at Daytona in February, all three series will be at the same track for a rare tripleheader weekend.

Sprint Cup Series – Fed Ex 400 Benefiting Autism Speaks

The first of two visits for the Sprint Cup Series at Dover will feature the best drivers in the world talking on one of the toughest tracks on the circuit. The one mile concrete oval, which is one of the only two high banked concrete tracks on the schedule in addition to Bristol, is one of the reasons many have labeled this treacherous track as “Bristol on steroids”. This race, the 13th of the season, also marks the halfway point in the 26 race regular season, with 13 races remaining until the start of the Chase for the Sprint Cup this fall.

Driver	Races	Win	Top 5	Top 10	Pole	Laps Led	Avg. Start	Avg. Finish
Carl Edwards	17	1	8	12	0	532	15.0	8.3
Jimmie Johnson	22	7	11	16	3	2318	9.7	8.6
Jeff Gordon	40	4	15	22	4	2292	11.6	12.0
Ricky Stenhouse Jr.	1	0	0	0	0	0	17.0	12.0
Ryan Newman	22	3	6	11	4	842	9.5	12.1
Mark Martin	53	4	24	32	5	1769	12.3	12.3
Greg Biffle	21	2	6	10	1	463	11.7	12.4
Aric Almirola	2	0	0	1	0	0	16.5	12.5
Matt Kenseth	28	2	13	18	1	746	16.1	12.6
Clint Bowyer	14	0	1	7	0	34	17.6	13.2

Who To Watch: The best driver statistically at Dover? That would be none other than Carl Edwards. With his one win, eight top fives, 12 top tens, 532 laps led, and an average finish of 8.3 in 17 races, it’s no surprise that Edwards has earned the nickname of “Concrete Carl” for his prowess on tracks with a concrete surface.

Right in Edwards tire tracks are the Hendrick Motorsports duo of Jimmie Johnson and Jeff Gordon. In 22 starts, Johnson has seven wins, 11 top fives, 16 top tens, three poles, 2318 laps led, and an average finish of 8.6. Gordon has 40 starts, with four wins, 15 top fives, 22 top tens, four poles, 2292 laps led, and an average finish of 12.0.

Others to keep an eye on include former Dover winners Ryan Newman, with three wins and an average finish of 12.1; Mark Martin, with four wins and an average finish of 12.3; Greg Biffle, with two wins and an average finish of 12.4; and Matt Kenseth, with two wins and an average finish of 12.6.

Nationwide Series – 5 Hour Energy 200

Another race weekend and another field full of Cup regulars in the Nationwide Series. This time the Nationwide regulars outnumber the Cup regulars in the top 10 statistically at Dover. Could a Nationwide regular take the checkers on Saturday for the third time this year? The statistics point to that being a good probability.

Driver	Races	Win	Top 5	Top 10	Pole	Laps Led	Avg. Start	Avg. Finish
Brian Vickers	5	1	3	4	0	105	6.6	6.2
Joey Logano	8	2	4	5	2	465	4.9	6.5
Reed Sorenson	11	0	6	10	0	7	12.1	7.2
Austin Dillon	2	0	0	2	0	0	10.0	8.0
Ty Dillon	1	0	0	1	0	0	3.0	8.0
Kyle Busch	15	3	7	10	3	853	10.2	11.6
Parker Kligerman	1	0	0	0	0	0	12.0	12.0
Kasey Kahne	13	0	3	7	1	66	10.2	12.1
Brian Scott	6	0	1	3	0	0	16.8	12.2
Elliott Sadler	10	0	1	5	1	11	12.7	13.0

Who To Watch: Brian Vickers heads up the list as the best statistically at Dover with one win, three top fives, four top tens, 105 laps led, and 6.2 average finish in five starts. The only Cup regular in the top five statistically at Dover, Joey Logano, has two wins, four top fives, five top tens, two poles, 465 laps led, and an average finish of 6.5 in eight starts. Reed Sorenson has six top fives, 10 top tens, seven laps led and an average finish of 7.2 in 11 starts. Next up are the Dillon brothers, Austin and Ty, who both have average finishes of 8.0 in a combined three starts.

The majority of the season has seen Kyle Busch and his Joe Gibbs Racing team dominating and winning race after race. If anyone wants to make it to Victory Lane, they will have to go through Busch, who has three wins, seven top fives, 10 top tens, three poles, 853 laps led, and an average finish of 11.6 in 15 races. Joe Gibbs Racing has won four of the last six Nationwide Series races at Dover and with a win this weekend, Busch would become the series wins leader at Dover, setting yet another record in the process.

Camping World Truck Series – Lucas Oil 200

The Dover tripleheader weekend kicks off with the Camping World Truck Series hitting the track for their race on Friday afternoon. This race has been known to produce more first time winners and rookie winners than repeat winners. If this continues to hold true, we could see one of the series many young guns make their first trip to Victory Lane.

Driver	Races	Win	Top 5	Top 10	Pole	Laps Led	Avg. Start	Avg. Finish
Ty Dillon	1	0	0	1	0	0	6.0	6.0
Joey Coulter	2	0	0	1	0	0	3.5	8.5
David Starr	11	0	3	7	1	17	15.1	9.1
James Buescher	4	0	1	3	0	0	14.0	10.2
Kyle Busch	7	2	2	4	1	711	4.1	10.9
Ron Hornaday, Jr.	8	1	3	5	1	275	5.8	11.1
Justin Lofton	3	0	1	2	0	22	15.7	12.7
Johnny Sauter	4	0	1	1	0	0	4.5	13.8
Matt Crafton	12	0	2	7	0	16	17.5	13.8
Timothy Peters	6	0	0	2	0	1	14.0	14.7

Who To Watch: Both Kyle Busch, who will be attempting the tripleheader by running in all three series, and Ron Hornaday, Jr. are the only winners of this race in the field for Friday’s race. Others to keep an eye on that have had good runs at the track, but no wins include: Ty Dillon, who finished sixth in his lone start at the track last year; Joey Coulter, who has an average finish of 8.5 in two starts; David Starr, with an average finish of 9.1 in 11 starts; and series champion James Buescher, who has an average finish of 10.2 in four starts.

May 29, 2013

Bad Luck Follows Jeff Gordon to Charlotte

Jeff Gordon is a 4-time NASCAR Sprint Cup Series (NSCS) champion or as he’s more recently been known as; the unluckiest man in NASCAR. He’s won at nearly every track on the circuit and Jeff is still running competitively in his 22nd year of competition but luck has not been in his favor at all recently. It all started when he flipped over in the 2012 Budweiser Shootout (now known as the Sprint Unlimited) and since then, bad luck seems to be following him everywhere he goes. Every driver has bad luck but it seems to show up every time Gordon is having a nice run. Let’s take a look at the ups and downs of Jeff’s career since that wild wreck in Daytona last year…

Just 80 laps into the 2012 Daytona 500, Jeff Gordon’s engine basically detonated and his day was over. A few races later at Bristol, contact with teammate Dale Earnhardt Jr. cut down his left rear tire and he went crashing into the wall. Two weeks later at Martinsville, Jeff Gordon was battling hard with teammate Jimmie Johnson for the win. Whichever one of them won that race would be the person to give Hendrick Motorsports their 200th Cup win and Gordon wanted to be that person very, very badly. After a controversial late caution where David Reutimann stopped on track after he rode around for a few laps at an incredibly slow speed, the field lined up for a restart. The race went back green and Clint Bowyer dove underneath the Hendrick duo for the lead and the unthinkable happened. All three cars went spinning and Jeff’s chances to give Rick that 200th win went up in a cloud of smoke. That incident had a big impact on Gordon and the anger built up inside him for months before things came to a head but we’ll get to that later.

After bad luck seemed to haunt him almost everywhere he went, a change in fortune headed the team’s way when they visited Pocono in August. Rain was closing in on the track so the tempo of the race picked up with drivers becoming highly aggressive. Jeff restarted 6th on lap 91 and by the time the field exited turn 1, he was leading the race! Race leaders Jimmie Johnson and Matt Kenseth collided and a four car wreck ensued. Gordon sneaked through and then the heavens opened up securing him his first victory of 2012. Something happened to that team after that win and they went on a tear finishing 3rd or 2nd in three of the next five races.

The team went to Richmond on the outside looking in chase wise but with a lot of momentum on their side. It all came down to them and Kyle Busch. The car was awful during the event and the team threw everything including the kitchen sink at the car but nothing was working and he was lapped. During a red flag for rain, the team put a plan together as they desperately tried to fix the handling of the car while Gordon pretty much ruled out any chance of making the chase when he was interviewed. The changes shockingly worked and Jeff began to rocket through the field. When all was said and done, he finished 2nd stealing the WC from Kyle Busch by just a handful of points. They made the chase and were ready to go out and try to win the championship. Bad luck found Gordon again just in time for the chase when he crashed hard during the opening playoff race at Chicagoland. They ran very well the following races but it wasn’t enough after that 35th place finish put them far behind. At Martinsville, he found himself battling with Clint Bowyer once again and he obviously didn’t forget about what happened in April as the two began door slamming each other late in the race.

Photo Credit: Getty Images

At Phoenix, Bowyer made what seemed to be harmless contact with Gordon but Jeff’s blood pressure immediately went through the roof as he tried to wreck Clint the next corner. He failed and ended up putting himself in the wall instead only making him angrier. With just two laps to go, he waited for Bowyer who was a title contender at the time and wrecked him head-on into the wall. Two other cars were collected and Bowyer’s title hopes were shot. The No.15 crew went after Jeff and an all-out brawl ensued in the garage area. Clint jumped from his mangled car and joined in on the chaos as he ran through the infield. A contingent of people wanted Gordon suspended while others said Bowyer deserved it. Clint Bowyer fans and Jeff Gordon fans clashed all over the internet engaging in very heated arguments while the racing world waited on NASCAR to make a decision. They let Gordon race in the season finale but he was stripped of 25 points and $100,000. Gordon’s car featured a special DuPont 20th anniversary paint scheme in what would be their final race on the hood of his car before Cromax took over the company. Wasn’t it fitting that in the closing laps, it was none other than Jeff Gordon leading the race with Clint Bowyer of all people trying to hunt him down and steal the victory. Jeff hung on to win his 87th career NSCS race ending his wild year in victory lane.

Unsurprisingly, Gordon was knocked right back down by bad luck at the start of 2013. He dominated Bristol and it seemed he was the car to beat. That is until his right front tire blew while he led the pack with just 100 laps remaining. He shot up the track collecting Matt Kenseth destroying both cars. He could have won Texas too but was forced to retire from the race late with a mechanical failure In the Coke 600, he survived the carnage and had a chance to steal the victory had bad luck not killed his day once again. He pitted, the caution flew and he was trapped a lap down getting passed by the leader when he was just a few feet away from the exit of pit lane. He kept fighting though but a vicious pileup on lap 324 was the final nail in the coffin. Gordon hit a concrete wall incredibly hard but perhaps he was actually lucky just to escape with no serious injuries.

Jeff Gordon hasn’t lost the will to win or his ability to run up front. He’s simply been tormented by bad luck for the past two seasons. Ever since that flip at Daytona, his career has been turned upside down. Whenever something good happens to him, something bad quickly follows erasing all the positives that came out of his good result. If he and his team can get this monkey off their back, I know he can win a 5th championship. I believe he could make it to 100 total wins too. I’m not sure how many hard hits and morale killing races the 41 year old can endure though before he finally throws in the towel. After all those years of domination, it seems like Karma has finally caught up with the 4x champion. Perhaps this is an omen of things to come for the luckiest man on the track, Jimmie Johnson. Maybe I will be writing a similar article about him 10 years from now. I’m not saying there are supernatural forces out there targeted Jeff Gordon, that’s just silly but bad luck in racing seems to always lead to more bad luck. It usually gets worse before it gets better. Even the best team in NASCAR can’t predict the things that have cursed the No.24 and who knows if this bad luck will ever cease. If it does though, I firmly believe he will win a 5th title before he finally hangs up the helmet.

May 28, 2013
Previewing the Coca Cola 600

When you talk about the most prestigious races in NASCAR, the Coca Cola 600 is easily in the top two or three. Charlotte is the home for most of the teams which already gives this race importance but it is also the longest race on the NASCAR schedule. It’s also very special considering that it’s Memorial Day weekend; the track does a lot for veterans and also puts on a wild pre-race show for the fans. 600 grueling miles at the 1.5 mile quad-oval will test each driver mentally and physically while also pushing their machines too the absolute limit and beyond. It takes patience and experience to win this race but we have seen some surprises in the past. Casey Mears won his only NASCAR Sprint Cup Series (NSCS) race in the Coke 600 back in 2007 and David Reutimann captured his first victory in the 600 two years later.

The first Coke 600 took place back in 1960 and it was actually called the World 600. 36 of the 60 entries failed to finish the race and another six were disqualified. Joe Lee Johnson won the inaugural event and maybe that was an omen for the Johnson that would dominate this track half a century later. 5-time NSCS champion Jimmie Johnson (no relation to Joe Lee) is without a doubt the best driver to ever take on Charlotte Motor Speedway. He won his record 4th All-Star Race less than one week ago surpassing fellow legends Jeff Gordon and Dale Earnhardt. Joey Logano finished 2nd in the All-Star Race after the Busch brothers dominated most of the event. Here’s a look at who I think will be contenders this weekend and why…

Kurt and Kyle Busch were fast last weekend and will definitely be fast again in the 600. Kurt Busch is the 2010 winner of the Coke 600 while his little brother Kyle has never visited victory lane at Charlotte. I doubt that they will win the 600 though; this a race where patience is a necessity and these highly aggressive racers go all-out every lap which just doesn’t work here. They will be fast and I can see them leading some laps but they won’t be in contention for the victory late in the race. Matt Kenseth is the definition of patience; he always keeps the car in contention but waits to unleash his true potential until it’s time to pounce. Matt is a 2-time Charlotte winner including the 2000 Coca Cola 600 which happened to be his first Cup victory. He will be up front and could pull it and I see him finishing well but not winning much like the Busch’s.

That leads me to Jimmie Johnson, the master of Charlotte. Four All-Star wins, six point race wins including three consecutive wins in the Coke 600 make up his impressive resume. He hasn’t won a points race at Charlotte since 2009 and has finished outside the top 10 in four of his last six races here but look no further than last Saturday night if you have doubts when it comes to his chances. He will lead laps, he will be a contender but he will not win his 4th Coca Cola 600 this weekend. So, I’ve shut down Kurt Busch, Kyle Busch, Matt Kenseth, and even Jimmie Johnson so who is left that might take the checkered flag Sunday night?

Defending Coca Cola 600 winner Kasey Kahne is my pick to win this weekend. He is coming off a great run in the All-Star Race and he has been very fast at every 1.5 mile track this year. He finished a very close 2nd at Las Vegas and Kansas and nearly won the All-Star Race. Kasey is a 4-time Charlotte winner and a 3-time winner of the Coca Cola 600 in 2006, 2008 and 2012. With Hendrick power and some great talent behind the wheel, I see the Farmers Insurance Chevrolet going to victory lane this weekend. Not to mention he wants to run well for his newly acquired Yellow Lab named Billy. (Check Kahne’s Twitter if you have no clue what I’m talking about)

So Kahne, Johnson, Kenseth and the Busch brothers are the obvious favorites to win this weekend. Who then are the drivers that will most likely struggle? Tony Stewart, Greg Biffle, Martin Truex Jr. and Marcos Ambrose are drivers I think will have problems at Charlotte. Stewart-Haas Racing as a whole has had an awful season with the exception of the few great runs Ryan Newman has put up and Patrick’s Daytona 500 pole. Tony was never a contender in the All-Star Race quietly finishing 14th and never running up front. I’m afraid we will see more of the same from him in the 600 but Newman on the other hand showed a lot of strength last week before making heavy contact with Kyle Busch when he was charging through the field on a restart. Biffle also struggled in the All-Star Race and has very up and down results at Charlotte never winning. Truex was disappointing in the Sprint Showdown bouncing off the wall multiple times during the event. Ambrose’s car from last week was hopefully burned because it was so terrible. He was out of control in All-Star Race practice before he crashed into the wall when the rear axle flew out. His backup wasn’t much better and he ran towards the back of the pack finishing 17th.

This 600 mile event Sunday will have some good racing but don’t be surprised to see it get very calm with some long green flag runs throughout it. There will be lots of comers and goers as teams struggle to adapt to abruptly changing track conditions. Charlotte is considered the most weather sensitive track next to Indianapolis and the transition from day to night is going to give the crew chief’s problems as they try to keep up. Watch out for Earnhardt Ganassi Racing by the way. Both McMurray and Montoya were very fast in the Showdown and Jamie won it going on to finish a solid 8th in the All-Star Race. Juan would have most likely been right there with him had he not been handed a pit road speeding penalty halfway through the race which forced him to restart last. He drove all the way back up to the top five but ran out of time to race his way into the big show. It will be a race that will keep you guessing when it comes to who’s going to win and maybe we’ll see another first time winner like this race is so famous for producing.

May 23, 2013

Crunching The Numbers: Charlotte

When race fans think of Memorial Day weekend in the motorsports world, one thing immediately comes to mind and that is NASCAR taking to the track at Charlotte Motor Speedway for their traditional May race weekend that many consider to be the greatest weekend of motorsports all year long with NASCAR at Charlotte, IndyCar at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, and Formula 1 at Monaco.

Sprint Cup Series

The two weeks that Charlotte Motor Speedway hosts the Sprint Cup Series in May features two races on the extreme opposite side of the distance scale, with last weekend’s NASCAR Sprint All Star Race being one of the shortest and this weekend’s running of the Coca-Cola 600 as the longest of the season. The 400 lap race, which starts in the daytime and runs into the night can give teams fits when trying to set up the car to run well in both the daytime and nighttime. Look for the team that can keep up with the adjustments as darkness descends on the track to be up front at the end with a chance at the win.

Driver	Races	Win	Top 5	Top 10	Pole	Laps Led	Avg. Start	Avg. Finish
Joey Logano	8	0	2	5	0	3	14.5	10.1
Jimmie Johnson	23	6	11	15	3	1439	7.3	11.4
Carl Edwards	16	0	5	10	0	98	18.2	12.0
Kasey Kahne	18	4	7	10	0	807	10.5	12.4
Tony Stewart	28	1	6	12	1	695	15.8	14.0
Aric Almirola	2	0	0	0	1	3	9.0	14.0
Denny Hamlin	15	0	3	8	0	159	14.1	14.1
Matt Kenseth	27	2	7	14	0	455	17.8	14.2
Kyle Busch	18	0	8	11	1	793	15.0	15.3
Bobby Labonte	40	2	12	17	3	807	15.7	15.5

Who To Watch: Joey Logano, who was at the top of the list with the best average finish heading into last weekend’s All Star Race also finds himself at the top of the list for best average finish in points races at Charlotte Motor Speedway with two top fives, five top tens, and an average finish of 10.1 in eight races at the track. Coming off of a second place finish in the All Star Race last weekend, Logano could find his way to Victory Lane for the first time this season.

Last weekend’s All Star Race winner, Jimmie Johnson, is no slouch at Charlotte as his No. 48 team has seemed to own this place over the years. Johnson has an impressive career at the track with six wins, 11 top fives, 15 top tens, three poles, 1439 laps led, and an average finish of 11.4 in 23 starts. With stats like that, Johnson could very well pull the All Star Race/Coca-Cola 600 sweep 20 years after legendary driver Dale Earnhardt accomplished that same feat.

Others to keep an eye on include All Star Race pole sitter, Carl Edwards, who has five top fives, 10 top tens, 98 laps led, and an average finish of 12.0 in 16 starts; and Kasey Kahne, who gave Jimmie Johnson a run for his money in the opening laps of the final segment of the All Star Race before fading to fourth by the end of the race. Kahne has four wins, seven top fives, 10 top tens, 807 laps led, and an average finish of 12.4 in 18 races.

Nationwide Series

In the lead up to the Coca-Cola 600, the Nationwide Series will have their chance on track in the History 300 on Saturday afternoon. In what seems to be a recurring theme in the Nationwide Series, several Sprint Cup regulars will be running this race in order to learn some information for the Coca-Cola 600 on Sunday, meaning we’ll see another round of the Nationwide regulars versus the Cup regulars.

Driver	Races	Win	Top 5	Top 10	Pole	Laps Led	Avg. Start	Avg. Finish
Kyle Busch	19	6	14	16	0	903	10.2	6.3
Austin Dillon	2	0	0	1	0	0	2.0	8.5
Joey Logano	9	1	4	5	1	155	6.9	8.6
Brian Vickers	10	0	5	6	1	91	13.2	11.1
Kevin Harvick	22	0	4	13	2	274	11.9	11.5
Trevor Bayne	3	0	1	1	0	0	12.7	12.3
Matt Kenseth	20	3	9	11	4	662	10.0	13.6
Justin Allgaier	9	0	2	4	0	6	14.7	14.3
Mike Bliss	16	2	5	5	0	43	17.9	16.2
Elliott Sadler	12	0	4	5	1	16	12.8	17.2

Who To Watch: The drivers with the best average finishes that will be running in the History 300 seems to be split almost 50/50 between the Cup regulars and Nationwide regulars with Kyle Busch at the top of the heap. Busch has six wins, 14 top fives, 16 top tens, 903 laps led, and an average finish of 6.3 in 19 starts. The top Nationwide regular is Austin Dillon, who only has two starts at Charlotte, but has an average finish of 8.5 with one top ten finish. Others who could find their way to Victory Lane on Saturday include: Joey Logano, with one win, four top fives, five top tens, one pole, 155 laps led, and an average finish of 8.6 in nine starts; Brian Vickers, who has five top fives, six top tens, one pole, 91 laps led, and an average finish of 11.1 in 10 starts; Kevin Harvick, with four top fives, 13 top tens, two poles, 274 laps led, and an average finish of 11.5 in 22 starts; Trevor Bayne, with one top five, one top ten, and an average finish of 12.3 in three starts; and Matt Kenseth, who has three wins, nine top fives, 11 top tens, four poles, 662 laps led, and an average finish of 13.6 in 20 starts.

Although, not on the list, the top two drivers in points, Regan Smith and Sam Hornish, Jr., could also find their way to Victory Lane this weekend to add to their lead on the other drivers in the points.

May 22, 2013

Kurt Busch Is Ready To Win Another Championship

Kurt Busch will be a 2x NASCAR Sprint Cup Series (NSCS) champion; it’s simply a matter of when it will happen. Although he and Furniture Row Racing are fast this year, I doubt his second championship will come in 2013 but I will be very surprised if they don’t make the chase and win at least one race. Kurt has matured so much as a driver in the last year and has shocked me with his abrupt attitude change. Yes, he will still get animated inside the racecar but if you listened to every driver’s scanner, they all do at some point. After every race, he gives a positive interview no matter what and tempers his emotions which we’ve never seen him do in the past.

At Richmond, he was guaranteed a top three finish until a late race caution jumbled up the running order and he ended up 9th. On the final lap, Kenseth knocked him out of the way costing him a couple more positions and Kurt was obviously upset following the race bumping Matt on the cool down lap but that’s it. In fact, the usually calm Matt Kenseth was more fired up in his post-race interview than the strangely optimistic Kurt Busch. Kurt hasn’t made a single imprudent decision this year and there were multiple incidents when it would have been understandable to be upset.

He’s led over 100 laps this year and has run up front in most of the races although a few of the finishes don’t show it. If this team can get their pit stop mistakes and mechanical issues fixed, then they will become a serious threat on the track. They could have won the All-Star Race if they had a faster stop and loose wheels/lugnuts have destroyed what would have been great races for them on more than one occasion this year. Once again, the elder Busch looked at the brighter side of things following the race instead of dwelling on all the bad moments.

This much more mature Kurt Busch has taken Furniture Row Racing to the next level. Regan Smith was a good driver but Kurt is an extraordinary driver. Kurt’s probably the most versatile racer in the garage right now next to Tony Stewart and very few men throughout racing history have the ability to jump into different kinds of racecars and perform competitively like him. A couple weeks ago, he took a V8 Supercar around the Circuit of the Americas, then he drove an Indycar at 220mph passing rookie orientation and a few days later he shattered the track record at one of the most difficult tracks on the NASCAR schedule (Darlington). Not many people can kill the rear end of a car at Daytona during a crash and come back to win the race like Kurt did last July. Not many people can have their career slammed to the ground but somehow get back up again and be competitive. Not many people can completely change their attitude for the better in the matter of a year. Kurt Busch did.

I have gained so much respect for Kurt recently and it’s paramount that he keeps it up. His temper has been holding him back and now that he’s got his Achilles Heel under control, the field better watch out. When I used to look at Kurt Busch, I thought of a highly aggressive racecar driver that had an uncontrollable temper and would be out of NASCAR soon. Now I look at Kurt and I can see him becoming a Tony Stewart or an AJ Foyt winning many many races and not just in NASCAR. He’s tested the waters of open wheel, took a V8 Supercar for a spin and I think sports cars will be on his radar soon as well. The 24 Hours of Daytona is a highly prestigious race and I’ll be surprised if he doesn’t compete in that event within the next couple of years.

The No.78 may be a single car operation but there are no JTG or Swan Racing by any means. Barney Visser has some deep pockets so don’t mistakenly label this team as underfunded. If Kurt or crew chief Todd Berrier need something, they will get it. Their relationship with ECR engines and Richard Childress Racing is really helping them out this year too. Michael Waltrip Racing was the most recent team to work their way from the bottom of the totem pole all the way to the top of the food chain and I believe Furniture Row Racing will be the next to accomplish that feat. They have the driver, the crew chief, the money, the equipment; now all they need is the consistency which they will get eventually. You are doing a great job Kurt and good luck the remainder of 2013!

May 21, 2013
Was The New All-Star Race Format a Winner or a Loser?

Now that the All-Star Race is over with, the criticism/praise of NASCAR’s new format begins! After fairly exciting on track action during the first four segments, Jimmie Johnson stole the show in the final 10 lap dash after taking he overtook teammate Kasey Kahne for the lead with eight to go. The Busch brothers dominated the first four segments but came home 3rd and 5th after the Hendrick duo of Kahne and Johnson beat them off pit road. So, did this new format create better racing or does NASCAR have to redo it all again for the 30th running of the All-Star Race in 2014?

The average finish rule worked perfectly in my opinion. The drivers raced hard from the entire race and it didn’t matter if it was for the lead or 12th spot. The final 10 laps were unfortunately anticlimactic courtesy of Jimmie Johnson which left most fans disappointed. A large contingent of people out there decided to just blame the format but that’s unfair to do. The average finish was a good idea and doesn’t need tweaking. On the other hand, how the end of the race is setup definitely need fixing. One of the most riveting moments of the race was when Bowyer, Edwards and Mark Martin stayed out on old tires which caused the field to stack up behind them and cars were all over the place jockeying for position. Prior to the final dash for cash though, everyone in the field was forced to be on the same exact strategy with the mandatory four tire pit stop and that needs to be changed.

NASCAR needs to give these guys more options so we can watch two or three different strategies unfold at the end of the race. Some may opt for four fresh tires, a few will take two and maybe even a team that’s feeling brave stays out. That would make the end of these races insane and chaotic which is the point of the All-Star Race, right? Crew chiefs should be given more leeway and I’m sure if they did Saturday night, somebody deep in the pack like Tony Stewart or Ricky Stenhouse Jr. may have stayed out and gone for broke setting up a wild showdown.

That would be a perfect change and would add some much needed excitement without NASCAR having to manufacturer any of their own with gimmicks like field inversions. Another minor change I’d like to see would be shortening the final sprint to the finish from ten laps to five. It’s not like ten laps is too long but five laps would just raise the intensity level and the sense of urgency that much more. If it was five laps to go when they went green this past weekend, Johnson and Kahne would have been battling door-to-door for the win with just 2 1/2 laps remaining instead of 7 1/2.

Other than that, keep the average finish rule and definitely keep that no pit road speed policy for qualifying! That qualifying session was one of the most enjoyable ones I’ve ever watched and doesn’t need to be touched. Overall, the racing throughout the event was good and kept my interest but the finish didn’t live up to the hype. I’m all for letting races play out on their own but the point of this exhibition event is to entertain the fans so those are my ideas to create the best show possible without compromising the integrity of the race. Overall, I give this race a B-; it’s an improvement from 2011 and 2012 but there’s still some work to do on NASCAR’s part.

May 19, 2013
Previewing the 29th Running of the NASCAR All-Star Race

NASCAR comes home this weekend to kick off what in my opinion is the best two weeks on the motorsport schedule. $2,000,000 is on the line this weekend at Charlotte Motor Speedway and the best stock car drivers in the world will lay it all out on the line hoping to hoist that check when the dust settles. The exhibition event has been around since 1985 and has undergone 11 format changes always keeping the teams and drivers on their toes. The titans of our sport will fight tooth and nail for $2,000,000 Saturday night; the biggest All Star Race payout ever offered. There are no points and no implications on their seasons from this race, just checkers or wreckers.

We’ve seen what these drivers are willing to do to win this season and I’m sure they will take it to the next level in the All-Star Race as they race for a lot money, a trophy and of course bragging rights. If you aren’t one of the lucky 19 to be locked into the race, there is still a way to make it in. The Fans get to vote one driver of their choice into the event and the top vote getters as of May 15th in no particular order are Danica Patrick, Bobby Labonte, Martin Truex Jr., Jeff Burton and Michael Waltrip. The other way is to race your way in via the 40 lap Sprint Showdown that will precede the All-Star Race (ASR). The 1st and 2nd place finishers get to advance to the “main event” and there are 23 racers bidding for those two spots.

My Picks

Fan Vote: Danica Patrick: The Cup rookie is the obvious choice to win the fan vote considering her popularity and all she has to do is bring the car home one piece during the Showdown. That race can get pretty wild though so just in case she does crash out, who will be the fan vote recipient? I say it would go to Bobby Labonte who won it last year and is one of the most respected drivers out there among the fans.

Sprint Showdown: Martin Truex Jr. and Aric Almirola. Truex is always fast when we go to 1.5 mile tracks and he came within a few laps of victory at Charlotte’s sister track (Texas) just a few weeks ago. In the three 1.5 mile tracks we’ve raced on in 2013 so far, he’s finished 8th, 2nd and 4th leading 188 laps making him the obvious favorite in my opinion. Aric Almirola is my pick to take 2nd in the Showdown because of how fast he’s been as of late. In the past five races, he has four top 10 finishes and is sitting comfortably 9th in the standings through 11 races; easily the best season he’s ever had. Other drivers to watch include Stenhouse, Montoya, McMurray, Menard and Burton. As for a possible upset, keep an eye on Casey Mears and Germain Racing. They have been fast all year but have been the victim of crashes not of their doing. It wouldn’t surprise me at all to see that GEICO Ford Fusion transfer from the Showdown to the ASR tomorrow night.

All-Star Race: It’s hard to bet against Jimmie Johnson and Matt Kenseth but I’m going to take a chance and and pick the Busch brothers. This is their kind of race – it’s short and fast paced so you have to be aggressive, willing to take risks and put your car in places most wouldn’t dare. If that’s not the definition of Kurt and Kyle Busch then I don’t know what is. Neither Busch has ever won the All-Star Race but they’ve certainly made the highlight reel on more than one occasion. In fact, they took each other out back in 2007 and they refused to talk to each other for months. Kyle is back to being Kyle this year after a dismal 2012. He’s already won two races, he is dominating the Nationwide races again and this is a weekend of redemption for the No.18 after the disappointing end to the Southern 500.

Kurt Busch is sort of an underdog here driving for a one car team that has just one victory in their existence but they have one of the most versatile drivers out there behind the wheel. In the past month, Kurt’s broke the track record at Darlington for the Cup race, nearly won the Nationwide event at Talladega, drove an Indycar at 220mph at Indianapolis and took a Holden V8 Supercar around the Circuit of the Americas. The No.78 has been very competitive this year but has had pit stop issues or mechanical failures late in races a few times hurting their performances. Those two things shouldn’t be much of a problem this weekend considering that it’s a 90 lap sprint race instead of a 500 mile marathon. If they want to win though, they will most likely have to fight their way past Kenseth and Johnson who I think will be in control of the race. Don’t count out Kasey Kahne either who won the All-Star Race back in 2008 and is always solid when we go to the 1.5 mile tracks.

This is the race where teams will bring experimental equipment and setups as they lay it all out on the line for the money and the trophy. We’ve seen people wreck for the win and even crash their brothers or teammates in pursuit of the victory. We’ve seen the unthinkable happen in these races where tempers are high and pedals are through the floor. In the final 10 laps, these guys will go balls to the wall trying to take the win and would rather bring home the steering wheel than a 5th or 6th place finish. What do you think is going to happen when you take 22 of the best stock car racing has to offer, put $2,000,000 in front of them and give them 90 laps to get it done? I think it’s going to be off the wall excitement that will make the finish to the Auto Club 400 look clean compared to what’s going to go down Saturday night at Charlotte Motor Speedway!

May 17, 2013